Blood Bond

by Susan Leigh Noble

  ***

  The sky was clear as Dex leapt into the air the next morning. Soren’s hands tightened around the strap. He willed himself to relax. His right shoulder already ached from sleeping on a root. He rotated it now but all that did was send a painful twinge down his arm.

  Dex had left him alone last night. Soren was thankful to not be pressed by the dragon’s questions. He wasn’t sure if the creature sensed his mood or if Blinking had finally taken its toll. Either way, he had passed the evening trying not to think about the day’s event. And more importantly, not to think about the young girl. But her face and that of his sister Addie plagued his sleep.

  And now with nothing to do but look at the few puffy white clouds in the sky, Soren spent all his time thinking. He thought about losing his job and disappointing his brother once again. Dex angled his wings allowing a glimpse of the trees below. Soren automatically tightened his hold on the strap as an image of himself falling to his death flashed before his eyes. A voice in the back of his mind brought up doubts on his leather work, but the harness held.

  Soren pushed those thoughts away. Only by the sun’s position could he tell time passed. He had declined Dex’s suggestion they stop for a noontime meal. He couldn’t imagine eating with his stomach all tied in knots.

  As they flew down the other side of the mountain, his thoughts turned toward their return to Kenton. What would he say to his brother? Would Jerrick help? What would he do if Jerrick wouldn’t help him to see the King? Soren snorted. Without his brother’s help, there would be no way for him to reach King Arden. If Jerrick said no, he was doomed. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted his decision to help Dex.

  “Hold on!”

  Soren barely registered the words before Dex barrel-rolled to the right. The tethers around his waist pulled taunt as he scrambled to hold onto the leather strap. He muttered an oath as the dragon swiftly turned. A bolt of wood, too thick to be an arrow, soared past them.

  “What was that?”

  “Looks like the villagers set up some sort of device to shoot wooden bolts at us,” Dex said, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

  The dragon veered sharply to the right. Soren swore as he held on for dear life.

  “Why? Why are they shooting at us?”

  “I guess they did see us last week.” Dex twisted, flipping back over as Soren yelped. “Or perhaps they have heard of the army marching north and assume we are with them. It makes no difference.” He dove downward. “Let’s teach them a lesson.”

  “What? No!”

  His protest came too late. Dex skimmed over the top of the trees. His jaws opened, spewing fire. Below, men screamed. Twisting, Soren saw the wooden device burned. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the rain of arrows coming right at them.

  The first few arrows bounced easily off Dex’s thick hide, but the last one grazed Soren’s thigh. He saw the blood as it soaked his pants and marveled over the fact he didn’t feel any pain.

  “You are hurt,” Dex said. “I will find a place to land.”

  “I’m fine,” Soren insisted as he glanced behind them. He saw smoke billowing into the sky. “Do you think they will come after us?”

  “I doubt it. Fire deters many would-be attackers.”

  Soren’s upper pant leg was soaked by the time Dex landed. Sliding to the ground, Soren grimaced. He hobbled over to a rock with his medical bag. He pulled off his pants, dropping them to the ground. Blood gushed from the four-inch gash. He eased himself onto the rock before reaching for his water pouch.

  He poured water over the wound, hissing at the sting. He sprinkled the wound with powder but doubted the bleeding would be so easily stopped. Sighing, he took out a needle and thread. He hated this part. When he was a child, his mother would give them something for the pain. Out here, he had no such luxury. He winced as he pushed the needle through his skin. He hadn’t done this in quite some time but growing up it had been more of a common occurrence first just by being an active boy and then later when he had come up on the wrong side of someone’s fist. In the former instances, it had been his mother who tended his wounds. Later, it was his brother Jerrick, who had done the patching. Rarely did he have to do it himself.

  “You humans are quite proficient with your hands,” Dex commented. “We dragons just bind the wound with fire.”

  Soren grimaced. “That works too.” He pushed the needle through his skin one last time before tying it off.

  “You should see a healer. Perhaps we should go ahead and Blink back.”

  Soren glanced at the red dragon. Even though his color had returned to normal, he sensed that the dragon had still not fully recovered. “Let’s wait until tomorrow to Blink.” He looked in the village’s direction. The urge for a drink and perhaps a warm body pulled at him. “I could check out the village for a healer. I could also find out if they know anything about the army.” He noticed the dragon staring at him. “What?”

  “You aren’t thinking about a healer. You want some of the vile-smelling drink that you reeked of when I saved you.”

  Soren smiled. “It would dull the pain.”

  “It is not a good idea. We don’t know if they saw you.”

  “Nah.” Soren rustled through his pack and pulled out a clean pair of pants. “I’ll circle around and come in from the other direction.”

  Dex breathed out in a deep sigh, the warm air ruffling Soren’s hair. “I see you have already made up your mind.”

  Soren barely heard him. His mind was already on the warm bitter taste of the ale that waited for him.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, Soren woke to a familiar pounding headache. He pushed off the blanket. He barely remembered snagging it when he stumbled back to the camp. An incredible rumbling came from Soren’s stomach. He frowned as he sat up. Usually after an evening of drinking, he felt sick, not ravenous as he did now.

  He glanced around the camp. The dragon was gone. He had been asleep when Soren returned last night. A brief feeling of panic rose in him that Dex had left for Kenton without him, but the hunger pains distracted him. He grabbed his bag, pulling out the last of the bread. He scarfed it down and then searched for something else to satisfy this incredible hunger.

  He almost didn’t see the young woman standing in the shadows of the trees. Her brown cloak blended with the bark. Then she moved slightly and caught his attention. Her long auburn hair was pulled over one shoulder and tied with a ribbon. Her thin face and dark eyes looked hauntingly familiar. Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, his hand automatically went to his belt. He pulled his dagger. Her eyes widened. She took a cautious step backwards. Soren eyed her. She didn’t appear to be any threat, he thought as his relaxed.

  The smell of fresh bread wafted toward him as his stomach rumbled again. His eyes fell onto the satchel she held and any concern at her appearance disappeared.

  “Do you have food in there?” he asked as he rose and stepped toward her. He caught her brief startled look as if she was trying to decide whether she should flee or not. He tucked the daggar back into his belt. “I’ve seen you before.”

  The young woman nodded as her eyes traveled over him and around the clearing. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a wrapped package. The smell of bread grew stronger. Soren practically tore it from her hands. He returned to his bedroll and sat. Unwrapping the bread, he devoured it before he realized what he had done. He looked at his empty hands, and with crumbs still hanging from his chin, his eyes met the young woman’s.

  “I…I…I don’t know what to say.” He glanced at the empty cloth in his hand. “I didn’t mean to…I was just so hungry. I still am.” He stared at her for a moment. “You seem familiar. I saw you last night.”

  He tried to remember the events from the previous evening, but they were a blur. The young woman said nothing as she moved forward, her steps short and purposeful. She passed him and knelt by the fire ring.

  “My aunt baked the bread ea
rly this morning. She won’t be pleased I took it.” She picked up some sticks from the pile by the ring and placed them in the center of the ashes from yesterday’s fire. “I noticed last night you walked with an odd gait. Did one of the arrows actually hit you?”

  “One nicked me. Nothing serious,” he said and paused as her words finally sunk into his haze-filled mind. He stood quickly. “Who are you?” His eyes darted toward the forest. “Who else is with you?”

  The young woman pulled flint from her pocket and lit the fire. She stuck her hands out, warming them. “No one is with me. I knew last night you were the one on the dragon. I saw the attack from my room above my aunt’s bakery. I tried warning a few of the men last night at the pub. They didn’t listen. Their drinks were more important.” She gazed at him, her blue eyes assessing him. “Why are you here?”

  “I don’t mean your village any harm.”

  “That hardly seems true. If it did, then why did your dragon attack?”

  “Your village attacked first.” The ravenous feeling disappeared. “What are you doing here?”

  The young woman gazed at the fire. For a moment, Soren didn’t think she would speak. When she finally did, she spoke softly almost more to the fire than to him. “I want to go with you. I can’t stay here any longer.”

  “You want to come with me?”

  She nodded.

  “On a dragon?”

  Her face lit up. “He was magnificent. I have never seen a dragon before. The strength in his wings, the glint of his red hide…it was perfect.” She rose and crossed to him. “No one will miss me. I won’t take up much room. I brought supplies,” she said with a smile tugging at her lips. “But you already ate half of them.” She clutched his arm. “Please, take me with you.”

  Soren shook his head. His muddled mind tried to understand what she was saying. She shouldn’t be here. If the villagers found her with him surely, they would think he kidnapped her. They would attack.

  “This is crazy. I can’t take you with me.”

  The beating of wings caused them both to turn. Dex circled above the camp before landing. As he tucked his massive wings to his sides, he regarded the young woman by Soren. His eyes flicked between the two.

  “Who is this?”

  “I don’t know,” Soren said, shooting a glance at the young woman. She hadn’t reacted to Dex speaking. “She can’t hear you?” he continued, this time speaking directly to Dex’s mind.

  “I choose who I speak to.”

  “She is from the village. She says wants to go with us. I was about to get rid of her.”

  “He is magnificent.” The young woman stepped forward. “What's his name?”

  “Reddex. And I don’t believe you told me yours.”

  “Emery Valen.”

  “Look Emery, we can’t…”

  “Why can’t we? I ate this morning. We should be able to Blink back to outside of Ballinger.”

  “He speaks!” Emery clapped her hands.

  Soren frowned. “Those in the village will think we kidnapped her,” he said silently to the dragon. “They will come after her.”

  “Let them. We will be Blinking soon. What is the harm in taking her?”

  Soren looked at Emery. The young woman fiddled with the edge of her cloak as she bit her bottom lip. Her eyes drifted to his face, and he could see the hope in them. But all he could think about was he didn’t want to be on this trip and most certainly didn’t want company.

  “I see no reason for bringing her with us. She is not part of this.”

  “No, she is not,” Dex said. “But what is the harm in flying her to the city?”

  Soren bristled at the idea of taking the girl but couldn’t think of a good argument. He huffed as he grabbed the harness and put it on Dex. “You only want to take her because she called you magnificent.” He pulled away to look at the dragon, noting his hide was back to its vibrant red. “Are you sure you are ready to Blink? Didn’t you just eat?”

  “Eating may be why I feel strong. I was ravenous when I woke this morning. Perhaps we should fly a bit to get Emery use to it, and you can recover from your headache.”

  Soren briefly wondered how Dex knew his head pounded, but it was his other statement that drew his attention. “We are seriously going to take her?”

  “Unless you have a good reason not to.” The dragon stared at him until Soren finally looked away. “I thought not. She goes. My decision after all.”

  Soren swung away from the dragon and shoved his things in his bag. He heard a squeal. Emery clapped her hands. She turned to him with a smile, and he realized Dex must have shared the news with her. Shaking his head, he climbed on the dragon’s back and secured his bags. Emery followed, handing him her satchel. Soren pulled out an additional strap left over from his harness making. The young woman barely seemed to notice as he slipped it around her waist. Her eyes shone as she admired the view from Dex’s back. She practically squealed with delight when they took off.

  “Still mad?”

  Soren didn’t answer. Dex’s decision annoyed him. They didn’t need the girl tagging along. He said as much to the dragon.

  “Why? Why are you against taking her with us?”

  Soren frowned. He didn’t know the answer. He shook his head. Then he remembered the dragon couldn’t see him right now. A vision of him wolfing down the bread she brought flashed before his eyes. His behavior embarrassed him. “I don’t know.”

  “She may only be seeking a way out of her village, or she could turn out to be helpful.”

  “Why don’t you have her approach the King? Then I can go back to my life.”

  Dex didn’t answer right away. The thought of being rid of the dragon should have made him happy. For some reason, it didn’t.

  “I said she might be able to help,” Dex finally said. “I didn’t say she could replace you. You have the connections. She is from a small far-away village. What chance would she have of seeing the King?”

  Soren sighed. “Probably about as much as I do.”

  ***

  The sun hung low in the sky as Soren paced from one side of the wide dirt path to the other. His brother Jerrick should be along any moment. Soren had spent much of the time since Dex Blinked back to the area outside of Soren’s village weighing his options of when and how to approach his brother. He didn’t want to be interrupted and certainly didn’t want Lyla around to voice her opinion. Catching his brother as he walked home was his best bet. Having traveled the path from Ballinger to their village of Kenton often while he was employed at the smithy, Soren had chosen the area right after the path entered the shelter of the forest. From here he could watch for Jerrick without being seen until the last minute. The element of surprise would work to his benefit.

  “Oh, you never said he was your twin,” Emery exclaimed from her spot behind a nearby tree.

  Soren glared at her and waved his hand for her to take cover behind the thick brush. He didn’t need his brother seeing her. If he had had his way, she would have been long gone. He had assumed she would leave them as soon as they landed, but she hadn’t. Her fascination with dragons obviously played into her reluctance to leave, and Dex hadn’t done anything to encourage her to go. In fact, the dragon had been talking to Emery all morning as they flew. He had told her about the advancing army, and she had offered to help them in any way she could. Soren didn’t see how she could help.

  She had pestered him to let her come with him when he went to speak to his brother. He had only agreed after she promised to stay out of sight. His brother might discredit his explanation of events if he was accompanied by a pretty woman. Knowing Jerrick, he would assume he was trying to impress her rather than telling the truth. It was the price he would have to pay for opting to seek out pleasure instead of responsibility as his brother always claimed.

  Soren watched Jerrick approach. His brother’s dark hair, slightly shorter than his own, ruffled in the wind. His dark-blue cloak flowed behind him. He wore his t
ypical black pants and dark-blue shirt with the Walencroft emblem on it. Soren stoked his chin, noting the stubble while Jerrick’s face was clean and smooth. Because they had never dressed alike, and they kept their appearances slightly different, Soren did not think of his brother as an identical copy of himself. And he was sure everyone would agree they didn't behave the same.

  As Jerrick came around the bend in the path, Soren stepped out of the woods. Instantly, his brother’s face turned dark.

  “Soren! Where have you been?”

  “Long story.”

  “It's been three days! Were you out drinking again?” Jerrick shook his head. “I don’t have time for this. And don’t even think about asking me to find you another job. The job at the smithy was it. I won't help you again.”

  Soren listened to his brother rant, waiting for his turn. Finally, Jerrick grew silent, but the vein on his forehead still throbbed. Soren told him everything. He told him about meeting Dex and the approaching army. As he spoke, his brother’s face went from anger to skepticism.

  “A dragon? How much have you had to drink?”

  “Nothing, Jerrick. I am telling you the truth. If you don’t believe me, come and meet Dex. Let him tell you why I must see the King.”

  Jerrick laughed. “You? See the King? I don’t think so.” He rubbed his chin with his hand. “Perhaps you hit your head?”

  “No! I am telling you the truth, Jerrick. I need your help.”

  His brother’s smile disappeared. “I have helped you every day since Addie died. I tried to deflect Father’s anger. I have found you job after job. I let you live in my house. I have made excuse after excuse for you to Lyla, to your employers. Perhaps Lyla is correct. The only way to help you is not to help you.” He held up his hand, taking a step back. “I’m done. Go clear your head or sleep off whatever this is, but I am done.”