I opened up the item’s description and checked it over as Cris sized up the flying dinosaurs.

Item – Pteranodon Saddle (unique)

Type – Mount Saddle

Description – A leather tack set designed to fit the Pteranodon (altered) species.

Requirements – None

Effect – Provides the Flight ability

Misc – None

“Shall I take it out and try to fit it?” asked Cris.

“Can’t you just activate the saddles? The dinos are technically under our control now.”

She focused intently on the alpha and the kit appeared from nowhere, fully fitted to his body.

“Holy cow, it worked,” she marvelled.

I joined her, checking out the incredible craftsmanship on the individual seats. It worked with the natural at-rest posture of the Pteranodon, which was an almost upright, human form. As I looked the birds over, I changed my opinion slightly. It was more a forward leaning, simian stance. Their wingtips pointed upward to the rear, while the clawed joint rested on the ground like a monkey’s fist. The membrane that joined near the Pteranodon’s legs left nowhere for human feet to dangle. Instead of being butt shaped, the saddle had two longer grooves moulded into the leather with footrests at the base near the tail.

“I guess we’re meant to kneel instead of sit,” I said, studying the saddle’s strange arrangement.

“Want to hop on, cowboy?” Cris offered.

I watched Pterry for any signs of discomfort, but he seemed unperturbed by the new getup. “Don’t bite me, ok?” He bobbed his head and I wasn’t sure if it was a yes, of course I won’t, or a we’ll see when you get on.

Moving around behind him, I carefully climbed up using the thick hump designed for the rider’s feet to rest against. My mount shuffled a little as he got used to the extra weight, then settled back down. “So far, so good,” I said, leaning my knees slowly against the leather. It was far softer and more forgiving than I’d been expecting. The enchanted tack looped a strap over my calves and secured it without me needing to touch it.

“How did you do that?” gasped O’Toole who’d cautiously returned to observe the proceedings.

“I don’t know. It just… tied itself.”

“Now lean yourself against the front pad,” urged Cris.

The pad in question was a wide lump designed for a rider’s chest, allowing for a semi-kneeling-laying form while riding the creatures. I leaned into it, and again, the padding was firm but comfortable. Another thick strap looped over my back and buckled itself tightly, causing the two soldiers to back away. Their whole world had been turned upside down by the events of the day. As mundane as a self-securing strap was, it was still utterly alien to them.

“Now try and get it to do something,” said Cris.

“Do something,” I whispered to myself, looking over my new ride. “Yeah, ok.”

The reins consisted of three straps. Two were tied to the side of the leather helmet which was wrapped beneath the creature’s jaw and secured behind the pointed crest at the back of its skull. The third was secured to the bony protrusion itself, allowing me to pull back the head.

“I can’t press with my calves like I did when riding a horse,” I explained, wondering what to do. I was pretty much immobile in my squatting posture except for my arms.

“Try giddy up,” said Cris.

I tightened the reins in my grip and gave them a quick snap. “Giddy up!”

Pterry seemed quite content to never move again.

“Can you try giving it a target?” Cris suggested, glancing at the two soldiers.

“Don’t look at us!” blurted O’Toole hastily retreating.

“That won’t do me any good if I just need it to walk.”

I grabbed on for dear life when Pterry started to waddle forward, throwing me from side to side. If I hadn’t been strapped in, I’d have hit the dirt.

“He responded to the word!” exclaimed Cris with a jubilant whoop.

“How do I get him to stop?” I yelled, only to have my scaly mount grind to a halt at the final word.

“Sir?”

I pulled gently on the reins and said, “Turn,” just to be sure. Pterry merrily spun one-eighty and faced him. “What is it?”

He hesitated to reply.

“What?” I barked, running out of patience.

“Sir, none of what you’re doing is in the training. They were never designed to respond to speech commands like that. They’re a gun. Point and shoot. That’s all. This…” he motioned to my dino-horse-bird. “This is something else.”

There was only one place to get the answers. Bart?

Yes, Mark?

Did you have a hand in this?

Transport was discussed in our latest meeting. It was decided that navigating the world might require some outside-the-box thinking. Humans have domesticated many species, so why not Pteranodons?

So they follow our orders? Do I need the helmet?

You’ll get the option to make the alpha your primary mount. Cris can pick one too. You’ll only need the control unit if you plan to fight with the whole group. You could safely take your new rides and lock the others away.

What about Sun and Cody?

It looks like you need to wear the helmet until you get back to them.

You’re a diamond, mate.

Hard and resistant to damage?

Nah, priceless and sought after.

I felt the cosmic blush. Thank you, Mark.

Will we get to keep them between worlds?

You’ll have to leave that with me. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do what I can.

If you were stood here, I’d kiss you.

I’d rather you didn’t.

Ouch! Heartbreak Town, population me. I’ll have you know I’m a catch.

He chuckled in my head. Enjoy the skies. Good luck!

“I can’t believe it,” I said as our sponsor returned to his sphere.

Cris was already climbing aboard her chosen Pteranodon. The straps acted of their own volition again, securing her to the saddle.

My screen lit up with a selection bar.

Make Pteranodon (altered) your primary mount (Flight)? Yes/No

I did the only sane thing and clicked on Yes. I felt a new type of connection activate deep inside my head. The only thing I could liken it to was being on a call with someone, minus the faint static. The listener was just waiting for instructions, though it couldn’t communicate back. I issued a simple instruction to walk, and Pterry waddled forward merrily.

Cris wasn’t messing around with such basic shit. Before I could even start to celebrate with her, the dinosaur bounded forward and flapped its mighty wings. The wind of its passage buffeted me in my saddle. I noticed she hadn’t even pulled on the reins to command its direction.

“Just go with it!” she called out. “Be the mount!” Rapturous laughter rang out as she guided her ride higher and higher.

I was still in my horse riding mindset and tugged gently on the reins to reposition Pterry. Taking Cris’s advice, I loosened my grip and thought a single word – Fly!

My eager mount scuttled forward, unfurled his wings, and leapt for the stars. I heard the patter of feet behind me and turned in my saddle as we took off. The other four were in hot pursuit, taking flight one after the next. They formed a V to my rear.

“Took you long enough!” Cris teased, joining my side while keeping a sensible distance to avoid clipping wings.

“This is mental!” I cheered. “I love it!”

I’d flown in my eagle form dozens of times, yet this was on another level. While I was under the effects of the spell, my mind became one with the bird. My body weighed next to nothing in its transformed shape. The exhilaration was muted by the knowledge I was in my natural habitat. I was now a fully grown man in their world. The gravity was real. I could feel it pulling at my body each time we banked slightly.

“Try this!”

I was about to ask what this was when her ride suddenly tucked its wings in and dived. She whooped with childlike joy, relishing the dangerous manoeuvre. My old friend vertigo was trying to stick his nose in, so I ordered Pterry to follow. My gut flew up into my mouth, choking off the burgeoning fear.

The soldiers not directly involved in the preparations for our new mission were still gathered near the camp’s main building. They were already pointing as we swooped to and fro when I decided to be an infant and show off.

I guided Pterry down lower, eliciting a telepathic WTF? from Cris.

“I’m acting the fool!” I shouted in reply.

Unbuckling myself with a simple thought, I tensed against the footrest. When I was clear of any people or structures, I jumped, ordering my ride to follow me down. Gravity dragged at me, pushing my gut up and out through my mouth. The air snatched at my breath as I fell. Some of the soldiers cried out in shock. Several laughed. I thundered earthward, feeling the spell take over. Pocketing the headset to protect it from the coming impact, my knee and fist punched into the ground, almost vaporising the concrete. The resultant explosion blasted debris in all directions, causing the soldiers to flee for cover. It was back on my head instantly, reforming the connection with our non-mounts to ensure they didn’t go after Cris.

The dust settled and I stood tall, staring at the cowering figures. “Who’s the joker? Who was laughing?” I roared. “Still think it’s funny?”

No one would take responsibility. They all shook their heads, more terrified than when I’d killed the tyrannosaur and destroyed Milley’s tank.

“If any of you shy away from the fight to come, I’ll take you up with me and we’ll jump together. How does that sound?”

Pterry landed beside me, his wings kicking up the broken ground in a cloud of dust. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t receive an answer to my offer. The acrobatic display was largely pointless considering what we’d already shown, but I was still steaming about their part in the slaughter. If I wasn’t allowed to physically hurt them, I would make up for it with instilling fear. My childishness couldn’t redress the loss of life, but it could make me feel a little better.

Cris landed beside me, followed by our team of carnivores. “Was that really necessary?”

“No, but I like making them squirm.”

“I liked your offer of murdering them. Really subtle.”

“It’s all in the delivery,” I explained.

O’Toole and Smith gingerly approached. It was the same simpering that Rhys had displayed when I’d used Sar’Ozan. I was beyond worrying about it and waved at them to hurry.

“That was… interesting,” said Smith.

“I’ve had another idea while I was up there,” I said, ignoring his statement. “We’re going to hit the city in two waves. Cris, can you make two more saddles for me, please? I want all six fitted.”

She nodded, and the crafting bar started to glow beneath her portrait.

“I want four of your best Pteranodon herders and all of your T-4 trained pilots ready to fly.”

“What’s the plan, sir?” asked O’Toole.

“We’re going to retake the skies. Myself and Cris, four other controllers, thirty dinosaurs between us, and as many attack choppers as we can muster. The rest of you will get to the city limits as fast as you can. Hopefully we’ll be free to engage them in the streets without watching for threats from above.”

My quest log pinged.

Quest – Reclaim Marnmouth From The Dinosaurs (Optional)

Description – The streets run red with the blood of the innocent. Lay siege to the dinosaur menace and wrest control of the city from their evil clutches. This will provide a valuable staging point for your attack on Isla Sonada.

Reward – Crafting Ingredient (Quest)

“What does that mean? A quest ingredient?”

“We’ll find out if we can take back the city,” replied Cris.

Smith and O’Toole had no idea what we were talking about and waited for further instructions.

“Let’s get to it then,” I said. “Gents, I want to be in the air as soon as possible. Get me the men I asked for and get those engines warmed up. We’re going to war.”

They both saluted and hurried away.

“Retaking the city,” I muttered, remembering the raging infernos and chaos shown by the satellites.

“We can do it,” Cris replied. “They wouldn’t offer it as a quest if we couldn’t.”

I had to hope she was right.