Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 18

*Rakota's POV*

I took a drink from the lake and lifted my head as Victorya came over.

She stretched her wings, then folded them up. "The stiffness is fading, but slowly. That spell packed a serious punch. I'll know not to rely on my amulet so much next time."

"It should wear off by morning," I replied, glancing at Andar, who was still curled into a ball of green scales and pointedly ignoring the world as he had been since we landed.

I made a mental note to check for mage sight wards next time and remove those so the mages couldn't easily target him. His inability to cast while doing evasive maneuvers would always make him an easy target in a fight. He wasn't the only dragon around with that issue, but it was never a fun position to be in. There was no point in trying to cheer him up by reminding him that such single-minded focus also meant his spells hit hard and weren't as easy to block.

Past him, the humans were keeping themselves entertained in their camp. Randel seemed mesmerized by the sparks he kept creating, although no fire appeared, so I wasn't sure if he was just bored or actually trying to accomplish something.

Brandon wasn't a rider I had met before, and from what I had seen so far, he seemed more easy-going than most. If nothing else, he was getting along with Katerina as they worked on her new shelter.

It was interesting to watch. Not just the construction, but how they interacted. Randel and most riders wouldn't have done any more work than absolutely necessary, but Brandon seemed to be enjoying it. He helped collect branches and sometimes held them in place while Katerina secured them, but she was the one who was actually constructing it. He was just offering a helping hand.

This shelter was turning into another half-dome type, but it was longer with more room underneath. Katerina was also weaving more live branches into the frame to lock everything together. There was a decent chance it would hold its shape even if I rolled it upside down again.

Randel suddenly threw the rod and flint onto the ground with a frustrated huff. The tools bounced off the stones surrounding the pit and rolled a short distance away. Katerina and Brandon frowned at his abuse of the borrowed items. They weren't the only ones to take notice; Andar lifted his head and bestowed an unhappy glare upon his rider.

I felt the flicker of magic just before the wood burst into flames. The rider tossed a branch into the firepit, his tantrum forgotten now that the cause had been fixed. I frowned when I noticed that he hadn't even bothered thanking Andar for starting the fire. With an unimpressed snort, the green dragon curled back up, apparently going back to sleep.

Randel got up and grabbed as much wood as he could from the woodpile and dumped it in the firepit. He made a second trip while Katerina picked up her fire-starting tools.

When he went for even more wood, Katerina said, "Uh, Randel, we don't need that much wood on the fire."

"Why not? Bonfires are great."

"It's warm out, and we might need that wood later tonight when it gets colder."

"Fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms as he watched the flames spread through the waist-high pile he'd already put in the firepit.

When the fire-obsessed rider didn't argue, the other two continued working on the shelter. Serepha stretched as she got up, having been woken from her nap. I was about to ask her if she wanted to go hunting with me when magic brushed against my senses, accompanied by faint chiming similar to a crystal being struck.

"I've got a long-distance communication," I told the others as I linked my magic to the spell to open the connection. They would have sensed it, but it was considered polite in case they had magical shields in place for some reason. I wandered away so they wouldn't have to listen to a one-sided conversation.