“People are supposed to salute us? I can see saluting you, but I can’t believe I deserved that kind of honor.”
“Amáne, you need to understand our station in society as dragon and rider. We have a duty code to serve and protect. Remember, I told you about my royal lineage — unlike other dragons, my line has been sworn to serve the king of the Drekinn dynasty — King Emeric being the last of that line. You and I, as a linked pair, would have answered only to him, which would have put us in the hierarchy of nobles or lords. Now, I’m not sure to whom our duty would be, but as we discussed earlier, we’ll find someone of that bloodline. I believe the Healer should be the first we turn to. I sense she’ll be able to help us.”
“I know, Eshshah. You were right all along. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before, but then we would never have found this place. So I guess it worked out well for us. We’ll leave first thing at day break and seek the Healer’s help.”
The morning broke hot and humid. I resigned myself to the fact we had to leave our magnificent discovery. It was time to confide in the Healer. I went through all of the chambers of our outpost, replacing the dust coverings, and removing the cushions from the entry cavern — preparing the place for our absence. We had no idea when we would be able to return. It was sad to leave after so short a stay, but we planned to come back.
I dressed in the tunic and leggings I’d found in the wardrobe. Rolling up the pant legs, I stuffed them into my boots. There were a few pairs of leather riding boots, but there weren’t any that even came close to fitting me. The tunic looked fine once I found a belt that fit perfectly — when wrapped around me twice. I looked in the glass and was actually quite pleased with what I saw. My reflection brought to mind some of the illustrations of the dragon riders I’d seen in the manuscripts. I tried the dragon salute just for my amusement.
The last room we put in order was the library/gallery/weapons room — my favorite. I would love to have taken one of the books, or several with me, but didn’t want to chance destroying them. I did however, succumb to my desire for the beautiful dagger I found on our first day here — the pewter one with the dragon pommel. I slid it into its sheath and attached it at the back of my belt.
The saddle we used the day before felt quite safe. We decided to use the same one for our flight home. I lifted it from its stand and heaved it upon Eshshah. In good spirits and looking forward to our flight, I thanked Eshshah for making me ride yesterday to get over my fear. I was familiar with the phrase ‘If you fall off a horse, get back on,’ but I never gave it much thought until now. I found it pertains to dragon riding as well.
Finishing our preparations in the entrance cavern, I took a last look, slung my pack on my back and mounted up. After buckling myself in, I gave Eshshah the word. I couldn’t avoid a sharp inhale as she plummeted off the ledge of the entry cave. She dropped in a free-fall for several feet before spreading her wings. My reaction was not out of fear, this time, but from pure joy.
Once in the air, Eshshah turned back and hovered close to the cliff. With her nose, she pushed on a rock to the left of the entrance. It tripped a release and allowed the door to slide shut. There was no evidence from the outside our sanctuary even existed on the other side of the stone door. We made a mental picture of exactly where the push-rock was located for when we return.
Our flight back was an enjoyable one. There was not so much as a small gust to interrupt our soaring. We experimented with low flying as well as high flying — now that I had warmer clothing — testing Eshshah’s skills as well as our new equipment. At last we had gear worthy of Eshshah.
We landed back on our beach at the cove. Rather than wait for nighttime to fly to my mother’s cottage, and then have to wait until the following day to see the Healer, we agreed I should run to her home first thing. Eshshah would wait out the day on the beach and then meet me at the cottage that night.
I took off her saddle and stowed it in a nearby cave. This way she could be comfortable and would be able to go for a swim if she wanted. Giving her a long hug, I kissed her goodbye, and headed off.
It felt good to run. I’d gotten so little exercise since riding Eshshah, I feared I may have been getting lazy. This was what I needed to clear my head. It helped to put my mind on track to try to figure out how I was going to tell the Healer about linking with Eshshah. My fervent hope was that she was not obligated to turn me in if our situation proved to be unlawful.
Free of my cumbersome camping provisions, I traveled much more quickly. Stopping at the cottage first, I went in to check on it, change into a gown and straighten out my unruly hair. I tucked my skirts up and hid my newly acquired dagger in one of the layers, then headed for town. I ran on the road outside the walls to the northeast town entrance, which was where the Healer’s shop was located. The run was stimulating, but I still couldn’t decide what I was going to tell the Healer. My nerves began to get the better of me. Maybe confiding in her now would prove to be the wrong decision.
“Amáne,” Eshshah broke in, “just go in and tell her everything. I know she’ll understand.”
I stood outside the apothecary shop and took in a deep breath, then pushed open the door. Her assistant, Gallen, was minding the front counter and he greeted me warmly. Relief reflected in his eyes.
“Hello, Gallen, I’ve come to speak with the Healer.”
“Welcome home, Amáne. I believe she’s been expecting you.”
“I think she probably has.”
I waited only a few moments for her when she came through the door at the back of the room. She breathed an audible sigh of relief. Anticipation showed in her deep brown eyes.
“Gallen, would you mind watching the shop a bit longer while I take Amáne inside for a while? She looks like she could use some tea.”
The Healer’s home was behind her shop. I followed her into her kitchen. It was a warm inviting kitchen with delightful aromas. Spices and herbs she used in her concoctions and her cooking drifted harmoniously in the air. The Healer poured us both a cup of tea and sat beside me at her table.
“So, Amáne, tell me what’s on your mind.” Her eyes searched mine as I tried to gather my thoughts. Where do I start?
I turned to face her. “Oh Healer, I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner — I was afraid to. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know if you would understand. I didn’t know if it was legal to have Eshshah as I’m only fifteen and I’m a girl and I would die if she were taken from me, and I’m sure if I died she would die too, and if I told you when you came to my cottage the other day, you wouldn’t have let us fly to the island and I have no one to confide in, except of course Eshshah, but she doesn’t really know all the laws either and we felt so alone.” I couldn’t stop my words. A heavy weight had lifted from my chest. I was about to continue with my outpouring when I paused and considered all I had just said.
“Er ... my apologies, I guess I’m not making any sense ... I’m ...” My voice quavered and I broke into tears.
She took me in her arms and let me cry. It was a cleansing for me. I hadn’t realized how much pressure I’d put on myself trying to keep this secret from her. Eshshah hummed her calming melody in my head.
“I understood every word you said, Amáne,” the Healer said. “You see, in my lifetime I’ve known many a dragon rider.”
I gasped and pulled back to stare at her, not sure if I heard correctly. How did she recognized I was now a dragon rider? My eyes opened wide. My jaw dropped.
She smiled and said no more on the subject, but handed me a linen to dry my tears.
The Healer gently asked, “May I see your linking mark — your right shoulder?”
My sleeves were too tight to pull up so I pulled my neckline down at the shoulder and exposed Eshshah’s mark — the sign of our linking. The Healer leaned toward me and studied it for a long time. I saw a shadow flit across her eyes, it was gone as quickly as it came. She nodded a couple of times and shook her head once or twice.
“So, your dragon is from the royal dragon line.” The Healer looked pleased at that bit of information she’d read in the linking mark. Eshshah — Hmm fire. She has a beautiful name and I’m sure she is as beautiful as her name.”
With pride I responded, “She is the most exquisite creature that was ever on this earth. Her scales shimmer red, orange and yellow, and some blue. She has all the colors of a comforting fire — like your hearth. I can’t even begin to describe her beauty.”
I heard Eshshah make her low laugh-like rumble. “Thank you, Amáne. Please send my greetings to the Healer. I can’t wait until I can meet her in person.”
“Sure, Eshshah. Me too. The sooner the better,” I said out loud as was my habit.
The Healer politely pretended she didn’t hear me talking out loud to my dragon.
“Eshshah sends you her greetings. She can’t wait to meet you.”
“Thank you, I look forward to meeting her as well. Where is she now and what are your plans of meeting up with her?”
“She’s at the cove right now, waiting for dark. We were going to meet at my mother’s cottage when she can fly in without being seen.”
The Healer was astonished, “She’s at the cove? That’s at least an hour’s ride on horseback from here, if not more, and you can converse with her at that distance?”
“Yes, I hear her like she’s in this room. Why? Is that unusual? Eshshah told me dragon and rider communicate by thought transference. Are we doing something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong, it’s just that the cove is quite a distance away. To my memory, I’m not aware of too many linked pairs who were able to use thought transference at that distance. Interesting. Can you please ask her if she is willing to meet you here instead?”
“She said that would be fine.”
“You didn’t ask her yet — you spoke to her out loud before, but not this time. She answered as if I had asked her directly. Are you two using open thought transference — she can see and hear me directly through you?” I believe she guessed the answer was yes.
I nodded. “Are we not supposed to do that?”
“Where did you learn open thought transference?” She asked abruptly.
Thinking we were in trouble, I answered. “I read it in one of the books on the island — at the outpost, but we didn’t have anyone to practice it with and I wanted to include her in this conversation, so we decided to try it with you ... I’m sorry, Healer, were we supposed to ask your permission first? Are we not supposed to practice it?”
“The island? The outpost?” Her face went ashen.
I started to panic. With every question she asked, my confusion increased. “Eshshah? What did I do?” I asked her out loud.
“Nothing wrong, Amáne. I think the Healer is just having a hard time absorbing your information. I assume she is getting a lot more than she expected from a newly linked pair.”
The Healer, still pale, grasped the edge of the table as if she would fall off the bench if she let go. She said slowly, “Please start at the beginning, Amáne. When did you link?”
I proceeded to tell her our whole story. How Eshshah had hatched on my birthday and how badly she felt that she inadvertently injected her entire measure of venom into my veins. When the Healer heard I was unconscious for three days and I had spoken to my mother in the Shadows, she turned a lighter shade of pale — her knuckles went white.
“You saw your mother? What did she say?”
“She said I could choose to stay with her, but that would mean Eshshah would probably perish as well, and that the future of Teravinea would be at stake. What did she mean by that?”
She didn’t answer my question. “Please go on with your story.”
Despite her growing discomfort, I didn’t hold back anything in my narrative. When I got to the part where we were caught in the Valaira and I was hanging by my wrist, I had to stop and ask, “Healer are you okay? You don’t look well.”
She picked up the sleeve covering my left wrist and examined the scar that was still raw but healing remarkably. Keeping her voice even with noticeable effort, she said, “I should have seen the signs — I should have been more vigilant.
“At first I thought it was your mother that would be chosen, and I followed her here after she married your father. She trained with me for a time. But then when you were born, we knew you were the One. We were going to tell you when you came of age. I should never have let you go alone on your memorial journey. Amáne, I am so sorry. I feel as if I have failed you. The full measure of venom, a Valaira, seeing your mother?” She groaned. Visibly upset with herself, she looked quite ancient at that moment. I didn’t know what to say to comfort her.
She continued, “I’ve been watching for this since before you were born and I let my guard down. I shouldn’t have. A newly linked pair should never be alone, especially at the hatching. In all of history, I don’t recall any pair who linked when they were alone ... and survived.” Then recovering slightly, she took a deep breath, “I suspected when I came to visit you the other day and I should have asked you instead of assuming that I was mistaken. I thought I caught a scent of dragon. I don’t know why I didn’t trust my instincts. But I didn’t think it would be something you would keep from me. I had no idea you would be so foolish as to try a longer flight ... to the outpost ... in a Valaira no less.”
I lowered my eyes in shame. She exhaled loudly. “Most linked pairs need at least a week of training and instruction before even trying their first short flight.” Then with another deep breath, she said, “I’m all right, please continue.”
I got to the part where we crash-landed at the outpost and wanted to spare her the anguish of finding out I had visited my mother again in the Shadows. But I couldn’t keep it from her, so I disclosed that as well. I kept my gaze on my hands as I continued my narration, afraid to look directly at her.
“What did your mother tell you this time?”
“That, again, it was my decision if I wanted to stay with her, but she thought I should go to my dragon as she was keening for me — I guess my heart had stopped — and Eshshah called me back again from the Shadows.” I heard her sharp intake of breath, but I wasn’t brave enough to watch her expression as she learned she almost lost us a second time.
I told her about the outpost and how beautiful it was. I was excited at sharing our discovery with her. She listened intently and at last started to relax — her color slowly came back. The Healer was genuinely interested in the outpost. I wondered if she had been there, but she made no mention of ever having seen it.
Our story came to an end and I breathed a sigh of relief as my confessions freed me from the pressure I’d been holding in. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from my chest. I felt badly about burdening the Healer with our secret. But she did say it was the purpose for which she was in Dorsal — that it was her mission. She needed to know.
Evening approached and Eshshah’s pending arrival created a spirit of excitement between The Healer, Gallen and me. Tonight’s meeting was monumental. In my limited understanding of the state of affairs of our kingdom, I began to understand what my mother had said when she implied the fate of Teravinea would rest upon Eshshah and me. We were the only dragon and rider in all of Teravinea.
We moved to the courtyard. For the first time I realized the amount of property the Healer owned. I’d only seen her apothecary shop, via street access, and a limited section of her home. As far back as I could remember, my mother and I would visit and spend the entire time in her kitchen. Other times, while the Healer and my mother talked, I would join G
allen as he worked in the shop. I had never been outside behind her home, except the one time when I rode with her on Thunder. I don’t remember much about that occasion. She had a large courtyard and a field that stretched out into the distance. It was bordered on the east by the city walls. Her large home sat on the west most side of her property, built back toward the cliffs that formed the base of the impassable mountains. The mountains continued a distance to the west before the walls of the city picked up again.
The Healer asked me to summon Eshshah from the cove as she, Gallen and I waited in the courtyard for my dragon’s arrival. I was beside myself when I spotted her approach, even while she was still a long way off. Her beauty was shown fresh every time I saw her. Each hour she was more impressive than the last.
She landed gently, the wind from her back-stroke blew our hair and our clothing behind us. I forgot my manners as I ran up to her and threw my arms around her neck — she lowered her head toward my face. I didn’t like being absent from her presence for even a short period of time.
I turned to the Healer and Gallen and said, “I would like you to meet Eshshah.”
They both stood straight and saluted her. Eshshah responded with a nod. It was hard to read all of the emotion in their faces, but I did see the moisture in the Healer’s eyes.
“Healer and Gallen, we apologize we don’t know if there’s a protocol we should follow for this occasion. We’re very informal, please, feel free to approach her.”
I could tell straight away Eshshah was attracted to the Healer. She loved her as I did. The Healer was now all I had for family. She wasn’t related by blood, but her closeness to my mother made her family enough.
Eshshah made the initial gesture as neither the Healer nor Gallen had moved. Their eyes were riveted on her. She lowered her face to the level of the Healer and nudged her in a friendly show.
In an uncommon expression of emotion, the Healer wrapped her arms around Eshshah’s neck and held her. Tears streamed from my eyes as Eshshah hummed her calming tune. It was like a reunion of friends who hadn’t seen each other in too long a time.
Amáne of Teravinea - The Chosen One (The Teravinea Series Book 1) Page 8