Inferno Legacy: Loyalty of the Dragon (Book Two)

Chapter 5

            Two days later, Cody and Inferno took to the sky on their first free day that Argos had granted them. And after his training with Fril, Cody felt he needed it. He was sure he did badly, but like Argos, the elf was mostly silent as she observed his every move. She offered little advice to improve his skill, which most people would think was good, but Cody couldn’t help but feel foolish as he made one stupid move after another after another against a simple straw dummy. He could tell that his swordsmanship and overall skill with any weapon had not improved much at all since becoming a rider, so he knew there was much improvement to be made.

            Nevertheless, he didn’t dare even lift his sword that day when he and Inferno left. The rider thought that he had had plenty of practice with Fril. Inferno liked to disagree, but remained silent as the two flew low over the trees, the occasional twig scratching at Inferno’s scaly underbelly. The bright noon-day light glinted brilliantly off Inferno’s dark scales as they flew in the general direction of the lake. Within a half-hour Inferno burst over the last of the trees and brought his wings down in one last flap before gently sliding onto the soft earth below.

            Inferno’s head was just tall enough to see over the nearest house and he peered into the town, searching eagerly for Cody’s friends. A moment later, a little girl peeked around the corner of the large hut. She walked steadily towards Inferno with interest, showing absolutely no signs of fear. She looked to be about eight years old with hair as gold as the sunset and playful hazel eyes. She smiled sweetly at Cody, showing him her pristine white teeth, perfectly straight. She was adorable from head to toe, even in her old, torn-up clothes, probably handed down through a poor family before landing on her tanned shoulders.

            “Hi Cody,” the girl said as a little blush rose to her cheeks and her worn shoes played with the dirt.

            Not seeing any adults around, Cody asked her, “Should I take you to your mommy and daddy and tell them you saw a real live dragon?”

            The girl’s eyes lit up as she struggled not to laugh for some reason. “No, but I can show you my house!”

            Cody looked at Inferno in confusion, but the dragon was only watching the girl with intense interest, while she apparently didn’t notice. Shrugging, Cody nodded and accepted her little hand in his own as she tugged him along the houses, Inferno following behind rather noisily as his tail dragged in the rough dirt, his blue gaze never leaving the little girl. Finally she stopped right outside the second largest hut in the little village, the largest right beside it with a tiny white dragon sitting in the window, watching her more intensely than Inferno. Then the girl opened the door.

            “Cody!”

            The rider felt his back crash into the dirt before the door was even fully open, a very excited Avalsmokes right on top of him. The man hugged his downed friend ferociously, as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. Heck, when Cody first saw the man after a long imprisonment they didn’t hug each other half so tightly. Finally the rider, Blackscales, recovered from the attack and sat up, patting his friend’s back slowly before pushing him away and standing up.

            “Aval, er, Goldscales! Why all the excitement?” Cody asked, suddenly remembering that both of his closest friends were now riders.

            “It’s just so good to see you! I haven’t talked to you since my dragon hatched!” Avalsmokes about shouted in his excitement. He wrapped an arm around the little girl proudly and added, “I see you’ve met Destiny! Amazing, isn’t she?”

            Aval turned to the girl with his eyes glowing with pride, while Cody felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion. He asked concernedly, “Why are you living alone with a little girl?”