by Bianca D’Arc
Gryffid did not speak again for some moments, but Hrardorr knew the wizard had not left his thoughts. The ancient one was simply waiting for Hrardorr. Perhaps he was waiting for the dragon to come to terms with the solution that had been presented. Or maybe he was just waiting for Hrardorr to speak.
“You said we could do a trial run of the spell to see how it would work?” Hrardorr offered, intrigued despite his better intentions.
“Yes, I believe it could be done. It would only last a few days. Maybe a week or so. I can’t be certain. But it would give you both a better idea of how such a thing could work between you. I would be willing to do it on those terms, but only if Seth agrees.”
Hrardorr knew Seth would be very unlikely to disagree. Seth was the best of men, and a true friend to Hrardorr. He would agree. Hrardorr had every confidence in that. So the choice was really up to him. Could he open himself up to this opportunity? Could he drive past the fear?
Perhaps… With Seth there to help him…
“Can we ask him in the morning?” Hrardorr asked, surprising himself with his own words. But, once they were out there, he knew he couldn’t call them back, nor did he want to.
Hrardorr wanted to see again. If only for a short time. He wanted to experience what it was like. What he’d taken for granted all of his life, until it had been taken away.
“I will approach him first thing in the morning,” Gryffid said kindly and with a feeling of approval in his tone. “Be ready. If he agrees—and yes, I believe as you do, that he would not deny you anything within his power to grant—then we can proceed. High noon would be my preference to cast the spell.”
“I will be ready, Master, and thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”
The wizard’s presence left him then, and Hrardorr found himself able to sleep. Maybe the ease with which he fell into slumber was yet another gift from the ancient wizard. Either way, Hrardorr would not question his good fortune. He slept and dreamed, not for the first time, of being able to see once more. Only this time, the dream might just come true.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Gryffid approached Seth after breakfast and invited him into a private conference, Seth didn’t know what to expect. Still, he was completely taken off guard by the proposition that he allow Gryffid to cast a spell that would let Hrardorr see through Seth’s eyes.
“This would be strictly on a trial basis, you understand,” Gryffid told him. “Without the dragon-knight bond, the spell will soon lose energy and fade. At most, you’ll have about a week.” Gryffid’s expression grew canny. “What the dragon doesn’t know, and what I’m telling you in confidence, is that if he ever does break down the barriers keeping him from committing to another knight and forms the bond with you, the spell will rebound back into full force without my intervention. Keep that in mind. Once set, the spell will forever join you in some small way. I wanted you to know the full extent of it, since you are the one with the most to lose. If you do this, it might make you less attractive to any other dragon who might want to choose you for his knight in the future.”
Seth thought about it and realized he couldn’t see himself with any other dragon. If Hrardorr didn’t want him, Seth was already reconciled to his non-knight existence. He’d been so since the moment he’d turned away from the training to apprentice himself to Bronwyn all those years ago. Bronwyn had needed him. Now, Hrardorr was the one who needed him, and Seth couldn’t let him down. Seth felt very much as if he needed Hrardorr, too, though he couldn’t explain exactly why.
“I doubt there would ever be another dragon willing to choose me, milord,” Seth told the wizard. “There haven’t been any up ‘til now. It feels almost as if… As if all the choices I’ve made to this point have led me here. To this point. To this dragon. I don’t think there’s another dragon I could partner anywhere like Hrardorr.”
“He is definitely unique. With unique challenges,” Gryffid agreed. “You are a good match. Even I can see that. I will leave it up to you then, Seth. If you wish to go through with it, meet me in the courtyard just before high noon. I would like to perform the spell when the sun is at its zenith overhead.”
“Yes, milord. I’ll be there.” In all likelihood. Seth would talk it over with Livia a bit. Warn her what he was about to do. But he doubted she would be able to talk him out of taking this step. It felt too right, too…almost…preordained.
If Hrardorr had to be coaxed into choosing him, then so be it. While Seth would have liked for things to be easier between them, he would do whatever he could to help Hrardorr. Including becoming his knight—if that’s what was going to happen.
Right now, all Seth had was an opportunity to help Hrardorr see again for a short time. Even if that’s all it ever was, Seth was happy to give the dragon that much, at least. If the arrangement became more permanent, then so be it.
Seth didn’t like the idea of dragging Hrardorr into a closer relationship than the dragon was ready for, but something had to be done. Hrardorr was too despondent, even now. Too hard on himself and too close to the edge. Although he was much better here, on Gryphon Isle, than he had been back at the Lair, Seth still worried that Hrardorr would do something irreparable. That he’d fly away and just never come back, starving to death on some distant mountaintop, or drowning in the sea, never to be seen again.
The very thought of it broke Seth’s heart. He would do everything in his power to keep the dragon here, with him, in the world, no matter how hard it was on both of them. Perhaps this was Seth’s chance to force the dragon to wake up. Perhaps this was Gryffid’s way of meddling in Hrardorr’s affairs to do the same. Or perhaps this was just fate playing out in the strangest of ways.
Seth sought out Livia after leaving the wizard. While she expressed some misgivings about the entire situation, she did not seek to dissuade Seth from going through with it. On the contrary, she seemed pleased by the prospect, if not exactly enthusiastic. There were too many open-ended questions about the process and what the results would mean to both Hrardorr and Seth.
Nevertheless, Livia went with Seth to the courtyard just before noon, ready to assist and willing to bear witness to whatever was going to happen. Seth had timed his arrival to give the wizard time, if needed, to speak with him and Hrardorr both, in case there were last-minute instructions or precautions the wizard wanted to impart.
As it was, Gryffid left Seth and Hrardorr alone for a few minutes while he made preparations. The silence between them was stilted, at first, but Hrardorr broke the silence.
“Thank you for agreeing to this, Seth,” Hrardorr said quietly. “It means a great deal to me to be able to help with the fighting along the coast. If you sail back today, I can go with you. I don’t like leaving the work to my colleagues, while I laze around on the beach.”
“I know exactly how you feel on that score, my friend. It’s why I want to go back, as well. They need all the help they can get, from everything Gowan and Genlitha said. I can’t stay here in good conscience while the coast is in an uproar.”
“It won’t last long. Gryffid said, maybe a week,” Hrardorr went on. “Just one last hurrah before I give in forever to the blindness. That’s all I ask. A week to feel useful again, and to see things—colors, shapes, textures. I didn’t know how much I took it for granted until it was lost.”
Seth’s heart broke a little more at the dragon’s words. He couldn’t comfort Hrardorr the way he wanted to. He couldn’t tell Hrardorr, just then, that he was well aware of the more permanent option. No matter how much he wanted to be Hrardorr’s knight forevermore, the dragon probably wasn’t ready to hear it.
There wasn’t time to say anything else. The sun was nearing its zenith, and the wizard was approaching Seth and Hrardorr. Livia stayed back, watching all.
“Are you ready, my friends?” Gryffid asked.
Hrardorr nodded his readiness, as did Seth. They followed Gryffid’s instructions, Hrardorr lowering his large head so that it was right next to
Seth’s. Gryffid reached up and touched them both on the foreheads, between their eyes. He then spoke words of high magic that made no sense to Seth’s ears, but were accompanied by a blinding flash of light that caused Seth’s eyes to close reflexively.
When he blinked them open again, he realized Hrardorr was doing the same right next to him. Seth felt no different, but it was clear from the dazed look on Hrardorr’s face that something had changed.
Gryffid stepped back, lowering his hands.
“It is done,” the wizard intoned. “I suggest you walk together around the courtyard for a time, until Hrardorr becomes used to the sensation and slight displacement of seeing through your eyes, Seth. It is bound to be a little disorienting at first.”
“You can say that again,” came Hrardorr’s stunned voice in their minds. “I can see.”
Seth looked over at his dragon friend and saw the crystalline droplet of a tear forming in his eye. Dragons didn’t shed tears often, and when they did, a bit of their magic was forever encased in the result. Seth held out his hand as the teardrop tumbled down Hrardorr’s cheek and into Seth’s open palm. It was a diamond. Rare and precious and magical. Just like the dragon himself.
“Are you all right, Hrardorr?” Seth asked, concerned.
“Seth, I can see!” That simple declaration held all the wonder the dragon was feeling, and Seth felt his own emotions engage. “It is an odd sensation, though. Seth, you are short.”
Livia giggled and came toward them. “Maybe for a dragon, but not for a human,” she said.
Seth looked at her, and Hrardorr stilled.
“Livia… So that’s what you look like. I had wondered. And you are even shorter than Seth.”
Livia laughed outright at that. “We can’t all be as tall as dragons, my friend.”
“Seth, before our time with this novelty is at an end, you must look into a mirror for me. I want to know what you look like too. And Gowan. And how Genlitha has aged. I want to see everything before…” Hrardorr’s thoughts trailed off before he could finish them. They all knew what he meant.
“I will do all I can to fulfill that request, Hrardorr. Anything you want. My time is yours for as long as this lasts,” Seth promised the dragon.
“Thank you, Seth.” Hrardorr’s head swiveled toward where the wizard had stood, even though it would take Seth’s eyes to see him. “And thank you, Master Gryffid. From the bottom of my heart.”
Seth quickly looked to the wizard, realizing Hrardorr could only see what Seth did, but the wizard was already walking away. He had one hand raised in casual acknowledgement as his voice came into their minds.
“Don’t waste this opportunity, my young friends. You have limited time like this. You must do all you can during it. The clock, as they say, is ticking.” With that reminder, the wizard reentered his keep, already moving on to the next thing on his busy schedule.
“Well, I suppose you two had better explore a bit,” Livia said brightly. “I have some last-minute items to arrange in the marketplace. If you get the hang of things, come down there and meet me. Otherwise, I’ll see you back here in a couple of hours. I suspect we’ll delay our departure until the morning tide, no?”
“That would perhaps be for the best, considering,” Hrardorr said, somewhat sheepishly. “I apologize for the delay.”
“Not at all,” Livia was quick to say. “You both need time to get used to this and to explore this island before…” She didn’t say he should see Gryphon Isle now, because by the time he returned—if he returned—the spell would have ended.
“You are a kind and understanding soul, Mistress Livia,” Hrardorr told her. “But while some delay is acceptable, I’d like to get going as soon as we can. The coast is in peril, and I know I can help. Especially now that I can see, if only for a little while.”
“We are all eager to do our part,” Seth agreed with the dragon. “To that end, I believe we should start practicing moving around. We’ll start together, and then, maybe we’ll try a few variations.”
They spent the next hour and more walking around the spacious courtyard, as Gryffid had suggested. Hrardorr wanted to see everything he’d only been able to guess at up to now. He asked Seth to look at everything they passed, and then, they did some experimenting with moving apart and allowing Hrardorr to see himself through Seth’s eyes.
It was hard at first, Seth could tell, for Hrardorr to orient himself. He said it was a bit like looking at oneself in a mirror, but even more so. With practice, Hrardorr became more proficient at judging his motion based on the image of himself he saw from Seth’s point of view. Or so it seemed to Seth.
“Do you want to try flying?” Hrardorr asked Seth, surprising him a bit, but Seth realized flight might be easier in some ways.
“Sure. We could fly down to the marketplace and meet Livia. She’s probably still there at this hour.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Get on my back, Seth, and just make sure you keep looking straight ahead unless I ask you to gaze at something in particular. I think that will work best for starting out.”
The takeoff was a bit closer to the top of the old keep wall than Seth would have liked, but eventually, Hrardorr figured out that what Seth saw was from atop his back, not at eye level. As a precaution, they landed well outside of the village that held the marketplace and walked in. Hrardorr seemed enchanted with the workmanship of the fair folk, exclaiming often over the beauty of their surroundings and the care put into every embellishment.
“If you think their buildings are nice, we should fly out to the beach after this and see what they’re doing to the new Lair. The stonemasons are ornamenting every inch of rock they work on. When it’s finished, it’ll probably be the most elaborate Lair in the world,” Seth told Hrardorr as they walked along. The more they walked, the better Hrardorr got at adjusting.
“I would like to see that before we go home. And the sea dragons. We will check in with Livia and take a quick flight over there, if you are amenable.”
Seth hadn’t heard Hrardorr this excited in…well…ever. He was almost…giddy. Seth didn’t blame him. In fact, it was a pleasure to witness, and it made Seth feel really good that he’d been able to give the dragon this bit of happiness.
“Are you sure you’re up to it with the flight ahead of us?” Seth asked, just to be sure Hrardorr wasn’t overextending himself.
“Are you kidding? I feel like my old self again for the first time in a very long time. I feel great and am looking forward to flying out over the ocean with you, heading for home. Will you ride on my back again, Seth? Please?”
“How could I refuse?” Seth chuckled as he replied. “It would be my great honor, Sir Hrardorr. Thank you for the invitation,” he said formally. “We can shadow Livia’s boat to make sure she gets back safely, if that’s all right with you.”
“Definitely. We must look after her. It is a big ocean, filled with perils the sea dragons have been telling me about. We will make certain she is safe first before we do anything else.”
Seth liked that plan. He liked even more the way Hrardorr spoke of Livia. It was clear the dragon cared a great deal for her.
Seth hoped the dragon cared for him, as well. Seth thought they were good friends, but if push came to shove, would Hrardorr actually choose Seth for his knight? Seth wasn’t so sure. There were so many more eligible men available. People who had far greater skills with the sword, or diplomacy, than Seth did. If Hrardorr were free to choose whoever he wanted, would he choose Seth?
Regardless, the wizard had not really given him a choice. Seth was the only unpaired human male warrior on the island. Perhaps the spell could have worked with one of the fey, but that option hadn’t been offered, to Seth’s knowledge. Maybe the wizard was trying to coax Hrardorr in the direction Gryffid wished him to take for some reason. Seth wouldn’t even begin to try to second guess Gryffid’s motivations.
He only knew that, if Hrardorr ever spoke the words of Claim to him, the spell would boun
ce back into being immediately, needing only the link between their souls to reform. Hrardorr didn’t know that. Only Seth. If bonded, Gryffid had implied, the spell would feed upon the dragon’s own magic to replenish itself as long as both of them lived.
Seth didn’t like keeping a secret from Hrardorr. It didn’t feel right. But Gryffid had kept the information from the dragon for some reason, and Seth had agreed to stay mum on the subject until such time as the information was needed. He wasn’t sure when that time would arrive, but Gryffid had assured him he would recognize the moment when it came. Seth certainly hoped so.
Livia didn’t see much of Seth or Hrardorr after they met up with her briefly at the market. She understood. Hrardorr wanted to see all he could of the island before the spell wore off, and Seth was more than happy to indulge the dragon.
They all ate dinner together in the great hall, surrounded by many of Gryffid’s folk. The wizard was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t unusual. Seth and Livia shared a table near Hrardorr, who was visibly tired after all his exploration that day.
“Watch this,” Seth said, looking directly at Hrardorr while Livia kept an eye on the dragon. “He’s really getting the hang of this.”
As she watched, Hrardorr unerringly reached out and snagged a melon from the large basket at his side and brought it to his mouth. He chewed it happily and went back for another, this time with his head, chomping down on the melon he wanted while leaving the rest of the basket undisturbed.
Livia realized that as long as Seth was looking at the dragon, Hrardorr could see himself and his surroundings through Seth’s eyes. She thought it would be disorienting, but it appeared they’d overcome most of that this afternoon.
“That’s amazing. If I didn’t know he was… Well, I wouldn’t be able to tell.” Livia had hesitated mentioning the b-word. Even if the spell was only temporary, she wanted to allow Hrardorr to enjoy it without constant reminders of his condition.
Exhausted from their adventure, Hrardorr fell into a deep sleep even before Livia and Seth headed to their room. Seth took her into his arms the moment the door was closed behind them. Like her, he seemed unwilling to waste any more time. This was, after all, their last night together on the island. They had to make it count.