Omnixius
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DKP 7-9 Teach them to fly
🕑 Added 2021-08-21 16:51:46 +0000 UTCGersius paced in an open field as Sarah towered overhead. He listened as Ayawa defended Lilly's choice to duel the southern woman and reiterated how well it ended.
“She could have been killed,” Thayle argued and took Lilly’s hands. “Sweetheart, you are part of a family now. What did you think we would do if they killed or captured you?”
“We would be there by morning to burn them to ash,” Sarah replied from above.
“I thought I could use my blessings,” Lilly said defensively. “I know the southern tribes don't embrace the divines, so I was sure I had the advantage.”
“And when you found out you couldn't use them, you decided to go anyway?” Gersius asked. “You should have come to find us immediately.”
“We told her that,” Tavis said with a sigh. “She was afraid of making the southern tribes even more hostile to the north. So she wanted to try and talk Sahli down.”
“You can’t talk a person like that down,” Gersius said and came to Lilly’s side. “I understand why you did what you did, but I don’t like how close this came to disaster.”
“I just wanted to be able to tell you the war was over,” Lilly said as she came to his arms. “I wanted to take the burden of it off your shoulders.”
He hugged her tightly and took a deep inhale of her scent. “I can’t imagine what I would have done if they had harmed you.”
“They did harm her,” Thayle interjected. “She was cut twice.”
Gersius nodded but held Lilly firmly to keep her safe from the worries that plagued his mind. Despite the risks taken, she had done well, and he was pleased to know that war was resolved.
“So, I did good?” Lilly asked as she read his thoughts.
“I wish you had done it another way, but yes, you did good,” he replied and turned her loose. There was an awkward silence as Lilly fell into Thayle’s arm for another hug.
“So what of the war here?” Ayawa asked and pointed to the south.
“This war is over as well,” Gersius replied. “I have made my point, and the south will need years to rebuild.”
“What we did was terrible,” Thayle said with a pained tone. She cradled the back of Lilly’s head as a deep pain rolled through her heart.
“Thayle,” Gersius called as he turned to face her. She had pressed him to try and broker a peace by revealing the dragons and giving them a chance. All the display did was make the southern princes boast that they would capture Gersius's wives and make them concubines. Thayle even tried to appeal to them based on being a priestess of Ulustrah. The south benefited greatly from the blessings her temples provided; surely, they would listen. Instead, they mocked her efforts and claimed the local temples were of little use.
“Thayle, we did try to spare them the pain. Unfortunately, they chose the path and the outcome, not us,” he said in a soothing voice.
“Those fools couldn’t make a wise decision if their lives depended on it,” Sarah scolded from above. “They were too busy trying to outdo one another with bravado and sheer arrogance.”
“Did we have to burn the farms?” Thayle asked as she looked up. “The princes will be fine; it's the people who will suffer for this.”
Sarah lowered her head from above and looked Thayle deep in the eyes. “They would not listen to reason, so we deprived them of the resources they needed to field an army. We ignored the villages and focused on the royal cities, visiting our wrath only where it mattered. I am sorry, but the people will suffer from this war no matter how we struck. All we could do was choose whose people would suffer. Thanks to our efforts, the people of the empire will no longer be harassed by the south.”
“The prices that have to be paid for peace,” Thayle cried. “When does the killing end?”
Gersius approached her and put a hand on her back as she released Lilly from the hug. He assured her that one day they would dwell in the valley and know peace. Until then, they had to finish the struggle, which meant securing the empire and meeting the Doan. She turned to lean into his chest and closed her eyes, promising she would go where he led.
For Ayawa's sake, he recounted the attacks from the sky and how the dragons terrorized the south. He and Thayle rode on Sarah's back when they attacked the large cities. They flew low over the walls to set a prominent building or two ablaze. Sometimes Numidel or Shadros accompanied them, diving on the city to hit strategic targets and flying off. They never lingered anywhere long enough for an organized response, striking fast and flying away. Twice they managed to catch an army unaware and inflicted the kind of damage only a dragon could do. It took nearly a week of this constant harassment before the southern princes were willing to talk. Even when they did, they spoke as if they were doing him a kindness. Gersius made it clear that he would return to add their lands to the empire if they crossed his borders again.
“Such arrogance only negotiates with a superior force,” Ayawa said when the tale was done. “I doubt they will keep their agreement if they think the empire is in trouble again.”
“They better, or I will come to remind them,” Sarah grumbled and moved her head to sniff at Lilly.
Lilly reached up to rub Sarah's jaw with a smile and laid her head on the side.
“Don't you try and be cute with me,” Sarah said. “I am proud that you ended the conflict with the tribes, but I hate the risk you took to do it. Promise me you won’t do something like that again.”
“I promise, mother,” Lilly said with a smile and continued to rub.
“That is going to get confusing,” Gersius sighed and looked to Ayawa. “She calls three separate people mother.”
“I have a lot of mothers,” Lilly said with a laugh.
“I suppose dragons see themselves as one large family,” Sarah added and lifted her head away. “Technically, every dragon of my age is a mother to her.”
“I don't see the problem with it,” Lilly said and looked around the group. “I have come to appreciate the idea of a family, and I want a big one.”
“Hmm,” Gersius replied and looked up at Sarah, who was now sniffing at Thayle. “I suppose we have no reason to stay here then. Let us fly back to Calathen and make sure the east hasn’t attacked in our absence.”
“Don't be so gloomy,” Sarah replied as she moved to the side and laid on her stomach. “The wars will end eventually, and we will have time to enjoy our time.”
“I will carry our mother and her family,” Lilly offered and pulled at the top of her dress.
“I have more than enough room for all of you, and I am faster,” Sarah insisted and motioned to the ladder with her head.
Lilly frowned, but Sarah was insistent that they return as soon as possible. Sarah waited until everyone had climbed up, then spread her massive wings and took to the sky. She flew to where Shadros and Numidel were waiting outside a city and gathered them for the flight home. Hours later, the sun was set, and the city of Calathen lit by torchlight, sparkling in the darkness as the dragons flew over.
Sarah landed and allowed her riders to climb down before setting the massive saddle aside. She waited for the landing ring to empty before beginning the change and taking her human form. She was startled when Lilly walked into the mist and took her into a hug, kissing her lips with deep passion.
“What was that for?” Sarah asked as Lilly held her naked form tight.
“I worried I might not see you again,” Lilly replied and looked up into Sarah’s eyes. “I was so worried that woman was going to take me as a slave.”
Sarah wrapped her arms around Lilly and pulled her in tightly. “Put those thoughts away,” She whispered. “If that had happened, I would even now be searching for you. With the bind to guide me, I would be moments away from setting you free.”
“But you would violate their honor and make them hate the empire,” Lilly said.
Sarah smiled and ran a hand down Lilly's head. “I don't care about their misplaced honor. I will not have my wife taken from me and mistreated because they claim it is honorable. If they had any honor, they would not have invaded our lands in the first place. They attacked us because they perceived us as weak and came to claim the spoils. That makes them barbarians, and their code of honor is barbaric despite what you see in Ayawa. Even she saw the flaws in their ways and fled to find a new life free from those terrible concepts.”
“I love you so much,” Lilly sighed. “I wish there was time to be in your arms.”
Sarah smiled and stroked the little dragon's back. She wished there was nothing but time to hold her family and share their love. Unfortunately, they needed to tend to the empire, which meant reading letters, meeting with officials, and never-ending planning. Of course, all that was going to wait until tomorrow, for tonight they had other plans.
“May I get dressed?” Sarah asked with a smile.
“No,” Lilly replied. “I like you just the way you are.”
“Little dragon, the sooner I get dressed, the sooner we can go to our rooms, then you can undress me and hold me all night.”
“Wait? Are we going to bed? I thought we were going to stay up all night and read dispatches,” Lilly exclaimed.
Sarah smiled and lifted a finger to poke Lilly in the nose. “Your family has missed you, and we want a night to spend in your arms.”
“Well, hurry up and get dressed,” Lilly cried and released her. Sarah laughed and went to the saddle to get a red dress out of one of the bags strapped to the side. Lilly helped her into the dress, and hand in hand, they headed for their private chambers. That night Lilly was reminded of what it meant to be a wife in her family, and smothered by love, she drifted to sleep.
As the first rays of the morning sun streaked through the balcony archway, Gersius awoke and smiled. He was blanketed by lovely women with Sarah curled along his body on the right and Lilly pressed firmly to his left. Thayle lay across his chest, her dark hair a blanket of warmth as she raised and fell with his breathing. He curled his arms about the two at his sides and held them tight as he enjoyed the blessing they were to his life.
It was Lilly who stirred first, her beautiful blue eyes opening and a gentle smile spreading across her face when she noticed him staring at her.
“Good morning, my beautiful little dragon,” he said across the bind to avoid waking the others.
“Good morning, my love,” she replied silently.
He began to stroke her hair as she shifted on his chest and got more comfortable. He could feel her love radiating out and saw the light of her aura mixing in a great glow with the others.
“I want to stay here today,” she said with a soft whisper. “I just want to be a wife and not an empress.”
He smiled in understanding, but it was not to be. “I wish we could stay here all week, but the war will not wait for us.”
Lilly frowned. “When we have peace, I am taking you all back to my lair and making you sleep with me for a week.” She looked away as a twinge of pain echoed across the bind.
Gersius rubbed at her back and brought her attention back to see a tear in her eyes.
“What is the matter?” he asked.
“I just remembered that I don’t have a hoard to sleep on anymore,” Lilly said with a sob.
A soft hand came to her side as Sarah reached over and stroked her. “Yes, you do,” the red-haired woman whispered.
Lilly shook her head softly. “I used it all to heal Gersius,” Lilly replied with a sniffle.
Sarah stroked her side gently. “Little dragon, am I not larger than you?”
Lilly looked over Thayle’s head to see Sarah’s eyes focused across Gersius’s chest with a firm intensity.
“Yes, you're older and larger, and I am sure you have a vast hoard,” she replied softly.
“We have a vast hoard,” Sarah replied with an emphasis on the word we. “Are you not my wife? Do you not share all that you have with me?”
Lilly began to follow her logic. “You would share your hoard with me?”
Sarah smiled, her strong face looking soft and comforting. “Lilly, there is nothing to share. It is your hoard every bit as much as it is mine. I will move it to your cave when we settle in your valley after the war. For now, I think you should sleep with coins every night. I am concerned about how much of your power you burned that terrible day.”
Lilly's eyes moistened, and she chewed on her lower lip a moment. “I would like it to be our cave and our valley.”
Sarah reached over and put her hand over Lilly's. “From now on, everything I ever owned is also yours, oh and Thayles if she wants to sleep on the hoard.”
“I have tried. It is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever done,” Thayle said, alerting them that she was awake.
“It really is uncomfortable,” Gersius added as she shifted on his chest.
“You two are silly. I love sleeping on coins,” Lilly said, still holding Sarah's hand.
“Then you and Sarah can spend some nights in the cave together, and Thayle and I will stay in the house,” Gersius suggested.
Lilly smiled at Sarah. “I look forward to being in your arms as a dragon.”
Sarah blushed. “I promise to keep you warm little wife. I will tuck you under my wing and keep you safe as you sleep on our hoard.”
“Awwww,” Thayle moaned. “Now I wish I was a dragon.”
“You could always lay with them in the blended form,” Gersius said. “The coins might not feel so uncomfortable then.”
“Blended form?” Sarah asked with a confused tone.
“Oh my goodness,” Thayle exclaimed. “We have never shown you,” she added, sitting up.
Sarah sat up as well and looked from face to face. “Never shown me what?”
Lilly giggled as Sarah pulled away. “They really do inherit a lot of our dragon gifts.”
Sarah looked at Lilly and back to Thayle and then to Gersius. “What does she mean?”
Gersius nodded to Thayle. “Go ahead and show her.”
Thayle crawled off the bed and stood in the open space of the room as Sarah waited to understand.
“Are you ready?” Thayle asked.
Sarah looked at Gersius and Lilly and then back to Thayle. “Ready for what?”
Thayle took a deep breath, and white mist began to crawl across her skin.
“How is this possible?!” Sarah exclaimed before starting to panic. “Stop! This room is too small!”
A small cloud billowed around Thayle, and a tearing noise was heard. The cloud suddenly blew away as two leathery wings beat the air and dispersed it. Sarah sat motionless with her mouth wide as she looked at Thayle. Thayle was nearly a foot taller with fine scales of silvery-blue across her body. From her head, two small horns of blue-black grew upwards just above her ears. The large leathery wings of creamy white jutted from her back, and her eyes glowed with blue light. Her facial features were nearly unchanged except for a slightly larger head and narrower pointed teeth. Her hands were human but covered in fine scales with small dark blue claws. Behind her, a tail slowly lashed on the floor, blue scaled with tiny spikes down its spine.
“So, what do you think?” Thayle asked. She spoke in the dual dragon voice and held her arms up so Sarah could take her all in.
Sarah sat motionless, stunned by what she saw. Then slowly, she crawled across the bed, coming to her feet, and stood before Thayle, who now stood eye to eye with her.
“You are beautiful,” Sarah said before planting her lips to Thayles and kissing her deeply.
“She is pretty like that,” Lilly said to Gersius as they watched the two women kiss.
Sarah broke the kiss and smiled broadly. “You must try sleeping on the coins with us in this form. I would be interested to know if you can feed on the metal this way.”
Thayle looked into her eyes. “I hadn’t considered that. I wonder if I can?”
Sarah kissed her gently again and then looked into her eyes. “We will find out.” She turned to look at Gersius. “You can do this too?”
He nodded his head. “I can do it too.”
“I want to see it,” Sarah said, turning to face him fully.
Lilly smiled. “I like his dragon form.”
Gersius shook his head. “I am a little bigger than Thayle when I am in dragon form. My wings will hit the ceiling.”
Sarah looked across the room to the doors of the terrace. “Then let us go outside.”
Thayle took her hand and stopped her as she went to walk off. “We might be seen out there.”
Sarah looked back at Thayle. “You are absolutely beautiful in this form. I want everybody to see you! I want them to see how stunning you are!”
Thayle smiled and motioned with her hand across her own body. “Despite the scales, it is obvious I am naked.”
Sarah looked her up and down. “Yes. Your scales are so small. From even a short distance, I bet people won't even notice them. You would look like a naked woman with wings.”
“What about that dress you have with the crossing straps on the back?” Lilly asked.
Thayle and Sarah looked over as Lilly pointed to the wardrobe. “The white one with the open back. I bet you could get that on over your wings.”
“Shall we try?” Sarah asked and ran a hand down Thayle’s arm.
Thayle nodded. “I think it will be fine.”
Lilly got up happily, running to the wardrobe to get the dress out. Lilly and Sarah managed to get Thayle into the dress with a little struggle, tying the back straps carefully to avoid the wings.
“You need a seamstress,” Sarah laughed as the dress now hung at Thayle’s knees.
“It sort of fits. It isn't long enough anymore, but I am no longer naked.”
They all three turned to Gersius as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Well, get up, man. I want to see your form,” Sarah demanded.
“I am not walking around the terrace naked either, and neither are you two.”
Sarah and Lilly suddenly looked at each other and then hurriedly began riffling through clothes to get dressed.
“You do realize you're going to have to show her,” Thayle said as the two women got dressed.
“She seems rather pleased by it. I will wrap a towel around my waist,” he replied.
When they were all dressed, he led the way into the morning sunlight of the upper garden terrace. The space was an expansive balcony that overlooked a lower private courtyard perfect for the demonstration. Gersius walked to an open space in the lower yard while all three of the women watched from the balcony above.
“Can you see me clearly?” he asked.
“Oh, get on with it!” Sarah barked impatiently.
Gersius closed his eyes, and black smoke began to crawl across his skin.
“Wait,” Lilly said as she leaned over the railing. “Why is it black?”
“Oh, dear!” Thayle exclaimed with a hand over her mouth.
“Is something the matter?” Sarah asked.
The mist around him billowed out into a black sphere obscuring him from view. The same tearing sound was heard, and a tall form walked out of the cloud striding on powerful legs. He was seven and a half feet tall with jet black horns that pointed up and out from his head. His skin was covered in scales in vivid hues that glistened in the light. Across his chest, the scales were bands of blue that faded to purple around the edges. But beyond that, they were all red. His wings were red along the arms but blue and purple across the skin membrane. His face was red, and the light in his eyes was orange.
Thayle smiled and stuck out a forked tongue. “Somebody really likes Sarah,” she teased.
Sarah was frozen again at the image before her. His tail was longer than Thayles and heavily spiked with black spines. His muscles bulged and his entire frame rippled with power.
“Why isn’t he blue anymore?” Lilly asked.
Sarah snapped out of her daze and looked at Lilly. “He was blue?”
Lilly looked over at Thayle, who pointed Lilly back to Sarah. “He is blending her color with yours.”
“Is something wrong?” he called up from below.
Lilly smiled at Sarah and took her hand gently. “You must really love him.”
Sarah blushed deeply. “I do. I mean, I love you and Thayle as well. I didn't mean to change anything.”
Gersius held out his arms. “Well?”
Thayle laughed and called down to him. “Did you happen to notice what color you are?”
He stood straight and held his arms out so he could inspect them.
“Why am I red?”
Thayle laughed. “I suspect somebody loves you so strongly her color has overwhelmed Lilly’s.”
He looked at his chest and saw the blue. He was only red on his sides and down his arms and legs. The inside of his legs was still blue, as were the palms of his hands.
Lilly pinched Sarah playfully and turned her about. “Have you been keeping a secret from me?”
“You are going to accuse me of keeping secrets?” Sarah balked. “When was one of you going to tell me about this? Do you have any idea how shocking this is?”
Lilly smiled and took her hand. “I am glad you love him so strongly. He looks good with the blending of colors. Let’s go down and see him more closely.”
“I like the purple,” Thayle added as they headed for the stairs.
Gersius watched as all three women walked down the curving steps and strode toward him.
Sarah smiled as she now had to look up into his eyes. “I approve of this powerful frame. I had no idea you could get even more handsome.”
“Why am I red?” he asked again.
Sarah looked over at Thayle, who giggled and stepped up.
“I think you're getting your color from your wives. Sarah is older and larger, so her color has bled over Lilly's a little more strongly.”
He nodded his head in agreement but pointed to her form. “Why are you still blue then?”
Thayle thought about it a moment and then scowled at Sarah. “Do you not love me as strongly as you love him?”
Sarah went white with shock and shook her head. “I promise you I love you every bit as much.”
Thayle looked over her own body in disappointment. “I don’t have a spot of red anywhere.”
“Maybe that is because your a woman,” Lilly said.
Thayle looked up and glanced between them. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Lilly pondered it. “Sarah's parents were both reds. I suspect my father was a red. When dragons have children, the females are always the mother's color, and the males are always the father's color. Gersius being a male, would inherit both father's colors.”
“His scales are so much darker as well,” Sarah pointed out as she ran a hand down his chest, savoring the muscles.
“But Sarah is a female. Why have I not inherited at least a little of her color?” Thayle asked.
Lilly looked at Sarah and smiled. “Sarah is very dominant. In our relationship, she is the alpha.”
“The alpha?” Gersius asked.
Lilly nodded. “She is the strongest dragon in the group. So she rules. Dragons seldom get together, but when they do, the oldest dragon is the Alpha. So in our situation, Sarah is the male, and I am the female. Gersius is red, and you are blue just as it should be.”
Sarah nodded her head. “It makes sense. I have assumed a very matronly role.”
Thayle folded her arms across her chest and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Lilly asked.
“I want some purple,” Thayle lamented.
Sarah stepped around Gersius and ran a hand across his wings. “Can you fly?”
He looked at her and then stretched out his wings. “I, I do not know.”
“Have you tried?” she asked as she pulled at a wing. “They seem perfectly strong and proportioned to your size.”
Thayle nodded. “I have used my wings to glide a little. I jumped off a ledge in one of my temples and used them to get down. But I have never tried to go up.”
Sarah pulled at Thayle's wings a little, stretching one out as she glanced at Lilly. “We should take them up and teach them how to fly.”
Lilly smiled wide and looked at Thayle. “I like that idea.”
“Hold on now, ladies. We might not be able to fly,” Gersius stated with some concern.
Sarah stepped back and let Thayle’s wing drop. “We know you can glide. So Lilly and I will carry you up high and let you try. At the very least, you should be able to glide down, and if anything does go wrong, we will catch you.”
“I feel like a mother teaching a broodling to fly!” Lilly teased.
Sarah smiled and stepped away, pulling the threads of her dress open as she went.
“What are you doing? Gersius called out.
Sarah looked over her shoulder and gave him a smirk. “I don’t want to tear my lovely gown,” she said as she let it fall about her feet. She stepped into the open yard as black smoke began to crawl across her skin.
“This is not what I planned to do today,” Gersius groaned.
Thayle reached over and took his hand as the black cloud engulfed Sarah. When the flash was over Sarah, the dragon skulked out of the cloud and towered over them.
“I will take them up. You watch as they try to fly and catch them if they need it,” she said to Lilly.
Gersius and Thayle turned to see Lilly’s great serpentine head just behind them. They hadn’t even seen her change.
“I am looking forward to this,” Lilly said playfully.
“Maybe we could do this another time?” Gersius suggested, but Lilly grabbed him and lifted him to put him on Sarah's back.
“You are heavier as a dragon. I hope your wings are strong.”
She turned around and lifted Thayle, and placed her behind Gersius.
“Hold on, little broodlings, your flying lesson awaits,” Sarah called as she fanned out her wings and took to the air.
Lilly followed close behind as Thayle and Gersius struggled to hold on. They quickly learned they had to fold their wings in tight, or the drag they created threatened to pull them from Sarah's back.
“How high are you going?” Gersius called out.
“Just below the clouds,” Sarah replied. “You can get good winds up there. It will make it easier for you to stay aloft.”
“Couldn’t we start someplace lower?” Thayle pleaded as she looked down and felt panic rise in her heart.
“We need to make sure we have time to catch you if you fall,” Sarah replied and took them ever higher.
“Why did I marry dragons?” Gersius groaned as he, too, looked down.
Sarah settled into a smooth flight high above the city, drifting in a lazy circle around it. From here, they could see the true vastness of Calathen and its high walls.
“You two watch me closely,” Lilly called as she flew beside them. “Watch how I fold and stretch my wings to catch the air.”
They both watched as Lilly went through the motion of working her wings. They took careful note of how they were folded and stretched out in rhythmic fashion to keep her aloft. She made it look graceful and straightforward, but for Thayle and Gersius, it felt impossible.
“Which of you wishes to go first?” Sarah asked as she drifted across the sky.
“Ladies first?” Gersius suggested, and Thayle slapped his leg.
“Oh, don’t you start that. You get your red rear up and jump off!” Thayle barked.
“Don’t worry, I will catch you if you fall,” Lilly said from the side as she kept pace with them.
Gersius cursed under his breath and carefully stood on unsteady legs. He felt the drag of the wind almost immediately and pressed his wings tightly against his back. Around him was the sound of Sarah’s great wings as they beat the air. A tremble rocked his body as he looked at Lilly, who waved at him to jump off. With a deep breath, his wings unfurled as wide as he could get them, and suddenly his world was chaos. The air-filled those wings and tore him free of Sarah's back, causing him to tumble in the air as he saw her pulled away. A sense of panic gripped his stomach as he beat at the air frantically, struggling with his arms and legs to gain traction. He nearly cried out as he lost the battle and began to fall, plummeting toward the ground and his doom.
Large blue hands wrapped around his torso and steadied him as his panic subsided. “Stop trying to use your arms and legs. They are useless up here,” Lilly corrected. “Focus on your wings, and don't try to stand straight like you are walking on the ground. Lay flat like you are swimming.”
Gersius panted in a fear he hadn't known before. The terrible height and the idea of falling from it wracked at his mind and made him tremble. He took a few moments to struggle for control, then let Lilly know he was ready to try again. Lilly did her best to hold him around the waist, keeping him flat so he could work his wings.
“Now stretch your wings out and start flapping them like mine. When you have it right, I will let you go.”
Gersius reached out with his wings and began to practice the mechanics of flight. It was indeed easier to do while laying flat, and he soon realized it had been silly to flail his arms and legs.
“Good, but your too slow,” Lilly encouraged.
“I am doing the best I can!” he shouted angrily.
Lilly ignored his anger and encouraged him to keep trying. “You only need to go quickly for a few beats. Then you can ride out your speed for a bit.” She illustrated her point by beating her wings three times, putting on a burst of speed, and then stretching them wide to sail the sky.
“Once you have the speed, you stretch your wings out and tilt them back gently, and your speed will keep you aloft. If you can catch the wind, you can stay aloft longer between beats.”
Gersius tried again as Thayle and Sarah watched. He stretched his wings out and began to rotate them through the pattern. Slowly he got faster as the motion became more natural, and he suddenly lifted from her palm.
“Good!” Lilly cried. “I can feel you pulling in my hands.” Carefully she opened her fingers and let him float into the air. “You're doing it!” she cried as he started to wobble.
“They can fly!” Sarah exclaimed as Lilly withdrew her hands, and Gersius began to fly of his own accord. He suddenly lurched up as a wind caught him and carried him away. Lilly was back to him in a moment and steadied him with a gentle touch.
“You have to work with the air currents, not fight against them. If you angle your wings slightly, you can use the currents to carry you up or down. If you do it right, you can keep your balance and maintain your flight.”
“I can not believe I can do this! I can fly!” Gersius exclaimed.
“You can!” Lilly cheered. She let him go, and he wobbled a bit more as he struggled to get used to the air currents.
“He is flying!” Thayle gasped as she watched him.
“And so will you,” Sarah added as she looked back. “It is your turn now.”
Thayle felt her heart sink as she stared into those red eyes. However, before she could think, strong hands wrapped around her waist and carried her upwards.
“Lilly! You frightened me to death!” Thayle yelled as Lilly fell back a little.
“It is easier to teach you this way. I will hold you out like I did, Gersius, and let you get used to flapping for a little bit.” Lilly gave her all the same instructions and reminded her to lay out like she was swimming. Thayle worked at the pattern with her wings and soon found herself being lifted as she got it right.
“There, you almost had it!” Lilly exclaimed.
Thayle tried harder, and the more she tried, the easier the motion became. She felt Lilly's hands relax around her waist, and she cried out as she was suddenly free and flying on her own ability.
“I can fly!” she cried out joyfully.
“I told you flying was amazing!” Lilly bellowed as she soared nearby.
“Oh, sweetheart, no wonder you were so upset about your wings. I can’t believe how amazing this feels!”
“I tried to tell you, but I knew you couldn't appreciate it as I did,” Lilly replied.
They both heard Gersius cry out in joy as he fluttered around Sarah.
“She really does love him,” Lilly whispered to Thayle.
“She does. I hope that doesn’t bother you,” Thayle whispered back.
Lilly shook her head. “I can see her aura. I can tell she loves us as well. But she hungers for the touch of a male.”
“That is a very intelligent observation, little dragon. I am proud of you.”
Lilly smiled as they flew along. “I had a good teacher in love. She taught me how to read people and their motives.”
Thayle laughed. “I did my best. But you are the one who taught me how to fly.”
Lilly glanced at Thayle with a toothy smile and flew just a little closer. “I feel like a mother with broodlings.”
Thayle laughed. “Well, enjoy it. Soon you will have a real broodling to teach these things. How long until your egg is ready?”
Lilly pondered the thought. “Not for a year still. Gersius thinks he can win the war in that short a time.”
“He did take Calathen in one hour,” Thayle pointed out. “If anybody can win the war and get you home to greet your egg, he can.”
Lilly suddenly felt sad as she remembered the dream Gersius had. She saw the little girl holding his hand as he pointed to the distant star. It was the same vision given to her by Balisha when she prayed about the future. Lilly didn't know what it meant, but something about the image haunted her.
“Are you alright, Lilly?” Thayle asked, concern in her voice.
“I just remembered a sad moment from my past.”
“Oh, sweetheart, do you want to talk about it?” Thayle asked as she struggled with an air current.
“No,” Lilly replied and looked ahead to Sarah and Gersius. “This is a happy moment, and I want to enjoy it.”
Thayle smiled and pressed on, flying with clumsy skill as they caught up to Sarah and Gersius. For the next hour, they soared over the city until a dark form appeared in the sky and a voice shouted out.
“What are you fools doing?”
