By Deborah Bainbridge
Glacier dipped her muzzle, bracing against the intense headwind. She descended slowly through the clouds toward three sharp spires in the distance marking Mother’s grave. The fresh, sharp scent of the building tempest comforted her in a way only ice dragons would understand. White and gray haze obscured her vision, but she didn’t need to see the massive, slate-gray dragon to know he was beside her. She could feel his presence. She was no longer alone.
Extending her broad wings, Glacier shivered, sending the icicles that clung to her scales pirouetting through the air. They shattered against one another, then crashed into the snowy slope below. The treacherous mountain consumed them, as if they’d never existed. If not for Storm, she would have shared their fate many years ago.
Breaking through the cloud, she faced her mate. Storm’s gray eyes twinkled.
“Fifty winters have passed,” Glacier said, her voice rising above the intensifying tumult. “Still, your eyes twinkle like the day we met.” A wide grin spread across her face as they moved in tandem.
“You put it there.” Storm’s powerful voice boomed.
A flurry of ice crystals spewed from Glacier’s maw. She banked hard right, increasing her speed. Hoping he would give chase.
A thunderous chuckle escaped Storm, growing in intensity until he overtook her.
She purred, the comfort of companionship rising in her chest.
Storm’s head swiveled round. He caught her eye, and their gazes held. “The tempest that day was not unlike this one. I already feel its ache deep in my bones.” Coasting alongside the mountain range, Storm positioned himself nearer to Glacier, lowering his right wing until it brushed against hers.
His slightest touch sent warmth throughout her entire being.
“I remember.” Solemn memories filled her thoughts as time rewound. “It was the tenth anniversary of Mother’s passing.” She blinked hard. “For a decade, I soared these skies, utterly alone. When the gale overtook me that day, I had no will left to fight. No one to fight for. I remember yielding to its strength. Then, I saw your eyes twinkling from within the storm.”
“A desperate journey, searching for a mate.” His face turned somber. “Leaving my flight. Crossing the perilous northern mountain range.” He crinkled his snout. “I didn’t expect to survive.”
Glacier’s heart swelled with pride, knowing her mate was strong, just like Father.
The day his second in command usurped leadership, Father had given his life protecting her and Mother, allowing them a chance to escape. The betrayer vowed to kill them both, should they ever return.
The sky darkened and blackness seeped into the clouds as well as Glacier’s thoughts. Only she and Mother had lived in this valley. Yet no matter how lonely she felt, she couldn’t bear leaving Mother’s grave.
Glacier shook her head, attempting to clear away the anguished memories. Storm was here. He would never leave her alone.
“Your heart is fire! Your claws are ice!” Glacier breathed deep. “Without you, I would not be here.”
Storm’s head dipped. “Crossing the mountain stole my breath that day. I remember being in a steep dive, heading into a sharp cliff when I came to. I looked up, saw your face, and the strength of a hundred dragons filled me.” Storm bellowed a mighty roar, and flames shot from his mouth.
Lights flickered throughout the clouds. Rain pummeled Glacier’s scales as a deafening bang hit her ears. Nearby lightning prickled her skin, and she flinched.
“Get out of the clouds!” Storm’s commanding voice thundered.
Caught in a severe downdraft, Glacier plummeted out of control. All she could see was black. At any moment, she would smash into the jagged rocks below. Her breathing became erratic. The small hairs between her scales stood on end.
Something barreled into her side, shoving her out of the microburst and nearly knocking the wind from her lungs.
Righting herself, Glacier glanced up.
Lightning revealed the outline of Storm’s body within the black clouds above her. Electricity sizzled across the edges of his wings. Sparks enveloped his fangs.
When the light faded, Storm’s wings went limp, and he fell from the sky.
“Nooo!” Glacier tucked her wings tight against her sides and dove. Placing herself below his body to brace his fall, they crashed into the snow together.
Glacier clawed through the powdery wall encasing them, thrashing her tail until she was free. She pressed her face against Storm’s heart.
It wasn’t beating.
Bracing her forehead against his chest, she pounded. Over and over, she pressed against him, repeating, “You cannot leave me!”
A weak thud pulsed against her head. She stopped.
Storm sucked in a deep breath. His eyes cracked open. Straining to move, a howl escaped him. “My body is broken.”
Her eyes shot to the exit wound on Storm’s underbelly. Black and red burn marks feathered in a bark-like pattern.
“Please. Don’t leave me,” she begged, desperation causing her voice to quiver.
“I’m sorry, my love.” He groaned. “My… my memory lives in your heart now. You must cross the northern mountains. Find my flight. I don’t want you to be… alone.”
She winced. “No, please.” Her head shook from side to side. “You’re strong. Fight!” Her plea was a growl.
“Let me go,” Storm whispered, grimacing.
“How can I? Fifty years with you will never be enough.” Tears trickled down her muzzle, freezing against her scales before they fell.
“You are the fire in my heart.” His voice cracked. His breaths shallowed. “The ice… in my… claws.” Storm’s eyes twinkled, then closed. His body went limp.
Resting her snout against the crook of his neck, something new and unexpected moved within her. Glacier sat up, a mixture of anticipation and grief, life and death, flooding through her. She stared into Storm’s lifeless face.
“You’d have made a wonderful father. You have my heart and my promise: Our hatchling will know you because I will remember.”
Glacier stood. Squaring her shoulders, she faced the mountain and roared.
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