Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 6

*Rakota's POV*

I stretched my wings and checked my magic as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. It was a bit harder to use than usual, but the spells flickered through my mind reliably enough. I pressed my thumb against a magically carved rune on one of the smaller scales on my wrist and used my magic to "fetch" my harness from my home aerie.

Magic flowed through me as I felt harness straps materialize over my scales. An identical rune glowed on the central chest strap as the matching markings called to one another. A second rune was stamped into the thick leather, just below the first one, but it remained dark. It would only activate if I used another spell to "send" it back, using a carved stone in my aerie as the anchor point.

After a quick shake to settle my scales, I rechecked the fit of the harness and saddle. It didn't seem to be binding, but I still examined each strap to make sure none of them were rubbing against any new scales. The sharp edges could slowly cut through the leather. Catching a falling human wasn't difficult, but they didn't seem to enjoy it, and it was nearly impossible to get them back in the saddle afterward.

The human had stopped eating some sort of trail bar and gawked at the harness. The moment she noticed me watching, she dropped her eyes. She was always careful to avoid staring or direct eye contact, likely as a way to show respect. I'd heard that some nobles often demanded such things, so perhaps she had been a servant at one point.

"I figured it'd be easier for you to ride instead of making me carry you," I told her. "You better enjoy it. Dragon flights aren't cheap, and very few nobles or mages can afford to bribe a dragon for a ride."

She glanced at the saddle on my back, seemingly averse to the idea. "I didn't think dragons let anyone other than their rider on their back."

"Not many are brave enough to ask or respectful enough for us to agree. Even fewer are willing to hand over that many precharged mage stones as payment."

She nodded without further questions. She must have known enough about mages to know they could store excess magic in stones or gems and use them for bartering. Human mages were fortunate that their magic regenerated so quickly, although their spells were rather limited.

Dragons had the opposite problem. We had an entire arsenal of spells, including pure magic spells that didn't require runes or pre-cast components. Unfortunately, our magic recovered slowly, often forcing us to degrade ourselves into offering rides to the wealthy or finding natural magic sources, which were few and far between.

I lowered my chest to the ground and shifted my wing to the side, telling the human, "Get on."

She froze, staring at the saddle like it was a rattlesnake.

I snorted. "Grab your backpack and climb up. There are straps attached to the saddle to tie yourself down."

Her words spilled out in a rush. "I'm sorry, but if you're going after the mages, I'd be more of a hindrance than a help."

"We're going to a dragon guard post."

"Will there be more dragons there? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. You can drop me off in any village we pass."

"Quit stalling and get on." I glared at her, letting her know it wasn't up for debate. How I wished the magedebt would listen and let me leave her near the first village I spotted! It would make my life much easier.

She moved stiffly, reluctance evident in every stilted step, but under my scowl, she came over. She hesitated, then took a deep breath and climbed up the harness straps far more nimbly than I had expected.

It took her a few moments to figure out how the series of straps were supposed to be arranged, but soon enough, they formed a harness that would prevent her from falling off. It was actually interesting to watch. Very few humans were clever enough to manage that without instructions, especially on their first flight.

My mage senses brushed against unfamiliar magic, and I took a closer look at her. The small charm on her necklace immediately caught my attention. I examined the theft prevention spell with my senses, noting how sloppy the rune patterns were. It had been cast by a young male, likely an apprentice practicing their first spells, or so I hoped with that terrible workmanship. The spell was barely formed well enough to work at all, and the edges kept giving off tiny flares due to the unbalanced casting.

Now that I was paying attention, I realized I hadn't done much more than note her presence as that of a human. If she slipped into a crowd, I would have a hard time picking her out, and her obsession with slipping away with the magedebt unpaid made this a potential source of trouble. Nor was I about to reveal the obligations of magedebt to a human. That was simply asking for trouble, especially if any shadow mages caught wind of it.

I focused on her, carefully taking note of her appearance. Like many farmers or travelers, her skin was tanned from extended periods of time spent in the sun. She had braided her black hair sometime this morning, which was a prudent action on her part since the wind would have tangled it into knots.

Her clothing was simple and without decoration or ornaments. Nor did it look new. She still carried the bow and arrows instead of discarding them like the twigs they were. There were a couple of small scars on her arms and a crescent shaped one on the back of her left hand. A heavy dusting of freckles adorned her cheeks, with some spots straying to the right in a partial swirl.

She shifted uneasily in the saddle and bowed her head, once more avoiding direct eye contact.

Refusing to be caught staring, I briskly said, "The shoulder straps have to slide under the secondary straps when clipping them to the central brace." She quickly fixed the problem that didn't actually exist, and I unfolded my wings. "Hang on."

I leapt off the cliff and used the tiniest brush of magic to send me soaring into the sky effortlessly. After last night's flight, it was like a breath of fresh air. As I climbed higher, I angled my flight to head directly to the outpost. The mages would be scattering like the wind, and I didn't want them to get too much of a head start or give them enough time to come up with more foolish plans.

But I needed backup before I went chasing after them, and I also had to figure out what to do with my unwelcome hitchhiker.