“I just hope I can absorb it all as quickly as they need me to,” he said with a tinge of worry. “It doesn’t seem like we’ll have much time before Zahara and I will need to face Merglan head on.”

“I don’t envy you, Anders,” Maija replied leaning back on her elbows against the grassy hill.

Anders laughed, “I don’t either, Maija. I didn’t ask for any of this to happen. It just has. I’m not sure the path I’m following is meant for me. I feel like I’m the least qualified person to have been handed this responsibility.”

Zahara circled above them spiraling lower with each turn, eventually landing softly on the grass next to them.

In his peripheral vision, Anders could see Maija observing him as he did her earlier. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder as she whispered, “I wish we could go back to the first time we met and stay there for a while longer.”

Anders met her brown eyes, streaked with golden brown flares, and said, “Me, too. Me, too.”

“Did you find something to eat?” Anders asked Zahara as she sat down behind them. He spoke aloud so Maija could hear their conversation.

Yes, I did, she replied, switching to their telepathic link. There was this lovely flock of white furry creatures just down the mountain range. They were the most satisfying meal I’ve had in my life. She then let out a belch that included a puffed ring of smoke. Her forked tongue swiped across her razor-sharp teeth. Purring, she added, They almost taste as good coming back out as they do going in.

Anders and Maija rolled on the ground laughing.

“Oh, Zahara,” Maija said. “You’re so funny.”

Zahara cocked her head sideways and looked at Anders, Ivan’s telling us to get ready to leave. The elves are about to begin their return home.

Anders sat up, “I guess it’s time to face reality.”

“One more minute,” Maija said pulling Anders back down to the ground.

“Okay,” he said feeling the surprising strength of her grip.

They wrapped each other in their arms, holding one another close and feeling the warmth of their bodies against the oncoming evening.

Anders could see the elf horde beginning to move across the valley toward the mountains, “We’d better catch them. They’re leaving now.”

Anders and Maija ran down the hill toward Ivan and the others who’d remained behind waiting. Zahara glided low to the ground next to them as they ran. Maija seemed to be maintaining a faster pace than Anders with ease.

When they stopped, Anders could see that Ivan, Nadir and Natalia were still waiting for them. Ivan was the first to speak, “Anders, you and I will ride with Zahara. Maija, since you probably haven’t figured out how to run like an elf during your years of living as a human, you will travel with Natalia and Nadir. Natalia’s still recovering from her injuries and will be going much slower than the others. Nadir’s agreed to stay behind and help. Anders, Zahara and I will follow along from the air. If anything should go wrong, Nadir and the three of us will be quick to come to your aid. Is that clear?” Ivan concluded in a commanding tone.

“You want me to run all the way to the Everlight Kingdom?” Maija half shouted in surprise.

“You’re an elf,” Natalia said. “It’s in your blood to be able to sprint and for great distances. Since your memory was wiped and you were living with humans, you weren’t taught the proper way to tap into this skill. I honed this skill as a young adult. Now that I must relearn it, we can go through the steps together.”

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.