have found it easy to relax and enjoy the final rush and running stop but for the pain throughout his
body. As they came to a halt, he groaned and immediately eased his right leg over to join his left so that he could slide gently down to the ground.
Reaching up, he grabbed the water carrier from where it was hooked onto the saddle. It was a hot afternoon down here at ground level. The sun was making its descent towards the horizon, but the
ground was still radiating the heat it had soaked up during the afternoon and Pell felt sweat begin to trickle down his back from the moment he dismounted. He took a long swig from the carrier and
replaced the stopper before shedding his jacket and over-trousers.
He squinted at the reddening sun. Dusk would not linger tonight. He did not have long to build any sort of shelter. Just the thought of work brought another groan to his lips.
‘Don’t worry, Pell. I’ll shelter you tonight. If I curl up into a circle, you can sleep in the middle under my wing. You can’t have a fire there, but you should be
warm enough. My body will provide sufficient heat.’
‘Thank you, Shadow,’
he replied aloud. He leaned against her side and rested his cheek against her scales.
‘Thank you so much.’
It was unnecessary to say more. Shadow knew his thoughts. She could sense his feelings of love and gratitude. He stayed close for a few seconds before pushing himself upright and stumbling
across to the stream to see what the water was like.
Walking was agony. Spikes of pain originated all up his back. His legs felt weak and the muscles in both his legs and arms burned as if he had overused them, though he had done little other than
sit in the saddle.
He reached the stream. The water was shallow, fast running and clean. He took another swig from his water carrier and then knelt down next to the brook and laid it with the open neck into the
flow. It filled quickly and he tasted from it again. The fresh water was cool and refreshing, but rather than making him feel more awake it pushed him closer towards sleep.
All of a sudden he began to feel dizzy. Jamming the stopper into the carrier, he staggered to his feet and took a few crazy steps back towards Shadow. The dragon blurred and the world spun out
of control. He was falling, or was he? He could no longer tell.
He did not feel the impact of the ground. Nor did he notice his dragon approach and encircle him with her body. The sun dived below the horizon and dusk gave way to night. Shadow tried touching
his mind with hers a few times, but he was totally unresponsive. If she had not been familiar with the feel of Pell’s mind when he was in deep sleep, she might have panicked, but she could
tell his unconscious state was due to exhaustion rather than as a result of his injuries. He pushed himself hard. She respected that, but she knew she would need to watch him closely, or risk
losing him for ever.
‘I didn’t wait centuries to have you burn out in a few short seasons, Pell. Sleep,’
she ordered him.
‘Sleep well, dragonrider. The orb will wait a little
longer.’
For the next few days Shadow flew faster than she had ever flown before. Not because she felt driven by the Oracle’s quest, but because she knew it would minimise her rider’s need to
spend time in the saddle. With mighty sweeps of her great wings she drove them at a tremendous pace over Eastern Orupee, across the sea to Isaa and on towards the great mountain range that
harboured the enclave of the night dragons. Pell was grateful for every rest stop that Shadow made. There was an unspoken understanding between them. The pace when they were airborne was furious,
and even resting at night had a similarly intense air about it.
Day by day Pell’s strength improved until he regained enough stamina to manage longer spells in the air. By the time they came within sight of the home range of the night dragons, he had
lost all sense of time. They might have been
body. As they came to a halt, he groaned and immediately eased his right leg over to join his left so that he could slide gently down to the ground.
Reaching up, he grabbed the water carrier from where it was hooked onto the saddle. It was a hot afternoon down here at ground level. The sun was making its descent towards the horizon, but the
ground was still radiating the heat it had soaked up during the afternoon and Pell felt sweat begin to trickle down his back from the moment he dismounted. He took a long swig from the carrier and
replaced the stopper before shedding his jacket and over-trousers.
He squinted at the reddening sun. Dusk would not linger tonight. He did not have long to build any sort of shelter. Just the thought of work brought another groan to his lips.
‘Don’t worry, Pell. I’ll shelter you tonight. If I curl up into a circle, you can sleep in the middle under my wing. You can’t have a fire there, but you should be
warm enough. My body will provide sufficient heat.’
‘Thank you, Shadow,’
he replied aloud. He leaned against her side and rested his cheek against her scales.
‘Thank you so much.’
It was unnecessary to say more. Shadow knew his thoughts. She could sense his feelings of love and gratitude. He stayed close for a few seconds before pushing himself upright and stumbling
across to the stream to see what the water was like.
Walking was agony. Spikes of pain originated all up his back. His legs felt weak and the muscles in both his legs and arms burned as if he had overused them, though he had done little other than
sit in the saddle.
He reached the stream. The water was shallow, fast running and clean. He took another swig from his water carrier and then knelt down next to the brook and laid it with the open neck into the
flow. It filled quickly and he tasted from it again. The fresh water was cool and refreshing, but rather than making him feel more awake it pushed him closer towards sleep.
All of a sudden he began to feel dizzy. Jamming the stopper into the carrier, he staggered to his feet and took a few crazy steps back towards Shadow. The dragon blurred and the world spun out
of control. He was falling, or was he? He could no longer tell.
He did not feel the impact of the ground. Nor did he notice his dragon approach and encircle him with her body. The sun dived below the horizon and dusk gave way to night. Shadow tried touching
his mind with hers a few times, but he was totally unresponsive. If she had not been familiar with the feel of Pell’s mind when he was in deep sleep, she might have panicked, but she could
tell his unconscious state was due to exhaustion rather than as a result of his injuries. He pushed himself hard. She respected that, but she knew she would need to watch him closely, or risk
losing him for ever.
‘I didn’t wait centuries to have you burn out in a few short seasons, Pell. Sleep,’
she ordered him.
‘Sleep well, dragonrider. The orb will wait a little
longer.’
For the next few days Shadow flew faster than she had ever flown before. Not because she felt driven by the Oracle’s quest, but because she knew it would minimise her rider’s need to
spend time in the saddle. With mighty sweeps of her great wings she drove them at a tremendous pace over Eastern Orupee, across the sea to Isaa and on towards the great mountain range that
harboured the enclave of the night dragons. Pell was grateful for every rest stop that Shadow made. There was an unspoken understanding between them. The pace when they were airborne was furious,
and even resting at night had a similarly intense air about it.
Day by day Pell’s strength improved until he regained enough stamina to manage longer spells in the air. By the time they came within sight of the home range of the night dragons, he had
lost all sense of time. They might have been
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