Firedrake - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,42
was one mission on which his normal routines did not seem to apply. No, in this duty, Drake was charting new territory for himself both as a man and as a citizen of Draconia—the land he’d left behind fifteen years before.
Perhaps this was the beginning of his true homecoming. Perhaps this was the act that would redeem him—if only in his own eyes—and allow him to return to his land and family with his head held high. Only time would tell. And such thoughts were mere idle speculation. The real task was retrieving Prince Wil safe and sound. Nothing else truly mattered. Only Wil’s safety.
Jenet took to the air with three strong wingbeats and all other thoughts dropped from Drake’s mind as the ground dropped away beneath them. He’d often enjoyed flights with Jenet’s parents when he was small, but to be on Jenet’s back again was something that defied description. The sense of rightness, the feeling of belonging, was nearly overwhelming. As was the beauty of seeing the city—new and old—spread out before him. It was breathtaking.
On one side the new Jinn settlement was growing. Rough planked buildings vied with colorful tents, flapping pennants in every color of the rainbow marking various clans or establishments. It was organized chaos of the most lovely design.
On the other side of the river, over newly constructed footbridges, was the old city of Castleton. Sleeping at the foot of the castle mountain, Castleton was a study in lovely stone and wood architecture, combining the best designs of nature with the most attractive creations of man.
And out beyond the city, the pasturelands and farmlands spread as far as the eye could see. Within moments they were away from the city and up higher than he’d ever flown before. He could just make out the mountains in the distance and the endless terrain over which they would fly to reach their goal. He was struck momentarily speechless, taking it all in.
“You’ve gained weight since last we flew together, Drake.”
Jenet’s voice in his mind pulled Drake from his reverie. “So have you, sweetheart, but in all the right places. Did I tell you yet how gorgeous you are?” Drake knew dragons—and women—well enough to know that females of all kinds loved compliments. And in Jenet’s case, he meant every single word. “I missed you so much.” He hadn’t meant to add that last bit, but the words slipped past his guard as he admired the view from just under the low-hanging clouds.
“I missed this, Drake. I missed flying with you all those years. Think how much we could have shared.” Jenet sighed a stream of thin smoke out behind them. “But they tell me not to dwell on the past. What’s done is done. What matters is that you’re with me now and we’re together.”
Drake didn’t like the possessive tone in her words, but he was powerless to fight it. He knew Jenet was right, even if he did have to leave her again once this adventure was over. Perhaps she’d come to understand his reasons on this quest. Perhaps she’d learn first-hand how bad he’d be as a knight—how bad he’d be as her knight. And then, when it came time to leave, she wouldn’t be hurt. Only his heart would break this time.
It was time to focus on the matter at hand. “Can you do a low pass over the place Wil was kidnapped? I want to see if we can follow their trail. If so, perhaps we can overtake them on the road.”
“Good idea.” Jenet was silent a moment as she conferred with Nellin. “I’ve never been to the spot, but Nellin has and he’ll lead us there.”
Chapter Nine
As it turned out, Prince Wil had been kidnapped several hours from the capital city, well south and east from where they started. The dragons pushed ahead, stopping only once to drink from a lake and hunt from among the small herd kept nearby and clearly marked for dragon consumption. They would need their strength on this long journey.
The sun was still strong in the sky when the dragons dropped down to do a quick skim over the site. Mace and Nellin took the lead now. They’d been trained in aerial reconnaissance, and Drake knew when to let an expert do their work. They made several low sweeps over the site, where it was obvious a serious scuffle had taken place. There was blood, and lots of it, dried now, into the pale dirt. Dragons