Score! Ravi was almost proud of himself, except he hadn’t actually connected the scent to the man until now, so probably no brownie points. He leaned into the man’s back, wanting to ask a lot of a questions. Probably couldn’t while riding, it was hard to hear over the wind in his ears and the bike’s motor. His ears could manage it okay, but he didn’t think the mage’s could.
The mage, bless him, his children, and his dog, sped well out of town and away from pesky reporters trying to chase Ravi. They didn’t stop until they were near the curve of the mountain, in a more secluded spot with trees, and only then pulled over to the side of the road. Gravel crunched under the bike’s tires as they slowed to a halt. Ravi hopped off as the bike stopped, as he wanted to get a better look at this man.
The mage apparently felt the same way, as he pulled the helmet off and looked up at Ravi curiously.
Oh daaaaamn. That was fine. Hot mage, me likey. Ravi blinked and ordered himself not to drool.
The features were distinctly Asian, the face sculpted and narrow, eyes so dark as to be almost pitch black, his inky hair falling in a smooth glide down his back in a ponytail. Really, if he’d donned a kimono and been handed a katana, he’d look like a samurai in search of an enemy to slay.
Ravi’s clanmates were going to take one look at the man and lose their shit. No other possibility.
“Hello, handsome mage.” Ravi greeted him with a wide smile. “Welcome to Sonthofen, and thanks, really, for getting me out of there. Short of shifting and flying out, I wasn’t sure how to manage that. With those narrow streets, my wings couldn’t fully extend. I’m Ravi, and you are?”
“Sora. Sora Vo, nice to meet you. I’m glad I ran into you. I wasn’t sure how to approach the castle.”
The man’s voice was smooth, like warm chocolate. If he read the phone book, Ravi would happily listen for hours, such was the fine quality of his voice. He had to force himself to listen to the words themselves and not just the tone.
“So, you’re here to…?”
“Oh, I saw the interview with King Alric and his consort on the news. About how they’re no longer in hiding and are seeking mages. I’m very, very interested in meeting you all.” Sora rubbed at the back of his head in a sort of sheepish gesture. “I wasn’t sure how to contact you. And waltzing up to the main gate and demanding to be let in seemed…rude.”
“Like a dojo challenger?” Ravi offered, grinning.
Sora snorted a laugh. “Something like that, yeah. But meeting you is a lucky coincidence. You can tell me, is it alright if I come up?”
“Please do! We’re really happy to see mages. I’ll escort you in, no problem. But it wouldn’t have been a problem even if you had come up unannounced. We have a lot of people showing up to the castle gates these days. Some of them are mages, some aren’t, so sorting that out is something of a hassle. At least this way, you get to avoid the chaos.” Ravi put a hand on the man’s shoulder and leaned in, warning seriously, “Just be aware, you’re going to get glomped.”
Sora blinked back at him, not following. “I’m sorry?”
“Five hundred years, man. Five hundred years of cold winters and not enough mages to snuggle. My clanmates felt the dearth, let me tell you, and you’re handsome enough to be a model, so you’re definitely going to get glomped. Possibly licked. Take it in the spirit it’s meant, okay?”
Sora blinked some more. “I—thank you? And I’ll remember that. Really, you’ve not had any new mages at all in five hundred years?”
“Not since the Dragon War,” Ravi sighed, the memory of it washing through him like a wave of old pain. He was used to it, but it would never completely fade. “Some of our mages survived—the ones already mated. Six in total.”
Sora’s eyes went wide with horror. “SIX?!”
“Yeah. It sucked, no question. And no matter how hard we searched, we didn’t find any more mages. Not until Cameron popped up in Sonthofen for the Dragon War Festival. Which, let me tell you, was a relief.” Ravi was still proud of himself for finding Cameron first. “And since then, we’ve been finding mages here and there. And it’s an amazing feeling, to have the option again. To know that my mage is out there and someone I can possibly lay hands on. Which is why I’m saying, you? Are a walking temptation. Be careful, you’re likely going to be seduced before you know what’s hit you.”
Sora cocked his head, lips pursed as if he were thinking this over. “I haven’t had a boyfriend in ages. Being seduced sounds great. Let’s go.”
Ravi snickered. “I knew I liked you. Alright, so the road going up the mountain? Follow that, then when you have the option, go left. That will take you straight to the castle gates.”
“Sounds easy enough. Hop on.”
He threw a leg over and slid on, snuggling back in against Sora’s back.
“So, where are you coming from, Sora?”
“India.” Sora started the engine back up. “Short story is, when the Dragon Wars happened, my family got nervous about staying in place because of what the Jaeggi were doing. They packed up in the middle of the night and immigrated to India. We’ve basically been there ever since.”
This sounded like music to his ears. Ravi perked up. “There’s more of you?”
“Yeah. I came ahead of the family to see what it’s like up here, touch base, all of that.” Sora cast him a glance before putting on his helmet. “I think you’ll meet them eventually. But let’s go up, first. Any chance of me meeting your king?”
“Odds are really good. Alric’s not the type to stand on formality. He’s super approachable.” Ravi paused and made a noise. “You missed King Rodrigo.”
“King Rodrigo?”
Ravi nodded. “King of the Ice Dragons.”
He nearly laughed to see Sora’s eyes go so wide. “Oh damn, and I could have met him too? Shit. I can’t figure out if my timing is good or bad. Where are the ice dragons?”
“Those beach bums are all out in Brazil, surfing and lounging on the beach. But King Rodrigo visits often, talking dragon business with Alric and visiting with a certain mage he’s got the hots for.”
“Wow…ice and fire dragons. I thought you guys didn’t really get along?”
Ravi made a dismissive noise. “They’re fine, we’re just better. You don’t want the ice dragons. The Burkhard Clan is much more interesting. I think King Alric is better looking too. You want to talk to him?”
“I have some questions.”
Yeah, probably quite a few. Ravi was of the opinion Sora should ask all the questions if it meant convincing his family to come out of wherever they were hiding and meet the clan. He wouldn’t push for that info yet, as Ravi knew how the paranoia of the war could persist. Tori’s clan, the Taavi, in Finland had been taught to hate and mistrust all dragons. If the Vo clan was at least willing to send an emissary to talk, it was a good start. Baby steps, that was the way to handle this.
Ravi practically vibrated with impatience. He wasn’t good at baby steps. But he’d try. Really hard. Maybe Alric could convince Sora quickly.
Sora revved up the engine and off they went.