“You’ll be fine,” Ann insisted. “But it’s over water,” Pt’this said. “Yes, over water, not in water,” Ann said. “But it’s water, huge water. What if we need to land?” “That’s why Mishtali gave us a map. So we’d know where the land is.” “It’s over five hundred years old.” “Islands don’t just walk away.” “But…” Pt’this started to protest again. “If it’s that big of a deal, don’t come. I’ll transport Bremul and myself there, get the cure, and be back for dinner. I’m strong enough to get past the interference.” “You can’t do that. The spores won’t let you draw in that much magic.” They had been going back and forth for some time now. Dragons didn’t like water. Fire and water don’t mix, they said. Pt’this was afraid of it. Now, he was facing having to spend weeks crossing the ocean. “Then stay. I’ll fly with Andy and he can hold Bre. You two stay here and take care of the home.” “I’m not letting you drop my son in the ocean,” Pt’this growled. “Then stop complaining.” “But it’s water, miles and miles of water.” Ann growled and breathed fire at him. It was meant to be a near miss but he still put his shields up. “Drepal, behave yourself.” Andy scolded her. “Drepal?” Pt’this asked surprised. “I’m not Drepal. She’s sleeping.” “I know,” Andy said. “But you’re acting like her.” Drepal hadn’t been seen in a year and a half. Not since Shunati had put them to sleep to heal Ann’s wing after the battle with Nor’than. Ann had woken but Drepal hadn’t. It wasn’t that she was gone. Andy could still feel her through the bond but he knew it would take something big to wake her. He was surprised being poisoned hadn’t done it. Sapphire came out after feeding Bremul. She nursed him like a human baby, but he also needed meat like a dragon. She had devised a way of grinding it so he could eat it without having teeth, although Andy had seen her chew it herself in a pinch. He figured that if a dragon could eat raw meat, a baby dragon could handle mom’s germs. Others came to see them off. They admonished Nim to be careful while scrying Joanne and to let one of the other mages know so they could check on him. Ann apologized to her father for messing up the plans for the treaty. He, of course, didn’t blame her. Ann’s mother and siblings were there too as well as Dae, Ti, and the children from the home. They were surprised to see the other young dragons who Ann had attended classes with. Not just the oldest ones like normal but all of them. “We have permission,” Bria said and Ghin showed them a letter from the Council putting Bria in charge for the outing since she was the oldest after Ti. Ghin had ridden with Bria in his human form and Bria stayed in dragon form while the rest took their alternate forms. Andy understood. They had been required to leave their diamond vials behind. The vials were what dragons used to take other forms. Without one they were stuck in whatever form they were in. The same thing had been done with Dae and Ti before Ti’s banishment. The dragons were quite strict about young couples needing chaperones. They left with Pt’this still complaining about having to fly over water with no land in sight. As they flew, Andy kept an eye on Ann and Bre’s magic level. It fluctuated some but both drew in more. Ann was aware of her levels and Bre seemed to do it instinctively. He was going to be quite a powerful mage when he got older. At one point, Ann dove down to the water grabbing a large fish. She tore off a chunk, roasted it with her fire breath, and handed it to Andy. “Warn us next time you do that. You just about gave Pt’this a heart attack,” Sapphire said as Ann gave her some of the fish. “Sorry.” She tore the rest of the fish in half and offered a part to Pt’this. “Eating fish,” Pt’this grunted. “Better than eating chicken,” Ann told him. He growled. “Birds are bait.” “It’s also not pork,” Andy said. Pt’this swore pigs or any animal smaller than a cow wasn’t meant for a dragon’s diet. Andy knew that not all dragons felt that way although they all said birds were too small to be bothered with except as bait for something larger. Pt’this grunted and ate the fish. “We talked about this,” Sapphire reminded him. “We’ll catch what we can so we have less to carry. Besides, Shimmer needs to practice hunting. You’ve eaten fish at the palace many times. “I ate it didn’t I?” Pt’this said. “We aren’t going to go through this for every meal are we?” Sapphire asked. “You’re setting a bad example for Bre.” Pt’this didn’t say anything. They flew all day until they reached one of the islands Mishtali had marked on the map. He had marked which ones had been uninhabited when he had gone that route on his way to Menthanla. This one appeared to still be uninhabited. It was what they wanted, so they didn’t worry about trespassing or offending anyone. When he woke the next morning, Andy found Ann already awake and feeding Bremul some meat. The boy’s energy looked about the same as it had the previous day but Ann’s looked less. “Have you been casting?” He asked. “No. Just playing with Bre.” “Do you need some energy?” “No, I’m good,” she said. He gave her some anyhow. “We don’t want to take chances. Pt’this hit eight hundred last month. He might not be able to carry the four of us.” Pt’this let out a growl. “I heard that. Eight hundred is not old.” “No, just middle-aged,” Andy said with a smile. Pt’this growled again.