The Bond (Book 2)

by Adolfo Garza Jr.

  It had been exactly three weeks since the night Aeron said those words. And it had been just over a week since Liara and Fillion had stopped attending lessons. Master Doronal and Master Canneth had taken their absence in stride.

  “Having a few drop out is not surprising,” Master Doronal said. “Once applicants get a better feel for what is expected, some will change their minds and withdraw.”

  Upon hearing that, Sharrah had turned to Aeron. Her stare was unnerving.

  Now, as if sensing his unease and the reason for it, Jessip said, “It’s a shame about Liara and Fillion. It looks like they’ve really decided that dragonlinked training isn’t for them.”

  Aeron glanced at him. “At one time, I thought you a bully and a dick,” he murmured, “but I never once took you for an idiot.”

  Jessip chuckled. “I was trying to be nice.”

  With a sigh, Aeron said, “While I appreciate the effort, it doesn’t change what happened.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Side-stepping a pile of horse dirt, Jessip said, “But let me ask you this: Are you upset because of what you said, or are you upset that we heard it?”

  Aeron twisted his mouth as he thought about it. He was angry with himself because he’d said those things, because he’d felt that way. But . . . if he was completely honest, he was more angry that they’d been there to hear it.

  “Gods, maybe Liara was right. Maybe I am a selfish, greedy, liar who only—”

  Jessip laughed. “Not a pleasant thought, is it?”

  Gritting his teeth, Aeron shook his head.

  “Why were you angry we were there to hear it?”

  “Well, it was embarrassing, for one.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Because you all heard me being an ass.”

  “So? What does that matter?”

  Aeron stared at Jessip. Was he completely thick-headed? “If they hadn’t heard me, Liara and Fillion would still be here.”

  Jessip nodded. “Probably. But that wouldn’t have made you feel embarrassed at the time—you didn’t know they were going to leave. So. Why were you embarrassed that we heard you?”

  Aeron frowned. “Yrdra’s tits, why does it matter?”

  Jessip stopped walking and grabbed his arm. “Why were you embarrassed?”

  Surprised, Aeron tried to shake Jessip off. “Let go of me.” The older boy’s grip was too strong, however. Aeron couldn’t pull his arm free.

  Jessip stared at him. “Why were you embarrassed?”

  Nothing Aeron tried helped, so he finally stopped struggling. “Gods dammit! I didn’t want you guys to think of me as a horrible person, alright?”

  Jessip released him. Pointing at a driver on a passing carriage, he asked, “If that guy thought you were an ass, would it matter?”

  Aeron glanced up at the young man. Confused, he said, “No.”

  Jessip pointed at a passing woman. “How about her?”

  “No. What’s your point? I don’t know them. I don’t care about them, so why would it matter what they think?”

  A smile spread across Jessip’s face. “Exactly. You aren’t a selfish, greedy liar who only thinks about yourself. If you didn’t care about us, you wouldn’t have been embarrassed by what we saw, what we heard.”

  Aeron stared at him.

  “If you didn’t care about us, what happened wouldn’t have been eating away at you these last few weeks.” Jessip started walking again.

  Catching up to him, Aeron murmured, “I never thought of it that way.”

  “I, of all people, know that we can think things, say things, and do things we are not proud of. But those things don’t necessarily define us.”

  Jessip’s brows furrowed. “I never apologized for being such an enormous pile of horseshit to you all those times. I really am sorry for all of that.”

  “I knew you felt bad about it, by what you did and said later.”

  Jessip nodded as they walked along. “Words and deeds can make a difference.” He glanced at Aeron. “Liara and Fillion left before you had time for your own. They seemed more . . . attached to you. Perhaps they expected something sooner.”

  A grunt was all Aeron could manage.

  “Even so, it’s never too late, you know.”

  + + + + +

  Renata went over the story again in her mind. She wanted to be prepared with a reasonable explanation as to why she was looking for Aeron, why she wanted entry to Caer Baronel.

  She’d learned that caers were like fortified villages, enclosed in walls for protection. From what she’d seen at a distance, it was true. There was definitely a high wall surrounding the place. She’d also spied what appeared to be guards patrolling the tops of the walls and standing at the gates. Now that she approached one such gate, she saw that there were indeed guards. Well, one on the ground here, at any rate.

  “Afternoon, miss.”

  He seemed pleasant enough. “Good afternoon, sir.”

  “Oh, no need to call me sir, miss. Can I ask your business in Caer Baronel?”

  Here we go, she thought. “I’ve heard tell of a boy, Aeron. My unc—”

  “Oh! Come to see our Aeron, have you?”

  “I, ah, yes.”

  “We’re very proud of him and Anaya. Well, if you follow this street . . .”

  Less than two minutes later, she rode through the walled community, bemused. They didn’t appear to be very concerned here with who entered or left. Not anything like the Order.

  All that effort on a story, wasted. Ah well, at least she was here now, on her way to see the dragon boy. And the dragon.

  The guard was surprisingly helpful. I’m inside now, on the way to the boy.

  I am so excited! What is it like? Are the people scary?

  There were more people about than she had expected. There was no real reason there should have been fewer, but in her mind, a caer had sounded more military, so she had expected more soldiers or something.

  This was not a military community. It was just like the other places in the region, if not a bit more civilized. And by that she meant the streets were paved, most of the buildings were of stone, and she’d even seen a carriage pass by. Oh, and the cobbled roads were lined with street lamps! She’d seen one or two in a few of the larger towns and villages she’d passed through on the way here, but never this many. The people themselves seemed to be in good humor, and appeared to be of several professions, based on their dress.

  It seems like a nice place. The people look happy.

  That is promising.

  Yes, it is.

  These looked like the buildings the guard had described. She took Muffin to the horse stables he’d mentioned, and gave the stable girl a small tip to take extra good care of the mare. The girl smiled and curtsied before leading Muffin away.

  Across the road were the buildings the guard called the Dragon Stables. Renata took a breath and made for them. Sounds of construction filled the air, and once she rounded the corner of the building, she saw many workers swarming around two buildings. One looked to be nearly complete.

  She knocked on the door of the east building.

  When the door opened, she stared in surprise at the boy standing inside. He was tall, but the most striking thing about him was his hair. It was red! Dark red mostly, like dried blood or rust. She’d never seen anyone with hair that color.

  She came to her senses, finally, and said, “Hello. I’m looking for Aeron.” Was this him?

  He, too, seemed surprised. He stared at her a moment, then stammered, “H–Hello. He does live here.”

  Stop staring at his hair! “Would it be okay if I spoke with him?”

  “Oh! Of–of course. Please, come in.”

  “Thank you.”

  He had spots on his face, like little mud spatters across his nose and upper cheeks. Were those freckles? She’d heard of them, but not seen them before. Though they looked nothing like them at all, they reminded her of the spots of a leopard or an appaloosa. The ligh
t sprinkling suited him really well.

  Renata?

  Yes?

  Are you okay? You feel odd.

  What? I’m fine. I just met a boy with red hair. It surprised me is all.

  Red hair? I would like to see that.

  The boy closed a door at the back of the room and motioned to a couch and chair. “Have a seat anywhere. Aeron, ah, should be back soon. Would you like something to drink while we wait for him? Water, tea, juice maybe?”

  “Oh. Water would be nice, thank you.” There was another doorway to her right leading to a large space. A set of two sliding doors were open there, revealing the courtyard beyond.

  Moments later, the boy handed her a glass. It was cool against her fingers. “My name’s Jessip.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, my name is Renata. I should have introduced myself earlier.”

  “I probably wouldn’t have heard you anyway.” His eyes widened and he blushed. “What with all the construction outside, that is.”

  She took a sip of the water. It was wonderfully refreshing. Back at camp, they had water, but it was not cool, and it tasted slightly metallic from the canteens.

  Is the boy there?

  I am at his rooms, but he isn’t here now. This other boy, Jessip, says he will return soon.

  The red-haired boy stared at her. She stared back. Every now and then he’d seem to catch himself and look at something else in the room.

  The smallish space looked something like Isandath’s room, in that there was a desk and what looked like worktables along two walls. One of the worktables had what appeared to be cooking utensils and such on it. The other had a sink, a kettle, and some canisters and assorted tools she didn’t recognize.

  She was about to take a seat on the couch when the door the boy had closed earlier opened, and another boy walked in.

  “Oh,” he said, spotting her. “Hi.”

  “Aeron, this is Renata. She wanted to speak with you.”

  Irritation flashed across his face so fast, she wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t imagined it.

  She smiled. “I have traveled from far away looking for you.”

  He frowned. “Looking for me?”

  “Well, for the dragon boy. And his dragon.”

  The redhead, Jessip, chuckled. “Dragon boy.”

  Aeron glanced at him before saying, “Why were you looking for me?” He wouldn’t meet her gaze. Walking over to a worktable, he poured himself a glass of something.

  So this was Aeron. This was the dragon boy. She was a little disappointed. He seemed a lot like her. Though his skin tone wasn’t as dark as hers, he could have come from her village. She’d expected something different. Something dramatic. Something . . . more.

  She glanced at the other boy and caught him watching her. He cleared his throat and looked at Aeron. Now he was what she had expected the dragon boy to be like. He was very different.

  “Were you wanting to talk to the . . . the hero?”

  She’d almost forgotten Aeron’s earlier question. “Hero? No.” The story made up for the guards popped into her head. “My, ah, uncle and I talked all the time about the rumors of the dragon boy.” She smiled. “We’d argue now and again about whether or not they were true. I didn’t think they were, but he did.” She drank the last of the water and handed the glass back to Jessip.

  “So, what did the rumors say about me?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing much, just that you had a pet dragon that you rode upon. Of course, where I come from, that’s a ridiculous thing to hear. Who would befriend a dragon? Isandath, my uncle, was absolutely sure they were true. I finally decided to set out and discover whether or not they were.”

  She heard dragon wings. Xochi! I told you to wait at camp!

  I am at camp.

  Turning to the sound of dragon footfalls, she watched a completely different dragon walk into the large space. The enormous beast turned its head to her and blinked before laying on the ground.

  Of course. That must be Anaya. Renata walked into the other room. “Your dragon is big.”

  The boys followed her.

  Aeron said, “Her name is Anaya.”

  Nodding, she said, “Yes. The rumors mentioned her name. At least, they did as we got closer to Caer Baronel.”

  The dragon’s coloration was completely different from Nayra or Xochi. She was kind of tan in color, though it darkened a bit at the legs, tail, and neck. “She’s beautiful.”

  A happy rumble came from the dragon.

  A smile brightened Aeron’s face. “She says she likes you.”

  “Well, I like you too.” She walked over and scratched the dragon’s chin where Xochi liked to be scratched. Anaya let out the same rumble/purr her own bond-mate did, though deeper and more resonant. Renata grinned. “She’s a sweetheart.”

  The two boys stared at her.

  Panic brought the pounding of blood to her ears. Idiot!

  What happened?

  I’m acting the fool is all. I have to remember that I’m not supposed to know anything about dragons.

  “S–She’s just like a puppy, I guess. Likes to be scratched.”

  “Yeah, she does.” Aeron looked at her, his expression unreadable.

  Jessip also stared at her. “A really, really big puppy.” He looked impressed.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “So, how long have you had Anaya?”

  All the answers she got to her questions left her feeling a bit disappointed. It didn’t seem like he knew that much more about dragons than her, though he did seem to be evasive about some things. Not that she could blame him. She’d just showed up here. He didn’t know one thing about her. Why would he reveal all he knew to a total stranger?

  She wanted to get back to camp, to Xochi. A good amount of thinking was required, now that she’d met them.

  “Well, I’ve taken up more than enough of your time. I thank you.”

  “You’re leaving?” Jessip looked panicked. “But you just got here.”

  “Yes. I didn’t take much time after setting up camp before I left seeking Aeron, so I’d like to go get some rest. The long trip has left me exhausted.”

  “You could stay here in Caer Baronel.” He looked at Aeron. “Right?”

  “I’m sure they’d be willing to put you up at the girls’ dorm,” the other boy said.

  “Oh, no. All my things are at my camp. I’ll just head back there. But, if it’s not too much trouble, would it be okay to come visit again, say, tomorrow?”

  “Sure!” Jessip said, a large smile on his face.

  Aeron glanced at him. “Yeah. That would be fine.”

  + + + + +

  Sleep would not come. Aeron couldn’t stop thinking about Jessip’s words.

  It’s never too late.

  But wasn’t it? Liara hated him, he was sure. Fillion was so disappointed in him, he’d gone back to Cotter’s Grove. What could he possibly do to fix things? Assuming he did think of something, would anything he did or say be a lie? He wanted Willem to be the next dragonlinked. He couldn’t change how he felt.

  That girl was nice.

  He looked at his bond-mate through the doorway. She was trying to distract him from his gloomy thoughts, more than like. Renata? Yeah, she seemed nice. A little too interested in dragons for my taste, though. Lots of questions.

  Anaya raised her head and stared at him. You, of all people, are calling someone into question for being interested in dragons?

  Chuckling, he said, Good point. Still, there was something about her.

  She is a good candidate.

  She is?

  Unusual, too.

  What do you mean?

  She seems familiar, yet I have never met her before. And she was not frightened of me. I am not small anymore. Most people are at least a little worried about my size when they first see me, yet I felt no fear or concern from her at all. Very unusual. She has promise as a dragonlinked.

  The fleeting thought that she could be more competition
for Willem made Aeron hate himself.

  Chapter 14

  Therday, Tershy 16, 1874.

  Afternoon.

  “And so,” the man said, turning from the chalkboard, “much like cattle, dragons apparently digest in stages.”

  His name was Gregor, Renata remembered. He had blond hair and was maybe four years older than her. She looked at the others sitting around the large table. Aeron and Jessip were here. Though she had seen blond hair before, Jessip’s red hair fascinated her. He would occasionally glance her direction. When he did, she felt strangely anxious, and her cheeks warmed as she blushed. It was annoying.

  There were three other people here as well. Willem, Cheddar and Sarah. No, her name was Sharrah. Oh, and the craft master, Master Canneth. He sat to the side, making the occasional comment as Gregor talked about dragons and what they’d learned about their biology studying Anaya. Gregor had even demonstrated a few points using some kind of healing magic that allowed them to see inside the dragon. Renata vowed to learn that spell in case she needed it for Xochi.

  “Cattle have one stomach with four compartments, while dragons have three stomachs with two compartments each. Working in stages allows for more efficient digestion. In the case of dragons, much more efficient, at least based on other evidence. At some point we will need to follow food through the digestive tract with the viewer to get a more detailed understanding of the process.” Gregor looked back at the drawing on the board.

  “We only recently learned about this aspect of dragons. There is so much about the amazing creatures we do not know.” He turned back to them, eyes alight. “But the other side of that coin is that there is so much to be learned. I, for one, cannot wait to do so.”

  Honestly, neither could she. Did you know you have three stomachs?

  I have three?

  Yes.

  “Now, that same lack of knowledge also means we need to be very cautious.” Gregor looked at Aeron. “Since there is so much we do not know, every new food, or new flying maneuver, or even new spell a dragon tries, must be approached with care.”

  “I know, I know.” Aeron raised his hands in submission. “We’ve been careful about everything. That’s one reason it took so long before we felt comfortable enough to let Millinith ride with me on Anaya. We were being extra careful with her flying muscles.”