Through Smoke and Ashes

Twenty Four||Kellso

Breaking through the horizon, I could see it. The lands of Pontheugh. Home.

My heart raced in my chest as the slit of land grew as we got closer to it. It was around ten months ago when I was sailing away from Pontheugh, and now I was back. I was unsure of how to feel, but my mind and heart were reacting with every emotion I landed on.

The waves of the sea lazily hit against the ship, splashing so far up and then falling back down into the ocean where another would take its place.

I could feel Naxan flying from above. The cloud cover was the only thing that allowed him to be so close to me. He was the only reason I was able to keep myself from falling apart.

"Naxan tries best."

"I try my best." I softly correct him. I turn away, unable to watch the land grow in front of me. Instead, I walked across the deck of the ship to Kayne.

"Are you glad to be back? I'm sure you missed your dragon." He was sitting on a set of steps.

Kayne broke his gaze from the land before us. "I was speaking with Rypth just now. She is happy with my return."

I softly smiled. He had been away from his dragon for more than a week. I could barely go a couple of hours without seeing Naxan. Our journey on the boat took about three days time, and I was feeling the effects of not seeing Nax.

"Are you jealous that another female had my attention?" And there goes the moment. I rounded on Kayne to say something nasty, but Baylen weaselled his way into the conversation.

"Are we talking about dragons over here?" He maneuvered his body past mine to stand between Kayne and me. "You would enjoy meeting Nypae." His tone and the way he wiggled his eyebrows suggested something behind his meaning.

"How so?"

"Because she's gorgeous. Just like her good-looking rider." He winked at me.

I scoffed, turning my head to look at Pontheugh.

"Oh, come on," He groaned. "Why does loverboy over here get all of your attention?" He sounded like a whining child. "Okay, the real question here, Navi, is who do you like more? Me or loverboy?"

"Neither." My reply was quick.

By the time the ship had docked on Pontheugh's lands, Baylen and Kayne had talked my ears off. They seemed more cheerful, in a way. Their personalities bubbled with a new side of them I had not seen before. I believed they were happy to be home and to soon be with their flame-bounds.

"Home soon?" Naxan asked. I could tell that he was beginning to get tired from the long flight. He was not used to making such trips.

"Soon," I said. "If you want to catch your breath, go land somewhere in the forest further off. But don't be seen by anyone." Naxan agreed, and I felt him fly off into the distance.

Even though Naxan was a stubborn dragon, his exhaustion won this time. Thankfully, he was able to find some shallow waters and small sandbars where he was able to rest during our travels across the sea. Otherwise, he would have fallen from the sky with fatigue.

I looked at Kayne, whose gaze was looking far off in the distance. "We'll be leaving soon. Gather all of your things, and we'll start heading this way." He started walking through the town of Lancaster. Kayne walked on with a determined stride, and once we made it out of Lancaster, he stopped and waited. I had been glad to leave the bustling streets of the town. It would take some getting used to since I had grown accustomed to the quietness of the island full of dragons.