Humming softly, Laurie reached up and ran the palm of his hand down the soft, velvet, muzzle of the dragon -- Loam -- just as Kai had shown him. He smiled as he felt the low vibrations of something similar to a purr rumble through the creature, its bright purple eyes fixed steadily on his as it looked down at him, its long neck dipped so that he could reach. It had wrapped its enormous leathery wings tightly around its body as a defense against the cold. Laurie had still yet to see the dragon in its full glory -- Kai said that dragons did not do well in the cold -- but even without its wingspan, Loam was still by far the biggest creature that he had ever seen. He's read about dragons, of course, seen them soaring high up in the sky, but he had never imagined that they would be as big as this.
And to think that he would soon be riding it...
Laurie giggled and shied away as the forked tip of Loam's tongue darted out to lick his nose, the dragon's hot breath, as strong as a breeze, stirring his hair.
"Fancy yourself as a dragon dancer?"
Both boy and dragon turned their heads to see Kai leaning against a wooden beam, watching them with a sleek smile.
The hay carpeting the wide stables *crunched as Loam maneuvered its long body carefully in one-hundred-and-eighty degrees -- Laurie had to duck quickly as the broad pointed tail swung around, nearly knocking him over -- and padded across to whuffle in Kai's hair and clothes, hoping for treats. Finding none, it harumphed in disappointment and flopped down, laying its great head at Kai's feet and looking up at him plaintively.
"Oh, don't give me that," said Kai, crouching to scratch the dragon between its long, curling horns. "You think I don't know about all your fans that have been coming in giving you titbits? If you eat anymore, you won't be able to stay up in the air, my friend."
The dragon huffed and clamped its mouth around Kai's leg and, with a dragonish smirk, floored him with a quick tug.
"You're lucky I like you," Kai informed him with a laugh, lying back in the hay with his arms behind his head. "Bloody dragons...Now listen here," he said, beckoning Loam closer so the dragon's wide ear was right up by his mouth. "You don't give Tamsyn any nonsense, okay?" The dragon's ear twitched. "I know you don't like her much, and she don't like you even more, but she doesn't like anyone. You know that. Right?" Loam blinked in understanding. "You like Laurie though, don't you? So you look after him. You get them both back home safely. None of your usual nonsense with Tamsyn because your new friend, he's not used to it. And you don't want him to stop liking you, do you?"
The dragon swung his head around to peer at Laurie, as though double checking that what Kai said was true. Then it licked Kai's nose in agreement.
"Good," said Kai, standing up and brushing the hay that had stuck to his hair and clothes and everywhere in-between. "I'm glad we understand each other." He looked up at Laurie. "Feeling ready?"
"No."
Kai laughed. He laughed a lot, Laurie found, and smiled even more. Life was a game to enjoy playing to him. "Just don't panic," he advised, moving around and running his hand along the dragon's spiney back. "Trust Loam, and trust Tamsyn. She doesn't fly much, but she knows what she's doing. If you feel yourself freaking out, just close your eyes and pretend you're dreaming. You can do that, right?" he asked, cocking his head to one side. "They didn't get you yet, did they?"
Laurie shook his head. "Not quite."
"Good." Kai nodded approvingly. "That'll make it easier."
"What about Dakin? He won't be able to--"
"Don't worry," said Kai raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I figured it would be better to sail over. Take it steady, you know? It'll take longer but I wouldn't want to risk flying."
Laurie nodded slowly, sucking his lip. "I really think I should stay and come with you..." He knew it was useless bringing it up again, it had already been decided and he had already reluctantly agreed to it.
As predicted, Kai shook his head, his dark hair falling in front of his face. "The sooner you go, the sooner the captain and I can work on getting Dakin out of the City. We already know where he is. It's just a matter of working out how."
Laurie's expression hardened. "If you know where he is, why is it taking so long?"
Kai regarded him, then sat down on Loam's leg. "You know the big wall around Guilders' Square?"
"Yes."
"Well, they've put guards at every hundred meters. Dakin is in the Palace of Sapphires which, even on a good day, has pretty heavy security. And I expect they've got him held in the extra guarded ward reserved for Dreamers and delinquents. Because you know what the Empire does to people who don't quite fit into their nice little mold? They pump them full of chemicals and break and reform them until they do fit into that mold. That's what they're doing to your brother. That's why it's going to take time, and that's why you need to get out of here. Alright kid," he said before Laurie could question him further. "Take these. You'll need them more than I will for a while." He tugged off his fingerless gloves and reach over to pass them to Laurie.
"What're they made of?" he asked, running his fingers over the coarse, green-brown material.
Kai smirked. "Dragon hide." He laughed when Laurie pulled a disgusted face. "Relax, kid. There's going to be a lot of things you're going to have to get used to. Dragon leather's going to be the least of it, I promise you. Anyway, you'll be glad of them when you're five miles up in the air. Dragon scales are not the most pleasant thing to hold onto for hours at a time. Those spines are sharp and if you slip, and they catch you the wrong way, you're going to lose fingers. You don't ever get on the back of dragon without being fully prepared. That's lesson one." He held up a finger to prove it. "Lesson two --" a second one was flipped up, "-- is you don't ever, and I mean ever, try and make a dragon do what a dragon doesn't want to do. Do that, and you'll end up floundering in the sea. And it'll probably serve you right, too. A dragon always knows best. That's probably why them two -- Loam and Tamsyn, I mean -- struggle to see eye to eye. Stubborn as mules, both of 'em." An affectionate smile slid across his lips. "But you're not like that, right?" He reached over to ruffle Laurie's curly hair. "You'll know better than she does, and this one'll respect you better for it. Not much else to it, really. Dragon knows where to go. Just a matter of holding tight and staying on. Got it?"
Mute with nerves, Laurie swallowed and nodded.
"Once you're through your first flight, and you've come off the other side in one piece, you'll have completely forgotten why you were nervous in the first place," Kai assured him as he watched Laurie's complexion pale and then tinge with green.
"Were you nervous the first time?"
Kai considered this carefully, then shook his head. "Not really. Maybe on my first solo flight. I grew up with dragons, you see. They were just always a part of life. This one here's been with me since I was half you age." He patted Loam's haunches affectionately and the dragon swung its head around with a docile expression in its purple eyes. "Long as you know how to treat 'em, long as you're used to each other, you can trust a dragon far further than you can ever trust a person." He spoke with a casual practised ease that Laurie knew better than to take at face value.
"Where d'you come from?" he asked. "Not the Empire."
Kai chucked. "No, not the Empire. Not really anywhere, really. Just sort of drifted here and there until Logan offered me a home. He's like that, you know. He likes to take in strays. Most leave after a little while, but some stay, like me and Tam."
"Where did she come from?"
Kai hesitated. "I think you should let her tell her story. Not really my place, you know? She'll tell you in her own time."
"Didn't your parents miss you when you went to Logan's? Or weren't they very nice."
"Oh, I never knew them. I don't think so, anyway."
"You don't know?"
"Well, I grew up in a circus that traveled across the world. People were always coming and going. I suppose my parents came and then they went too. And I suppose they left me behind. I never really thought about it and it's never really mattered. That was just how it was. There were always plenty of people around, and we were always too busy to have time to worry about things like that."
"Why did you leave?" Laurie asked, sitting down cross legged in the hay. "How old were you?"
"Eleven, maybe?" said Kai, frowning as he tried to remember. "Something around there. Anyway, I, ah..." He gave an awkward little laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Got into a bit of a... disagreement, if you like, with the Master. Then I decided that was that and... that was that. Took my dragon and left. We traveled around for a bit on our own, freelancing and scraping enough money to eat. 'Course, not much money to be made with a one-man, one-dragon show. So I branched out, got myself into trouble, and was lucky enough to come across Logan. Or, more precisely, that he came across me. Took me on as an assistant type thing -- although, I'm pretty sure he only wanted me for my dragon; a useful transport, you see -- and the rest, as they say, is history." His smile broadened, showing just a little too much teeth. "I was the first, you know, of Logan's strays," he told Laurie with a glint of pride. "Tamsyn hates it. She wants to be special. She's not as competitive about it as she used to be -- it used to be awful -- she's chilled out a lot over the years, but she still gets funny when new people come along. Don't take it personally, though. That's just her way. Once she stops seeing you as a threat, she'll be fine."
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