Miracori Express

Nakayla pulled the warm cloak tightly around Desi as her sister shivered in her arms. At this height, the air wasn’t as warm as it could be, even with the sun shining down on them. The wind didn't help. She glanced back to make sure Daz and Mytal were still following. They waved from astride their brown and nearly golden dragons.

“Desi,” she said, turning her attention back to the girl. “You should bring your scales out. They will help protect you from the elements.”

“I know. It just takes so much energy,” Desi said wearily. Still, she allowed the iridescent green scales to emerge to cover her face and body.

Desi was lucky to have inherited the ability to protect herself with a layer of scales from their Sisalek ancestors. Nakayla would have given anything to have that feature. Not that she had any complaints about her extra eye lenses. They allowed her to fly without wearing goggles. A thick layer of salve concocted by their grandmother saved her skin from becoming chapped by the constant rush of air.

Just two years ago, Nakayla would have never thought she would see Eban from above. For that matter, she never thought she would leave the country. Her life had always centered around Sharita and the Arveross Valley. From everything she had learned growing up, the world beyond the valley was no better than where she was.

But that was before the fateful hunting trip that brought her into possession of a dragon egg. That egg was supposed to be their salvation. She had intended for it to provide her family with enough money to feed them for years. Then it had to go and hatch on her.

Nakayla laughed as she remembered that night. Her irritation at losing the chance to sell the egg immediately disappeared, replaced by love for the little winged lizard that looked to her as a mother. Miracori truly was a miracle. She had brought about their salvation, just not in the way Nakayla had expected.

The newly hatched dragon dashed any hopes of keeping her presence a secret when Miracori expressed her hunger. She had torn her way through the apartment building in search of food. Nakayla had barely managed to stop her from eating the family’s livestock.

Saying that the family had been shocked was an understatement. Very few of them even knew about the egg. They couldn't fathom where the baby dragon had come from. Their reactions ranged from terror to fascination. Desi was delighted. For once, she hadn't tried to lay claim to the dragon even though it was her interference that led to the egg hatching.

For the first few weeks, Miracori had been satisfied with eating the mice and rats that lived in the sewers. However, the little green dragon grew at a rapid pace and soon needed larger meals. Nakayla had no choice but to take her to the Arveross Valley to hunt.

Nakayla had hoped to avoid that until Miracori was bigger. She was afraid her presence would draw the curiosity of other dragons. A full-grown dragon could make a meal of either of them in no time. She dreaded the thought that Miracori would inherently find her real mother and leave her. Not that she expected to survive an encounter with an angry mama dragon.

Miracori had proven to be an efficient hunter. Nakayla was able to take advantage of the dragon spooking the other game as she zeroed in on her prey. The woman would lie in wait and take out an animal or two as they ran by. This method wouldn't have worked if Nakayla hadn't been a quick shot.

Daz and Mytal began joining their hunts. They had aspirations of finding their own dragon eggs. The two young men flying on dragons behind them were evidence of their success. They claimed they were acting as security, but Nakayla suspected they wanted to see the world beyond Eban as much as she did.

It helped that Miracori seemed to have a sixth sense for finding abandoned dragon nests. Nakayla was surprised at how often a mother dragon left an unhatched egg or two behind. Miracori was evidence that they could still be viable. Then again, maybe they were protecting their babies from the intruding Embari with the hope of returning for the eggs.

Nakayla felt guilty at that thought. When her cousins returned triumphantly with their eggs and successfully hatched them, it started a rush to hunt down dragon eggs. She was afraid the dragons would begin hunting the Embari, who stole their babies. In addition, Sharita couldn’t sustain an abundance of full-grown dragons living within its limits. As the first of the Embari dragon riders, she would have to address both issues, but that would have to wait until she returned.

Desi winced as she shifted in front of Nakayla and let out an involuntary moan, but she didn't complain. She had changed so much since admitting to living with debilitating pain.

“Are you alright?” Nakaya asked.

“Yeah. The pain tab is wearing off.” Desi replied.

“Let me know if you need a break.”

Desi shook her head. She fished one of the pills their grandmother provided her with and popped it into her mouth. Nakayla had noticed that she needed them more often. “I’ll be fine. I just want to get there.”

Nakayla could understand that. She wanted to get to Saipex as well, and not just to get her sister the medical help they had no access to in Sharita.

One of their cousins had procured a powerful com device. Not many had the range to communicate with other countries as this one did. As a result, the people of Eban relied solely on the information what passed as their government chose to share. Nakayla decided not to question how he had gotten his hands on it.

After months of fiddling with the com, Taran succeeded in making contact with someone in Castelon, the capital city of Saipex. It turned out that while the country had suffered greatly from the environmental changes that had nearly destroyed Eban, they had more access to renewable resources and were able to rebuild.

At that point, Nakayka jumped on the com and eventually worked through a handful of medics until she reached a doctor named Carea, who felt she could help Desi. The only catch was they had to travel to Castelon. This would have been a much more difficult feat had they not had dragons to fly them there. Of course, that led to another issue, namely, what type of reception they would give the dragons. Who knew what weapons they had available? Carea promised she would make sure they had safe passage.

Nakayla couldn't help dwelling on Carea. She had never seen the woman, but her voice brought about thoughts and desires Nakayla had never experienced before. She knew she wasn't interested in any of the men she had met in Sharita but had always chalked that up to them being idiots. Now that she thought about it, there had been a few women she found attractive, but she had never had time to pursue a relationship.

She was drawn out of her thoughts, imagining what Carea might look like, when Desi gasped. The sun glinted off something in the distance.

“This is amazing,” Desi said. “I’ve never seen anything outside of Sharita before this trip. The landscape may be broken, but it's still beautiful. If they can't fix me and I die, this is worth the attempt.”

“You’re not going to die. Stop being so melodramatic.” Nakayla snapped.

“I’m just saying...”

Nakayla hugged her sister gently. “We have to have faith that the medics in Castelon can heal you. That’s why we are doing this.”

Their conversation stalled as the sparkling bit in the distance resolved into a vast sea. It was so large they couldn't see the land mass they knew lay beyond it.

Nakayla reached out to pat Miracori’s olive green neck. “What do you think? Can we make it across, or do you need to rest?” The dragon shook her head stubbornly, choosing not to land. Nakayla used the hand language they had devised to communicate while flying. The other dragons seemed to indicate they could make it across the water without issue because the boys gave the sign to continue.

It had been both frightening and exhilarating when Nakayla had taken her first dragon flight. It had climbed onto Miracori’s back to reach an itch when the dragon suddenly decided to jump off the roof. Nakayla hadn't screamed that loud in her life.

She had inherently grabbed the spine in front of her to keep herself from falling off. Miracori didn't seem affected by her passenger. She soared over Sharita, stretching her wings as she did every day, oblivious to the frantic woman clinging to her back. Or maybe not so oblivious. Nakayla could have sworn the dragon looked back and grinned at her.

Being able to ride her dragon opened a sense of freedom she had never felt before. Still, Nakayla was so in touch with the earth that it felt weird to be in the air. Despite the unease, she enjoyed the view as well as the nearly hypnotic whoosh of Miracori flapping her wings.

But flying over the ocean was utterly unfamiliar and unnerving. It was also breathtaking. The water below them rippled with so many shades of blues and greens. A pod of dolpines bounced along the surface of the sea, enticing the dragons to swoop down to play with them.

Later, Nakayla felt her mouth drop open as a massive shadow swam beneath the waves. It was easily larger than the three dragons flying above it. She couldn't remember seeing anything like it before, although the educational materials they had on hand at home didn't include everything.

Gradually Saipex came into view, growing larger by the minute. Along with it came a city perched above a sheer, white cliff. As they grew closer, it became evident that Castelon had suffered from the devastating changes that had affected the entire planet.

Shards of once towering skyscrapers still poked up from the ground in places. But unlike Sharita, sparkling buildings arose among them like new growth after a forest fire. Vehicles drove over roads that the city had cleared of debris and repaired. Nakayla couldn't help but wonder why Sharita hadn't managed to rebuild at all.

Their presence hadn't gone unnoticed, but Carea was true to her word. While Castelon’s militia was on guard, no one targeted the dragons with their weapons. That didn't stop several residents from screaming and running for cover. A few of the braver ones stood gawking.

A pristine metallic tower rose above the others in the center of the city. A platform near the top bore the universal symbol denoting it as a hospital.

“We’re here,” Nakayla said. “Are you ready for this?”

“Am I ready to be poked and prodded until they figure out what’s wrong with me? No. But we still need to do this.” Desi replied. “Oh look, there is your girlfriend.”

“What are you talking about?” As she asked the question, Nakayka’s heartbeat increased. A red-haired woman wearing a light blue tunic and long white jacket waved up at them from the platform. She was absolutely stunning.

Her sister giggled in typical Desi style. “It's rather obvious. You get almost giddy every time you talk to her.”

“Desi...” Nakayla said weakly.

“Hey, it's no big deal. You love who you love. If the medics can't help with the pain, that’s not something I’m likely to experience.” Her sister said.

“How could I be in love with her? I’ve never even met her. Besides, she might not feel the same way.” Regardless of what may or may not happen with Carea, Nakayla knew her life would never be the same after this journey.

“Well, then let’s go meet her and find out,” Desi said with a laugh. She reached out to caress Nakayla’s dragon as if she owned her. “Come on, Miracori. Take us down.”