Forty Two #2
I bite my lip as we cross over the invisible line to clan Firehorn. The dragons here look over at Escor, growling at the intruder. But Escor, as young as he is, does not cower and bares his teeth, tail high.
I pat his side, humming.
It seems to calm the dragons a little, but when we reach Vali, he growls so deadly at our approach that the hairs on the back of my neck stand.
“Calm,” Rohan demands, going up to his cage as Vali’s claws clash with the bars, trying to hurt him. Escor goes to his back, protecting the Dragonbond.
I can feel Vali’s anger, his desire to hurt and I rub at my chest, going over to them.
“Hi Vali,” I whisper, and yellow eyes snap to mine before flitting back to Rohan and Escor. “I see,” I tell him. “Can you both step back a little?”
Rohan folds his arms, staring down the ferocious red dragon.
“He might hurt you.”
“He won’t,” I say, sure of my words. “And we won’t let him out until we’re all sure. He may not even need to be out.”
Rohan glances at me for a moment. “Do not harm her,” he warns Vali.
Rohan steps back to give me space, Escor following.
“Hi,” I say again, and Vali rips his gaze from them to me. “Remember me from last time?”
Silence.
“I wanted to come back and see you, but I have company.” I wave a hand to Rohan and Escor, and Vali bares his teeth.
I shake my head.
“They won’t harm you, they’re looking after me, isn’t that nice? To be protected?”
Silence again.
I sigh and bite my lip, sensing the ball of emotions within him that’s so tangled that I’m not sure even he knows how to feel.
“I was worried. Last time you seemed scared, and I wanted to check up on you.”
Nothing again.
My shoulders slump, and I turn to look back at Rohan, feeling deflated.
He spoke last time, I thought this time would be the same, that maybe we could untangle this together and we could get answers about the eggs.
I sigh, walking over to Rohan. If he won’t talk, we can’t force him.
“He doesn’t want to talk—”
There.
I hear it then.
A small rumble.
My head whips back to Vali, eyes wide.
“Yes, okay, you’re okay,” I say, licking my dry lips as I walk back over to him, his ears flattening. “I, no, we want to help.”
Vali eyes me, and then Rohan and Escor, releasing a growl that’s not exactly threatening, but wary.
Escor replies in kind.
I watch Vali as his ears twitch, tail moving in an agitated way and I stay as calm as I can, wanting him to feel my sincerity.
The dragons communicate back and forth, growling and chuffing. Deep rumbles coming from their chests until Escor is beside me, the heat of him sinking into me.
Vali looks at me, and something seems to happen.
His emotions begin to unravel a little, and I feel what I felt last time.
Desperation, worry, fear, but something else still weaved within.
I suck in a sharp breath.
“Okay,” I breathe. “What’s wrong, tell me. I want to help.”
My brows furrow at the emotions coming through, not quite sure what to make of them as Rohan comes to my back.
“I… I don’t understand.”
Rohan’s hand comes to my shoulder, squeezing gently.
“Vali,” he rumbles, and the dragon’s eyes snap up to him. “Let her in. If anyone can help, she can.”
The dragon’s eyes don’t blink when they stare at him.
“You’re fearful, why?” Rohan asks, and Vali bares his teeth. Escor growls his own warning in return. “I know you’re scared, I may not be your Dragonbond, but I can sense it in the way you hold yourself. We cannot help if you don’t let her in.”
Escor makes a smaller sound now, a low rumble that is trying to be reassuring.
Rohan puts his hand through the bars, and I grip his forearm over the ribbons, worried.
“Come,” Rohan tells him as he moves back a little. “Come and let us help you.”
Vali looks between us, head low, tail swishing but… after a very tense moment, he comes forward and slowly, so, so slowly, places his head to Rohan’s palm, and it’s like a gate has just opened.
I lean back against Rohan, the force of his emotions swirling inside of me like a tornado and I gasp, holding onto my chest as I look at Vali with wide eyes.
“You’re scared of something.”
Rumble.
“Not for yourself, for something else, something that’s missing?”
Rumbles.
“You want it back but you’re scared.”
Rumble.
“What do you want back? What’s missing?” I ask, desperate to figure this out as his fear wraps around me.
Whine.
“I don’t—”
“Your egg,” Rohan says, and Vali lets loose such a mournful sound that my eyes water.
“That’s what it is,” I whisper, eyes wide. “He took your egg?”
Rumble.
“Oh Elvanan,” I breathe, turning to face Rohan whose face is full of fury. “He took his own egg. His baby. That’s why he’s scared.”
I turn back to Vali and put my hand through the bars, stroking him. “I’m so sorry,” I tell him.
Whine.
“Did you help take the eggs?” I ask. “Because he has your baby?”
He doesn’t answer, but his body shakes a little.
Escor purrs to him, and I stroke his side.
“It’s okay,” Rohan says. “You can rest now.”
Vali closes his eyes, emotions closing off and he turns, moving to the back of the cage. I feel the other dragon’s eyes on us, and I turn to look at them in their own cages.
They’re not angry now, they’re mournful too.
Escor rubs up against Vali’s cage, purring, and I turn to Rohan.
“What do we do?” I whisper.
Rohan looks off to the side for a moment, and when his eyes come back to me, they are full of deadly intent.
“We make him pay.” He looks at Vali. “In a way that only a traitor to the dragons deserves.”