Despite their presence, Anders and Max were not invited into the tent where the Rollo Island leaders were discussing their next plan of action. Instead they went to set up their own campsite near the edge of the cluster of warrior tents. The size of the camp rivaled the size of most towns in Westland. Anders remembered reading in a book in Theodor’s library that in the Rollos’ culture anyone brave enough to fight was allowed to join the warriors. He passed men, women, and even children as he and Max walked across the sprawling camp. The youngest child looked to be about fourteen years old. Anders greatly respected the women who’d come on their journey. He did worry that the youngest of the children were too young to see battle and could possibly be a hindrance in a fight.

After Max and Anders set up a spot for themselves, they wandered through camp in search of food. Many fires blazed, most smelled of roasted meat. They joined in with a group who were handing slices of lamb cooked over a spit roast. Anders introduced himself and sat down to soak up the warmth of their fire. Max and Anders enjoyed the savory meat.

Anders struck up a conversation with a woman sitting next to them. She introduced herself as Britt. “I was surprised to see such young warriors with your party,” Anders said to her through a mouthful of lamb.

“It’s common in our culture to go on your first war party when you’re very young,” Britt replied, the thick Rolloan accent Anders’ had grown accustomed to from listening to Red was nearly absent in her speech. “Most of us have seen battle by the time we’re fourteen. I went on my first raid when I was thirteen,” she added proudly.

“Weren’t you scared?” Anders asked her, imagining what he would have felt going off to fight strangers to the death when he was only thirteen years old.

“Fear is something that we do not see in battle,” she said strongly. “It is the greatest honor for our people to die in the glory of battle. We do not fear death in battle; we welcome it.”

Anders was shocked at this thought. “Why is that?” he asked.

“If you fight hard and prove yourself to be a brave warrior and die in battle,” she said, “the spirit within your body will leave this world and join the spirits of others of our people who have gone before us. All of the finest foods are waiting in a giant feast when your spirit arrives at the Great Hall. A giant goat sits at the head of the table and its udders produce endless amounts of brew…” she trailed off smiling up into the night’s sky. “If you live your life as a brave warrior you will be granted a seat at the table. If you cower from battle or fear being killed in battle, then you will be damned for eternity and spend your afterlife wandering the endless skies outside the Great Hall’s gates, starving and thirsty, but never able to die from starvation or dehydration. That is why we don’t fear death in battle, it’s far worse to die afraid.”

Anders thought the feast and endless brew didn’t sound that bad. “That is pretty amazing,” he said and turned to Max. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah. The great hall sounds like somewhere I could spend an eternity,” he said jokingly.

Anders and Max thanked Britt and the others for their hospitality and walked back to their campsite.

“That whole not being afraid to die in battle thing is nuts,” Max said when they reached their campsite. “Do they really think that being killed in battle is the best way to die?”

Anders shrugged, “It could be an effective way to form a mindset for some people to be fearless in battle, even in the face of overwhelming odds.”

“I want to die old and in my sleep,” Max said. “Preferably next to a beautiful woman.”

“That sounds like a better way to go than being sliced open by a sword,” Anders said, settling into his blanket at their campsite.

“Yeah, that is much better,” Max mumbled as he closed his eyes with a grin across his face.

Anders was extremely tired from his lack of sleep the night before and then traveling all day, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his encounter with the young dragon. He decided to wait until Max was sound asleep and then go for another walk. Maybe the dragon would find him again. Anders wanted to feel the warming sensation the dragon gave him once more. He was desperate enough to wander away from camp to have a chance at finding it again.

He dozed in fits, nodding off to sleep and catching himself before he was all of the way out. He again stared up at the washed out stars hoping the attempt to find constellations he knew would keep him awake. He found himself thinking back to the girl from the competition again, Maija. He replayed their kiss again in his mind. Just then he heard a rustling in the grass nearby.

There isn’t any wind tonight.Maybe the dragon is letting me know that the coast is clear to come and meet with it, he hoped.

For the second time in as many nights, Anders slowly climbed out of his makeshift bed. He could tell from the quiet snoring that Max was asleep, so he snuck off into the tall grass toward the rustling sound.

He heard it again and moved closer. When he saw what it was, he dropped down out of sight. It wasn’t the dragon. It was Ivan.

I knew there was something weird about him being up in the middle of the night, he thought.

Surely if he was going to the bathroom, as Max suggested he was doing the night before, he would have stayed closer to camp. Anders made sure to keep his distance, but kept a visual on where Ivan was going. He followed him as he continued away from camp. Anders hoped that the number of people in the camp would be too overwhelming for Ivan to sense Anders trailing behind him. From a distance, Anders watched as Ivan walked to a pile of boulders scattered on a small hill.

Ivan crouched down behind a rock and pulled something small from his coat pocket. A bright light shone, illuminating his silhouette against the darkened night. Ivan began to talk to it. He was too far away for Anders to hear what he was saying, and after the last time he spied on Ivan having a secret conversation, Anders decided it was best not to listen in on whatever he was doing.

Instead, Anders decided to take a different route back to camp. He didn’t want Ivan to catch him out of bed again on his way back to camp. He made sure to stay low out of sight, creeping toward the beach through the tall grass. He wondered if he should continue to look for the dragon. Anders decided to find a place to sit and watch the waves. The last time the dragon found him, he was enjoying his natural surroundings. Solomon told him dragons could sense things in people and thought if he did it again, perhaps the dragon would return.

He walked until he could no longer see the glow of the campfires still burning along the beach. The sound of the crashing waves reminded him of being back at home at Highborn Bay. He found the repetition of the waves relaxing. He sat down on a log to enjoy the peacefulness of the coast. Looking down, he noticed baby sea turtles on the other side of the log crawling out of the sand. He smiled as he watched them use their paddle-like flippers to push themselves through the sand to the ocean’s breaking waves. Anders had never seen this phenomenon before. He felt happy seeing the baby turtles make it from their nest all the way to the water, where they could begin their life’s journey.

As he watched the last of the hatchlings crawl out from behind the log, he heard a swooshing noise behind him. He swiveled around to see the dragon gliding just above the ground, coming straight for him. He ducked behind the log, but the dragon made a soft landing next him instead of swooping over his head. Anders peeked out from behind the log and saw the majestic creature sitting back on its hindquarters and looking down at him with purple eyes.

Feeling a little bit foolish, he propped himself back up on the log. He looked over to the dragon. It watched him intently. Anders reached his arm out slowly toward the dragon. It bowed its head to meet his hand. He rubbed its forehead and the dragon purred. He felt the warmth of the dragon coursing like liquid fire into his veins. The feeling was electrifying and charged his body in a way he’d never known possible. It brought a newfound sense of rejuvenation to him, making him feel as full of energy as he’d ever felt in his entire life. Then he heard a voice come from the dragon. It was feminine, gentle and kind-hearted.

I followed you from the edge of the forest all the way to this beach, she said. Anders could hear the voice in his ears yet the dragon’s mouth didn’t move.

“How are you doing that?” Anders asked.

Well, I made sure not to leave until your group was far out of sight… she began.

Anders interrupted, “No, I mean talking to me. I can hear your voice, but I don’t see your lips moving.”

Oh, said the dragon. I can’t use my mouth to make words like you humans, but I can use my mind to make you hear what I have to say.

“That’s amazing,” Anders said.

Thank you, the dragon said, and purred.

“Why did you follow me?” Anders asked.

When I first saw you walking along the edge of the trees, I noticed something within you that I have not seen before. You were completely in love with what was around you. I could feel your love for the earth and nature, so I followed you. I was so drawn to you that something within me made me show myself to you, the dragon said. When my body did that, I got a little scared. Your love for nature seemed to disappear when you first saw me. I wasn’t quite sure, but I trusted my instincts and when we touched it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before, almost electrifying, but filling me with a strength I’ve never had.”

“You felt that too?” Anders exclaimed! The dragon nodded.

When I heard the other members of your group trying to reach you, I decided to leave. I haven’t had any close encounters with humans before. The humans I have seen were different. They did not exhibit the same love for nature that I felt when I saw you. Anyway, I was so curious about the warm feeling I felt when we touched that I had to follow you. When I saw you come down here to the beach, I decided that I would come and properly introduce myself. The dragon sat up tall and said, My name is Zahara. What’s yours?

“I am Anders,” he said looking up the dragon. “Judging by the sound of your voice, you’re female?” Anders said, hoping this wouldn’t offend her.

That is correct. I am a girl, Zahara said.

“I don’t mean to pry, but there’s so much I’d like to ask you. From what I was told as a child, I thought dragons would be much bigger,” Anders said.

Zahara laughed, That’s true that members of my species can grow to enormous sizes, but I’m not yet fully grown. I’m only two years old.

Anders was surprised to find out that such a young creature could be so intelligent. “What are you doing this far from Nagano? That is what your homeland is called, isn’t it?” he asked.

Yes, Nagano is home to us dragons, she said. I got separated from my group. I’ve been searching for them, but this land is all new to me and actually I’m very lost.

“How did you happen to become separated?”

We were flying away from our home because a human my elders called ‘the destroyer’ came to Nagano on the back of a black dragon. The destroyer summoned forth anyone who’d aligned with him several decades ago. When nobody answered his summoning, he began killing and torturing those who wouldn’t answer his call to action. It wasn’t safe for us to live there so we left to find the elves and stay in their realm, but a storm arose out of nowhere. My wings weren’t strong enough to keep up with the group. I have never met an elf, so I didn’t know where to look. I just began to wander, trying to keep out of sight while I searched for my family, she said.

“How terrible. I think I might know someone who could help you. He has stayed with the elves before.”

You mean the man you were following through the tall grass? she asked.

“Yes, his name is Ivan.”