The Broken Scale. Book 1 of The Dragon Riders of Arvain

Chapter Sixteen

Draek took the sky, leaving behind the flaming orchard. Hayden’s mind began to freeze up as he watched the ground get further and further away. His body did not though, as Draek pushed his wings up and down and started to ride the winds up, Hayden kept his body low to Draek and turned with him just as if he was riding a horse.  

                Hayden tried his hardest not to, but he found himself starting to enjoy flying with Draek. Draek really had become a much better flier over the past four weeks. His wing strokes were smoother and he no longer fell and rose with the wind, but rather rode it from one current to another.

                Draek was also flying much faster than Hayden had ever seen before, gaining quickly on the fleeting red dragon. Draek gained more height so that, even though they were far behind the red dragon, they were also above them.

                Hayden was about to ask why Draek was doing that when he got a few images of a copper dragon telling them that a dragon who was above another dragon held all the power and could force the other dragon to land.

                Draek was gaining on the red dragon quickly, using less effort with his massive silver wings. Hayden was no longer looking at the ground and worrying about falling off; all of his focus was placed on the rider in front of them. Draek was flying smoothly, Hayden barley felt any movements that the dragon made, while the red dragon was struggling to maintain its slower speed.

                The red dragon’s sides heaved in an out as it tried to regain its breath, and Hayden and Draek where now close enough now that Hayden was able to make out some details about the rider and his dragon.

                The saddle of the dragon was made out of worn out leather that was patched together. The bags that where full of the stolen fruit had identical patches that covered the holes that had been worn out from use.

                It was hard to make out any details of the dwarf, Hayden still hadn’t gotten a good look at him but he knew he was a dwarf because of the short stature and size of his body. He also knew that it was male because of the long withered beard that came to rest on his short, thick chest.

                Draek continued to close the distance between them and the red dragon. Hayden saw that both the rider and the dragon kept looking back at them to see how close they were. He watched as the red dragon quit trying to go faster and started to glide down the ground. They had flown much further than Hayden realized as he took in his surroundings as they began to make their decent.

                They had left Celestial City far behind and they were now near the foothills of what Hayden assumed where the Bergelmir Mountains. Hayden had never seen anything like it before, mountains bigger than whole cities looming up to the sky. Even though he was able to see the mountains Hayden knew that they were a long way off in the distance still.

                Draek followed the red dragon until they both landed in a small valley big enough for both dragons. Once both dragons were on the ground everyone just looked at each other. Hayden did not wish to fight, but he knew if it came to it that Draek would win.