Wings of Gold

Ch. 13 - Mentality

          No. Viggo isn't against me. We're on the same side...he's on the good side now, he's one of us. I was going to teach him to fly. What happened? What changed?

          All these thoughts and more are rushing through my head as I sit in my hut, the candle's flame beside me dwindling. The candle finally dies with a strong gust of wind that blows through the open window. I get up sluggishly, heading over to close the hatch on the opening. The opening that overlooks the ocean, and there, hanging just above the water is the bright full moon. I stand there for awhile, breathing in the cool night air and coming up with a thousand bad ideas all at once. 

          I push past my doubts as I saddle up Goldedge and sheath my sword across my back. I can't help but cringe at the thought of what Viggo would say in this moment. His words of tender care seem ancient now. The sensitive moments haunt me now, disgust catching in the back of my throat as my shoulders stiffen with the remembrance of his protective hands once placed there.

          I came back into focus, my hands resting on Goldedge's saddle as I stared blindly at it. The monotonous thumping in my chest felt louder now. It drummed against my ribs, threatening to crack the bones that bind it inside. I hoist myself upon his back and take to the sky.

          When I've made it out above the open water, soaring silently through sea stacks that break from the ocean like hungry talons that grasp helplessly for the stars. While I'm up here, I try not to think. It's always been that way as a rider, you aren't meant to think once you're in the air, because you should always have it all planned out. You didn't think because you do, you do what you were told or what you told yourself. It's how it always is, both as a dragon rider and as Viggo's business partner. There he is. There he is again clawing his way into my thoughts when I swore I wouldn't let him.

I felt as if I was about to shatter, but I am not made of glass.

          I lifted my head to the piercing gaze of the full moon that hangs in the navy sky. My eyes flitted from it's enticing brightness to the ship in the distance. I looked over my shoulder and let out a shaky breath as the Edge disappeared from sight behind the ever growing fog. Turning around to face the ship that's tail was barely within view, I gripped the saddle tight and dropped just above the waves. The inside of my cheek suffered the sharpness of my teeth as I saw the sail of the ship coming into view. The sail that bore a symbol we thought was long extinct. The symbol of the dragon hunters. I tailed the ship closer, gritting my teeth as rage boiled up inside me. "You can run, Viggo, but I'll never be too far behind you."