DragonRider by S. Rodman
underground places. It seems all those stories about caves and hoards are true, though I’ve yet to see any glittering piles of gold. Maybe I should ask? Though I really don’t want to sound like an idiot. It’s abundantly clear that I am an outsider here, I really don’t need to do or say anything to make that even more apparent.
Mordecai is striding in front of me, with a flashlight this time. Dragonriders do know about electricity, which is a relief. The flaming torches must just be for rituals.
Anyway, he is ahead of me, so I can risk a sneaky look around, to see if I can spy any gold. All I see is shadows. Mordecai called this cavern ‘The Stable’. It is far less imposing than the chamber where I was bound to Ri, but it’s not exactly homely.
My new black leather outfit squeaks slightly and the sound is magnified in the huge space. It’s so unfair. My clothes are nearly identical to Mordecai’s, I was right about his leather look being functional, but he looks gorgeous in it, while I’m fairly certain I look ridiculous. Dragon riding leathers are very unforgiving. The slightly soft belly I’ve developed recently is easy to hide in jeans, but these damn leathers hide nothing. I’m going to have to stop eating cake and start working out.
Mordecai stops walking and his flashlight illuminates a wall of neatly placed saddles. They look pretty much like saddles for horses, more in the Western style than English, because they have prominent horns and a wide seat and skirt.
Mordecai gestures at one on a low rack, the new leather gleams, making it stand out amongst the worn leather of all the other saddles.
“That one is yours,” he says imperiously.
I drift over to it and run my fingers along the exquisite craftsmanship. It’s beautiful. I know it wasn’t made for me, per se, but for Ri’s new rider, who everyone assumed was going to be from a rider family, but I’m still moved that such a wonderful and very expensive thing was crafted for my use.
“Come on!” snaps Mordecai as he hoists up his own saddle.
I hoick mine up into my arms. It’s damn heavy, and the girth is super long and trailing, which makes sense since it needs to go around a dragon and not a horse. I pull it up and pile it on top of the seat. Then I trail after Mordecai as he strides away.
After a few paces, he looks back over his shoulder. “It’s easier to carry if…” he trails off as presumably he sees that I am holding the saddle just fine.
“You have a horse?” he asks instead.
I shake my head. “The foster home I grew up in had a deal with a local stable. We got to ride in exchange for helping out.”
Mordecai turns his head away from me and says nothing. Not a word. I’m both incensed and grateful that he is not going down the whole, ‘Oh my god, you grew up in a foster home? You poor thing,’ route.
I glare at his back as we walk in the dark. He is such an annoying bastard.
The spicy smell of dragon hits me a few seconds before I see Ri. I could sense that he was close but it’s wonderful to have visual confirmation.
“Good to see you, Ri,” I say.
“Greetings,” says Ri formally but I can sense a great deal of warmth and affection from him.
Then my attention is snatched by the being beside him. Another dragon. The only other dragon apart from Ri that I have ever seen. This one is slightly bigger than Ri and its scales are glittering emerald green but far more vibrant than that jewel.
“This is Je, Cai is his rider.”
Je bobs his regal head in greeting and I feel a smile stretch across my face.
“Can you tell Je that I’m very pleased to meet him?” I ask Ri.
Je bobs his head again and then I’m flooded with Ri’s pride.
“What did he say?”
Ri puffs his chest out, “That I chose my rider well.”
I laugh and the sound echoes around the cavernous stable. Mordecai flashes me an irritated glance, but he says nothing. Instead, he moves up to Je and runs his hand along the dragon’s flank. The gesture is far more gentle and caring than I expected from Mordecai, and I snatch my gaze away. It feels like I’m prying on an intimate moment.
Both dragons shift position, so that their bellies are resting on the floor.
“The saddle goes here,” says Mordecai as he demonstrates by placing his saddle onto Je’s back.
I assess the placement for a moment before turning to Ri and putting my saddle on him. It fits so well that I know it was made to measure.
“Here?” I check.
“Perfect,” purrs Ri and it’s my turn to preen. I swear I can feel his praise as a tingling sensation throughout my entire body.
He scoots back up so I can run the girth under his belly. The buckle is exactly like a horse’s saddle so I have no trouble doing it up.
“Tight enough?” I ask.
“A little tighter,” he says.
I laugh. So different from horses, who tend to puff their bellies out in an effort to stop the strap from fitting snugly.
I tighten up the girth and check again with my fingers to make sure it is flush with his flank but not too tight. Mordecai comes and stands behind me, so I look over my shoulder at him to make sure he is happy with what I have done.
He steps forward and checks the buckle and the tightness of the strap. He nods his approval and I feel a warm flutter in my belly.
“Do you need a hand mounting?” he asks.
“Nah, I’ve got this.”
I really bloody hope I do, or this will be the most embarrassing moment of my entire life and that is saying something. It’s been years since I’ve ridden a horse and obviously I’ve never ridden a dragon, but surely swinging up into a saddle is like riding a bike, as in you never forget? Guess I’m about to find out.
I take a deep breath, place a foot in the stirrup, grab the saddle horn and swing up. As I land neatly in the seat, I can’t help but grin. I did it well and now I am sitting on a real, living, breathing dragon. Seven point nine billion people on this planet and how many of them will ever get to experience this? I am beyond privileged.
Mordecai is looking up at me with his arms crossed over his chest. There is a look in his eyes that I can’t interpret. Part of me wants it to be desire, but that part of me is ridiculous and foolishly hopeful.
“Riding a dragon is different from riding a horse. There are no reins and you don’t guide with your knees either. You mostly hold on and decide on movements with Ri, just visualise what you need him to do.”
I nod my understanding as I frantically try to clear my mind from horny thoughts and concentrate on what he is telling me.
“The hardest thing to adjust to is getting out of the mindset of a land animal with no aerial predators. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution has primed you to be aware of, and think in, a flat three hundred and sixty degrees. In the air, in a battle, your world is a sphere. You need to think of up and down, as well as around.”
That makes a lot of sense, and sounds very daunting. Will I ever be able to think like that?
“Tonight we are just going to go for a gentle flight. All you have to do is to try not to fall off.”
I swallow dryly as my hands reflexively tighten around the saddle horn. I don’t think I’m frightened of heights. But I’ve never been hurtling through the air on the back of a dragon before.
Mordecai walks over to Je. He swings up into the saddle with a grace that steals my breath away. Man, something about that was truly swoon worthy. Of course, all that tight leather helps.
Ri’s laughter echoes through my head. Shit. I forgot to shield my thoughts the way Harlen taught me.
“Sorry!” I exclaim.
“All riders think Cai is desirable. It’s good to have a healthy appetite,” chuckles Ri.
The surge of jealousy that rushes through me is as unexpected as it is intense. All riders? That’s a hell of a lot of competition. But I can’t blame them for having eyes. The guy is like sex incarnate. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was part incubus. So of course I’m not the only one drooling over him.
Would it make any difference if I was the only one? I’m not sure it would. I have a growing suspicion that Mordecai wants me, but I also suspect it’s only because Harlen does. I’m just another toy in their rivalry. Whoever gets me, gets gloating rights. And wins the latest round of their fight. It’s a very conflicting thought. On one hand, two gorgeous guys fighting over me sounds like my every fantasy come to life. On the other hand, being something for them to use and discard is grim. But I’d get some sex with a hot guy out of it, which is a win for me. Gah! I’m so confused.
“Let’s go,” says Mordecai.
I nearly yelp in fright as Ri starts to walk. Not a good start, he is only walking for fuck’s sake! How am I going to cope with flying?
The dragons walk along for a few paces, then Mordecai waves his hand and what was a wall of stone, shimmers and disappears, revealing the Welsh night air and countryside. It looks like we are near the top of the mountain, so everything is spread out before us in a spectacular vista.
Je walks forward and just keeps going until he drops off of the edge. I see a flash of green and the pale sweep of Mordecai’s hair and then they disappear out of sight. I suck in a gasp of air but before I can exhale, they reappear. Je’s magnificent wings are outstretched and he is gliding through the night.
“Ready?” asks Ri.
My hands take a death grip on the saddle horn. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Lean back for the drop,” says Ri.
And then we are falling. I’d scream if I could get any air into my lungs but all the air is far too busy rushing past me to pay me any heed.
I feel the moment Ri’s dark wings unfold, catching the air beneath them and halting our plummet. Then we are soaring. Catching up to Je and it is glorious. Cold, brisk night air is swirling around me and suddenly the leather outfit makes complete sense. I’d be a frozen block of ice without it.
I grip tightly onto the saddle as we soar through the sky. The wind whips through my hair and I can feel the rush of excitement pumping through my veins. My first time flying on the back of a dragon and I can hardly contain my joy.
The light from the gibbous moon casts an ethereal glow over the landscape below us. The hills and valleys do look like a patchwork quilt from this height, as cheesy as that sounds, and I can see the twinkling lights of small villages in the distance.
I can feel heat emanating from Ri’s body and hear the sound of his powerful wings flapping. It’s an exhilarating experience, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
As we fly, I lean forward and pat Ri’s neck, feeling his muscles ripple beneath my fingertips. The dragon lets out a deep, rumbling growl in response, and I can feel the vibrations through my whole body.
I can’t help but let out a whoop of excitement. Despite the fact that I am a mage, this is the closest I’ve ever felt to being a part of something truly magical, something far bigger than myself, and I never want it to end.
Up ahead of us. Mordecai looks back. It’s too far to be sure, but I think he is grinning at me and my obvious exuberance, and that feeds into my euphoria.
We continue to soar through the night sky, and I’m filled with a sense of wonder and awe. I’m not sure where we’re headed, but I don’t care. All that matters is that I’m flying on the back of a dragon, and it’s the most thrilling experience of my life.
The tang of salt and seaweed reaches my nose. The air around me turns damp. We are near the sea. Sure enough, I see it up ahead. Glimmering a pale silver in the soft moonlight. A few heartbeats later we are over it. Ri descends, chasing Je in an exhilarating spiral until we are just skimming over the waves. I can only trust that they know how to not crash into any ships.
Soon we are out of sight of land. There is nothing but the sea below us, nothing but stars and the gibbous moon above us. Two dragons, two riders, alone in our own dominion. My heart is bursting, my mind is dizzy. This is what it means to feel alive. My entire body is vibrating with glee. I will remember this moment until my dying day. I hope there will be many many more moments like this, but this is my first time flying with Ri. It will always be special.
Ri catches up to Je, until the dragons are gliding side by side, wing tip to wing tip. I look over at Mordecai and suddenly I can’t breathe. His pale hair is ethereal in the moonlight, the shadows cast by the plains of his face make him look like some sort of mythical creature. His posture as he gracefully rides Je, accents the long lean lines of his body.
I thought he was hot before, now he is on a whole new level. A demigod. A demigod of sex, lust and desire.
My addled mind finally registers his expression. He is smiling. Not smirking or sneering. A true genuine smile that shows all of his joy. He loves riding. Out here he is free. Free and happy.
It melts my heart and steals my soul. I’m done for and I don’t even care. Mordecai is a demigod and I’m going to worship him forever.