Among Dragons (Editing)

Chapter 19

The wide, seemingly endless, field of bluish green grass was covered in wisps of fog. It concentrated heavily in the areas of lower elevation, shrouding them almost completely and giving everything an eerie feel to it.

It was still the morning, however much of it was left. The air hung onto the crisp, dewy cold temperature that surrounded us.

As for the sky, I couldn’t tell. A monochrome grayish cloud had rolled in just recently, and it coated the sky with a bland uniformity. No sun nor hint of blue was anywhere to be seen.

Everett stood in front of me, his bronze armor and cream cloak dulled only slightly by the lack of sunlight. The brightness of them still didn’t fail to catch attention though. That was a definite. It was almost impossible not to give a double take at the golden patterns that swirled across his cloak, and the delicate engravings in his armor. They showed  his importance and status beautifully.

The rich sound of hooves plodding into the soft earth filled my ears almost as much as the smell of the freshly turned up dirt filled my nose. I looked down at my bone colored boots. The dark brown dirt had already managed to get up on the sides of them and embed small flecks into the laces, but I hardly cared. It was just another observation in my mind as I tried to take in the entire scene that laid out before me.

“Eris,” Everett called. He looked at me from over his shoulder. His black and white horse shifted uncomfortably beside him, itching to get moving. “Do you have your dagger?”

I nodded and patted the hilt of the small blade near my hip. “Of course. Do you really think I’d go out here without one?”

He flashed me a bright smile. “I just wanted to be sure. Now,” His face became serious. “I want to discuss the plans with you.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m listening.”

“The dragon’s are going to be here with us on this side of the battle, since you’re over with me. They’re going to try and stop Rhaegos’s army before we have to engage in battle, so they need to be updated and have any confusion or doubts completely erased. I doubt it will happen, but just in case, we have you here and ready.”

“If anything goes wrong, anything, I want you to go straight over to Niram. If you lose me, if I get wounded, or anything that will hinder me from protecting you, okay? I hate to admit it but Niram’s the person I trust the most to protect someone if I can’t, so you’ll be safe.”

I nodded in comprehension. My eyes shifted over to where Niram was, at least twenty yards away. He was riding his horse and trotting around in different places, directing people with a black gloved hand into their positions. He looked so natural leading that it still floored me how he could have any doubt or self consciousness about it at all. The way people looked at him, even the soldiers in that moment, it just showed how much they revered and respected him.

After hearing about how little the King cared for his people, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised. People could tell when their leadership did or didn’t care about their well being.

Everett held out his gloved hand to help me up onto the back of his horse. I took it gratefully as he helped me swing up onto the horse’s back behind him. My hands immediately grasped around his torso to steady myself. My eyes were wide with fear as the horse began to move, turning around in a circle and heading back towards the troops behind us.

“Are you okay?” Everett asked me. He turned slightly to get a glance at my expression. “You’re holding onto me rather tightly.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse before,” I said.

He reached up and brushed a piece of his short, dirty blonde  hair out of his eyes to hide the amusement that flashed across his face for a second. “That’s alright. I’ll make sure you won’t fall off.” He smiled briefly before turning back forward.