Snippet #1656929

Gaiamat rumbled in agreement with Ryan. She loved his spirit. I predict that human kind will give you honor. They will call you Ryan of the Deep, Lord Most High. Or Sir Ryan, beloved rider of Lady Earth Dragon.

She flew past the valley with the hunter. For a moment she had mistaken it for the valley where Mordenai's circle lay hidden. She had not ventured there for a very long time and for a little while she felt she was lost. This greatly embarrassed her, and she said nothing of it to Ryan. She continued on and hoped that she would regain her bearings. She focused on her memory of Mordenai. Once she did this, she felt a magnetic pull to his Circle.

Gaiamat descended into a great valley of sand colored stone. She was sure it was the right one. She felt a buzzing in her bones. There was a gaping chasm in the valley floor. It was wide enough for her entire wingspan. She descended into it and made some several large swoops until she reached the floor of the chasm. It was beyond the reach of humans. They would fall to their deaths or die of exhaustion if they dared to climb down into it. It went so deep that it appeared black at the bottom. Once her scaly feet touched the ground, Gaiamat uttered a word in dragon tongue and the space began to glow. It was a blue-green glow, and it came from towering structures of crystals. Small pieces were embedded in the ground and they glowed green. These crystals were marked with dragon runes, including the same rune that Gaiamat had uttered.

Mordenai's Circle, Gaiamat said in a soft tone, for clearly she found the space to be sacred. She bowed her head to the weathered spires that encircled them.

---

Ashwise's footsteps mingled with the sound of Cedare's clicking. He walked briskly beside her as they drew closer to the exit of the cave. He had always been fond of walking great distances, and so it did not bother him that he had to walk all over the network of caves to reach the outside world.

Cedare made it sound so easy to find Denna. The reason for her dry tone was very clear to him. "He has a right to keep his rider shielded. He almost lost her. Denna could have been… the fire people could have taken her life. If you think of it, the only other dragon we know with a rider is Gaiamat. And Ryan has not been threatened. He has not had anything bad happen to him."

Ashwise instantly regretted his words. He was speaking his mind, though. He found Ryan to be quite naive and sheltered. "Not that I wish him any harm, of course," Ashwise muttered.

---

Riona felt like a queen when she was on Kharygos's back. She loved riding him in armor even more, because her own plates of metal made her feel similar to his natural armor. She relished the heat that wafted up from his scales. He was entirely the perfect dragon for her.

When he mentioned Flynn and Somnium's first flight, Riona did not seem very enthusiastic. "What a happy moment for them," she said blandly. She did poorly when she tried to conceal her emotions. And in fact, she did not anticipate that she would be so prickled by this news. She did not wish to admit that she was jealous of Somnium.