“I know,” Ivan said. “I strongly believe that Nadir’s not involved.”
“How are we going to convince Asmond?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “We’ll have to catch whoever’s responsible before it’s too late for Nadir.” Ivan sighed, running his hand through his hair. “In the meantime, we need to fast-track Anders and Zahara through this training before we face Merglan again. We’re not prepared to fly out and meet him in open battle just yet.”
“What’s the plan then?” Natalia asked.
“Today we are going to work with the sword and battle strategies. I was going to talk with some of the dragons and see if any of them would help Zahara in her defensive and offensive flying,” he said.
“Good idea, that will force her to cultivate practical experience quickly. Also, could you make inquiries about any dragons possibly being receptive to meeting Maija? Perhaps a dragon here in the Everlight Kingdom will be a good match for her?” Natalia suggested.
“I can check, although several months ago when Nadir inquired about the same thing, there weren’t any who were keen on forming a bond. I’ll have to be delicate about the matter, but I’ll ask. Before I leave, would you and Maija help me set up the sword fighting station?” he asked.
“Of course,” Natalia said. “It will be a good warm-up for Maija’s training.”
“You’ve got me awfully curious what I’ll be doing,” Maija said.
Natalia grinned and rose from the table, leading them out of the hall.
Ivan didn’t stay for long before he set out to seek the help of ex-bonded dragons. The practice stations consisted of wooden platforms in a variety of heights, so setting them up took time. Anders and Zahara had set up the fighting pit the night before, so Maija and Natalia erected several wooden walls to mimic the city or fortress walls they might encounter during a battle or siege. It helped that Natalia’s magical skills remained fresh, though she struggled with many of the placements of the heavy wooden structures.
Shortly after Ivan returned, an enormous dragon with dark green and reddish scales approached. The giant dragon was flanked by two slightly smaller dragons shimmering with green and purple hues.
“Excellent timing,” Natalia, said. “It’s almost lunchtime. After we eat, I’ll set you on your task,” she said turning to Maija.
“What will my task be? So far all we’ve done is set things up for Anders.”
“Do you see this,” Natalia said holding out her hand. A swirl of light formed in her palm, shaping itself into a small falcon. The magical bird glowed with bright light as it moved its head from side to side in a similar jerking motion she’d seen birds do as they tried to look at something in front of them.
“A bird?” Maija asked confused.
“Yes. This is Cora. I conjured her up for you. She exists only as long as I’m able to hold the spell to produce her,” Natalia said.
“That’s neat, but what’s that got to do with me training to be a rider?” Maija asked.
“I want you to take her for the rest of the day after we eat.”
“Okay, but,” Maija began when Natalia suddenly cut her off.
“You want to be a rider?” she asked closing her hand and making Cora disappear in a puff of light.
Maija nodded.
“Then you start here, with this task,” Natalia said. She eyed Maija waiting for another question, but none came.
Walking down into the library, Ivan gathered Anders and Zahara from their studies. Anders and Zahara halted in shock upon seeing the three large dragons in the dining hall. Anders felt Zahara swell with delight. He recognized the two dragons that matched her hue as her parents. Zahara hopped up and glided over to them, greeting them with loud purrs and the rubbing of necks.
“Let me introduce you,” Ivan said as Anders approached the new dragons. “This is Gendavie, the red,” Ivan pointed toward the large dark-colored dragon with reddish highlights. “He’s agreed to help Zahara with her flight training.”
“How do you do, Gendavie? My name is Anders,” he said bowing to the massive dragon, not entirely sure how to address him properly.
Nice to make your acquaintance, the large dragon’s voice sounded in his head. His mental tone was different than Zahara’s light and youthful one. It was low and gravely, like an old man.
“And I believe you have met Sebar and Elebryss, Zahara’s parents,” Ivan said pointing to the other two dragons.
“Only for a moment,” Anders said as he bowed to them. “It’s nice to meet you again as well.”
They bowed their heads slightly but did not acknowledge him with a response.
Anders watched as the four dragons ate a variety of animals on the floor in the corner of the dining hall. He was amazed at how large the red dragon was compared to the others. Gendavie ate nearly three times as much as Zahara. Anders could tell he was trying to act polite in front of them. He was sure if the dragon felt like it, he could devour twice the amount he’d taken and still have room for more.
Rising from the table, Anders followed the others out to the sword training facility they had set up for him. He wished Zahara and Maija good luck as the dragons took flight and Maija ran after the magically fabricated falcon, Cora, who glided from Natalia’s palm to a nearby tree.
After receiving some basic training with the Rollo Islanders and fighting in a couple of battles already, Anders felt he was probably starting out ahead of most beginners, where Maija would soon be. The book he’d been reading before lunch covered many stances and ways to maneuver your body when attacking or to defend against an opponent. Though bookwork wasn’t his favorite, he’d tried to absorb all he could from the literature.
Ivan and Natalia went to work explaining the basics to him again. When they had finished, Anders had Natalia show him how to place the protective layer on his blade so he wouldn’t damage it during their practice.
Natalia and Anders had never sparred, but Natalia’s injuries were still freshly healed so she would have to go easy at the start. They began slowly piecing their way through the stances. She would point out small tips to help him clean up his form as they worked. Gradually they picked up the pace as they began to feel more comfortable with one another. Natalia was far superior in both speed and maneuvering her blade. Her parries and advances were well timed and placed with high accuracy, whereas Anders’ were made of desperation.
During one of their sparring sessions, Natalia was soundly beating Anders. He couldn’t seem to place a single hit on her when suddenly he thought he felt the presence of someone else standing nearby.
Anders dropped his defense, glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone had unexpectedly entered the fight. Natalia slapped him hard in the side with the flat of her blade.
Anders winced, rubbing his shoulder and returning his attention to Natalia.“What was that?” she asked, stepping in for another attack. “You just let me have that one.”
He blocked her jabs, looking behind quickly once more, “Um, I thought there was, ah, something there.”
“Distractions can occur in the field of battle,” she said raising her blade. “You must learn to stay on guard while observing your surroundings.” She lunged at him and he blocked her swings.
