Inferno Legacy: Loyalty of the Dragon (Book Two)

Chapter 25

Cody woke slowly from the strange dream, and as he came to his senses he felt the same feeling as he had before he had gone to sleep, if indeed that's what it was. Shivers coursed through his body as he continued to repeat to himself, I am a dragon rider. The image of the strange dragoness from his dream surrounded his mind in a wave of acceptance, and a sense of understanding came to him. Cody looked at his hands and saw that they were just a shade more golden than before; as were his arms and his entire body, if he could have seen every part of him.

The sensation, he knew, was the magic that was unleashed into his entire body. The magic coursed through his veins, along his bones, and under his very skin in faint waves of invisible energy. On instinct he urged the power outward; trying to use the magic by releasing it to the air around him. But as the magic faded nothing happened, so he stopped and focused on it and studied it carefully.

After what felt like a few moments more he figured out enough about the energy to urge it to a particular part of his body: his hands. As the magic began to pour from his fingertips Cody realized that he needed to decide what he wanted to do with the magic. Without a single thought and only an instinctive twist of will, he compressed his hands together and a tiny ball of flame, perhaps two inches in diameter, shimmered to life between his palms. A wave of excitement rolled through him and a second later the magic ran out and the ball of fire winked out of existence.

"I had it!" he announced loudly as a mixture of awe, excitement, and disappointment washed over him.

Cody suddenly realized that he was enclosed in a small room of rock, likely made by Doubtful to give him privacy. But at the sound of his voice Doubtful approached and lowered the walls of his little room to reveal the large hall. Confusion swept over the rider as he suddenly realized that he had been in the room for well over three hours. On the opposite side of the room was another little rock room where he figured Avalsmokes was practicing his own technique.

Cody was pulled out of his observations as Doubtful said, "I felt the magical energy coming from your cave. Did you produce magic?"

"Y-yes!" Cody stuttered, but after a second his thoughts returned. "It was difficult, but I conjured a little tongue of fire."

"Show me."

The rider stepped back in surprise for a second but quickly brought his thoughts together. With a last look at his mentor he closed and eyes and thought again of the thing that had brought the elation and energy before. He was a rider, destined to live on the back of a dragon and in the heart of his partner. It took several minutes but was much faster than before, until Cody felt the magical energy return to his body.

It coursed through him with renewed vigor, ready to be guided by his command. After a minute or so of pooling the energy Cody urged it to his fingertips and coaxed it out of his body. When he opened his eyes he twisted his will just right again and a fireball, about three inches in diameter, hovered between his hands. It lasted over ten seconds before winking out of existence.

When Cody looked up, sweat coating his forehead, Doubtless nodded to him. "Your magic needs more practice, but excellent job."

"Practice?" Cody asked, discouraged.

Doubtful smiled warmly at him and answered, "Magic has sometimes been related to a muscle, or even a separate being within you. If you use it often and stretch it to the limits its strength will expand a bit. A bit, mind you. For the most part magic comes with character, and as you learn more of yourself you learn more of your magic. You may rest until I call Inferno and Destiny to join us. Perhaps we may make some progress with them today."