Dragon Bound

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Chapter Sixteen

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Lune woke just before dawn. At first, he wasn’t entirely sure what had woken him. He could hear Vulkan’s deep pounding breaths as the large dragon slept. Jason was sitting up, apparently on watch. The rider was staring out over the landscape, his posture rather stiff and uncomfortable looking. He hadn’t yet noticed that Lune was awake. Lune lay quietly for a while, confused.

It had been something instinctive that had woken him, a feeling of being watched. He felt like prey being viewed by a predator. He turned his head and looked off into the nearby brush but could see nothing in the predawn gloom. The wind rustled the leaves, cold and smelling of sea salt.

What had woken him? He let his eyes drift further up the mountain, his skin prickling. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when out of the gloom, something looked back downhill at him. He stared but he couldn’t make out any discernible shapes, just a pair of eyes boring into his own. He felt pinned in place, hypnotised. Then the eyes blinked.

And then they were gone.

Lune sat up, staring up at the mountain face.

‘Lune?’ Jason’s voice turned his head. ‘What’s wrong?’ The man stood stiffly. Lune looked back up into the rocky outcrop above them but there was nothing to see.

‘Nothing,’ the dragon mumbled. The little camp roused, Damon grumbling irritably about sleeping on stone in human form. Fredrick grunted and scratched at his stubble. As Jason prodded the fire back to life, Fredrick checked on Vulkan.

‘I say we fly another lap around to make sure we didn’t miss anything then head back with the report,’ Fredrick sighed, checking the straps of Vulkan’s saddle. Jason nodded as he placed the small pot into the coals.

‘Fine. We’ll take two hours and then meet back up near the shoreline,’ Jason suggested. The other knight nodded and climbed into the saddle. Vulkan gave a jaw cracking yawn and stretched out his wings. They took off into the chilly morning air. The sun would be fully up soon and hot. Jason finished clearing the camp site and gave permission for both of his dragons to shift into their true forms.

Lune gave himself a violent shake which he always did once back in his proper form. He followed Damon to the edge of the cliff and, with one finally searching look up the side of the mountain, dove off to follow Damon. The wind was lovely in his feathers and Lune fought to urge to fly a few looping spirals to vent his feelings.

They soared a large lazy lap, passing over the town again and heading over the sheep fields. Lune watched the white fluffy animals dart about and race away from the hulking shadows of the two flying lizards. They weren’t very bright. Probably pretty tasty too if one did not mind a mouth full of wool…

‘Don’t even think about it. You can eat when we get back,’ Jason yelled over to him, his tone halfway between amusement and warning. Lune chirped and flapped a little harder to gain some height. The morning went on without much change. The sea salt was strong on Lune’s tongue and the morning grew bright and hot. The patchy cloud cover was nice as they flew. He did note that the shadow of one particular cloud seemed much darker than the others…

Lune sensed it before Damon. He let out a trilling shriek of warning as a crossbow bolt flew past Damon’s outstretched left wing, missing it by inches. Jason swore. Lune pirouetted in mid-air, catching sight of a dragon and rider coming towards them from behind. It dove down, long hooked claws outstretched like an osprey reaching for a fish. Lune tucked his wings and twisted away, his feathered tail acting as a rudder.

The beast went soaring past, unable to correct its trajectory. Lune could hear Jason inside his head and acting on the sharp suggestion from the rider, flung several of his long tail quills into the retreating dragon. Most missed but a couple sunk painfully into the animal’s rump.

The dragon roared in pain.

Now below instead of above, the retreating dragon was vulnerable. Damon let out a shattering roar of rage, his huge black wings mantling as he prepared to strike. The rider of the fleeing dragon was trying to turn his beast about but seemed to be having trouble controlling the animal. The dragon was large. Not quite as big as Damon and a dull muddy colour. It had blended in easily against the dull rocky terrain around them.

Lune recognised the breed with a flutter of terror just as Damon dove. His warning across their mental link probably saved Damon’s life. He felt Jason’s own horrified moment of recognition as he could now properly see the dragon.

The enemy dragon turned its head, its snout short and rather stumpy. When it opened its mouth, no fire came out but a putrid spray of yellow acid. Damon, having felt Lune’s warning and felt Jason’s hand wrench on the reigns, had just managed to pull out of his dive in time. The spray, which would have caught him full in the face and throat, instead only just splattered his underbelly.

Damon howled in pain as the liquid ate into his scales. It took an enormous amount of training and discipline for Damon not to violently shake himself in response which would have potentially dislodged his rider. The enemy gave a shriek of excitement. It flailed in mid-air, apparently torn between wanting to escape and trying to finish Damon off.

Lune darted through the air like a thrown knife, hurling more quills into the ugly beast. The rider wore a brown cloak, similar to the muddy colour of his dragon. He was shouting and hitting his animal with what looked like a whip, obviously trying to make it obey. The dragon had a collar, but it did not glow blue. Was this rider so inexperienced that he could not use his magic during melee?

A stray quill struck the membrane on the right wing of the dragon. It lost more height, blood raining from its injury. Wailing in pain and rage, it finally chose to escape instead of fight. Jason was having real trouble keeping Damon steady. Lune could feel the Yoru’s pain across their link and knew that Jason was probably feeling it even more acutely. Bound to the rider and concerned for Damon, Lune abandoned the chase and flew back to their side. The trio landed in a nearby field.

Jason quickly scrambled from the saddle, unbuckling the thick straps of leather. Lune noticed that a few of the straps had already been eaten away by the acid. If Damon had shaken himself, there was a real possibility Jason’s gear would have failed and he would have been flung to his death.

‘Easy, Damon, easy,’ Jason was pulling ingredients from his saddle bag with single minded determination. He poured out the contents of several small bottles into his palm and smashed his hands together, mixing the ingredients crudely as he started to chant. Magic, hot and uniquely Jason’s stirred in the air. The wind picked up around them and the scent of cloves and crushed ginger filled the air. He placed his coated palms on Damon’s heaving chest. The black dragon’s wings were shaking with pain. Lune crooned softly, nuzzling at his muzzle, trying to offer some comfort.

Slowly, Damon’s painfilled rasps eased as the raw holes in his scales began to shrink. Some of the splatter had not gone all the way through, only marring the handsome scales. Jason didn’t worry about those but instead forced his magic into the injuries that had melted muscle tissues. The pain was slowly waning, and Damon sagged against the grass. Jason collapsed down next to him, weak from the sudden influx of magic.

Lune stood protectively over them both, nuzzling Damon and even gently bumping Jason’s shoulder with his snout. Distantly, very distantly, a part of Lune recognised that it would not be difficult to bite Jason’s head off and take flight before Damon had even recovered. The human was nearly dozing with exhaustion.

Lune wouldn’t be able to get the collar off though. With it on, he wouldn’t be able to call his dragon fire and he would undoubtedly be a target for other humans and even wild dragons. This was the reason he would not hurt Jason. Only this reason, he told himself even if he knew it was a lie…

Lune stayed close for what may have been an hour. Jason weakly picked himself up off the ground and set to repairing or replacing any of the damaged riding gear. He had spare leather in one of the saddle bags. Apparently, this was a scenario that all knights had been trained for. Lune supposed it made sense. If humans relied on their annoying pokey saddles, then it stood to reason that they would have to be able to mend their gear if need be.

‘That was a Korozja. I haven’t seen one of those in years,’ Jason growled, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. Damon was sniffing at one of the burns on his leg. He was mostly healed though still very stiff and tender. Jason glanced over at Lune.

‘You recognised it straight away,’ he said, his tone faintly accusatory. Lune bobbed his head.

They live at the very base of the Kaempe Stor Mountains. They are the reason why all the shale on the flats is pockmarked. They use their acid to mark everything. They never come too far into the mountains though. They don’t like the cold and they have terrible tempers, Lune said helpfully. Damon gave a disgusted snort.

‘Those dragons are fiercely territorial and famously dim. Everyone knows that. They make terrible riding dragons because they fight with anything else with wings. Our knights know better than to catch one,’ Jason explained, his brows pinched together.

But they are native only to the Sun Kingdom’s lands, on your side of the mountains, Lune pointed out.

Jason let out a series of loud barking swears, his eyes blazing. His frustration and anger radiated along their shared link.

There’s no mistaking this. Whoever this is, they are intent on causing as much chaos as possible, Damon murmured.

Lune shot the black dragon a rather shrewd look. Why didn’t you recognise the Korozja? Lune asked across their link. Damon’s head snapped up and he gave a dignified huff.

‘Damon has always been an attack first, ask questions later, sought of creature,’ Jason said teasingly. He ducked as Damon’s tail whipped out. Damon settled himself into a brooding silence. Lune lay down to rest beside him, watching Jason work. Fredrick and Vulkan found them at mid-morning. At the sight of the huge shadow, Lune had bristled. Claws flexing, he readied himself to leap into a fresh attack.

‘Easy Lune,’ Jason murmured as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Vulkan circled lower and landed with a thump. Fredrick stared around at the mess of mangled leather strapping. His eyebrows rose further as he caught sight of Damon.

‘What in seven hells happened?’ he barked.

‘A rogue riding on a Korozja happened,’ Jason spat, working the last of the straps into their buckles.

‘A Korozja!? Those things are denser than the rocks they sunbathe on,’ Fredrick spluttered.

‘Aye. The rider wore the same-coloured gear as his beast. No emblem or sigil to be seen. Didn’t seem much able to control his dragon either. We were hit and couldn’t pursue,’ Jason growled bitterly.

‘Well fuck,’ Fredrick snarled.

Jason snorted. ‘You can say that again,’

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The flight back was not fun. Damon was still quite uncomfortable from his burns and was in a very bad mood. He had snapped viciously when Vulkan got too close to Lune and both riders shouted as their males snarled at each other. Jason, also tired and grumpy had ordered Lune to fly on the other side of Damon and was forced to let Vulkan take the lead.

Lune could sense that Jason was dreading the report he would have to give to the king, especially if he had to give it in front of the entire court. The flight was long, dull, hot, and thoroughly uncomfortable. Lune was getting tired and thirsty but didn’t dare ask to stop. He wanted to get back to the stronghold.

He felt an odd sense of relief to catch sight of the familiar lush rice fields and sweeping dark mountains in the distance, the smell of the ocean having long since disappeared. They flew lower until the stronghold came into view. They landed in the massive courtyard, stablehands and squires running to meet them.

‘Give him space or he’ll have your hands,’ Jason barked as several young boys tried to grab hold of Damon’s bridle to help steady him. Damon growled, showing off long lethal teeth. The boys fell back nervously.

‘What’s happened lad?’ Gabe came jogging towards them. He seemed completely unperturbed by Damon’s snarls.

‘We were attacked. Damon still has a few acid burns. He needs a quiet stall and a healer to look him over properly,’ Jason sighed as he slid from the saddle. He glanced over at Lune who was dragging the edges of his wings along the ground, head drooping.

‘Lune too, and some food, I think. It’s been a while since he’s flown so far,’ Jason added. Lune gave a weak gratefully chur. Gabe held out an open palm, a sugar cube glinting. Lune snuffed it up without hesitation.

‘Come on then, we’ll take you two back to your stall. You better head to the king,’ Gabe said with a nod to Jason.

Jason grimaced but nodded. ‘On it.’ He didn’t look particularly happy about it but fell into step beside Fredrick, leaving his two exhausted dragons in Gabe’s care.

‘Best get this over with,’ Fredrick grunted. Jason nodded wearily. He really wanted to bathe and settle his dragon down. Damon was still quietly seething across his mind. He blocked it out as best he could. He was going to need his wits about him for the conversation he was about to have…

Jason was not impressed to see that despite the setting sun, most of the knights were still attending the king. The noise in the room died as Fredrick and Jason entered. The Sun King looked once in Jason’s direction and raised a hand, cutting off all conversation.

‘What happened?’ The voice radiated like an earthquake. Jason clenched his hands behind his back to stop them from shaking and he came to a stop beside the massive table.

‘We flew to the town as requested…’ Fredrick began to explain. He went over what they found and what little information they had gleaned from the townsfolk. He looked over at Jason as he came to the last part of the report. Blazing eyes settled on Jason’s face, and he swallowed down his nerves.

‘We split up this morning for one last lap of the countryside, each going opposite ways. We had intended to meet back up in two hours. As we passed back over the town, Damon and I were attacked by a rogue rider and a Korozja. Damon was struck with the dragon’s acid, and we were forced to land.’ Jason’s explanation was met with an explosion of sound. The king’s eyes closed; his head tilted in contemplation.

‘So, the rogue rider and his animal…?’ the king murmured.

Jason tried not to gulp air. ‘They escaped sire. The Korozja’s acid struck Damon in the chest. He was unable to strike down the enemy dragon.’

‘Why did you not switch the saddle over to the healthy animal and take chase?’ Kyril barked, interrupting. As if Jason could just leave Damon in crippling pain…

‘Damon’s saddle was damaged and wouldn’t have fit Lune anyway,’ Jason snapped, his temper flaring.

‘Why did you not send your beast after him then?’ Estevan growled.

‘Lune is too small to go after a dragon that size alone with no rider,’ Jason hissed through gritted teeth.

‘What good is the animal if he can’t be ridden or take orders from afar?’ Kyril snapped. There were a few mutters of agreement from the surrounding knights. Fuming, Jason opened his mouth to retort. ‘Enough.’ Jason snapped his jaw closed with an audible clack. The king opened his eyes.

‘Summon your squire and bring your white dragon in here,’ the Sun King commanded. Stiffly, Jason turned marched back out to the outer room, already hearing the rush of explosive murmuring that started up in his wake.

Lune had almost drifted off to sleep when Gabe opened the door to the stall he shared with Damon. Blinking slowly, Lune suddenly became far more alert at the sight of the smaller boy. George stood nervously beside Gabe, holding onto Lune’s bride.

‘Your rider needs you. The king wants to question you about the attack,’ Gabe said, moving into the space. Lune glanced over at Damon, but the big black had been given a hefty dose of sleeping draught to help him heal and was not likely to wake anytime soon. Still exhausted from the long flight, Lune reluctantly left his warm spot beside the Yoru and trudged wearily over to the stablemaster.

‘You’re a good pup,’ Gabe murmured in his gruff voice, offering Lune another sugar cube. George watching with a slack jaw as Gabe bridled Lune and led him from the stable.

‘Close ya mouth boy before you catch somethin’ in it. Dragons respect strength and kindness. Be both and any dragon should follow you,’ he grunted as he led Lune past the stunned squire.

‘But Sir Dane said that dragons should obey no matter what,’ the squire said uncomfortably. Gabe snorted.

‘Sir Dane should remember that just because he’s smarter than that daft filly of his, doesn’t make him intelligent overall.’ Lune gave an amused chortled and was rewarded with a pat from the old rider.

Jason met them at the hall entrance. Even from afar, Lune could tell the human was angry. Angry, stressed, worried, and ruffled. He was holding a long robe. As Gabe removed the bridle and the familiar change came over Lune, Jason swooped in and swept the robe over his bare shoulders.

‘Thank you, Gabe. George, off with you.’ Jason steered Lune inside the hall. The conversation inside was loud. It stunned Lune temporarily as he was edged through the small crowd. Eyes fell on him and to his ear, the sounds of the muttering were nasty, almost hateful. He shifted closer to Jason.

‘Dragon, you were present during the attack from the Korozja?’ The king’s question cut the crowd of whispering to silence. Jason placed a gentle hand on the small of Lune’s back, offering some support.

‘Yes. It came from behind,’ Lune said uncomfortably. The king waved a hand, motioning for him to continue.

‘It dove for me first. When Damon rallied to strike at it, the Korozja belched acid. Jason and Damon avoided most of it but a little of it struck Damon on the chest,’ Lune explained.

‘Why did the animal not try to kill you both if Damon was injured?’

‘My quills struck it in the wing. It didn’t seem as though it wanted to be there. It was half in a fight with its own rider.’ The knights exchanged dark looks.

‘Quills?’ Kyril looked sharply to Jason as though this information was somehow crucial.

‘You did not tell us the beast had other projectiles. That makes him dangerous. That animal-’

’This animal has a name, is mine and has been cleared by the king,’ Jason snarled.

‘Whilst Kagame’s are extremely rare, there are records of them in our library including their basic biology. Most feathered dragons have quills or spines,’ Gabe grunted which caused Kyril to go very red in the face. Distantly, Lune had to wonder why the Sun King allowed them to squabble amongst themselves so much?

‘Sire, we should send a squad to the shoreline and wait. They have obviously camped somewhere near,’ Estevan suggested pompously.

‘It may also be wise to end some knight to the City of Glass, if nothing else, to see if they have experienced any incidents in their own kingdom,’ Amara added thoughtfully.

‘Korozja originate from our mountains. Surely this rider is from one of the small tribes? He is obviously not very skilled. Perhaps we should seek out any nameless tribes and find out what they know,’ Logan grunted from where he leant against one of the massive pillars.

‘All these ideas have merit. Perhaps a combination of the three?’ Dane said enthusiastically.

‘I think that is the worst idea yet,’ Lune said.

The room went very quiet. Kyril bristled, his eyes snapping to Jason. ‘You should train your beast to keep his mouth shut,’ he snarled.

‘Tell me why you say this,’ the king asked, ignoring Kyril completely.

‘Sending your knights to the ocean side, and the Desert of Glass and the mountain side? You couldn’t spread your knights thinner if you tried,’ Lune pointed out. The angry muttering grew louder, the room seeming fuller.

‘I agree, they have already been inside your walls once. They will again,’ Jason said boldly. Kyril’s lip curled like a mangy dog. Before he could retaliate, Fredrick and Amara both nodded. Jason felt a rush a gratitude for the both of them.

‘Lad’s right sire. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but a truth nonetheless,’ Fredrick grunted.

‘It is clear that the enemy is trying to cause as much confusion as possible, to make us point as many fingers as we can and alienate our allies.’ Garret put in, speaking up from where he stood on the king’s other side.

‘Does the Sun Kingdom have anything in particular that the other kingdoms don’t have?’ Lune asked Jason softly. Jason glanced down at him but before he could reply, a young woman with bright blue hair answered his question.

‘The Sun Kingdom is definitely one of the largest with the most farmland. We have the most diverse landscape which means a diversity in dragons,’ she said. Lune looked at her in surprise. She was young, maybe the same age as Lune though it was difficult to tell. He did notice she was quite pretty. As he stared into her sparkling eyes, he knew who she was. She must be Amara’s lapis filly.

‘We are also considered the central kingdom. We have access to the sea, the desert, and the mountains as well as all the unexplored wild country of the far north,’ Jason added thoughtfully.

‘Alright.’ The Sun King rose from his throne and the room fell into silence once more. ‘You have all given me much to contemplate. I will send two riders to the Glass City but as clear emissaries. Amara, you will go with Dane and spend a week. Find out what you can. Subtly. I will have none of my knight travel alone. Make your preparations and leave at first light. The rest of you will remain here. I will not have my dragons scattered all over the map. For now, you are dismissed. We will reconvene tomorrow.’

Jason placed a hand on the back of Lune’s next and squeezed gently.

‘Well done,’ he could hear and feel the pride in the rider’s voice. Lune looked up at him and gave him a small smile before they were shoved from the room by the small crowd of people and dragons.

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END

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