Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 25

            “Not really,” Cody said, his thoughts swirling.

            “I don’t know much about it either, just that until our bond gets much stronger, we won’t be very strong either together or apart. But you can’t force the bond to get stronger, we’re just going to have to overcome these obstacles when we get them.”

            Feeling completely unsatisfied with the dragon’s answer, Cody crossed his arms moodily and began looking around. Pretty much all that he gathered from what Inferno had said was that their connection was new and they were both trying to get used to the idea of trusting the other, and until they were both used to the idea, they couldn’t be a proper dragon and rider. He assumed this meant that the magic and power he sought as well as his dragon’s fire breath couldn’t be gained until he felt used to Inferno and the same the other way around, but it was absurd! He was already very familiar with Inferno.

He felt that the dragon was nearer and dearer to him than anything he had ever seen. Then again, after he thought about it for a moment, a tiny part of him that had long ago gotten used to the idea that he was a dragon rider, that little part of him still shamefully considered Inferno his property, not just a dear dragon companion. Part of him was having trouble accepting that he and Inferno were equals and he depended as much on the dragon as he did Cody. It scared him that he felt that Inferno was just some blunt tool for him to use as he willed, and he desperately hoped that he could overcome the feeling.

            “You will,” Inferno assured him. “Many other riders have felt the way you do now, probably even Heyrick. We just haven’t been through enough hardships to trust each other enough, that’s all. Remember that I am also affected by our fresh bond, even worse. Until our bond is stronger, I truly am just a beast, with hardly any conscience like a bear that just does anything without care. I am far more scared than you.”

            “But a lot of people expect you to be a vicious beast, no offense. People expect me to be a powerful and controlling rider, and right now I’m only a controlling rider.”

            “Lose your fears, and just focus on our tasks. Perhaps they will help to strengthen our bond, since they are the first truly difficult things we will ever be through,” Inferno said in an attempt to cheer up his rider. It worked, but only to a certain extent.

            Cody patted Inferno’s side and said, “I just can’t help it. Now I realize how truly possessive I am of you, and it scares me!”

            “You’ll be fine.”

            Cody reluctantly agreed as he continued to pat the dragon’s scales with one thickly-covered hand. Pushing his possessiveness aside, he realized how much he truly admired Inferno’s scales. While the dark hue probably would make many humans fearful because darkness often signified evil, to the rider it was his new favorite color. His old favorite color was blue, and his love of it was only strengthened by the fact that Inferno had perfect blue eyes, but after seeing how magnificent the darkness truly was on his dragon, it seemed amazing beyond belief.

He couldn’t ask for his dragon to be absolutely any other color, because black just seemed so…so much like both of them in every way. Cody couldn’t tell why, but black appealed to him just so much more after he found Inferno’s egg. It was like it was always in existence, but after seeing Inferno with it as his color, it just felt to him like something special about it had been exposed to him, making him love it so much. Even his black hair, which was very light compared to the dragon’s dark hide, was beginning to seem absolutely stunning. And then he suddenly began to wonder something.