Devarius craned his neck as he studied the inside of the wyvern’s throat. It was hard for him to see clearly, but he was curious about the anatomy of the wyverns. Both suns were in the sky that morning, the orange one barely larger than a moon now, but the inside of the wyvern’s throat was still dark. He wished he could use a torch, but if what he suspected was true, using a torch inside of a possible fire wyvern’s mouth would be suicide.
“Devarius!” Aquila whispered through clenched teeth.
Devarius moved his head out of the wyvern’s outstretched jaw and smiled at Aquila as she ran toward him. “Good morning.”
“What in the name of the Creator are you doing?”
“Researching.”
“Are you mad?”
“Possibly?” he said.
Devarius shrugged and stuck his head back into the wyvern’s mouth.
“Devarius! Get your head out of that creature’s mouth.”
He turned his head around. “I assure you, Aquila, I’m safe.”
“How do you know that?”
“Ayla told me.”
She glanced to the small wyvern, who nodded enthusiastically. Aquila clenched her eyes shut, her hands shaking as she watched Devarius turn back to inspect the inside of the wyvern’s throat.
“What are you looking for?”
“It’s interesting. This creature has a uvula like we do, but there’s a small hole at the bottom of it. At the tip of the hole, I see a dab of fluid … like it’s about to fall down onto its tongue.”
“Why is that important?” Aquila asked through clenched teeth.
Devarius turned around and grabbed a small wooden bowl. “Ayla, can you ask the wyvern if it’ll let me touch and … possibly squeeze its uvula gently?”
“You want to what?” Aquila demanded.
“Ayla?”
Ayla cocked her head to the side, then looked from the wyvern to Devarius. Her mouth opened and a vibration came out, but no sound. After a moment, Ayla glanced back to Devarius, paused, then nodded.
“Excellent,” Devarius said.
“Devarius, so help me, if you stick your head back in that wyvern’s mouth and squeeze its uvula, I’ll … I’ll …”
“Don’t stress so much,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
He winked at her before reaching his hand inside the wyvern’s mouth and squeezing its uvula gently. A thick translucent orange liquid dripped. Devarius wrinkled his nose as he watched small droplets of the liquid fall into the wooden bowl. He squeezed a little harder. The wyvern grunted, and its jaw shivered. Devarius watched as the drips turned into a small stream. He let go of the uvula and carefully exited the mouth of the wyvern.
Aquila stared at him wide-eyed. She exhaled a long breath like she’d been holding it since he began.
Devarius grinned at her as he showed her the small bowl of translucent orange liquid.
“You can close your mouth now,” Devarius said.
Ayla translated for him, and the wyvern shut its mouth. It looked down at Devarius and sniffed the bowl in his hand. Ayla bounced over and sniffed the liquid as well. Her head fell to the side, as if questioning what it was.
“I don’t know, but I hope to find out,” Devarius whispered to Ayla.
He sat on the ground and grabbed a few glass vials from his sash to study the liquid inside them. Aquila sat next to him.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure.” He used a small metal scalpel to scrape a line of the liquid onto the ground.
“What are you doing?” Aquila asked.
Devarius didn’t turn away from the ground as he withdrew his flint and steel from his bag. With one swipe, sparks flew onto the ground. When the sparks hit the liquid, it burst into flame immediately. Unlike a natural fire, these flames rose over ten feet high. Devarius leapt back, diving over Aquila and pinning her to the ground. He placed his body over her, shielding her from the fire.
While holding her down, he turned around to stare at the flames. After a few seconds, they died down, but were still at least three feet tall. He got to his feet and helped Aquila up.
A perfect line where he’d poured the liquid burned furiously. The two of them stared in awe. Even the wyvern watched the flames curiously, its head to the side. Ayla nuzzled against him.
“What just happened?” Aquila asked.
“I think I discovered how a red wyvern breathes fire.”
“The liquid?”
“Oil. I felt it with my fingers. It’s oily. Whatever it is, it’s extremely flammable.”
“How does it catch the oil on fire? Can it create a spark?”
“I don’t think so,” Devarius said. “Remember how hot its breath is?”
“Yes.”
“If it’s hot enough, it’ll instantly ignite the oil.”
“That’s incredible.”
“I wonder if the other wyverns have similar oil. I wonder if it’s different.”
Aquila touched Devarius’s shoulder. “Don’t you put your head in any more wyverns, Devarius. I mean it.”
He smiled at her. “I won’t … today.”
“That’s not funny.”
Devarius forehead creased.
“Are you trying to raise your eyebrows?” she asked.
The crinkles on his forehead changed. “Yeah … why?”
She smiled at him. “Because you no longer have eyebrows.”
His eyes widened as he reached up and touched the soft, hairless skin above his eyes.
Q&A with the author
Which writers inspire you?
There are a lot of great fantasy authors who inspire me: R. A. Salvatore, Terry Goodkind, Lindsay Buroker, Brian D. Anderson, and so many more. But one that always come to mind, especially as a person is Brandon Sanderson. The way he interacts with his fans in the great inspiration of what to be as a fantasy author.
When did you decide to become a writer?
When I was in the first grade, my teacher made us books to write in out of three-lined paper and construction paper. It was since then that I knew I wanted to be an author.
Do you try to set a number of words per day?
I try. I’m not always successful with a tiny baby at home. But I try to at least get 1,000 a day. When I’m in the groove, I try for at least 3-5,000.
What struggles have you overcome as a writer?
Separating writing time with family time can be a struggle since I currently have a full time job as well.
Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Brandon Sanderson. The way he is with his fans and to other authors is truly incredible, and I’d love to be able to meet him one day.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Never give up. Write that first novel. It gets so much easier after the first novel is completed.
Where do you see publishing going in the future?
More eBooks, and a LOT more audio. Audio books are increasing a lot, but I know they will even more as more and more people discover the talented voice actors who narrate a lot of books.
What are you working on at the moment – any upcoming projects?
I’m working on a lot right now. I’m working on writing Dragonia 3, finishing The Violet Flamberge, and a special co-author project with a NYT Bestselling author! I have lots of writing to do!
