With Jaekob at her side, Bells walked into the Dragon Council's chambers. Darren sat at the foot of the table while Mikah dominated the table's head, cutting an imposing figure, large and utterly confident. She saw a lot of Mikah in Jaekob, actually—and none of his character in Darren. How the self-declared “opposition party leader” managed to be such a conniving weasel, despite being a dragon, was beyond her. Even the title he gave himself was stolen—from humans, no less. Ugh.
Jaekob announced their presence, and most of the people at the table stood. Mikah motioned to two empty chairs on his right, and she and Jaekob made their way over.
Even before she’d settled into her chair, the still-sitting Darren said loudly, "There she is, the Savior of Philadelphia, bearer of the sword since the First Councilor's son lost it. It's rather convenient, Miss Bells, don't you think?"
So. That was the sort of meeting this was going to be. She felt every eye in the room boring into her and tried not to squirm. Then she felt Jaekob's hand on her knee beneath the table, squeezing lightly. It helped settle her nerves to know she had a firm ally in the room.
Mikah said, "Darren, you're on thin ice already. I suggest you behave yourself and save the political grandstanding for your photo ops. This meeting is meant to accomplish something besides feeding your ego. Do I make myself clear?"
Darren bowed his head. "Of course, First Councilor. I would never disrespect these proceedings. As always, all I do is for my love of our people, just as you do. I think that supersedes everything else, don't you?"
Bells heard a low growl coming from the Dragon leader, just at the edge of her hearing, and then Mikah said, "Of course. Never mind all that."
He turned to her and said, "This is the second time I find myself officially thanking you, Bells. We are here to discuss how best to proceed with protecting our people, in light of the fact that the sword has been recovered and delivered to us. We've all seen its power, watching as it saved our city and our lives from those who would destroy us. On that note, I open the table to any reasonable suggestions."
Suggestions? They were talking as though there was any question what would happen with the sword. It had called to her, not them. It was she who risked her life with Jaekob, not them. And it was she the sword bonded with, not any of them. She clenched her teeth and dug her fingers into Jaekob's hand on her leg.
At the other end of the table, Darren loudly drummed his fingers on the table. When all eyes turned to him, he stopped his drumming and stroked his chin, lips pursed, as though in thought. At last, he said, "You know, it occurs to me that this is something of a moot conversation. We all know it was Jaekob, a dragon, who found and liberated the Sword of Fire. Not his delightful fae sidekick farm girl. No offense, Bells."
She stared at him without replying and visualized clawing his eyeballs out.
He continued, "The only reason she got to pick it up later on was that our enemies attacked the prince like cowards, seizing the sword from him. That makes him the rightful owner of the sword, according to both dragon law and the Crown of Pures—Bells' rulers."
There were startled expressions all around table and then all eyes, even Mikah's, turned to Jaekob.
Bells' pulse spiked, and the room was suddenly too warm as a burning rage swept over her. Dragon or not, how dare he? And how dare they look to Jaekob. They had both retrieved the sword, and for whatever reason, the sword had bonded with her.
She began to rise from her seat, intent on showing that ungrateful little—
Jaekob's hand, still on her leg, pushed her back down. "Don't do it," he whispered, peering into her eyes, and then he stood bolt upright.
Loudly, he said, "I'm sure she's grateful for your recognition, but as much as it pains me to contradict anyone at this table, I believe Councilor Darren has a false understanding of the situation. First, she and I retrieved the sword together, and while it ended up in my physical possession first, it was reclaimed by us both.
"Second, I didn't lose the sword. It was taken from us, not by one of our subjects but by the Black Court’s man, placing it under our authority no longer."
"And your point is?" Darren's eyes narrowed at Jaekob from across the table.
"When Bells recovered it, it came back to us with her as its owner, legally speaking. I stand by that, and I have no doubt the law master will interpret events just as I've said them. So, no, Darren, I'm not the rightful owner of the sword. Bells is."
The room went utterly silent. Bells could hardly believe her ears. Did he not want the sword? Or did he believe what he said and wanted justice more than he wanted the world's most powerful ancient artifact? That was interesting food for thought. She'd have to ask him about it, later.
Darren's loud, slow clapping filled the room, echoing from the walls as he stood from his seat. "Masterfully done, my prince. It's good to see our youth so driven with the desire to be honorable, even noble, as all dragons aspire to be. However—"
"My age has nothing to do with what is right and what is lawful," Jaekob interrupted.
A smirk spread over Darren's face. With a voice as sweet as honey, he said, "I stand corrected. It's clear our youth is not driven by the desire to be so honorable, much less noble. Be that as it may, your interpretation places the sword firmly in the hands of the Crown of Pures, as they are Bells' ruler, and I'm sure we can all agree that we cannot allow it to pass to them."
Mikah said, "No, of course not. However, when our people did Rise, flying out of our ancestral catacombs when summoned by the world's events, things changed on this planet. The Crown of Pures no longer rules unquestioned. No, I placed them under dragon authority, where they used to be and where they still belong. And they submitted rather than face war with us. What does this tell you?"
Jaekob's eyes went wide. Bells wondered what was going on, but they were discussing her fate as though she wasn't in the room and she was as angry as she was curious.
Darren stood from his chair, then bowed to Mikah. "Of course, First Councilor. We all remember the Rising fondly. It wasn't my intention to suggest otherwise. As the sword is clearly under your authority, I await your decision on what we should do and to whom you wish it be given."
When he sat again, his eyes met Bells' and his lip curled back ever so faintly into a smirk that set her blood boiling.
Mikah said, "Well, then. I thank you all for coming and for helping me to navigate these treacherous waters. I think it's clear we now have a solution. I decree the Sword of Fire is owned by Jaekob, under dragon law, of which I am the final arbiter. He may do with it as he wishes, including leaving it in the hands of this outstanding young fae who used it so well to rescue our city and our people. Dismissed."
Bells felt like her head was going to explode with anger and she stormed from the room. They may have let her keep it but it wasn't their decision in the first place. Someday, she'd prove it to them, whether they liked it or not.
Jaekob scrambled after Bells as she stormed from the Council chamber. She had ridden on him as a dragon, creating the rider-dragon bond now unknown by any outsiders save for Bells. He had broken a huge taboo when he let her ride him, but it had been necessary to save his people. He did it gladly—but still thanked Creation that his dishonor wasn't known by anyone but the two of them.
As a side-effect of that bonding, however, he had just caught a glimpse into her mind, and it wasn't pretty. She may have just been a fae, but she had a strength of will any dragon would be proud to have.
He smiled, remembering the brief contact between their souls in the Council meeting. Something drew him to her now, just as it had the first time he met her.
His longer stride quickly let him catch up. Bells didn't slow at all, raging toward the front door, so he walked beside her in silence as they left the building. When they were well away from any Guardians at the doors, he said, "Slow down. Please. We need to talk."
She stopped and spun on him, fire in her eyes—not literally, as a dragon's would have, b
ut he knew her well enough that it was just as obvious.
She whisper-shouted, "How dare they talk about my fate as though I wasn't even in the room? It would be easy to just pull out the sword and zap all their minds. Almost as easy to go out and rule the world. But I haven't done that, have I? And yet, they don't trust me. That's bulls—"
"Whoa," Jaekob interrupted, "go easy on them. Remember, dragons are at the top of the pyramid and always have been. It just doesn't occur to them that there might be something they don't control."
"They should be used to not being in control. The same Black Court that took the sword from us doesn't report to your council."
He grinned. "We just view the Crown of Pures and Black Court schism as an internal matter. If we wanted to, it would easy for the dragon army to fly down on the Black Khan's people and cities and take over."
Her expression softened a little, and he felt her tension flow away like water. "Oh, Jaekob, I don't know what to do. I'm just so tired, and I miss my family. The only thing keeping me from just running home to hide, the only thing that makes this bearable, is having you to lean on."
He felt an overwhelming wave of sadness wash through her, and courtesy of the link they shared, it rubbed off on him. He had no idea of the depth of her sadness before now, but it pleased him greatly to know how important he was in keeping her from just giving up, going home, and letting the other Pures deal with their own garbage. In a moment of clarity, he realized he, too, struggled with a desire to just walk away from it all. Or were her feelings affecting his? Either way, though, he experienced what she did and his heart went out to her.
One thought crossed his mind and wouldn't let go, burrowing like a worm to itch in the back of his mind, demanding to get scratched: Bells deserved some happiness, and he could give it to her with one simple act. Taboo, yes, but it wouldn't be the first time he broke a rule for her.
His hands found her hips and he pulled her to him. She resisted, but only a little. He looked down into her eyes, smiled, and said, "You need to recharge, and if you don't mind breaking a little rule, I have just the thing to make you feel better."
She seemed to almost shrink. His connection with her vibrated with tension and he could feel she was both afraid and excited. He wasn't sure why, but it was an exhilarating feeling.
"What is it?" she asked. Even her voice seemed to have shrunk down, like a rabbit just before the hawk strikes.
"Do you remember when you rode my dragon form? Do you remember that feeling?"
"Yes," she said, her voice cracking. He felt her confusion—she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Then, let's do it. We should fly again, you and me. When you were riding me, I never felt anything quite like that connection, and I remember the effect it had on you. I especially remember the effect it had on me. What do you say?"
"Yes," she said, then rushed forward to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you."
Jaekob couldn't help but smile, feeling the thrill of the taboo and the burst of Bells’ energy infecting him, too. Sure, there was a consequence for letting someone ride the same dragon twice, but he could easily deal with that later.
At least, that's what he told himself.
He led her by the hand away from the manor, and his heart sang at the joy and anticipation radiating from Bells, courtesy of the rider bond they shared already.
Bells and Jaekob drove across the city, heading toward the nearest of the small mountains that flanked the ruins of Reading. How he'd picked up a car without his escort, she couldn't have guessed, but when she was sure where they were going after leaving the buildings behind and entering into the beautiful forests that grew all around the city, she frowned and looked out the window.
Cars were such odd devices...
Jaekob stopped the car along the side of the road and turned to face her directly. "What? Is something wrong?"
"Maybe. We seem to be headed to the mountains, but don't the weres hide from the other Pures there? Maybe it's not smart to go do this secret, forbidden thing right in front of a bunch of weres. And won't they notice that you've crossed the Wards?"
An impish grin spread across his face. "Don't you worry about that. Their alarms and bells and whistles are all powerful, but remember, a dragon can cross at will and so can anyone with me. There's nothing out this way but trees and rocks since the humans are all dead in this region, so neither the Crown nor the Council will pay any attention to it as long as there hasn't been a perimeter breech alarm on our little island of so-called safety recently. Too many dragons like to hike, but they don't go to the part where we're going. It's also why the weres stay off those mountains—too much chance of an incident they don't want."
"So, we really are headed up the mountain. If I had known, I would have worn sturdier boots." She frowned. She was going to have a couple blisters after this if they hiked far from the roads.
"Don't worry about that, either. Trust me, this is worth a blister or two." He turned back around and continued on toward the mountain, leaving her no choice but to sit and watch the scenery pass by her window as the pixie-powered car sped over the pavement. Worth blisters? That was easy for him to say—his boots were well worn in.
Almost another hour passed before Jaekob stopped the car again, this time near the top of an old human fire trail up the little mountain he'd chosen. She looked down over the valley below almost as though seeing it for the first time. The beautiful forests, now starting to return to their former glory with the help of fae workers. The dead and somber city of Reading sparkling in the distance. The effect was magical.
Jaekob inspected the area, not looking out at the gorgeous view, and seemed to be pacing the distance between two trees.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Maybe you should have brought a tape measure."
"Ha ha," he replied, smirking at her. "Miss Know-it-all, if I summon my dragon form and there isn't enough room, maybe you could see how that would be a bad thing?"
She shifted her pursed lips to one side, then stuck her tongue out at him. "Nothing you wouldn't deserve."
He laughed, then dusted off his hands on his trousers. "Okay, I'll have enough room. Are you ready for this?"
"Yes. It's all I've been thinking about since you mentioned it." That, and the magical view he apparently took for granted.
"You understand that there are certain... side effects after we do this," he said. "Right? For one thing, when we're close together, I'll be able to sense your surface thoughts much clearer."
Well, he had given her signs already that he could sense her thoughts even when he wasn't in his dragon form. "Okay. And? That seems like a good idea, frankly, if we're going to be running around saving the world or whatever."
He smiled, showing all his teeth. Then, he seemed to explode, and a split second later, a fully-grown dragon stood where the man had been. He was still smiling, but now the effect was much different. A dragon bearing its teeth was an intimidating sight. She felt a feather's touch in her mind, then Jaekob's thoughts came to her as they communicated in the dragon way.
I, Jaekob, Prince of Dragons, do hereby welcome you, Bells, my little fae, to come fly with me.
He spoke the last few words in a sing-song voice, reminding her of an old human song she had once heard. Maybe he had heard it, as well.
Yes, I have. Back in Safeholme, we have an extensive collection of human records, both the paper kind and the musical kind. Now, quit wasting time or I'll start to think you don't want to fly with me.
"I thought you said you were going to be able to read my thoughts, not that you already could." Ha ha, she had busted him.
A little bit. It's a lot easier when I'm in my dragon form, especially when you're so close. Normally, I only sense the flavor of your thoughts rather than the words, and only when you're agitated or afraid. You know, strong emotions.
Bells smiled, biting her bottom lip, then nodded once and bolted forward, sprinting toward him. She jumped up onto one of his b
ent legs, and from there, she leaped high enough to grab one of his back spines—the sharp spikes that grew from his crown to the deadly weapon at the tip of his tail. Using it, she pulled herself up and swung one leg over him. She found herself neatly cradled between two of his long spines, one a comfortable backrest, the other a useful handhold. "I'm ready—"
A bright light flashed into her mind. At least, that was the only way she could explain it. It flickered on and off like a strobe light shining against the backs of her eyeballs. The sensation was so intense, it drove her speechless. It wasn't exactly painful, but neither was it very comfortable.
That's the beginning of the bonding effect. You and I have been Dragon and Rider twice, now. Just lean back and experience this. You're the only outsider still living who has ever ridden a dragon once, much less twice.
The pulsing, blinding light faded as she grew accustomed to it. As the brightness dimmed, she saw what its source had been—Jaekob's entire body was almost translucent. She could see his entire nervous system faintly glowing, the electrical impulses from his brain moving so quickly that she was doubtful she saw the actual impulses, but more like the after-image one sees when watching a wagon wheel spinning quickly. She saw the outline of his skull, much like an x-ray, but the inside was brightly lit. His brain glowed and pulsed, strong and bright. It had been that which first blinded her.
She wondered whether he saw the same thing when he looked at her, and then sensed him chuckling at her. Apparently, he did. And every time he moved a muscle, the relevant nerves seemed to light up. It was a sublime, mesmerizing effect.
Bells came to the sudden realization that many of Jaekob's electrical energy bits were also flowing into her, rising up through his body and vanishing once they entered her. She could feel just a soft tingling at first, traveling up her spine, growing stronger as it rose, confirming it wasn't just her imagination or some illusion.
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