Embers at Galdrilene

by Audra Trosper

  Taela turned hope filled eyes on Serena. “You can really remove it?”

  “I can’t promise anything of course. As far as I know, there hasn’t ever been a dragon like Paki. But I can see the stain and how it’s attached. I’m reasonably certain that with the help of the Tower of Healing, I can remove it.”

  Kellinar felt Taela’s pleasure at the prospect. Why could he feel her? It was almost as if they were bound in some way.

  He looked again at Paki. When the shadow was removed, she would be just as silver as Nydara. Taela could do Spirit magic. All silvers bondmated because their riders needed a shield. He glanced at Taela and she looked back at him with concern in her rich blue eyes. “Are you okay? The emotions rolling off you are…”

  Kellinar turned his eyes back to Paki. “I can feel you. I can feel that you are no longer in pain. I can feel you are beyond exhausted from the battle and your time in the Kormai. I can feel your happiness at being here. I can feel your emotions and your state of being.”

  Serena looked at Paki for a moment before whipping around to face him, her mouth gaping in shock. “Kellinar! You’re Taela’s shield.” A smile broke across her face. “You’re her bondmate.”

  Taela looked from him to Serena and back again, confusion written on her face. Kellinar didn’t blame her. He found it flaming confusing and he knew what they were talking about.

  “What do you mean my shield and my bondmate?” Taela asked.

  Kellinar looked up to see Davin Po walking toward them, his long fringe of white hair blowing in wisps about his head. Kellinar waved the old man over. “Taela, this is Davin Po, Headmaster of the College of Learning here in Galdrilene and Charge Master of the eternally frustrating Loki…when he can fine him. Po, this is Taela, our new Dragon Rider and apparently, my bondmate.”

  Po’s eyes widened. “Your bondmate? Well how delightful!”

  Kellinar nodded. “Yes delightful and all of that, except she has no clue what we’re talking about and I am so tired I can’t think straight. Perhaps you could explain it to her. Shryden desperately needs sleep and so do I.”

  Po bent in a small bow. “My pleasure Di’shan.” He turned to Taela. “Come my dear, let’s get you something to eat and I shall be happy to explain shields and bondmates and answer any questions you may have about anything here at Galdrilene.”

  Kellinar watched Po lead her away. She peaked back at him several times until they were swallowed by the crowd. Then he turned and saw Serena with a smirk on her face. “Who would have guessed last spring, that a year later, you would be a bondmated Dragon Rider?”

  Suddenly, Kellinar felt uncomfortable. Serena had always been a good friend to him, nothing more. But what if she had wanted something more? “Um, are you okay with this?”

  Serena looked confused for a moment and then understanding bloomed in her face. “Kellinar, I love you dearly. As a friend. Always a friend, but nothing more. I am very happy for you and in fact look forward to seeing you get all mushy and protective like Mckale, even as she protects you. Although, Anevay will likely be disappointed.”

  Kellinar rolled his eyes. “Anevay and I are friends. We’ve never been anything more. I’m going to bed, this is all making my head hurts and I need to sleep.”

  Maleena floated on a cloud of warm comfort. Her head and body no longer hurt. She sensed fresh air and light made by the sun, but made no effort to wake. She didn’t want to let go of this dream, didn’t want to wake to the pain or the cold darkness of the cell. In her dream, she felt the physical presence of Nydara, Mckale, and Tellnox close by.

  “Maleena?” came the gentle sending from Nydara. “You need to wake up.”

  “Don’t make me wake up, Nydara. I don’t want to hurt anymore and this dream is so pleasant.”

  “It isn’t a dream. You are home and safe. Serena healed you. Mckale and I are here. Tellnox is here. Please wake up. You’ve been asleep for far too long. I’m worried. Please.”

  Maleena couldn’t resist the pleading of her dragon. Her lids drifted open. She lay on her side on the bed in her sleeping quarters. Light filtered in through the doorway to the lair, though Nyadra’s head and the bulk of her body in the lair beyond blocked most of it. She smiled at the dragon, love filling her.

  “You’re awake.” Mckale’s deep voice, soft and gentle with concern, filled her ears. She rolled to her back and found him laying propped on his elbow. Her heart soared as she drank in the features of his face. His silver eyes, were so beautiful and full of love.

  Tears of happiness stung her eyes. She raised her hand, tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his face toward her own. She didn’t have much strength though she didn’t have to exert a lot of effort. He lowered his head. She savored the taste of his lips as they gently touched hers. The kiss deepened. His arm went around her. Sweet warmth spread through her as he pressed her body against his.

  “Alright you two. That’s enough.” Serena’s voice broke them apart. She walked into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. “You aren’t strong enough for that yet, Maleena. And you,” she cast Mckale a stern look, “should know better.”

  Mckale sat up and Maleena smiled. “It was my fault. I started it.”

  Serena frowned, but Maleena could feel she wasn’t really upset. “Well, you will have to keep control of yourself then. At least until you have more strength back.”

  Maleena smiled and nodded. “I promise.”

  “That’s better.” Serena smiled. “I have to admit, I’m much happier walking in here to that than I would have been if I had found you still asleep. Mckale has been able to rouse you enough to get nettle tea down you a few times a day. Your lack of waking was really starting to worry me though. I have enough to worry about with Emallya.”

  “What happened to Emallya?” Maleena tried to recall how she got back to Galdrilene. She remembered Sadira coming into her cell and the shadows burrowing into her skin. A memory of a dream where Kellinar bound her with broken ribs, floated to the surface. Had it been a dream? Snatches of other dreams flitted through her mind. Kirynn in the center of a firestorm. Kellinar and Taela with glowing threads around them. Had it all been real?

  Serena set the tray down on a small table. She picked up a cup and walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Drink this.”

  Mckale helped Maleena sit up and she took the cup. She peered into it. A thick, black liquid filled it. “What is it?” It smelled slightly sweet and earthy.

  “Nettles infused with a reduced beef broth. It’s mixed with red wine and black molasses. I steeped a blood stone in it to draw out the blood building properties. Up until now, Mckale’s only been able to wake you up enough to drink a simple tea of nettles and red clover. Now that you are awake, I think you will be up to drinking this. You lost a lot of blood and your body is drained of strength. This will help you build both.”

  “How did you know to bring this?” Maleena eyed the contents of the cup. It looked like thick syrup. She took an experimental drink. It coated her tongue with a taste somewhere between sweet and salty with an earthy, musty undertone. Despite the mixture of strange flavors, it wasn’t too bad. She took another, larger drink.

  Serena nodded in approval. “Nydara told Miya she thought she would be able to wake you today. I came prepared.”

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “You’ve been asleep for two days.”

  Maleena stared at her then looked to Mckale for conformation. “Two days? How did I get home? I dreamt of a firestorm and of Kellinar. Was it real?

  “Drink,” Serena reminded her. She obediently took another sip. Serena sighed and glanced at Mckale. “Kellinar and Loki snuck into the Kormai and stole you, the Ka’ti, Taela and her dragon, Paki. The Shadow Riders, of course, were not pleased with this.”

  Mckale chuckled. The deep timbre of it warmed Maleena’s insides. “Not pleased?” He shook his head. “That’s a bit of an understatement don’t you think?”

  Maleena looked b
etween them. “Why?”

  Serena nudged the cup. “Drink. Kojen and the Shadow Riders all came out of the Kormai to retrieve you, which we weren’t about to let happen. We arrived just in time to help Kellinar and Taela. A full-fledged battle ensued. Several mages were killed. Two Shadow Riders and their dragons were killed. We were outnumbered by Kojen, though. Mckale was able to wake you and you wove together Kirynn’s and Kellinar’s powers. Kirynn used that to create a firestorm that killed a good many Kojen and chased away the Shadow Riders and their dragons. It gave us enough time to escape.”

  A sinking feeling settled in Maleena’s stomach. “What happened to Emallya?” she asked again.

  “She suffered a wound that would have killed her if she didn’t have the benefit of magic trained healers. As it was, it took the combined magic and strength of Bardeck, Gideon, and myself to heal her fast enough to keep her alive.”

  Sadness washed through Maleena. Lives lost, people injured, all because of her stupid mistake. She reached out for Nydara and found images of the battle in her mind. The horror of it brought tears to her eyes..

  “Will Emallya live?”

  Serena hesitated, worry written on her face. “I believe so. She has held on this long, but she has yet to awaken. Nothing is certain.” She looked at the cup. “Drink.”

  Maleena looked down. Her stomach turned. She didn’t feel much like drinking anything now. Worry filled Mckale’s eyes and she knew he could feel her distress. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her emotions. He had already spent enough time worrying about her.

  “You need a distraction,” Nydara sent.

  “I’m not sure much could distract me right now.”

  “I know the perfect thing.”

  Maleena glanced at the dragon and saw a smug light in her violet eyes. What was Nydara talking about? She tipped the cup to her mouth but couldn’t make herself take another drink of the thick concoction. “Can I have some water?”

  Serena took the cup and looked into it. “I suppose you’ve drank enough of this for now. I’ll be back in a few hours with more.” She took another cup and offered it. Maleena saw with relief it was filled with clear water. She took a deep drink, enjoying the cool, clean taste.

  Serena picked up the tray. “I have to go check on Emallya. Bardeck is with her and he isn’t the best person to make objective observations. He’s too close to the situation.”

  Maleena watched her disappear through the door then turned her eyes on Mckale. “I’m so sorry I caused all of this.”

  “You didn’t cause anything. If you remember, we were planning on something similar to get the Ka’ti back. You only sped it up. Good things happened to balance the bad. Kellinar was able to get Taela and Paki out of there. And–”

  “Kellinar and Taela are bondmates,” she finished for him. “I thought it was a dream.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Kellinar poked his head around the door and then stepped into the room.

  “Kellinar!” A rush of pleasure flowed through her at the sight of her friend.

  He strode over and leaned down to give her a gentle hug. “It’s good to see you awake. I thought maybe we were going to have to have Kirynn light a fire under you to make you stir.” He stepped back, a smile on his face.

  Taela stood quietly by the door. Maleena smiled when she saw her. “It’s good to see you are out of the Kormai. And a bondmate to my good friend. How will you ever put up with him?”

  Kellinar coughed. “Well, she is as good with knives as I am.”

  Maleena laughed. “Oh no, I guess you have to behave properly then.”

  Taela smiled and walked closer. She glanced shyly at Kellinar. “I’m still wrapping my mind around this bondmate thing.”

  A small smile tugged at the corners of Mckale‘s mouth. “Maleena and I traveled with each other for several weeks before I understood why I could feel her. At least you don’t have to wonder.”

  “Told you, I could distract you.”

  Maleena smiled at the dragon. “A wonderful distraction it is.”

  She turned back to Taela. “How is Paki? Is she settling into Galdrilene okay?”

  “Oh she loves it here. Serena thinks maybe the healers can remove the last of the taint from her.”

  “Really? That would be wonderful. I know Nydara cares a great deal for Paki.” Maleena leaned back against the pillows. She didn’t want to admit how tired she felt. How could she possibly be tired after sleeping for two days?

  Mckale glanced at Kellinar. “Maleena is doing her best to hide the fact she needs more sleep.”

  Kellinar nodded. “That’s fine. You get some sleep. Taela is supposed to go to the records room and see if she can help Anevay and Serena anyway.”

  After they left, Maleena snuggled back down in the blankets. With Mckale at her back, his arm around her waist and Nydara in front of her in the doorway to the lair, she drifted to sleep.

  Emallya floated through the dark. The cold seeping into her bones did nothing to dampen the fire in her abdomen or raging pain in her head. Bardeck was there in her mind, his magic in her body. It wasn’t enough. She floated further away from him, deeper into the darkness.

  Light penetrated the dark. She stood in front of a translucent veil, the shifting landscape of Maiadar spread out beyond it. The cold and pain pressed on her. The veil offered sweet relief. Warmth and peace radiated through it. Through the welling tears in her eyes she saw Rylin. Standing in glorious beauty, her silver scales reflected the ambient light of Maiadar.

  Rylin’s large, violet eyes filled with love...beckoned her, welcomed her. Emallya placed her hand against the veil. Slowly, it began to pass through. Warmth spread through her hand and down her arm as she pressed further through the shimmering wall. Her pain lessened.

  Rylin reached her head toward Emallya’s outstretched hand. Eternity crept by. Emallya’s fingers brushed the glittering silver scales. Tears coursed down her face. To touch Rylin again. To be with her again. Only another step and they would be together forever, hearts and souls one again. For eternity.

  Emallya couldn’t take the step. Something held her in the world of the living. It pulled her back through the veil. She spiraled back into the pain, the cold, the darkness. Rylin, her eyes full of love and sadness, receded and disappeared.

  Heat spread through her abdomen and head. Bardeck’s magic, linked with Serena and another, pulled her back. Emallya wept silently in her head. She loved Bardeck. Loved him until she thought her heart would burst with it. But nothing could compare to her bond with Rylin, faded with death, yet never broken.

  The horrible pain in her body gone, Emallya floated in darkness. She didn’t want to wake. It felt too much like the last time so many years ago. She would wake without Rylin in her head, in her soul. She wouldn’t suffer Separation this time. Even so, Emallya didn’t know if she could face it.

  The warmth of Bardeck and Mernoth’s love surrounded her, their presence easing the pain in her heart, drawing her closer to the surface. Her eyes opened slowly. Bardeck’s grief lined face filled her vision. Sorrow filled his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

  Her arm felt like lead, still she raised her hand to his face to trace the new lines she found there. “Why?”

  “I didn’t realize until you were already healed what I was feeling. I felt you connect with Rylin. I felt your joy at touching her, and then the sadness when we pulled you away. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. I’m sorry I took you away from her.”

  A sad smile tugged at her lips. She felt his deep regret, his love. Mernoth also filled her with so much love. “Rylin and I have waited over five hundred years to be together. We can wait a little more. She will always be there, waiting for me.”

  Serena walked into the room, a tray in her hands. “Mernoth told Miya you were close to waking. I started to doubt you would.”

  Emallya let her hand drop to the bed, too weak to hold it up any longer. “How is everyone else?
Maleena? Did we succeed in getting the Ka’ti out? What about Taela and the draclet?”

  Serena poured a thick liquid into a cup. “Yes. Bardeck and Mernoth came with Defenders.”

  Emallya’s eyes jumped to Bardeck’s face in surprise. He smiled ruefully. “I’m afraid neither Mernoth nor myself were rational at that point. I felt your injuries. Mernoth was in a rage over it and I wasn’t much better.”

  Serena smiled at him. “It was a welcome intervention. Anyway, Maleena is healed. She woke two days ago. Taela and Paki are safe. Two Shadow Dragons and their riders are dead. Kellinar and Taela are bondmates.”

  Pleasant surprise ran through Emallya. “Two pairs. After all of this time, we now have two bondmate pairs.”

  Serena smiled as she carried the cup to the bed. “Yes, we have two pairs, the Ka’ti and the dragons are all safe. We won.”

  Emallya shook her head. “We won nothing.”

  Serena handed her the cup, a furrow of confusion between her eyes. “But…we have the Ka’ti.”

  Emallya took a small drink and sighed. “The Ka’ti doesn’t save the world. We have it back which prevents them from using it against us. Unfortunately like any vermin, Shadow Dragons mature faster than our dragons. They reproduce faster than our dragons. They don’t bondmate and don’t need that tie to lay eggs. No, sadly this is only the beginning. Remember, when they came at us here five hundred years ago, they were confident they would take Galdrilene. We were losing. Only a mistake in a weaving by a young Silver Rider ended the war the way it did. Had the Silver Rider not made that mistake, I can’t say the inhabitants of Galdrilene would have triumphed that day.”

  She took another drink, handed the cup back to Serena, and lay back among the pillows. “I am too tired to drink more.”

  Serena, her eyes sad and worried, smiled. “Rest then. There is plenty of time to talk about all of this.”

  As the young healer slipped from the room, Emallya closed her eyes. Bardeck’s strong arms held her as she drifted back to sleep, the feel of Rylin’s scales still on her fingertips.