Touch of Flame

Ravina woke up to the cold gust of wind on her bare skin. She opened her eyes slowly, greeted by a faint orange light coming through the open door. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her eyes and head hurt as she tried to look outside.

It was sunrise, the sky was colored with hues of orange and gold, and the mountains stood like dark shadows against the beautifully painted canvas. There was also the dark silhouette of a man standing there, just like the first time she came here. He was watching the sunrise, standing completely still. Only his hair moved to the wind.

pa(nd)a no vel With a shiver, she rose from the mattress and made her way to the door, and Malachi turned around slowly. His face was mostly a shadow.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“Good morning,” she smiled, stepping outside.

She walked to place herself where she could see his face and he whirled around, following her with his gaze. The orange light reflected on one side of his face, making his skin glow like the finest bronze. And his eyes were lighter and glowing like honey.

He turned his head, and she followed his gaze to see the birds rising from behind the mountains and also becoming silhouettes against the orange sun. She could hear some of them chirping in the quiet distance.

Ravina went ahead and walked closer to the rail. She looked down at the mountains and what was below, allowing herself to enjoy the view and the calmness of the morning. Malachi came to stand beside her, and they just stood there for a while, eventually sitting on the rail and basking in the morning sun.

“Maybe I should build a small house here,” he spoke.

“That would be beautiful.”

He turned to her with a subtle smile. “Are you not afraid to fall?” He inquired, his gaze drawn to her dangling legs.

From a light push on her back, she’d be falling down mountains, hitting stones and cliffs before meeting her end. She wouldn’t survive such a fall, but she had never been afraid of heights. She was used to them. Falling, was often how she thought of meeting her end and finding peace. She knew it would be painful, but somehow it didn’t feel like it.

She smiled at him. “You would catch me.”

“Isn’t that too much trust?” He raised a brow jokingly.

They looked into each other’s eyes. His eyes were calm. They displayed peace since the day he had cried on her shoulder. They were stable, warm, and honest. She was happy to see him this way, and it made her feel relaxed around him.

“No. I think you faced enough danger to save me.”

His eyes darted, “Well, I put you in danger to begin with.” A frown settled between his brows. “You will always be in danger here.”

Ravina remembered the fates of previous dragon tamers. She forced a smile as Arshan lingered in her mind. “That is my fate,” she said.

The frown on his face deepened.

“So what does it feel like to fly?” She changed the depressing subject looking ahead at the mountains again.

There was so much to know about dragons that she hadn’t had the energy and willingness to ask before.

Malachi looked at the sky as the wind softly blew his hair back. “It feels peaceful. I would sometimes just keep flying.” He turned to her. “I know you don’t like it.”

Well, she wasn’t sure if flying was the same as falling and the only time she flew was when he took her here and that wasn’t pleasant for many other reasons.

“I am not sure I don’t,” she replied.

“Would you like to try?” He asked. “We can start slow,” he added.

She looked at him surprised. Start slow?

“What do you suggest I do?” She wondered because she surely didn’t want to have claws around her, especially since her back was still hurting from the deep wounds.

“Sit on my back,” he said.

She hadn’t thought of that, especially since their scales looked sharp.

“I could… try.”

He studied her face as if to see that she was sure. “Alright. I will shift so don’t be frightened.”

She nodded.

He jumped down from the rail and she kept her eyes glued on him. She wanted to see exactly how he would shift. She had seen him and the messengers shift before but she didn’t pay close attention.

He walked away to create some distance and then just like that, magically he shifted. She couldn’t comprehend how his body turned into this giant beast. Suddenly he covered the sky with his size as his wings spread but it was his head that she found frightening. Those monster teeth that had chewed her father.

Malachi’s dragon form remained still, and so did she. She took a moment to get acquainted with the beast up close before getting up and walking closer.

She approached him carefully, feeling smaller and smaller the closer she came. He could slap her away with his wing or crush her. Not that he needed to be in this form to do it successfully.

His scales were so black and had a glow, almost reflecting the sun’s rays. She reached up to touch the side of his neck. The scales and skin were hard but not sharp as they looked. They wouldn’t cut her. She took her time to touch and feel and he shifted slightly.

“How can I climb?” She asked. He was too big.

Malachi lay out his wing for her. Inside she grabbed him but he scooped her up and helped her climb up on his back. The skin and scales were not the most comfortable surface to sit on. She had to adjust herself so that she wasn’t poked or scratched.

Alright. Now what? She had to grasp something. Could she just grasp the fins on his neck?

She tried to see if he would resist. He did nothing.

“I think I am ready now,” she said.

His wings made a movement and her heart skipped. She looked ahead, ready to experience what joining the birds and clouds would feel like.

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