Chapter 26 #3
“He’ll be fine. You’ll see him again, but we need to get out of here.”
“He was bleeding,” I croak, my throat tight with tears.
“Are you a dragon healer by any chance?” The condescension in his tone annoys me.
“No, but—”
“Then it doesn’t matter if you don’t see him any time soon. I’m telling you he’ll be fine, you know he’ll be fine.”
“You could be lying.”
“Derkeinians don’t lie.”
“Der what?”
He frowns and starts to walk. “Let’s keep moving. What do you mean der what?”
“The word you said. I don’t know what it means.”
“Derkeinien?” As my eyes adjust to the dark, I catch the furrow of his brow. “What do you call someone from Derkein?”
The terrain is difficult, and I stumble on a gnarled root, trying to match his pace. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What do you call your neighbor kingdom?”
“Kingdom of the Riders.” I shrug. “Is that not right?”
A sharp, annoyed laugh leaves his lips. “No. We’re in Derkein. And we don’t lie.”
“So you say. Where’s the dragon?”
He stops and turns to me. This time, there’s kindness in his eyes. “You’ll see that dragon again. That’s a promise. And he’ll be fine. You have more things to worry about now.”
“What about Ava and Vos?”
He blinks. “What did you say?”
“The little dragons. I gave them names. Will they be safe?”
“They flew away with their aunt. They’ll heal.”
I exhale, untangling the knots in my heart. They’re safe. They’ll get to fly and be free and happy. I want to thank Foros and Vigorlu and Cardiana. The hatchlings are safe, and at least one thing didn’t go wrong.
“What’s his name?” I ask. “The dragon. He saved me twice now, and I don’t know his name.”
He pauses. “A dragon will give you their name when you’re worthy.”
“Ah. Never, then.” We step onto a wider path, from where I can see him better.
“I didn’t say that.” He extends a hand. “My name’s Tauan.”
“Oh. I’m worthy of your name?” I say, half teasing.
“What you did back there was very brave.”
I take his hand. A strange feeling moves through me at the contact, charged like the air before a storm. “I’m Mayara.”
“I know.”
“How?” I let go of his hand, an odd emptiness taking hold where our palms touched.
“One day you’ll understand.”
I don’t like the non-answer, but I’m not going to complain. He saved the little dragons, after all. And me.
“Can I at least ask where we’re going?”
A faint smile touches his lips. “You can ask anything you want. Whether I’ll answer is a different thing.”
“Right.”
“But I’ll answer you. I’m taking you to my home village. We’ll need to walk there, so that nobody sees us. Other Derkeinians might want to kill you on sight.”
I swallow. “Will I be safe there?”
“I’ll make sure you are.”
His confidence brings a sudden, unexpected warmth to my chest, alleviating some of the fear lodged there.
He continues, “I’ll let them know how bravely you fought.”
My face feels like it’s on fire.
“It was nothing.” I shake my head, queasy with his compliment.
Walking into the Kingdom of the Riders, or rather, Derkein, is terrifying, but I try to hope that maybe there’s a reason I’m here, maybe this is not the end, even if I might never see my family again. The thought makes my heart heavy.
Still, for so long, my dream was to fly. I flew today. Truly flew.
Who knows what the future will bring?
We keep walking, and I decide to ask a question that has been bothering me.
“You almost killed me when we met. Which I understand, by the way.” An odd chuckle leaves my lips. “What changed?”
He raises an eyebrow, in an expression that would look arrogant on anyone else. “The dragon. He saved you for a reason, and I’m going to trust him.”
The dragon. It always comes back to him. I’d like to think it’s somehow my dragon, but I’ve come to a different conclusion. “It’s your dragon, isn’t it?”
He takes a slow, deep breath. “That’s… not exactly how it works.”
That probably means yes. “You’re really not going to tell me his name?”
His sharp inhale is enough to tell me he’s annoyed. “A dragon gives you—”
“Their name when I’m worthy. I get it. I’ll call him Stormy, then. Will you mind?”
“Stormy?” He raises his eyebrows as an amused smile flashes on his face.
Relaxed like that, he’s good-looking like a god, his long, dark hair framing his square jaw. I fix my eyes on the path ahead and focus my thoughts on the dragon.
“Because he can fly in the storm,” I add, my cheeks warm.
He lets out a soft chuckle. “There’s no law against giving dragons nonsensical nicknames.”
“Phew.” I smile. “I was worried I’d go to prison.”
“Not for a nickname, no.”
His voice feels strained, making something in my chest pinch.
I should stay quiet, but the silence is making the thrumming in my veins louder.
“What’s going to happen? In your village?”
That dark look again, then he swallows. “You’ll get a fair trial.”
“Trial?”
His jaw tightens. “I’ll make sure they take into consideration all your extenuating circumstances. You shouldn’t get more than a few years in prison.”
All the air whooshes out of my chest as I struggle to even comprehend his words. “Years?”
“The penalty for stealing little ones is death.”