Dragon's Bond

Nine

   We're starting to get really good at this. To fly together, a dragon and rider have to learn to understand each other's movements, and we're really getting it down. I can lean just barely to the right and he'll turn that way. He'll tilt his head to the left when he wants to lead and I get ready for the turn.
   After more of this, I tell him he can rest, but he refuses to, and instead drifts on the warm air. I lay back in the saddle, trying to get comfortable with the back of its seat digging into my back. I relax and close my eyes. Between the warmth and the calmness, it’s really easy to fall asleep...
   The monster's giant fireball comes at me again and I swear I can feel its heat on my skin. I jump up with a scream. I lose my balance from the sudden movement, remembering I'm on Ghost's back. The last thing I see is the look of confusion, surprise, and then fear shifting through his eyes. And then I'm falling. I don't scream again. I couldn't get one out if I tried. I do, however, grunt when the air is knocked out of me. I sit up, feeling dazed, and look around. I'm on the back of another dragon, laying between his wings.
   "Are you okay?" I turn my head to the voice and see a man turned around in his saddle. Actually, he doesn’t look that old. He can’t be much older than 18. I nod slowly and sit on my knees, careful not to fall again. I look at him again and this time I notice the camis that
he's wearing. He's a soldier. I look down at the dragon, a fire dragon. It's saddle and the armor on its underside is covered with a camouflaged material, and it's got smears of mud on it to dull its color.
"Hey." I turn my attention back to the soldier. He has his helmet off, and I can see his short brown hair and bright green eyes.
   "Hey. Um, thanks." I say, stumbling over my words. Did I hit my head?
   "You're lucky we were out here." He says. If you were alone he might not have been able to catch you." He points up, and I see Ghost hovering over us with concerned eyes. "What happened?"
   What happened...what did happen? "I think I fell asleep..." I start, "And then...I had a dream...I freaked out and woke up, and it unbalanced me."
   "You need to be more careful about that then." He looks at Ghost again. "If I had a dragon like that I'd try not to get myself killed. Dying would mean separating from him, and he looks like a good
dragon." The fire dragon under us growls and he laughs. "I still love you, Ember."
   "I will be careful." I stand up , ready to jump on Ghost, when the soldier adds.
   "Falling isn't the worst thing to worry about out here. There's a rider and his dragon, a big one, barely smaller than a giant. They're going on some rampage, burning down cities and whatever they can find." My eyes widen. "I don't know where he's been hiding that thing,  but if you see or hear anything suspicious, let us know."
   I nod. "I will. Don't worry." I whistle to Ghost and point below us, and seconds later, he flies under the belly of Ember, and I jump off of her back and into Ghost's saddle. It's an awkward land, but I didn't miss. On the way home, I think back to what he said; that a man and his almost-giant were burning down cities. I think back to the dream; a dragon, a large dragon, spraying fire everywhere
and at me and Ghost. Us standing in a city that’s been burned to the ground. Could they be connected somehow? I really hope not. After a few minutes of me thinking to myself, Ghost tilts his head so I can see one eye staring at me questioningly.
   "I don't like this." I tell him. "I mean, the guy and his dragon burning everything down. I just...hearing about it felt weird. I think I've been having dreams about it, or something like it." I shiver. "We die. Everytime I have the dream, we die." He doesn't respond, I'm not sure he know how to. What do you do when you hear something like that? He just looks forward again and flies a little faster.