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The day of the most important race of Gem's life dawned with a threat of rain on the distant horizon. It couldn't be anymore perfect.
She gave an indulgent smile at a nudge to her side. Dredgewave, her Sliquifier, nosed at her hand, her nostrils flaring while she sniffed for another fish. Gem tossed one in the air, and her dragon's head snapped up. A flash of fangs, and the fish was gone. Dredgewave purred and nestled closer to Gem's side, closing her eyes at the rays of dawn sunlight cresting over the ocean.
"We finally made it, huh?" Dredgewave cracked her eyes open. "All that training, all those races, all of it leading to today."
Gem sighed and leaned back against Dredgewave's dark blue scales, still ringed with droplets of ocean water. "I just hope all the training we've done will be enough. I mean, it worked against everyone else, but Pearl is another level entirely."
Dredgewave snorted. Her orange neck frills rose and fell again. Gem laughed. "You're right, as always. We'll be throwing everything we've got at Pearl to win this race."
Both their heads lifted at the sound of wingbeats. Gem smiled and waved at Impulse while Dredgewave peeled away from her side to bob her head at his Windgnasher once he dismounted.
"So this is where you've been hiding," he said.
Gem shrugged. "I wouldn't call it hiding. Just taking a moment to enjoy the quiet, you know?"
"I get that." He sat down, and dug around in his bag. Gem gasped and reached out when he fished out her mask, but still her hand at a flash of blue. "You forgot this in the forge. I made some improvements to it. Don't think I don't know what you've been planning."
Gem gave him a sheepish smile and took it. Her smile turned to a frown when she held it up, and a sheen of navy blue shimmered over the eye holes. On her face, the world was a shimmering haze of vague shapes. He had made some kind of other modification as well, where leather-lined wood dug into the skin around her eyes. "Why would you do that! Impulse! I can't see out of this!"
"You couldn't leave the eyes open like you had," he said, shooting her a look. "You were going to hurt yourself at the speeds you're going underwater and I wasn't going to let you do that."
Gem opened her mouth, and closed it again.
Impulse took the mask. "These are some of Dredgewave's shed scales, and I've mixed them with a few Thunderdrum scales as well. So," he held it back out and smiled. "Now you can go even faster, and you won't get hurt."
"Except I can't see."
His smile widened. "Oh I have faith that you'll figure that out."
Gem offhandedly wondered just how difficult it would be to tear out the scales.
"Gem." She looked up. "Trust me. If you take those scales out, you're going to get yourself hurt. And I don't want that to happen."
"Alright," Gem agreed, her voice soft. Dredgewave returned to her then, sniffing at the mask and tilting her head. Her frills flared open, and flattened again. "You approve?" she smiled.
Dredgewave huffed. Gem took it as a yes.
"I'll see you at the race." Impulse hauled himself onto the back of his dragon. He smiled. "Got a front row seat. Gotta watch the moment you cross the finish line!"
Gem laughed. "Thanks, Impulse."
He threw her a salute, and disappeared over the tips of the trees. Gem sighed and turned back to Dredgewave, shifting the mask between her hands. "What are we going to do with this?"
The scales glimmered in the sunlight, now fully emerged from the ocean and glaring into her eyes.
"We don't really have much of a choice, do we? We'll just have to adapt. Figure it out. It's what we do best, right?"
Dredgewave held her eyes. She dropped her wing, her long neck swivelling to glance at the saddle on her back.
"Yeah, I know. We better get going. Fly slow, alright? Save your energy."
Dredgewave made a trilling noise in her throat. Gem swung a leg over her back and jammed her boots into the stirrups. She gripped the sides of the saddle. At a squeeze from her legs, Dredgewave's wings snapped open and she vaulted herself off the cliff, stretched out to her full wingspan in a slow glide.
Dragons and riders gathered along the route for the race. Swarms around the finish line, some dragons recognizable as other racers the closer she got while they took their places along the cliffs to spectate. She picked out Grian and his crimson Dramillion, and Mumbo with his bright orange Deadly Nadder. Tango and his Monstrous Nightmare, Martyn with his Changewing, and Impulse with his Windgnasher. Scar had to be around here somewhere on his Boneknapper as well, each one of them having been defeated by both Gem and Pearl over the course of the season. Sometimes in group races, usually one on one. They had each been eliminated until only her and Pearl remained to fight for the championship.
Grian broke away from the swarm to glide alongside her as she landed next to the wooden storage building. "Good, you're just in time. Pearl just got here. How are you feeling?"
"Great!" Gem faked a smile, shifting her mask behind her back. "Just great."
"That's good to hear, because everyone expects this to be the best race of the year."
Gem shot him a look and slid off Dredgewave's back. "Thanks. No pressure."
"You'll be fine," Grian waved her off. "Go get yourself ready, alright? We start as soon as you're both ready."
Gem nodded and led Dredgewave to a barrel of fish and a bucket of water, smiling at those wishing her luck as she passed. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, she leaned her head back and released her breath.
Impulse had meant well with her mask. But now, while her sight was already limited in the time she had planned to be skimming the surface of the water, now it was next to nothing through the scales. It was an unknown, a wrench thrown into her meticulous practicing and she didn't quite know what to do about it. She traced the outline with a finger, grimacing at the edges of the scales fused with the leather. There would be no getting them off. She had told Dredgewave they would adapt, she just wished she believed it herself.
Her mind rehearsed the layout of the race course while she dressed. Tight-fitting leather treated to withstand heat and water, with her dragon's scales sown into the joints to keep her warm and dry, all the way up to her neck. They were designed for them to make up for lost time in the three sections of the race over open water. After all, Gem had pored over the rule book of dragon racing, and not a single word declared that all dragons had to remain in the air.
Gem intended to exploit this to play to her dragon's strengths. Pearl's Stormcutter had them beat in the air with speed and agility, but Gem knew Dredgewave, as a Tidal class dragon, could easily pass Pearl in the water.
Her gloves and boots went on next, with straps fastening them to her outfit. She was as ready as she could be.
Adapt. Watch Pearl, pace herself, and make up speed where she could. It would be fine.
Gem took a deep breath and pulled open the door to a smiling face. She yelped and jumped back, nearly reaching for a dagger out of instinct until her brain caught up with her eyes. A form-fitting leather tunic and pants, secured with criss-crossing straps and a red cloak over top with a hood in place of her usual horned helmet.
"Sorry, did I scare ya?" Pearl smiled.
Gem huffed and planted her hands on her hips. "No, not at all."
Pearl laughed. She leaned against the doorframe. "I just wanted to tell you, I really hoped it would be you to make it to the finals. Like," she gestured behind her. "Our friends are lovely, but I'm really looking forward to this."
"Me too." Gem couldn't help but smile. "But I'm coming for your throne!"
Pearl stepped closer. "Oh, I hope you are! But I'm not going easy on you. Tilly and I have been training hard and we're not giving up the top spot without a fight."
"I wouldn't want you to."
Pearl stuck out a hand. "May the best racer win."
Gem shook it. "May the best racer win," she echoed.
Pearl led the way out of the building, waving at the gathered crowd on her way to Tilly, her massive white Stormcutter. A Sliquifier like Dredgewave looked almost tiny next to her, but Gem wouldn't be fooled into thinking her size would give them any advantage. Tilly had more than enough speed to make up for it.
Dredgewave flared open her frills while Gem climbed over her back. She secured her feet and clipped herself to the saddle, but left her mask at her side for one last check. She ran a hand over Dredgewave's smooth scales and patted her on the shoulder. "Let's do this. We're going to win this! I know we can!"
Dredgewave threw her head back and roared, leaving Gem's ears ringing. Yet, she laughed, her heart pressing against her ribs. Pearl glanced over in surprise from her perch on Tilly's back. She grinned, then returned her attention to Grian attempting to calm the crowd from the back of his Dramillion.
"Hello! Settle down! We're about to begin the race!" he yelled into a hollowed out goat horn. A hush settled over the crowd, broken by wingbeats and the snorts of the gathered dragons. Dozens of species, carrying their riders or close to their sides, while baby Scuttlewings and Terrible Terrors wove between their legs. All gathered to watch, all expecting a show.
Gem's hands were already sweating in her gloves.
"For the last five moons, dragons and their riders have been racing for the crown. We've seen the fastest, the most agile, and the most determined dragons race to reach this very moment. We began with eight dragon riders, and now, out of all our competitors, we've narrowed it down to the two very best!"
He paused for the crowd to cheer.
"We have Pearl, the reigning champion for the last five seasons, with her Stormcutter, Tilly!"
Tilly reared up on her hind legs and flared open all four wings. Pearl clung to her with one hand, raising her other to wave at the roaring crowd.
"And challenging her, only on her second season, we have Gem and her Sliquifier, Dredgewave!"
Gem's heart leapt when the cheers were just as loud for her as they were for Pearl. She nudged Dredgewave into a circle, smiling when she flared open her wings— iridescent navy blue membrane stretched between bones coated in copper-coloured scales.
"Take your places! You will be doing three laps of the course! There are flags placed along your route to guide you, and seven rings that you have to pass through! If you miss any rings, you lose points! The winner will be whoever completes all three laps first, and whoever passes through the most rings. Are you ready?"
Gem shot Grian a thumbs up.
"Three!"
A hush fell over the crowd. Even the dragons stilled, waiting for the moment they were released.
"Two!"
Gem's heart pounded in her ears. She leaned down until her forearms rested against the saddle. Her gloves creaked from her grip.
"One!"
Dredgewave shifted her weight and her wings, crouching and opening her frills.
"Go!"
The moment where a race begins had always been Gem's favourite. The snap of Dredgewave's wings, the rush of wind in her face, the adrenaline. The euphoria. Tightening her grip around the saddle, her legs pressed against the dragon's flank, and the first, dizzying lurch into the air.
And the moment with Dredgewave's wings spread wide. Her neck extended and frills raised. Hung motionless in the air, like time froze around them. The cliff below giving way to its rugged side, down to jagged rocks shaped by crashing ocean waves.
Then they were diving.
Gem forced herself to breathe through the wind. Dredgewave's wings pulled tight, and they shot towards the rocky waters at the base of the cliffs around Berk. Too rocky to swim. Gem waited, her eyes fixed on the tallest point, watching it rush towards them. At the right moment, she pulled back on the saddle. Her grip with her legs held her in place with the jarring deceleration and the snap of air hitting wing membrane.
White rocketed past her. Tilly's two wings split into four, and she was a blur of motion weaving through the rocks. Gem gave her head a shake, and the chase was on. Rocks flew by. Gem let Dredgewave lead— she knew the quickest path, and all Gem had to do was urge her along. She leaned with each turn, keeping herself low to preserve their speed.
Pearl rose. Gem followed her, smiling at the pull of an updraft at the end of the first leg. She urged Dredgewave up. Air rushed around them. Scales and leather, and two sets of eyes fixated on the guiding flag held by a Gronkle at the mouth of the cave. The first ring stood at its entrance, obvious and slathered in glowing algae. Easy to pass through.
The cave was more of the same. Weaving through columns of stone, diving under stalactites and letting Dredgewave's claws skim the surface of the still pools. Gem squeezed her legs. Two wingbeats, and they slowed. Dredgewave pulled her wings back slightly, slowing them into a glide at the point where the rock closed in, where it narrowed enough for Dredgewave to hit her wings at their full span.
Slowing was worth it. The price of Dredgewave hitting her wings was greater than gliding through this portion of the cave. It was only a few seconds, and they burst back into the open air.
Wings folded. Diving again.
This time, Gem took control. Stretched between the jagged stones hanging under the overhang, was the second ring. It only took a slight change in their practiced course to meet it. Cheering erupted from the longboats below when she passed through, and pulled her hands away to bring her mask to her face.
The world vanished into a haze of blue. Impulse's other modification dug into her skin, annoying and sapping her concentration. Gem's breath caught in her throat at the dark shapes blurring and growing, like the shadowed fangs within the maw of the Red Death, opening to snap them up. Her eyes flicked from one to the next, never lingering for long. Dredgewave rumbled beneath her. She sucked in a breath, cursing Impulse in her head, and tightened her grip on the saddle as water rose to her waist.
Dredgewave was already fast in the air, but it was the water that would give them the edge here. Together, they had worked out a system where Dredgewave could be completely submerged, and Gem still had her head above the water. The mask kept the water away from her mouth and allowed her to breathe. It was a perfect system. Gem only wished she could see where Pearl was. She couldn't pick out the sound of Tilly's wingbeats over the water. Her shape was lost to the blur over her vision. Even the looming rocks ahead were nothing but dark, indistinct shapes.
Gem tugged on Dredgewave's saddle and they lifted out of the water. Slowing slightly, Gem yanked the mask away.
They had pulled up too early. So much water had been left— so much space they could've used to catch up to Pearl. Now, she almost looked even further ahead, passing through the third ring and darting over the edge of the cliff above.
This time, Gem cursed Impulse out loud. So what if her eyes burned for days after training, irritated by salt and wind from Dredgewave's speed. Sure, she hadn't been able to see his forge well enough to even notice that she left her mask there in the first place, but he didn't need to take it on himself to destroy her vision for a short spell of poor eyesight. She was a racer. She was one of the best. She was going to do whatever it took to win, without explicitly breaking the rules.
She grit her teeth and urged Dredgewave forward. They passed through the ring and into the open air. She hated this section. Nothing but sheep pastures and a handful of trees, open space away from water where Pearl had the greatest advantage.
Gem could see her pulling away already. Dredgewave flew low. Sheep scattered with startled bleats that were lost to the wind. She wasn't even halfway through the pastures when Pearl and Tilly dipped off the edge of the cliff.
She swore again.
Dredgewave flew a little faster.
"Oh, it's okay! Not your fault!" she called.
The cliff broke away. Gem adjusted their course to pass through the fourth ring, and held herself steady with her legs while she secured her mask.
They hit the water.
This time, Gem paid closer attention to the shapes rushing by. Rocks. Spectators. More rocks. Longships. To her surprise, the glow of the fifth ring shone through the haze, stretched above the cove where the ocean had carved an entire path through the rock. It was one of Gem's favourite places around Berk, shallow and teeming with fish and Tidal class dragons. Dredgewave tossed her head up, and Gem pulled back to bring them up.
The cheers she expected never came.
She turned her head to catch the edge of the ring passing over her head.
"No!"
Dredgewave jerked underneath her. They hit the water and slowed.
"No, no, no!" Gem hastened to correct herself. "Keep going! We can't go back!"
She couldn't keep going like this. The water was supposed to be their big advantage, yet any speed they gained was lost by her altered depth perception. She could let Dredgewave direct them, but the rules said dragon and rider had to work together. It was clear, and there was no loophole there. For now, she pulled the mask off for the next leg, on the other side of the cove. Another round of jagged rocks, already familiar from their practice.
Gem leaned with Dredgewave's movements, anticipating each turn before the dragon leaned into it herself. She knew the feel of it. Knew the path.
Less than a week ago, she had been joking to Impulse about how both her and Dredgewave could do this race with their eyes closed.
Dredgewave beat her wings and shot through the sixth ring, hung on the other side of the rocks. Gem glanced down to the blue sheen over her mask. She didn't have her full vision, but she didn't have her eyes closed. She slipped the mask over her face, anticipating the last section of open water.
This time, she paid closer attention. She knew the shape of the rocks, the outline of the cliffs ahead. She knew how far away they were.
And she could see Pearl, nearly clearing the section already to catch the updraft back to the finish line.
This time, Gem waited until Dredgewave tensed before pulling out of the water. The updraft caught her open wings. Gem couldn't suppress a laugh from bubbling free, the rush of wind and adrenaline carrying them up through the seventh ring. The laugh turned giddy at cheers erupting from the stands, and Tilly's blurry tail vanishing over the edge of the cliff.
She could do this. Yes, Pearl was ahead. But not much. There were two laps to catch up. That was six sections of open water. Dredgewave could do so much more than what she's already done. She could hit speeds that Pearl could only dream of.
She would catch up.
She could do this.
Their dive drowned the spectators in wind.
"Dredgewave!" Gem yelled. "I'm going to keep the mask on! It's too hard to take it on and off!"
Dredgewave gave an alarmed trill.
"I trust you! I trust you with my life and I know you can do it!"
She grinned when Dredgewave settled and stretched her neck out further. "That's the spirit!"
With a deep breath, she fixed the mask to her face and flattened herself against Dredgewave's back.
Dredgewave guided her through the rocks. Where the dragon leaned, Gem followed. She watched the looming cliff face ahead, waiting until the jagged shapes passed to tug on the saddle to catch the updraft and pass through the first ring into darkness.
Gem held her breath. There had been little light to begin with in the cave, only a handful of torches whose light barely passed through her veil of scales. Her heart beat in her ears. She forced her breath out, and took another. Leaned with her dragon. Claws hit water, and Gem made herself smaller, smiling at Dredgewave giving her a signal. She felt the dragon's wings pull in through the narrow passage, until the light at the end of the tunnel grew from a pinprick, to a beam, to a flood.
"Dredgewave!" Gem yelled as they passed through the second ring. "I think it's time to go for a swim! We can make up our time!"
Dredgewave roared in response. Her dive accelerated. Gem tightened her grip, focusing on a cresting wave when the ocean rushed up. She took as much air as she could.
The shock of cold seeping under her mask was nearly enough for her to cough it out. Yet, it didn't reach her eyes. The water stopped around the modification Impulse had made, still surrounding her face and pressing against her nose and mouth.
And she could see. Nothing clear. Only the same shapes as before with an added layer of blue hiding them from view, and sunlight filtering in from above. When they had practiced this strategy before, the saltwater had invaded Gem's eyes to the point where she had to close them and rely solely on Dredgewave to know when the leg was over.
Now she could help, and best of all, Dredgewave was home. Her fanned tail whipped them through the water, wings beating like they did in the air and to much greater effect. Gem waited until her lungs burned and squeezed Dredgewave's sides with her legs, and the dragon flicked her tail and launched them out of the water in an arc. It was quick. But it was enough for Gem to take another breath. Combined with Dredgewave's speed, it was enough to last until the stones of the shore loomed from the water.
Gem yanked back on the saddle, and they shot free from the water. Up through the third ring, and past the cliff. She cheered, adrenaline chasing away lingering doubt.
Pearl was closer than before over the pastures of sheep.
She could do this. They could do this.
"Let's keep this up!"
Dredgewave roared and summoned enough of a burst of speed to send them over the edge, down through the fourth ring and into the water. This time, Dredgewave held nothing back. She whipped forwards, bobbing up towards the surface to watch for the fifth ring. When Gem squeezed her side, she launched. Two wingbeats in the air slowed them down, but this time, cheers erupted as they passed through the ring.
Gem gasped in a breath, and they went back underwater. Catching up. Making up the time they needed. Gem couldn't help but marvel at the floor of the cove, tangled fishing nets discarded on the sea floor leading down to cave entrances hidden by the gloom. For a moment, she swore she caught the whip-like tail of a Thunderdrum vanish into one, but they were speeding away before the dragon could notice them.
Dredgewave leapt out of the water, and it was back to the next round of weaving through rocks. Gem focused on her heartbeat, on the strength of her grip on the saddle, and leaned with Dredgewave's guidance. No longer the maw of the Red Death. Just rocks. Only familiar rocks, and so much less space between her and Pearl.
She soared through the sixth ring.
Pearl and Tilly flickered at the edge of her field of vision, half blocked by her mask. Close enough that if Dredgewave veered to the side, she could bite Tilly's tail. They stayed that way up through the seventh ring and through the finish line.
Horns blared. The signal for the final lap. One last chance for Gem to catch up and overtake Pearl.
They were so close. Tilly glanced over her shoulder and roared while they dove. Her wings separated and flickered in a disorientating kaleidoscope through Gem's scale-coated vision. Pearl pulled away in the first round of jagged stones, through the first ring, and a little more in the cave before it forced them both through the narrow tunnel.
Gem leaned forward on the dive through the second ring. She released her death grip on the saddle, reaching down to wrap her arms under Dredgewave's neck and lace her fingers together. "Give it everything you've got!" she called.
She sucked in a breath, filling her lungs as much as possible.
This time, Dredgewave held nothing back. Gem's ears popped. She tightened her grip, holding on with every bit of strength she could muster. Her legs ached, lungs burning while she kept her eyes plastered open and watching for the looming stones ahead.
They came up so much faster.
Gem squeezed Dredgewave's sides. The dragon burst from the water, spiralling into the updraft, while Gem peeled herself away from her back, readjusting her grip around the saddle. Gem searched for flickers of white, stiffening and breaking out into a smile when yelling and a Stormcutter's roar came from behind her.
"Go, go, go!" Gem yelled. Dredgewave's sides heaved underneath her, shooting through the third ring. They hovered motionless in the air at the peak of the cliff. One moment. Just one moment where everything was frozen in hues of dragonscale blue, pastures of sheep ahead, the rocky shoreline of the race, and the expanse of the ocean beyond.
The moment passed. Dredgewave put as much speed as she could into her glide, slow wingbeats relying on momentum. Gem could feel Pearl at her back. The shifts in the wind from Tilly's wingbeats, the dragon's ragged breaths if she focused enough. Dredgewave wasn't faring much better, enough that Gem pulled back on the saddle and let Pearl pass when they both went into their dives through the fourth ring.
Dredgewave would need all her energy for the water. Holding back for a moment, then it was all in again.
Gem held on for her life. Arms and interlocked fingers around Dredgewave's neck. The water trapped against her palms where it had slowly seeped through the seams in her gloves, warmed by her body heat. Her breath trapped in her lungs. This was everything they had.
Her lungs burned. Gem waited until the last possible moment before nudging Dredgewave in the side. Instantly, the dragon leapt from the water in an arc. Momentum carried them up, blinding speed that dragged the water trapped underneath Gem's mask away like a Scauldron's breath. Enough for Gem to draw in another breath, and cheers to erupt through the water in her ears where they sailed through the fifth ring.
And it was back in the water. A school of fish scattered, caves and netting flew by.
Faster.
Faster.
They were so close.
This time, their positions were reversed. Gem stayed ahead of Pearl, acutely conscious of the giant Stormcutter's wingbeats behind. Tilly was close enough to catch Dredgewave's tail in her teeth, with no way to take the lead through the narrow rocks.
"Come on, come on," she said, lifting her head to scan the shape of the final cliff at the edge of the water. Their last chance to keep the lead they fought so hard to acquire. "Give it everything you've got!" she screamed, her voice raw, knowing Dredgewave wanted this win just as much as she did.
The instant the rocks opened up into the sixth ring, Gem took a breath and urged Dredgewave back into the water. She barely had the chance to secure herself before Dredgewave found the kind of mind-numbing speed that Gem had only seen from wild Sliquifiers. She didn't dare blink or shift her grip, waiting for the moment where the rocks would rush up on them again.
She squeezed her legs when it did. Dredgewave shot upwards, darkened rocks filling Gem's vision, close enough that Gem could reach out and have her fingers skimming the surface. She readjusted her grip on the saddle, hazarding a glance over her shoulder as they passed through the seventh ring.
Flickering white. Pearl was gaining.
Gem tightened her grip. They were so close.
"We can do this," she whispered.
They crested the edge of the cliff. The roaring crowd swam in her vision, shapes leaping to their feet. Wings beat all around her. Above. To the sides.
Behind.
"Come on," she whispered. Dredgewave panted for breath and shot forward.
"Come on!"
Her scream carried her over the finish line. The crowd erupted into shouts and cheers. Gem released her breath and pulled back, slowing Dredgewave until they looped back over themselves and down to solid ground. Her legs shook while she slid off, nearly sending her to the ground alongside Dredgewave flopping to the side. She yanked her mask off, blinking until her vision adjusted to the world returning to normal, and not through hazy shades of blue. Gasping for breath, she barely raised her head to catch a dark shape barrelling into her.
"You did it!" Impulse yelled. "I knew you could!"
"Ow, Impulse, watch it," Gem mumbled.
"Oh, sorry!" He released her, and leaned in. "How are your eyes feeling? Did the mask work out?"
"Much better," she admitted. "Once I stopped cursing you out in my head and out loud."
Impulse had the sense to look sheepish, but his shoulders sagged in relief. Gem patted him on the shoulder made a mental note to ask him later about possible improvements, and maybe something for her ears as well.
"Gem! That was incredible!" Mumbo landed next to her. His Deadly Nadder snapped her jaws and stomped in place, unable to stay still.
"I don't think I've ever seen a dragon go that fast!" Scar exclaimed from the back of his Boneknapper. "Amazing!"
Gem glanced back at Dredgewave. The dragon still panted for breath, tongue lolling out of her mouth, but Gem swore she was smiling. She ran a hand over her heaving flank, brushing away droplets of water clinging to her scales until she rested a hand on her snout. Dredgewave closed her eyes. "You did so good, Dredgewave. Thank you."
Dredgewave huffed a breath.
"Gem!"
Gem raised her head, smiling at Pearl sliding off Tilly's back. The Stormcutter sank to the dirt on her stomach, splaying out all four wings to the side while she caught her breath.
Pearl flung her arms around Gem. She stiffened in surprise, but laughed and returned it. "That was the best race I've ever had!" Pearl exclaimed. "I can't believe how fast you got!"
"Honestly, I can't believe it either!" Gem laughed. "But I think I might have missed a ring."
"You did," Grian confirmed, coming in for a landing on the back of his Dramillion. "But you did also have a good lead on Pearl at the end there."
"I did?" Gem blinked. "I thought you were right behind me!"
"Nope," Pearl grinned. "You kept your lead all the way up the cliff!"
"We're just running the points now, seeing if the penalty of missing the ring is going to cost you," Grian said.
"Hey, Gem?" Pearl whispered once he walked away. "Whatever happens, that was still the best race I've ever had and I would love a rematch at some point."
Gem grinned. "Deal." She offered Pearl a hand, and they shook on it.
"Alright, everybody, listen up!" Grian was in the air again, yelling through his horn. A hush fell over the crowd. "The points have all been added up! Pearl kept a steady race the whole time and passed through all rings. Gem did cross the finish line first, but she missed one ring on her first lap!"
The crowd murmured. Gem's heart pounded in her ears.
"Adding up all the points, and accounting for Gem being the first over the finish line, but missing one ring, we know who our winner is! So, the winner of this season of the Dragon Races is-"
Grian must've said her name, because she suddenly had arms wrapped around her and was being lifted into the air. Gem yelped, but laughed once the surprise wore off. Her face hurt from smiling, giddy exhilaration chasing away any trace of exhaustion. Even Dredgewave lifted her head and pushed herself to her feet, recovering from the exertion to join in the celebration. Gem laughed and grasped hands reaching out for her, smiling at shouts of congratulations until the crowds finally let her down, and she reached for her dragon.
She wrapped her arms around the base of Dredgewave's neck, smiling into her scales while the dragon rested her head on Gem's shoulder.
"You did, so, so, so, good Dredgewave," she whispered. "And we're the best racers in Berk now!"
Dredgewave purred against her, nearly melting when Gem scratched her scales.
"You deserve all the fish in the world, that's for sure."
Dredgewave nuzzled at her hair. Gem could only laugh when the dragon swiped her tongue up the side of Gem's face, something that would normally leave her recoiling with with a squeal. Right now, she didn't care. She was already in disarray from salt water hardening in her tangled hair, and felt nothing other than the lightness in her chest, as if she could flap her arms and fly on her own.
This moment, her face pressed against her beloved dragon's scales, was worth it. It didn't matter how hot, sticky and out of breath she was. It was everything they had worked for, and Gem wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.