Chapter Seven
Life always settles into rhythms, and most of life on Unkea was routine.
We walked the walls, we flew the routes, we trained, we cleaned, we cooked, we slept.
We got up and did it all over again. Fin thrived.
He loved the schooling, turned out he was cleverer than his old dad.
He loved the time he spent with the dragons.
Fenwick was so different from Eustace that I sometimes struggled to believe it.
So I watched my son grow and felt I was growing with him.
Life wasn’t easy, though. The threat of seafarer attacks remained.
We had issues with supply regularity. I had issues with trench foot, which I seemed completely incapable of resolving on a long-term basis.
Most of the injuries around here happened in training.
Just because we hadn’t had to fight off attackers didn’t mean that Flight Captain Shi was going to let us slacken on our training.
As part of that training, Shi asked Fenwick to train both Fin and I on dragon anatomy. As the request was made unexpectedly with all four of us in the same room, I saw the surprise on Fenwick’s face, and I suspect I looked much the same.
“Forgive me, sir,” I said, “but I already know dragon anatomy.”
“Flight Sergeant, you know dragon anatomy the way most Riders know dragon anatomy, in generalities. I want you to know in specifics. Just as a medic studies human anatomy, I want you to study dragon anatomy.”
“Why?” Fenwick asked. “What good will that knowledge do?”
“He healed Salvadora’s paw pad. And it is not only Riders who can get injured in clashes with the seafarers. We may be a tiny outpost to the continent, but I will not have us being a weakness to the continent.”
And so Fin and I started dragon anatomy lessons. Together. Fin was much cleverer than I was. Salvadora seemed to like the lessons too. If there was something we couldn’t understand, Fenwick would often take us to her nest and point out musculature or joints or… whatever else needed pointing out.
As she was stretching out one wing one day, she was in my mind.
I wish I had more feathers in my nest. Sometimes it gets cold.
I looked around the nest. There were fewer feathers than the last time I had been there. “Well, don’t pull yours out,” I told her quietly. “You don’t want to go bald.”
No, he wouldn’t like that.
Following up that comment wasn’t possible as Fenwick asked me a question. But as we left the nests, I noticed white fur. And passing Lord Aurexian’s nest, I noticed blue feathers. I shrugged it off. They must have been fighting again.
Ang Shi certainly didn’t let up on Fin. Once Fin achieved good and consistent control with his light magic, they moved on to his mental magic and communications with dragons.
“Do you remember any of the dragons you used to talk with in Pasaocea?” Ang Shi asked one day.
Fin frowned. “Dylanyue?”
When Fin didn’t go on, Shi looked at me.
“He’s Sky Commander Llwydadain’s purple,” I said.
“Do you know if they are still stationed in Pasaocea?”
It seemed like an odd question. “I have not heard of any Sky Commander transfers, sir, but Llwydadain acted as Dragonlord Tiernan’s adjutant, so he might go wherever the Dragonlord goes.”
Shi nodded and turned back to Fin. “See if you can reach out to Dylanyue.”
“What?” The screech was mine. Pasaocea was on the far side of the continent. “That’s three and a half thousand leagues away!”
Shi looked at me. “Your point?”
He knew what my point was. No one was known to be able to mind-speak over that distance, so to set that as the first task beyond Unkea seemed excessive. But one thing I had learned was that setting a limit on expectation was to raise a barrier to achievement. “No point, sir. I was just surprised.”
Shi looked back at Fin. “I ask this of you because you already know the dragon, this Dylanyue will be aware of your voice, your touch on his mind. He will not, he should not, react against you.”
“Nah, Dylanyue liked me. He’ll say hi.”
I was impressed with Fin’s confidence but not entirely convinced by it. I said nothing as he sat cross-legged on that cave floor, a position we had both grown to be comfortable with, and closed his eyes.
I saw him smile. “He says, hello.”
My jaw dropped. Was that possible? Had to be; Fin wouldn’t lie.
“He’s out over the Pasaocea seas.”
Even further away than I’d expected.
Then Fin screamed and fell back as if someone had pushed him. He curled into a foetal position, clutching his head and groaning.
“Fin?” I was with him in a second, Shi right beside me.
“Is fine.” The reassurance was somewhat dulled by the obvious pain in Fin’s tone.
At ten, Fin was getting big, nearly to my shoulder, but I lifted him back to sitting up. There wasn’t a mark on him, but his eyes were shadowed and his body shook involuntarily.
“What happened, Mister Segast?” Shi asked.
Fin huffed out a sigh and looked at him. “I was told to stop. That I was being too loud,” he said. “Too dangerous.”
I frowned down at Fin. “Dylanyue said that to you?”
He shook his head. “Another dragon said that.”
My frown and my concern deepened. “What other dragon?”
“Don’t know,” Fin shrugged. “He’s powerful, though.”
Shi patted Fin on the shoulder. “Your father was right, I pushed you too hard, too soon. But to reach across to the far side of the world and contact a dragon?” He shook his head and offered a smile.
“That is a mighty impressive feat, young Mister Segast. When you are older, you will be powerful too.” He helped me help Fin to his feet.
To his legs that were less steady than they should have been.
“But for our next lesson, we will concentrate on closer options. Control over distance. Yes?”
Fin nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”
He wasn’t the only one.
“You are dismissed.”
Over the top of Fin’s head I mouthed the words thank you to Shi and accompanied my son back to our rooms.
That was typical of Ang Shi. Strict, yes, he pushed us all, but he knew when limits were reached.
He also fought to get the best he could for this fortress. We now had more regular supply times, a healer much better than me would now visit once every four months, and he fixed what I couldn’t. Yes, life was good. Safe.
And I found myself frequently watching Flight Captain Shi and his cool command. He had taken on something of a superhuman role in my mind. His long hair was never out of place. His composure never cracked. And I admired that when my composure was all too often cracking.