“But what’s the plan?” Razam asked, still holding on to the spikes on the dragon’s back, looking at Fara. “After brother Fahad gets a hold of his loyalists, I mean.”

Fara had tied her hair into tight bun, and seemed more interested in the landscape than in the conversation. “Get in contact with our forces in the south, gather them and liberate certain areas. It won’t be easy, especially if Murlia gets too many troops into the country, to control it, you know. I can’t believe Murlia got so strong so quickly.”

“They even took my land.”

“Where are you from again?”

Razam sighed. “Kash, technically. Later it was Arum, but I guess it’s Murlia now, since last week.”

“I had never heard your accent before.”

He sighed. “We’re a separate people, I guess, we have our own language, we're not ethnic Kashians.”

“Around the coasts?”

“Yes, but it’s in the south, next to the desert. Don’t think you’ve heard about us. Most of my people are fishermen. Some of our elders had a unique traditional religion, so the Religious Mandate of Kash killed a few thousand in the past fifty years.”

“Oh, that is definitely sad, but interesting. Maybe there will be books about them.”

“Don’t think we’re relevant enough for that. But enough talking about ethnicities and things like that. I want to know your plan, so you want the dragons, huh? Let me tell you, don’t expect much.”

“I always expect much,” she declared. “I can’t expect less, especially in this moment.”

Razam sighed.

“It’s that kind of thinking. You cannot take no for an answer, but Vrarog tells me that they have been saying no to humans for more than a thousand years.”

“I have a good feeling about this. Besides, in all the time we’ve been alive, more than a thousand years before there has be no bond between humans and dragons. And, you, of all people, broke the curse of a thousand years. Can’t you see how that changes everything? And you are the one who changed history.”

Razam pressed his teeth. That was certainly an angle he had not considered. It made him sound important out of a sudden, too bad it didn’t bring him any money.

“And then you plan on air striking Murlia, burning it to the ground and reconquer it in the name of Arsacia. Listen, I don’t care for politics, the little guy gets stamped out either way and doesn’t even get bread crumbs.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” she said. “Of course, we strive for peace.”

“I just telling you what it looks like. People are gonna die in the crossfire. I’d be willing to be a bodyguard, or whatever, but the dragon doesn’t like the idea either.”

“I have said nothing about air striking Murlia.”

“But you’d do that if you had the chance, wouldn’t you? Listen, I was a cadet, and close to a military commander. People think they have to do what they’re ordered without question, and no matter how righteous they think they are, people die. The people who shouldn’t die, who have nothing to do with politics, or war, are the ones who suffer the most. That’s another thing dragon’s won’t be happy to follow.”

“You don’t understand,” she said. “Everything was better when Arsacia was in control.”

“And how do you know you’re gonna make everything better and not worse? And how did your ancestors get that control, through killing? Another war to end all wars, another war to end oppression, that ends with more oppression. Listen, I’ve done my share of killing, I’m no better but I won’t kill anyone who deserves it in a way or another. I have sworn not to kill one who hasn’t drawn a sword at me. I’m not saying I’m a saint, or anything.”

“Sometimes you have to do that for the greater good.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Razam shrugged. “You could say that. That doesn’t mean innocent people must die.”

She gritted her teeth, seemingly upset.

“But you don’t understand…”

“Listen,” Vrarog spoke with his powerful voice. Both faced forward, noticing an enormous mountain range that spread ahead of them, raising up way above the clouds. “My home is near, within a few minutes.”

“Oh, I can’t wait,” she said, looking forward and trying not to shiver.

Razam was starting to feel the cold, even in that part of summer, and at that altitude, he was freezing.

Vrarog flew upward, and with every flap of his wings, Razam felt the temperature drop, his body shiver and his teeth clatter. He started reaching for his arms and rubbing them, noticing the goosebumps, even with the warm clothing Fahad had brought them from the provincial city. Vrarog seemed to notice his distress, and heat started emanating from his scales. Within minutes, both he and Fara could sit more comfortably.

They kept flying upward, and Razam noticed that it was becoming harder to breathe. Where were they going? Had a human being even been so high up in the mountains and not died? The dragon seemed to answer his question with memories.

Razam and Fara ascended, leaning down toward the dragon’s body to keep warm.

“Look,” Fara said, placing a hand over Razam’s arm, pointing with the other to the snow capped mountain ahead of them. A million snowflakes poured upon the peaks, melting as they came close to Vrarog’s body, but the thing that made Razam gasp were the shapes that moved through the vastness of space, dragons, spreading mighty wings and swirling through the sky.

“There’s something wrong,” Vrarog shouted. Razam felt the back of the dragon heat up even more. Then, Vrarog tumbled downward. Razam gasped, holding on to the wings. He could feel something deeply troubling in the dragon’s mind. Something had shocked him to death. Held tight, and even Fara turned toward him.

“He’s in shock,” Razam said under his breath, as the dragon sped up and caught flight by flapping again, raising upward.

“What is happening?” Vrarog asked with a monstrous grunt, flying closer to the base of the mountain. Razam held tight as other massive dragons flew around them.

Razam felt clarity in the dragon’s sorrow.

“Where is she?”

“She has been missing,” said a gigantic creature, floating slowly, keeping himself on air by flapping gigantic wings. His voice was as powerful as rocks tumbling down from a mountain. Vrarog named him Grukner. “We followed the track she gave us, but could not find her. Instead, we found something unusual. But you… Are you bringing humans to our mountains? How? How dare you?”

The dragon’s tone changed abruptly.

“It is a debt I have.”

“This happened because of humans. You can’t compromise us like that! This is unprecedented.”

“I am changing things,” Vrarog declared. “Let us go down to the feet of the mountain. We shall talk about it, but now, tell me what you found.”

“Get these humans away,” Grunkner said, before pulling his wings together and diving down toward the ground. Vrarog followed, Razam and Fara held tight, staring at each other just as they descended.

They flew downward, descending toward the base of the mountains faster than a horse, faster than anyone falling down.

The snow did not completely cover the section of the mountain, and there was less snow the more he descended, the temperature also decreased, and Vrarog knew and let go of the heat. They finally reached the bottom of the mountain, into a lush grassland that spread beneath. Gruckner, the giant red dragon descended softly, his massive body gliding almost effortlessly, until he reached and posed himself amid the tall grass, the mountain raising up and disappearing into the clouds above. Razam was astonished that he had been so high up in the sky.

Then, Vrarog descended, opening his wings, apparently, to catch air, before dropping gently. To Razam, he felt surprisingly dizzy as soon as he reached. The red dragon looked like a frightening force of nature. Razam had gotten used to Vrarog, but seeing that other, gigantic creature was an entirely different thing. For one, he was much larger than Razam, with a monstruous look, red instead of blue, massive bulging muscles covered in scales, ragged wings and a threatening reptillian face and unfazed yellow eyes.

Suddenly, to Razam’s surprise, Fara turned and descended from Vrarog’s side, and strode toward the giant dragon.

“Lord Dragon!” she exclaimed, rushing to fall on her knees in front of the dragon. “I beg of you.”

The dragon’s eyes glowed red, then, his nostrils flared.

“Why did you bring this human?” Gruckner asked with a deep growl.

“He’s my friend,” Vrarog declared.

“You have brought too much of this human nonsense,” Gruckner said. “What is the point of having these creatures here.”

“Lord Dragon,” Fara continued. “I propose to you an alliance. Please consider it. I am a descendant of the first dragon Kings, and my kingdom lies in Arsacia. Please, we must fight together.”

“Vrarog, come with me. You must see this,” Gruckner declared, stepping forward, completely ignoring Fara.