Chapter 1
High in the sky, a waning moon cast a sliver of pale silvery light across the frozen land. Hidden within a shroud of darkness were two figures clinging to the back of a flying dragon. Bitter cold air bit into the riders' exposed flesh, but mercifully this was little more than the skin of their faces and necks.
The elder of the two, the Watcher, Xith, pointed to a tiny point of light in the distance. Adrina at the dragon's reins followed the line drawn by his arm with her eyes.
"Not every day one battles ice giants and snow trolls and lives to tell the tale," Xith said matter-of-factly.
Adrina, realizing she'd been silent since first taking flight with the dragon some hours ago, grinned broadly as she turned to look at the Watcher. "An adventure, yes, and what I'm always saying I long for. But…"
Her voice trailed off as she guided the dragon through a turn. They were close to home now, or at least as much a home as she'd known in some time.
"But the circumstances," Xith said, finishing for her. "It wasn't the way you imagined it'd be. Things rarely are."
"Exactly. Do you really think Vilmos and Ærühn will return to the village in the morning?"
"It is what you and I both told them to do."
"But do you expect them to just return to the village when they are so close to the Great Door?"
"No," Xith said, his face calm as it had been from the start. "Though, I do think that perhaps it is for the best. Perhaps, the very acts of defiance that guide them down this path may be what bring them home safe in the end."
"My place is with them. I should be there when they go beyond the Great Door." Adrina ran a gloved hand along the dragon's neck. "Tnavres and I, that is."
Xith shifted position, pointed to a circle of torchlights ahead. "Our flights between the villages with supplies and medicines are vital. Only you and Tnavres can make those journeys so quickly. We've saved a countless many. Never forget that."
"Meanwhile, my sister and the captain have gone missing. Soon, Vilmos and Ærühn too."
"Delinna and Ansh understood the importance of their mission and its dangers. Delays were expected and inevitable. If something has gone awry, Vilmos and Ærühn are capable of doing what is needed."
As Midsetten came into view, the conversation ended. The great golden dragon had little room to maneuver and Adrina did her best to guide the massive creature to a small open area in the marketplace without upsetting carts and tents or running into the tall, carved poles that dotted the village streets and public areas.
Though she'd lived amongst the icemen for nearly two years, she still didn't truly comprehend the purpose of the carved poles. The animal spirit totems she understood in principal, but she still didn't know why the poles needed to be so damn tall or so damn plentiful. They were everywhere.
The dragon's swift flight and the tiny target shrouded in darkness left little margin for error. No sooner had the dragon swerved to avoid one pole there was another ahead that required a rapid turn to avoid. Then just as suddenly, the dragon was digging his claws into the snowy ground and wrapping his great wings around his bulky frame.
Adrina slid off the dragon's back and lowered the hood of her thick fur cloak. The coat sewn from frost beast hide with the fur facing inward in the style of the north men had kept her warm against the frigid night air but she shivered nonetheless for the bitter cold seemed to have set into her bones. She removed her fur gloves and blew warm breaths into her cupped hands.
Xith's scowl deepened as he slid off the dragon's back and joined Adrina. "A few hours of sleep, then we begin again."
Adrina nodded understanding. "I've just to attend to Tnavres and the saddle."
Xith stamped his booted feet against the cold. "Don't delay. I'll stoke the fire, find what foodstuffs I can."
As the old watcher walked away, Adrina called out after him. "Do you really think there is hope?"
Xith paused in his retreat, turned to look back at her. "I do and so did Noman."
Adrina put on a brave face, feigned a half smile before turning back to her work. Removing the dragon's saddle required a concerted effort. She pulled on the leather of each strap in turn, using both hands and the weight of her body to help her work back and loosen the leather. She was then able to undo the straps and remove the saddle.
Tnavres, who had stayed still and silent until this moment, reared riotously and stretched out with his wings nearly toppling several carts in the marketplace. For a moment, Adrina feared the dragon's snorts and fiery breaths would wake everyone in the village but no one stirred, not even the village watch.