Celerity

Celerity was born to one of Cloudkeeper's oldest dragons... but she was transported to the Lair by the Sea at an early age, so young she feels her twinned heritage as something natural. She has two homes, and that suits her well, for with her fledging came a duty to which she was eminently suited.

'I have spoken at length with Cloudkeeper,' Reina told her one day, walking amid the reeds. 'Of all the clans with which we have alliance, Cloudkeeper's is our closest. We have many shared members now, and the bloodlines are deeply intertwined. Morfos is my courier, Celerity, and I send him all over the known world. He is fast and strong, very strong, and can go long distances--he's a big dragon, and can take care of himself against most enemies. But I have need of a nimble flier to brave the changeable winds that the kiteship flies. We need more regular runs between the Lair by the Sea and Cloudkeeper's Dream. Will you be that courier, Celerity?'

What could she say, but yes?

Reina was right to choose her; from her father, she inherited the endurance and delicacy of a drake who could raid the very stars for their essence to light the Arcanist's lamps. From her mother, a spiral's sinuous flexibility, quickness, and instinct for the nuance of the Windsinger's breath. There are many good fliers in Reina's clan, for flying is a dragon's mainstay... but fliers as deft and skilled as Celerity are few. She is the peregrine falcon to Morfos's albatross, and the clan is proud of her.

Several times a week--sometimes daily--Celerity makes her run from the Lair to the kiteship, carrying mail, goods, news. If you cannot find her, that is probably why.

***

Celerity was the first in the clan to be gifted the tundra rune spell. 'Because you're always flitting back and forth,' Thelxinoe said, anxious. 'You're almost always by yourself! These will give you a little protection. They'll make you stronger, faster, harder to catch, harder to hurt. And you'll always know which way is which.'

It seemed impolite to say that she already knew which way was which; without a good sense of orientation and balance, she could never have become as good a flier as she is. But the truth was that the runes did help, seemed to snap things into even clearer focus. Celerity was flattered by them, and a little flustered when several strangers at the Market glanced at her appreciatively when her flanks flashed in the light.

But when Reina asked what she wanted as a gift for her unwavering service, what Celerity said, promptly and a little ruefully, was, 'A lamp? It gets dark, and when I approach the kiteship in the evening the lights from it blind me. If I've got one with me, my eyes will stay adjusted.'

So a lamp they gave her, and she is now content. She has settled well into her service, and it is a rare day that others do not note how quietly confident she is, and how strong and sleek and lovely.