“I wish I knew what to call you,” I said. “You’re very strong looking. Perhaps I could give you a nickname of my own. Maybe Blaze? It fits your color.”

  The dragon snorted in reply.

  “You don’t like that one? What about Inferno?”

  Another snort.

  “Flame?”

  You do know I’m not a male, don’t you?

  I was so surprised at hearing the dragon’s voice in my mind, I almost fell over in shock. It was definitely not a male. Her telepathic voice was soothing and gentle, more like a whisper than anything. And it didn’t feel intrusive at all.

  “I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say. “I just assumed …” My face flushed warm with embarrassment. “I can come up with something better,” I said.

  There is no need for you to name me. I already have a name.

  The voice grew hesitant and I felt a wave of indecision wash over me. She was afraid to share her name. I could understand her fear, even if I couldn’t relate to it. Rory had kept her locked up inside the cart, and who knows where she had been kept before that. I had worked hard to earn a sliver of her trust over the last few days, but even so, she seemed full of uncertainty.

  “I’ll go first,” I offered. “My name is Eldwin. Eldwin Baines.”

  A rush of emotions overwhelmed me, all of them from the dragon. I grew dizzy from the onslaught and closed my eyes, trying to build a mental wall around myself.

  I’m sorry, the dragon said. I’m not used to the kindness you’ve shown me. My name is … there was a long pause, but I could still feel her inside my mind.

  Sion.

  “That’s beautiful,” I said.

  That’s the short version. The long version is unpronounceable in the human tongue. It means Quiet One.

  “I’m honored that you have shared your name with me,” I said. “Truly.”

  I hope that I have not made a mistake by doing so.

  There was something powerful drawing me to Sion, some sort of invisible force that made me reach out my hand. Sion started to back away, then stopped. Her emotions funneled into my mind and I realized she felt the same force. Her curiosity grew and she leaned her head in close. An uncontrollable tremor ran through my mangled arm as it got closer to touching her. There were only a few inches between us, and I closed the distance and laid my hand on her scaly nose.

  A whirlwind of things happened all at once.

  First, a burning sensation rippled across my palm. I sucked in a breath, but the pain faded quickly. Then my vision blurred and it felt like I was floating, though I was still sitting on the floor of the cart. Another rush of emotions from Sion overwhelmed me and I cried out involuntarily. Dark memories, full of sadness, came next. I felt tears slide down my cheeks. As everything within me calmed, the invisible force released me and my hand slipped off Sion’s nose.

  I collapsed onto my back and saw Sion’s face looking down at me, her eyes filled with watery tears. Before I could say anything, a familiar voice broke the silence.

  “You fool!”

  My head lolled to the side; my muscles weak. It was Rory.

  5

  “What are you doing in here?” Rory demanded angrily.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. My throat felt parched like I hadn’t had water in days. I had difficulty understanding what was happening. Rory stomped into the cart and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, then jerked me onto my feet and dragged me out of the cart. My legs didn’t cooperate with my mind, and I lurched awkwardly, then fell off the edge of the cart and into the sand.

  “You been drinking?” Rory asked. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He leaned over me and looked into my eyes, frowning. His gaze traveled over my body and then he abruptly stopped, a look of horror shadowing his face.

  “You bonded with the dragon?” he whispered. He grabbed my bad arm and held my hand up for inspection, then turned my palm so I could see. A bloody rune was engraved into my flesh. His words took a moment to register. I bonded with Sion? Excitement washed over me, followed by the fear that Rory was going to kill me.

  “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I’m ruined. Ruined!”

  Rory stood up and glared down at me, the anger evident on his face. I forced my mouth to move and managed to say, “I didn’t mean to.”

  That was mostly true. While I had been hoping that Sion would bond with me, that wasn’t exactly what I had been expecting to happen just now. Strength was slowly beginning to seep back into my muscles.

  “I’m a dead man,” Rory muttered to himself. “He’ll kill me. He’ll kill us all. You fool. You blasted fool!”

  A lance of sharp pain shot through my ribs as Rory delivered a vicious kick to my side. I grunted and tried to roll away, but I still couldn’t move. He kicked me again, harder. Rory must have been yelling loudly, because Vance and Geoff showed up, wiping sleep from their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Vance asked, stepping between Rory and I. “Why are you hitting my guard?”

  “Eldwin here was in the cart with the dragon. He’s bonded with it!”

  Vance didn’t immediately respond. I could only imagine what they were thinking. I was just glad Vance had stepped between us and Rory wasn’t kicking me anymore. Sion growled menacingly from within the cart.

  “Go get the wizard,” Rory ordered Geoff. He rushed off to obey.

  Finally, Vance turned around and looked at me. I could see the disappointment, but it was much more veiled than his anger.

  “He’s killed us,” Rory swore.

  “Let’s see what the wizard says,” Vance replied.

  Geoff returned a moment later, the sleepy wizard in tow.

  “I thought your spells were supposed to keep anyone from messing with the dragon?” Rory said.

  “Hm? No, no. They are only to keep the dragon from escaping. Why?”

  “Eldwin bonded with it.”

  The wizard looked at me. I had rarely seen him the entire trip and didn’t even know his name, but he scared me for the simple fact that he was a spell caster.

  “Can you reverse it?” Rory asked.

  “No,” the wizard replied. “A dragon bond is a lifelong connection.”

  “We’re dead,” Rory repeated.

  I didn’t know who he was afraid of, but it was starting to concern me. Sion was doing something at the edge of my mind, but I couldn’t figure out what. The wizard’s eyes widened, and his head snapped toward the cart.

  “It’s unweaving my spell,” the wizard said. He closed his eyes and began chanting in a strange language.

  I will not be a prisoner any longer, Sion said, though I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or telling herself that. Rory closed the door to the cart and rushed at me. Vance tried to block him, but Rory side-stepped him and threw himself on top of me. He pummeled me with his fists and all I could do was cry out.

  I’ll show this puny wizard, Sion said.

  Vance pulled Rory off of me and I saw the cart shaking behind them. The wizard cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, then the top of the cart splintered apart and Sion’s head and graceful neck became visible. She roared triumphantly and opened her jaws wide. I saw a flicker of light in her mouth, and it quickly grew until flames were spewing forth. Sion’s fire engulfed the walls of the cart and she broke fully free of the wooden prison.

  Geoff sprinted in the opposite direction. Vance grabbed Rory and pulled him away from the flaming cart, but left the wizard lying on the ground. Sion leaped out of the demolished cart and landed in the sand. Her left wing was on fire. Something inside me snapped, and I fought through the weakness in my body and sat up.

  “Sion!” I shouted, pointing at her wing.

  She looked, then screeched and drove her wing into the sand. I could feel her pain through the bond. Her wing was seared badly in one spot. I struggled to my feet.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  I will be, she replied.

  I saw Vance returning, his spear gripped in both hands. I drew my sword and met his gaze.

  “Don’t do this,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, Eldwin, but you’ve left me with no choice. If we show up without that dragon, we’re all dead.”

  “I won’t let you take her.”

  I won’t let them take me, Sion said in my mind. I’ll die first.

  “I won’t let it come to that,” I said.

  Vance had a confused look on his face. He looked from me to the dragon and understanding dawned on him.

  “It speaks to you?” he asked. He seemed genuinely curious, but I didn’t trust him and kept my guard up.

  “Yes, she does.”

  And then I saw it, too late to react. Rory hurled a net over Sion. It draped over her wings, tangling them. She roared in rage and spun around, snapping at Rory. He stumbled and fell on his back, narrowly missing Sion’s dagger-like fangs.

  With my attention diverted, Vance also charged Sion. He sprinted to her left side and slipped the blunt end of his spear through the netting, then ran under her belly and hooked the other side of the netting and twisted the spear in a circle several times, tightening the bindings.

  It appeared that Vance and Rory were the only ones foolish enough to try and recapture Sion. Geoff was nowhere to be seen and the wizard was still lying unconscious in the sand. The other members of the caravan hadn’t shown themselves. I guessed they were hiding and wanted no part of the chaos. I walked toward Sion and Vance, trying to convince myself that fighting a trained soldier wasn’t complete suicide.

  “Let her go, Vance. She just wants her freedom.”

  “She doesn’t get to decide what she wants,” Vance replied. “She’s a beast with an owner. And if that owner doesn’t get her, he’s going to do whatever it takes to find her.”

  “That’s not your problem,” I said. “It’ll be mine.”

  “You don’t know him, or what he’s capable of. Trust me when I say you don’t want this problem.”

  “I don’t have a choice now,” I said, switching my sword to my left hand and holding up my right palm for him to see. The rune was still sore, but it wasn’t bleeding any more. Vance and I stared at one another for a long moment. Sion stood completely still, waiting to see what I was going to do. I felt her approval through our bond.

  “I wish things would have gone differently,” Vance said. “I really do.”

  He released his spear and made a mad dash toward me. I quickly tossed the sword back into my other hand and rushed forward to meet him. He was way more experienced in battle than I was, and as we neared each other, he quickly disarmed me by grabbing my wrist and twisting it. I gasped and dropped my blade, then he hauled his free hand back and punched me right in the jaw.

  I staggered back from the blow, fire burning through my face. My eyes watered and I blinked rapidly to clear them, but not before Vance struck me another blow. I went down, falling hard in the sand. Vance towered over me, a grim look on his face. I knew he was going to kill me. He’d probably killed many men, and he wouldn’t think twice about killing another one.

  Prepare yourself, Sion said.

  Before I could ask what she meant, I heard a whistling sound. Sion’s tail crashed into Vance, sending him flying, a surprised look on his face. I got up and retrieved my sword, then ran to Sion and cut Vance’s spear free of the net. Sion flapped her wings, flinging the net free. I looked to where Vance had fallen. He wasn’t moving, and I feared that Sion had killed him. I knew he would have killed me if it hadn’t been for Sion, but I couldn’t bring myself to think of doing the same thing to him. I shook my head and looked down at his spear.

  We must go, Sion urged.

  I sheathed my blade and climbed onto her back. Without a saddle, I wasn’t sure how to hold onto her, so I slipped my fingers between the scales by her neck and held on tightly. Sion lowered herself toward the ground, then shot up into the sky. I almost lost my grip, but I planted my feet against her shoulders and pushed myself forward, staying behind her head to keep out of the wind.

  As we flew higher into the air, I glanced down once last time at the caravan. A lone figure was barely visible. Although I couldn’t see who it was, I knew it was Vance. And I knew that he would not rest until he found us.

  6

  Sion flew until we escaped the desert and the landscape beneath us turned to woodlands. My adrenaline from the events at the caravan had long since faded, but I was still wide awake. Sion wasn’t faring as well. I could feel her exhaustion at the edges of our bond and knew that she would need to land soon.

  The sun was beginning to rise, and I spotted a lone mountain that stretched up from the ground as if vying for supremacy over the forest that surrounded it. At the base of the mountain, lines of smoke wafted into the air from what appeared to be a village. It was hard to tell from the distance, but there was definitely more than one fire burning judging from the smoke.

  I need to land, Sion told me. My wing hurts and I don’t think I can make it much farther.

  “Land near the mountain if you can!” I shouted loud enough for her to hear.

  I’ll do better than that. I’ll get us to that cave.

  “What cave?” I asked.

  Sion didn’t reply. She began to descend, and my stomach rolled. My fingers were cramped and numb, but I held on with all my strength. The mountain got closer and Sion waited until the last second to swoop upward, flying just above the treetops. Sion’s momentum slowed and then she abruptly changed direction and landed on a ledge about halfway up the mountainside. Sion dug her claws into the rock and slid to a stop. I climbed off her back and stretched my legs, glad to have some feeling returning to them.

  “How did you know there was a cave?”

  We have excellent eyesight, Sion replied. She flooded my senses with exhaustion. It made me feel like I was the one who had flown the whole way, and I nearly collapsed.

  I’m sorry. I’m still trying to figure out how to close myself off from our bond so I don’t keep doing that.

  “It’s all right,” I said. “This is a learning experience for both of us.”

  I stared at the cave entrance, not sure if it was a good idea to enter without knowing what might be inside. Not bothering to wait, Sion entered the cave. It wasn’t very deep, only thirty feet or so, and there didn’t appear to be any signs of anyone or anything inhabiting it. Sion slumped onto the ground and curled up into a ball.

  I need to sleep, she said wearily. I’ll heal faster as I rest.

  “All right,” I replied. “I’m going to find some wood for a fire and see if I can hunt down something to eat.”

  Sion didn’t respond, but her long sigh told me that she had already fallen asleep. I wasn’t surprised, considering how long we’d flown. I watched her dark outline rise and fall rhythmically for a long while, then silently walked out to the ledge. The view that stretched out before me was breathtaking, though it didn’t compare to the view from Sion’s back.

  I glimpsed the smoke lines from the village and decided not to go near it unless I had to. There was no telling if they were human, especially being this secluded. I collected a few fallen branches that were near the ledge, but it wasn’t going to be enough to keep a fire going for long, so I made my way carefully down the mountainside, collecting as much wood as I could manage without struggling back up to the cave.

  After a few trips, I noticed that there were no signs of wildlife. I assumed that Sion’s presence may have scared away anything that might frequent the area, but then I noticed the lack of birds, too. It was odd, but I didn’t put too much thought into it. Once I was satisfied with the amount of wood I’d collected, I started a fire and sat beside it. The sun was up now, but it was still early in the morning and there was a slight chill in the air.

  My stomach groaned with hunger, but I ignored it. I’d gone days without eating before, so a few hours weren’t going to kill me. Eventually, I felt Sion’s mind become active through the bond. The feeling was almost like having another conscience, one that was so foreign compared to my own.

  “How is your wing?” I asked as Sion emerged from the darkness of the cave.

  Not good. Some of the lesser burns are gone, but there is a spot that defies the healing process.

  I stood up and walked over to her to inspect it. When she lowered her left wing, my eyes widened in horror. There was a large black spot near the uppermost part of her wing. It looked like burned parchment, and small pieces of her seared flesh were barely attached. A large crack ran the length of the blackness and it was bloody.

  “That looks bad,” I said. “What can I do to help?”

  Unless you are a healer, there is nothing you can do. It will take some time, but it will eventually heal.

  “How much time? I didn’t find any animals near here, and we can’t survive without food.”

  I can’t be certain, but at least a week. The burn is deep and I am still tired.

  A week? We couldn’t stay here that long without food and water. And water was more important than food, and I didn’t hadn’t seen any streams.

  “We can’t stay here,” I said.

  What do you suggest?

  I considered our predicament. There were no options. Then again …

  “I could go down to the village to see if they have a healer. If so, then we can get your wing healed and be on our way. We could find somewhere else to stay.”

  It was obvious Sion didn’t like the idea. Her displeasure echoed through the bond. Although we were still getting to know each other, she was already protective of me.

  It’s not ideal, but I suppose we don’t have any choice. If anything happens to you, I’ll crawl my way down there and burn the place to ash.

 

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