Dragon Blood (Completed)

Dean's First Flight

Chapter 15

They flew down along the coast with five guards above and five below, while the rest rotated in a revolving pattern around the royals. Zane could normally fly virtually undetected because of his dark scales that acted like natural camouflage, but Ryder, Lavender, and Dean being colorful royals, attracted a large amount of attention from the ground.

Zane could see dragons standing in fields close to the ocean staring up at them, some waving. Almost every house along the way had dragons running out as word of their trip down the coast spread. The beaches started to fill and the skies seemed to rise up, as if a dark gray storm was approaching the shores. But the dragons in the sky didn't try to get too close, either out of respect for the royals, or fear for their own safety of not knowing what would trigger the guards.

One little girl who'd picked some wild flowers was throwing them in the air as high as she could, screaming, "Welcome home, Prince Bluesclale."

He heard many cheers rise up to reach his sensitive ears and see the hope in their faces. A few were openly weeping. As dragons waved, calling his name, Dean looked on with curiosity. The magnitude of his presence didn't seem to faze him; he was far more interested in looking around the countryside he could see from the edge of the sea. Several times, he started to veer inland, and Zane, or the guards, would have to right his course.

Despite his anxiety, Zane enjoyed the trip. It felt good to get out and stretch his wings. Lavender was in a good mood as she showed Dean some games young dragons played in the skies. He picked up on them fairly quickly after watching her for only a short time. Ryder showed him some dives and summersaults, and soon, Dean was practicing as many areal tricks as he could, eager to see the next one before he mastered any of the previous.

At one point, when Lavender was working with him, a shadow from one of the guards above landed right over Dean's scales, looking as black as Zane himself. The way he was playing with Lavender at the time made Zane think of the child they would have one day. They would play in the sky the way they were playing with Dean now. He felt such love for Lavender in that moment that he could almost fool himself that there was no danger and no war. That there was only the two of them and the future they had together. Then the shadow moved, returning Dean's blue scales to his view.

Sooner than Dean would have liked, Zane indicated it was time to turn back. As they flew back up the coast, they could see even more dragons had turned out to catch a glimpse of the Bluescale prince. As much as he felt this flight was an unnecessary risk, he couldn't deny that the sight of Dean had turned rumor to fact; their fairytale to a reality.

The sight of him did more for moral than any rumor could. No whispered chain of conversation could top the sight of the Bluescale prince. The only thing that could have made them happier would be that if Paige herself in all her dual-natured glory had been with them.

As they neared the castle, Zane could see Paige sitting on her balcony, awaiting the return of her brother. When she saw them, she stood, her eyes searching. She searched the water, the woods behind the castle walls, and the skies behind the incoming group. Zane knew she understood the danger Dean was in, but she'd let him go anyway.

He felt a twinge of anger at her foolish decision. It was one thing if she didn't understand because her ignorance could be forgiven. This was now an entirely different issue. One he would speak to her about at their next meeting.

Zane was watching her, thinking about what he was going to say, starting with, If you don't want to be treated like a child, you need to stop acting like one, when her face changed from one of cautious searching to horror. Zane reacted to her expression alone before she screamed. Zane had already moved into position over Dean, gripping the edges of his wings in his powerful black paws. In an instant, he flipped himself backwards, pulling Dean with him into a summersault. When he was facing the surface of the sea, he gave his wings a great thrust and dove toward the water. By this time, the first screams from those in their mortal forms and screeching from the dragons were just starting. The skies had turned to bedlam. He saw something fly out of the woods toward his party, and one of the guards seized it like a bird of prey snatching a mouse from a field.