CHAPTER 21 #2
What in the Nine Martyrs’ bones did that mean?
The truth was, we had been communing daily, and our binding was stronger than ever.
Each time I called upon her power, her light rushed into me with more force and brilliance than the last. I had disguised my time in the gardens as a distraction—an indulgence, even—when it was really a careful misdirection for the training Vaya’la demanded of me.
Returning to training with Wep and my ranng meant moving ahead with my purpose in the Riht and returning to that place where I was trapped between what I wanted and what was expected of me.
“There’s something else,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “You have a letter.”
He pulled it from his pocket and handed it over. I saw Merria’s script on the front. I’d forgotten about the last one she’d sent, probably discarded somewhere on my desk. I looked up—the red pulse around him had dissipated.
“Have you read it?”
He shook his head. When he handed it over, the seal was intact.
I nodded, neither thanking him for the trust nor allowing my own guilt to creep in. My path in the Riht might not be clear, but my past with Inra was. My growing connection with Vaya’la was slowly erasing all doubt.
Dane sighed, probably seeing the war on my face. “Do you not realize by now that you’re one of us? You’ve been blessed by the Great Dragon herself. There’s no going back.”
I kept my silence and watched him walk away, knowing that, yet again, my life going forward would have to change, no matter the course.
I already had perhaps the most valuable piece of information anyone could hope for from their enemy—I was bound to an actual dragon, and there were more dragons in the world living today.
Knowledge of this scope was likely beyond what even my father hoped his gamble would garner.
With this information, he and the king could turn the tides of the entire war between Inra and the Riht. A distinct rumbling filled my mind.
“You are safe with me,” I said to Vaya’la.
“I know, Small One.”
How trivial my small woes of mortal life and love must seem to an endless creature like her.
THE NEXT day, I gave in to Dane’s command and returned to training. I did miss practice with my ranng. I even missed honing my body. More than anything, a very large, irrational part of me missed seeing Wep. Just looking at him—nothing more, I told myself—would have to be enough.
“You’re back, then?” were the only words Wep spoke to me. He turned away before I could come up with an excuse. I had no right to complain, he was giving me the space I’d asked for.
We went straight into drills.
“You’re sloppy,” Lispen scolded after I dropped my spear tip so many times that she started kicking it away with minimal effort.
I nodded.
“Figure your shit out.” She turned and left me, joining Lex and Raif instead.
Ivank dropped a hand on my shoulder. “She’s been worried about you.” I snorted, but his grin was rueful. “Come on, join in with us.”
The spear was not my forte, not that anything was yet. I hit the mat so many times that my shoulders and hips were throbbing before our training was even halfway through.
“Switch groups,” Wep called out. “Alternate weapons.” He walked to each group, replacing spears with axes, swords, and daggers. When he got to me, he did not meet my eyes as he ripped the spear from my hand and thrust long daggers at me.
“I haven’t been trained for these.”
He smirked. “Tough.”
These daggers, it turned out, required an excellent grip.
I had neither the gripping power nor dexterity with the longer blades to be of any use with them.
I struggled to hold my guard, keep the weapons in my hand, and stay on my feet until Teke took pity on me.
They abandoned all pretense of sparring and began adjusting my grip.
“Your grip is too tight.”
“I hardly think so. I’m dropping them every fucking second.” I gritted my teeth.
“Yes, but you’re using your arms like spikes. You need to be reeds.”
I gave them my flattest look.
“Have you ever been whipped by a reed when the northeast wind is heavy?”
I shrugged, bracing myself for a fresh dose of humility.
“No? I’ve got scars that look like dagger slices down my legs from them.”
“Clearly, you weren’t wearing the right gear.”
Teke grinned. “I was buck naked and getting ready to have my way with three other people in a lake, so yeah, you could say I was a little underdressed.”
I stared.
“Oh, now you’re listening?” They flashed me an all too suggestive grin. “Good. Your grip is too fucking tight. Would you fist a dick like that?” Thank the Great Dragon, they didn’t want an answer.
“Agreed,” Vaya’la butted in.
“You need to be loving with your daggers. Grip them firmly, not tightly. You need the fluidity in your wrist to make them effective. Try again.”
I’d be damned if I treated those daggers like cocks, but I shook out my wrists, stopped caring about the weapons being knocked from my hands, and started mirroring Teke’s movements.
Something clicked, and I relished the thrum of energy between us.
They turned opposite me, and the dance continued.
It was the eagle dowsa, but also not. It was our very own unique choreography that we each knew instinctively.
As we moved, all else fell away. I heard their eerie song, haunting me from the first morning we met.
Teke was strong, agile, giving, and demanding all at once, and I was their exact opposite, countering with each complement in turn.
I didn’t notice when the rest of the room stopped to watch.
I didn’t even feel their eyes on me, so lost in the trance of our bodies and minds moving in tandem.
What finally distracted me was my second sight opening on its own.
Teke exploded with a beautiful yellow-green light, the exact shade of my peridot necklace.
Their skin radiated pure sunshine between the pulsing waves of euphoria.
I was awash with their lifelight and overwhelmed.
My arms dropped as I stared, my daggers falling away, forgotten.
“You’re incredible,” I gasped.
Teke grinned and engulfed me in a giant hug. “Welcome back,” they whispered into my ear. I squeezed them tight. “I was starting to miss you.”
Over Teke’s shoulder, I locked eyes with Wep. His hands were loose at his side, and his face held a new serenity and openness as he appraised me.
Teke released me, and their bright smile filled my vision. “Enough of that. After training today, we’re drinking.”
Behind me, Ivank and Lex shouted, “Va draske!”
VA DRASKE, it turned out, was a Rihtish phrase meaning something along the lines of, “Let’s drink,” though by the looks Helene was giving, I gathered it was somewhat cruder.
The whole ranng gathered at a nearby tavern, which I hadn’t known existed.
Even Lispen came, though she grumbled about it still being light out.
This tavern, aptly named The Dragon’s Maw, had a colossal wooden carving of a dragon head, mouth open and teeth gleaming, hanging from the central wall.
Each scale was individually carved using a variety of wood, giving it variegated colors.
The overall effect was so lifelike that it could have passed for real if not for the size.
“Everyone loves me.” Vaya’la drawled.
I jolted. She had quips now?
“You’re up.” I thought back at her, hoping the flatness of my tone carried through the binding. She’d feigned sleep each time I tried to question her further about Dane.
“Naturally. Our binding requires energy to strengthen. You’ve barely been sleeping, so I had to regenerate all on my own.”
“Liar.”
A glass plopped down in front of me. Vaya’la’s snark would have to wait.
I had some drinking to do. I couldn’t say exactly what I was expecting from Rihtish alcohol, but it definitely wasn’t the drink Lex selected.
He paid for our first round, which was a rich red-gold liquid that tasted like berries and vinegar.
“It’s tea-based,” Helene whispered in my ear when she saw my expression. The first sip made my jaw ache and my whole face pucker, but as I kept going, it mellowed out and went down far too easily.
As the dinner hour approached, the tavern filled. I tucked into the center of my group, not wanting to create a scene. The outbursts of hatred had lessened as people got used to my presence, but going someplace new always presented a risk.
“More!” Raif shouted and rushed to the bar. He came back with a scowl and seven small glasses. “They wouldn’t give me doubles,” he grumbled as he passed them around. They were warm to the touch and held a clear, thick liquid.
Ivank downed his in one gulp, then shoved his tongue into the glass, licking the sides. Teke did the same but used their finger, swirling it around the side and sucking off the last drops.
“Scales and talons, do that again,” Lex crooned, reaching for Teke’s waist, but they batted him away.
“Purified elderberry liquor,” Helene said at my side.
Sniffing the small glass, I detected floral notes, but mostly, I was hit by the pungent strength of the drink. Just the scent made me lightheaded.
“You don’t sip this one,” she explained, then tossed hers back. Unlike Ivank and Teke, she set her empty glass on the table, remnants unmolested.
Drinking this concoction went straight to my head.
I had the immediate sensation that I was floating.
Lex was at my side, snaking his arm around me.
He whispered something that made me giggle, but a moment later, I couldn’t remember what.
Then, he was tracing his fingers down my cheeks and begging to kiss me.
Lispen came up from behind and kicked him in the balls.