fields turned into town houses, and farther down, to where the town square lay nestled in the shadow of the mountain, so far below that Tauran could barely make out the forms of people.
Tauran’s vision tilted without warning and he drew in a gasp, clutching at Leyra’s scales. He screwed his eyes shut, heart stuttering in his chest. “Shit.”
Leyra rumbled, gentle coos bubbling out of her. When Tauran opened his eyes, she was watching him over her shoulder, raising her wings to press against his sides.
Tauran gave her a slight smile. He wasn’t alone. Leyra had his back. He had not a shred of doubt about it. If he fell, she would catch him. “Okay, girl,” he said, voice raised so the wind wouldn’t steal it. “Let’s do this.”
His determination flowed into her and he felt her muscles tighten, wings trembling with the desire to spread. His heart pounded, every fiber of his body alight, conscious of every breath rushing through his lungs. He couldn’t spend another second of his life terrified of the only place he’d ever felt truly at home.
“Go!”
Leyra spread her wings.
When she leaned over the edge of the cliff, Tauran’s movements followed. His center of balance shifted, putting weight on his hands braced against her neck, and then they were falling. Downward, downward. Tauran’s seat lifted, and he bent his legs, hooking his ankles under her wing joints. He felt weightless, stomach flipping. He had no time to be afraid, could only focus on holding on, the only sound the roar of wind in his ears.
Leyra pulled in her wings, pressing them against Tauran’s sides. The buildings below grew larger, Leyra’s heavy body falling like a boulder. They were near-vertical in the air. Farther. Farther. Tauran kept his body flush as the ground rushed up to meet them. He would not quit. He wasn’t going to do this twice.
Under her belly, the sheer vertical wall was a blur only feet away. They raced toward the point of no recovery, Tauran envisioning the stark white line on the wall below which they’d be too close to the ground not to crash. Five. Four. Three.
Leyra’s body was relaxed. She trusted him, just like he trusted her.
Two. One.
“Up!” Tauran barked. He leaned back, pulling on Leyra’s spikes. He felt her shift, her wings leaving his sides and Tauran tightened all his muscles, bracing for the sudden break of descent.
Leyra’s wings unfolded with a sound like a gunshot, the membranes of her wings pulled taut by the pressure of the wind as they soared into a curve, closer and closer to the ground. Her muscles trembled with the effort, energy and vitality rushing through her body to his as she leveled out only feet from the ground, her large tail with its deadly spike dragging sparks along the pavement. The pressure lessened, and she beat her wings, carrying them up and over the buildings.
They’d done it.
He was free.
Tauran released a wordless shout of triumph, adrenaline coursing through his veins turning him dizzy. He thrust his fists into the air, laughing when Leyra echoed his shout with a roar that rang across the town, startling birds from trees and hedges.
He felt lightheaded from ecstasy and residual nerves when he patted Leyra’s neck. “Good girl. You’re the best girl!”
She cooed in response, soaring over the streets and buildings, the sun shining through her wing membranes making them glow a deep crimson.
A shimmer of white on their right caught Tauran’s eye. Arrow’s sleek form darted from behind a tower, curving toward them. When he evened out, the figure on his back came into view.
Kalai waved, then brought his hand to his lips and whistled.
“Hey!” Tauran called, but the wind stole his voice. Leyra helped him out with a short, playful yelp.
On the back of a dragon, reaching the edge of the town took no time at all. Fields and trees replaced the houses below, and Tauran urged Leyra lower until the soft grass of rolling meadows nearly tickled her belly. Arrow darted down like a swallow on the hunt. Folding his wings, he was by Leyra’s side in the blink of an eye, and in the next moment, rolled straight overhead to their other side, gliding in the upwash of Leyra’s right wing.
Tauran grinned at Kalai. “Show off!” he shouted.
Kalai held a hand to his ear in confusion, but Tauran knew by his smirk that Kalai had heard him this time. He whistled again, directing Tauran with a wave before steering Arrow to