Tears of War

by A. D. Trosper

  Warmth flooded through her. He loved her. She’d always loved him but assumed with Taela as a bondmate, it wasn’t possible for them to be together. It was no secret Kellinar loved Taela with his whole heart. Now she was part of that. Emallya and Bardeck had been part of a tri-bond, but Emallya’s bondsister had died five hundred years ago. Anevay had never seen such a bond in real life. She studied Taela’s face. How would Taela feel about a shared bond?

  Taela smiled as if she read her thoughts, which she probably had. “It is like the bond with our dragons. At first, you feel there is no room for anymore love. Then you find your bondmate, and the love expands to include him and his dragon.” She looked fondly up at the blue dragon. “All I feel now is another expansion of love to include you and your dragon. We are bondsisters. Like twins that should never have been separated.”

  The yellow draclet finally finished stuffing herself full. Her questioning look pulled Anevay from her shock. “You must bathe away the blood, Latia.”

  The yellow swung her wedge-shaped head toward the water. To encourage her, the adult dragons all splashed into the lake, their antics sloshing water well up into the grass around the shore. Latia ran for the water in an ungainly waddle. The older dragons settled to allow the youngster to accustom herself to her new environment without sloshing her around. Tellnox and Nydara watched her protectively.

  Anevay watched the little yellow play with the older dragons. Her heart felt like it would burst. Even in her play, Latia’s emotions and thoughts were turned to her rider. Love flowed back and forth between them. The adults were beautiful but nothing in the world was so perfectly gorgeous as Latia.

  The swim over, her scales cleaned of the blood from her feeding, the draclet waded to shore and walked to Anevay’s side. She yawned, exposing her dagger-like teeth. “Can I sleep now?”

  Anevay smiled. “Of course you may, love.” She turned toward Bardeck. “Latia wants to sleep now.” Her eyes traveled up the rock wall of the rim to the broad ledge that fronted the lair Taela and Kellinar shared with their dragons. How was that going to work? She shook her head, that would be worked out later. It would be months before Latia could fly.

  Bardeck pointed to the lower caves, no more than six feet off the ground with wide steps leading to them. “Choose your lair, little Latia.”

  The draclet waddled forward, folding her leathery wings haphazardly over her back. She disappeared into one of the caves. Anxiety filled Anevay. She couldn’t see the draclet in the dark lair. She started for the steps.

  Kirynn beat her there. “Allow me.” Every lamp in the lair and the sleeping quarters through the small door at the back flared to life.

  “I could have set orbs,” Vaddoc said, walking up and putting his arm around Kirynn’s waist.

  Kirynn shook her head. “She can’t put the orbs out when she is ready. This way she can turn the lamps down or blow them out if she wishes.”

  “Thank you, Kirynn. You too, Vaddoc, for the offer,” Anevay said, her eyes on the draclet. Latia lay curled around, her head tucked beneath one wing, already sound asleep.

  Kellinar and Taela walked into the lair. His arm around Taela, he looked uncertainly at Anevay as if unsure how to proceed. She didn’t blame him. What were they supposed to do now?

  Taela’s smile was reassuring. “It is best if you sleep alone with your dragon until she is ready to join our dragons in their lair. This is your time to bond.”

  Kellinar nodded. “Even Maleena and Mckale didn’t share a lair until their dragons could fly. We may be bondmates now, but that doesn’t negate what you and your dragon need now. And what you need is to be alone together.”

  Anevay smiled, relief washing through her. Kellinar was right. They may be bondmates, but all she felt was the need to be with Latia. A servant bustled in and began arranging thick bedding and blankets on the sleeping bench inside the lair.

  Anevay glanced through the door to the sleeping chamber. A wide, comfortable bed dominated the room. It didn’t appeal to her. Someday, she would sleep in a bed in a bedchamber. But not now. Now, she needed to be closer than that to the little yellow. Kirynn smiled at her again as she and Vaddoc left. Maleena offered soft words of congratulations and then she left with Mckale at her side.

  Serena gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you are a rider now.” She glanced at Kellinar again. Suppressing a smile, she left. Bardeck and Emallya once more offered her a warm welcome to the ranks of riders before leaving.

  Only Taela and Kellinar remained. “We can stay with you if you like,” Taela offered.

  Anevay shook her head. “No, I really didn’t sleep much last night and I’m almost too tired to think straight. You two go ahead and get something to eat. I can tell you are both hungry.”

  Kellinar hugged her. “If I have to be part of a tri-bond, I’m glad it was you.”

  She smiled back. Then they too were gone and she stood alone in the lair. Her eyes rested briefly on the yellow again. Happiness nearly overwhelmed her. She blinked back tears and moved into the bedchamber to blow out the lamps. Back in the lair, she put out all but one lamp and settled down on the sleeping bench. She stared at the draclet curled against the far wall until sleep took her.

  Maleena stood in her bedchamber, working her long chestnut hair into a braid that began at the crown of her head. Mckale watched her from the doorway to the lair. “I don’t know how you can do that without seeing what goes where.”

  She shrugged and smiled. “Practice.”

  After securing the end with a leather thong she reached to pull on her dress. The wide scars on her left arm stood out against her pale skin. More of the same ran across her back. A permanent reminder of her time in the Kormai.

  The sleeves of the dress covered most of them although she didn’t make a special effort to cover them up. They were a part of what made her who she was. Maleena wasn’t ashamed of them. She’d gained the scars, but her captors had gained nothing. They were a badge of her own strength.

  Her hands froze on the last button of the dress. Fear. No, not fear. Terror. Mckale’s shield usually kept the emotions of others at bay. Only a strong emotion could break through and this felt so strong she could almost taste it.

  Mckale was in front of her in a few steps. He placed his hands gently on either side of her face, his silver eyes on hers. “Maleena, what is it?”

  “Someone is afraid. More than afraid.”

  “Who?”

  Maleena cast her mind out, searching for the source. “Kirynn.”

  Mckale’s brow furrowed. “Are you certain? I’ve never seen Kirynn afraid of anything.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’m sure.” It seemed so alien to feel Kirynn’s fear. Like Mckale, she’d never seen the redhead afraid of anything. Not even when overwhelmed by a sea of Kojen.

  “Where is she?” Mckale’s voice was calm.

  Maleena focused on the feelings, confusion in her mind. “Her lair. What would frighten her so much in her lair?”

  Mckale turned and ran down the hall. Maleena followed, running hard to keep up with his long strides. He took the stairs to the next level two at a time, reaching the doorway to Kirynn’s bedchamber before she did, his twin blades already drawn.

  She found him in the bedchamber. Kirynn stood several paces away, her zahri held ready. The fear was stronger here. A dull ache started in Maleena’s head. Her eyes swept the smooth stone walls trying to pinpoint the cause of Kirynn’s emotion.

  Maleena sensed Mckale’s confusion. His voice was cautious when he asked, “Kirynn, what is wrong? Maleena felt your fear through my shield.”

  Kirynn stared at the base of the far wall. “I need to kill it. Creepy thing sneaking up on me like that. Except I have to get too close and I can’t set it on fire without lighting the wardrobe.”

  Maleena followed her gaze. On the floor next to the wardrobe was the largest, hairiest spider she’d ever seen. The fear she felt wasn’t wholly Kirynn’s. A tiny spark of it came from the
spider.

  Mckale threw his head back and laughed, the tension easing from his shoulders. Kirynn shot him a murderous look. He sheathed his swords and clamped his mouth shut. Only his silver eyes still flashed with mirth in his expressionless face.

  Maleena stepped between them. “You are truly frightened of that spider aren’t you?”

  The redhead eyed the arachnid warily. Fear still rolled off her in waves. The dull ache in Maleena’s head grew. Mckale stepped forward, placing his fingers lightly on her wrist to reinforce the bond. The painful thrumming in her head eased at his touch.

  Kirynn’s breath hissed through her teeth. “Yes, I am afraid of that thing.” A shudder ran through her body.

  Maleena stared at it for a moment. “I wonder where it came from. We don’t have any spiders like that in this region.”

  “Who cares where it came from. Kill it.”

  She shook her head. “No. I bet he hunts mice. Look at the size of him.”

  Kirynn rolled her green eyes. “Who cares what it hunts?” Her voice turned pleading, “Just please kill it.”

  “I’m going to take it to the records room. Mice are always trying to get after the scrolls.”

  “Cat takes care of the mice. Or one of the others running around here.”

  Maleena smiled. “Cat will be going with Namir and Vaddoc when they leave.”

  Kirynn snorted. “I forgot about that. Fine, do whatever. I’m leaving until it’s gone.” She turned and stalked from the chamber, one eye on the spider as if she expected it to attack her.

  Mckale crossed his arms and shook his head. “Kirynn afraid? Who would have expected such a thing?”

  Maleena laughed. “And of a spider of all things.” She crossed the lair slowly, reaching out to the furry arachnid with her mind, washing him with soothing feelings.

  The spider watched her approach but didn’t move. She lowered her hand to the floor and sent a picture of him in her hand and then him snug in the records room with mice to hunt.

  The spider stared back at her with its too-many eyes and then climbed onto her palm. The hairy monster took up her whole hand. She raised it to eye level and sent another picture of the hold with a question behind it.

  Strange, fuzzy images flickered through her mind. It took her a minute to realize she was seeing things through the eyes of the spider. She felt, more than saw, a bird snatch the spider from a forest floor. Dim images of light and dark swirled through her vision until she felt the impact of rock as it tumbled to a ledge.

  Maleena glanced at Mckale. He still had his arms crossed, but one eyebrow was raised in question. She smiled. “I think a bird dropped him here. It’s very dark and fuzzy and it was based more on what he felt than what he saw.” She sent the picture of the records room again then tuned and started for the door. Mckale backed away.

  She rolled her eyes. “Not you too?”

  He smiled but his eyes were on her hand. “I’m not afraid of him, but I don’t want him crawling on me either. Besides, Heleanna says there is a field that is dying. The crop is anyway. She and the other senior mages tried working on it yesterday. It didn’t go well. I’m going to take the other two Green Riders down today and see if we can do something more. They have a pretty good handle on their magic now.” He backed up several more steps as she passed him.

  She laughed and slipped out of Kirynn’s bedchamber, the spider still perched on her hand. The hairs on his legs tickled her fingers. It didn’t take long to get to the caldera floor. She ignored the gasps of servants when she passed them on her way through the Great Hall to the small door set midway down its length.

  Anevay sat at the large desk in the middle of the room. A mixture of light orbs and candles cast warm light across her creamed coffee skin. Maleena smiled at her. “Already back to work after this morning’s flight?”

  “Latia left with the others to hunt. I might as well spend the rest of the afternoon working on finding what I need for the weave.”

  “You are certain you will find something? You’ve been searching for nearly a year now.”

  Anevay nodded. “It’s here. I can feel it. I’ve already found some of it. The beginning of the weave is coming together.” She looked at Maleena’s upraised hand then and gasped. “What is that?”

  Maleena’s smile got wider. “It’s a spider.”

  “Why, in the name of the Fates, did you bring him here?”

  “He eats mice and bugs. I figured he could help you out in here.”

  Anevay eyed the spider doubtfully. “You want him to live in here?”

  “Mice are always a problem and the cats can’t get in here very often.”

  “What about Cat? He comes in here plenty.”

  Maleena sighed and walked to a darkened corner of the room. She knelt and lowered her hand to the floor. The spider crawled off and disappeared under a shelf. She stood and turned to Anevay. “Cat will be leaving with Namir.”

  “He is really going to Slide to Shadereen with Namir and Vaddoc?” Anevay asked, her eyes on the spot where the spider disappeared.

  “Namir refuses to leave without him. Who knew a dragon would get so attached to a cat?” Maleena laughed. “Kirynn about had a panic attack over that spider.”

  Anevay’s startled eyes met hers. “Kirynn? Afraid? And of a spider of all things?”

  Maleena nodded. “She was so scared I felt it in my lair. I thought something was horribly wrong. Mckale went running with swords drawn only to find her trying to kill it without getting too close. I guess even the length of her zahri wasn’t far enough.”

  Anevay shook her head, her waist-length black ringlets swaying. Her dark eyes lit with amusement. “I wish I had been there to see that. Kirynn can stand against Shadow Riders, Shadow Dragons, and a sea of Kojen, but a single spider terrifies her.”

  “He is a rather impressive looking spider.” Maleena laughed walking back to stand by the desk. “I guess it’s a good thing Kojen don’t have eight hairy legs.”

  Anevay laughed with her. “Vaddoc will never let her live that down. What is she going to do when she gets to Shadereen?”

  Maleena paused. “What do you mean?”

  Mirth flushed Anevay’s creamed coffee skin. “Hasn’t she studied up on Shadereen?”

  “Of course. She’s learned all about their politics and traditions.”

  Anevay shook her head. “She hasn’t studied what lives there besides humans? I wish I could be there to see her run screaming across the desert.”

  “Why?”

  “They have sand spiders there. They make this one look tiny.”

  Maleena tried to suppress her laughter. “Well, maybe they won’t see any.”

  Kellinar came through the door, a plate of food in his hand. “What’s so funny?”

  Maleena shook her head. “I’ll let Anevay tell you later.”

  Kellinar moved the scroll Anevay was looking at and set the plate down. She stared at him. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  He dropped a kiss on her hair. “I know, but you will never get around to getting it yourself and you need to eat. I can feel it. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “No, not really. But if you want to find Taela for me, I could really use her help with this. Some of the images are easier for her to read.”

  “I will hunt her down for you.”

  Maleena waited and walked back through the Great Hall with him. “What have you got planned for the day?”

  He ran his hand over his braids. “After I find Taela, Dhovara and I are going to spend time working with Tania. It won’t be long before her dragon is ready to Slide, Aylene’s only a month younger than Latia. Tomorrow Dhovara and I both take our turns on the boats. The other senior mages can help with Tania then of course.”

  She smiled. “Sounds like you will be busy.”

  He smiled back. “Busier than I’ve ever been.”

  They walked out onto the inner plateau. The lake at
the far end sparkled in the sun and next to it five young dragons slept. Two greens, two blues, and a gold. Loki’s gold, Merru, was nowhere to be seen. “When do you leave?”

  Kellinar’s face took on a grim look. “As soon as my turn on the boats is over. Another reason I need to work with Tania. Her magic is quite strong.”

  “It won’t be easy leaving Anevay behind.”

  He let out a long breath. “Truthfully, I’m glad Latia is too young to Slide well. If I could find a way to make Taela and Paki stay, I would. I understand we need to get the nations behind us, but Trilene is not going to welcome us with open arms. At least Serena understands what we are walking into. Taela never left Haraban when she was growing up. She lived a sheltered life there.”

  Worry and sadness rolled off him. Maleena’s heart went out to him. “Galdrilene can’t fight this war alone, Kellinar, and you can’t shelter Taela from the world.” Maleena leveled a stern look at him. “And you can’t make her stay.”

  Pain flashed across his face even as he laughed softly. “Don’t I know it. When I suggested it might be best to stay, she threatened to stab me.” The laughter died leaving only anguish in his ice-blue eyes. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to Taela or Anevay. Losing Serena would hurt more than I can express. She has always been my friend. But what I feel for Taela and Anevay…”

  Maleena reached up and placed a finger against his lips. “I understand. You know I do. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if something happened to Mckale.” She wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. “Anevay is staying here out of harm’s way and Taela is not without her defenses. She may have lived a sheltered life before the call, but you forget she survived the Kormai. And you are wrong if you think for a single moment she is not just as worried about you.”

  He sighed and returned the hug, smiling. “Did I ever thank you for not dying on me?”

  “Not in those exact words, but yes.”

  “Then I’m saying it again.”

  Maleena glanced up as the aura of an approaching person rippled across her mind. The aura had a brisk, sure feel to it. “Tania is looking for you.”