Lumin’s eyes shined as he gazed upon the creature before him, another dragon, one grown and withered with age. Humans were interesting, especially Evelyn, but this was someone like him, someone who knew what being a dragon should be like. Her glittering, blue scales reflected the dim, orange light from the sun, the rippling reflection of the water helping hide the scales fading colors. There were a few differences between the dragons, raising many questions in his mind, only feeding his excitement. Enamored, he only realized his wagging tail was flinging sand onto his companions when Benjamin scolded Evelyn, demanding it stop.
Before he could ask her anything, Isak began introductions. “Young ones, this here is my partner, Safir, an Aquafin dragon. Safir, you should already know their names, as you’ve made your feelings about these three apparent.”
Safir nodded. “Indeed, a precarious group I’d say.” She scanned the group with her cold, unimpressed gaze, reassessing them with her own eyes. She looked at Benjamin, then Evelyn, and once she got to Lumin, he felt as if her deep green eyes pierced his soul; the slit of her pupil thinning, her eyes narrowing as she looked down his side, finding his diamond scale pattern. The corner of her mouth twitched. She scoffed and turned to her partner. “Are you absolutely sure we must bring them along? I predict a great amount of work before they are close to being of use,” she said in a hushed voice, not taking much care to prevent the young dragon hearing her. Isak nodded, patting her snout. Though his sample size was small, Isak was short compared to the humans Lumin has seen. Despite that, it startled him that Isak was only the size of Safir’s head. He looked back at Evelyn, then down at himself; he was only up to her waist, but he knew he would grow larger than her. Though the potential of becoming the size of Safir intimidated him.
“Hello,” Evelyn said, taking a hesitant step to the older dragon, who glanced at her with a side eye. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m-”
“Evelyn, yes, I am aware. Your hard of hearing brother, Benjamin and the runt, Lumin.” She flicked her tail, splashing water over them.
“Hey, watch it,” Benjamin called.
“Don’t be fussy. Her entire back is in the splash zone. You were going to get wet anyway.” Isak chuckled as Safir rolled her eyes.
“Must we? It is bad enough dealing with the annoying pests in the water regularly, let alone with extra passengers,” she complained.
”We already went over this, things changed with him here.” Isak pointed at Lumin.
Me? Lumin thought. Why am I so important?
”Very well.” Safir lowered herself into the water, allowing Isak to climb onto her back. The thought of Evelyn doing the same with Lumin ignited a spark of excitement.
“We’re not going to fly at any point, are we?” Benjamin asked with a small waiver in his voice.
“Nope,” Isak answered. “We are swimming the entire way.” Benjamin sighed, his shoulders relaxing.
“You mean I am swimming there, while the rest of you laze on my back,” Safir snarked, winning a hardy laugh from the old man.
“Fair enough, love. Get on, you lot; don’t even dream of stayin’ dry on this voyage here.”
Benjamin went first, then helped his sister climb on as her legs wobbled from the hike. Lumin looked to Benjamin for help as well, waiting in vain as he turned away. For a brief moment, his tail drooped; his sadness was quickly squandered with the realization that despite being just a hatchling, he was a dragon and shouldn’t need help with trivial tasks. That’s why he did not want to give him the rabbit the day prior. Of course, why didn’t I see that sooner? He thought. He reared back and launched himself up, extending his wings, falling just short of his goal. Desperate not to fall back to the sand, he grasped onto Safir’s side.
The blue dragon let out a sharp yelp and whipped her head around to Lumin. “Watch your claws, you little—” she cut her sentence short after Isak cleared his throat. With the help of Evelyn and Isak, he was able to reach Safir’s back. He tried to protest, wishing to conquer the task himself, but the growls from the larger dragon forced him to submit to the aid.
Lumin sat closely to Evelyn behind Benjamin as Isak wove his way to the spot between Safir’s shoulder blades where her neck and back meet; he patted the side of her neck, signaling her to wad deeper into the ocean. She cut through the rough waves as if they weren’t there as she picked up speed. The salty water splashed up, showering the occupants. It was cold and wet, a new, unpleasant feeling for Lumin. Perhaps it was a good thing he was not an Aquafin, unless swimming was not exclusive to them. Evelyn had yet to go over the differences between the types of dragons, though from what Lumin could gather, she was not very familiar with them either. Aside from their color, one big difference was clear: Her back spikes were not really spikes, they were taller and thin, webbing similar to their wings connecting each spike. Lumin reached to his back to make sure he did not have anything between his spikes either.
“Evelyn?” Lumin spoke up. “What the differences between the dragon types? Like why does Safir have different spikes than me?”
“Firstly, ‘What are the differences’,” Evelyn corrected. Lumin nodded and made a mental note. “Secondly, I only have a very basic understanding unfortunately. The books I had never really went into great detail.”
“That makes sense,” Isak interjected. “The empire did well in limiting knowledge about dragons for the public. You were fortunate to have the books you did own.”
“Why would they do that?” Benjamin asked.
“Good question, that I shall answer when we get to our destination and rest as it’s a long winded explanation.”
“Maybe you can help me explain the differences in dragons with your experience?” Evelyn asked.
“Are ye calling me old?” Isak refuted, making Evelyn panic, stuttering an incoherent response. Lumin’s heart beat sped up with hers. Isak croaked a hardy laugh and stroked his long, gray beard. “Well you’d be right, I am very old. And I wear that as a badge of honor. If only Safir here would do the same.” Her chest heaved as she let out a low, grumbling huff. “There are many differences, not just in looks, but abilities and mindsets as well. I cannot explain everything in the time we have, but I’ll do my best.
“As you know, there are five types of dragons: Aquafins, Shockwings, Flamebreaths, Groundclaws and Minddrake.” It was subtle, but Lumin caught a brief pause before Isak croaked ‘Minddrake’. Isak continued before he could ponder its meaning. “As far as physical differences go, they have to do with the type of environment their types typically live in. For example, as you can see with her webbed claws and frills along with the tendrils on her muzzle, Safir is meant for the sea. You as a Shockwing are meant for the sky. Your slender, aerodynamic body is built for speed, but that means you are physically weaker than most dragons, which is why you have sharper spikes.”
Environment, frills, aerodynamic, so many new words, Lumin thought. All of this learning made his tail swing.
“It would be best if I had a visual aid to describe the other dragons, but in short, Groundclaws are bigger and bulkier, Flamebreaths are the most average, but menacing, and Minddrake…” Isak took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. “Minddrake vary, though they are smaller than all but Shockwings.
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“Abilities differ as well. Each dragon type has a unique breath weapon and other powers as well. Once yer older, Lumin, you will be able to conjure up a bolt of lightning from your mouth, along with gaining another obscure ability or two along the way. Those abilities are unique to each type as well.”
“Like glowing scales?” Evelyn asked.
Isak turned his head to Evelyn, then to Lumin, a surprised expression that faded to intrigue. “Your books mentioned their abilities? I would think the current regime would keep that stuff classified, especially a rare one like that.”
Evelyn shook her head. “They did not mention them. When we were in the tunnel and needed light to see Ben’s injury, his first word was ‘light’ and he started glowing.”
“Preposterous,” Safir said, followed by a scoff. “A dragon does not manifest an ability until they are at least six months old.”
“That is true, are you sure that’s what happened?”
“Of course it is!” Evelyn exclaimed, a hint of frustration in her voice that brought a bout of uncomfort to Lumin, which Evelyn must have felt as she turned and gave him an apologetic glance, placing a hand on his side. “Lumin must be special. We were in a tunnel, it was pitch black and he lit up like a star for a brief moment. Tell them, Ben.”
The brother shrugged. “He did something. Though I was kind of woozy at the time.” Evelyn jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “Hey, I’m not lying. Blood loss does that to people.”
Isak pondered that information for a moment. “Maybe he is gifted. I am already impressed with his ability to speak so well already. It took Safir weeks to form full sentences.”
“I blame my teacher,” she said, glaring at her rider.
“However, it is very hard to believe he manifested an ability at only a day old.”
“I can do it again,” Lumin suggested. Isak raised an eyebrow while Evelyn shook her head.
“You spent all of your energy doing it last time. Don’t you remember falling asleep right after? It’s not a good idea. Besides, you don’t have to prove anything, we know you can do it,” Evelyn reassured.
“But—”
“Listen to your human,” Safir cut him off. “Even if you think you can, do not try it. It is dangerous for a dragon your age to even attempt such things. You were lucky you only fell asleep. If you got lucky again, you would slide into the water. I do not wish to have to pluck you from the depths.”
“How lucky was he?” Evelyn asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
“I think you can figure that out yourself, young one,” Isak said. “As for every ability, yours and the other types, that is a lesson for another day. You have much to learn.” So much new information eluded him, Lumin could not wait to learn it all.
“I actually have a question,” Benjamin spoke up. “I’m surprised this wasn’t the first question. Where did your dragon come from? It seemed to spawn out of your stomach or something.”
Benjamin was right. Everyone was shocked when Safir appeared, yet no one thought to question it afterward. He felt frustration coming from Evelyn as she glared at Benjamin, confusing Lumin. He requested more knowledge, which Lumin desperately wished for. Lumin pressed his wing against her. She relaxed her gaze.
“You have keen eyes, though it was more from the chest. One ability that is uniform across the types of dragons is that a bonded dragon can fuse with their rider, allowing us to act as a vessel of sorts. This is the first thing you two must learn,” Isak said, pointing at Evelyn and Lumin. They looked at each other with confusion.
Before Isak could explain further, Safir jerked quickly to the left, forcing them all to brace themselves in order to stay aboard. Her eyes darted back and forth, teeth bared as she snarled. Isak leaned over the side of Safir’s neck, hanging off her by grabbing onto one of her frills. “Stay put young ones, do not panic. What was it, love?” Isak asked, searching the waters surrounding them.
“A pest,” she responded, her eyes piercing through the water.
Lumin glanced over the side, overcome with curiosity at what would cause such a large beast to react this way. At first, only a blur of yellow on the surface of the rippled water reached his eyes. Beyond that was nothing, just an empty void of nothingness as if the water went down forever. That void was briefly disturbed by a dark figure racing across his vision. Surprised, he inched closer to the edge, leaning down to catch a better glimpse at what he saw. He felt a light nudged his rear and his paw gave way to the slick scales he was gripped to, sliding out from under him. His legs scrambled to find any traction to no avail. The air escaped his lungs as the water raced up at him.
Just before he hit the water, he felt something grab his tail, the tension stinging the muscles, but preventing him from plunging further. He glanced back and saw Evelyn on her belly gripping his tail with one hand. The only thing preventing her from falling too were her toes digging into Safir’s scales. “Ben, help us!” she called out. Her brother was taken by surprise, making him slow to react. Lumin felt his tail slipping from her grip, so he planted the heel of his paws against Saifr’s scales, trying not to claw her.
After pushing back up an inch, he lost his footing again, his paw slipping against the slick scales and plummeted. He briefly felt his tail being pulled, but it was short lived. It released and he plummeted into the bone chilling water. The world shifted and swirled around him, his eyes stung as he looked around, unable to gain his bearings. Direction was non-existent. Up was down, left was right. All he could see was blue tinted darkness. He gasped for breath, but salty water filled his mouth instead of air. He flailed his limbs around in a desperate attempt to find the surface.
Out of the corner of his eye, something disturbed the deep blue abyss surrounding him. The dark figure from before hovered still a distance away from him. Curiosity overcame him as he looked at the figure. He stopped flailing around, paralyzed by whatever it was. He must have been imagining things, but it seemed as if it was getting bigger. Wait… it is getting bigger! Lumin thought. His wonder vanished as panic set in. His arms resumed their dance, still unable to tell which way was up. Direction became clear as the surface was disrupted by something. Looking up, he could make out the blurry shape of a human, their hand reaching out to him.
As he reached out his own claws, he squirmed in pain as his chest tightened, his lungs desperate for air. He tried swimming toward the surface, but made little progress. Cursing his newborn body, he risked a glance at the dark figure. It was close enough that he could make out a gray body with a white underbelly and sharp teeth. Whatever it was, he could only assume it viewed him as lunch. He closed his eyes, hoping he could at least be a distraction for his helper to get away. He closed his eyes and braced for whatever pain he was about to endure.
Instead, he felt the water around him move, rushing across his scales and pushing him up. He opened his eyes and saw that he was still surrounded by water. However, he could see Safir below him, giving him an annoyed glare. After bumping into her, to his relief, he saw Evelyn was with him. The water tower bent down to her back and dropped them where they once were.
Lumin coughed, expelling water that had infiltrated his lungs. Gasping for air, his lungs stung as they expanded. Just as he regained his breath, it was forced out of him once again by a tight hug from Evelyn. Realizing he hadn’t felt it while submerged, their connection rekindled and her emotions flooded him. From the adrenaline rush to the sheer relief, it was warming to feel her again. She was shivering against him, her breathing laboured, so he wrapped a wing around her.
“Are you alright, Evy?” Benjamin’s voice rang out. The brother pulled Lumin’s wing from Evelyn and put his blood stained jacket around her. The wound on his head was dark with dried blood.
“I’m fine. Lumin?” She asked, her voice shaking.
“Cold and wet, but ok,” Lumin responded.
“Not the best time for a swimming lesson. I told you to stay put.” They turned to Isak, who leaned against Safir’s neck, looking up at a pillar of water. Lumin gathered that is what saved him and Evelyn. Inside this one was the creature Lumin saw a blur of: a gray fish looking monster thrashing around, three times his size. It was smoother than the fish he ate earlier with sharper fins and teeth; its black eyes seemed to carry a mindless rage in them.
“At least he made great shark bait,” Safir gloated, smirking at the creature. “It shall make for a filling dinner.
“Is that why you didn’t pull him out right away? Just to lure in the shark?” Evelyn croaked. “Lumin nearly drowned!”
“Consider it his first lesson: listen to your superiors, runt,” Safir scolded before flexing her claws, spearing them through the shark’s chest. It twitched on impact, then went limp on her claws. The water surrounding it turned red. “This one was part of a group that has been pestering me for weeks. They have evaded my wrath until now.” She pulled away and the water carried the carcass to her tail which wrapped around it, keeping it above the waves below. The pillar then broke apart, water raining back into the ocean.
Lumin wondered if she would share some of it with him since he technically helped. If it was half as good as the fish he ate before, the ordeal may have been worth it.
“How did she—” Evelyn started.
Isak interrupted, “that is one of her abilities, water manipulation. As I mentioned before, I will teach you more about them once you are dry and rested.” He patted Safir’s side. “Let’s keep going, love.” She nodded and resumed swimming to the edge of the gulf, everyone silently watching the city behind them shrink away.