what LaDonna had told him. Asahi suspected the tales must have been exaggerated. There was no way Drago, the Dragon King, could be as fierce as told in the stories his grandfather had shared—not with what he knew about Carly Tate! How could a bank teller handle the King of Dragons?
Asahi leaned to the right when he saw several carts heading in their direction—and in no time they passed the travelers. The excited shouts of children in the back of the cart made him look over his shoulder. They were standing and gawking at the Empress and her huge, incredibly fast, fire-breathing horses. It wasn’t long before their steeds left the awed travelers far behind.
He returned his focus to the road ahead of them. The forest was thinning, and through the trees, he noticed a mountain range, its tall and jagged peaks capped with snow. It was beautiful. On the slope below them, the white-water river flowed into a long, narrow lake that contained quite a few rocky, tree-covered islands of various sizes and shapes.
Asahi reined his mount to a walk and followed Nali as she guided her mount off the road. Their horses cautiously descended the steep slope, then stopped on a grassy knoll.
“What is it?” he inquired.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “We will have to travel by boat the rest of the way.”
Asahi’s horse knelt, and he slid off. He unstrapped their bags from the saddle and asked, “What about the horses?”
“They know the way home,” she replied as she caressed her mount’s jaw.
She secured the reins on the saddle and he did the same. When Nali gave the two fire-breathing horses a quiet command, they whinnied, then turned and retraced their steps toward the path above. Asahi watched them for a moment before he turned back to Nali.
“How will we find a boat?” he asked, picking up the bags and securing them across his back.
“There will be one,” she replied with confidence.
Asahi smiled and didn’t question her further. If she said there would be a boat, there would be a boat.
They set off down a narrow path that looked more like an animal trail than a footpath. It zigzagged downward and straightened as the ground flattened out near the lake.
It wasn’t until they rounded a rock outcropping that Asahi saw a faint wisp of smoke rising from the chimney of a cozy-looking hut. He counted five boats turned upside-down along the rocky shore and one pulled up on the beach. The sound of animals drew his attention toward the hut. A boy who appeared to be about eight years old was tending to the sheep that were grazing nearby.
“Father! Father, we have company,” the boy excitedly called as he ran to the hut.
The door opened, and a man who seemed to be about Asahi’s age stepped out. The man jerked back a step in surprise, then he hurriedly brushed his beard with his hand and wiped off the front of his shirt. Given the way he hastily chewed and swallowed, they must have interrupted him while he was eating.
“Empress, I was not expecting….” The man cleared his throat and began again. “Welcome to my home, Empress. ‘Tis a great honor to be in your presence.” He bowed low, then stood up straight with a curious smile.
“Greetings, Micco. How is Jeanetta?” she politely greeted.
“Fine… she is doing very well, thank you for asking. She’s taken our daughter to visit her sister on the Isle of Magic,” he replied.
“That is nice.” She smiled. “I have need of one of your boats,” she said.
Micco nodded. “Anything that you need, Empress,” he eagerly responded, starting toward the boats on the beach. “Bishop, come help me,” Micco ordered.
“Yes, Father,” the boy said, flashing a smile at them.
“I’ll assist you,” Asahi said.
He followed the man and the boy down to the boats. In minutes, one of the boats was in the water. Asahi helped Nali into the boat and handed the bags to her. She stowed them in a long wooden box in the center of the boat.
“This is the sturdiest boat I have. She’ll handle well for you. There is a tarp in case it rains or you need protection from the sun. All you have to do is pull the lever and it will unfurl. Jeanetta embedded a fine wind spell into the sail. You’ll fly along the lake,” Micco said with an expression of pride.
“Mother’s spells are powerful,” Bishop boasted.
Nali chuckled appreciatively. “Then we will fly across the