Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

            “What is going on!?” Cody faintly heard Autumn suddenly ask, very confused and somewhat afraid.

            Inferno, who was still lying on his side and slowly beginning to recover from the arrow wound, lifted his head and lightly nudged Cody with his nose. The rider rubbed his scaly head, somewhat trying to explain some of it to Autumn and Aval with a gesture. Unfortunately, Autumn was still very much confused, so he decided to tell her.

            “This is Inferno, my dragon, and I am his rider.”

            There was a long pause, during which no one dared to utter a sound or make any movement whatsoever. Autumn suddenly glared at Cody through resentful yet still curious eyes, tightening her grip on her bow. She took a step closer, obviously about to say something hateful, or ask another question through gritted teeth, when a low growl from Inferno stopped her.

            “What are you doing?” Cody asked his dragon.

            “She shot me! I know she’s a friend of yours, but it doesn’t take a psychic to tell that she is fearful of things she doesn’t understand, like many of your race. I have no doubt that her wariness could prove dangerous to us, and I won’t have her anywhere near you or myself until she is unarmed, and even then I don’t want her closer than a few feet.”

            Cody reluctantly agreed, “Perhaps, now that I’m a rider, I should be more cautious myself. Ancient stories told that the riders were immensely wise, even though some of them could have been fools before their dragons. I need to make an attempt to amount to them, especially if we are supposed to be the only dragon and rider anyone has seen for many years; that seems to place tremendous responsibility on our heads.”

            After their somewhat long conversation to each other, Cody pulled from their thoughts and said to Autumn, “I will tell you just about everything you want to know, but first I need to know that you won’t share this information with any other. I need to trust you, and you need to trust me, or else I can’t let you near us, or our secrets.”

            Autumn’s gaze intensified even more, if that was possible as she replied in a highly hostile tone, “Trust you, or you won’t let me near you. How do you suppose you’ll do it?”

            Cody failed to answer, and Aval stepped forward slightly to stand by his sister, his right hand on his left sword which was now sheathed, but Cody had a feeling it wouldn’t be for long. As he grew more nervous, Inferno rolled onto his feet and stood next to his rider, reassuring him, but Autumn kept her stare steady.

            “How’s your leg?” Cody asked Inferno as he returned Autumn’s hostility.

            Inferno put weight on it, before making that hissing noise on a very small degree, almost inaudible, and replied, “It doesn’t hurt much anymore, luckily, but it does hurt, nevertheless”

            “Could you fight if you had to?” Cody asked worriedly.

            In reply, Inferno reared onto his hind legs, flapped his massive black wings wildly, and roared loudly at Autumn and Aval. When he did this, he stood slightly taller than them all, about six feet tall. With his wings outstretched at their farthest, he looked far more gigantic, however, which seemed to startle Autumn, but only slightly.

            Cody put on a brave face as he asked, “Can we trust you?”

            Inferno landed back on all fours, but kept growling loudly, and held his eyes on them. Autumn decided, after a long while, that it wouldn’t be wise to challenge him; either she would be injured or killed, or the only dragon whose existence was proven would. She reluctantly placed her bow on the grass in front of her, and took her quiver off of her shoulders to do the same. Avalsmokes unsheathed both swords and dropped them on the ground as well, before stuffing his hands in his pockets nervously.