Flying To New Heights

Chapter Eleven

     Adelaide's arm still felt like it was on fire. She grimaced and sat down next to Oliver.
"Does your arm hurt?" Oliver asked, nudging her shoulder with his snout.
"Yes. It feels like it's burning," Adelaide said. And then she saw why. The scales were spreading up her arm. She watched as they spread across her shoulder blades. Thankfully, they didn't spread across her collar bone and other arm. But they did spread across the top of her back and the whole upper arm from the top of the original band of scales.
"Well...I guess I'm half dragon now," Adelaide said. Her mind was racing. How had that happened? Magic? Adelaide was a scientific person and liked to find the logic in things, but she couldn't find the "how" in this. Adelaide felt hot tears roll down her face. Would her father still love her even if she had scales? If he came back from being imprisoned by the Council, would he cringe at the sight of her gold, brown, and amber scales? Adelaide pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. Oliver wrapped his tail around her and curled up next to her.
"Adelaide," he said, "what's wrong?"
"Will my father still love me, even though I have scales? What if he comes back and barely recognized me?" Adelaide worried. Oliver nudged her shoulder with his snout and Adelaide looked up to find his face an inch from hers. His wonderful, light-orange eyes stared into hers.
"Trust me," he said, his breath hot but comforting. "He will recognize and you and he will love you. Or else." Adelaide smiled.
"Or else what?" She asked.
"I'll roast him with my fire," Oliver said. Adelaide smiled and kissed the top of Oliver's snout. His eyes shone.
      "I'm so glad I ran into that day," Adelaide said. Oliver smiled.
       "Do you want to go flying?" He asked.
        "Won't you get caught for Unrestricted Underage Flying?" Adelaide asked, worried about her friend.
"No one will see us. It's dark outside," Oliver said. Adelaide heard a bit of worry and anxiety in his voice, but she put it to the back of her mind. They would be fine!
Adelaide climbed onto Oliver's back. He then took off and the euphoria raged through Adelaide. She couldn't feel the sadness and fear she had felt only a moment ago. Flying was simply wonderful. Everything felt right in the air.
    "Oh, no," Oliver muttered. He had seen a very troublesome sight. Squadron members were flying straight for him. What could he do? Oliver dived and swooped low under the Squadron members.
    "Hey!" One yelled. "He's underage! I've caught him flying before!" Oliver pumped his wings harder, determined not to get caught. If he did, they would surely capture Adelaide. Or kill her. Adelaide clung to him, scared to fly off during a sharp turn. A dragon suddenly flew right in front of Oliver, causing Oliver to use his wings to slow himself down. A dragon hovered about twenty feet overhead. Dragons, of all types, surrounded them.
    "Land! Don't try to fly off...we've surrounded you!" The dragon who had cut them off yelled. He was blue and green and had very cold eyes. Oliver reluctantly landed. Adelaide clung to him, almost like he would fly away without her if she let go. But she knew that Oliver would never do that to her.
     "Why were you flying by yourself? And with a human, no less? And why is this human even over here in the first place?" The dragon asked suspiciously. Adelaide looked at her shoes, trying to hide her face.
      "We were just...flying together," Oliver said. A brown dragon next to Adelaide looked at Adelaide's arm suspiciously.
      "You were flying breaking the law by flying without a parent. And you were harboring a human!" The dragon said. "We will have to take you to the Council."
      "No! You can't!" Adelaide burst out. "Please."
       "Sorry, miss. But it's protocol," the dragon said. Then Adelaide felt a sharp pain in her head and her vision went black.