"Mr. Einstein, are you ready?"

Albert Einstein looked up from the papers he had been shuffling into his satchel. The British aviator watched him apprehensively from under the worn grey leather hood. Water dripped from the edges.

"Is it raining?" Einstein asked in his thick accent.

"Uh, no, sir ... it's snowing."

"Ah, yes. of course." He flipped and locked the clasp on his satchel, then gathered his coat, scarf, and gloves. "Let me prepare myself; it is not a short trip, I think, no?"

"It'll be a couple hours to Calais, and then from there to the transport will be about a half-hour."

Einstein nodded as he wrapped the scarf securely around his neck. "Why could I have not taken a plane? My family, they are alright?"

The aviator nodded, looking ever more haggard at their delay. "Yes, their plane left before the storm got worse. Don't worry, though ... Volly can handle it."

"Volly? My dragon is a volly?"

The aviator gave a nervous chuckle, "it's a nickname; short for Volatius. My great-great grandfather harnessed him himself just before the Napoleonic wars."

"Good for him." He pulled on his gloves, then slipped the satchel's strap over his shoulder. "Alright, I am ready for the Volly."

Captain Langford James, III ran ahead of Einstein in the covert to the little dragon that hunched against the cold. 'Little', of course, being relative. Einstein, who had never been up close and personal with a dragon, slowed his approach. He knew, better than others, that the creatures were slightly more docile than reports made them out to be, but they were still a terrifying spectacle for one unfamiliar.

Volly turned his head to his captain and nuzzled him affectionately.

"Have you been well?" Captain James asked.

"They cooked my cow! It was warm!" Volly chirped happily.

"Good to hear! Volly, I would like you to meet our guest tonight; this is Mr. Albert Einstein. He'll be on the dragon transport with us."

Volly turned to Einstein and smiled in good-humor, all teeth. Einstein chuckled at the obvious act of goodwill that appeared far more vicious than he knew the intent.

"It is very good to meet you!" Einstein said, smiling back.

"You too, Mister ... Alber!"

Einstein chuckled. "Yes, 'Alber' will do."

"Shall we go?" Captain James urged.

"Yes, let us go."

They boarded the Greyling, where James instructed Einstein on locking his carabiners, and then they were off.

"Fast as you can go, Volly." James said, patting the dragon's neck.

The Greyling was older than most dragons, and though he had slowed somewhat with his age he was still one of the faster couriers. They made Calais in decent time, and by the following morning were settling onto the dragon transport preparing to sail across the Atlantic Ocean.

After James and Einstein had dismounted, and James and taken off Volly's harness, Volly settled down on the deck and rolled up against another dragon as close as he dared. Einstein noticed this second dragon, much larger and sinuous, was smoking slightly. As Volly nestled himself comfortably in her heat, she raised her head and snorted at him, but was obviously too tired to do much else, and laid her head back down in sleep.

"What magnificent creatures!" Einstein mused.

James smiled. "I'm glad you think so. For as much as they've done for us, we've still got an uphill battle convincing the public they benefit us more than harm us."

Einstein turned and patted James on the shoulder. "Such are the minds of the masses, my friend. Fear not; you will prevail!"