“Is that it?” Anders said, pointing to the towering mountain.

Ivan nodded.

“It’s beautiful,” he said in awe of the majesties of the mountain. As they flew closer, Anders noticed livestock grazing along the mountain’s base and felt something inside him, much like the stomach pain of an irresistible hunger. He took a closer look, squinting to see tiny white critters scattered along the hillside.

Zahara, Anders said.

Yes, Anders, Zahara replied, trying to make her thoughts feel innocent.

Are those the little white creatures you so blissfully enjoyed eating earlier? he asked. He didn’t need to hear her response. He could feel it within her and knew these were the sheep she’d eaten earlier that day.

I don’t think the dwarfs will appreciate you eating their sheep, Anders scolded her.

I didn’t know they belonged to anyone, she said trying to come up with a good excuse.

We’ll just have to hope they don’t know it was a dragon that ate them, he said.

Zahara circled over the mountain several times. Anders noticed more than one walled entrance into the mountain. Even from the air, he could tell that they were designed and built with great skill and detail. He marveled at the masonry the dwarfs used to craft their city and kingdom under a mountain.

“What do they look like?” Anders asked, turning on his seat to address Ivan.

“You don’t know what a dwarf looks like?” Ivan asked surprised.

“I know they’re shorter than the average human, but that’s about it,” Anders said.

“They’re indeed shorter than a human,” Ivan replied. “They’re stout people and many of the men have great beards,” Ivan said, motioning a long extension below his chin. “Their women are stout as well, but fair nonetheless. I have seen many beautiful young dwarf women in my years. They come in all manner of race, just as humans or elves, and they’re emotional creatures just like we are,” he added.

“Have you spent much time with them?” Anders asked.

“I have,” Ivan said. “You will, too, I expect.”

“How so?” Anders asked.

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” Ivan said.

Once they’d circled Mount Orena a couple of times, Zahara headed back toward the pass through the mountains the elves would follow through the forest.

“So, when do I begin my training?” Anders asked later as they flew through the night sky.

“When we get back to Cedarbridge, we’ll begin as soon as possible,” Ivan said. “But first, we’ll need to fit you with a proper saddle,” he shifted uncomfortably on Zahara.

“They make saddles for dragons?” Anders asked, intrigued by the idea.

“Yes, the saddles allow the rider to stay on the dragon’s back during aerial maneuvers. The fit is comfortable for both the dragon and the rider. You’ll be crafted one once we land in the elven capital.”

Anders thought in silence, wondering how the rigging of a dragon saddle would fit best around Zahara’s body. He kept imagining the saddle sliding back as it often did on a horse when fitted too loosely.

Ivan broke the long silence, “Did you notice anything strange about any of the elves?”

The question caught Anders by surprise and his thoughts turned to curiosity, “What do you mean by strange? Like how you were acting before the orcs attacked in Glacial Melt Bays?” He didn’t mean the words to come out as harshly as they sounded, but Anders was still feeling slighted by Ivan’s secrecy about the orcs.

“No,” Ivan said. “I mean, did you get any sort of feeling or vibe?”

“About betraying us before the battle and alerting Merglan of the riders’ presence?” Anders asked.

“Yes,” Ivan replied. “The reason I ask is that you had a vision of Natalia before we even went looking for her. I just thought you might have noticed one of the elves who leaked information about our planned attack.”

Anders wracked his memory for anything strange from any of the elves. “No,” he said eventually. “So, you think it was one of the elves who betrayed us?”

“Well, Merglan does have the ability to sense people coming. I know he’s capable of using his abilities more powerfully than any sorcerer in history, so it’s possible he was aware of our movements and always knew we were coming. However, I’m not convinced that’s the case. I think someone was sending messages to him of our movements. I’m not sure who it could have been though since most of what we did was in privacy,” Ivan said.

“You’re not suggesting someone inside the fortress was leaking information to him, because if you are, Maija was taken prisoner just like the others. She was in Grandwood during the games and didn’t have any knowledge of the attack. She didn’t even know she was an elf, so how could she be the source?” Anders said defensively.

“I didn’t mention anything about Maija. I know she was taken and held captive against her will and didn’t know of her elven past until recently. I wasn’t suggesting it could be her. All I’m saying is that it’s strange how Merglan knew the elves were coming.”

“Oh, sorry,” Anders said slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t notice anything odd, but I also didn’t spend much time with any of them individually. The only one I actually spent any time with was Nadir. I feel he truly wants peace in Kartania, so it doesn’t make sense that he would betray us. Besides, what could he possibly gain from giving Merglan information?” Anders spoke with conviction.

Ivan seemed to ponder the possibility of Nadir going to Merglan with the information. As Zahara flew above the mountain pass, Anders could see by starlight glimpses of Maija, Natalia and Nadir running at a rapid rate. Anders asked, “What will Maija be doing in Cedarbridge while we train?”

“Maija’s family history is a complex one,” Ivan said. “Natalia will be helping her to restore her memory if it’s at all possible.”

“What’s so complex about her family? Is it because both her parents were riders? Does that mean she will become a rider, too?”

Ivan thought carefully about how to phrase his response, “If multiple family members become dragon-bonded, then it’s likely other family members will become bonded too. It’s mostly a testament to their character and moral values, not genetics. But since she was absent from her family for so long and for so much of her childhood, it’s likely Maija’s not much like her parents and more like the people she thought were her grandparents.”

“That’s very interesting,” Anders thought. “Was anyone in my family bonded with dragons?” he asked, hoping Ivan could add to his scant knowledge of his ancestors and even his parents.

When Ivan didn’t say anything for a moment, Anders began to think he hadn’t heard him, so he opened his mouth to speak again just as Ivan responded, “I’m not sure, Anders.”

He thought it slightly odd that Ivan took so long to answer, but brushed it off knowing that Ivan had the betrayal on his mind.

“I was hoping you could answer something else that has been bothering me,” Anders asked.

“More about your family, I suppose?” Ivan mumbled.

“No. Actually, it’s about how some of the elves could use magic, but they don’t have dragons. Like the healers that helped heal Natalia’s legs.”

“Most sorcerers who are bonded with dragons develop a specialty in a style of magic they can do best. For me, it was sensing where people were in relation to myself. For some, it is battle magic and for others healing.”

“Will I have a specialty?” Anders asked.

“You most likely will,” Ivan replied. “Usually it will present itself when you’ve had more opportunities to use magic. You’ll get a feel for which magic comes to you more easily.”

“So all those elves had dragons they were bonded with at one point in their lives. I would assume if the dragons were still alive, they would’ve joined in the fight?” Anders asked.

“Yes,” Ivan said. “Merglan caused a great deal of devastation in the population of those bonded with dragons. Likewise, there are solo dragons. Remember all those dragons we saw when Zahara was reunited with her family?” Ivan asked.

Anders nodded.