Tyber stole a glance at Rius. Would he allow such a thing to happen? To have Rius taken from him while another dragon took her place?
He swallowed hard and turned back to Trysten as she explained the bonding process in more detail, but her words passed his ears only half-heard. It should feel terrible to be so thrilled with a decision that would strip Ander of his dragon of ten years and would also strand Ren so far from his home, but try as he might, Tyber couldn’t make himself feel bad about it.
Fortune had turned out to be a fickle thing. Tyber had chosen to attend the academy over a prison sentence, and the money he made as a result let his family move far away. Now here he was, back with them. And even if, as Trysten suggested, being bonded to Verana didn’t guarantee that they would remain stationed in Aerona, it did mean that he’d seen his family, and that it seemed likely that he would continue to get such opportunities. And if he had any say in it, he would advocate that he and Rius be allowed to stay here, in Aerona. And he wouldn’t feel bad for it in the least. He had earned it. If the King saw fit to send him and Rius elsewhere, then Tyber would tuck his disappointment behind him, hold his head high, and as long as Rius’ saddle waited for him, they would go where they were sent. They would take their turns with fortune and pay the cost.
Tyber took a deep breath.
“Any more questions?” Trysten asked and looked back and forth between Tyber and Ren.
Claws scraped against wood. A whistling flutter of a dove’s wings called Tyber’s attention to the rafters. The wild dragon chased the bird overhead, and when it slowed to bank, the dragon snatched it out of the air and landed with a thump against a crossbeam. Gray and white feathers swirled down to an empty stall like a strange, unsettling snow.
“All right then,” Trysten said. “Saddle up.”
As they flew away from Aerona, Tyber looked over his shoulder and searched the lanes for a glimpse of one of his siblings. He looked down at the laborers and stone cutters as they passed close by the quarry that had sprung up on the eastern edge of the village. He saw no sign of his family.
Theola had told him how maddening it was at times to live in a small village, about how no one’s business was truly her own. Gossip traveled faster than a dragon at best speed. So of course word would reach his family soon, if it hadn’t already, that he was being sent off, that his dragon had been spotted leaving Aerona with the others.
They would understand. Theola would be there to explain it to them.
Tyber turned forward again and wished he’d asked how long Trysten and Ander expected them to be gone. But the truth was that no one knew how long they’d be gone. And if burying Fang had taught him anything, it was that there was no guarantee that he or any of them would come back. He reached out and touched the upper limb of his bow, his gloved fingers tracing the wood before he gripped the saddle’s lip again and focused on the dark yellow tail of Verana.
After the village disappeared, swallowed by the horizon as if the mountain range had simply pressed it down to the heather, Trysten signaled for them to go to ground. Tyber dismounted and stretched his legs, keeping one hand on Rius’ neck.
Ander stepped down from Listico’s saddle. He walked to the red dragon’s head and held his hand out to her. She lowered her muzzle and touched the tip of her jaw to his palm. Ander placed his hands on either side of her jaw and drew her face closer to his own. He smiled as he spoke to her, something quiet and completed with a slow nod.
Ander leaned forward, rested his brow on the tip of Listico’s muzzle, and held it there for a few seconds. He patted her gently on the side of the jaw. “We’ll be together again soon. I promise you that.”
He nodded, smiled, and stepped back. Listico ambled forward, following Ander until Trysten stepped in the dragon’s path. She raised her hand, palm out. Listico looked from Ander to Trysten, then back.
“It’s all right, lady,” Trysten said, then placed a hand on the dragon’s neck and traced her fingers along its length as she approached the stirrups on the dragon’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine without him in the meantime, won’t we?”
Ander turned away and approached Verana. The dragon wasn’t nearly as formidable as Listico. Tyber recalled the time Listico had leapt off the roof of a building and dropped to the ground before him as he clutched a stolen purse. He had thought there was a very real possibility that Listico would eat him then and there. And now, it felt as if he was leaving yet another friend.
He stepped closer to Rius, his shoulder touching her side.
Trysten climbed up into the saddle of the red dragon. “Remember,” she called out to Tyber and Ren, “your job is just to hold on. Your dragons won’t listen to you much until after they’ve displayed their fealty to Verana.”
“Come on, hordesmen,” Ander called from Verana’s saddle. “Let’s be off.”
Tyber climbed back into the saddle and lashed himself down. Ander prodded Verana, and up she rose. Tyber sent Rius after her, and a few seconds later, Maybelle lifted off. Trysten and Listico followed. As they pushed toward the east again, Trysten overtook them all, settling in before Verana and Ander. Tyber peered at the wing master and looked for some kind of trick, a series of gestures, or anything at all that would hint at what she was doing.
But she only sat tall in the saddle and looked as if she owned the sky. All of it. From horizon to horizon and beyond. She glanced over her shoulder, twisting around to stare at Verana. She held the dragon’s gaze a moment, and then nodded solemnly. She signaled for Ander to go ahead, and then immediately sent Listico into a spiral to the ground.
Verana shot up into the air, lifting high and hard, her wings beating. The air rippled with her efforts. Both Rius and Maybelle watched her, but didn’t appear inclined to offer any fealty at all. They simply stared after her as if wondering what she was up to.
Verana flashed her wings wide, appeared to pause in the air, and then she whipped her head from side to side. A gout of firebreath streamed from her open jaw.
Tyber’s eyes opened wide. A grin teased the corners of his mouth as Ander clutched the dragon’s neck while she hung almost vertical in the air. After a moment, she swept forward into a tight bank, swooping through the air above.
Rius started to climb, twisting around, picking up speed as she charged higher through the sky. Below, the bright red of Listico stood among the stones and heather and watched along with Trysten.
Maybelle started to climb as well. Verana made another display, and Rius put on more speed, her muscles straining beneath the saddle and rocking Tyber. Maybelle followed suit, but not as closely. She almost looked unsure of what was going on.
Verana swept through another loop, and as she came around, Rius fell in behind her, matching the new alpha in pace and pattern, her wingbeats starting to flash in time with the dark yellow dragon’s wings.
Tyber looked back to Maybelle, who still appeared to be unconvinced by the display. Verana made another loop. Finally, Maybelle fell into place, her wingbeats coming to mirror those of both the new alpha and Rius.
Ander glanced back at his horde of two. A broad grin had settled over his face as the wind rustled his brown hair.
Dragoneer Ander.
Tyber’s brow furrowed. Or was it? King Aymon had said he wouldn’t carry the title, that this was only for show.
But he was the rider of Rius’ alpha. The man was Dragoneer as far as Tyber was concerned, whether he held the title or not.
He nodded to Ander, then signaled his congratulations.
Ander’s grin broadened, then faltered as his attention shifted to Ren.
Maybelle had broken from Verana’s lead and flew toward the mother city.
Ander whistled sharply. Ren shot a look in return and signaled that Maybelle wasn’t responding. He shoved on the lip of the saddle, and his body jerked as he jabbed his heel into Maybelle’s shoulder.
Ander whipped back around in his saddle and sent Verana banking through the air to position herself before
Maybelle.
Ander looked over his shoulder briefly, then turned his attention to the back of Verana’s neck. The dragon’s tail began to undulate smoothly side-to-side. It was oddly hypnotic and surprisingly relaxing.
Tyber’s thoughts wandered. If this didn’t work, would they be sent back to the mother city?
He took a deep breath of the chilled air.
So be it. If Tyber and Rius were sent back to the mother city and he could only see his family rarely, then he would miss them terribly. But it would be a price he gladly paid for securing their future in a place of such prosperity.
Chapter 7
While Verana continued to undulate her tail, Rius came in abreast of Maybelle. Ren shook his head and signaled stupid dragon.
Tyber scowled and signed back, don’t call her stupid.
Ren shook his head and rolled his eyes to the sky above.
Ander whistled again, short and sharp, and signaled for them to fall in and follow. Tyber nodded his acknowledgement. As Verana began to slowly bank away, Rius fell in behind and slightly to the left of Verana, following in perfect formation. There was no doubt she would have done so even if Tyber hadn’t directed her.
Off to their right, Ren struggled with the saddle lip and kicked his heel into Maybelle’s shoulder. The dragon began to turn, then fell behind.
Ren pressed his heels into her shoulders, commanding her to speed up. Although her pace increased, it wasn’t enough. Ren sat up straight, lifted his hands as if about to sign something, then nodded and leaned forward. He wrapped his arms around Maybelle’s neck, telling the dragon to press on as fast as she could.
She put on a burst of speed, then banked off toward the mother city again.
Tyber sighed and shook his head. This wasn’t going well at all. He looked to Ander for orders, but Ander’s attention was focused on something below and behind them.
The wing master charged up through the air on the back of Listico.
Tyber turned back to Ander. Verana was already speeding toward Maybelle, Ander urging her on.
Tyber groaned on Ander’s behalf. How many times had Tyber and the other recruits worried about impressing Ander or Dragoneer Chanson, or any one of the proctors at the academy? And now Ander was having a hard time before his new superior.
Tyber leaned in and spurred Rius on as well. Listico zipped by beneath them, moving with a speed that seemed unnatural. She quickly overtook Verana and positioned herself before Maybelle. This time, Listico’s tail moved in the serpentine fashion.
After a moment, Trysten signaled for them to go to ground. Then without her so much as laying a hand on the saddle lip, Listico began to bank and dip, swinging around at a break-neck speed that sent the membranes of her wings puffing out.
Off to Tyber’s right, Ren shoved on the saddle lip and barked his heel into Maybelle’s shoulder. The dragon banked and dipped behind Listico, following her to the ground. Verana and Rius did the same.
Rius’ attention was squarely on Verana, not Listico. And that was good. Verana was the alpha now, as far as Rius was concerned.
Below, Listico flared her wings and landed among the heather. Maybelle set down behind her, prim and proper, folding her wings neatly along her back. She looked up as Verana took the ground beside her. The two dragons extended their muzzles toward each other, then touched the tips of their noses together.
Trysten smiled as she sat twisted around in the saddle, a hand on the back of Listico’s neck.
As Rius landed, Tyber dipped forward in the saddle. He glanced over his shoulder to watch her stunning wings of blue and black fold up and rest against her back, the white-starred edges rippling slightly.
“I don’t think you’ll have any more problems,” Trysten said as she slid out of the saddle and dropped to the ground.
She held a hand out to Maybelle and approached. The dragon lowered her head and placed her jaw in the wing master’s palm. Trysten smiled and stroked the top of Maybelle’s scaled, teal muzzle. “You’re a good dragon, aren’t you? You’re just a little confused. But I think we understand each other now, don’t we?”
The dragon lowered her head some more, then looked at Verana.
Tyber shook his head in disbelief. If this woman was indeed a sorceress, then thank the gods above that they saw fit to send her to serve at King Aymon’s side.
Chapter 8
Hope fell from Tyber’s tired shoulders as another village began to slip by beneath them. It was the first one they had seen since breaking camp that morning. He watched Ander, waiting for any sign that this village was Iangan, the place where they were to begin their search. But other than long, sweeping looks from Ander as they flew over, there was nothing to indicate that it was their destination, even though now and then Tyber caught a glimpse of the Wight river off in the east, just before the horizon.
They had been on the wing for six days. It seemed that they had flown as far east as they possibly could. Indeed, the Wight marked the kingdom’s eastern border. And it seemed that they couldn’t possibly fly much farther north without running into the sea. They were simply running out of room in which to find the village.
Tyber sat upright in his saddle. Had they flown past it?
Ander signaled for their attention, then motioned for them to go to ground. He pointed to a patch of grass on the other side of a line of trees. Verana began to bank and descend, twisting her wings and lashing her tail once. A grin teased at Tyber’s lips. Verana seemed to have more spunk than a typical dragon. She always found a way to put little flourishes on everything, and it was so unlike Listico and Ander.
Rius and Maybelle landed behind Verana. The grasses rustled beneath the wind of the wings, and then a breeze took over and swayed the canopy above.
Tyber’s heart quickened slightly as he surveyed the area, recalling how the tall stalks could hide trouble. They’d left a friend behind in grass like this, buried beneath a cairn along the kingdom’s eastern edge.
“This it?” Ren called from Maybelle’s shoulders.
“I believe so,” Ander said as he climbed down from Verana's saddle. It was something to see Ander outside of the black tunic and trousers he’d worn as an academy proctor. Now he wore a shapeless sweater with a light, unidentified stain along the right side. His trousers were of a coarse material patched at a knee. He looked careless, frumpled. Until one paid attention to his posture, the way he moved, stiff and formal even when he tried to relax. Then he looked like a man who was wearing someone else’s clothes.
Tyber looked down at his own outfit. His clothes fit better and looked newer. It was strange to see himself wearing something other than the royal hordesman’s uniform, especially after all the time he’d spent admiring it for the week he’d worn it.
“Tyber,” Ander called. “Ren and I will go into the village and have a look around. Confirm that it actually is Iangan. Stay here with the dragons until we return.”
Tyber sat back in his saddle. He didn’t particularly need to go with them and look around the village, but he wouldn’t mind walking, seeing something other than the barren grass and endless plains that made up the northeastern corner of the kingdom. Six days in the saddle had left him missing Aerona and the experience of being around people, yet not overwhelmed by them like in the mother city. And it wasn’t until that very second that he realized that.
“Want me to bring you back a beer or something?” Ren asked with a grin, and then stepped down out of his saddle.
“We’re not here to drink,” Ander said. Although he didn’t say it, the word recruit still hung in the air. It was going to be a difficult sell, to convince anyone that they weren’t exactly what they were: imposters.
“It’s been a long flight, Ander,” Ren said in response.
“Then help yourself to your waterskin, Ren,” Ander snapped back. “But make it quick. If this isn’t Iangan, I want to be back in the air as soon as possible. We have to be close.”
“Here,” Ren said as he stepp
ed up to Rius and held out Maybelle’s rein.
“What do you want me to do with that?” Tyber asked with a nod to the cord.
“Ander said you have to watch the dragons—”
“Tie her up yourself,” Tyber said, nodding at the trees.
Ren glared at him. He dropped his hand to his side.
Ander was already leading Verana toward the row of trees. The breeze rattled the canopy. If he weren’t busy returning Ren’s glare, Tyber would have closed his eyes and soaked in the sound. There was nothing like it in the mother city.
Ren shook his head, then moved off toward the trees, giving the cord a short, sharp tug. Maybelle followed, loping through the grass.
Tyber undid his restraints and climbed down. He unfastened the flap on his saddlebag and pulled out his waterskin.
“Tyber!” Ander called.
Tyber moved around the front of Rius in order to see the dragoneer.
“Look after the dragons while we’re gone. That means give them a brushing and inspect their scales.”
Tyber’s shoulders drooped slightly. They were supposed to act like rogues. How many rogues were ordered around like academy recruits?
It didn’t matter, though. At least it would give him something to do. He took a long drink from the waterskin, and by the time he’d had his fill, Ander and Ren had already disappeared through the trees.
“Come on,” Tyber said as he reached up under the lip of Rius’ saddle and pulled down the coil of cord. “I’ll start with you.”
After tying Rius to a tree, Tyber retrieved the care kit from his saddlebag and unrolled it on the ground. He pulled the brush from its pocket and stepped around to the front of Rius, grinning as she lowered her head and extended her neck, expectant of his attention.
Dragonjacks: Book 1 - The Shepherd: A Dragons of Cadwaller Novel Page 5