Maija raised an eyebrow questioningly. She looked to Nadir, Ivan, and then to Zahara and Anders.

“You can do it,” Ivan said. “You’ve always had the capability, you just need to learn how to use it.”

Anders shrugged, “If you can’t make it, Zahara and I will give you a ride.”

“I would much rather do that,” she said pointing to Anders and looking at Ivan.

“We don’t have time for this,” Ivan said, frustrated. “You’re just going to have to trust in your abilities. Nadir and Natalia will show you the ropes. Come on Anders, let’s get moving. We need to go over what you’ll be learning once we arrive.”

While Ivan climbed onto Zahara’s back, Maija gave Anders a wide-eyed look. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed to her.

With visibly clenched teeth she let out an ‘ahhh.’

“You can do this,” Anders said, taking her by the hand. “I believe in you.” He smiled, trying to make her feel better, but the worried expression on her face didn’t fade.

“Anders, come now!” Ivan shouted. “Time to go!”

Anders let go of her hands one at a time and said, “Good luck. I’ll be close by if you need anything.” He turned and climbed onto Zahara’s back, sitting between her shoulders in front of Ivan. She pushed off the ground and let her wings carry them high into the cool evening air.

“Maija,” Natalia said, tugging at her sleeve to get her attention as she continued to stare after Anders and Zahara.

Maija pointed to them, shaking her head, “That is so unfair.”

“I know,” Natalia said. “Flying on the back of a dragon is a great privilege, but tonight we’ll be learning to run.”

“Why don’t we begin by seeing what you’ve got based on instincts,” Nadir said, pointing to the group of elves fading into the distance as they ran together into the mountains. “Natalia, follow your sister but do not push it too hard. Your legs could still be susceptible to injury so soon after the healing.”

Natalia nodded, bending into a running stance.

Maija saw her sister preparing to bolt and asked, “Now?”

Nadir nodded while closing his eyes, “Yes, now.”

Maija mimicked her sister, crouching with one foot ahead of the other. She’d rarely tried to see how fast she could run, and even then, she’d only gone as fast as others her age. Even in situations where she could’ve tested her speed, such as when the thief at the Grandwood Games took off with the prize money, she had followed Anders. Perhaps subconsciously she knew that he would catch the man, so she didn’t feel the need to push herself to her limit.

Maija inhaled slowly, drawing the evening air deep into her lungs. Exhaling slowly, she closed her eyes and bowed her head. Then she took off. At first, she took small steps, quickening as she ran forward with her chin still tucked. As she increased her speed, she began to lift her head, eventually looking straight ahead.

Maija ran faster than she’d ever felt she could, but she didn’t think she was going at the speed of the elves. Natalia jogged up alongside her.

Maija glanced at her through the corner of her eye and asked through short gasping breaths, “How are, you? Not tired?”

Natalia replied calmly, “Don’t worry about me, you’re doing great. Just focus on breathing steadily, in and out. Bring the oxygen deep into your lungs, not your stomach, and extend your legs out, expanding your stride.”

Maija faced forward with determination. She did exactly as Natalia suggested. She slowed her breathing with each breath and let her chest expand as the air filled her lungs. She exhaled calmly and slowly, in succinct repetition. Once Maija felt she’d developed a good breathing cadence, she began to focus on her stride. She let her legs extend farther between each stride, stretching them out one step at a time until she felt as though she was bounding like a deer through tall grass. She looked to her side, smiling at her sister, but Natalia was no longer beside her. She was now far behind. Surprised, Maija realized she was running much faster than she had been before.

The cool evening breeze flowing across her warm skin helped her relax into the run. Her heart pounded steadily, and she could feel her body temperature rise as elven blood coursed through her veins. She slowed slightly, letting her older sister catch up.

“That was excellent,” Natalia said as she came alongside again.

“I can’t believe it!” Maija shouted. “That was amazing! What a rush!”

Nadir caught up to them. He’d been watching them both from a distance to monitor their progress. “That was good, Maija,” he said simply. “If you pick your knees up a bit higher, you’ll lengthen your stride even more. Also, don’t forget to push your arms back, raising your elbows behind your core as your run. This will drive your legs to move even faster.”

Maija nodded at his advice.

“Natalia, you’re looking very comfortable. I think you could increase your speed if it feels good. If you have any pain, however, any pain at all, you should slow back down to a more comfortable pace. Pushing yourself too hard could result in permanent injury,” Nadir warned.

“Okay,” Natalia said. “Hey Maija, let’s see if you can keep up.” Natalia took off in front of them at an alarming rate.

Maija attempted to match her sister’s pace. She kept her breathing in control and used what Nadir had told her to drive her knees up. She turned her legs over faster using the pull of her arms. Soon she was right behind Natalia as they sprinted across the valley floor toward the Eastland Mountains.

Coming up on her right side, Maija asked, “How are your legs feeling?”

Natalia replied, “Just fine. I don’t want to push it too hard though, so I’m going to slow down a bit.” She shortened her stride and returned to a fast run. Maija did the same.

Nadir caught up once again, “Natalia that looked great. Smart choice to hold back though. And Maija, nicely done, you seem to be a natural at this. As you run more, you’ll find that there are countless fine details you can work on to improve your speed and stamina, but as a whole, for now, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Maija smiled. She had been so worried about not being capable, but now she wondered why she’d been so nervous; it was just running after all.

They continued to follow the elf army. Due to the army’s slower pace, Maija knew they wouldn’t arrive at Cedarbridge at the same time as Anders. At least they wouldn’t be days behind them, as they would’ve been if they’d had to walk like humans or dwarfs.

Anders had watched as Maija and Natalia started out across the valley. At first, they appeared to run relatively slowly, but suddenly Maija gained speed and was running much faster than Natalia and Nadir. Then Natalia who took off like a bolt of lightning, running as fast as any other elf. To his surprise, Maija responded to the challenge, catching up with Natalia in no time. He laughed seeing the long-lost sisters competing as they neared the mountains.

“It looks like Maija’s figured it out,” he said over his shoulder to Ivan.

Ivan glanced down, “I knew she would. She’s an elf after all. It’s in her blood.”

“Hey, Ivan,” Anders asked, no longer worried about Maija. “There’s something I’d like to see while we’re over here.”

“What’s that?” Ivan asked.

“Nadir told me about the kingdom of the dwarfs and their home within the mountain. He said it’s not far from here. I was wondering if we could see it?”

Ivan didn’t respond right away, pondering the question for a moment. Then he answered, “Yes, Mount Orena is not far. I don’t see why we couldn’t make a few passes over it. That is, as long as Zahara doesn’t mind the extra flight time?”

I don’t mind. I would like to see the dwarf kingdom. That way I’ll know what they look like and won’t take them for enemies or food in the future, she said.

“We might find ourselves making a journey there anyway,” Ivan said.

“What do you mean?” Anders asked.

“With Merglan openly launching attacks again, we’re going to need all the help we can get, and the dwarfs are terribly fierce fighters. We’d be lucky to have them as allies in this war.”

Anders fantasized about meeting dwarfs. He pictured their stone carving, unique masonry, and abundant riches mined from the depths of the earth.

How do I get there? Zahara asked.

Ivan pointed Zahara in the right direction using his mind. They flew farther east over the Eastland Mountains. Nestled among the craggy peaks was a large mountain, its apron spread wide at the base. Lush green fields wrapped around its base like a blanket.