First Mission: A Middang3ard Series (Dragon Approved Book 5) Read online

  Alex blushed and turned to hide her face. As she turned, she saw Gill and Brath walking through the forest along the same path, heading right toward them. Damn it, Alex thought.

  Gill waved amicably at Alex and Jim. “Greetings,” he called. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  Jim rose and reached out to shake Gill’s hand, who took it heartily. “I’ve heard a lot about you from the instructors. You and Alex handled yourselves pretty well when the orcs came through.”

  Gill nodded, his face betraying no expression. “Thank you. Alex was invaluable to our defense. I’ve heard good things about you as well, Jaws, is it?”

  “That’s my call name, but yeah, Jaws.”

  “Myrddin seems particularly excited to have you riding with us. I hope you’re a good fit for us cadets.”

  Jim smiled widely. Alex’d had no idea Gill could be so friendly. It made her wonder why he had seemed so cold to her.

  “What are you guys doing out here?” Jim asked.

  Gill pointed down the path. “There’s a spot up ahead where I like to meditate. I was going to try to teach Brath how to calm his spirit and see deeper into his center.”

  Jim got down on one knee so he could be face-to-face with Brath. “I don’t think I’ve met you yet either. My name’s Jim, but my friends call me Jaws.”

  Brath slapped away Jim’s hand and spat on the ground. “Three things. One, don’t ever kneel to look a gnome in the eye. It’s rude. We know we’re shorter than you. Two, we aren’t friends, human. I can hardly tolerate your kind. Three, you keep trying that nice human crap, I’m going to knock that smile off your face, you got me?”

  Jim stood up, looking like he had just bitten into a lemon. “Okay, I guess. Nice to meet you, too,” he muttered.

  Brath pushed past Jim and walked past Alex, stopping for a moment. “Good to see you too, Boundless. Hope you two had a good walk, but a word of advice. You two probably shouldn’t mate. You would have hideous children. I’m talking goblin-ugly.”

  Gill shook his head as he walked after Brath. “I don’t believe in apologizing for friends, but I think we can all see that Brath might benefit from meditating. It was nice running into you two. See you around.”

  Gill and Brath disappeared into the forest, leaving Alex and Jim standing in awkward silence. There was a lot for Alex to take in. The easiest one was Brath’s change of attitude to her. He didn’t seem friendly in the least, but he did seem like he respected her. She could say the same about him.

  Next was Gill. He was so cordial and outgoing to Jim. Did he suspect something? Was there a reason for him to, or had he just started to come out of his shell a little bit? Alex didn’t know anything about drow or their personalities, and she did very much want to get to know Gill.

  Which brought her to the next point, rounding out the topics she could obsess over for the next few days—Jim. Not the baby part. She couldn’t care less what their kids would look like. She was more concerned with what their faces would look like if they were mashed together.

  Jim cleared his throat as he awkwardly kicked a rock next to him. “What’re you thinking about?” he asked.

  “Huh? Oh, nothing. Nothing. Just lunch. Getting kinda hungry, right? I think I’m going to head back. All this exercise has got me famished. I’ll catch you around.”

  Alex headed back toward the Nest as fast as she could, only realizing later how rude she must have seemed, running away from Jim after he’d asked her to go on a walk. It didn’t matter, though. She knew things were going to get weirder soon enough. Might as well be the one to get it started.

  Chapter Two

  Alex was making her way back to her dorm room through the Nest when she felt something tugging on the back of her mind. It was like having a word on the tip of your tongue; you knew it was there, but you didn’t know why or how.

  She had a rough idea of what that feeling was. She had felt it a couple of times since she’d arrived at the Nest. It wasn’t something she usually had time to focus on, but it had continued happening. It was similar to how she felt when she was close to Chine.

  Alex decided she would go to her room later. She would head to the stables now instead.

  It didn’t take long for Alex to find the stables, even with the Nest’s halls constantly shifting and changing. Sometimes Alex wondered if the Nest was trying to make her life easier or harder. She still hadn’t gotten lost, so maybe it didn’t matter.

  Alex stood before the entrance to the stables. She held out her hand, and the crystals provided her with the datapad. She pressed her hand to it and the doors split open, revealing the stables.

  The lights instantly came on when Alex stepped into the room. This was the first time she had been in there by herself. Obviously, it wasn’t a big deal since her credentials had worked without a problem. Alex made a mental note to start stopping by here more often. When everyone was gone, the stables were pretty calming.

  Alex walked up and down the rows of dragon-outfitting stations. From what she had seen the last time she was here, the dragons used the areas above their stations as beds. The ceiling of the stables opened to the sky, so the dragons could come and go as they pleased.

  There weren’t any signs on the outfitting stations saying which dragon used which one. Maybe they were all interchangeable, or maybe the dragons didn’t need to be told what to do.

  Alex reached out to Chine with her mind. Hey, Chine, are you in here?

  The response hit Alex like a truck. This was probably the first time that she heard Chine alone before. Usually, they were surrounded by others. That probably did something to dampen the effect of Chine’s psychic abilities.

  You heard me calling!

  Yeah, I heard you from halfway across the Nest.

  I do have a loud voice, but I wanted to speak to you. Continue on your path and you will find me.

  Alex did as she was instructed and followed the winding path until she came to a station she knew Chine was in. His tail curled around him and his wings relaxed, Chine was lying on what looked like a bed of leaves and flowers.

  Chine looked at Alex, his eyes sharp and bright. You should come up here.

  Alex didn’t need to be asked twice. She climbed onto the platform and stood near the wall, uncertain of how close she should get to the dragon. Even though she had ridden Chine a handful of times, this felt very different. What did you want to talk to me about?

  Chine rolled over lazily and huffed out a column of smoke from his nostrils. There wasn’t anything I wanted to talk to you about. I just wanted to talk to you.

  Oh, that’s different.

  How so? Do humans always have to have a reason to talk to each other? A pressing subject on their mind?

  Alex shrugged as she stepped farther into the dragon’s sleeping area.

  Not really. But usually, when someone says they want to talk, it’s about something specific. A problem or something.

  Ah. I can drum up a problem if you want. I can be quite critical.

  Alex raised her hands and shook her head.

  No, no, no. You don’t have to do that. We can just talk.

  Come here and sit with me.

  Chine lifted one of his wings, and Alex could see there was a nice spot to sit directly beneath it. She gingerly made her way over to her dragon, suddenly aware of how large and deadly he was, and sat beside him. Chine relaxed his wing, and it covered Alex the way a friend might put their arm over your shoulder.

  Chine’s wings didn’t feel as leathery as they looked. They were covered in small scales. The dragon was very warm, and Alex felt like she was under a blanket.

  Is this what you do all day?

  Chine looked at Alex, his eyes sharp. Alex wasn’t sure how to read them yet.

  Not usually. The rest of the dragons are out at the moment. I thought it would be nice to have some time to myself, away from them.

  I was going to stay in bed all day, too.

  Alex, you don’t seem very
comfortable right now. Why is that?

  Alex looked down at her hands, which she had clasped, unknowingly cracking her knuckles in turn.

  How did you know?

  We are bound together. There are many things we will know about each other, but I don’t need to be a psychic to see you fidgeting.

  It’s not that I’m uncomfortable. It’s just…I don’t know; this is all very different than in VR. It’s not unnerving, it’s…it’s all new. And it makes me feel like I might be doing something wrong.

  Chine leaned forward and gently rested his chin on the top of Alex’s head.

  It takes time to get comfortable with the binding, even more so for those who played VR. I believe your dragons in the game are silent. Mere steeds. Dumber than horses, correct?

  Alex bashfully looked away, ashamed she had expected Chine to be like that. Yeah, pretty much.

  It only makes sense you would feel confused by riding a talking, thinking creature you have a telepathic link with.

  When you put it that way, I don’t feel nearly as dumb.

  Exactly, Dustling. You have high standards. Perhaps don’t hold yourself to them so strictly.

  Alex relaxed a little bit and leaned against Chine. She had assumed the relationship between her and her dragon was going to be like having a pet, not a mentor.

  Not a mentor, said Chine, an equal. We are one and the same.

  A plume of smoke shot out of Chine’s nostrils as he sighed. He took a huge, heaving breath that threw Alex off balance as she leaned against him. She could feel his heart beating through his chest. It felt nice, and it felt like they were closer.

  So, what do you do all day? Alex asked.

  Chine sat up and looked at the dragons waltzing with the clouds in the sky.

  I usually think. There is much to ponder in the universe, and I am still young, and without the knowledge of my kind. It leaves much to the imagination.

  What do you mean, the knowledge of your kind?

  We dragons were raised here, away from the rest of our species. We did not receive the ancestral stories and legends, or the wisdom of our parents. It is a painful loss and yet a beautiful gain, for we are almost like the first dragons. We are free of our past to become ourselves.

  Chine stood and stretched his wings.

  My wisdom and that of my brothers and sisters is ours alone and no one else’s. There is pride in that.

  Chine was still staring at the sky.

  Do you want to go for a ride?

  Alex’s heart leaped in her chest. She still didn’t know the proper way to approach Chine about riding, but the dragons must love flying on their own. Alex was fairly certain none of the dragons flying above them had any riders.

  Sure, I would love to!

  Then let us go.

  Alex jumped onto Chine’s back and linked her dragon anchor to the collar around his neck. They both glowed the same color, then Chine leaned back on his hind legs, flapped his wings, and soared into the air.

  The wind cut Alex’s face, and she raised her HUD visor to cut back some of the light coming off of the sun. This was why she was a dragonrider—for each and every moment like this.

  Alex got back a little bit after dinner. She went straight to the mess hall to see what was left over. She had forgotten the hall was magical and food was always stocked, hot or cold, depending on what you wanted. There was no line, so she piled on whatever she wanted. She was feeling adventurous today. Her heart was still racing from the ride she had gone on with Chine.

  The two of them had floated high above the clouds and just coasted. They didn’t speak. They’d watched the dragons dance beneath them and the clouds move across the sky. She had no idea how long she was up there. The only reason they’d left was that Chine wanted to take a nap before they got fitted for new equipment.

  Alex had completely forgotten about the fitting and the mission Myrddin had assigned the new dragonrider team, having been caught up in the prospect of a full weekend off. Now taking a weekend for themselves made sense. Myrddin was probably just letting them catch their breath before they shipped out.

  The mission Myrddin had explained sounded simple enough—provide backup for the mech riders while they transported minerals to craft weapons out of. Alex assumed the mission would be anything but simple, though, since Myrddin had made coming to the Wasp’s Nest sound simple.

  If the mech riders weren’t capable of performing this mission on their own and needed backup, that probably meant Myrddin was expecting problems. Or he could just be setting the new team Boundless up with an easy win, something to grow their egos and knowledge. Who threw a bunch of newbs into the deep end?

  Alex heard noises where the line usually was. She leaned over to see what was making the sounds.

  Brath was getting food and something to drink. He walked closer and stopped when he saw Alex. Then he came over and put his tray on the table next to her. “Hey,” he grumbled.

  Alex, surprised that Brath had sat beside her, replied, “Hey.”

  Suddenly Brath groaned loudly and slammed his hands on the table while he blushed bright red.

  “All right, all right, you don’t have to drag it out of me by giving me the silent treatment,” he exclaimed. “I hate doing stuff like this, all right? Hate it. So, I’m only doing it because I mean it. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “I’m sorry for being such a turd about you not being able to see and throwing you on the spot and junk and making you feel terrible. Okay? Do you feel better now?”

  Alex had to hold in the laugh threatening to break out and spoil the sincerity of Brath’s apology. “Yes,” she said quickly. “Much better. And I appreciate the apology.”

  “All right, great.”

  Brath started eating and didn’t look up again. He sped through his meal. When he finished, he stood and said, “And Gill likes you. He’s not going to tell you, but he does. So, don’t be a dick to him and break his heart or anything, all right?”

  Then Brath said something quickly in Gnomish, spun in a circle once, and bowed before sprinting out of the mess hall.

  Alex was left confused and annoyed. Why did he have to go and ruin a great moment by telling me about Gill? she thought. Ignorance is supposed to be bliss.

  Later in the evening, Alex was sitting on her bed, scrolling through a book titled A List of Abnormal Uses for Dragon’s Blood. She thought the book was gruesome, but it had captured her attention.

  Jollies opened the door and flew inside, then sat down at her desk and started writing.

  Alex looked up from her book, trying not to make it obvious she was interested in what Jollies was doing. But the pixie was too small, and Alex couldn’t see over her shoulder. “Hey, you didn’t bring back any food this time?” she asked.

  Jollies threw a glance over her shoulder and smiled at her roommate. “I ate in the Hall,” she said. “I was too excited. A letter from my parents came today, and I wanted to write back before we leave. Just in case we don’t have time, you know?”

  Alex’s heart twinged. She still hadn’t heard back from her parents. She wasn’t sure if they had received her message, or if they just hadn’t bothered responding. Deep down, Alex knew there had to be a good reason for her parents not to have messaged back. It wasn’t like some unspoken terrible thing had happened between the three of them.

  If Alex was honest with herself, she would think her parents were probably just too overworked to have figured out the technological part of messaging her. She remembered when she’d overheard her folks trying to figure out how to use Skype. She had wished she was deaf that day.

  Jollies picked up her letter, sealed it in an envelope, and flew out of the room. She came back in a couple of seconds and flew up to Alex’s face. “I told them all about you and how you’re such a great roommate, and really fun, and super brave, and really, really, hot, and how we’re becoming best friends but you’re kind of standoffish like you’re afraid of getting hurt b
ut still really sincere.”

  Alex was taken aback by the revelation, but she tried to roll with it. “Wait, you told them I’m hot?” Alex asked.

  “Uh, yeah, obviously. It’s an important piece of information.”

  “And all that other stuff? You know, like about me being standoffish. You think that is true?”

  Jollies perched on Alex’s shoulder and stretched her arms. “It could be, but I’m a pixie and you’re a human, so there’s some stuff lost in translation,” she admitted. “Honestly, most everyone but fairies or pixies seem standoffish to me. At least you aren’t as bad as the gnomes.”

  “Yeah, I hear you on that.”

  “Talking to Brath is like trying to get a wall to develop a personality, then teaching the wall how to talk. But that’s a teenage gnome boy for you. You almost ready to get fitted?”

  Alex got out of bed and flipped her HUD up. “Yeah, almost. I’ve been dreading this all day. Last time I got fitted, I almost attacked Primrose,” Alex said, then fell silent.

  Primrose’s death had slipped Alex’s mind. For a second, she had completely forgotten about all the casualties from just a few days before. So many had died. Primrose was the only one Alex had known personally and, even then, she had only known her for a short while.

  It still hurt like hell to remember Primrose’s beautiful face, half-smiling, looking so content, lying in that casket. That death was entirely down to the Dark One.

  Jollies must have just remembered as well. Her glowing skin had faded to gray, almost black. When she looked up at Alex, there were tears pouring from her eyes. “Funny, it only takes a couple of days of not stressing out to forget,” the pixie said with a hiccup.

  Alex tipped up Jollies’ chin and shook her head. “No, it’s not that,” she said. “They’re still in our hearts. We’ve just been…remembering we’re alive. Life isn’t back to normal yet. This weekend has given us a little time to pretend things are okay.”

  Jollies squeezed Alex’s finger and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” she agreed. “We should probably get going and get fitted, though. Whoever it is probably won’t be nearly as sweet as Primrose was.”