Lidea woke up to a sense of intense thirst. Her mouth felt dry as she breathed in biting cold air tinged with the smell of bonfire.

Opening her eyes with a groan, she first noticed something weighing down her body. A mountain of blankets had been piled on top of her, allowing only her eyes to be exposed to the outside air. Her mouth and neck covered by the familiar air-converting scarf that reminded her of where she was. Or at least had been.

Lunging upright, her eyes quickly found Crystal, who slept while seated with her back against the cavern wall, a thick blanket wrapped around her.

Searching franticly, she then noticed a fort of blankets, not dissimilar to the one she had been under. This one placed dangerously close to the fire.

“Warchief…”

The image of him collapsing during the snow storm, pushed her out of the cocoon of warmth and into the stinging cold to kneel at his side.

As with her, only his eyes were exposed as he lay there, unmoving. He looked frail, his face paler than it had ever been, his lips tinted unnaturally blue, and with dark circles underneath his eyes.

“Warchief…?”

Lidea’s voice wavered as her heart squeezed painfully tight. Fear caught her breath, as she looked over his condition.

The thick layer of blankets prevented her from seeing his chest move. But as she hovered over his face, she detected the faintest flow of breath creating small clouds of steam.

He was alive.

Tears filled her eyes as relief flooded her body, and she allowed herself to cry softly. Somehow all three of them had made it.

Glancing over to Crystal, she wondered how the healer had managed to get them both out. Despite having no way of knowing, she could feel in her heart that it had been her who had saved him.

A deep sense of gratitude fell over Lidea, but she got distracted from her reverie as her teeth started chattering.

Returning to her sleeping place, she wrapped several blankets around her frame. Amazed at their fluffy lightness despite them being so warm.

They were similar to the down feather blankets, she grew up with. Still, these were denser and heavier than those.

Where are we?

Feeling the cold and seeing that none had removed their scarves, confirmed her suspicion that they were still within the mountains.

A circular wall of stone surrounded them, leaving only a single opening which had been closed off using a dense curtain of giant feathers.

Studying their size and unusual silver coloration, Lidea tried to imagine what sort of creature they came from.

Her mind coming up with an answer, that she was not yet ready to believe.

Noticing that their outer clothing had been neatly folded off to the side, Lidea retrieved her items and started to pull them back on. Driving out the cold, one layer at a time. When done, she wrapped one of the blankets around her again. Immediately noticing the temperature difference they caused.

She sat for a while, waiting for either of her companions to wake up, or for someone else to notice she was up. But as time passed, she grew more antsy until she couldn’t sit any longer.

Lidea doubted that their trio was in any danger here. These people wouldn’t have taken them in if they wanted them gone. Meaning that it wouldn’t be inexcusable for her to take a look around.

At least that was what she told herself, as her curiosity became unbearable and drove her to step out of the chamber and into a long cavernous hallway.

All along the tunnel, similar feather curtains separated other spaces, but they seemed deserted, though Lidea could hear the sounds of people moving about their day further up ahead.

Following the sound, a gentle breeze played with her hair as she neared the end of the hallway which was marked with yet another curtain of feathers. Though this one was thicker than the others, meant to protect these living spaces from the harsh weather outside.

Despite its hefty weight, it still swayed. Allowing Lidea glimpses of the greater cavern area beyond which was engulfed by daylight.

Pushing it aside, she entered the space. She squinted her eyes against the sudden onslaught of light, as the sudden drop in temperature caught her breath.

As her eyes adapted, she scanned her surroundings. The tunnel had widened up unto a great chamber of which the front wall was completely open.

Permitting her to look out over the mountain range that stretched out far below them.

There were people mulling about. Children were playing about and some adults sat around a fire.

Noticing her entrance, they had stopped their activities to stare at her. But Lidea didn’t notice, as she drew closer to the edge.

Enchanted by the panoramic of the highest tops in the Godly Range.

Shuffling footsteps neared her, and a scratchy elderly voice pulled her out of her marvel.

“Ez zoragata, erkö leveg’aireko? Gyer’eseri ülj ole tervetorria. Mar pasa, kun fogadtunk vieraita.” (1)

Though Lidea didn’t understand a word she was saying, her intentions were clear as she motioned towards the group of people huddled around a fire that held a big cooking pot. The smell of food wafted her way, making her mouth water and she dragged her eyes away from the view to go and sit with them.

An older man welcomed her with a smile, as he filled a bowl with stew and offered it to her. Which Lidea accepted with a smile of gratitude. Her stomach growled loudly, causing her to flush in embarrassment and some people to chuckle.

“Thank you.”

She hoped her thankfulness would be conveyed, despite her words being unfamiliar to them.

Sitting cross-legged, she looked on as the man offered more bowls of food to those around her. Including the older woman who had invited her and now sat beside Lidea.

All looked at her in expectation, their staring making her feel uncomfortable until she noticed that none had started to eat yet.

In Lynoës it would have been seen as uncourteous to eat before everyone had received their meal, but that didn’t seem the case here.

Tentative she pulled down her scarf, immediately feeling how her breath became more labored without the extra supply of air. However, it wasn’t unbearable probably as she wasn’t exerting herself at the same time.

Lidea dug through her memory, trying to remember if Sir Rainaldus Gale had written anything about the customs of the Vazul, but she drew a blank and her hunger drove her to not care any longer.

Putting the bowl to her lips, he practically inhaled the watery stew. Not caring about that it tasted bland, as it managed to warm and satiate her.

Without hesitation, the man retrieved her bowl to refill it.

Making him the hero of the day in Lidea’s book.

“Ikusät? Guztia teillan erka leveg’aireko.” (2)

The older woman’s smug words caused a stir among those around her. All started firing a multitude of questions at her. Their words were filled with surprise or even wonder. But the woman stayed silent as she merely shrugged with a mischievous smile.

Lidea wished she could understand them, but feared that even Warchief might not know their language.

After all, why would anyone learn the language of a people that live on a mountain range that was supposed to be unclimbable.

She emptied the second bowl, shaking her head as the man tried to give her a second refill. Her stomach felt as if it was about to burst.

The food helped to clear the fog in her head, but it also caused her worries to return.

Looking at the people around her, she wanted to ask them how long they had been there. How Crystal had managed to find them. And most of all, if Warchief had been awake already.

But without knowing their language, she couldn’t. Therefore, she sat silently. Listening to their flow of conversation, as she pondered a way to convey her questions without words.

While studying them, it struck her how similar they all looked. Like Kedruil, the Vazul they had met in Astresh, they all seemed to be short in stature with unusual yellow eyes, and dark leathery skin that had been weathered by the rough elements of the mountains. Each wore their curly brown hair long, styling it into simple braids or ponytails, to keep it out of their face.

Their clothing consisted of a variety of leathers and fur, but all wore a thick puffy jacket that was covered by those same silvery feathers that she had seen before.

Griffin feathers.

Lidea could see traces of the mythical beasts staying in the cavern. There were buckets of food and water strewn about, as well as several big circles made of pebbles that reminded Lidea of bird’s nests. Yet, the beasts themselves were absent.

Observing that there were only children and elderly here, she deduced that the Vazul adults must be away with them. Making her wonder if she would get the chance to see them.

“Lidea!”

Crystal’s frantic voice caused Lidea to turn just in time to see the light-footed figure rushing towards her. She tackled Lidea to the ground, who groaned ungracefully as the healer held her in a crushing embrace.

Lidea tried to release herself and was about to complain when Crystal’s teary words stopped her.

“You are awake…”

She sounded as if she could barely believe her eyes, and Lidea knew that the woman must have been terrified when they both collapsed.

Rubbing over the woman’s back, she tried to relax into Crystal’s embrace but the tightness around her chest quickly grew intolerable.

“Everything is fine now. I’m sorry for worrying you. But Crystal, can you hold me a bit less tight? It is hard to breathe.”

Immediately the woman eased her hold, but she didn’t let go completely. Her arms trembling as she leaned her head on Lidea’s shoulder. Her ear against her neck as she sighed in relief.

“Thank the Gods…”

Her despair tugged on Lidea’s heartstrings. Almost made her feel guilty, although she hadn’t meant for this to happen either.

Keeping the woman in her embrace, she waited for Crystal to stop trembling. Making sure she had calmed down as she finally posed the question that had been bothering her.

“How the hell did you get us here?”

She could feel Crystal smile into her neck before the healer released Lidea from the hug. However, she didn’t let go completely, holding on to one of her hands as if she expected Lidea to vanish if she didn’t.

“We got lucky. One of the Vazul hunters was blown away by the storm and found us.”

Luck wasn’t strong enough of a word to describe the extreme odds they overcame for a griffin rider to find them. Not only because there were few of them, and the mountain range was massive, but also because the visibility had been so bad.

It was almost like a miracle. As if the hands of fate had decided to spare them. A thought that Lidea quickly chased away as unfounded superstition.

“Is that hunter here? I owe them a thank you for saving our lives.”

Crystal shook her head as she looked outside.

“The hunters are out now. He told me that they would be back by nightfall.”

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Lidea frowned as it took her moment for those words to sink in.

“You can understand them?”

Her hope was quickly dashed as Crystal shook her head again.

“The hunter that found us, speaks Lynoën. He studies in Astresh but is back for the vacation months.”

Another incredible odd. Though it shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, that the younger generation of the Vazul might have decided against living as their ancestors had. Compared to the rich cities of Astresh, the Vazul clearly lived a life of many hardships. They lacked any form of luxury from what she could tell, and the eternal cold must be hard on the body.

Even in Lynoës, there were many young people who would travel from the villages to the capital. In search of a better life for themselves.

However, most of them would never return home. The journey would be too long and arduous to do so.

A fact that was different when someone could fly, she supposed.

“That is helpful to us. How long have we been here?”

“Just a couple of days. You and Warchief had cooled down dangerously.”

No wonder, that she had been so anxious. They must have been close to death.

She felt her heart stammer as she thought of Warchief, who had been in a worse condition than her even before the storm.

“Has he woken up yet?”

A gloomy expression crossed her features, as Crystal bit her lips in frustration.

“No. He opens his eyes from time to time and speaks, but it is all nonsense. His soul isn’t there. The Vazul told me, that he won’t survive long if we stay here, but he is in no state to travel.”

Her words stunned Lidea, as her concern returned in full force. Everything inside her protested against the possibility of losing him.

“Then we just need to carry him. You should have already left, I would have caught up to you guys!”

Crystal’s eyes turned watery but her voice was cold as ice, as she responded rationally.

“Even I can’t lift him for days at an end. Besides, even if I could have, there is no way for us to descend at a fast enough rate, for us to save him. According to them, he has a couple of weeks left at most, and for him to recover, he needs to descend to heights lower than the valley has been.”

She didn’t explain further, but Lidea understood the futility now. The valley had been one of the lowest points of the mountain range. It meant that they would need to return to the edge. A journey that had taken them almost two months to cross.

But she couldn’t give up yet.

“Can’t we just fly!? If they brought us here, they surely can drop us off somewhere, right? Crystal, we can’t just watch him die here!”

Several of the Vazul frowned as Lidea raised her voice in agitation. But she didn’t care. She simply couldn’t understand how Crystal was so ready to give up on him.

“I asked them, Lidea. But they say that he belongs to the mountain now. Even while flying, it would take weeks to return and they are unwilling to risk their own riders for our sake.”

Though her words were spoken softly, they hit Lidea with deadly force. She couldn’t blame the people for wanting to protect themselves, but still, it felt unfair.

“There must be a way…”

The beating of wings could be heard from outside. Distracting the pair, and causing several of the children to run excitably to the edge of the cave. Awaiting their families.

Even Lidea forgot her agitation for a moment, as the massive bird-like creatures appeared from the sky. With the head and claws of an eagle, but the body and tail of a southern lion, they looked mismatched but in the most graceful of ways. Their entire bodies were covered with massive feathers, ranging from silver, and brown to solid black in color.

As they landed, their massive wings caused a strong breeze within the cavern. Almost extinguishing the fire.

Lidea guessed there to be about fifty of them, some carrying solely items but most having one or two of the Vazul on their back.

These hunters jumped down with ease, removing their hats and glasses, as they exchanged greetings with those they had left behind.

All the while unloading baskets of produce and some animal carcasses.

None of the elders sitting around the fire moved, but the elderly woman spoke up loudly again. Making Lidea believe that she was the leader of sorts for this tribe.

Her voice cut easily through the chattering and was answered by an almost annoyed response from a young man that Lidea guessed to be similar to her in age.

“That is him.”

Crystal whispered behind her, as the man walked their way. His set of peculiar eyes glancing at Lidea before bickering with the older woman who seemed disgruntled. Then he finally turned to her.

“It is good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

His strange accent made it hard for her to make out the words but she smiled ruefully as she did.

“Crystal told me that you are the one who saved our lives. Thank you for that. As for me, my body is fine but I’m worried about our other companion. She told me that he wouldn’t have long if we don’t leave here soon.”

His eyes were on her neck as she talked. Making her feel self-conscious as she subtly moved her hands to try and feel what he was looking at. Had she spilled some of the stew?

Her movement, caused him to look her back in the eyes. Sympathy gleamed in his expression as he answered.

“Grandmother said he is a child of fire. These mountains are not made for their kind. It is too cold and there isn’t enough air for their flame to stay alive.”

His confirmation of Warchief’s condition, filled Lidea with desperation. He had saved her life, there was no way that she could let him lose his now.

“I wish to save him. Is there any way that we could be brought to the hidden harbor?”

Revealing their destination to this remote tribe didn’t feel like such a betrayal. Especially if that meant that she could save Warchief.

If they didn’t have enough time to return to Durgh’Ras, then they had to continue. Being a harbor, its altitude must be at sea level.

The man pressed his lips together, letting out a regretful sigh as he shook his head.

“I’m sorry. Though it would be possible, the flight there is a treacherous one. We can’t risk any of our people to help you.”

Lidea squinted her eyes closed. She just couldn’t believe that they had come so far and that they were about to lose Warchief.

“I understand.”

She pushed the words out though the admittance hurt, and she could feel Crystal’s arms around her again.

“Mirgatek zuresi’daego järkytt?” (3)

The older woman’s voice pierced through Lidea’s sorrow as she looked up to see her looking down at Lidea. The hunter rolled his eyes before turning to her. Clearly irritated by whatever she had asked.

“Isoäna, ne deitmeni daego. Eureszol férfit, gizon kansari da.” (4)

She frowned at Lidea as if disappointed by something but then she grew determined and spoke directly at her.

“Guzta seilla erka salbell hän, ha’ppir ikasten.” (5)

Her words caused a shockwave to go through those who heard it. Even the hunter’s demeanor changed. From irritable to pure shock, he glanced at Lidea’s neck before turning back to the older woman.

But Lidea didn’t let him argue. Whatever she had said, had been for her ears. She needed him to translate for her, rather than to keep on bickering.

“What did she say?”

Her sudden interference, made him look back at her. Hesitation clear in his eyes as he slowly started explaining.

“Grandmother said that you can only save him if you learn to fly.”

Lidea stilled, as her mind tried to grasp what he meant. Her eyes naturally gliding to the mythical creatures that had started to roam about the cave.

The idea that she would be capable of flying when she couldn’t even ride a horse properly, was preposterous. Yet she kept staring at the griffins.

Realizing that she really wanted to.

Not only to save Warchief but because the idea of flying appealed to her.

“You will lend us one of them?”

The hunter shook his head with a gentle smile.

“That is not up to me. They will decide for themselves if they want to help you. If one allows you on their back, then I will try to teach you as much as I can.”

Lidea nodded and loosened herself from Crystal to get up on her feet.

Slowly she walked towards the small herd of griffins. Filled with a healthy dose of nervousness.

Behind her, the Vazul were arguing. Perhaps they hadn’t thought that she would be brave enough to try. Or maybe they thought that no griffin would accept her.

But the knowledge that Warchief was going to die if she didn’t make this work, made her bold and she forced her heartbeat to calm down as she walked into reach of the griffin's beaks and sharp claws. There was no doubt in her mind that they would kill her if they wanted to.

Most looked up and stared at her with their eagle-like eyes, unsure of how to treat this stranger who walked among them.

However, they didn’t seem hostile. Merely curious. Which helped Lidea contain her remaining nerves, as she looked for a sign.

Something in the griffin’s behavior that would tell her that it was friendly.

She pondered how intelligent they were. They weren’t bound to one rider as Dragons did, but were they also able to communicate with the Vazul?

Or were they more like horses that they didn’t have a language as such?

Suddenly one of them pushed his head into her body causing Lidea to shriek in fright. It stayed silent for a moment, but then some of the Vazul started laughing.

As for the griffin, it just halted to look at her with interest, before pushing its head against her once more.

“Mir’thaia likes head scratches.”

Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed that the hunter had followed. A wide grin of amusement plastered over his face.

“I noticed. She gave me a scare though.”

Lidea chuckled at her own reaction and lifted her hand carefully. Stroking the griffin's silvery feathers and marveling at how soft they felt.

The griffin allowed her to do so and even started to rub its big head against her head. Making Lidea crack a smile as her confidence grew.

It will be alright.

Standing so closely, she looked at the griffin's back that reached higher than her head. She hadn’t seen how the Vazul mounted them but assumed that she needed to avoid touching their wings.

As she considered how to go about this, other griffins started to approach her. As if the one had broken the ice, they all started rubbing their heads on her and searching her pockets. Probably hoping to find some treats.

Their feathers tickled and Lidea grinned, her fear melting away as she tried giving them all attention.

“Aitortzen seilla dute leveg’aireko.” (6)

A voice rang loud from the group and Lidea turned a questioning gaze to the hunter who stared at her with a look of amazement.

His reaction indicated to her that something was odd about the way the creatures treated her.

“Is something wrong?”

She sounded prickly even to her own ears. Her growing unease making her react immature.

“No. It is just unusual for them to be this friendly. Even to us.”

Lidea nodded in comprehension. Pushing away her discomfort at being considered unusual, to focus on the problem at hand.

“How do you go about this? I don’t want to hurt it.”

The hunter looked at her for a moment before he walked to a sandy-colored griffin. Giving the creature a gentle stroke, before standing at its shoulder.

“You go and stand like this and grab onto the base of their neck. Then you take one step so the foot closest to them stands next to their leg. After that, you jump and swing your leg over.”

He demonstrated the first steps slowly, before doing the actual jump in quick succession.

Her eyes widened at how he seemed to fly, his years of practice making it look easy as he elegantly found his seat.

Looking at the griffin that had first approached her, she scratched its forehead one last time before grabbing its neck as the hunter had shown her.

The creature looked over, as if confused as to what she was doing but didn’t move away. Which Lidea took as a good sign.

“Sorry little one, I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to go great.”

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and jumped. Only for her leg to bounce against the creature instead of sweeping over cleanly. Causing her to remain hanging helplessly with her upper body over its neck. With a curse, she swung her foot onto the creature's back and slowly wiggled it over. Finally, she slid into place, her legs hooked in front of the griffin's mighty wings.

As she made herself comfortable, she stroked the creature’s neck again. Thankful for its patience, as it had remained still during her entire struggle.

The griffin didn’t care much for her pets as it turned its head and bit playfully into her left boot.

Lidea let her do it, as she sat up straight and looked around the cavern. Stunned by how high up of the ground she now was.

Her eyes found the hunter’s and she smiled triumphantly.

“Seems like you owe me some flying lessons.”

Her cocky remark caused him to crack a smile as he replied.

“It will be my honor.”

As they spoke, others had started to encroach upon them. Some of the elder Vazul shot rapid-fire questions at the hunter, who didn’t even get a chance to translate them for her. Raising his hands, she could see that he tried to calm them down, and Lidea wondered why her success had caused such an uproar.

Underneath her, the griffin snorted as it started dancing nervously. Trying to get away from the overly excited energy surrounding it.

Knowing full well that she had no control over it, Lidea started to become nervous as well. Which only caused the griffin to react worse as it started backing away from the people.

In instinct, Lidea squeezed her eyes shut as she grabbed onto its neck. Hoping for it to calm down.

“Hiita! Lidea, jump off now!”

The hunter warned her but it was already too late, as her griffin had enough and took a couple of mighty leaps to the cavern opening, before leaping off the edge.

Lidea screamed as they fell freely down the mountain cliff. Her arms and legs cramping as she gripped onto the griffin’s slippery feathers. Desperately trying to prevent herself from losing her grip and falling to her death.

Then something magical happened.

It spread its wings.

Catching the wind beneath, it suddenly ascended, causing Lidea to bend further over its neck. Then the wings stopped beating as the griffin found a suitable wind current and glided effortlessly.

Lidea felt lightheaded, as she tried to slow down her panicked breathing. Forcing her hand to unclasp its deadly grip to pull the scarf that had been uselessly hanging around her neck, back over her nose.

The sudden influx of air caused immediate relief and helped her calm down.

Minutes passed by, and her breathing returned to normal as she grew familiar with the creature’s rhythmic movements underneath her.

Slowly she sat up straight once more, looking down the griffin’s shoulder to see the ground thousands of meters below her. The snowy caps of the mountains glimmering in the orange glow of the setting sun.

She should be feeling fear. Instead, a strange sense of tranquility filled her being. Causing tears to well up in her eyes, as she stared at the horizon, where past another set of mountains, she could see the ocean.

“Are you alright!?”

The sandy-colored griffin had caught up to her, and the hunter sitting on its back had visibly paled as he studied her.

“Everything’s fine.”

She could see the disbelief in his eyes, even from this distance but didn’t pay it any attention as she looked to the ocean once more. Feeling herself filled with determination. They would save Warchief, and make it to the Dragon Order. There was no longer any doubt in her mind about that.

That realization filled her with mirth and she laughed out loud.

“Are you sure?”

An edge of worry filled his words but Lidea just turned to him with the biggest smile.

“So how do you tell them where you want to go?”

Despite her glee, she couldn’t deny that her hands and face were rapidly cooling down. It wasn’t as if she had been dressed to go flying through the mountains.

The hunter didn’t react immediately but then seemed to snap out of his thoughts as he answered.

“Use your seat and legs. Imagine yourself taking a turn right, then shifting your right leg beg and your left forward, while turning to look where you are heading. It’s the opposite for the left. To ascend, you lean back, for descending you lean forward.”

Lidea noted the interesting similarities to horseback riding, hoping that it meant that she would have an easier time adjusting to it.

Looking at the cavern, she tried turning as he suggested. Causing the griffin to strongly swoop down and right. Quickly she adjusted her seat to correct for her directions being too strong.

“You are a natural.”

The hunter flew nearby, not interfering as Lidea slowly got used to controlling the griffin. He almost sounded stupefied and Lidea felt a bit guilty.

Her mind went back to that moment when Crystal had told her that she had to be a dragon rider.

Was that why flying came easy to her? Was it some sort of innate ability inherited through blood?

Her landing into the cave was far from graceful and she almost shifted off the griffin. Only letting go, once it had safely touched ground.

Rather than the chaos from before, all present seemed too stunned to speak. All but one that was.

Crystal leaped forward, hugging Lidea with a broad smile.

“I knew that you would be fine, but my heart dropped when it took off like that.”

“Same here. Believe me.”

Lidea smiled in return as she squeezed her arms tight around Crystal. Feeling herself tremble now that the tension had left her body.

The healer stepped back, her hands still on Lidea’s shoulders as she studied her body with a serious expression. Only breaking into a mischievous smile, once she was ensured that Lidea was fine.

“So how was it?”

A sane person would have stated that it was traumatizing. That they thought they were about to die.

But that wasn’t Lidea’s experience. As she wrestled with how to answer that question, she noticed the knowing look in Crystal’s sapphire eyes.

“It felt right.”

Lidea didn’t know how else to describe it, but luckily she didn’t need to as she could see comprehension in the healer's eyes.

“Spoken as a true dragon rider.”

Though she had spoken softly, it had been so quiet in the cavern that her words had carried farther than intentioned.

“Dragon Rider!?”

The hunter’s eyes looked Lidea over wildly. As if she had suddenly grown a second head, but Lidea ignored it. Feeling suddenly exhausted, she decided to make her way back and rest. Leaving Crystal to deal with the fallout of those words.