light of day where I could fully focus on how perfect they were.
Where Atlas had been a smoky color and Sai a vibrant crimson mixed with ruby, Marco’s scales that covered his massive frame were a dark onyx shade that reminded me of a hard-edged sword in their shape. It almost appeared like he had battle armor on, everything about him dangerous and lethal. His large eyes were completely black and watched me with a predatory interest as he easily floated alongside the ledge, his snout dipping to smell me as my hand hesitantly reached forward to brush against him.
I found myself fascinated by the bright streak of orange that went up his snout and over his head, down his back, past the dangerous spikes that covered the area. His wings moved with an easy grace and left a smoky texture in their wake, filling the space with a dark, ashy magic. My hand finally grazed him, and a low rumble broke from his throat, shaking the land I was on as his tail whipped forward, wrapping around my waist before pulling me onto his back.
I let out a small giggle as I instantly tightened my legs to hold onto where I was placed near his neck, my fingers sliding against his scales to secure myself like I had with Sai. I placed my cheek against the hot texture as a low purr broke from his chest, making me smile, a lazy haziness crowding over me. A weird mix, considering the exhilaration I was feeling at the concept of flying.
“Be careful and do not let go,” Henry said, his voice hard and demanding my attention. I nodded, offering all of them a small, excited smile. One that only grew as Marco suddenly turned from the land we were on and took off, speeding through the clouds at a pace that had me letting out a surprised laugh.
I wasn’t positive how I could tell exactly, but the air here was different than on Earth. It not only smelled amazing, but it felt almost more dense and rich in texture, making me wish I was soaring through it myself. The clouds breezed over my skin as I turned my head but kept my cheek pressed to Marco, his magic wrapping around me as I began to notice objects forming through the cloud cover that we were soaring through. More specifically, a large, gleaming piece of land that appeared below us, a sense of excitement growing in my chest at its appearance. When Marco let out a savage roar, the sound vibrating the air around us, I leaned forward and held on as he made it clear that was exactly where we were going.
Holy crap, he was fast.
Yet despite how fast he was going, I found myself able to categorize certain elements of the land, from the massive centerpiece to the broken off islands that seemed to float around the outside of it. Despite it being daytime, large columns of fire shot up towards the sky on the perimeter of the gleaming city, and a massive marble-like castle stood tall and regal in the center of it. The entire place seemed to almost blend in with the sky, outside of the fiery columns, the rest a pale and almost cloud-like color that glinted off the sunlight much the same as the clouds. It was blinding and beautiful. Hints of gold and sandstone started to make themselves known as we neared closer, and a vibrant surge of magic seemed to ripple across us as we hit an invisible border.
A surprised sound left my throat as Marco suddenly pulled back sharply, circling around the space briefly before approaching another ledge. I frowned, noticing that there were people waiting for us, all of them seeming to be men, and from what I could tell, dressed similarly to my mates’ uniforms. A small string of anxiety filled my chest, which felt silly in retrospect, because of course we would be meeting new people. I just… I suppose I had gotten used to how insulated we were as a group. I loved that.
As Marco neared the edge, he shifted in midair, my body free-falling until I felt his solid arms catch me, making sure that both of us landed on the ledge with ease. His body straightened from the crouched position he had stabilized himself with, and I looked over his slightly flushed expression, his eyes dark and wild but smile breathtaking, making me return the expression. Then