Dragon's Breath Book 2 (Completed)

Chapter 25, Last Chapter

Greater Greensward is a fairly large kingdom, but it didn't take long to cross it on the back of a full-grown dragon. I was familiar with the border, having visited it many times, so when we didn't hit the correct spot immediately, I told Grumble Belly to head north.

Long before we saw the armies, we spotted dragons circling in the sky. There were three of the scaly beasts, all a vivid orange shading to crimson and all larger than Grumble Belly.

"Do you recognize them?" I asked our dragon friend.

"I've never seen them before. They must not be from around here. Siblings, probably, since they're all the same color and their shading matches."

I studied the dragons as we flew closer. They didn't look at all like the dragons I'd seen at the Olympics. Even the way they moved seemed odd; the sweep of their wings was jerky and the way they turned their heads too abrupt.

"Hello!" Grumble Belly called, but the trio of dragons ignored him.

We finally passed the last of the trees in what had seemed to be an endless forest. Below us lay farmland already taken over by the two armies. They faced each other in straight rows with only a few hundred yards and a trickling stream between them. Both sides appeared to be waiting for a signal.

"I'd better see my father first," I said, and leaned forward to tap Grumble Belly's shoulder. "Can you take us down now, please? I want to talk to the king in the green armor."

My father had to calm his plunging horse when Grumble Belly landed beside him. When he finally stood still enough that we could talk, Father turned to me. "So, Emma, I expected to see Grassina. What are you doing here, and what are you riding?"

"Grassina finally fell victim to the family curse, so I'm the new Green Witch. This is our friend, Grumble Belly. He's helping us."

"Grumble Belly, huh?" Father said, eyeing the enormous dragon. "You say he's a friend? Then he isn't under a spell?" I noticed that my father's hand had moved toward his sword, but when I nodded, he took his hand away. "Someday you'll have to tell me how you two met. And you mean to say that Grassina acts like Olivene now?"

I nodded. "And Haywood is a man again."

"I'll have a lot to get used to, won't I?" he said. "What do you plan to do, Emma?"

"Whatever you need." I glanced at the knights trying to calm their frightened horses. "But I think we'd better get back in the air before we scare away your army."

"Then see what you can do about those orange dragons. We can handle Beltran's troops, but not while dragons are attacking."

When Grumble Belly leaped into the air, he headed straight for the other army. The men in the front lines looked like peasants fresh from the fields. Wearing stiffened leather for armor, and carrying pitchforks and axes for weapons, I didn't think they stood much of a chance against my father's trained soldiers. Beltran had kept his own trained men toward the back and it looked like he was there as well, seated on a black horse behind the foot soldiers and the mounted knights. I decided that another, trimmer figure seated on a white horse to his right must be Prince Jorge since they were dressed almost alike. Helmeted and wearing suits of chain mail, the triple griffins of their family crest decorated their horse's trappings as well as their shields, but while the king wore black, Jorge was dressed in shining silver.

Another man sat astride a gray horse to the left of the king. Taller than Beltran or Jorge, he had flowing white hair and wore a long black cape. His face was uncovered, and from where I sat, he looked like he might be handsome, although not as handsome as the prince. When the man gestured at the dragons, I realized that he must be the wizard. That can't be Olebald, I thought. He doesn't look anything like Olefat. Realizing that Grassina must have been mistaken, I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the tight feeling in my chest. This was no incompetent wizard who would be easy to defeat.