Page 112 of Tailwind

Surprise emotion caught in my throat. ‘Yeah, okay.’

The young girl was called Netti and she’d been racing for a year already. She was named for her grandmother, who was from the northern continent but had moved to the Crescent for work. This racetrack was like a second home to her, the other riders like cousins.

All of that I learned as the kids were gearing up and climbing on to the drakes. Netti wasn’t done though.

‘I’m the littlest one, but that means I can go faster even on the littler drakes.’ She was talking even when shoving a helmet down over her head. ‘Do you go faster on your dragon? I think you should. Dragons are just bigger drakes. What’s your dragon’s name? This is Kenta. She’s a girl like us.’ She patted the drake before climbing on.

I held the reins of the dusty-brown drake as Netti got settled in the saddle. It was a fantastic beast – packed with muscle, an even ratio between tail and body and thick claws that wouldn’t be at risk of blunting any time soon.

‘Do you always race with Kenta?’ Most of the drakes used on track days like this were housed in the stable and owned by the company that owned the circuit, but there was no guarantee that she’d be paired with the same riders.

‘No, she’s mine.’ Netti said it so casually.

Impressive. Most kids didn’t get their own drake until they started competing. Netti was rich-rich. ‘So you know how to race this track, yeah?’

Her helmet, custom-made, made Netti’s head look twice as big, throwing her proportions into comedic scale, even more so as she nodded, her whole head wobbling around. ‘Yeah.’

The basin was ringed with track connecting each level with ramps. The staff had cordoned off sections to create a circuit that spiralled down two levels before going back up again. It had been used for the official Junior Drake Series, even when I was young enough to compete.

I smirked at the memory of outsmarting Theo years ago. ‘If you’re feeling confident—’

‘I am!’

‘Okay, count the turns as you go around them.’ I told her what I used to do, using my hands to demonstrate the angles for the corners. ‘Do you think you can try that?’

She slammed down her faceplate as she replied, ‘Yes!’

I stood back, letting the group file out to the start line. They had drawn lots for starting position, just like we did in Volitant.

‘Passing on some words of wisdom?’ Theo asked. His elbow bumped into mine as he joined me in spectating.

‘I hope so,’ I replied. ‘Though honestly this just makes me want to race again.’

‘You will.’

‘Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I actually meant like this.’ I gestured to the drakes as they took off at the top of the slope. ‘I know it was never easy, but it did seem a lot simpler back then.’

‘Probably because Pops and Cam were dealing with all the grown-up stuff.’

He was right. During the Junior Drake years I’d been able to show up and race. Everything else was handled by the adults. So much had been going on and while I’d caught wind of some of it – I’d overheard the way some of the other parents spoke about me – it had been a time of blissful ignorance.

‘They actually have some dire drakes here.’

My eyes were glued to the track, Netti was at the first corner. She slowed Kenta down exactly where I’d told her, a whole second later than the others, perfect for getting ahead … Too much though. She was overtaken on the inside line.

‘Dire drakes?’ I asked, distracted.

‘Yeah. Big ones.’

‘For commercial stuff?’ The larger breeds of drake were used for haulage and transport.

‘For racing,’ he said.

I finally turned away from the track. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

He smiled at me. ‘Fancy a rematch, Paldon?’

Theo clapped his hands together to gather as much attention as he could. He had mild success as the top three finishers waved their trophies in the faces of the others.