Rhaegor trudges a few steps ahead of me, my backpack hanging from his shoulders while the lunch box swings from his hand with every step. We've been climbing for nearly two hours under a sun determined to roast me alive.
I shield my eyes from the glare, looking out at the sprawling greenery. It strangely reminds me of those old university field projects. "It's actually really fun being outside," I mutter, wiping a bead of sweat from my temple. "The sun is definitely trying to kill me, though."
I squint at the peaks ahead and nudge Rhaegor's arm. "Can't you just start flying now?"
"Just two more mountains," he says, not even turning around. "Then we'll take flight."
I let out a long, dramatic sigh, adjusting the brim of my cap. "I really thought I'd be soaring toward the sea, seeing the whole world from above. Instead, I'm stuck here in these boots, hiking in a button-down shirt."
