“After many years she came to me, desperate to start somewhere fresh. I helped your mother escape the magical confines of Sharra.”
“You did?” My heart ached for what my mother must’ve gone through. “Is that why she died? Because she was away from Sharra for too long.” The image of Pava, the pixilette, and the way she’d turned to ash after a short time outside Sharra, harassed my thoughts. I was afraid of the answer, but anxious to know the truth.
He stood, his scales clanking together like old metal. The tip of my head barely reached the top of one of his clawed feet. Cindy, Gabe, and Dorian scattered back into the tunnel, which was the smart move, but I held my ground. If Abernathy knew what happened to my mother, I wanted the answer.
“Well?” I asked, the word forced between my clenched teeth.
“It’s time you know, I believe.” He smacked his lips together. “Care to take a trip?” He stretched his golden wings wide. Each wingtip touched a wall, blocking out the sunlight. He shook like a wet dog. Hundreds of old scales sailed from his body like giant discs. They smacked into stalactites, and stalagmites, knocking them to pieces. One flew over my head, and I ducked just in time. It crashed into the wall behind me, leaving a large hole. Powdered rock filled the cavern like smoke, and the smell of sulfur tainted the already pungent air.
When the dust finally settled, I answered. “What kind of trip?”
He laughed. Loud and hearty. Thousands of bats awoke, circling like phantoms. Their high-pitched screeching like nails raking a chalkboard.
Abernathy lifted his head, and roared, sending a rush of fire at the bats. They fell, their bodies charred and smoking, and I moved to the tunnel entrance, out of the way.
When the bats were all dead, he closed his mouth, extinguishing the fire. Smacking his lips together, he said, “Bats are worse than rats—flying mongrels, really.” He bent his front paw under, and leaned his body toward the four of us. “Climb on vampire. And the rest of you. Hurry up. I’m late for my nap.”
I didn’t know if it’s a vampire thing or a Snow White thing, but I hated to fly in airplanes… with seatbelts, pressurized cabins, and electronic gadgets. This would be worse. “Where are we going? We’ll meet you there. Use magic.” I glanced back at Cindy who’d come out of the tunnel, and moved to climb on. Her face shone with excitement, and I sighed. We wouldn’t be using magic. She wanted to fly on the back of the dragon. Dorian and Gabe seemed excited about the prospect as well.
Me? Not so much!
Abernathy shook his head. “There’s only one way to get to your mother, and the journey requires I get you there. Come on.”
I gulped. If she were dead, how did he plan to take us to see her? “Can’t you just explain what happened? You don’t need to show me.” The others were already on Abernathy’s back. Gabe next to his head, then Cindy, with her arms around him, a space, I guessed for me, and then Dorian.
Dorian smirked, patting the spot in front of him. “It’ll be fun.”
Fun, I thought, irritated.
“Climb aboard before I change my mind. It isn’t every day one rides on the back of a dragon.”
Hesitant, I climb up his side, using his scales as grips.
My insides shook uncontrollably by the time I was seated in front of Dorian. He wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’ve got you, Snow.”
His breath against my ear tickled. “Thanks,” I responded. It seemed nuts I was afraid, but I couldn’t control it.
“Hang on tight. I won’t come back for those left behind.” He let out a laugh.
My bottom lip trembled. I was going to fall, roll off his scaly back, get flicked in the head by his tail, and end up a permanent fixture in one of the chamber walls.
Cindy whimpered.
Gabe growled.
Abernathy pounced into the air, his wings tucked at his sides, and then he burst through the opening into the clear sky. His wings spread and caught hold of the wind like a giant kite.
We were flying.
As soon as Abernathy hit the bright sky, my fear vanished. And I felt exhilarated.
Abernathy twisted and turned, like a corkscrew, and I heard him chuckle. “It’s been ages.”
He shot into the air. Stopped, and curled his body into a ball, then cannonballed toward the ground. I was having too much fun to be scared.
A few minutes in, something occurred to me.
How are we not falling? I shouted the question at Abernathy.
He growled happily, letting out a long stream of fire.
“Magic, vampire. Always magic.”
I tested the theory, releasing my death grip on one of his scales. In the same second Abernathy flipped out of the ball, and expanded his wings. We all should’ve shot into the air. No matter how tightly we held on, the suddenness of the stop should have sent us sailing off his back. None of us moved though, like we’d been seat belted to the dragon.