Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 016 - Shelter in a cave (Patreon)

Ava seemed to still be a bit jealous that she had not learned the lightning spell Selmah was trying to teach her.  She had played off she was tired, but everyone recognized the frustration she felt from watching Kaen succeed.

They were flying over the top of the mountains now, and the mist that was rushing at them slid off Pammon’s scales but stuck to their clothes and faces.  It was like standing next to a waterfall and the mist constantly coming over you.

Ava had tried shouting something, but Kaen shrugged, unable to hear her over the noise.

There is no movement, Pammon informed Kaen as they started their descent on the other side of the mountains, letting the cold wind almost freeze their wet clothes.  It looks safe to land if you want, so they can dry off or even change.

It’s probably for the best.  No point in them getting sick or chilled to the bone.

They flew down the mountainside, and once they were about halfway down, Pammon found a section of it where he could land.

Both women were shivering a little as they started to dismount.

“You really aren’t cold, are you?” asked Selmah as she stripped off the wet clothes she had on and started changing into some from the pack she had tossed off.

Looking away, Kaen felt a little heat in his cheeks, but Selmah simply chuckled.

“Forgive me if I’m not modest enough to want to stay in those clothes.  I assumed you have seen enough or would be willing to turn as you have.”

“It uh.. Caught me a little off guard,” was all that Kaen admitted.  The truth was he had not really seen a woman just strip before him.  A few had tried; Huethea was one of them, but he had always turned or left.  None were the one he was interested in.

“Keep your head turned,” snapped Ava as she followed Selmah’s lead.

A minute into the shuffling noises behind him, a rush of wind came across the mountains, almost blowing him off, and he heard a cry from the ladies behind him.

“Don’t you dare!” Ava shouted as he heard Pammon thrumming.

“My eyes are closed,” he stated, groaning a little.  “I can’t help it if your stuff flies off the mountainside.”

They are stuck against me.  I should have probably let them off the other side, but I didn’t realize the wind would come like that.  Would you like me to describe what I am watching?

No!  I don’t need any help in that department.

Are you sure?  I mean, both of them look exceptionally fit.

Kaen groaned again, knowing his cheeks were redder, and he felt the thrumming of Pammon increasing.

“Do I want to know why he is laughing?” Selmah inquired.

“He thinks he is being funny, but I know he is not.”

He heard Selmah chuckling and kept his eyes firmly focused on the swamp below them.

You need to focus on scouting, not making things weird or harder with the women.

Oh, we both know I am just making it fun.  Besides, I can see nothing out there besides the occasional rare animal.

Shaking his head, both knew that someone must intentionally be keeping the swap clear.

“We are done,” Ava announced, breaking his thoughts about the swamp.

When he turned around, he noticed both women were changed and that their hair was almost dry.

“Magic?” he asked while tapping his head.

A corner of Selmah’s lip rose as she bobbed her head.

“One of the early spells a mage learns.  It has many uses, but I would like to think not flying with a wet head would be top on my list.”

Nodding as he walked over to pick up their bags, he slung off his pack and dropped it at their feet.

“Go ahead and get a little bit to eat and drink.  We will be flying for a few hours, and I would prefer not to stop unless we needed to.”

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed their bags and turned to where Pammon was, his head darting around as he scanned the forest.

There is a cloud coming from the east.  It might rain again while we are flying.

Are you saying we should stay on the ground or what?

I have no problem flying in the rain with you.  It is those two who would be the ones to suffer.  We can see how things go, but we have maybe an hour before it will be upon us, and then I will have to fly lower if I want to see anything.

Grumbling to himself, Kaen began to secure the bags the two had just changed out of.

Never easy, is it?

Thrumming, Pammon shook his head even though he knew Kaen wasn’t paying attention.

Pammon had been right as the rain started to come as a slight mist before turning into pelting drops of water.  He wasn’t flying fast, yet it was moving toward them as they flew east.

Selmah and Ava had their cloaks pulled over them and pressed against each other.  Kaen had offered his cloak to Ava, shielding her from both directions as the rain ran over him with no mercy.  He felt the sting of the rain, but it was not the first time he had flown in it.

Keeping his eyes mostly shut, he could see nothing.

I am as low as I want to be.  We are less than half a mile above the trees, and it is a mess down there.  Nothing is moving if they can help it.  Even all the birds are roosted at the moment.

Is there anywhere we could think about landing and waiting this out?  Other than perhaps in the forest?

There are a few spots, but none that I think you would like.

The caves…

Kaen felt Pammon as he agreed through their bond.  Neither of them knew what might still be in the cave, and camping out on the edge of them would only act like a beacon from the fire.  They would have to go deep inside a cave, and neither liked that idea.

The swamp isn’t a good choice either.  There are too many creatures in there that might consider us a snack worth trying.

They would not bother me, but you and the other two would be at risk.  You already know the options.  We can fly, hoping the storm will end sometime before night, or find a cave and camp there.  I cannot tell you when it will end, but I doubt that will happen soon.

Sighing, Kaen wiped his face, feeling the growth of hair on his chin and cheeks.  It had only been a few days since he had last shaved, and already it was getting scratchy.

Lightning shot through the sky, and thunder peeled as they flew into the storm.  The wind had picked up considerably, and the sky was dark and ugly.  Pammon could see without a problem, yet neither Selmah nor Ava could see anything but the blackness around them.  Kaen could barely make out the trees thanks to his improved vision that came from being bonded with Pammon.

We need to land, and we need to find a place to wait this out.

Even if it means a cave?

Dread came from Pammon, and Kaen knew he was sending that same feeling right back.  There was no doubt it would be the only option they had.

Yes.  We cannot stay out in this forever.

Another hour went by as Pammon flew around the base of the mountain.  By the time they found a cave, Kaen could feel Ava shaking a little bit as she leaned into him.

Pammon landed a bit away and made them dismount first, letting Kaen follow with his bow out and his sword on his hip.

A few minutes of Pammon scouting into the cave resulted in an all-clear sign, and the women rushed in to get out of the rain.

Both looked like cats who had been dunked in a barrel multiple times.  Their outfits were dropping massive trails of water as they moved inside the cave.  Water was running inside the cave for a few yards, the wind tossing it inside before it slowly rolled back to the entrance.

If you stay inside, I will go collect some trees.

Chuckling, both women glanced at Kaen as he held the light orb he had out and illuminated the large opening of the mountain.

“Pammon will get us some firewood.  We need to go a little deeper inside, but he said it is safe,” he informed them as he walked ahead, leaving wet footprints with every step.  “We will get situated, and then I will let you two change as quickly as possible.”

“Can’t you feel it?” asked Ava, her teeth clacking together as she hugged herself.

“I can, but it doesn’t bother me.  I have experienced a worse cold for far longer.  A perk of being bound.”

Both women were shivering, and Selmah did her best not to let it show, but it was too much for her.

Ten minutes later, a crash echoed outside the cave, and Kaen smiled as he heard Pammon coming through the entrance.

That is a whole tree you dropped outside, isn’t it?

Forgive me if I didn’t take the time to chop it up into smaller pieces, but yes, I grabbed a tree and brought it with me.

No, I am just impressed.  I knew you had gotten stronger, yet I had forgotten how strong you had become.

Pammon came into view, carrying branches that were bunched together in his jaw, easily hundreds of pounds and longer than fifteen feet in length.  He was thrumming as he came, proudly showing off his strength to Ava and Selmah.

He dropped them on the ground and turned, heading back into the rain to gather a few more pieces.

“That was remarkable,” muttered Selmah as she watched Pammon go between her clattering teeth.  “I know he is as tall as most houses now in Ebonmount.”

“And he eats enough to feed most the families in just one meal,” added Kaen as he took out his axe from a pack he had been carrying.  “You should ask Ava just how much he has eaten.”

A chuckled and rose as Ava smiled.  She knew firsthand just how much Pammon ate.

Within a few minutes, Kaen had a pile of wood stacked up, and Ava had turned it into a roaring fire.  The wet wood snapped and popped, but it burned warm, and the smoke rose into the top of the cave, spreading out and traveling deeper into it.

The lights it cast off created a dance of shadows on the walls.

“You two can go ahead and change and try to get dry.  I’ll keep working on this wood and wait till you both are ready.”

As he turned, he heard a thank you from both of them.

An hour later, they all sat around the fire, enjoying the warmth of dry clothes and some food in their stomach.  Pammon was not back yet he should be soon.  He had gone hunting,  hoping to find something, but after a solid half hour of searching, he resigned to the fact that finding anything in this downpour would be impossible.

Upon his return, he shook off the water at the entrance of the cave and then created a barrier between them and the outside.

Kaen had returned from setting a few small traps deeper in the cave.  Nothing that would kill anything but simply create noise, alerting Pammon to their arrival.

“I have not been in a downpour like that in ages.  I will admit the wind from flying made it much worse than I could have imagined.”

Pammon thrummed as he lay near them, his head against Kaen’s leg.

Both women watched as Kaen absently scratched the base of one of Pammon’s horns.

“What is it like?  Having a dragon and something connected to you always?”

Raising his eyebrows, Kaen grinned as he glanced at Selmah and then back at Pammon.

“For me, it is something more than I can describe in simple words.  I was lost.  I was lonely.  The pain of losing my father and trying to find my way to who I wanted to be was overwhelming.  He called out to me the day I found his egg and changed everything.”

Kaen scratched a little harder. Pammon trilled and huffed as he shook his head gently.

“I found joy I had forgotten was possible.  I was afraid when I learned how dangerous it was for people to know about him.  There were times it hurt because we had to be apart.”

“Hurt?”

“We learned that Dragon Riders are meant to be with their dragon.  Separation from each other actually causes pain and can lead to death over prolonged absence.  For us, it felt like an itch you couldn’t scratch and a pain in your chest.  Now I know what he thinks most of the time, and he knows what I think.  Even in battle, we know what the other will do without having to say it.”

“That must be… different,” Selmah replied with a small chuckle.  “I guess there is no way to describe it.  And is it true he makes you stronger?”

Swallowing the saliva that formed in his mouth, Kaen chewed his lip for a moment before answering.

“We make each other stronger.   Sure, there are stories of how powerful a Dragon Rider can become, but together we are better.   We keep each other from making stupid decisions.”

Tell them you only sometimes listen to my advice.

Laughing out loud surprised the women, and Kaen patted Pammon’s head.

“We can speak without words, and he wanted me to make sure I mentioned how often I ignore his advice.”

Both of them laughed, and Ava opened her mouth to say something but closed it suddenly.

Watching her, she grinned at him and just shrugged.

Letting out a yawn, Kaen got up, moved a few supplies around, and stacked some items near Pammon.

“You two need to come here tonight and sleep next to him.  He will help you to sleep and keep you warm.  The added perk is that anything that gets close will have to deal with him first.”

Both of them looked at the other and smiled, rising from the wooden stumps Kaen had created for them to sit on and moved to where he had created a spot for them.

“You going to join us?”

Kaen smiled at Ava and nodded.

“Yes, but I want to explore a little first.”

“Alone?”

“I’ll be fine,” he answered as he picked up the shield sitting beside him.  “I’m probably an idiot for saying I would love to run into something, but I won’t go too deep.  I just want to explore a little more.”

Snorting, Pammon moved his head where both of the women could see and nodded it before encircling them both.

“Be safe,” Ave said as she watched him start to walk away with a lightstone in his hand.

“I will.  I have a promise to keep.”

As he moved into the cave, he heard the sound of the rain outside, what promise from Selmah.

Smiling to himself, he resisted asking Pammon to tell him what they said.