** BEATRICE

Idris had stayed silent on our way back to Roland’s, holding Mina like a bride in his arms. People murmured around us while staring at Idris with narrowed eyes. My heart sank just slightly, seeing these people judge Idris as we passed by. I was with him, and Mina was clinging onto his shirt with face on his chest. Shouldn’t that have told them something about what was going on here?

I noticed Mina was holding onto his chest as tightly as she could, her eyes closed, which wasn’t as tight as I thought she’d cling to him. There were no wrinkles caused by her clenched hand on Idris’ clothing. Her head was on his chest.

If I thought I was worried enough, I had thought wrong.

My heart pounded in agony. I gulped to try to keep tears from pouring down my face. One tear did manage to escape. Idris spun to face me and used the hand that held Mina’s back to wipe the single tear away with his thumb, crouching slightly in the process.

“You care about her,” a statement, but his voice sincere. “Will you be okay?”

His thick brow lifted as he eyed me. It was the closest I would probably get to him acting nice around me. If it even was kindness. From what Father told me, dragons did not show their true emotions. If they sensed weakness, they would strike without hesitation.

I wondered if Idris sensed anything in me that made him decide to help me. Or maybe the dried meat I gave him as a peace offering did the trick.

I offered him a soft smile as I said, “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“So. Do dragons really sense weakness?” Both a legitimate question and a distraction from the topic that was to bloom centered around me.

A corner of his lips quirked upward, “No.” His eyes focused once again to the walkway in front of him.

Suddenly, I wondered how many other things Father was wrong about.

“Where did you hear such a lie from?”

My cheeks flushed instantly, “My father…” I muttered.

“Your father? That is odd. I supposed the many years of absence in the field have gotten to him.”

I rolled my eyes, then stared at him with bored eyes, “Isolation really must’ve gotten to you. My father still works. He’s just been on the fields in Yesta.” One of many cities with no magical barrier around its borders, making bad Meistec and other monsters able to walk in freely and attack the people in that city.

His eyes drifted to mine as we neared Roland’s mansion. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and shook his head before shifting his focus ahead again.

*

I did not expect Roland to come down the stairs hovering a hand back and forth over his mouth as he yawned, as if he had just woken up. His slow steps, and his upper body swaying side to side, did not help his usual depiction of ‘gentleman’. His black cloak, that barely reached his black pants and shoes also showed his lack of formality.

Roland’s choice of attire made sense, at least. I had just chosen to wear black leathers with a white shirt under the jacket. Both were different from Idris’ unchanged clothes.

“Are you ready for our trip, madame?” Roland’s voice echoed softly through the roam. I nodded in reply, not knowing what exactly he was talking about.

His eyes shifted from me to Idris, then to Mina as he stepped closer, his position having straightened after the final step down the stairs. He stopped in front of Idris, and I stiffened. He laid a hand on Mina’s pale cheek, his lips curving into a frown.

After a moment, he said, “We will find the cure.” he turned to face me, his face now a reflection of seriousness, “That. Is a promise.”

*

Two hours ago, we were in the house, getting Mina settled in a guest room filled with furniture that was filled to the brim with dust. The bed seemed like the only dusted piece of furniture in the room. Half an hour later, Roland explained what his plan was so far.

Anger began rising in my veins. I should’ve known he had no real plan to find the cure. I also should’ve known what he truly meant when he said he had “found an ingredient”.

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Sneaky bastard.

After that, Mina had wanted to speak with him. Alone.

I jumped to my toes, feeling a hand on my shoulder. Before I could elbow whoever was behind me, Idris, who stood in front of me, grabbed my arm and gave me a look that told me not to do it.

A low chuckle filled my ears, air huffing from his nose and onto my cheeks.

“Shall we go, then?” Roland’s purring into my ear sent a shiver down my spine. I managed a nod in reply.

Once Idris let go of my arm, his eyes were narrowed toward the man behind me. “So. How are you going—”

“Let’s go outside first, my friend.” Roland interrupted. I could feel his conniving smile behind me. “The backyard, that is. So no one can see you transform.” Idris tutted in response.

I supposed that made sense.

I followed them towards the open area between the stairs, where I turned my head to the right side at the top of the stairs, where the hallway to Mina’s room stood. I clenched my shirt over my chest as if it would stop my heart from aching.

“Do not worry, madame,” Roland assured me as we stopped at the back door. “My wards are strong enough to protect her from anything that tries to harm her. She will have everything she needs. An old friend of mine will check in on her thrice a day. I promise you. She will be fine.”

Somehow, I didn’t believe that. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had his back to me. Or his bored tone.

Stepping outside, I immediately noticed how close Idris’ forest was. The trees were large, and I could not see far into it, as thick trees grew more and more the deeper you tried to look. I felt my stomach knotting thinking about the overwhelming darkness of the forest.

“I like the darkness of the forest,” Idris slowly said behind me, “There are fewer trees where I am, but the surrounding area is completely dark.” His voice sounded mournful. “Anyone who tries to come near me will get lost or will become too terrified of the animal noises and the trees to go any further.”

I gulped down the sorry feeling that tried to crawl up my throat, “Ah.”

Turning my head to face them, I saw Roland pluck out one of the rubies that adorned Idris’ bracelet. At that signal, a chunk of cloud began to spin around Idris, growing and rising like a hurricane forming from the ground up instead of from the sky.

I stepped back as the cloud seemed to grow far too big for my liking, the top of its cyclone reaching the roof of Roland’s estate. I looked down to face Roland standing next to me, my brows furrowed as if asking, ‘What did you do?’.

Roland replied with a conniving smile and only motioned his head towards the cloud, motioning me to look. And I did.

The clouds finally vanished, revealing a dragon. One with scales golden brown, his eyes red like roses. Silver-brown horns poked out like a crooked wave from the back of his head. The fold points of his membranous wings were topped with curved talons.

This… Was Idris.

Idris stood tall with chin, if that was what it was called, held high as he lowered his eyes toward us, “If you are to ride me, I only have one rule. Do *not* fuck it up.” His voice echoed from his body, but his jaw was sealed shut. The bracelet had grown with him, glinting in the sunlight.

Idris adjusted his body into what seemed like a cat’s loaf —with legs tucked in under his belly— and laid his head on the ground.

“Goddess Amari, help me.” I mumbled with a gasp.

I heard Roland bark a laugh from behind me. I was too in awe from the dragon, who’s neck went so high that I would need to jump to get on him. Looking behind him toward his back, I knew I would have had a harder time to get on, as it looked like I was staring at a small mountain. A golden brown-scaled mountain that could incinerate me any second, and he could crush me with his dragon hands. I was but a toy to him.

The thought made my breathing uneasy. I held a portion of my black jacket over my heart, thinking it would ease my racing heart as I stared up at his eye shifting on me. My heart skipped a beat from how fast the movement was.

“Get on. Before I change my mind.” His deep voice was like an echo inside an empty theater.

Roland stepped out of the shadow of a tree where he had been standing, and walked toward me. He lifted his cloak hood over his head that now shadowed the top half of his face, leaving me to only admire his luscious lips after finally taking the last step off the shadow of the tree.

“Amari? Really? She is the god you are going for?” A corner of Roland’s lip curved upward.

I rolled my eyes. I jumped with my hands up, hoping to reach the back of the dragon’s neck, and failed. I jumped again with a grunt. Only to be lifted by Roland from behind, his swoop making me feel as light as a feather.

I wrapped my arms around one of Idris’ horns, one under and one over the horn, as if it was the only source of safety on the dragon. And it was. My ass felt like it was sitting on a rock cushion instead of a cotton. Running a hand across the horn, I noted its feeling being identical to a nearly smoothened rock or a hill if a giant hand were to touch it. I felt a smile tease my lips at the feeling.

Behind me, sat Roland, folding his arms around my waist.

I turned my head over my shoulder, “Where are the saddles?” I finally asked.

Idris’ growl rumbled through his body, making me and Roland shake frantically. I tightened my grip on Idris’ horn to make sure I wouldn’t slip off his neck.

“There’s your answer,” Roland replied with a smile.

Idris lifting his head felt like a slow tower ride at a festival. Except, I could feel the air trying hard to pull me down.

It was then, that Roland pulled me to his chest, and my face reddened. “Hang on,” he whispered into my ear, his warm breath sending goosebumps through my body.

I did not hesitate to tighten my legs on the sides of Idris’ neck, hoping to cling onto something with my legs. But his neck was nothing but scales.

Oh gods oh gods oh gods OH GODS!

With one mighty flap of his giant, yet partially torn wings, we were high enough in the air that I could see the tips of the trees in Idris’ forest. The problem was that he only flapped once, so we then began descending with Idris’ head to the ground. He adjusted his membranous wings, so the air lifted him upward with another flap.

He flapped and flapped as he tipped himself to the side, tipping the rest of us with him. I could’ve fallen if it wasn’t for Idris’ horns and Roland holding tightly onto me. Gravity squished me against the horn, making me begin to see black. After finishing his turn, Idris finally adjusted his body to fly forward, my guts hitting my ribs on the side from the movement. My stomach churned as my fuzzy brain cleared. I hadn’t realized I was screaming until Roland whispered a shush into my ear.

I obliged. Not because he said so, but because I knew we were now above the city and making noise would attract attention.

I wanted to look down to see if anyone was looking up at us. If any cars honked, or if anyone was taking pictures, or recording the giant dragon flying above them. My fastened heart screamed for me not to, but my eyes betrayed me.

Idris was casting no shadow over them.

“Invisibility spell,” Roland said into my ear to make sure I could hear over the loud winds trying to blast me off the dragon.

My ass was already aching against the rocks that were Idris’ scales. Badly.

Gods, this is going to be a long ride.