“I have to return to Civitas to finish the rest of the school year,” Lleland said to her on the third morning. His arms were wrapped around her as she sat between his legs at the lip of the cave, their feet dangling over the edge. They watched the rising sun, making the pure white snow glisten.
“I know,” Lydia said.
“Your father offered me a job as his scribe when the year is done,” he said.
Lydia turned in his arms to look at him. “Do you want to work for my father?”
“I want to travel and experience the world. But only if you’re by my side.”
Lydia laughed. “Do you really think you could pry me away? I’ll remain with you wherever you go.”
“It’ll mean living as wanderers, never being in one place for long.”
“We have a long life ahead of us,” Lydia said. “There’s plenty of time to settle down. So let’s go see the world!”
He smiled. “How long do we have?”
“Well, Father is …” – she paused as she calculated – “a hundred and forty-two.”
“What?” Lleland pulled away from her in shock.
“Max is only seventy, or so,” she said.
“How old are you?”
She smiled impishly. “A perfect age.”
He grabbed her back into his arms with a growl. “Tell me!”
“Twenty-eight,” she said with a laugh.
“Twenty-eight! Good thing I came along when I did,” he said. “You were in danger of becoming an old maid.”
She pushed herself free of his arms and slipped off the ledge. Her wings spread and she turned to face him.
“Old maid, am I?” she said. She scowled playfully as he stared at her. They wore no clothes, and he gazed at her small, firm breasts, flat stomach and shapely legs; her golden eyes shone as she laughed at him. He reached for her, and she glided away; he launched himself from the rock and she turned and fled. He caught her a moment later, and wrapping his arms around her, nibbled her ear.
“Mmm, my mistake. You taste as young and fresh as a maid of sixteen.”
“What do you know of sixteen-year-old maids?” she said, struggling to free herself from his teasing mouth.
“Nothing,” he said, dropping his lips to her shoulder. “But I have eyes to see, and nothing I’ve seen pleases me as much as you.”
He moved his lips to her mouth and kissed her. He could feel his desire mounting, and he drew away reluctantly. “So are we agreed that I should accept your father’s offer?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then we should be on our way. I’ve already over-extended my leave of absence from the college. But I couldn’t bear to leave this place any sooner.”
“Good,” she said, “because nor could I. But there are caves near Civitas. We’ll claim one for our own and escape there whenever we feel like it.”
He smiled. “Then let’s get going,” he said.
They took their time returning to Storbrook, and it was already late morning when Lleland left Lydia and returned to his room, where his clothes still remained. He dressed quickly, and returned to Lydia’s chambers by way of the passage to find her brushing her hair.
“I missed you,” he said.
She turned to him with a laugh. “How will you manage teaching all day, if an absence of twenty minutes is too much to bear?”
He walked up to her and took the brush from her hand. “You’ll just have to become a student.”
“But Master Seaton,” she said, smiling demurely, “I think I’d prefer private lessons.”
“It’ll be my pleasure to give you lessons in any subject you please,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. They pulled apart when the door opened and Aaron stepped into the room.
“Papa!” Lydia said. “You could have knocked.”
He shrugged. “Why? I wasn’t interrupting anything.”
Lleland felt Lydia’s ire rising, and took her hand. “Master,” he said.
Aaron looked at Lleland. “You left in a hurry.”
Lleland grinned. “So we did.”
Aaron snorted. “Have you considered my offer?”
“We have. I’d be happy to accept.”
Aaron nodded, then smiled. “I’m very glad to hear that.” He clasped Lleland’s shoulder. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Lleland’s heart swelled at the word. “Thank you, Aaron,” he said.
“Is Uncle Favian still here?” Lydia asked.
Aaron smiled wryly. “They left yesterday, along with Max and Anna. Favian still hasn’t quite forgiven me for keeping him in the dark, although he understands why I needed to. He asked me to apologize to both of you, though, and hopes he didn’t ruin the evening for you.”
“Of course not,” Lydia said.
“Actually, once we left the hall, he quite fled our minds,” Lleland added.
Aaron laughed. “Quite! So what are your plans? Christmas is only a few weeks away – you can remain until then.”
“We can’t,” Lleland said. “I must get back to my responsibilities.”
“Of course,” Aaron said. “But there’s still one more matter that needs to be dealt with before you leave.”
Lleland lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Matthew Hobbes.”
Lleland drew in a deep breath and released it through his teeth. Sparks sputtered through the air. “What do you have in mind?”
Aaron started pacing the room. “The way I see it,” he said, “there are two options. One is to kill him.”
“And the other?”
Aaron stopped and turned to face Lleland. “He can be bound to one of us.”
Lydia gasped. “You can’t do that. If the Council found out –”
“They would know it was the best option,” Aaron said.
“What will happen to him if he’s bound to a dragon?” Lleland asked.
“That depends on him. A weak mind will quickly crumble beneath a dragon’s will. You remember how you only wanted Jack, while he was still alive?” Aaron said, and Lleland nodded. “He’ll feel the same way, only it will be much worse for him. You were just a child and didn’t question why you felt as you did. But Matthew will remember his previous revulsion for dragons, even as he desires nothing but the dragon he’s bound to.”
“He’ll become a slave to the bond?”
“Yes, although the dragon can loosen or tighten the cords as much as he chooses.”
“What about his family?”
“He’ll forget about them. And from what I’ve heard, they won’t miss his attentions.” Lleland thought of the woman at Hobbes’ house, and had to agree.
“And this is what you think you should do. Bind him?”
“I do,” Aaron said. “But I think it should be you who does it.”
“Why not you? Surely that would be a greater punishment since he already hates you.”
“True. And in the deep recesses of his mind, he’ll know he’s bound to the dragon that killed his brother.”
“Then why?”
It was Lydia who answered. “Because of Jack,” she said.
He looked at her in confusion. “What does Jack have to do with this?”
“You’re the only one amongst us who knows what it feels like to be bound against your will,” Aaron said. “By binding Hobbes, you’ll break the last chains that hold you to Jack and find your own salvation.”
Lleland was silent for a long moment. “He must be given the choice,” he finally said. “Life or death.”
“Very well. Let’s go.”
Lleland gripped Lydia’s hand as he followed Aaron down the passage and across the courtyard to the prisoner’s tower. Aaron nodded at the guard, who took a bunch of keys from his belt and unlocked the door.
“Which one, guv’nor?” he said.
“Hobbes.”
The guard led them past three doors and stopped at the fourth. He found another key and inserted it into the lock. The door swung open as Ma
tthew turned to look at his visitors. His eyes narrowed with hatred as he looked at Aaron, then moved on to Lleland. “You!” he snarled.
Lleland nodded. “Hobbes.”
“I knew you were siding with the Drakes. You’re a traitor.”
“Master Seaton is my son-in-law,” Aaron said. The stench of loathing leaked from Matthew’s skin, and Aaron glanced at Lleland with a wry grin. “It seems he regards you with as much affection as me,” he said. He turned back to Matthew, and his expression grew hard. “We come to offer you a choice. Life or death.”
Wariness flitted across Matthew’s face. “What do you mean?”
“You came to exact vengeance against the dragons, not caring whether you hurt or killed my people. Your sentence is death, but I’m offering you a reprieve. If you drink the blood of a dragon, you can live.”
“Never!” Matthew spat. “I’d rather die.”
“Very well!” Aaron turned to the guard. “Feed him to the dragons at dawn.”
“Wait! You said nothing about being fed to dragons.”
Aaron turned back. “Your death might as well serve some purpose,” he said. “If the dragon feeds on you, it might be less tempted to torment the poor people of your village.” He paused. “That was your motivation in coming here, wasn’t it? To protect your fellow villagers?”
“What’ll happen if I drink dragon’s blood?”
“Well, you’ll live longer, for one thing. And heal faster. And if your mind is strong, you’ll overcome the other effects. But the will of a weak mind can be bent by the dragon. A weak mind will worship the dragon he’s bound to.”
“My mind’s not weak.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“Fine! I’ll do it. Give me the dragon’s blood.”
“Lleland?” Aaron turned to him with eyebrows raised. Lleland nodded. “Good,” Aaron said. “Use your wrist.” He handed Lleland a knife as Matthew watched in confusion.
“What’re you doing?” he said. “I thought you weren’t going to kill me.”
“I’m not,” Lleland said. “You’re going to drink my blood.”
“Your blood. But I’m supposed to drink …” His voice trailed off as Lleland’s eyes flashed with flame. “You’re a dragon!” he hissed.
“He is,” Aaron said. He took Matthew by the tunic and yanked him closer. “But I’m the dragon that killed your brother.” He pushed Matthew away, and he stumbled to the floor as Lleland slid the knife across his wrist. He crouched down and held his wrist to Matthew’s mouth.
“Drink,” he said.
Matthew stared at him, then slowly pulled Lleland’s wrist to his mouth. His lips sealed over the wound, and he swallowed the liquid as the cut wove back together. “Do you want some more?” Lleland whispered. He watched as Matthew nodded hesitantly, and sliced open his wrist again. Matthew pulled the wrist to his mouth and swallowed, licking the drops from his skin. Lleland pulled back in revulsion. “That’s enough,” he said.
“No, more,” Matthew said. “Please, I want more.”
“You came here to hunt dragons, Matthew. You brought poison to kill them. Why should I help you now?”
Matthew dropped to the ground and covered his face. “I’m sorry, Master,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ll never do it again!”
“No, you won’t.” Lleland rose to his feet and started towards the door, but Matthew crawled towards him and wrapped his arms around his legs.
“Don’t go,” he said. “I’ll do anything. Anything at all. Just give me a little more.”
“Let me go,” Lleland said. Matthew dropped his arms and scooted backwards. “You’ll stay here,” Lleland said.
“But you’ll come back? You mustn’t leave me here. Please, don’t leave me.”
Lleland sighed. “I’ll come see you before I go,” he said. He took Lydia’s hand and followed Aaron from the room.
“Does he know?” Lleland said as the guard locked the door. “Does he understand what’s happened?”
“A small part of him does,” Aaron said. “But his desire for you overwhelms his reason.”
“Wonderful!” He glanced at Lydia. “If your love for me wears off, I can come here and find continual adulation.”
She grinned. “The perfect punishment! If you make me angry, I’ll send for Matthew and leave you to mend your ways.”
He growled. “Try that,” he warned, “and I’ll …”
“Ahem.”
Lleland stopped as Aaron cleared his throat, but he smiled at Lydia in a way that threatened punishment, and she shivered in anticipation.
Chapter 46
The following morning Lleland went to the prisoner’s tower, where Matthew was curled into the corner of his cell. He jumped to his feet as Lleland came into the room. “Please, Master,” he said, “take me with you. I’ll do anything you want.”
Lleland turned away, unable to look at the man. “You should’ve chosen death over this,” he said. Matthew’s eyes narrowed, and for an instant, hatred leaked through a crack in his emotions. It was immediately replaced by a beseeching expression.
“I want to be with you.”
Lleland sighed. “I must go. And you cannot come with me. You must listen to Master Aaron.” Matthew’s features hardened slightly.
“I hate Aaron Drake! He killed my brother!”
“Yes, he did. But it was not without reason.” He paused. “Do you want to return to your wife?”
“My wife? That bitch?” He spat on the ground. “Pah! Never want to see her again.”
“Then you’ll stay here. You’ll be fed and clothed, and you’ll do what Aaron tells you to do. That’s what I want.”
Matthew dropped his head. “Yes, Master,” he whispered. “Can I have some blood?”
Lleland was about to refuse, but the desperation in Matthew’s voice held him back. Is this what he had sounded like to Jack? But he’d only been a child, and this was a grown man. He took his knife and slashed his wrist, and Matthew pounced like a rabid dog, pulling the wrist to his mouth and drawing as hard as he could. Lleland pulled away when the wound closed. “I’m going now, Matthew,” he said. “Do you promise to be loyal to Aaron?”
“I promise,” he whimpered.
Lleland nodded. “Good. Because if you aren’t, I’ll have to kill you.”
He left the room with a shudder and returned to the chambers he shared with Lydia. “There’s something I have to do before we leave for the city,” he told her.
“Does this have to do with Matthew?”
“It does. I met his wife. A poor, miserable woman.”
“It’ll probably be a relief to her that Matthew is gone.”
“I think so. But she’s lost her only means of existence. She has no other income.”
“Ah! You want to help her.”
“Yes. I don’t have much, but I would like to give her what I can. But by giving to her, I’ll be taking from you.”
Lydia smiled. “Our needs are not great! We are beasts, after all, able to survive in the wild. Do what you must.”
Lleland wrapped his arms around Lydia’s waist and kissed her. “Thank you,” he said.
Their plan was to leave Storbrook after dinner. Zach was leaving at the same time but, he told Lleland and Lydia, he would follow his own route and meet them back at Civitas. “Being around the two of you will be too much for me to bear,” he said, and Lleland had punched him good-humoredly. He was very glad that Zach was not traveling with them.
As dinner finished, Aaron motioned Lleland to join him in his study.
“Sit down, Lleland,” Aaron said as Lleland closed the door behind him. “You’re now a member of my clan,” he said, “and I’m your Master. There’ll be times when I call on you to render me service, and I’ll expect your obedience.”
“I understand,” Lleland said.
“As a clan member, you’ll share in our prosperity and our misfortunes. If someone like Jack threatens the cla
n again, you, too, will be threatened. But it isn’t just dragons that threaten the clan. Humans are also a threat, and the information they possess can be our downfall. You know that better than anyone. So you’ll also understand how important it is that our secret be kept at all costs.”
“Yes.”
Aaron nodded. “Not only are you part of my clan, but you’re now also my son. I’m proud to call you that, Lleland – you’re a fine man.”
“Thank you.”
“I look after my family, Lleland, and that includes you. You’ll never be alone, and you’ll never be left wanting.” He took a small sack from his drawer and dumped it on the table, where it landed with a heavy thud. “This is yours.”
Lleland frowned. “What is it?” He opened the sack and looked at the glittering coins inside. “I can’t take this.”
“Why not? It’s a gift from a father to his son.”
“But – it’s too much!”
Aaron snorted. “Then think of it as Lydia’s dowry.”
“I –”
“All you have to say is ‘Thank you, Father.’”
Lleland looked up and caught Aaron’s gaze. His own was covered in a haze from the flames leaping in his eyes. He smiled. “Thank you, Father,” he said.
Lleland and Lydia left Storbrook a little while later, after an emotional farewell between mother and daughter. “We’ll be back soon, Keira,” Lleland assured her. “As soon as the school term is over.”
“I know,” she said tearfully, “but it’s just that Lydia’s … married!”
Aaron laughed, and wrapped his arm around her. “Lleland will take good of her, my sweet. And we can visit anytime.”
She sniffed. “I know.”
“And just think, we’ll have the place all to ourselves at last!”
Keira burst into tears again, and Aaron shook his head in confusion.
“Ready love?” Lleland said to Lydia.
She nodded. “Yes.”
They left by way of the chamber, soaring from one of the windows, but instead of heading south, they flew north to the village, where they landed and made their way to Hobbes’ house. Mistress Hobbes was in the hall, and she rose as Lleland and Lydia entered.
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