Era's End

Chapter 3

Ending stepped out from the underbrush and stopped in his tracks. He marveled at the open sky and the forested hills that seemed to stretch on forever. It was so big, so vast, he could barely comprehend it. He had always lived in the shadows of the mountains, in a small valley where the boundaries of the world were near and dependable. Here -

He spotted it, at the same moment that Mirth yanked him back behind the cover of the vines around the mouth of the cave. "Starsong, get to cover!"

The dragon flew close to the tops of the trees. Its scales were a vivid turquoise blue, and shimmered in the sun. It swooped down low above the river, and Ending saw a woman riding it, hanging on to its sinewy neck.

They flew by fast, and were gone up into the sky and out of sight in a matter of moments, but it felt like forever before Ending dared to breathe again.

"Do you think that was a military dragon?" Starsong asked, his voice shaky.

"I saw no saddle or insignia," Mirth said slowly, "but it could have been a scout of sorts anyway. Let's be careful, and keep an eye to the sky."

Ending stood up slowly, anxiously scanning the sky. It was so vast and so open. He had never seen the sky so wide. He was used to being surrounded by mountains on all sides. To have it only behind him, and sky stretching endlessly to the horizon in front of him, made him feel more vulnerable than he'd ever felt before. A Ghir'ar dragonrider could come from almost anywhere. When Mirth patted him on the shoulder, Ending almost jumped out of his skin.

"It's alright, Enden. We're safe for now. I'll keep a sharp eye out all the same. You just focus on staying upright - we have some tricky terrain to pass through before we get to the safety of the forest between here and Guardspell City."

Ending nodded, afraid his voice would crack if he tried to speak.

He didn't have to, as over the next couple of hours Starsong did enough talking for them both, and then some.

"Wow, do you think that dragon the rider was on could talk? I've heard they cut into the brains of the baby dragons to make them stupid and obedient. But do you think that means they lose the ability to talk too? I've always wondered that."

"Oops I almost slipped. Those rocks are awfully sharp for as small as they are. At least we're going downhill so if I fall I fall forward!"

"Wow look at those flowers. They're so small but they're growing where there's almost no soil. Do you think that makes them stronger or weaker? If I was a flower I wouldn't grow in the middle of rocks. But I suppose if I was a flower I wouldn't really have an option of where to grow, would I? I think that's a good metaphor. We don't get to choose where we're hatched either. Humans don't hatch though, right? You're born, I think the word is." Ending was very grateful that Starsong didn't ask how human babies were born. "You're like windsteeds and rockwolves. But you also don't come out with an innate ability to use magic like they do. You have to learn it, and your elemental aptitude isn't hereditary. Anyone can be good at any element of magic. My natural element is wind, though according to the elders I have an aptitude for the astral element, but I'm not very good at it. I'm better at the small magics of the base elements, but even that's difficult sometimes. Do you think I'll get better at it when I'm an adult?"

"I think you'll get better the more you learn and practice," Mirth said.

"I think so too. I'm still very young, only a few years old. I only got to go on the perimeter checking mission because I can fly and me having an aptitude for the astral element means I can sense the magic of the perimeter spell pretty well for my age. But mostly the perimeter is checked by adults. I was supposed to stay close to the group of adults but then I saw a bit of the perimeter spell that looked weak and like it was leaking. When I went closer to it to see what it was doing, it attacked me and that's how I ended up on the other side, falling down to your side of the mountain. I know I told you that already, Ending, but not Mirth."