“Nice! Let’s do it again.”
They practiced turning, building up speed, turning, and sprinting some more. At first, Hiyyan got better and faster with every pass, but after about an hour of practicing, he began to slow down and his breathing came heavier.
Silver patted him on the side. “Okay. You’re tired. Let’s take a break.” She looked at the drooping sun. “We’re going to need to head back to Calidia soon anyway. The races are about to start.”
Silver changed out of her wet clothing on a cove beach as Hiyyan bobbed in the water, ducking his head under every few minutes to catch a fish. She had begun shivering, but at least the cold had numbed the pain in her foot. When she slid on the racing suit Nebekker had made her, she warmed right through to her bones. She pulled her tunic back over her racing suit and forced her boots back on her feet.
An image of Kirja found her again, and then a particular scent, and Silver realized Hiyyan could smell his mother in the riding suit, her fur woven into the fibers. Silver wished she had something like that … some way to feel close to her mother right then.
She shook away thoughts of Sersha Batal. There wasn’t time to be sentimental. She walked around the cove until she spotted a small hole in a stone wall, high enough up a sheer cliff that no human could see or reach it.
Hiyyan, she thought. Can you hide my things up in that hole, please?
The water dragon took her sack and lifted it up to the hole. Then he came back for her, a questioning look in his eyes.
“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s time to get you dressed, too.”
Hiyyan pulled his body onto the beach and held still as Silver draped the fabric over his back. She tried to be gentle as she tucked his wings in, but when she accidentally hit a tender spot in his joint, she felt it in her shoulders, too.
The final touch was to pull the hood over Hiyyan’s head: It was fashioned to look like a fox, just like hers. She took a step back and tilted her head to the side. Hiyyan’s wings were mostly hidden, but Silver was going to spread the little bit of camouin she had over the exposed parts once they got closer to the city. Then he would look mottled, rather than blue, sort of like the green-and-white dragon in Calidia. His mane still poked out here and there, but that actually added furry authenticity to the disguise. It had to be enough.
“I hope there’s nothing in the rules against these uniforms,” she said. Her belly began to hurt again. Nerves were making her sick. But she pressed her face against Hiyyan’s, soaking in his calmness, and nodded.
“Ready to win?” she asked.
Her Aquinder grinned, and Silver did, too.
“Let’s go.”
THIRTY-FIVE
They hugged the shoreline as they paddled toward Calidia. Silver had been mulling over how to enter the city so that they could save the surprise of their presence for the race. She still had to check the lineups at the seawall to find out what time she was scheduled to race. And she needed to find Brajon. If it were even possible to find him in the crowds.
Hiyyan breathed heavily, pulling Silver out of her thoughts.
“You’re tired already?”
Silver looked down one of Hiyyan’s flanks and saw that his woven disguise was now sodden with seawater. There was no way he could win a race dragging all that heavy, wet wool.
Silver frowned. “This is not Jaspatonian-quality wool.”
She racked her brain, but first, she needed to know how much time she had to come up with a new plan. As they moved closer to the docks, she patted Hiyyan’s side.
“Let me off by that big ship right there. The one with the red flags. It looks empty. I’ll climb onto the dock and run over to see what time our race is. Hide behind the ship until I get back.”
Hiyyan pulled in next to the dock, and Silver felt a change come over him. He mewled softly as he ducked his head down close to the water.
Silver followed the line of his gaze. Just around the tip of another ship, she could see the very edge of the water dragon warm-up area. Hiyyan watched the other dragons with curiosity, but there was another emotion there, too: uncertainty.
Silver felt a pang of sorrow. Hiyyan had grown up all alone in the desert.
“I’m sorry you can’t go over to those dragons right now,” she told him. “After we win, I’ll take you to meet all the dragons in the world.”
Hiyyan turned his face away and batted his eyes closed.
Silver pulled her mask on, climbed onto the dock, and dashed to the seawall. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder. Even someone as small as she was had trouble moving between everyone.
“Excuse me. Please, let me through.”
“Back in your place,” a large man with a gravelly voice said, shoving her. Silver fell on her backside.
“How rude,” a woman said, helping Silver to her feet, then tapping the man on the shoulder. “Did you push this little girl?”
The man turned and crossed his arms over his chest. “If she wanted a better spot, she should have gotten here earlier.”
“Well…”
While the two adults argued, Silver darted past and shoved her way to the front rows. That’s when she realized why the crowds were so dense and so loud. The races had started already.
“Oh no.” Silver stood on her tiptoes, straining to see the schedule. What if her number had already been called? But before she could find out, she saw something even better. There, standing on top of the wall near the registration platform, was her cousin. Relief so overwhelmed Silver that she almost fell over again.
“Brajon!” She waved to him, pulling her mask up slightly so he’d get a quick peek at her face. “Excuse me,” she said. “That’s my cousin. I have to get to him.” She climbed past a group draped in team flags and reached for Brajon’s hand.
In the sea, water dragons were battling for the finish line. Silver desperately wanted to stay and watch. Especially when she saw Ferdi riding … nothing? The boy skimmed across the top of the water, legs crossed, his hands holding reins that disappeared under the surface. His Glithern stayed under the whole time, even after they crossed the finish line in first place. Fascinating!
“Where have you been?” Brajon’s face was a desert storm cloud. “You just walked off!”
“Shh,” Silver hissed. “I’m sorry—I had to get away from people.”
Brajon lowered his voice. “I thought you were kidnapped. I thought you were dead! If not for Mele, I would be pounding Queen Imea’s door down right now, looking for you. Have you seen the posters?”
“Yes, that’s why I had to get out of here. But what about Mele?” As they talked, Silver peered over her cousin’s shoulder for her number. “My race starts at six thirty.”
“Six thirty?” Brajon said. “That’s in ten minutes.”
“Ten?” Silver squeaked. “Help, Brajon. The disguise I made for Hiyyan isn’t going to work. It’s soaked with seawater.”
“There isn’t anything else.” Her cousin looked down, refusing to meet Silver’s eyes. “You don’t have to win to claim him. Go slowly, and cross the finish line in your own time. Protect Hiyyan.”
“The wool is pulling, though. What if part of his wing pokes through? I can already see patches of blue through the fabric. If someone looks close enough, they’ll start asking questions. Think, Brajon. We only have ten minutes!”
Brajon sighed deeply. Determination took over the set of his jaw and the glint in his eye. He pulled Silver by the arm down the seawall and away from the crowds.
He reached into his pack and handed her a small bag. “I went back for this after I couldn’t find you.”