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I awoke to a rough hand on my shoulder and looked up into a shocked expression. Leng Shardson’s unshaven face was pale in the afternoon sun. His gaze flicked back and forth between Raolcan and I. Had I noticed before that he was an attractive man? His narrow lips were parted and his sharp, bird-of-prey gaze was a lot like Raolcan’s. Maybe proximity to dragons made you become more like them.
“What are you doing?” His words were breathless, his eyes full of awe.
I rubbed my eyes. “I think I fell asleep.”
“Against an ungentled dragon?” There was a burr in his voice. Was he worried for me? He needed to trust Raolcan like I did. It wasn’t fair that everyone mistrusted him just because of who he was. I understood what it was like to have everyone misjudge you.
“He’s not going to hurt me.”
Raolcan’s sides swelled as he drew in a breath. The same breath snorted out with a slight sulfur smell as he slept.
“I heard they were bonding your wave tonight,” he said.
“Where do you go on your dragon every day?” Maybe if I changed the subject I wouldn’t have to talk about my impending choice.
He smiled slightly. “Purples are messengers. We fly from one place to another bearing messages. I’ve been stationed with Dragon School for now, and that means daily missives to the twelve towers. It’s boring work, but someone has to do it.”
“You don’t like delivering messages?”
“I love my Color and I’m dedicated to our work but this is a tame posting. I’d rather be almost anywhere else – or at least that’s how I felt before.”
Before what? Had he met someone? A lover, a friend, a wife? That would change a person’s mind. Or maybe he’d been promoted. Perhaps someday, if I succeeded, I’d be complaining about the boredom of my post. It seemed almost too good to be true – as far away as a distant land or a desperate hope.
“You should eat. Bonding will take a lot out of you.” He’d been crouching beside me but now he stood, offering me a hand.
I took his hand and let him help me up, but there was no way I was going to the dining hall. “I don’t want to eat with everyone right now. I’m happier here.”
“You’re happier in the stables?” He seemed pleased by that. “There’s food in Alhskibi’s alcove. Come on.”
I followed his lead, but he walked companionably beside me until we got to the Purple alcoves. The carving around the doors was in whorls and swooping designs, like wind. I ran my fingers over the swirls closest to me. They were gorgeous.
“The marks of the Purple,” Leng said with a smile. “We are the swiftest of all the riders, so our symbol is the wind. Swift, lean and truthful. Our Color hosts races often. Let’s hope you can ride fast.”
I hoped I could ride at all. It was marvelous to think of being part of a Color – of having others like me in a common goal – but it wasn’t making my decision any easier. It would probably be kinder to Raolcan if I didn’t bond with him – if I let him be free. He claimed that he would never be free, that they’d just give him to someone else. So perhaps he would only be free if I was bonded to him and then walked away.”
“What happens to a bonded dragon if his rider leaves?” I asked, as Leng stopped in front of a silk-curtained alcove.
“Dies, you mean? The dragon will die, too. Your lives are intertwined after the bonding.”
My eyes widened and my throat felt tight. If I died on that first flight, Raolcan would die, too? “What if the rider simply walked away.”
Leng’s eyes narrowed and his hand hovered over the name chalked beside the alcove – Ahlskibi.
“I hope you aren’t thinking of doing that.”
Was I? “I’m only curious.”
“It’s not so simple. People don’t walk away. If you tried, your dragon would die from that, too.”
“So, once they arrive here they’re slaves forever?” I sighed.
He frowned and took my hand. “There’s something different about you and Raolcan. I can see that already. Believe me when I tell you, the best thing for him is you. You can’t free him by walking away. Do you understand?”
I nodded, but I didn’t understand. Wouldn’t it be better for him if there was no me? An able-bodied rider could offer him so much more.
“Let me tell you a secret.” He leaned in so close that I could feel his breath on my neck as he whispered to me. It gave me little chills and made it hard to concentrate. “Riding dragons might be physical work but a big spirit matters more than what you can do with your body.”
He drew back, and then gracefully opened the curtain to the alcove. Behind it, a magnificent purple dragon with a frill around its head stood, rearing back slightly at our presence. Leng smiled and something wordless passed between them. Could they speak to one another as Raolcan and I could?
Of course.
I gasped and stepped back. That was Ahlskibi in my head! He spoke to me! And now he seemed to be laughing at me.
“Let me introduce you to Ahlskibi – my dragon partner,” Leng said, crossing to a leather bag and pulling out flatbread and dried meat. “Let’s eat. You must be hungry.”
We took a seat on the edge of the ledge so that our feet dangled over the side of the cliff and he broke off bread and meat and handed them to me. I was hungrier than I’d realized and a little giddy from the heights, the possibilities and eating lunch with a Real Dragon Rider. Too shy to speak, I concentrated on the food. All the Purple dragons spoke into their rider’s minds! That was amazing. Eventually, I took the last bite and found Leng’s warm gaze hovering on me.
“Good luck tonight and tomorrow, Amel Leafbrought. Some of us were born to this life and I think you are one of us.”
Me? Born to this? The peasant girl with the useless leg? I bit my tongue in surprise and tasted blood. He couldn’t be serious.
“I have more messages to deliver. I hope that when I return I find you wearing gray.” He stood and offered me a hand again and I accepted. “If you stand by the chalkboard you can watch. Maybe you’ll pick up a tip or two.”
I hobbled over to the sign, eyes wide as he deftly pulled a saddle from the wall, cocked his head at Ahlskibi and then threw the saddle over his back. Ahlskibi stood, and Leng darted under him, cinching girth bands and closing buckles with practiced hands. It was less than a minute before he retreated out from under him. I moved to look closer, but Ahlskibi’s head darted out, teeth bared at me. I stepped back quickly. Apparently, even being on speaking terms wasn’t enough to mean you could go near a dragon.
“Stay well back,” Leng warned, his expression hard. I took another step back and then something I couldn’t discern changed and Ahlskibi leapt forward, launching himself off the cliffs and out towards the horizon. He wheeled in a slow arc.
“Once they’re gentled you can jump on after you put the saddle on, but I thought you should watch me mount the way you’ll have to,” Leng said. His expression was serious, but there was a look of hope – or something similar – in his eyes. “Watch closely. I’ll work slowly for you.”
Ahlskibi circled back towards us and Leng shot me a final grin before running towards the cliff and leaping off. I scrambled to the edge and watched him fly through the air, his limbs splayed in an exaggerated manner. He was going to miss Ahlskibi! And then the dragon was suddenly under him, dipping as Leng’s weight dropped on him.
Leng pulled the belt from where it was tucked behind the saddle up to his waist and fastened it with two quick motions. He slid his arms in the harness and clipped the buckle over his chest in a single graceful motion. Ahlskibi’s wings rose, caught the wind and then with a powerful motion he launched forward, gripping the air and propelling up into the sky. I gasped at the glorious power of his movements. It was hard not to long to be a part of that beauty.
When they were nothing but a dot on the horizon I finally turned away. I hoped Leng was right and that I’d see them again. There was something special about those two. They were kind to someone like me that everyone else only tolerated – or worse, despised. I wanted to eat dried meat and flatbread with Leng every day and talk about dragons. Maybe that was what being Inducted was like. Maybe that wasn’t as far off as I feared.