Warding Song

Deathly silence. Eleyna couldn’t hear, or see, anything. The last thing she remembered was … A sword in her stomach. George glaring at her. She couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Eleyna couldn’t feel at all. Was this death?

Gradually the darkness faded, but everything was so blurred. Eleyna looked down at herself and gasped; or at least she would have, if she had lungs to gasp with. She was as faded and blurry as her grey surroundings. Only a faint outline around where her body would be showed she had a form at all.

She struggled to make anything out. Those might be columns, stretching up to a ceiling Eleyna couldn’t discern. Beneath her was a patterned floor, but she had no idea what those patterns were. Directly in front of her stood a throne, tall-backed and heavily sculpted. Every second, the blur lessened a little.

Eleyna realised where she was … the King’s Court. It was deserted, and now that she could make out more details, Eleyna noticed it was derelict. The floor was covered in dust, the patterned tiles cracked and worn. Those columns were cracked as well. One was broken. She looked at the throne and flinched.

Covered in dust and cobwebs, it was no longer empty. Upon the throne sat a terrible figure, a skeleton dressed in the robes and coronet of a king. Surely this couldn’t be the King, the highest god of the Celestial Triarchy … could it?

Its right hand held a rusted sword, tip on the ground. In its left, it held a gavel. Then, as if this wasn’t terrifying enough, the skeleton-king spoke. “Eleyna Skytte.”

“I waited for Click-Grunt to come back, but he didn’t, and I was worried. We had just escaped from humans, and he’d walked into a nest full of them!” Trill rolled her eyes at her companion’s stupidity. “And I was right to worry. When I found him, he was frightened. The same human who tried to hunt us in those caves had attacked him, I think. But I must have scared it off,” she reasoned.

Knower inquired, “Does your friend go off alone regularly?”

“All the time. I know he can go into human nests, and I can’t, but I worry. The humans on the last island we rested on weren’t threatening … are there different kinds of humans? The ones that hunt us and the ones that fear us?”

He chuckled and replied, “The ones that hunt dragons are afraid of us too. As for different kinds … yes and no. Humans exist far and near; they are spread all over the world, beyond the largest mountains you can imagine, beyond the line of the sea and beyond the sunset. They have nests large and small.

“Some humans build massive nests that can house millions, whose inhabitants spend their days working for humans who are higher ranking. Some build smaller nests all over the land, living off it. Some have no permanent nest, travelling from place to place, hunting and trading – swapping things with other humans – to survive.

“They occupy themselves with matters that might seem strange to you; like trading, farming, studying, alchemy. Humans from all over the world live their lives very differently. But at the end of the day, just as you and I, and the tourmalions – the ruffed ones – are all dragons, they are still all humans. So tell me, what will you do after your human has the treasure they seek?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, scuffing her tail tip across the ground. “Keep looking for a fire-mountain like I was trying to do, I suppose. Unless … ” She asked hopefully, “Could the newcomers come and live here with you?”

“The only humans who know of me are the ones who have sought out my hoard – most of whom never left this island. Having more dragons around would be noticed. Besides, I fear your goal is in vain. It has been a long time since you left home; things will have changed. The newcomers are not new anymore; they will have settled in.”

Trill sighed. “I’ll do whatever Click-Grunt wants to do, then.”

“Why not fly home?” Knower inquired. “Your sire and dam must miss you.”

“I miss them too, and I’d like to meet my baby brother or sister … but I’m scared to go back. I don’t know if I can bear telling Chirr-See’s parents he’s dead.”

Knower tilted his head at her. “You don’t think they deserve to know the truth?”

Before she could answer, Trill heard something. It was muffled by stone and the wind, but there had been a shriek … her blood ran cold. She scrambled onto all fours and rushed out of the cavern, suddenly fearing the worst.

Trill emerged into the light, looking frantically for Click-Grunt. There was no sign of him. She roared and listened for a response – nothing. She took to the air, circling high above the island on a thermal, searching for him. Then, around the side of the mountain, Trill saw a patch of white and scarlet.

There was a small floating-nest nearby, but her eyes fixed on the small figure lying motionless on the ground. Trill landed clumsily, gouging the dirt with her claws. Horrified, she padded over to Click-Grunt. The scent of blood assaulted Trill’s nose; the front of Click-Grunt’s body and forepaws were covered in it. He had a mortal wound. On the ground nearby she picked up a familiar scent.

With a shriek of rage, Trill leapt into the air and chased the floating-nest. Just as she thought, there was the wingless one who kept following them. Blinded by hatred, Trill forgot her fire. She made to snatch the human up and tear it apart. It leapt into the water to escape; she watched, but it didn’t resurface.

“Good riddance!” Trill shrieked, returning to the island. She landed beside Click-Grunt’s body, and whimpered. Knower had emerged from his cavern, and stood at a respectful distance. “It killed him!” she wailed. “He’s dead!”

Keening, she made to nuzzle Click-Grunt – and froze. “Wait … ” Trill looked closer, made out the shallow rise and fall of Click-Grunt’s chest. It was uneven, every breath could be his last – but he was still breathing. “He’s alive. He’s still alive! Great Knower, can you do something? Can you save him?!”

“I’m sorry. They are dying. Not even a dragon could survive a wound like this.”

With a whimper, she protested: “But we can! Sometimes, if … ” her eyes went wide, “if we heart bind.” Trill brought her tail to her mouth and bit down hard.

Knower declared, “It won’t work. I have never heard of a human being able to heart bind before; they are not dragons, Trill. They have no magic in them.”

“But I have to try,” she insisted, eyes fixed on her dying friend’s chest.

“You have to think!” he snarled. “Consider the consequences of your actions, for once! It won’t work – and if somehow it does, you will have wasted your only chance to heart bind on a mere human. Is that what you want to do?”

Doubt began to nip at Trill … but she ignored it. “I won’t lose another friend,” she insisted, biting her tail, trying to draw blood. It hurt. She ignored the pain too.

Growling, Knower demanded: “Listen to me. What did I tell you, back in the cave? You cannot let a soul long gone be what drives you. Do you truly believe this human is your other half, or are you doing this out of guilt?”

I don’t know. The only thing Trill was certain of was that she didn’t want her friend to die, and this could be the only way to save Click-Grunt. At last she tasted blood, and carefully pressed her tail tip against the gaping wound.

“I give my life and my love to my other half, and bind my heart to theirs forevermore.” She spoke the pledge, and waited, never taking her eyes off Click-Grunt’s body. Alas, there was no great burst of magic; he didn’t stir, his wound still bled. Trill felt like her world was ending all over again.

She wouldn’t leave her friend to die alone this time, though. Whimpering, she curled up around his body, keeping her tail tip pressed to his belly. It wouldn’t help, but Trill couldn’t bring herself to pull it away. “I’m so sorry!”

Knower sighed. “As am I, Trill. You had better hope you haven’t made a terrible mistake,” he told her, returning to his cave and leaving her to grieve.

Eleyna screamed, and found her voice. “W-who are you? What is this place?”

“I am the King of All.” The skeleton’s voice was rasping. “I summoned you.”

“Am … am I dead?”

“You are dying.” Her body and the room solidified with every passing moment. Eleyna backed away from the skeleton-king, then turned and ran. The outline of a door was visible, but suddenly the room stretched, and it receded. She kept running, desperate, but somehow knew she could run forever and never reach the door.

When she looked to see if she was being chased, Eleyna found the throne was right where she’d left it. As if she’d been running on the spot. She skidded to a halt and turned to face the skeleton-king again. “I don’t want to die.”

“You have no choice.”

“But why?” she questioned. “Why summon me, why did I have to die now?”

“You were stabbed.”

That wasn’t what she meant. Movement caught her eye … tapestries hung between the columns now; the patterns were still blurry, but she could see the rips in them. “Why … why does this place look so … abandoned?”

“What? No, it – everything is dusty, and damaged … ” Eleyna protested weakly.

The skeleton-king rose, and raised the gavel. “Now you must be judged.”

She felt a compulsion to step forwards, and resisted with all her might. Her foot moved against her will. I don’t want to die. But she was dying, and there was nothing she could do. Acora will be heartbroken. But he could take care of himself, he didn’t need her. I’ll see Aunt Cat again. She could apologise … .

Step by agonising step, Eleyna drew closer to the skeleton-king. Her trembling hand reached out to touch the gavel. Then she felt pressure on her stomach, and looked down at … the tip of Acora’s tail? Merely the silhouette, but still recognisable. As she watched, blurriness spread over her body, and the throne room began to fade as well, melting away like chalk in rain.

“No!” cried the skeleton-king, startling her. It suddenly lurched towards her; Eleyna recoiled, but now it was fading, everything was fading … the darkness was returning … and she could feel … she could feel … aching … and pain.

Why do I lose all my friends? Trill wondered miserably. Part of her felt like she was to blame for Click-Grunt’s death; if only she had kept an eye on him. It wasn’t her fault, though – it was the fault of that human who stalked them. Trill hoped that one was dead, and if she ever saw it again, she’d kill it.

Her anger was heavy and sluggish, buried under the weight of grief. Right now she was numb, feeling nothing. Except the slight rise and fall of her friend’s chest … wait. Shouldn’t that have stopped by now? He was dead.

Trill’s eyes snapped open, and she peered down at Click-Grunt. At first she thought it was her imagination, but no … his wound was no longer bleeding. It had closed up, scarred over. He was alive. “It worked … ?” Trill could hardly believe her eyes. She gave him a nudge, and he moaned. “It really worked!”

Trill examined her tail. Sure enough, it too was scarred. Do I feel different? After a moment, she decided she felt relieved. Well, except that her stomach hurt. She was feeling Click-Grunt’s pain. Only heart-bound pairs could do so.

She was the first dragon ever to heart bind with a wingless one. It shouldn’t be possible, but Trill was too happy to question it. She wanted him to wake up, so he’d know everything would be alright. Maybe they’d be able to talk to each other. Trill crooned gently and nudged him again, but Click-Grunt didn’t stir.

“Wake up,” she urged. “You’re alive. Come on, wake up.” He remained asleep.

Sighing, she rested her head on the ground. Trill felt starving, but she didn’t want to leave Click-Grunt to go fishing. Nor did she want to ask the Great Knower for help; it seemed disrespectful. What will he say when he finds out?

As it happened, she didn’t have to wait long. A shadow passed overhead, and then the Great Knower landed with a heavy thump. “I thought you might be hungry,” he remarked, dropping a mouthful of fish in front of her. Trill inclined her head and purred gratefully, but didn’t start eating. “You don’t want any?”

“Great Knower, it worked,” she told him. “The heart bind worked!”

“What?” For the first time, he seemed caught off guard. “That’s not possible. Show me.” He moved to peer closely at the unconscious human lying at her side. Then he declared, “For your sake, I hope you don’t come to regret this.”

Before she could respond, the Great Knower moved away. Trill began to eat the fish. She’d almost finished when she heard Click-Grunt moan again. To her delight he moved, propping himself up with one forelimb and pressing his paw to the scar on his belly, then to his chest. “You’re awake!” she exclaimed.

Eleyna groaned. “ … am I?” she murmured. Everything was hazy … she rubbed her head and looked around. Had someone spoken just now? She looked around, but there was no one in sight, except for Acora. “Hello? Who’s there?”

The voice asked, “Click-Grunt, is that you?” More confused than ever, she looked up at the dragon, whose head was tilted. “Did you just talk?” It dawned on her that the mystery voice was coming from Acora, and her jaw dropped.

Eleyna couldn’t tell if she was awake or dreaming, alive or dead. She felt on the verge of fainting. “I don’t … what is happening?” She rubbed her temples.

Acora warbled. “I didn’t know humans could talk. Why didn’t you talk before?”

She could ask the same thing. “I have been talking,” Eleyna protested. “I don’t understand what’s happening. Acora, you – you could talk? This whole time?”

“Who’s Acora?” the dragon asked. “My name is Trill. And of course I can talk.”

“Why can I understand you?” she asked. There was a thin red scar on her stomach now, where George had stabbed her. “Did … did you do something?”

“Yes,” Trill admitted, scuffing her tail. “I heart bound to you. I didn’t know if it would work, but I … you were dying, and I didn’t want to lose another friend.”

Eleyna didn’t know what to ask first, so she began with her most pressing questions. “Is this actually happening? Or am I dreaming?” she asked.

“You’re not dreaming. We’re both awake … I think. I don’t remember falling asleep … ” Now Acora – or Trill, whatever she was called – looked uncertain.

Eleyna decided to assume she was conscious. “Uh. What exactly did you do?”

“I mixed our life forces together and pledged myself to you. Now you’ll live as long as I do. I didn’t know if it would work on you, but I was desperate.”

If the alternative was being dead, she couldn’t really complain. It finally dawned on her that Acora’s voice was … “Wait. Are you female?” she asked.

“Because I … sort of thought you were male.”

Trill tilted her head, confused. “Why did you think I was a drake?”

“I just … thought of you like that,” Eleyna admitted. “It was easier … ”

It appeared something similar was dawning on Acora. “Wait. Are you female?”

“Yeah, I’m a girl,” she replied, then frowned. “Wait, did you think I was a boy?”

Trill blinked. “So that’s what the Great Knower meant,” she huffed.

They fell silent, letting it sink in – that they could both talk, and understand each other. “Who’s this ‘great knower’ you mentioned?” asked Eleyna.

“The Great Knower is the wisest, most powerful dragon. He guards the island.”

Her eyes widened. “What? That big dragon is the … Acora, it almost tried to kill me!”

“It’s okay, he promised not to.”

“Oh, well that’s fine then,” Eleyna rolled her eyes.

“It’s the name I gave you. Short for ‘Acorazaria’ – that means ‘armour song’.”

“You gave me a name?”

Eleyna winced. “I had to call you something. I didn’t know you had one.”

“No, it’s okay. Trill isn’t really a name, it’s my calling-sound.” She let out an actual trill. “Like how Click-Grunt is your calling-sound. Dragons like me have to earn our names by finding a Special Thing,” she explained.

“Wait, you thought my name was Click-Grunt?” Eleyna asked incredulously, trying not to laugh. Then she caught her breath. “My name is Eleyna.”

“Oh.”Acora tilted her head curiously and asked: “How did you earn your name?”

“I didn’t, my mum named me. Humans don’t have to earn our names,” Eleyna told her. “So can I keep calling you Acora, or would you rather be called Trill?”

The dragon’s tail twitched back and forth as she thought about it. “You can keep calling me Acora,” she replied at last. “And I will call you Eleyna.”

“I’m glad we’re finally on the same page,” Eleyna grinned, before sobering. “So this heart bind. Can other dragons do the same thing?” she inquired curiously.

“Usually with their other halves. My sire and dam are heart bound.”

Does ‘other halves’ mean soulmates? was Eleyna’s first thought; her second thought was: Does this mean my soulmate is a dragon?! “I don’t get it,” she announced. “How come you could heart bind to me? I’m not even a dragon.”

Acora ducked her head and scuffed her tail. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I didn’t know if it would work or not. I just didn’t want to lose another friend.”

Eleyna remembered standing in the crow’s nest and seeing two dragons flying overhead. “Did you have a friend with you before I met you on that island?”

Acora whimpered. “Yes. His name was Chirr-See, and he was my best friend. He was killed by humans, trying to protect me. I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

Eleyna struggled to her feet, pressed one hand against her stomach and reached out to Acora. “It’s okay,” she murmured, stroking Acora’s nose. “I know how you feel. A few days ago, I found out my aunt Cat had been killed. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her either.” She brushed away tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect you before, when that human attacked you. It’s gone. I don’t know if it’s dead, but if I see that human again, I’ll kill it,” she growled.

“No, don’t,” Eleyna said hastily. “If you kill him to get revenge, you’d be as bad as him. He tried to kill me because I got his friend killed when I freed you. George thinks I’m dead now. He won’t bother us anymore, I promise.”

With a snort, Acora declared, “Fine, but if he or anyone else tries to hurt you, I’m going to protect you no matter what. I’m a dragon. I can kill what threatens us, if I have to.”

“Only if you have to, or you’ll make things worse. No one else knows you can talk and think like us; to them you’re a dangerous animal, and they’ll blame me for what you do. I’m a wanted criminal; if I’m caught, I’ll be put to death.”

“Why would they blame you for something I did? That’s not fair.”

“That’s just how it is. Like I said, other humans don’t know you can think for yourself. If you kill someone, they’ll assume it’s because I told you to.”

Acora snorted, unimpressed. “Other humans are stupid,” she declared bluntly. Eleyna didn’t bother trying to argue. She inquired, “So now what do we do?”

Eleyna sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve spent so long trying to find this treasure, and I’m sure that’s what this ‘great knower’ of yours is guarding, but I can’t get to it.”

“But you can!”Acora chirped. “He said that if you give him the … actually, he should tell you.” She lowered her head so Eleyna could climb on. The thought of talking to a dragon that had been ready to kill her wasn’t appealing, but Eleyna scrambled onto Acora’s neck nonetheless, and held on tight to a spine.

She felt nervous, as Acora padded down the tunnel that led to the Great Knower’s lair. For all her friend’s assurance that he had promised to spare her life, she wasn’t about to trust this larger dragon. He could easily kill them both.

Knower’s eyes were closed when Acora came in, but he quickly opened them. “Hello, Trill. What are … ” He paused, glittering eyes landing on Eleyna’s face.

“Hello, Great Knower. My name is Acora now. This is my friend, her name is Eleyna.” She turned so that he could see the human on her neck better.

He tilted his head and leaned in for a closer look. “Fascinating. So you can understand her … and you, little one, can you understand me?” he asked.

“Um, yes. Hello,” she greeted. What else was she gonna say – nice to meet you? Thanks for deciding not to kill me? It felt safer to keep her mouth shut.

“Fascinating,” he repeated. “So, you seek my hoard as others have before you, and others will after you. But I do not share my hoard with anyone; only with those who are worthy,” the Great Knower warned. “Show me the locket, broken as it is, as proof that the privilege has been passed down to you,” he ordered.

She dreaded telling him the locket wasn’t there. “How … how do I know we’re thinking of the same locket?” Eleyna questioned, to buy herself some time.

“It is a small golden locket on a chain, with an amethyst stone embedded in the front. Etched into the back of it are the words ‘made in Ocaranes’. Etched inside are the numbers sixteen and thirty-eight.” He had described her locket, certainly, and Eleyna bit back a wince. Wait. Does this mean he can read?

He looked at her expectantly. Acora was craning her head around to look too. Eleyna sat up as straight as she could and took a deep breath. “I know what locket you mean,” she admitted, “I just … don’t have it.” His eyes narrowed. She quickly added, “but I can get it back! I know where it is. It should still be there.”

Acora asked: “But what happened to it? I know I smashed the firestone, but I thought you kept the shiny yellow rock that it was stuck in,” she remarked.

“I should have kept it, but I didn’t realise … I thought the locket’s clue meant the treasure would be on Ocaranes. It didn’t seem like I needed it anymore.”

“But you say you can retrieve the locket,” the Great Knower prompted.

“I will if I have to, but it won’t be easy.” Eleyna hesitated, but the Great Knower hadn’t threatened her, which gave her a little confidence. So she gathered the courage to ask him, “What makes this locket so special, anyway?”

“I will tell you everything you wish to know when you return with the locket,” he told her. “For now, you can stay here and recover from your ordeal. I suppose you won’t be telling other humans about me, but be warned. If you bring anyone else here, or send them, they will not be allowed to live.”

Eleyna tensed. “The skeletons out there. You murdered them,” she accused, before realising, “Wait … this island has been cursed – I mean, people have thought it’s cursed for ages. Centuries, even. You can’t be that old … can you?”

He let out a rumble that might have been an amused purr. “I have been alive for many human lifetimes, child. If you must know, certain crystals – such as the ones humans use for healing – can extend a dragon’s life for centuries.”

“I won’t tell anyone about you,” Eleyna promised. Not for his sake, of course; she just didn’t want more deaths on her conscience. He inclined his head, and Acora, not wanting to disturb him more than she had to, thanked him and left. When they emerged, Eleyna declared: “C’mon, let’s head back to Alalanes. That’s the island we stayed on before, remember, with those nice villagers?”

Acora stared at her. “We can’t leave now. You’re hurt. You could barely stand.”

She waved this off, impatient. “I’ll be fine. That locket isn’tgonna steal itself.”

“No,”Acora refused. “We’re not going anywhere. It’s okay to rest sometimes. What’s the hurry?” she inquired. “It’s not like the hoard is going anywhere.”

That was true; and neither was the locket. A particularly bad pang in her stomach made her double over with a groan. “Okay … you win. I guess it won’t hurt to have a break for a while,” she admitted, reluctantly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“How come you’ve stuck around all this time? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you did. I couldn’t have done this without you. But why not fly away?”

Acora looked away. “At first … it was because I wanted to get more firestones, and I thought you must have gotten the purple one you gave me from somewhere. I thought if I let you ride me, then you’d lead me to your hoard.”

Eleyna snickered and quipped, “But instead I led you to someone else’s.”

“You’re not mad that I was using you?” Trill crooned anxiously.

“Of course not, why would I be?” Eleyna asked incredulously, “I was using you too,” she pointed out, before realising … “You said ‘at first’. So what changed?”

Acora sighed. “That’s what I told myself, at first, that I only wanted more firestones. The truth is … I was lonely. I abandoned my best friend; I couldn’t do that again. And I stayed because I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

She looked downcast. Eleyna stroked her, asking, “What about your home?”

“I want to go home. I miss my sire and dam. They’ll have another hatchling by now, my baby sibling … but I’m scared. How can I go back and tell them that Chirr-See is dead? The Great Knower thinks Chirr-See’s parents deserve to know what happened, and he’s right, but I don’t know if I can tell them.”

“I’m sure they’d understand,” Eleyna offered. She wasn’t very good at this kind of thing. “Look on the bright side; you can still go back home if you want to. I don’t have a home anymore.” She wrapped her arms around her knees.

“Eleyna, can I ask you something?”

“Why did you let me out of that cage? I mean, I’m glad you did … ”

Eleyna smiled. “I let you out because I needed a way to get off that ship … and because I felt bad for you. I was scared of you, but you hadn’t hurt me. I didn’t think you deserved to be sent to a mine, like they were going to do.”

“I thought they were going to kill me.”

“No. They said because you’re a runt – no offence – there was no point in … that you were worth more alive than dead.” That was a better way to put it, really.

There was a long pause. Finally she huffed and remarked, “I never thought I’d be glad to be a runt.” Then she asked, “Why did you need to get off that huge floating-nest so badly? Is it because those humans were hunting you too?”

“Kind of. It’s a long story. I was raised in a town called San Nicolas – the one you rescued me from – by my Aunt Cat. She told me my mum was dead, and had left me a locket – the one we have to get back. Then a year ago, the Imperials came after us. My aunt led them away, but just before she did, she told me that my mother might be alive.

“I didn’t realise at first, but the locket was a clue to find this hoard. So once I figured that out, I was trying to follow it and find treasure.”

“Couldn’t you ask the other humans for help?”Acora wondered.

Eleyna shrugged. “I was going to, but I overheard them say they were going to take me to some people who wanted to punish me for stealing a boat.”

“Is a ‘boat’ that small floating-nest I watched you try to pull out of the water?”

“Yeah, that … wait, you were watching me?”

“I was keeping an eye on you, and I was bored. That reminds me; why do you humans cover yourselves with your shed skin? That’s very weird.”

“We can’t shed our skin, where’d you get that idea?”

“From you. I’ve seen you take your shed skin off when you go swimming.”

Eleyna giggled, then clutched at her stomach. “Ow. Laughing. Bad idea.” She held out her bloodstained shirt and explained: “These are clothes, Acora. Humans wear them to cover ourselves up, because we don’t have scales or fur or feathers. If we just walked around naked we’d get sunburned, or freeze.”

Acora peered closely. “Oh.” Then she asked, “Why do humans burn their prey?”

“We don’t if we can help it.”

“But you always hold it over fire for ages!”

She sniggered and explained: “Yes, to cook it. We can’t eat raw fish and meat.”

“Oh,”Acora repeated after a moment, and groomed herself in embarrassment.

“So, uh, how old are you?” Eleyna wondered.

“This is my sixteenth summer.”

“I’m sixteen years old too! Do all dragons leave their nests at your age?”

“That’s not why I left. Humans drove another flock of dragons from their nesting-place, and they found mine instead. So me and my friends were trying to find another fire-mountain for them to live on and earn our names.”

“Why do dragons have to earn their names?” she wondered. “I mean, can’t your parents give you a name? How do you tell each other apart before that?”

“By our calling-sounds and scents. It started with the first heart-bound pair. Long ago, a drake and drakaina fell in love, and they were happy together, but then another, stronger drake tried to steal the first drake’s mate for himself. So he fought, but he was struck down, and so was his mate. As their blood mixed, they begged each other to live, and their life forces became combined.

“He named himself Forever, and she named herself Faithful. Ever since, we’ve named ourselves after something we’ve done or that’s happened to us. My sire survived a lightning strike, and now his name is Scarred By Lightning.”

“Does your mother have a name too?”

“Just her calling-sound, Fee-Bee. What are your sire and dam’s names?”

“We call them fathers and mothers. My mother’s name is Nicole, and I don’t know who my father is. I don’t know my mum either; I’ve never met her. If she really cared, she wouldn’t have just left me a locket … she wouldn’t have left me.”

Acora crooned. “I’m sorry about your mother … and your Aunt Cat.”

Eleyna wiped her eyes. “I miss her. I’m sorry about Chirr-See.” After a moment she added, “I never said thank you. So here goes. Acora, thank you for staying with me, and rescuing me, and saving me from death,” she declared.

“You’re welcome,”Acora purred. “And thank you, for saving me from those humans, and for always coming back. Sometimes I was scared you wouldn't.”

“Nah, I’m not going anywhere,” Eleyna grinned up at her. Then she winced.

“Are you okay?”Acora inquired.

“Yeah. My stomach hurts, that’s all.”

“I know,”Acora crooned sympathetically. “I can feel it.”

“Through the heart bind. Would you like me to purr on it? I broke my paw once when I was a fledgling, and purring made it hurt less.” Eleyna nodded slowly. Trill pressed the tip of her snout against her friend’s torso and purred steadily.

The vibrations rattled Eleyna’s ribs and shook her spine; it was bizarre and uncomfortable. “Acora, stop,” she urged, voice wavering. Acora pulled away.

For a few moments, the pain stopped. “The warmth,” she realised, “from your scales. That helped.”Acora laid her jaw on the ground and let Eleyna lean against her snout. “That’s better. So, how did you break your paw?”

“My friends and I were trying to smash firestones and breathe fire for the first time. They all broke their stones, but I broke my paw instead,”Acora sighed. “It hurt so much, and I could barely move around for ages. But whilst I was resting, I figured out I could smash firestones with a hard rock instead.”

Eleyna vividly recalled her first encounter with that technique. “That must have been awful,” she remarked, “breaking your paw. Does it ever still hurt?”

“It twinges sometimes. I wish I hadn’t broken it. It was embarrassing; almost as much as when I couldn’t fly across the lake.” Seeing Eleyna’s confusion, she elaborated. “There’s a lake in the middle of our fire-mountain’s crater, and all the fledglings have to fly over it to prove they’re strong. But I’m not. I was too weak, and my wings got tired … I was the first one to fall in,” she confessed.

After a moment, Eleyna asked, “Being a runt really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“My parents and friends always said it didn’t matter,” she replied, “but they don’t know what it’s like. I have to rest more, I can’t fight easily … I’m so weak that I almost didn’t hatch,” she revealed. “My dam had to break my shell for me.”

“Well I’m glad she did, or we wouldn’t have met. I don’t care that you’re a runt. I think you’re great. Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”Acora playfully raised her head so Eleyna dangled off her snout. “Woah!” she laughed. “Acora, put me down!” Her feet touched the ground. She managed to stand without doubling over.

Shading her eyes, Eleyna checked the sun. They had set off for Entedines so early, it was only the early afternoon by now. “We can probably make it back to Alalanes before sundown,” she decided, “and the locket won’t steal itself.”

“But your belly is still hurting,”Acora protested.

“Yeah,” Eleyna shrugged, “but I know someone who can help with that.”

As they flew back to Alalanes, both relished in the open sky, rushing wind, and bright sunshine. Up here they were free, untouchable, and out of reach of danger.

The journey back felt much shorter. “Land near the village!” Eleyna called, pointing. An inexplicable anxiousness came over her. It must be Acora’s fear.

“No, I should land somewhere else.”Acora glided right over the human nest.

“Acora, trust me! It’ll be fine!” Eleyna insisted, so she banked around and landed near the human nest. “I’m gonna talk to them.” Eleyna climbed down. Chief Haulani and his warriors strode forwards. She went to greet them, taken aback when they levelled spears at her. Acora growled. “It’s okay, calm down.”

She turned back to the natives. “What’s going on? Chief Haulani, it’s me.”

“We don’t know you,” he replied. “We knew a Catherine. You are Eleyna.”

“Please, I – I can explain,” she begged, cringing.

“No,”Haulani refused. “We trusted you, welcomed you into our midst, shared what little food we had with you, and all that time you lied to us.”

“You don’t understand. I couldn’t tell you my real name, but everything else I said was true! George Liddan told you about me, didn’t he?” she realised. “He lied too, he was trying to get revenge on me. He tried to kill me in cold blood. Look!” She hoisted up her bloodstained shirt to reveal the scar underneath.

“And have you not also taken lives?” he demanded. “Mr Liddan was trying to right a wrong. Besides, for all we know you had that scar beforehand.”

“Why would I fake this? I’d have nothing to gain. George stabbed me.”

Haulani frowned again, suspiciously this time. “Then how did you survive?”

She cringed. “I … can’t tell you. It’s hard to explain.” They wouldn’t believe it.

“So be it.”Haulani gestured for his warriors to step back. “For Acora’s sake, I will allow you to rest on my island, but you are no longer welcome in my village. Soon we’ll have a way to defend ourselves from pirates like you, dragon or no dragon.” He uttered the word‘pirates’ with such scorn.

“If that’s how you feel, Chief Haulani, then goodbye.” She climbed up onto Acora’s neck, and they flew to the other side of the island. As soon as they landed, Eleyna climbed down again and kicked at the sand. “Stupid, stupid!”

“What’s wrong?”Acora questioned. “What did that other human say to you?”

This gave Eleyna pause. “Wait, you mean you couldn’t understand him?”

“No, and I couldn’t understand you when you were talking to them.”

For a moment Eleyna was bewildered; then she shook her head. “That man was the village chief – their leader,” she explained. “He said I’m no longer welcome in their village, because … when we were here yesterday, I didn’t tell them my real name. I couldn’t. Then George showed up and told them who I really am.” Her fists clenched. “They told him where we had gone!”

Acora’s eyes narrowed. “You mean it’s their fault that human attacked you?” she demanded, turning her gaze back towards the village and snarling.

“It’s not their fault,” Eleyna said hastily. “They didn’t know he wanted to kill me. He wouldn’t tell them that. Acora, I’m upset too, but don’t hurt them, please.”

She ceased growling. “I won’t. Did you tell the alpha that you were killed?”

“I told them George stabbed me. I even showed them the scar, but they didn’t believe me. I couldn’t tell them about the heart bind. There’s no way they’d believe I came back from the dead; I wouldn’t believe that if I heard it.”

“Are they going to attack us?”

“No, don’t worry. Their chief says we can stay on the island, but I can’t go into the village anymore.” Eleyna pressed a hand against her stomach and asked: “So, what do you want to do? Spend the night here, or go somewhere else?”

Acora thought about it. “Let’s sleep here tonight. I mean, you sleep. I’ll keep watch,” she offered, lying down and raising a wing. Eleyna yawned, but instead of lying atop the sand under Acora’s wing, she stretched herself out on the dragon’s foreleg, resting on her stomach with her head pillowed on her arms.

The warmth eased the pain of her wound. She gazed contentedly out at the silvery ocean and the peach-coloured sky above it. “Goodnight, Acora.”