Graela showed up an hour later and knocked on our door only a minute or so after we heard her come in the door downstairs. She was still wearing her flying clothes.
“Destructive behavior in the library? Explain yourself,” she said, crossing her arms and staring down my dragon.
“I dropped a book by accident and it cracked,” he said quietly, a growl in his tone.
“How?”
“We were in the dragon room and I set it on the railing to get it outta the way, then accidentally knocked it down.”
She turned to look at me suddenly, sharply, and I jumped.
“Where were you? With him?”
I was struck dumb. “I--yes?”
She looked at me a moment longer, then back at my dragon. “Breaking a book by accident happens, but I’m more concerned about your lying. You’re not to leave the house--even out in the courtyard--until your next training session. Understood?”
He growled, but nodded, and she turned and left.
“How did she know?” I whispered.
“You gave it away.”
“Me? How?”
“It was obvious you lied when she asked you a question. Made it clear that you were covering up for my lie. She’s keen.” He snarled, got up, and paced back and forth, then socked the wall with his wing. I winced. He growled but didn’t show the pain.
“Now we’re stuck in here,” he muttered, “and it’s your fault.”
I could only stare at him.
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As it turns out, our next training session was three days away. I thought my dragon would go stir-crazy. He wouldn’t stop pacing at times, interspersed with bouts of sitting at the newly repaired window and staring out it sullenly. He sulked around in the dining room until he became an annoyance and was sent to our room, at which point he stomped up the stairs, and when I followed I discovered that he had overturned my bed. Graela made him fix it, but I ended up having to help. He didn’t quite have the dexterity to straighten it himself.
***
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“Blood in Heaven, will you smell that air! I’m finally free!” My dragon ran a few steps in an awkward gallop and then jumped, spinning in a half-circle and landing sharply on four feet just in front of me, making me squeak. He poked me with his nose, and I shied away.
“Aren’t you excited?”
“No,” I said, folding my arms, “I don’t want to fight.”
“You probably never will,” he said, turning around and walking on, far too quickly for me to easily keep up. I trotted.
“I have to go to this class, same as you.”
“No, I mean in a REAL fight!” he said far too loudly, hopping a little in mid-stride. Another pair about our age, walking some distance ahead, turned and looked at us. After a moment, I saw scorn on their faces and we were ignored. I hid my face in my hands.
But my dragon’s good mood couldn’t be swayed. He was practically skipping--if dragons can even skip--by the time we reached the edge of the forest.
The minute we reached the path at the edge of the trees, he gave a little hop-skip and dove into the bush. I stopped, uncertainly, but he mumbled, “Keep walking; I’ll catch up,” and so I did.
I had just reached the old stone archway at the branch that we were to take when my dragon swooped up from behind me and landed on top of it, scaring the daylights out of me. He giggled--yes, giggled--and grinned down at me, his face smeared with half-dried blood.
“What..?”
“Rabbits!” he cried happily, and jumped down. “They’re so goooooood… wait, do I have something on my face?”
I nodded.
“Scorch. Where’s a stream..?” he fluttered back up onto the arch and sat there a second, nose in the air, when a rustle from behind made me jump.
I turned to see a pair--the dragon perhaps a little younger than mine, his Anchor a little older than me--coming around a bend. My dragon muttered another curse word, and the dragon coming down the path lifted his lip. “How’d you get up there, freak?” he demanded hotly.
“Climbed,” my dragon snapped back, and hopped down to face the other dragon, both bristling. I cringed as I realized how much smaller my dragon was. If they got into a fight…
“Settle down, Hensiin,” the young man said, setting a hand lightly on his dragon’s head. I looked at him a moment; he was awfully tall, and quite good-looking, but the moment he caught me staring I looked diligently at me toes, blushing like a tomato.
“Sorry for him,” he said, and I blushed even more. He was talking to me? I couldn’t make eye contact.
“How do you call yourself?” he asked politely, and I blinked. It wasn’t a phrase that people much used around here.
“Tolla,” I said quietly. My dragon bumped my hip with his nose, but I ignored him.
“I’m Eddi. This is Hensiin,” he said, completely ignoring my dragon. “Are you going to combat training?”
I nodded.
“Me too.” He made to continue walking down the path, and I cautiously fell in beside him, still not quite able to look up. It was nice, if nerve-wracking. My dragon snorted at Hensiin and promptly galumphed off into the bushes.
Eddi looked after him with eyebrow raised. “Is he always that wild?”
“He’s been housebound for a few days. He’s just excited to be out in the air, I think.”
He chuckled. “Yes, Hensiin is sometimes the same way, especially--”
“He’s a freak,” Hensiin snapped from behind us, “Don’t compare me to him.”
I jumped slightly.
Eddi said nothing, but his expression was uncomfortable.
I stared at my toes as we walked, and Eddi cleared his throat, then smiled wanly at me. “Are you excited for this class?”
I shook my head.
“Really? But we learn to fight properly!”
“I’m terrified,” I said, trying not to whimper.
He had just opened his mouth to answer when my dragon crashed his way out of the brush again and fell in quickly beside me. “We’re almost there,” he said, quickly controlling his panting, “Come on Tolla, we don’t need these--” and he said something in the dragon tongue that must have been very foul, because Hensiin made a snarling noise that was almost a bark and looked ready to lunge at my dragon, who leered at him and then nudged me hard with his head and took off like a shot again.
“Sorry,” I squeaked, and ran for it.
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I sat at the edge of a large cluster of kids, running my fingers nervously over the leather of my shin guards, and cast a brief glance over at the smaller cluster of dragons to my left. Most sat calmly, flicking tails or ears here and there, as dragons will; my strange white creature looked like he was hunched on the ground in comparison. He kept shuffling his wingclaws in the sand, snorting impatiently, and then noticed me staring and grinned with far too many teeth.
I broke eye contact and cautiously looked around at the others in my group. I caught Eddi staring at me, and he smiled and shuffled his way carefully over to where I sat.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
We sat there for a moment as I tried not to look at him.
“How long have you been at the eyrie?” he said quietly.
“‘Bout a week.”
He smiled more genuinely. “Well then, welcome. Has anyone given you the grand tour?”
I shook me head. “Just been shown the places I need to know, is all.
“Would you like me to?”
I looked at him, startled. “Oh, uh. Sure?”
He smiled, a bigger smile than any boy has given me in--gods, I don’t know how long. I froze. My eyes wide. His hand on my knee. His face so close. So clo--
His lips touched mine like a whisper, but it registered to my body as a jolt. I jerked back with a squeak. Collided with something solid.
I squealed fearfully, tumbling out of the way, and bumped into another girl who turned to look at us.
“Shuck off,” my dragon snarled at Eddi, his teeth bared. He was what I’d hit, then.
“But I--”
“Git!” my dragon snarled, head-lunging and snapping. Eddi flinched, looked at me almost fearfully, and then retreated to the far side of the group.
“You lot mind your own business,” he growled at the crowd of other teenagers, and except for a curious side glance here and there, they quickly turned away and ignored us.
“Why did you?” I squeaked.
“His dragon is an ass and he’s a ninny. You’re better off leaving well alone. Besides, this isn’t the time or the place for that funny business.”
I just started at him. “But…”
He snorted and looked at me. It wasn’t a kind look, and sitting up like he was--sitting down like I was--he seemed to tower over me. I tried not to whimper.
“Hello, class.”
My dragon started, then shook his head and shuffled back over to his own group, snarling at a few who were still looking at him curiously.
I looked up, heart in me throat, to see a big man who must’ve been the instructor striding in. Behind him were two dragons--one an adult who must have been around his age, and one who was an adolescent, but older than any of the student dragons in the crowd. Behind them came two more people, a man and a woman, both fairly young but old enough to be adults.
“Welcome to those who are here for the first time,” the man said in a booming voice. “This class is nothing to fear, but it will test you--be prepared for aching muscles and many bruises.
“If you know what you’re doing, then get to it. New recruits come to us,” he said, then gestured at the crowd.
Most students got up and headed for a small shed far to our right, and many of the dragons followed a little more slowly, standing in a loose cluster until the kids all cleared out of the shed, holding various practice weapons.
I followed the smaller group, getting up and moving only a short distance to the patch of ground in front of the man. His dragon laid down on the ground, and he climbed nimbly to stand on her shoulder, leaning his hand against the back of her head for balance.
He looked over the crowd. “Four,” he mumbled numbering the dragons, and looked at the seven of us. “If you’re an Anchor, go stand by your dragon,” he boomed, not seeming to realize that he didn’t need to talk so loudly.
I shuffled quietly over by my dragon. Hensiin growled at me when I passed him, until my dragon touched his tail with one wingclaw.
“Settle down.”
I stood as far away from the other dragons as I could without being too close to mine; they gave him a wide berth, so it was easy enough. For nearly a minute, we stood there uncomfortably as the man surveyed us carefully from atop his dragon.
“You, and you,” he said, pointing at the boy who stood nearest me and an older girl and a boy from the other crowd, “go get your preferred weapon from the shed. And you two,” he pointed at Hensiin and a female dragon, “go strap on some claw guards and train with the others. The rest of you, come with us,” he said, then hopped to the ground and took off at a fast, long stride for the opposite side of the clearing from the large, and now rather noisy, group of sparrers. He flicked his head at the juvenile dragon, who headed for the shed.
Just as we reached the sand pit near the edge of the clearing, the young dragon flapped heavily over to us with a myriad of wooden weapons, which he dropped before landing a little clumsily. My dragon watched him enviously, but then scoffed slightly at the stumble. I’d have shushed him if I dared.
“Sit down over there,” the man said, gesturing to a shady spot off to the side, “You,” he said, pointing at the dragon that wasn’t mine or Hensiin, “and your Anchor, come up here.”
The rest of us settled down as the man clapped the girl on her shoulder in greeting and then set about figuring out what weapon she’d use, quizzing her and holding up several things as he talked through choices. I couldn’t quite hear his voice. Meanwhile, her dragon went over to the other two dragons and the two humans, and they seemed to be going through the same thing with various odd, leather-and-strap-and-metal contraptions. I watched for a minute as a man strapped one around the younger dragon’s forefoot. They seemed to protect the feet, while giving the dragon six inch, razor sharp, steel talons…
I shivered.
“I wish they’d let us have those,” my dragon said wistfully, lying down on the ground next to me.
“They wouldn’t fit you anyway,” Eddi said somewhat acidly from my other side. “You don’t even have forelegs.”
He surged instantly to his feet--or rather, feet and wings--again. “You wanna go, little man?” he snarled, then dropped into a low growl. A very deep, menacing growl. His black eyes were like bottomless pits…
I squealed as he advanced on Eddi, who was staring at him in half fear, half confusion, and backing up. “Wait!” I cried, panicking, and scrambled up. The area had gone silent, alerted by my yell, as the trainers and their pupils watched us just as intently as the rest of the group on the ground had done.
Graela had drilled me on this. I knew what to do. But still, my heart was in my throat.
“Everyone back away slowly,” I said, desperately hoping that my voice would keep working as I moved cautiously into the center of my dragon’s focus. His depthless eyes moved from Eddi to me, and he lifted his lips over his fangs and snapped in the air.
“It’s me, Tolla,” I said quietly, reaching out my hand towards his forehead. “You know me. I’m Tolla.” Keep talking, keep him distracted, keep his focus. Talk. A calm voice and a firm presence will bring him out of it. “Come on, don’t growl at me…” I pleaded.
He took two steps forward, and I told myself that my feet were rooted to the ground and that I couldn’t step back. Not an inch. We’d practiced this, but then he’d just been faking the anger, and the hate in his eyes. This was true madness. This could end my life.
“Tolla?” Eddi said quietly, and I heard Hensiin growl at him to shut up, but he didn’t listen. “Tolla? Are you okay?”
“Qu-quiet.” I tried to be firm, but my voice shook. My heart was hammering so fast that I could swear it would explode. My dragon was growling louder.
Focus. Look in his eyes. Advance on him if you have to to make him back down. I could practically hear Graela’s voice in my head as I locked eyes with him again. One foot. One step, three inches closer.
His snarl faltered, but then he snapped again and took another step forward. I held my hand out towards his forehead. If I could touch the gemlike plate there, it would make a soul connection. I just needed to lay hand on him and it would be over in an instant, if I failed to snap him out of it before we got close. But the thought terrified me. I didn’t want to touch him even when he was sane.
Another step. We were only two feet apart now. One bound and he could disembowel me--
Mustn’t think of that. I took another step, and he took one back.
A step. He held his ground. Six inches…
I shut my eyes and closed the gap all at once. He made a sharp, pained barking noise, recoiled, and then looked at me in shock.
I fell to my knees, gasping. I’d been holding my breath. “Ow,” I whispered, but I wasn’t sure what I thought was hurting. There was a faint terror still gnawing at my heart.
My dragon shook himself, stepped forward and touched my hand with his nose. “Thank you,” he whispered. He was trembling more than I was.
A footfall behind me made me jump, and I turned to see my instructor standing there. I vaguely registered Eddi’s shocked face behind him.
“Admirably done, young lady,” he said, offering a hand to help me to me feet. “It takes courage to back down a mad dragon.”
I shook me head. “I had to,” I said faintly. My voice still didn’t want to work, so I cleared me throat.
“It still takes courage. You two rest a few minutes,” he said, patted my shoulder, and then returned to the girl he’d been helping.
I half-stumbled over to the nearest tree and sat leaning against it. My dazed dragon shuffled over and laid down beside me. His sides were still heaving slightly.
“I’m fine,” I sighed as Eddi came over, mouth opened to ask. He moved to sit next to me, and I looked at the ground, suddenly shy of him again. My dragon’s tail thumped against the earth in annoyance, but he seemed too shocked, still, to really object.
Eddi opened his mouth, shut it again, glanced guiltily at my dragon and then at me. He seemed unsure of what to say. I could see Hensiin positively seething, back by the others.
“Yes, I’m mad,” my dragon said softly. “And dangerous, and all that. But my wee lassie here can handle me just fine. Why don’t you just leave her alone?”
“I--” he looked at him, then at me. “Do you want me to?” he said quietly.
I shrugged. “I don’t mind you,” I said quicklike, then to me dragon, “he’s fine.”
He just snorted and laid his head back on the ground. Eddi smiled at me and lightly laid his big hand over mine. I wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“Eddi!” Hensiin called, “It’s our turn. Come on.”
Eddi leaned over and kissed my cheek quick, then scrambled up and trotted back over to the sand pit.
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“I don’t like him.”
“But he’s nice…” I said weakly. I was so tired me knees were shaking and I was having a little trouble staying in a straight line on the forest path. The path itself not being straight wasn’t helping me any.
“Something seems funny about him,” he said, flicking his tail against a tree, “Not too off, just… he doesn’t seem like he knows what the hell he’s on about. Uncertain. I don’t like it.”
“I’m uncertain too,” I almost whispered.
He heaved a sigh. “Even if he seems alright, his dragon is a total ass. People and their dragons tend to have a lot in common. Just watch yourself.”
I tripped over a root and stumbled forward until I smacked, hard, into my dragon’s neck. He’d thrown his head across my path. I carefully stood back up and put me hand against a tree. Yawned. “Sorry. I’m so tired.”
“You gonna make it back?”
I took a moment to sit down while we were stopped. “I want a nap,” I sighed.
My dragon stood in front of me and lowered his head. “Get on.”
“What?”
“Sit on my shoulders, I’ll carry you back. You’re walking too damn slow as it is.”
I stood up, but was hesitant to touch him. “But I’m heavy…”
“You weigh a hundred and twenty damn pounds, that’s not heavy. Climb on, come on.”
I wanted to say no… but my legs were so sore. I took a deep breath and threw a leg over his neck, and sat carefully on his shoulders. Not quite like riding a horse, my brain mumbled as I settled. He lifted his head.
“Shift forward a little. Right there. You might wanna hang on to my horns or something.”
I loosely gripped his jagged horns, avoiding the sharp ends, and off he went.
It took me a minute to get used to his gait--it definitely wasn’t like riding a horse--but then I managed to relax a little. If he wasn’t kinda jerky, I might have even dozed off by the time we got back to the house.
Evie greeted us, and helped me stumble off my dragon without hitting the floor. He went looking for snack in the kitchen.
“See, I told you he could be a sweetheart, carrying you back when he must be exhausted too,” she said, putting an arm around my shoulders and guiding me towards the stairs.
But I figured he mostly just wanted me to stop slowing him down.
