Title Of Book: Volans (Portum Book 2)
By: Kate Ridley
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Dragons & Mythical Creatures

Blurb:

Chris was just starting to settle into his new life in Portum when disaster struck. Attending his first hatching he accidentally paired with a baby dragon, now his life is in tatters again as he is forced to leave his new friends behind and struggles to keep up with the demands of his new role.
Facing animosity from his new peers and many others in the community, Chris and his dragon must fight to prove their worth.

Excerpt:

The morning after the hatching, Chris awoke to a soft nose insistently nudging him. Hess was awake and he was hungry. Chris heard his tummy rumbling and, laughing, pushed him away.
‘Let me get dressed,’ he said, ‘then we can find you some breakfast.’
Hess reluctantly climbed down off the bed and sat, watching Chris closely as he grabbed his clothes. Shoving his legs into his trousers and hurriedly pulling on his shirt, Chris looked around. He was in a big dormitory where all the new riders and their young dragons slept. They would be here for at least three months. Around him other riders were being woken by their dragons and there was much sleepy protesting.
Chris and Hess were first to make their way towards the area designated for feeding. They’d been given a whistle-stop tour of their new accommodation the previous evening, but Chris was a little vague. It had all happened so quickly. Remnac was waiting at the feeding area. He nodded good morning to Chris and handed him a bucket, pointing to the first bay. Hess followed Chris and the bucket to the area, enclosed on three sides by rough walls. This was to reduce stress and food envy among the young dragons. Fights, he had been told, used to be regular occurrences before the partitions had been installed.
Chris focussed on Hess and began offering him pieces of meat. By the time they were halfway through their bucket, he could hear others arriving and gradually the bays filled with hungry young dragons and their rookie riders.
Once Hess had eaten all his food he sat, burping happily if none too gently, while Chris returned the bucket and looked for Remnac.
‘What do I do now?’ Chris asked.
‘Morning bath time,’ Remnac grinned, ‘if you can keep him awake long enough that is!’
Chris glanced over his shoulder to see a sleepy Hess leaning against the wall, his eyes closing.
‘Take him down to the bathing room. I showed you where it is last night, didn’t I?’ Chris nodded, hoping he could remember. ‘I’ll be along in a minute or two, but you can get him into the pool at least. OK?’
‘Ok,’ Chris turned to Hess, ‘come on lazy bones, bath time.’
A grumbling Hess followed his new friend down the passage and into the dragon’s bathroom. There was a large, shallow pool in the middle of the floor surrounded by several small platforms which were for the young dragons to stand on whilst they were being scrubbed and cleaned.
‘Off you go,’ he said, ‘into the water, enjoy it while it’s nice and quiet in here.’
Hess reluctantly waded into the water, splashing with his tail to show his disapproval.
‘Now you get yourself good and wet all over,’ Chris instructed, ‘then we can get you all nice and clean.’
Remnac arrived as Chris was issuing his instructions and he laughed as Hess submerged himself in the center of the pool and blew bubbles.

Meet Kate Ridley:

Kate Ridley is a coffee-fuelled, animal-loving fantasy fiction writer. Born in York, she lived in North Yorkshire for most of her adult life before relocating to Derbyshire where she now lives with her partner and two mad rescue dogs. When she’s not writing or cooking up plots, Kate spends her time reading, listening to music, baking, gardening, and walking.