The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

POV: Fendrel

The group decided to stay together in the largest room so they could wake up and leave as soon as possible.

Fendrel lay on his back with his eyes wide open. Venom’s foreleg was draped over his chest.

A scuffle on the other side of the room made Fendrel lift his head.

Fog crept across the room toward the doorway, stepping over the sleeping forms of the others.

Fendrel lifted Venom’s paw off of him and followed Fog out of the room.

The end of her tail disappeared through another doorway. When Fendrel entered the new room, he saw Fog sitting in front of a window, her head resting on the sill. She was shaking and whimpering softly.

“Are you okay?” Fendrel came up beside her.

Fog flinched. “I don’t know.” She brought her wings close to her body as if she were hugging herself. “Do you really think Mist is still out there?”

“You don’t think she is?” Fendrel tilted his head.

“I think she’s gone.” Her voice broke. She hid her face in her wings, shuddering. “We’ve been looking for days, asking around and listening to what other people have to say. And just when I thought we were going to find her, all we came across was blood and clumps of her fur. She’s gone, she has to be.”

Fendrel shook his head. “I’m not believing any of that until I see a body. As far as I’m concerned, whoever has her, if she was taken, is keeping a low profile. It won’t be easy to find her.”

Fog looked at him. “But what if she is gone? You would’ve been dragged into this for no reason. You could have saved other dragons who are still alive instead of wasting your time here. I’m sorry you’re stuck with us.”

“Well I’m not sorry. When I start a mission, I finish it.” Fendrel looked her in the eyes. “I’m not giving up until we find solid proof that there’s no point in going on with the mission. And if it wasn’t for this, I probably never would’ve met any of you. Maybe someday I could ask for you or Venom’s help with a mission if I need it. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I didn’t sign up for this.”

Fog wrapped her wings around him. “Thank you.”

“We’ll find her.” Fendrel wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “One way or another, we’ll find out what happened to her.”

“Where will you go once this is all over?” Fog let him go.

Fendrel shrugged. “I’ll probably visit my parents. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. I guess you’ll go back to your duties as a noble?”

Fog hung her head. “I don’t think I’m qualified enough, and I don’t really want to be one anymore. I only accepted because Mist offered the position to me, and I could be close to her as much as possible. But even if she does come back, I don’t want to be in this position.”

“What will you do, then?” Fendrel noticed her face brightening little by little.

A small smile lit up Fog’s face. “Maybe I can join you in helping to free other dragons, permanently, if you want. You don’t have to take me with you. I know I was pretty awful at the cliff base, but I can get better.”

Fendrel thought for a moment and returned the smile. “The company would be nice. If this continues for another week, I’m sure by the end of this mission you’ll have enough experience to handle yourself.”

A warm glow lit up Fog’s face.

He scrunched his brows. Can dragons blush?

The glow became more intense.

No, wait, that’s the sun rising…and I didn’t sleep a wink. Great.

Something caught his eye, hovering on the horizon. A dark blur against the sun. “What is that?”

Fog squinted at the shape. “It’s a dragon swooping at something.”

“Can you tell what type of dragon it is?” Fendrel put his hands on the window sill.

The vapor dragon stuck her head out the window and narrowed her eyes. “It looks like a fire dragon, but it doesn’t look like it’s flying…normally.”

Fendrel cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Fog took a moment to answer. “It looks like it’s tilting to one side, like it’s heavier.”

“Maybe it’s hurt.”

“We should go help it.” Fog’s eyes widened as if all hints of sleepiness vanished. She pulled her head back into the room. “Venom would be so impressed if we did this on our own, wouldn’t he? Not that that’s the important part of this, but you know.”

Fendrel nodded. “If that’s what we’re doing, then we should leave out the window. I don’t want to wake up the others.”

Fog nodded in agreement.

“Can you fit through this window?” Fendrel hauled himself through the window and his feet landed on the sandstone outside. A quick look around told him no one else was there. The whole city was still sleeping, except for the colorful fish weaving through the bridged-over oases.

Fog hooked her claws over the window’s sill and stuck her head and neck out. “I think I can.”

“Hold on.” Fendrel stuck his hands out. “Bring your wings out first.”

Readjusting so her wings were emerging before her shoulders, Fog continued to crawl out. She winced as she scraped a hind leg on the windowsill.

“Are you okay?” Fendrel peered at her leg.

A small trickle of blood trailed down her feathers.

Fog reached her head around and opened her mouth. A puff of vapor escaped, but nothing more. “That isn’t good.”

While Fog limped to the oases to take a drink, Fendrel made sure there was no blood on the windowsill.

He came up on Fog’s side as she healed her leg, now refreshed. “Do you still want to go help the fire dragon?”

“Of course.” Fog took a deep breath. “Should we get water before we leave?”

“The desert will need time to warm up after night, so I think we’ll be fine.” Fendrel climbed onto Fog’s back.

Fog took a deep breath. “Okay.” She leapt into the air and beat her wings, flying toward the fire dragon in the distance.

<~><~><~>

The fire dragon was closer than Fendrel originally thought.

The sun must have distorted it.

Fog flapped her wings faster. “Her right wing looks a little hurt.”

“Then why won’t she land?” Fendrel squinted his eyes.

Fog pointed to the desert below the fire dragon. Two humans with spears stood back-to-back as they stared at the sky. A bright blue orb was nestled in the sand between them.

Fendrel sneered. “Knappers.”

“Knappers?” Fog hovered in the air.

“They’re dragon hunters who steal eggs and bring them to bases.” Fendrel gripped the saddle horn tighter. “Don’t underestimate them. They got the same training standard dragon hunters did.”

Fog shook herself. “I won’t. What’s the plan?”

They neared the scene, flying low enough that they wouldn’t draw attention.

“Well…” Fendrel’s eyes moved from the orb, to the hunters, to the fire dragon.

This is strange…

“There’s a fire dragon trying to attack two knappers who are guarding a water dragon’s egg.” Fendrel tilted his head.

“Why don’t they leave the egg and run?” Fog flew lower.

Fendrel drummed his fingers on the saddle. “I think they’re afraid that they’ll be engulfed in flame if the fire dragon doesn’t have to worry about damaging the egg.”

“Oh.” Fog breathed. “So we should distract the knappers?”

“We should.” Fendrel nodded. “But we don’t know why the fire dragon is after the egg. It would be best if we got to it first.”

“I’m ready.” Fog steeled her voice. She flew lower to the ground and slowed down near the spear-armed knappers. She circled them while Fendrel leapt off into the sand.

“Wha- Who are you?” One of the knappers turned to face Fendrel, aiming his spear.

Taking a deep breath, Fog continued to circle. She blasted a cloud of vapor, shrouding the knappers and the egg.

The fire dragon swooped down from the sky and tackled one of the knappers, who screamed.

Fendrel swept his leg at the back of the knapper’s legs.

Fog aimed for the hunter and grabbed him. She dragged him out of the mist.

As gentle as he could, Fendrel waved his hands around in the mist in search of the little blue egg. His fingers brushed the egg’s cool surface and a triumphant smile spread across his face. He began to slide the egg into his bag.

Snarling, the fire dragon left her victim as she barreled toward Fendrel.

Before he could react, the fire dragon swiped Fendrel’s belly.

Fendrel dropped the egg in shock.

“Fendrel?” Fog let the other knapper go. She eyed Fendrel as a growth of red spread across his shirt.

“I-” Fendrel looked down and touched his stomach. It was only then that the pain started.

His shaking legs stumbled forward. He clutched his stomach, his face scrunching up in pain.

“Fendrel!” Fog rushed to catch him before he fell. She helped him lay in the sand and lifted his shirt.

With his vision blurry from tears, Fendrel stared at his attacker out of the corner of his eye.

The fire dragon stood rigid with the egg cradled in one of her paws and her wings partially open.

Fog took a deep breath and breathed on Fendrel’s wound, but no vapor left her. Her eyes widened. “What? No…no.” She tried again, and again.

Fendrel clenched his shirt in his fist and gritted his teeth. He groaned.

Fog whipped her head toward the fire dragon. “Is there an oasis nearby?”

The fire dragon didn’t take her eyes off of the two. “The closest one is the Twin Oases.”

“Please, please go and get water.” Tears began to spring into Fog’s eyes. “I can’t heal him if I don’t have water.”

The fire dragon, her face falling as she eyed Fendrel, leapt into the sky toward the Twin Oases.

“Do you have a cloth, or a rag, or something?” Fog gripped his shirt.

Fendrel slowly moved his head to face Fog. It took a second for him to process her question. “I think I might have something in my bag.”

Fog opened his bag and squinted. “There’s nothing in here.”

“Here.” Fendrel sluggishly reached into his bag. He pulled out a large rag. “Like this?”

“Yes, this will work. It’s going to hurt.” Fog took the rag. She wrapped it around his abdomen and tied it tight on the wound.

Fendrel winced and cried out, clutching his shirt tighter, his fingernails digging through to his palm. His vision blurred more.

Fog tented her wing over him and glanced at the rising sun.

Very soon the heat would start to set in, and after that it would become unbearable.

Fendrel fought to stay awake, keeping his eyes focused on the sparse clouds overhead and the dying breeze through Fog’s wings.

<~><~><~>

With the breeze gone and the clouds evaporated, Fendrel kept his mind busy on his breathing.

“Are you okay?” Fog’s gaze avoided Fendrel’s wound. “I mean, how do you feel?”

Fendrel clenched his teeth. “Awful.” He took a deep breath. “But thank you…for helping me.”

“Of course.” Fog hugged him and peeked under his impromptu bandage.

Fendrel nodded his head slightly. “Yeah…I can’t tell if coming out here was a good or bad idea.”

There was a heavy thud and a spray of kicked-up sand that showered Fog’s wing. “It was a terrible idea!”

Fendrel gulped as Venom came into view around Fog, a scowl etched on his face.

Ember and the fire dragon who clawed him earlier followed behind Venom.

“Show me the wound.” Venom came up on Fendrel’s other side.

As Fog untied the blood-soaked cloth and unwrapped it, Ember groaned. “Seriously, Fendrel? This is something your brother would do, not you.”

Biting his lip in realization, Fendrel nodded. “Yeah…”

Venom lowered his head toward Fendrel and bared his fangs.

Fendrel’s eyes widened and he tried to scramble backwards. Fog closed her wing over him.

“Settle down, young one.” Venom sighed. “Despite my name I am not venomous.” He paused for a moment and Fog opened her wing a little.

Venom seemed to be deep in thought. He shook his head. “I suppose there’s no use hiding it now. Dusk dragons with golden markings can heal almost every wound, but it will leave a scar, unlike Fog’s type of healing.”

How many secrets does this tribe have?

Swallowing, Fendrel nodded. “Okay.”

The dusk dragon bared his fangs again, this time inserting them into the gashes in Fendrel’s stomach.

Fendrel gasped in pain.

A golden line traveled down Venom’s fangs to the tips and flooded into Fendrel’s wounds.

Venom pulled away and watched Fendrel’s skin seal itself, leaving behind jagged lines of discolored skin. He sighed. “There is nothing I can do about that. May we rejoin the others now and get on with the mission?” It sounded more like a command than a question.

Fog helped Fendrel to his feet.

Fendrel took a deep breath, expecting to feel pain, but he felt completely fine. Apart from the heat.

Venom crouched for Fendrel to board his shoulders, then stood.

“I’m sorry.” The fire dragon from earlier mouthed at Fendrel.

Fendrel pressed his lips into a thin line. He gave a small nod. “What happened to the egg?”

“I sent a messenger to return it to the beaches.” Ember flung her wing eastward.

“We’ll get the others and head out.” Venom angled his head to look at Fendrel. “We need to go to the human palace next?”

“Yes. Sadon’s plans depend on Cassius being there, but unfortunately ours do too. We’ll just have to be quicker.” Fendrel stared ahead.

“Then we won’t have time to stop for rest.” Venom leapt into the sky with the other three dragons trailing behind.

Fendrel nodded. He looked at Fog. “You aren’t too tired, are you?”

“I’ll be okay.” Fog smiled.

Venom kept his voice low. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson. It is extremely unwise to leave without telling me, especially when you have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Fendrel gripped Venom’s spines tighter. He nodded. “I have. I’m sorry.”

The dusk dragon sighed. “Good. We can’t have you getting hurt worse.”

Though he might have imagined it, Fendrel thought he heard Venom whisper something. “As bull-headed as your mother, but without her reliance on me.”

<~><~><~>

POV: Cassius

The prince couldn’t help but feel glee at not having to wake up in his room, where he would have been forced to see Miss Adila again.

That is, if I slept in instead of sneaking out early.

And what was even more exciting was he finally had someone who would help him!

Despite the fact that he was far above the ground on a dragon’s back, Cassius felt safer with these strangers than he had with his own family.

“Zoricus, you’re about to get a taste of what you deserve.” Cassius let the wind take his words away.

He noticed the palace ahead and his stomach fell into a pit. Now that he was getting closer, he started to dread his father taking Zoricus’ side due to the little evidence they had.

Cassius shook his head. Father’s mage will be able to prove the truth.

His nerves didn’t leave him. They only intensified the closer they got.