Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

            Silence. During their travels, Cody and Inferno had gotten all too used to it, but it didn’t change the fact that it was even worse now. They seemed to be travelling further north and further into the cold and barren world where birds were becoming virtually nonexistent. All that Cody ever heard for quite a long time was the harsh wind that whipped past him, only seeming to pause just long enough to nip every exposed patch of skin on his body before continuing on its destructive path.

            Since everyone in their party was only familiar with one other being, Mordon and Mora kept silently to themselves and therefore left Cody and Inferno to sit in their own familiarity bubble. Mora seemed as though she would have been talking her head off under normal circumstances, making her seem even more like Autumn, but as it was she seemed too awestruck but what she had discovered. She seemed to be wanting to just shuffle through her own thoughts for a while, which Cody could respect since he had felt the same countless times before. Mordon was a complete enigma, however.

            The guard seemed to be rushing along beside the dragon and his sister while giving everything no notice. He hobbled along the path, often with his arms crossed in front of his chest whenever he shot the shadowy dragon a glance, which was unusually often. It seemed to Cody that his only thoughts were of the dragon, and walking. He didn’t appear to care about where they were going, or anything around them, just that he was going somewhere. Occasionally Inferno would return a hostile glare, but his rider merely hoped that Mordon would see through the fearsome outer mask and find the tender, loving, gentle being beneath. The dragon also seemed to be slightly insulted that his rider was focusing so much on his soft side.

            “I may be soft and gentle, but I do also have a beastly side. Don’t think of me too softly,” Inferno told Cody, shooting him a serious blue stare to prove how serious he was.

            The rider, suddenly very confused, replied, “I thought you wanted to be seen as a bit more softly.”

            “I can’t describe my feelings very well I guess. I want to be seen as a dragon with a soft and caring side for those that are my allies, but I also want people to know that my enemies will be destroyed without a second thought. I may be gentle, but remember that I’m also a dragon, which means I wasn’t given natural weapons and armor without reason,” Inferno huffed.

            “Why are you so hard to read all of a sudden?” Cody asked.

            Inferno thought for a moment before answering, “It isn’t a very sudden thing, in fact it has always been this way, but until now you have just been too excited about being a rider to notice. It’s actually improving at a miraculous rate.”

            “Then what is going on?” the rider asked with concern. “I thought dragons and riders were supposed to be able to read each other easily.”

            Inferno snorted, “Sort of. It all has to do with the strength of our bond. The main problem is that I can’t read you very well, and since I’m still a pretty young dragon I rely on you a lot to provide me with correct behavior. My life relies completely on our bond.”

            “So?” Cody asked, not seeing his point.

            “So, my behavior depends on how well I can read you,” Inferno explained. “Basically, I’m not as strong as I could possibly be physically or mentally. As our bond gets stronger, I will be able to understand myself better, and the same goes for you. Neither of us is quite ready to completely give ourselves up to the other. Over time we will grow closer to each other until we will be one and our bond will strengthen, and when that happens we will be stronger individually but our power will always depend upon each other and our bond. I think that’s as clear as I can make it for now, do you understand?”