SL Huang - Up and Coming - Stories by the 2016 Campbell-Eligible Authors

Red dragons were by far the most common of the species, and by far the largest. They were larger and stronger than black dragons like Lyrroth, but they were also slower and less maneuverable in the air. Red dragons had been the bulk of the fighting force at one time, but now only these two remained.

Before the war, I would have flown this reconnaissance mission alone or with two other black dragons, but there were no other black dragons left. Lyrroth was the last, and no one dared fly alone anymore.

“Wake them, and let’s get in the air. Hopefully we’ll find the ships sailing peacefully along, but we’d better be ready just in case,” I said.

He rose to his full height, and I could see the many scars on his hide. We were both old and had both taken many wounds. We’d cheated death more times than I could count, but Father Time was as relentless as he was patient.

Lyrroth leaped off the cliff and extended his wings for a gentle glide down to where the brothers lay talking. I walked over to watch him fly down and was impressed at the grace he could still show given his age.

I was sure that it would be dark before we returned and it wouldn’t do to pass out from hunger while in the air, so breakfast was the next order of business. We had hunted recently, and there was still plenty of meat hanging to drain. It made for a fine breakfast roasted over our cooking fire.

As I finished my meal, Lyrroth returned, landing near me with a gentleness that seemed impossible. Had I been human and not a dragonmaster, the heat that he radiated from his internal furnace would have been at the very least uncomfortable, and likely would have turned my skin red from exposure.

Dragon fire came from a mixture of iron, oxygen, and aluminum that was ignited by magnesium in their internal furnace before breathing. A dragon had to keep the furnace hot, which meant his blood was constantly carrying heat away from the furnace to his scales. His scales then radiated the heat off to prevent the dragon from burning himself up.

For me, the heat he radiated was welcoming. It was what friendship felt like.

Rhenvaar and Barioth were circling overhead with their dragonmasters, obviously itching to get going. They missed the constant action of the war, and were probably hoping we would find trouble out there.

“They’re ready,” said Lyrroth.

“Then let’s get airborne,” I said.

I climbed onto Lyrroth, strapped myself down and focused my mind into his. When dragonmaster and dragon bind, individuality ceases. Each personality, each set of abilities, memories, and everything that makes an individual an individual blends to make one new creature. Mentally, I fell into Lyrroth and we became one. It was only when bound together like this each of us was complete.

I, as Lyrroth-David, stretched my wings and leapt into the air, flying between the circling Rhenvaar and Barioth. They roared their greetings as I passed between them. Three dragons and three masters, perfectly blended together.

“Follow me!” I roared.

Our den was in a mountain valley, so we had to climb high through the cloud layer to clear the mountains, and then dive fast towards the ocean. I quickly outpaced my slower companions, and the rush of the wind in my face and the sight of the ground racing towards me were exhilarating. No matter how old I got, I never got over the thrill of raw speed. I let myself go. Behind me Rhenvaar and Barioth pushed hard to keep up, but continued to fall behind. I wondered if they enjoyed these high-speed dives as much as I did, but decided they were too slow to understand the joy of raw speed.

Pulling up at the last moment, just barely clearing the treetops, I roared past the tiny fishing village and over the open sea. Villagers waved their arms and children jumped up and down. I knew they’d be cheering too, but their tiny lungs could never hope to produce enough sound to reach me.

It was one of the many tiny towns that dotted our domain, and they always enjoyed seeing us in the air. I also enjoyed seeing them, as they reminded me of why we still get up every morning. Villages like the one below counted on us to protect them.

With the others so far behind, I figured I had a little time for a show. I inhaled deeply and breathed fire while executing a loop that created a massive ring of fire in the sky. I continued looping smaller and smaller loops, forming a spiral of super hot plasma until I had finally exhausted my breath, and then with a wave of my wings headed back on course at a slower speed.

Rhenvaar and Barioth decided to join in the show as my fiery spiral dissipated. They came in low and pulled up hard, breathing fire as they twisted around each other, making a great column of fire in the sky. Below us in the village the townsfolk jumped and waved the flag of our nation, obviously enjoying the impromptu show.

Rhenvaar and Barioth dove down from where they had completed their pillar of flame and came racing up behind me. We headed towards the main shipping route, hoping to find good news about the supply convoy. The rocks made the seaport treacherous, but long ago a channel was cleared with the help of a team of green dragons. If the supply ships were close, they would be in that channel. If they had wrecked, the most likely place would be near the channel on either side.

I allowed some more of my speed to bleed off, and the two red dragons pulled alongside me. “We should start by following the channel out to the open water,” I called out.

They roared their agreement, and we flew out low over the water. I wanted to be low enough to spot debris if they had run aground, but there was no sign of them.

Myrill came with my tea right then and I stopped to take a drink. The tea soothed my throat and warded off the coughing fit that I knew would follow without it. I supposed I’d spent too many seasons sitting by the fire, breathing in the smoke while telling stories.

The youngest of my great-grandchildren, Silverleaf, took advantage of the break to ask, “Storymaster, why didn’t the dragons just carry the supplies?”

I smiled. He was one of the most inquisitive people I had met. I guess it was his age. I wondered what it was like to be so young and full of hope. It was too far behind me to remember. I guessed I might have been a lot like him at his age. It took an exceptionally inquisitive mind to be a storymaster.

“They did at one point, but by this time there were too few of them, and they had to stay and help protect the island,” I said.

I took another swallow of the honey and licorice tea that Myrill always made for me. She said it was good for the throat, but I didn’t really know much about that. What I did know was that it was real easy going down on these cold winter nights.

“Now, where was I?” I asked. I, of course, knew exactly where I’d left off. My body was failing, but my mind was as sharp as ever. It was just a fun way to see which children were actually listening. Besides, it added to the old and helpless image I had to keep up if I wanted to keep my supply of tea coming.

“Lyrroth, Rhenvaar and Barioth were flying out over the channel looking for the supply ships,” piped up young Tamerale.

“Ah yes,” I said and continued the story from where I’d left off.

We flew the entire route of the channel and found no sign of the ships. I hadn’t expected any. Had they run into trouble this close, surely someone would have been able to make it ashore and get word to us.

“Let’s head higher and spread out. Fly towards the mainland port they came from!” I called out over the noise of the air rushing by.

They roared and I pulled up, leading them into the sky. They spread out so that we formed a great triangle in the sky and covered a much wider area than any single dragon could have.