The Dragon's Scale (COMPLETE, EDITING)

🐉🐉TDS Sequel 🐉🐉

We will just ignore the fact it took you nine tries before you got that right. And about how you almost broke my rib—

I'll drop you and see how well you fly on your own, Boomer growled, but the triumph hadn't left his voice.

Josh held one hand up in defeat, the other resting on Boomer's foreleg. You did really good, he assured, serious again. I think we might have it down now.

Straightening out so he glided forward, Boomer brought his head down and offered his neck to Josh. He took hold, and his dragon lifted him up. Josh extended his leg, finding purchase between Boomer's shoulders, and with a bit of extra help from Boomer's tail, moved his way back to the saddle situated on the dragon's back. Boomer hadn't enjoyed the idea of having a piece of leather strapped onto him, but now he only grumbled a little bit about it.

Think we can try it again before we get to the breach? Boomer asked.

The moment Josh patted Boomer's neck, he hunched, knowing what would be said. "I don't think Cale would like that," Josh said, switching to speaking aloud as he regained his air. "It was hard enough to convince him this was practice for if I fell later."

Boomer sighed before angling up once more to search for Cale and Ezraim.

Josh couldn't blame Boomer for his disappointment. Although Josh had learned some information on dragon riding in his early months at the Sanctuary, he didn't get to experience it until shortly after his return from the temple realm. Usually, from what Josh had heard, new riders were encouraged to go out with their dragon often so the dragon and soul-bound could get a feel for each other.

But usually, the Paladins weren't in quite a precarious situation. Josh's riding sessions had turned into training, or, in this case, a mission. As much as any form of flying exhilarated him—cutting through the wind, soaring among the clouds, experiencing the thrill Boomer felt—he couldn't deny that he felt closer and freer when he and Boomer could fly for themselves. Maybe they could when there weren't a billion missions throughout the week, but that didn't seem to be anytime soon.

Found them, Boomer said and tilted to the side, drawing Josh from his thoughts.

Josh wrapped the reins around his arms once and gripped the saddle's horn. The warmth drained from his face, and it didn't return until Boomer straightened out. He didn't care what Cale told him, he would never get used to sharp turns.

Sorry, Boomer murmured. I forgot to warn you sooner.

You're good, Josh said, even as his stomach protested. Shaking off his nausea, he searched the sky.

Cale flew a little to their left, about fifty yards ahead of them. Ezraim flew at a leisurely pace. Seeing Ezraim in flight would never cease to confuse Josh. The dragon looked as if he had stepped straight from a mountain, his jagged scales mirroring a rock wall. How his wings, large or not, kept his body up, Josh did not know.

Ezraim tilted his head, and then Cale turned around. Josh and Boomer had grown close enough that Josh could see Cale squinting in their direction.

Josh waved. "I lived."

"I can see that," Cale said, though he still frowned. "I don't have to worry about any hidden injuries, do I?"

Boomer blew out a prideful huff of smoke. I didn't hurt him this time.

Cale shot Josh a glare. Josh attempted a grin back, kicking Boomer's ribs with the leg Cale couldn't see.

Didn't need to mention the past failures, genius. Josh cleared his throat and, ignoring Boomer's chuckles, continued on aloud, "So, how close are we to the breach?"

The roll of Cale's eyes conveyed that the subject change did not go unnoticed. "Another couple of kilometers, give or take."

Kilometers, a measurement Josh was still trying to understand, and Cale knew it. "Very helpful," Josh muttered.

"What is helpful is knowing the metric system that the rest of the world uses." Cale shrugged with a small smirk.

The Elder Dragons have the area closed off, so we need not hurry, Ezraim rumbled, cutting off any rebuke.

Josh's throat hadn't lost its tendency to dry when he tried to focus directly on Ezraim. He wasn't quite as large as Jodas, but the Sanctuary's assigned Elder Dragon laid curled up on the ground so often Josh could forget his size. Ezraim made Boomer look like a kitten standing beside a tiger, and Josh didn't want to think of what that made him.

You're the mouse I chase, Boomer supplied.

Josh pointedly ignored him and raised a brow at Cale's furrowed expression. There was a slight glaze to his eyes, which would only happen if he really had to concentrate to speak mentally, but his dragon was close by. That left one option: Jodas.

"Everything okay back at the Sanctuary?"

After a moment, Cale focused on his surroundings again. "Just checking on the status of our back-up. We may defeat the imps before they arrive."

It was as if his words summoned their presence. An annoying sound somewhere between shrieking and chittering reached Josh's ears. He scanned his surroundings before dropping his gaze. They were far enough away he almost excused them as birds, but then he looked closer.

The imps clustered together a little below them, a few hundred feet away, pushing against an unseen force.

This will be fun, Boomer grumbled.

Josh checked the side of the saddle. Straps secured his shield to the leather and the sheath holding his sword swung in the wind. He opened one of the satchels. His chainmail shirt sat within it.

They're just imps. I don't think they'll be too bad, he said as he pulled out the shirt. The dragons slowed down, hovering in small circles over the imps. The chittering dragged nails across his nerves, like a swarm of cicadas screeching.

You are not the one they are likely to bite and scratch at the entire time, Boomer grumbled.

You doubt the strength of your scales?

Boomer gave a small jerk to the side, making Josh miss grabbing for his sword hilt. No, Boomer said, but you wouldn't like feeling like something kept pinching and scratching at you either.

Once Josh had managed to attach his shield and retrieve his sword—despite Boomer's occasional spiteful wiggle—he turned to Cale. His teammate also donned a chainmail shirt, but he only held one of his swords as opposed to his normal two. The other blade remained sheathed on Ezraim's side.

"Are you ready to engage?" Cale asked.

Josh grinned. "Let's do this."

Cale's eyes glazed over once more, and remained that way even as he said, "When I say to, dive straight for the barrier."

"Will do." Josh wrapped his hand around the saddle's horn and tightened his grip on his sword. Despite his earlier words of confidence to Boomer, Josh's pulse spiked. A single word would send them flying straight into a mass of imps so thick, it almost looked like a cloud.

Boomer's presence brushed against Josh's, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders.They had this.

Cale shifted, leaning forward in his saddle and gripping the reins. "Go," he ordered.

And they dove.