Here Be Dragons: The Protector

Chapter eighteen: Homebound

A pink tinge spread across the dark sky. In the growing light, Lukas checked one last time and still found nothing. He couldn't decide if he was more relieved that they hadn't been attacked, or frustrated that they'd prepared for one for no reason. In the end, he settled on relieved. 'It's better to be safe than sorry, after all...' The tiredness invading his body voiced its disagreement by trying desperately to force his eyes closed, and pulling a yawn from his throat. With Vayle's agitation promising imminent threat, he and Jonah had decided it would be best if they both stayed on guard all night, so neither of them had gotten any sleep. He regretted that decision now. Alas, there was work to be done, and regretting things he couldn't change now wouldn't help him do it. He forced himself to his feet and stretched out the aches in his bones. Jonah seemed to be staying on watch just in case, so Lukas took it upon himself to wander around their camp collecting everything they were to repack. Since they hadn't needed the fire barrier, the oiled cloths were still strewn around the inside of the wall. He gathered them first. Not wanting to let the oil within them leak throughout the saddlebags, he formed a small stone box to hold them in – after closing the box, he fused the seams back together so there were absolutely no gaps. After pushing that to the bottom of Blaze's pack, he fetched his and Jonah's unused bedrolls.

The final thing he did before waking the others was to check on Kaolin. Now that she was nearby again – he still felt a flush of relief at the thought – he didn't need to bother with sensing. Instead, he drew on her powers. He closed his eyes, briefly. Upon opening them again, he saw the world rendered in varying shades of brown. The grey powder he stood on was so pale it was nearly transparent, giving him a clear view of the much richer colour of the dirt underneath it. He was pleased to see that Kaolin was her usual healthy dark hue, and almost completely opaque. He may not have had a good night, but his partner having had a good rest lifted his spirits considerably. He switched back out of dragonsight, and gently patted the only section of her scaly body visible amid the dirt. "Come on." He cooed down at her, "The earlier we leave, the earlier we arrive – I want to get you saddled so we can set off soon."

At some point during last night, he and Jonah had discussed how plans would change now that Kaolin had caught up with them. The obvious choice was just to move two of them over to Kaolin to lighten the load on Blaze, then continue to travel as a group. However, that would mean Blaze slowing down to Kaolin's pace. However, she was slow even among the other Earth dragons, so the Turned could probably catch them on foot, nevermind on the back of their new dragons. Instead, Lukas had suggested Jonah and Blaze go on ahead to take Vayle to the basin, while he and Kaolin carried Jenna. Jonah wasn't pleased by the plan, but before he could start yelling about Lukas throwing his life away again, the bigger man had cut in, "You know as well as I do this is the best option for everyone. You two will definitely make it if we're in the way of whatever tries to chase you. And you know better than anyone that with me and Kaolin back together, we could make it through a trip twice this distance."

The logic behind what he was saying had obviously registered. In all the years since they'd gotten their dragons, Jonah had never seen anyone fight the way they did. The seemed to understand exactly what the other was about to do, and instinctively knew how to respond. Their movements unbelievably fluid and yet at the same time more solid than the strongest mountain. 'Artwork. That's what their fighting is. And they share the plate as if they were the same artist.' He had only seen Lukas bested once, when a quick Air Rider had positioned his dragon beneath Kaolin, so that her bulk blocked them from view. He jumped onto Kaolin's back and blasted the big man off. A few days later, however, Lukas came up with a strategy to overcome even that. The first time he'd told Jonah, the young fire rider had scoffed, "You can't fly a dragon along the ground! Yes, nobody can sneak up underneath you, but what happens when you're flying towards a forest, and you can't go up." Lukas' answer just to grin and challenge him to try it.

The hot-headed youth had jumped at what he saw as a guaranteed victory. And yet, when he thought he had them exactly where he wanted them – flying directly at a copse of trees, trunks thicker than his shoulders – the trees had drifted apart to allow them through. It took him too long to notice that Lukas had moved the earth beneath the trees, carrying them out of the way. Hence, it was far too late to escape when he realised that the bigger boy could move them back again. That was the real key to his brother: his strength was important, certainly, but what made him so powerful was how smart he was about how to use that strength. He hated to admit it, but Lukas was right. This was the best option. 'But why doesn't that stop it feeling too risky?'

Recuperating for a day had obviously helped Jenna. When Lukas roused her, she took a few seconds to blink herself awake before she all but sprang out of her bedroll. After a brief stretch, she threw a booming blast of air at the sky in what Lukas guessed was some sort of morning ritual. Then she listened attentively to the plan, put away her roll, and climbed into Kaolin's saddle – the back seat, so Lukas would buckle into the front and get some rest. Vayle, Lukas noticed with a grin, was perhaps the polar opposite. Lukas had to physically shake her by the shoulders before her eyes drifted open, and she was too groggy to listen to what he was trying to tell her. Giving up with that, he just picked her up and deposited her in the back seat of Blaze's saddle. Jonah packed her bedroll and turned to the man in brown. He held out his arm.
Grasping it, Lukas said, "May the Dragon guide you."
"And you, brother."

With that, they both mounted their dragons and buckled themselves in. The great beasts lifted their heads at the request to fly. They spread their wings wide and launched at the sky, kicking up huge clouds of grey powder behind them. Lukas knew he should sleep, but he needed a few seconds to thrill at the feeling of being lifted upon his partner's wings again. With the wind through his hair and Kaolin solid as the ground beneath him, he felt at home.