Inferno Legacy: Loyalty of the Dragon (Book Two)

Chapter 21

"I had almost forgotten what it feels like to fly free among the clouds!" Destiny announced with a bugle of triumphant joy.

"You? What about me, the one who thought he'd never fly again? Besides, we are not even outside," Inferno complained jokingly, though by the fire in his limbs and the light in his eyes Cody could tell that he was ecstatic.

"In any case, we should meet our mentors sometime soon," Cody said, trying to calm himself down after the ride.

Aval rolled his eyes and slid from Destiny's back, Cody following close behind, and the other rider commented, "And then there's Cody, ruining the fun for us all."

"Hey if we get done with our training we might be able to go outside and fly whenever we want all the time," Cody pointed out as he approached the door about 20 feet away.

Inferno and Destiny stayed where they were and focused on steadying their breathing while Omen wordlessly came up beside them on Ashheart and quickly dismounted to join his friends. Inferno slowly sat down and stretched his wings briefly before folding them tight to his side. Out of nowhere a silvery-white claw struck Inferno playfully in the middle of his neck, and he looked over just in time to see Destiny's right wing-claw curl up nicely in the folds of her own wings.

"You and I both know you liked it," the gold dragon teased as she bared her razor-sharp teeth in a grin of amusement.

Inferno returned the gesture before settling into a laying position with a hidden smile on his own draconic features. Meanwhile, Cody and his friends reached the door that they had been sent to and opened it up. The three of them stepped carefully inside to find row after row of ancient-looking books and scrolls in a relatively small room. To the side there was a table where three men and two women of varying ages sat talking together. When they noticed Cody and companions, they all smiled a bit.

One man of perhaps 30 years with normal golden-blond hair and emerald-green eyes, obviously the leader of the group stood and nodded in Cody's direction. "Greetings Dreamwalker, Goldscales, and Rider of Wolves, I am Thoughtful, and this is Playful, Doubtless, Doubtful the brother of Doubtless of course, and Fearless. We are your mentors as long as you are here, each to teach you different things. I teach Dreamkeeper social skills and political knowledge."

"I have studied dragons many years, and I am here to instruct you in all of the things that each pair is naturally able to do as a team, such as aerial maneuverability and general tricks and skills," said Playful, a young woman of perhaps 20.

The one called Doubtful, obviously oldest of the group at what Cody guessed in human years to be late 60s, and said, "My sister Doubtless and I will teach you magic. More specifically, she will teach you how to use your most powerful ability and hone it, and I will teach you the more general understanding of magic, including dragon fire."

"I will teach you battle and all the skills that will assist you in battle and as a guard. You will find that Playful and I often work together. We have always worked together on finding new techniques for riding and fighting at the same time," said Fearless, a man of around 25 as Cody guessed.

There was some silence before Thoughtful jumped in again, "There is time for me to answer a few questions before we show you your rooms and rest for the night, if you have any."

Cody's eyebrows rose slightly at the idea of finally being able to slow down and speak. "Actually, the only concern we have for right now is what the actual ranking system is."