The first thing that Cody heard was a low grumble, but he remained asleep. It happened once more, forcing the rider to slowly open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that the sun was just appearing over a nearby mountain and a thin layer of snow coated the ground. Confusion struck him next, since he was in Inferno’s wing shelter but could see outside. Then the smell of herbs and dried blood pervaded his nostrils, making him want to gag and remember what had happened.

                “Inferno!”  he called out in his mind. There was another grumble in response, followed by a flicker of thought in acknowledgement, but no more. “Inferno, are you alright?”

                “I’m alright…though if you were…in my position…you would not agree.”

                Cody hesitated, but sensing some sort of humor in the depths of his dragon’s thoughts he released his worries and hugged Inferno tight. It earned him a slight growl, until he realized his mistake and loosened his grip somewhat on the bandaged chest in front of him. They lay still for several long minutes before Cody dared to interrupt the silence.

                “You could have been killed, it was a foolish thing,” Cody scolded.

                Inferno snorted but moved no more while he answered, “To not accept his challenge would have been worse. I would be seen as a coward and we would have been banished anyways. If I had died I would have died with honor. I would rather be lying here, unable to move or use my body for little more than breathing, than be wandering around knowing that I had shamed both of us with my cowardice.”

                “But the pain must surely change your mind?”

                “Not one bit.”

                “Will you ever fly again, at least? Surely you would miss flying? It would be months or even years before you were healed enough to fly, if that ever happened,” Cody pointed out.

                Sorrow coursed through the dragon’s thoughts before he answered, “Yes, I miss flying even as we speak; it’s not natural for a dragon to be grounded. But still, rather this than dishonor. I don’t know if my wings will ever be restored, but one way or another I will exact my revenge on that miserable snake!”

                “Your revenge will have to wait,” Cody pointed out. “Whether you like it or not, you’re injured. I don’t know how fast you’ll heal, but there’s no way you’ll be moving about for a while.”

                Inferno growled low in his throat but quietly as he could. “What is that miserable smell?”

                “That would be the smell of healing.”

                “Well the smell of healing makes me want to die,” Inferno joked. “On a more serious note, I’m hungry. Now you can get me some food, find someone who can, or get me something…more bitter or healing to eat.”

                “What would that be?” Cody asked curiously, not wanting to move.

                Inferno was silent for a minute, then, “Oleander leaves, daffodil bulbs, larkspur seeds, and maybe foxglove.”

                “Those are all poisonous!”

                Inferno wrinkled his nose in displeasure before growling, “I’m no human, and you and I have very different bodies. I’ve never had them myself, but I know it would work, or at least help. It couldn’t hurt to just get them and let me sniff them. I know what would be poisonous for me.”

                Cody glared at him as he answered, “How do I know you’re not going insane? In any case, I doubt I’d be able to find many of those. Wait for Mournful to come back and ask her.”

                “Where is she?” It was clear that inferno was anxious to see if the poisonous plants could help.

                “I thought you knew.”

                “I’ve been asleep this whole time,” Inferno pointed out.

                Cody thought for a moment and poked his head outside the wing tent to look around. He saw nothing in the sky, not even a single bird, and around him all he saw was the edge of the human town, the lake, the mountains, and a large forest barely visible on the horizon. There was no sign of their companions for miles around.

                “I don’t see them anywhere,” Cody said aloud.

                Inferno grunted in response.

                Not knowing what else to do, Cody pulled his head back into the warm shelter of Inferno’s wing. The cold that had started to nip at Cody’s nose soon vanished as the dragon’s body heat warmed him. The two of them lay there in silence for a long while, individually contemplating what to do and trying not to think too far into the future, for fear of what they might find. After a while, as the sun rose almost directly above them, Cody fell asleep, where he watched many disturbing and despairing dreams float past his eyes in a strange land that he could not escape from.

~

                The world was completely dark when Cody woke. A strange scent invaded Cody’s nostrils, and he soon identified it as a combination of smells: a plant of sorts that he knew he somehow shouldn’t be able to smell; an also unusually strong odor of animal life; a similar smell of life, though more of a cold but ashy scent; and the always wonderful smell of cooking meat. Intrigued, he honed in on Inferno’s thoughts, but upon seeing that the dragon was too focused on something else to talk, he slid carefully and silently out of the shelter.

                On the other side of Inferno there was a flickering fire, and Cody noticed the sound of voices for the first time. He walked out into the open to see that Omen, Ashheart, and Mournful had returned. Most startling of all was the flicker of gold in the darkness and the extra, shadowed body of another visitor. Though his face was hidden by the deep shadows on the opposite side of the fire, Cody recognized him at once.

                Unsure of how to react, Cody asked cautiously, “Aval, what are you doing here?”

                The man looked at him and beamed with excitement as the breast-high golden dragon slipped stealthily into the firelight. Avalsmokes stood and jumped over the fire before embracing Cody in a deep hug.

                “Cody! It’s so good to see you! I thought I’d never see you again.”

                “What are you doing here? How did you find us?” Cody repeated.

                It was Destiny who answered in her natural, melodic voice, “Autumn and Micah took your old den and we took theirs immediately after you left. From that high up, I saw a dark shape at the very edge of my vision and was curious. My rider and I have been running here ever since and finally arrived less than an hour ago.”

                Despair filled Cody after he thought for a moment. Avalsmokes and Destiny must have been gone for possibly as long as two days, and it would be another two days before they could make it back. No doubt they would be asked where they went, and they couldn’t very well lie to Heyrone and Argos if asked. Cody knew that Heyrone cared for him and wanted him to succeed, but something also told the rider that the elder would prefer to honor the ancient laws of the Duel of Barbarians. In any case, if Avalsmokes and Destiny returned, it would mean great trouble for Cody and Inferno.

                “What are you going to do now?” Cody asked, disguising his fear as well as he could.

                Avalsmokes shrugged. “I guess we’ll have to go back. At least we know that Inferno is alive, so my conscience is clear. I would love to stay with you of course, but Destiny and I must return.”

                Cody could have sworn he felt his heart sink down to his toes.

                He was surprised when Destiny spoke up, “It’s dangerous out here Aval. I can smell beasts out in that forest that could tear a flightless dragon, even Inferno, to bits.”

                “We have a duty as apprentices, we have to go back,” Aval told her.

                Destiny stood on her hind paws and rested her front paws on his chest so she could look him in the eye, and said, “I don’t remember telling him anything. No, your duty lies with our friends, who will most likely get themselves killed without us.”

                “What would you have me do, abandon my sister, my second home, everything that you and I have come to know!?”

                Destiny growled “We have come to know these people, would you rather lose them? I never quite liked Heyrone, Argos, or the people we’ve met in the human town, and that human you left behind is not your sister, she has turned into something else entirely. The people we do know back there have no loyalty, no honor, and no heart. They live a life and selfishness and greed if you ask me. Would you stay with them, or go with these beings you know to be truthful and trustworthy?”

                Cody’s eyes widened and he wanted to object to what Destiny said about Heyrone and Argos, but he kept silent, knowing that it would severely hurt the chances that Avalsmokes would join them. He quickly reminded himself that he would likely never see any of the people in the “mapped area” that he had come to know anyways, which helped to keep his mouth shut.

                After several moments, though it felt like years, Avalsmokes lowered his gaze to the ground and muttered, “Fine.” Destiny pulled away from him as Aval turned to the others and said, though it clearly pained him to do so, “Alright, we will come with you.”

                Cody felt overjoyed, but refused to let it show. Instead he smiled to Avalsmokes as he thought about why it would have been so hard for Aval to say that. He settled on the ground to think for a minute before Inferno intruded on his thoughts.

                “I know it seems weird that he would be so hesitant, but keep in mind the gravity of the situation. He just had a dragon hatch for him not long ago, and it is hard for someone to accept such a large role without assistance, and Aval knows that the only ones that can assist him to his satisfaction are Heyrone and Argos. Not to mention we are asking him to join us in a land that even we know nothing about. I can tell that he is reckless and clearly enjoys the thrill of danger as far as I’ve seen, but we are asking much of him.”

                “I suppose you’re right,” Cody admitted. Changing the subject, he said, “You seem to be doing better.”

                “Mournful brought me death cap mushrooms.”

                “What!?”

                Inferno chuckled and rumbled, releasing a plume of smoke that enveloped Cody briefly before fading away. “I told you before, I know what will heal me, and I am most definitely not going insane. In fact, Mournful had brought me the mushrooms when she first returned, before I could even ask. I often wonder how she knows so much about dragons.”

                Cody sent a brief thought of acknowledgement to Inferno as he realized what he was saying. She does know a lot about dragons, he thought to himself.