Rebirth of a Dragon's Realm

Chapter 14

I felt Mark reach out in his mind to find Raiden. Raiden patiently waited for Mark to figure it out. "Alright, while you are trying to figure out how to open the bridge between you and Raiden.  I need you to also pay attention to what Raiden and Ragoth are doing. This first flight will be easy, as I don't want you to fall off. Riding a dragon is not like riding a horse. A horse you can control with your legs and hands. Dragons, you can't do that. Your dragon will keep you safe, but you still have to hold on for your life. Your dragon can change direction with a sharp turn or flip completely over, just to avoid another dragon."
I felt Ragoth change direction, and I knew she had done it to prove my point. Out of the corner of my eye, I seen Raiden do the same thing. And watch him do it slower for Mark, so he would get used to it. I stopped talking for a bit and enjoyed the ride. I knew the more I talked, the less focused Mark would be on trying to open the pathway to Raiden.
'We need to travel a bit more, at least until we find Scott's other two friends. I believe we should be able to find an area where we can focus on training everyone. Hopefully, I can figure out something else other than game and wild fruit for us to eat. It will get tedious.'
I sat back and enjoyed the ride and stopped thinking. I knew if I didn't stop, I would go down a rabbit hole with my thoughts. I let my mind focus on the wind flowing around me, pulling at my hair and my clothes. We weren't too high up, so the air was still warm. 'That doesn't seem right.' We were at least fifty to sixty feet above the tree line; we should be feeling cold air. I felt the air around me again. The actual air was cold, and my magic wasn't changing the temperature around me. 'How am I still warm?' I followed the flow of the warmth and found that it was coming from Ragoth. There was a gentle pulse of heat rising from her sun-etched scales. It flowed up through my legs, coiling up my back like the sun coming from behind a cloud. Ragoth's breath glowed faintly at the edges of her mouth – not fire, but deep heat, like embers sealed beneath a mountain.
A little while later, I heard "About time! I'm proud to call you my rider, Mark. Even though it took you a while to figure it out. You did it all on your own."
"I'm so glad to hear your voice, Raiden." Mark leans forward slightly, as if drawn toward Raiden's voice inside his head, grounding himself with a hand against Raiden's neck.  His hand stays on Raiden's neck instead of going back to the scales that he was holding on to. I watched as Mark's posture, once rigid and nervous, relaxed into complete trust.
"I am glad that you figured out how to connect with Raiden, Mark. Now it is time to head back. Dinner is most likely ready. We will get ready to travel again tomorrow. I have a feeling that we will find at least two more people before we stay in one place for a little bit."
"Okay, I am starting to get hungry. Can we ride again tomorrow when we leave?"
"Yes, we can." I smiled. "Considering I haven't eaten in the past few days due to being knocked out. I am very surprised that I am up and aware."
"Yeah, I had forgotten about that. Let's head back and get some food in you before you pass out on us again. I don't want to be the cause of you passing out and have those three come after me."
I knew exactly who he was talking about. I laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. Things just ended up happening right after I woke up, and everything didn't really give me time to stop and eat."
I felt Thomas cut into our conversation, "The two of you are not wrong, Tami. You need to get your butt back here and eat. Your brother and David are starting to fret that you ain't back yet to eat."
I laughed, "We are, no need to worry. We are on our way back now." I assured Thomas.
"Hold up! How was I even able to hear Thomas just now? I thought it was just us four talking." Mark was completely confused.
I smiled. "Your train of thought is right. Normally, the only ones who can communicate telepathically are those who are part of the conversation and only them. There are a few cases where someone can jump into a conversation; those who are traveling together can do it if everyone in the group are close to one another. But Thomas is different, sadly. He can jump into any conversation that I am having to say his piece and also listen to every conversation that I am having. It is because he is my Knight. It's a part of his powers of being it. He normally minds his own business because he knows I hate that he can without me knowing, but there are times like now, where if he thinks that it has to do with my safety, then he does."
"That makes sense, how I didn't even feel him. Even though I am brand new to this. That has got to suck that he can do that to you. But at the same time, I get why he has to be able to do that." I could feel that Mark was truly understanding. The side of him that made him choose to go into the Air Force back on Earth was showing. He understood the meaning of having the means to be able to protect someone and use all resources available.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I've gotten used to it over the years, plus at first, after a few times of him doing it. Let's just say we had a heart-to-heart where he understood my limit." I couldn't help but send one of my smiles to him.
"Oh, I bet!" Mark shivered at my smile. I knew he understood what I meant.
As we got closer to the group. I noticed the boys got up and held on to anything that the wind gust of the dragons could knock over. Once we landed and as we were dismounting, Billy and David walked over to us.
"Hi, baby, how was the ride and lesson?"
"Successful. Mark and Raiden are now able to communicate with each other."
"That is great. Does that mean that their bond has grown closer, and will Mark become stronger?"
"Great questions, baby. Yes, it does mean that Mark and Raiden's bond will continue to grow. And Mark's powers will continue to grow as well. But that doesn't mean that yours and Billy's can't grow either. It doesn't really matter if you are paired with a dragon or not for your power to grow. It depends on who you are as a person." I hugged David.
"I'm going to go talk to Mark and see how he enjoyed the flight. You go eat now, please. Before you get any weaker, I can feel it, which is really throwing me off. I don't like the feeling, but at the same time, I'm glad that I can." David pushed me towards the campfire.
"Alright, alright." I laughed. Though I did think that it was weird, he could feel that I was starting to get weak, but I haven't even noticed it yet. He has always been very susceptible to reading people. He used it when he was playing tennis back on Earth. "Enjoy your talk with them," I said as I walked toward the campfire.
I looked around, seeing whatever everyone was doing. Scott and Luke were talking while Scott was copying Vulcan, who was tossing a fireball between his tails. Kimberly was stirring the pot. Audrey was cooing to the dragon egg. Thomas was prepping the deer skin for Mark. Ragoth left to find something to eat.
"Kimberly, can I have a bowl of that stew?" I asked as soon as I sat down.
"Yeah," Kimberly grabbed a bowl from the stack. "Here you go," she said, handing me the bowl full of the stew.
I took the bowl. I took a good whiff of the stew. Chunks of tender deer meat bobbed in the thick broth, dark and rich, glistening with wild herbs and root vegetables. Rosemary needles clung to the surface, hinting at forest pine, while cracked barley swelled like little pearls between slivers of carrot and onion. A tartness lingered beneath the aroma, blackberries bruised and stirred in at the last moment, adding depth and color to the golden sheen of rendered fat. The broth clung to the stone-carved spoon in thick rivulets, each mouthful a tapestry of the woods: earthy, smoky, and faintly sweet.
"You had to put onions and carrots." I've never been a fan of either. I can eat carrots, but I have to smash them. I can't stand an onion.
"Oh, eat around them, picky. They give the stew flavor," she retorted.
She wasn't wrong. I started eating the stew. It wasn't bad. I made sure not to get any of the onions or carrots on the spoon. The deer meat was tender. I had a few bites that felt like they melted in my mouth. I hadn't had blackberries before. It was a bit tartier for my taste buds, but the rosemary flavor did help with the taste. "It's not bad, devil."
"Told you," Kimberly muttered.
I just stuck my tongue out at her after I finished my bite of food. She laughed. All of the boys came over to sit down and eat. For the next little bit, all I heard was the scraping of rock bowls being picked up and the stew being placed into them. Chatter started going around the fire as we sat and ate the stew.
I heard my brother say, "Onions, really?"
"Just like your sister, huh?" Kimberly asked rhetorically.
"Not really," Scott said defensively, "I just agree with her about onions, is all."
"I told Tami the same thing, just eat around them, they give the stew flavor."
"Brat, she did. And it ain't bad, considering."
"Fine." He said with mock defect, lifting the spoon like a white flag.
A few of us laughed, "I didn't realize Scott had a dramatic side to him." David said to me after the laughter died down.
"Yeah, he does. I love that side of him. I'm glad that he is showing it. It means that he is relaxing around everyone to show that part of him. He has never really been himself around any of my friends. I know he does with his, but it could just be because y'all are his big sisters' friends." I said, then mumbled, "I don't know."
"Well, if that is his relaxed side, I say we're lucky to see it. He has got good taste in people – guess he figured your friends are worth letting his guard down for." David smiled then added with a wink, "Honestly, it's refreshing to see that side of him."
I leaned over and gently pushed at him. "I love you." I couldn't help myself.
He kissed the top of my head, "I love you too, Baby."
"Hey, lovebirds!" Billy called out, "Don't keep us peasants waiting – what's the next move, Your Leadership?"
I grabbed the closest rock near me and threw it at him. The next thing that happened shocked everyone, including Billy. In an instant, air surged around Billy, forming a shimmering wall that deflected the blow. The rock rebounded, spinning toward Audrey. My heart jumped – I reached out with mine and caught it with a rush of wind just in time.
"I told you to watch what you say to her." Thomas said his tone was half "I told you so," half "let's watch the chaos unfold," while laughing.
"Holy Crap! That is new!" Billy said in complete shock.
"Well, it looks like your magic is getting stronger, but it is also reacting instinctively. Which is good and bad." I started to say.
"What do you mean by that?" Billy started getting worried.
"Calm down. You are going to be okay." I said, trying to calm him down. "What I was trying to say by good and bad was, yes, your magic is going to be stronger now, but that means you are going to have to do more meditating to be able to control it correctly before you actually have a handle on your magic completely. Meaning it is going to take you longer than the rest of the group. And the reason why is because the wind has picked up on you being overprotective and has chosen to be defensive magic."
Billy kicked at a pebble, still rattled. "So... it's like, what? The wind's got a personality now?"
I smiled, stepping beside him. "Not exactly. But it does respond to yours."
He raised an eyebrow. "Mine's protective. That's good, right?"
"It is," I said gently. "But protective doesn't always mean controlled. That shield you made - it was instinct. Fast, reactive. But defensive air magic isn't just about reacting. It's about anticipating. Shaping."
Billy folded his arms. "You mean I can't just throw up a wall and hope it holds?"
I shook my head. "Air doesn't hold still. It's not like earth, where you can stack it. Or fire, where you can blast it. Air moves. It listens. It changes. You have to guide it without gripping too tightly."
He frowned. "That sounds... impossible."
"It's not," I said, crouching to draw a spiral in the dust. "But it's delicate. Defensive air magic is like threading a needle in a windstorm. You need precision, not power. Calm, not chaos."
Billy groaned. "So, I have to be calm and precise? You've met me, right?"
I laughed softly. "I have. And I know you're capable. You just haven't had to slow down before. But now? You'll need to meditate. Learn to feel the shifts in the air before they happen. Because if your emotions spike—if you panic or get angry—your shield might scatter. Or worse, lash out."
He blinked. "Like... the rock?"
I nodded. "Exactly. That rebound wasn't just defense—it was retaliation. Thankfully, I was able to guide the wind and mirrored your instinct to protect Audrey. But next time, it might not stop at a ricochet."
Billy looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "So I'm basically carrying a loaded crossbow made of air.
"Only if you forget to breathe," I said. "The wind chose you because it saw your heart. Now you have to earn its trust."
"What do you mean that the wind chose me? I thought my power leaned more toward the air element." I could tell that he was confused and thinking about what I had said on the day that we got here.
"You are not wrong. But do you remember the part where I said the element ends up being either the person's favorite and/ or the one they are most comfortable with?"
"Yeah, I do?" Billy said conflicted.
"Well, one of the reasons behind someone becoming the most comfortable with an element is because the element chose them. I just didn't pick up on that when we first got here or at home on Earth. Air had chosen you even back then. There may have been times in your life when you felt the need to go outside and just stand there and let the wind wrap around you, to either calm you down or to comfort you."
Billy just sat there thinking. I could tell he was really taken aback by the last part that I said.
"On another note, what Billy had originally asked was what are the plans for going forward. I noticed some huts that are west of us. I have a strong feeling that they belong to the huts of Scott's friends. I know he wants to see them." Scott smiles at her as a silent thank you. "I figure after that we can hopefully find an area that is big enough for us to stay and train for a good while so you guys can learn how to handle your magic well enough where Kimberly, Thomas, and I are not the only ones who can night watch."
"That sounds great to me." Most of the group said at the same time.
"That sounds like a good plan for now. You know you have to think of other things as well. Like, what foods are we going to eat, along with where we are going to stay as a group. The huts are too far apart and too long to travel between. On top of everything else we have to do to build a society so we can survive until we figure out how to get back home." With that, Thomas gave voice to the concerns I hadn't shared, and the group finally caught on to me keeping things to myself again.
"Trust me. It's already on my mind. All of it. That's why I want us to find somewhere big enough – somewhere we can try to build, maybe grow something. But we need to be safe too. And none of us really knows how to do any of that. Not without looking it up. And we can't. Not here."  My fingers gripped the bowl of what was left of my stew to the point where I had to breathe so I wouldn't break it. I didn't say the rest – that I was already stretched thin, that I didn't want to be the one thinking about all this. Not yet. Not alone.
"Tami, you know I did voice it for you to stress about it. I voiced it because I am trying to lighten your load. There is more than just you here able to figure out how we are going to live here." Thomas said, trying to help me realize that I did have others whom I could ask for help. All I had to do was ask.
"Tami, Thomas is right. For one, not only can both me and him help train these guys in magic, but we can also train them on how to live off the land. By teaching them what plants are actually edible. How to hunt the animals." Kimberly said, "Thankfully, we have both Ragoth and Raiden here who have no problem eating the parts of meat that would go bad in less than a day. So, we don't really have to worry about the wolves anymore. I think we might actually only have problems with ogres."
"Speaking of ogres. Wouldn't it make sense that they are the ones who built the huts, including the ones who domesticated the horses? Even if these horses seem like they know us their whole lives." Mark said speculatively.
"You know, Mark, you bring up a valid point." I smiled at him. "If we do come across the ogres again. I'll remember not to kill them this time." I started thinking about the one that I did kill. I prayed that he wasn't someone important. I was only trying to protect Valerie. I didn't even think that he might be intelligent. Now I am regretting that I killed him. Hopefully, I can make it up for it in the future. "Kimberly, thank you for the idea. I didn't even think of that. The way my brain works is putting everything on myself. I've always had to work on that."
"And that is why I said something," Thomas interjected.
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes.
Sis, you've got to let us help, not only train us."
Yeah's echoed around the fire, scattered and warm.
"Alright, alright – you win. But until everyone has a basic handle on their magic, you go out with one of us three. Even if you have gotten a handle on hunting and forging, you cannot go by yourself. Audrey, you are to stay either near one of the dragons or me or Kimberly if the dragons and I are not around. This is only until your dragon hatches."
"Why..." Audrey started to ask.
"Why is that?" Billy asked, his voice tight, like he already knew and didn't like it.
"Well, the thing is, anyone who is bonded to a dragon. By being a Dragon Rider or Life Bonded, their life is now connected to the dragon. Meaning until the egg hatches, Audrey is to be protected by the fiercest creature or person in the group. Other than me and the dragons, Kimberly would be the only one that others would truly stay away from because of her Hell Fire power."
"Even before the dragon hatches?" Billy asked, concerned.
"Normally, no. But because the dragon actually reached out to her before it even hatched, yes. But trust me, these two," I waved my hand at the dragons, "know that they need to keep her and the egg safe as can be. So as long as Audrey stays near us, I have no doubt that she and the little one will be safe." I smiled reassuringly.
"We might want to work on making bows. That way we don't overuse our magic." Kimberly pointed out.
"That is not a bad idea. Does anyone know how to make a bow?" I asked, not sure if anybody would know how to. I knew of one friend back on Earth who did, but I haven't seen him here.
"I do, I learned how to make one back on Earth," Thomas said.
"Say what now?" I just sat there in complete silence.
"What got you interested in bow making?" David asked out of curiosity.
"During the time after me and Barbara broke up, I started having a hard time dealing with a lot of things. I had someone suggested to me to look up how to make something with my hands. Anything that would catch my attention. I did some research and came across bow making. The process caught my attention. In the midst of making my first couple of bows, I found that it was very helpful. It became a time when I ended up meditating. And in the long run, the whole experience helped me focus."
"I would have to say there was a higher power behind you choosing bow making." Kimberly mused.
"I can't argue with you. It's like a part of me knew I might need the skill in the future."
"I'm shocked and thankful that you have the skill. It's gonna make it a lot easier for us. So, let's see..." I paused to think. "I believe that Mark, David, Billy, Scott, and Luke need to learn how to make and hunt." I raised my hand, pausing everyone before they started to talk. I saw mouths open to say something. "I know for a fact that the three of us have our own way of hunting. Y'all seen me with wolves made out of plants. Y'all saw Thomas bring rabbits back to the camp, and even our little Devil here brought back this deer that we are currently eating from before the storm."
Scott spoke up, "That makes sense to me. Don't you agree, Luke?" He turned to his friend.
"Yeah, I ain't gonna argue with her," Luke spoke softly. I have a feeling that the boy is still unsure about everything going on. I mean, he seems to be the only one from his family here. I can imagine he is feeling unsure, if not even a little bit scared right now.
I need to make a point to talk to him and see if there is anything I can help with. Different conversations started picking up around the fire. Kimberly grabbed my bowl and fixed me another. "Thanks," I said when she handed it back to me. I knew better than to argue about it. David handed me some blueberries. I looked at him, "Where did you find these?"
"When Kimberly had gone foraging for tonight's dinner. I went with her. We found both blackberries and blueberries. I grabbed the blueberries; I figured you would eat those as extra sugar intake. Plus, I know they are your favorite." He smiled at me.
"Thank you, baby. I smiled at him.
We end up settling down for the night. I took the first shift, feeling like I had too much energy to burn off. I stretched and trained like I did the first night we were here.
For the next few days, we traveled by horse and dragon. I took the chance to ride Ragoth with Mark and Raiden, so Mark would be more comfortable in the air. I didn't really have to teach Mark any techniques. Raiden took over on all things riding. We would ride until the sun was just at its highest point in the sky. The two of us would land near the rest of the group. We would all eat what was left over from breakfast and any fruit we could find as well. I learned to eat new fruit when no one could find any blueberries. That was not fun. Though I did find out that the wild strawberries taste different from the ones back home. They were always too tarty for my taste. The strawberries here have more sweetness to them, and they were orange, not red. When we first found some. Scott was the first to try them and then threw one at me. Telling everyone they were strawberries. Luke was the first to try them; he backed my brother up, agreeing with him that they were, in fact, strawberries. Scott pushed at me a little more, telling me that these I would like ten times better than the ones back home. When David tried one, he agreed wholeheartedly with my brother. I finally gave in. The strawberries were the sweetest I've ever tasted in my life. I now understood the saying that they are nature's candy. To me, they honestly taste like candy; they didn't feel like a fruit going down either. I didn't feel the skin of it as I was chewing it go down my throat.
Kimberly, Thomas, and I would train the boys on both magic and bow making. We found out that Luke had no magic, but he enjoyed working on bow making and foraging for plants. He would sometimes venture out of our eyesight, but I never worried too much because Ragoth kept a close eye on him when he did. She stayed out of his view but kept him in her eyesight. He would always come back right before we would end training for the day, and be carrying fruits and mushrooms, and sometimes eggs if he could. Kimberly or Thomas would take turns to go through what he brought back and point out what was edible and what was deadly. I was asked why I never took a turn at that part of the day. I ended up explaining that I was never that great at figuring out by myself what was edible or not. I explained why. I could eat a bad mushroom or a poison berry, and it would not really affect me. The reason being is that the dragon in my magic would burn it to ash before it would become any danger to me. So, when I was learning about what to eat and what not to eat, it never sank in. Because I would always why and show that I could eat something that could kill you and not be affected by it. I ended up grabbing a mushroom from the pile that Kimberly had just said we couldn't eat these because we could get really sick off one of them, and the effects would start showing right away. After a moment, I didn't show any signs of being sick. Everyone understood what I was saying. I was definitely not the person to teach them about foraging.
Once we set up camp, either Kimberly or Thomas went out with one of the boys to hunt and/ or forage for more food. I stayed at camp and checked on the egg to see how it was doing. The baby was growing great, considering it had gone into deep sleep mode until we got here.
At night, we would eat. We finally started finding more than stew items to cook. There were a few nights where we cooked whatever game we got that night with wild mint and rosemary, along with whatever berries wrapped in dandelion leaves. That was new for me. I didn't know that you could eat dandelion leaves. I found that eating some of the berries that I didn't like made them edible to me.
I counted five days of us traveling before we started to see the huts on the horizon by horseback. I decided that it would be a good idea for us all to show up on horses, so we don't scare anyone who is in the huts. The next day, we all rode on horseback. We surprisingly came across two huts that were close together; they were within sight of each other. I thought that was weird. As we were getting close, we saw two people who looked like they were my brother's age come out of one of the huts. Scott and Luke speed up their horses to greet the two boys.
I gathered they were Matt and Cooper. The way Scott and Luke were acting. I was happy that we found some more of Scott's friends. As we were getting closer to the four of them, I took a good look at the two of them to see if either of them had magic powers. It looks like we have a water user in Cooper. Matt seems to be like Luke, which I believe is a good thing. In the long run, neither one will feel left out, really, and it shows that not everyone is able to use magic.
As we get close enough, we get off our horses. I overhear Scott introducing them to Vulcan. I laugh a little as I watch them jump at the sound of Vulcan greeting them. Then Scott explains what he has learned about where we are and what is going on.
"Okay, that explains a little bit. But it doesn't really explain why we are here." Matt said his voice tinged with confusion.
Scott looked my way, "Sis?"
"Well we haven't figured out why or how yet. But one of my friends that I trust is looking into it. He is actually Kimberly's brother." I waved my hand her way. She just waved. I was thinking they might know her but I guess not. There were a lot of students at the high school even when I was going there.
"She rides the same bus as me, that is how I know her. She ain't bad." Scott said to the two of them. They just nodded their heads.
I guess that was code for saying she was okay or cool. I don't know for sure but I had a feeling that they would all get along.  They explained that they were thankful that their huts were close together. Being as they were the only ones from their families that arrived here on this planet. After the first night they decided to stay in the same hut because they heard noises that scared them. For them to admit that they were scared of noise shows character in my book.