Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 5

*Katerina's POV*

The jouncing flight left my stomach turning, and I was glad I hadn't eaten anything recently. My hands held onto the rough scales on the dragon's fingers, terrified I'd be dropped to my death at any second.

My other fear was that the dragon had somehow sensed my magic, although I hadn't felt any probes. Why hadn't it attacked the mages? This wasn't how my plan was supposed to turn out.

All I could do was hold on and hope I could talk my way out of whatever situation I had managed to land myself in. Time dragged on, and yet also seemed to fly by as I fretted over my situation.

I tried to stretch my cramping muscles, but I was just as tightly confined as the dragon had been under the net. Nor did I want to struggle too much and make him drop me. Wind whistled through the gaps between his fingers, giving me glimpses of the trees below. I checked my shields again, but they were still as strong as I could make them.

I blinked at the trees. They were definitely larger than before and quickly growing in size. The jouncing stopped as the dragon glided downward. My grip on the scales tightened as I braced myself, unsure how he was going to land with me in both of his hands.

Trees blurred by below us, and we suddenly slowed as the dragon began backwinging. My heart hammered when I saw how far away the ground was. Then a rocky ledge appeared below us. Air whipped around my legs as one hand let go. After a few jolts, silence fell, broken only by the rustling of massive wings being furled.

The ground came closer, and the fingers opened with no warning. The handholds I thought I had were no match for gravity, and I rolled down the dragon's fingers and onto the stone, landing in an undignified heap. The handful of arrows left in my quiver clattered around me.

With a disdainful snort, the dragon began walking away. I slowly sat up, trying to collect my wits and gain my bearings. Well, at least I wasn't dead. That was a good start.

As best I could tell, we were on an outcropping halfway up a cliff. If it hadn't been the middle of the night, I would have been able to see more than the shadowy treetops. No hint of a fire or candle could be seen, although most villages didn't waste such valuable resources in the middle of the night.

A nearby thump reverberated through the ground and made me jump. The dragon began ripping branches off the dead tree it had dropped near me.

"You can use this for firewood." The deep voice was remarkably clear and definitely held more than a bit of annoyance.

"Uh, thank you, Sir." My mouth went dry, unable to continue and even more unsure of what to say. I had never been good with words, but I knew I had to be very polite and respectful to avoid angering him, especially with his current mood.

The dragon looked over at me, and I quickly bowed my head, both to show respect and to avoid eye contact. That was one thing my parents had drummed into my head over and over: never look a mage in the eyes if you're trying to hide your magic.

When the dragon didn't reply, I began to realize how cold the air was. A fire would be welcome. I got to my knees and collected the arrows, placing them in my quiver. Only eight were left, although it was a small miracle they hadn't also fallen out during the flight.

"Your aim with that thing was terrible."

I winced at the words, although I knew they were true. "Sorry, Sir. It was given as a gift yesterday, and I haven't had much time to practice."

The dragon sprawled against the cliff and watched as I carried several pieces of broken branches to the side to start a fire. Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I struck my flint over a pinch of dried moss from my backpack.

Several sparks caught, and I carefully nursed the embers into a tiny flame, slowly adding twigs until I had a respectable fire. I went back to the pile and brought more branches over.

"What do you want as repayment for helping me? Gold? Spells?" the dragon asked curtly.

Stories of how zealously the dragons guarded their hoards and magic immediately sprang into my mind.

"Nothing, Sir," I said, bowing again for good measure. "I don't need repayment." The low rumbling growl didn't bode well, so I quickly added, "I'd probably be accused of stealing any valuable object or a lowlife might kill me in order to take it."

The growl fell silent. When I peeked up, he was regarding me with an unreadable expression.

"Surely there must be something you want."

The dragon seemed determined to give me something, but accepting a gift was just as dangerous as further annoying him with my refusals.

"Ummm, I'm not sure where we are, but I don't think we're close to any settlements. If I could be taken to a village, that would be appreciated, Sir. You already saved me from the mages."

"Simply dropping you off at a village when I fly past it doesn't seem like enough," the dragon said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself to do more than I was asking. "You look like a traveler. What is your destination?"

Since I couldn't say I was looking for a village where mages and healers never went, I decided to pick the city where one of my non-Wellspring cousins lived, which was in the general direction I had been heading. "Emerson City, but any village or city of your choosing will be fine."

"Hmmm... Emerson City is only a two-day flight from here and would save you a month of walking. That would work. But my priority is those mages, although that delay shouldn't take more than a few days."

Was the city really that far away? I belatedly wished I'd picked a city I'd recently visited. "Please don't trouble yourself, Sir. Any village or city will work."

The dragon ignored my polite protests. "A flight to Emerson City will be your repayment. Either after the mages are dealt with or within seven days, whichever comes first."

The finality in his words made goosebumps appear on my arms. Two entire days of being carried around by a dragon? Could I possibly keep my magic hidden that long? I really needed to get away from him, the sooner, the better.

I somehow doubted he would leave me on this cliff while he went back for the mages. Perhaps he'd drop me off near a road or a village, and while he was gone, I could just wander away. It would save him the trouble and spare me unnecessary stress.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Katerina, Sir," I replied quietly. I didn't dare lie, but I really didn't want a dragon to know my name.

"I'm Rakota." The dragon curled up. "I advise you to get some sleep since I plan to leave early."

"Yes, Sir."

I had a feeling sleep would be a very long time in coming.