Switched ~ a Fractured Fairytale

Chapter Twenty-Five ~ Victor Victorious

Author's Note

I published this chapter last week, but have since added something extra to it.

Sorry for any confusion. I hope you enjoy it! 

BitterBlu xx

Early the next morning, Lyessa roused us and we made our way to a clifftop, where the dragons were assembling. Alastair had exchanged his tattered uniform for Killian's spare breeches and shirt. He looked a little odd in the overlarge clothes, but he seemed more comfortable than in his stained finery.

In addition to Soteria and Xenia, twelve other dragons had offered support, including little golden Silas and Lyessa, who felt she needed to redeem herself for capturing Alastair. Aletheia had initially been reluctant to allow Silas to accompany us, due to his youth and inexperience with the outside world, but after Xenia promised to keep a close eye on him, she relented. After Aletheia had promised they would not be eaten or otherwise harmed, Killian and I decided the horses were to remain with the dragons.

As Soteria helped load up a couple of the younger dragons, I noticed Bear sniffing around the pile of supplies and something occurred to me.

'What are we going to do about Bear?' I asked and Killian froze.

'I don't know,' he said. 'It had slipped my mind!'

'How do you forget your dog?' I asked incredulously. 'That's like me forgetting my sisters!'

'He can normally fend for himself,' Killian said, running a hand through his messy hair. 'If we rigged up some sort of harness, someone could carry him, but he'd never stay still...'

I dug through my pack until I found my herb case. I pulled out a small glass vial filled with dried herbs.

'This will knock him out for a few hours,' I said, uncorking the vial. 'It's a mixture of nightshade and lavender.'

Killian found a chunk of meat and I sprinkled a small amount of herbs over it. Bear sniffed the meat suspiciously, then wolfed it down. He looked up at me with one ear slightly raised as, if to say more please.

It took a few minutes to take effect but by the time we had worked out a harness, he was fast asleep, his paws twitching slightly as he dreamt. The harness resembled a triangular net, with three long pieces secured to a log of wood, to allow a dragon to grip on. As the dragons finished their preparations, Xenia turned to us.

'Where would you all like to ride?' she asked.

It was not surprising that Killian chose to ride with Soteria, whilst Alastair elected to ride with Lyessa and Blaise was placed under the guidance of Thrasos, a large, dark red male whose horns and claws were easily larger than my waist, leaving me to choose a dragon. Xenia had offered to take Bear, and Lyessa was young, and did not look like she could take a second passenger

'I have room for a small one,' Soteria said, extending her large forearm towards me.

Being careful not to yank out a scale, I climbed up Soteria's right forearm and onto her back. I settled in the dip where her neck joined her body, with Killian behind me.

'Hold tight!' he whispered in my ear as Soteria stepped towards the edge of the cliff.

Wrapping my arms around her neck, I squeezed my eyes tight shut as Soteria took two large steps and launched herself into the sky. For a moment, it felt like my stomach had stayed on the cliffside as my body hurtled into the air. I heard Kilian whooping behind me, and I cracked open an eyelid, keeping my gaze firmly on Soteria's head.