2032, Over the Pacific Ocean, Several Miles off the Southern California Coast

“I’m gonna hit the brakes, he’ll fly right by…”

“What? Valentine? What brakes! She’s a drake! They don’t have brakes!”

“Don’t worry, ma’am… er… Ranger Ophrys… we were born to fly.”

Rosie “Ophrys” Patel made a small sign of the cross over her forehead, then another over her chest. Her life was in the hands of a 16 year old boy and a young drake.

She glanced back. Saw the sword-length teeth in a gaping mouth big enough to swallow her whole and nearly crapped herself again.

And to think the day had been so relaxing.

A simple practice scouting flight with a ranger trainee and his mount.

It was so freeing to fly through the clear blue skies with nothing but the dark blue ocean far below.

Until she had caught a small dot in the distance.

A small dot that had grown larger rather fast.

Her danger sense had triggered at the same time that she had used her Telescopic Vision Skill for a better look.

A better look at a dragon!

It was hard to tell scale in the open sky, but her Skills helped. The monster was about as large as one of those private jets the rich people used to fly around in to avoid the unwashed masses.

Dark blue dorsally and a light, sky blue ventrally.

It had six limbs. Four arms/legs ending in wicked looking claws and two impressively broad wings that propelled it forward at tremendous speed.

It had gotten much closes in the few seconds it took her to get over her shock and warn Valentine.

The chase had begun in earnest at that point.

Despite the huge head start they weren’t going to win.

She clung to the saddle handlebars. Not that it would’ve helped if the straps failed. Her eyes fixed on the speckled greens and browns of the scales on the back of the drake’s sinuous neck.

They dived toward the ocean surface.

The two riders bent forward as close to the drake’s body as possible.

The drake’s wings folded close to her body. A missile knifing through the air.

The huge dragon rapidly gained on them.

“Okay, Maverick… get ready,” Valentine muttered, “you can do this girl. Now!”

The drake’s wings snapped open.

Rosie felt death walk over her grave.

Rather, she felt the massive bulk of the dragon displacing the air as it streaked past them.

“Go, girl! Let’s get some altitude! We can lose it in those clouds,” Valentine pointed.

Rosie snapped her head toward the ocean.

The dragon was just pulling out of its dive.

“Trainee Valentine…”

“Ma’am?”

“Can this thing go faster?”

“She’s going as fast as she can!”

“Don’t you have that Skill?”

“I need to save it for emergencies.”

“I think this qualifies.”

“But—”

“Evasive!”

The dragon zoomed up. It opened its mouth and breathed.

A sharp spike of ice as big as a small tree only moved slowly in her enhanced vision.

Fortunately, Valentine and/or Maverick had good reflexes.

They went into a roll that had Rosie clenching her cheeks lest she embarrass herself like several fellow rangers with unfortunate sobriquets. Her current ranger name was bad enough.

The spike zipped past them with a dozen feet to spare.

Unfortunately, they stalled their climb allowing the dragon to gain on them.

“Maverick: Speed Boost!” Valentine screamed high and tight.

With a mighty flap of her wings the drake zoomed toward the thick clouds.

Rosie’s guts got left behind.

To her shame a little bit squeezed out.

Wind and moisture pelted them as soon as they entered the clouds.

She thanked her helmet and high quality googles.

The drake’s wings beat urgently.

The dragon roared.

She risked a glance back and saw a dark shape parting the clouds behind them like an ancient ocean predator.

“We’re still 10 miles away from home!”

“How do you know?”

“We’ve got a sense!”

They screamed at each other to be heard over the rushing wind.

“How long will the Skill last?”

“Almost done! She’ll be really tired after!”

“Just get us as close as possible! I set off the emergency signal as soon as I saw the dragon!”

The Skill ended and Maverick visibly flagged.

Rosie was about to tell Valentine to dive when the boy did it before she could speak.

Good instincts.

The only way the tired drake could manage any kind of speed was with gravity’s help.

It still wasn’t going to be enough.

The dragon burst through the clouds with a roar of triumph.

A worthy chase, but you are mine, a voice like a young girl’s, high-pitched and squeaky.

“Wait? What?” she glanced back. “You can talk!”

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Of course.

“Why are you chasing us?”

You are warriors of the land I intend to claim as my own. I must decimate your army to cow the civilian population so that they’ll accept my rule.

“What? No! We come in peace!”

Then you surrender and place yourself under my authority.

This was the strangest experience of her life.

The ocean loomed large ahead of them.

“Wait? Why are you trying to kill us? Maverick’s your people!” Valentine screamed.

It seemed that the dragon was speaking in both their minds.

How dare you, tiny worm! the dragon roared in their minds.

Pain.

Are the chittering monkeys ‘your people’? The impudence… hmph!

“Wait, please! Can’t we discuss this?”

No. Enough mewling. You die now. Be honored for you are the first to fall to my claws.

The dragon closed with a mighty flap of its wings.

Clawed forelimbs reached out.

Rosie couldn’t take her eyes off the dragon’s face.

Giant eyes shined with intelligence.

She could see the magic that suffused its, her entire being.

Dragons were real. They were sapient. They were magical. Important bits of information that she failed to bring back.

She closed her eyes.

Felt cold breath wash over her.

“C’mon, girl! Faster! You can do it! No points for second place,” Valentine muttered.

Impossibly, Maverick shot forward and upward with burst of speed even greater than the boost Skill.

The dragon howled in disbelief as they evaded it yet again.

Valentine whooped and laughed.

She opened her eyes.

“Glorious leader!” Valentine roared. “There’s a dragon!” he pointed urgently

“I saw,” Rayna said.

The namesake of Rayna’s Rangers, if not the actual leader, at least according to her. Floated in the sky. Pulling them toward her with her power of and over gravity.

“She, the dragon, is capable of breath attacks. We observed an ice spike moving at speeds equivalent to a crossbow bolt,” Rosie said.

“Got it,” Rayna said.

“She can also communicate through some kind of telepathy. She can understand our words, but she speaks directly into our heads,” she explained.

“Good to know. Now, keep your distance and watch. The others need to know what to expect just in case.”

“Copy that, sir.”

“Get her!” Valentine growled. “Er… sorry, I mean—”

“Focus trainee,” Rayna said.

The dragon came toward Rayna like a missile while Rosie kept her eyes on the pair as Valentine directed Maverick farther away toward home.

I challenge you, ruler of this land! the dragon roared in Rayna’s head.

The dragon breathed a spike of ice as large as a tree.

Rayna raised a hand and the spike shattered into a thousand pieces that orbited at a radius of several hundred feet from her before falling to the ocean.

The dragon breathed a thin stream of water with pressure that could cut through thick steel.

Rayna’s upraised hand bent the stream around her. It completed the circle before lancing back toward the dragon.

She roared in anger more than pain as she was forced to block it with the armor-like scales on one forelimb.

A cloud of hissing steam spewed forth next as the dragon drew closer.

It engulfed Rayna obscuring her from sight.

The dragon swooped in then turned to lash its whip-like tail through the steam.

The force cleared it to reveal empty air.

Rayna hovered above the dragon.

She pointed.

The dragon suddenly grew heavier. Too heavy for her wings and magic to keep her aloft.

The pillar of water that erupted in the wake of the dragon crashing into the Pacific rose as high as skyscrapers.

The dragon burst out of the ocean a moment later.

Rayna grit her teeth and pushed down.

The rapid ascent slowed.

“I’m not the ruler,” she grunted.

The dragon’s scaly brow furrowed as it averted its attack path to circle around Rayna. But you have great power?

“Still not the ruler. How about a momentary cessation of hostilities?”

Agreed. Are you a champion then?

“Not really,” she shrugged.

Vexing, the dragon huffed.

Somehow, Rayna got the impression of a young person whining.

“Listen, I don’t really want to fight you. That’s way too stereotypical for me. It’s something my brothers would do.”

Yes. That is what they do.

“Right, so glad we’ve got something in common.”

Hrrmm…

“So… how can we avoid useless macho junk?”

Your lands and people belong to me. If all bow then I will refrain from decimation.

“Hmmm… that won’t work either. We don’t really do queens, overlords and tyrants.”

Then how does your nation function?

“We vote.”

Oh… you’re those kind of people.

“It works well enough. Most people are satisfied with their lives. If not outright happy. It’d be great if it wasn’t for the monsters.”

I am no monster, the dragon’s eyes narrowed.

“I never said you were. Although, you did try to kill my friends.”

Warriors fight and die.

“I’ll consider it a misunderstanding if we stop this now.”

Hmm… the dragon thought for what felt like an eternity. Very well. There are other settlements. Though my finely-honed combat senses tell me that there is no doubt of my victory over you it will be a costly battle that will leave me vulnerable to others seeking to claim what I have won. Perhaps to the north. I sense a population with potential.

“Um… not them either.”

You claim them as well? the dragon’s eyes narrowed.

“No, but my brother would take offense.”

Then—

“Not this land.”

You presume much. You are mighty for a human, but you are no dragon. Tread carefully.

“Listen… you’ve proved reasonable. I’d hate for you to cross claws with one of my brothers. If I may make a suggestion.”

I will allow it.

“Find a population— not on this continent— that is in dire straights. Maybe they’re besieged by monsters or ruled by a wicked tyrant. One that’ll be happy to have a benevolent dragon guardian to watch over them and help them get stronger. After all—”

Yes. That is how some do it, the dragon nodded.

“The important part is the benevolence. So, if you happen to meet my brothers there won’t be any issues.”

I fear no lesser creature.

“Absolutely, but such a battle would cause untold damage to your lands and the people you have sworn to guide and protect.”

Sensible. Very well. You are wise for being tiny and short-lived. I will seek a destitute people to uplift. Perhaps in time we can form an alliance.

“Yes… in time.”

The dragon turned and with one last nod zoomed toward the west with one flap of its wings that would’ve sent Rayna tumbling through the sky had she not been anchored in place by her gravity field.

I would’ve defeated you if I had used my magic spells.

The dragon got the last word.

Rayna saw the toothy smirk clear as day in her mind.

Valentine brought Maverick into a close circle around her.

She expanded the gravity field to give the young drake a rest.

“Thanks, Glorious Leader!” Valentine said.

“Please don’t call me that,” she sighed.

“But Ranger Colonel Kayl said—”

“Trainee Valentine… you shouldn’t always believe what she says when it involves me.”

“Sorry— ma’am— sir— understood,” Valentine snapped a salute.

“You don’t have to do that either. You should probably get out of the habit of doing it in the field.”

Valentine flushed.

“Don’t worry too much about it, trainee. That’s why you’re out here in the first place. To learn.”

“The trainee and his mount performed admirably,” Rosie said.

“Good. Though the fact that you’re alive is proof enough. Let’s head back home. Valentine, get Maverick to relax. She’s done enough today I’ll carry you the rest of the way. You guys need rest and a meal before the debrief.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Valentine stopped his arm halfway up to a salute.

“How did you convince her to leave?” Rosie said.

“You didn’t hear her?”

“Nothing in my head and you were too far away to get more than every fifth word or so.”

“I’ll tell you on the way back. Ophrys, I think we just fought what is basically a preteen dragon.”