Dragon's Treasure (Book 1)

Chapter 6 - Flying High

A/N

There's a song that goes with the chapter. It's on the side.

Song by Jem - Flying High

You'll know when to play it. It fits the chapter perfectly so pay attention to the lyrics.

p.s. the chapter hasn't been proofread at all, so bear with me.

*****

 

After the sun had set, the rain stopped as well so Kaden and Olivia were able take their time walking back to the cave.

She needed the fresh air and the open space.

Taking lungfull breaths, she breathed in the smell of the forest around them. She could recognize pine trees since the rain had made every scent stand out stronger. Even though she was wrapped up in the cloak, Olivia still felt and welcomed the cool breeze the forest provided. This cold was so much different from the cold of the cave.

Very refreshing.

It was dark as they walked back so she clung to Kaden with one hand to keep her footing steady. The moon wasn’t as bright as on the night she had ran away from the wolves, and some clouds were still lingering in the sky.  Owls’ hootings could be heard, joined by occasional shuffling sounds of smaller nightly critters scavenging around. In the distance, there was also a howl or two, but Olivia definitely felt safe enough with Kaden by her side to let it bother her.

They walked in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

As they neared the cave, Olivia asked for a few moments of privacy. After he made sure that it was safe and no dangerous animals were lurking nearby, Kaden went back to the cave and got the fire going stronger again.

Once she was done, Kaden took Olivia to the back cave to pick whatever she thought she might need with her in the front cave.

She didn’t take much. Just a padded chair, some extra blankets, a piece of cloth that could be used as a towel, candles, a lamp and even an old bone comb which she found in one of the chests.

After they had settled for the night, Olivia didn’t tuck herself under the blankets on the mattress but again, and on her own this time, snuggled up close to Kaden. For the warmth, was her explanation, and safety, she assured herself.

Soon, the events of the day that had them both exhausted had them fast asleep as well.


***


Olivia stirred.

She was finally waking up. Kaden had been awake for some time but didn’t dare to move in case it would rouse her. Her eyes fluttered open and Olivia found herself facing Kaden’s smooth scales. She yawned while pressing her forehead into him and inhaled the slight smell of smoke mixed with that of the forest, which she started to identify with Kaden.

My dragon.

Hesitantly, Olivia reached her hand up and softly pressed her palm to Kaden’s scales. Even though she had already touched them before and felt their silky smoothness, this time it felt much more intimate. Her fingers softly traced around one of the scales. She felt him shiver under her touch and it made her smile. Olivia continued running her fingers slowly over his scaly skin, marveling its glistening blue color, its sleekness as she fought back the urge to rub her face gently against it.

She failed.

Pressing her palm flat against his now slightly taut muscle, Olivia leaned her forehead against his flank. As she closed her eyes, her nose made contact with his scales. Slowly, she rubbed her nose against him, making a small circular pattern.

Kaden sucked in a breath and held it. He hadn’t felt something as intimate and affectionate in a very long time. And when he looked far enough back, he came to a revelation that he had actually never felt something like it.

He shivered again when he felt her press a side of her face to him while she ran her hand over him and caressing him as far as she could reach. His scales might have been strong enough to provide decent protection from physical damage, but they were also very sensitive. He felt every little caress of her wandering fingers and every brush of her warm breath.

The moment was broken when her fingers found an especially sensitive spot on his lower ribs.

Kaden brought his head around and gently nudged her. “That tickles.” He pretended to try and squirm away as he held back his chuckle.

“Does it now?” Olivia countered while she ran her fingers over his ticklish spot one more time and giggled mischievously.

“Oh, hush you... you little minx.” Kaden nudged her gently again.

Still laughing slightly and with a bright smile on her face, Olivia pulled back from Kaden, sat back on her calves and yawned again. Where she had used to be glued to his side, there was now a cold and empty space, he wanted her back.

“Good morning Kaden.” Olivia felt very refreshed and her aches were much less uncomfortable today. Her knee only felt a bit sore.

“Morning Liv.” Kaden rose to his feet and hands. Turning towards Olivia again, he was almost blinded by her bright smile. It lit up the cave like thousands of fireflies. Her cheeks were still flushed as a consequence of her daring exploit.

Because he knew she was about to stretch after she had stood up,  he turned away to avoid getting caught staring at her again.

Using his tail, he put the second roasted chicken, he had brought the day before, closer to the fire.

“Hungry?” He turned back around and saw Olivia drying her face next to the pot that still had some water in it.  

“Mmhmm,” was her response when she walked over to the mattress, took the comb and went to return closer to the fire. “It seems the rain has finally stopped. Must be a beautiful day outside.”

Kaden took the hint, “We’ll go out after you’ve eaten.”

True to his word, after she had finished eating, Kaden grabbed a big water sack and some ropes he had found in the back and led Olivia outside. The sun was still low on the horizon and the fog was slowly lifting, creating the illusion of walking among the clouds. It seemed the day was going to be beautiful indeed.

As Kaden led her to the clearing where they had watched the sun set, she took closer notice of her surroundings. Now she could see the trees she had caught whiffs of last night. The trees were spaced wide enough so that Kaden could walk between them easily, with his wings tucked in by his sides.

Since she had been a good study she now recognized the pine, blue spruce, fir and birch trees. Hiding beneath them she spotted dwarf honeysuckle bushes and some milkweeds.

The forest floor which was still slightly muddy from the rain was littered with pine needles and patches of grass where the sun reached it. Bringing color to it were flowers in bloom like saffron, primrose, snowdrop and woodland cyclamen which were scattered around in a wonderful harmonic mess of lilacs, yellows, whites and purples.

Movement caught her eye’s attention and she saw a squirrel winding its way up a tree. Olivia thought she also spotted a rabbit running away to its hiding place. From what she knew, she was sure there were some roes living in the forest and probably some badgers as well. Aside from the wolves and bears she had already witnessed.

The caress of the morning spring breeze provoked a smile from her and made her feet come to a stop. The sun made its way to her smiling face, warming her cheeks. She closed her eyes, faced the sun’s rays, and listened to the birds sweetly chirping away.

Kaden felt Olivia stop, so he stopped as well and turned to watch her. Study her. The content, peaceful smile brightened up her innocent face. Her hands were hanging loosely by her sides and her face was turned upwards, soaking up the sun. He wished for that peacefulness and that innocence. He had taken the simplest things for granted back then.

The things he now missed the most.

Watching her like that as he breathed in deeply he tried to look at his surroundings and feel them as she was feeling them. She made it easy for him to truly relax and enjoy for a moment. To search for that peace deep within him.

He found it when he settled his eyes back on her.

Olivia opened her eyes, smiled at Kaden and started walking again.

When they arrived at the clearing, the fog had completely cleared out and the sight was almost as beautiful as the night before, only the setting sun was missing. The air was clear from the rain  so the view went on and on. Olivia thought she could even see where her house might be.

They decided to rest there for a while, because the view was wonderful and Olivia wanted to soak up some more sun before they headed off to get some fresh water from a nearby stream.

They were comfortably settled, Kaden lying down facing the view, with Olivia nestled in the crook between his neck and his shoulder. She had her knees pulled up and was leaning her side and her head against him.  They were back to their chatting, bantering and subtle flirting.  Both were comfortable with the flirting because they were both also aware that it was all that could happen between them, so why not enjoy it and dream of what ifs.

At some point, Olivia had taken her boots off and was wriggling her toes, liking the feel of the grass tickling them while the breeze gave her feet some respite from being all cooped up most of the time. As she was trying to pluck out the grass with her toes much to Kaden’s amusement, a few questions came to his mind.

“Why did you run towards the mountains? You said you heard the stories and warnings but still came here?” When they had been talking yesterday, she had told him about the rumors going around about a dragon living up in the mountains. “Didn’t you believe those stories?”

“Oh, I believed them. Even though nobody ever saw you. But at the time it made sense to run towards the woods and the mountains and not towards the city where they would most likely follow me. And as I said, I wasn’t thinking rationally then.” Kaden felt her shrug against him.

“I got a question for you, how many dragons are there?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never met another dragon.”

Olivia’s head left his side as she tried to face him. She was obviously surprised and intrigued by his answer. It showed in her now wide blue eyes.

“You’ve never met another dragon? How’s that possible?” She quirked her head to the side curiously.

“I...You see...” he so wished he could tell her the truth, the truth he couldn’t even think about. “I really don’t know if there are any out there besides me. I’ve heard rumors but I’m not sure if those were about me or some other dragon. World is a really big place. If there’s only a few of us and if they’re hiding away like me, I’m not really that surprised I’ve never met them.

“What about your parents? Your mother? Did you really come from an egg?” Olivia just fired of the questions. Another thing he liked about her, her inquisitive mind.

“Woah there Liv?” Kaden chuckled, “One at the time. It’s been such a long time ago, over a century, almost two I think. So I don’t remember much,” he lied easily, thankful that she wasn’t looking into his eyes for the truth but had settled back down against him. “I don’t remember even having a mother. It’s always been just me. And I think the presumption about the egg is correct.” He hated lying to her. It felt as if he were marring their... friendship. But he had no other choice, literally.

“That’s sad,” Olivia sighed out. “I miss my parents.” She started absentmindedly caressing Kaden’s neck, next to where her head was resting.

“You do know you could go back?” Kaden offered carefully, he wanted her to stay though, but that would be selfish. He had been that too many times before.

“No!” Olivia exclaimed alarmingly as she stiffened against him. “I couldn’t do that. I’ve embarrassed them and probably disappointed so much. You should have seen the look on my father’s face. I’m afraid they wouldn’t want me back.”

“You don’t truly believe that,” Kaden frowned at her, even though she couldn’t see him, she could imagine it quite clearly.

“I’m … I … I’m scared,” she conceded.

“I think it’s silly. After all you’ve told me about them, I think they’re probably worried sick and scared for you and surely want you back.”

“You’re probably right,” Olivia sighed. “But I’m not ready.”

“You’ll have to face them sooner or later, why keep them in agony any longer?”

“It’s not that I’m not ready to face them.” Olivia scooted away from Kaden so she could face him as she settled back on her calves.

Kaden was now really curious to what she was about to say, so he lifted his head, looked her back in the eyes and gave her a slight nod to continue, letting her know he was listening. Not that he hadn’t been before.

“I’m not ready to leave you yet.” After she got the words past her lips,  Olivia stared into his amber yellow eyes for a few seconds, finding surprise and gratitude in them as she tried to convey through her sky blue ones the sincerity behind her confession.

The intensity of his gaze made her look down, at her hands in her lap as she started playing with her fingers.

She felt him nudge her, it seemed he liked doing that, and he rested his head near her lap.

“Thank you.”

Olivia knew why he was thanking her. He was thanking her for not leaving him yet, alone again. It meant to him more than anything at that moment.

“Come on.” He suddenly stood up and waited for Olivia to do the same.

“Hm?” Olivia rose to her feet as well and looked up at her dragon. She liked calling him that. Even if only in her mind.

What she saw then left her speechless. Kaden rose to his feet, his hands leaving the ground as he spread his wings wide. Olivia had to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked up at him in wonder. The sun glistened off his scales, bringing out their color, the midnight blue being the dominant color which only made his golden underside stand out more. His wings were spread out as far as he could spread them, and he gave off a few soft beats. It was now that she also paid attention to his strong, sinewy muscles! Especially where the shoulders of his arms met the shoulders of his wings. He was beautiful, he was heavenly elegant, he was -

“Magnificent,” Olivia said out loud. “You are a magnificent dragon Kaden,” she was still looking
up at him with awe and amazement.

Kaden’s sudden gleeful chuckle echoed through the forest, making the nearby birds fly away in alarm.

“I’m glad you like what you see,” he responded with a cocky wink. “But wait till you see this.”

He started beating his wings slowly, like he always did so he could gather the wind beneath his wings to help him take off into the air.

Olivia had to shield her eyes from the dust which had risen and she tried to hold a steady footing against the wind Kaden was making. On his last and third beat of the wings, he lifted off the ground, the torrent of air made Olivia actually stumble back and fall on her butt with a squeak of surprise.

She was glad Kaden had missed that. It was so embarrassing. Olivia quickly got back to her feet and watched him make a few circles around her. He soared up high and quickly swooped down, gliding gracefully over her head.  She just couldn’t help the silly smile that seemed to be stuck on her face.  She didn’t even dare to blink. She wanted to see it all.

When she noticed him come in for a landing, she took a couple of steps back and braced herself against another blast of air.

The dragon’s descent and landing were as elegant as his take off.

As he continued walking towards Olivia he picked up the rope he had brought with them. He put the rope down at her feet and lowered himself before her.

Olivia looked at him confused, “What am I to do with that?”

“I’m taking you flying,” he continued before she could argue. “You’re gonna wrap that rope around your waist and tie it up, the rest will go around my neck. It’s a safety precaution. I think you could get settled comfortably near my wings, a bit behind. The ridges should be a bit further apart there.  So you’ll sit in between two. You can also hold onto them for support and balance. You’ll have to keep your knees tucked in strongly. You’ve ridden a horse before, so you should know how to hold on with your legs.”

“Okay,” Olivia responded easily.

“Okay? You’re not going to argue?” Kaden was once again taken by surprise with her reaction. She was quite unpredictable.

“Nope,” her grin grew even wider. “No way I’m missing on this.” And she set to doing what he told her to do. Kaden chuckled at her response, shaking his head in disbelief as he helped set her up.


***                                        


“Now, you have to hold on tight, especially when we’re gaining altitude. I won’t go high because its cold up there and the air is heavy. We’ll glide above the tree line and head downwards. If at any point you feel uncomfortable or that you might fall, give the rope a tug, ok?” Finishing with his lection, Kaden helped Olivia up so she could get settled.

“Yes sir,” she mocked and giggled.

“Olivia...” he left her name trail off as he used his commanding tone to warn her that he was serious.

She shivered. Now she knew why.

“Hold on tight,”and without another warning, Olivia heard a whoosh, saw his wing swing down and felt the blast of air on her face.

She had to keep her eyes closed until they reached the height where he could move forward. With one look back at her he said, “Open your eyes Liv.”

“Dear Heavens above!” was all she exclaimed as she opened her eyes. Kaden felt proud of himself for making her that happy.

Olivia’s eyes had never been wider and she was sure her jaw was going to hurt for days because of how much she was smiling. She also didn’t care how many bugs she was probably going to  swallow along the way.

This was a totally exhilarating experience for her. So much more than the first time she went galloping on her own.  The trees were rushing by under them. It was all a blur of green, but as she looked to the side and up ahead of them, she was amazed by what she saw.

So this is what is feels like to fly. Olivia thought to herself and decided that she definitely wanted to do it again.

She held on tight as she sat a bit more upright, looking around them. She closed her eyes for a second and cherished the wind whipping at her face. Her cheeks flushed and her nose was already red from the biting air but she didn’t mind any of it. She fed from it. Fed her mind and her soul.

Opening her eyes, she laughed out loud and a happy whoop escaped from her lips.

As they gently glided down, leaving his wings spread wide, Kaden looked back at Olivia when her happy laughter reached his ears.

I got it bad. Never did I think I’d know what it feels like. To fall so hard so fast. But nobody would blame me after they met Olivia. It’s so not good for me. She’ll leave at some point and I’ll be left alone, and probably heartbroken too...

But I don’t care. That last thought made him happy.



#



Only a day’s ride away from them, Prince Magnus and his knights entered a small trading town.

To everybody they seemed fighters only, but Magnus chose his men wisely. He made sure he had some of the best fighters but others, besides being good fighters, were also useful in other fields.  

Reed, of course, was his closest friend and an excellent fighter driven by his unruly temper. He wielded his longsword like nobody else.  Theo was the scout, while Damien was the hunter. They mostly kept to themselves and have developed quite a friendship it seemed. The Prince chose Donovan for his resourcefulness and quick thinking amidst the battle when his brothers in arms needed to be patched up quickly.  He was a great medic off the battlefield as well. Then, there was Cassiel, a dark skinned fighter but probably the only truly honorable knight among them all who fought elegantly with a shortsword in one hand and a battleaxe in the other. There were also specialized fighters Lance, Colin and brothers Cathal and Galor, the latter of two was also a great cook.

Of course, there was also Charlotte, but they called her Charlie and her story was a different one.

As they entered the small town, heads turned and were in awe. They had never expected to see their Prince here. They all bowed their heads in respect as the Prince and his contingent of knights rode by.

Reed was the one that rode forward to the main market square and asked around about dragon sightings.

He came back with three men following him on foot. The one that was obviously the leader of the three, took a step closer to Magnus. It was Reed who spoke out first.

“Your Majesty, these men claim to have seen a dragon yesterday.” Still on his horse, he positioned himself behind the men, while Cathal and Galor flanked their Prince.

Prince Magnus eyed the men warily as he patted his horse’s neck. “What is your name?” he looked at the one that had stepped forward.

“Rhett, Your Majesty,” the man responded, keeping his head lowered in respect.

“Tell me,” Magnus simply demanded. “And look me in the eye while you respond.”

The man looked up as instructed. “Yesterday, we was traveling with our caravan to here for some trading on the market. Took the same road you has. Then, out of nowhere, actually... from the south - ” The man called Rhett glanced at his men who nodded in agreement, “- yes, south. He swooped down like this,” he made a swooping motion with his hands “and attacked us somewhat fierce. The beast tried to take our whole wagon! Including horses! He almost burned us alive. But not us...Oh no! We …  we fought back with our swords, sticks and stones. We was not going to let him take from us. We was fiercer. So, the dragon fled defeated but managed to take away with him one of the crates with our most precious wares,” he finished off with a self satisfied nod.

Magnus was smarter than that. He knew the man was lying, at least about the fight. The three of them were clean and completely unharmed. If they had been fighting a dragon, at least someone would have been wounded or burned, and they were neither. The man also hadn’t mentioned anyone else getting hurt. Magnus presumed the other part to be true, the direction and the day matched.

“Where did he fly off to?” inquired the Prince.

“To the mountains Your Majesty.”

“Have you ever seen the dragon around here before?”

“No Your Majesty. We’re new to this route. It’s been quiet. But there is stories going around about dragon attacks surrounding the mountain area, some years back. Should talk to the locals about those.” The Prince made the man nervous and he was slightly afraid because he didn’t have all the information that the Prince needed.

“Prince Magnus?” Reed asked for attention.

“Yes Reed?” Magnus quirked an eyebrow at his loyal friend.

“Let us rest here for the night and we will ask around about those attacks. It has been a long day of riding.” Reed’s suggestion made sense.

Magnus agreed so they settled for the evening in this town. They were probably going to be headed towards the mountains in the morning. And if the rumors were true, he was one step closer to having the monster’s head first on a pike and then on his walls.

 

 

A/N

If you were Olivia, what would you ask Kaden? I might use it in the next chapter ;)