Dragon Bound

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Chapter Twenty-Five

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The night sky was ripped open every few moments by the burst of dragon fire. The noise was horrendous. Roars, screeching metal, and heavy thuds broke into the world and left no room for anything else. Blood and scrap metal rained from the sky, spattering the ground, and bouncing down the crags.

Lune didn’t care about any of it.

He was perched like a white sentry over the rider laying still on the grass. He hadn’t blinked since they had landed, tracing the tiny inhales and exhales of the man’s chest, willing him to breathe just one more time. One more time.

His own body ached all over. Singed feathers, pulled muscles and cuts littered his body. He didn’t move, not even to straighten a tail feather sticking out at an odd angle. Another breath, the chest went up and down. It was such a tiny movement. He was struck once again by just how fragile humans were. He whistled through his teeth, a low mournful sound.

Suddenly there was a sound of wing beats much closer at hand. Lune snarled, spreading his four wings wide and rearing to protect the unconscious rider. Relief flooded him as he recognised the massive black outline. Damon circled lower until he landed ungracefully close by. He was bleeding heavily from several deep cuts in his shoulders and neck. A piece of his horn crest had been bitten off and his chest plate was heavily dented and scratched.

The black dragon moved gingerly forward. He was having trouble putting weight on his left foreleg. Lune whined, partly in relief and partly in distress. Without the collar and with Jason unconscious, the mental link had been closed to him. He missed being able to hear Damon’s thoughts. The idea that the Yoru might have been killed had been too devastating to even consider so he had shut down that part of his mind.

Now he nuzzled Damon all over, licking gently at the cuts and rubbing his muzzle over Damon’s eye ridges. The larger male was trembling with exhaustion but returned Lune affections enthusiastically, nipping him gently. They huddled together by their rider, Lune taking warmth and comfort from Damon’s presence as he gently groomed the blood from his scales.

Already, there was a thick smell of death in the air. Around them, things scuttled and slithered towards the many bodies, tearing into flesh, and lapping up the blood from where it pooled in the rocks. Lune shuddered in revulsion as two unknown creatures with six eyes and fleshy legs began to fight over the spilled intestines of a dead filly.

Above them, the battle seemed to be breaking up. Dragons were fleeing in all different directions. Unfortunately, it was now so dark that it was impossible to tell exactly what was going on or who had won. Lune wondered if it even mattered who the victors were. In his mind, none of this had been worth it.

An enormous shadow fell on them, blocking out the glittering stars. Lune started to growl, his feathers fluffing out in alarm, but Damon soothed him with a purr. The huge animal lowered itself to the ground, revealing Amphion and his rider. The huge dragon had obviously spotted Lune’s white pelt against the gloom and had come down to investigate. Several members of Jason’s squad were landing, calling names, and dismounting. Apparently, they were coming to check for survivors. Lune doubted they would find many.

‘Jason? Damon?’ It was Logan’s voice that shouted. Lune didn’t leave Jason’s side as Damon lifted his head and roared. The voices got louder, and Vulkan came over the hillock with Fredrick and Logan.

‘Shit,’ Lune heard the man swear. They started running towards them. Lune snarled, tail quills rattling dangerously. Logan held up his hands. ‘Easy there, little one. We need to get him back to the keep. He needs a healer.’

Lune whined. He didn’t want them to move Jason, but he knew logically that he could do nothing for the rider here on a corpse infested hillside. As he swallowed, he felt how sore his throat was. The scales around his neck had been rubbed raw when the rogue dragon had grabbed at his collar. The collar that had then snapped and fallen away… He had no collar.

In all the panic and fear, it was a fact that he had noted but not really absorbed. Lune’s head swung around. Damon was missing his collar too. They were both free. They could leave. Just… fly away. There were no spell traps here. The Sun King’s army was in ruins. Fredrick was standing with a hunch. Logan was holding his right arm stiffly to his chest. They weren’t in any condition to chase or recapture him.

Lune looked back at Jason’s still form on the ground, now only a dark outline against the black grass. Damon whistled softly through his teeth, nosing Lune until the Kagame stepped away. Damon made a confused growl. Lune looked at him, to the rider and then up to the sky. The humans were talking to each other, discussing the best way to move Jason.

This is what he wanted, to have the choice to leave but… not like this.

He had wanted to be free and have Damon with him, but he couldn’t deny that Jason had become important too. He had wanted the human to come with them, to be with them. Damon seemed to finally understand the inner conflict roiling inside him. The Yoru flared his huge black wings, temporarily blending in with the night sky. He called for Lune.

Logan and Fredrick were preparing a harness and wrappings for Jason. Other dragons and their riders were landing. Torches were being lit. If Lune was going to leave, it needed to be now. He shifted around, looked one last time at the huge stretching of rolling mountains and went to Damon’s side, rubbing his neck against the Yoru’s, preparing himself to fly back to the keep.

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The stronghold was in just as much chaos as the battlefield they had left behind. It was nearly dawn by the time the exhausted cluster of the Sun King’s dragons finally made it back. It looked as though no one in the keep had ever retired for the night. All the torches were lit, and people were everywhere. Lune could already see the scorch marks on the ancient stonework of the hillside, see the smoke and knew that the Sun King’s hunch had been correct.

At least some enemies had attempted to take the keep in the king’s absence. It must have been a much smaller group as the damage seemed minimal. Several dragons and their riders flew out to meet them. Lune could hear the riders talking fast but didn’t pay them any mind. He only had eyes and energy for Jason. The man had still not regained consciences and looked only paler still in the dawning light. The groups spread apart, some to rest in the colosseum arena, some to take up the massive courtyard and others who were less injured were sent to land in the field just outside the stronghold.

Lune and Damon followed Amphion to the arena where the massive dragon was able to land. There were people everywhere, scattering like ants to avoid the enormous claws of the earth dragon. People were shouting and Lune was struck with pain as a heavy chain hit him on the shoulder. It took him a moment to realise they were trying to lasso him. Lune shrieked in rage and the humans on the ground seemed to panic even more. Damon roared, enraged that they were attempting to injure his mate. Swords were drawn as the rider roared for the people to get back. A voice cut through the growing crowd.

‘Are you fucking mad!? Are you trying to kill us all? Give that here, you idiot.’ Gabe came striding into view, grabbing for the thick chain the man was trying to recoil.

‘But sire, their collars-’ Gabe punched him in the stomach. The man doubled over. The action was so unexpected that it cut through Lune’s panic.

‘These beasts are tired, injured and worrying for their riders. You stress em in any way, you deserve to be eaten. If they came back without their collars, then they are loyal. Don’t fuck that up,’ Gabe snarled. He was so frightening with his massive frame and his grey hair stuck up in every direction with ash and sweat that the crowd started to retreat. Lune warbled gratefully.

‘Easy there precious. I’ll have Jason’s squire set you two up in your stable. Easier to get you seen to there at the moment. Where is Jason?’ Gabe said, petting the white muzzle. Lune’s head drooped miserably, and Damon gave a dog like whine. The angry red in Gabe’s face receded.

‘Don’t tell me…’ the man rasped.

‘He’s alive, but he’s lost a lot of blood. He needs a healer, now,’ Logan barked.

‘You heard em! Move over!’ Gabe roared as several medics came rushing forward. Lune watched anxiously as Jason was taken from Amphion’s back and rushed away on a stretcher. He automatically went to follow when Gabe stepped in front of him. ‘Hey there now. You both need to see medics yourselves.’ His gruff tone softened as he looked up at the miserable Kagame.

‘Come now, let’s get you both cleaned up,’ the huge man placed a calloused hand on the white dragon’s neck. Lune reluctantly allowed himself to be led away. The stall that he shared with Damon was wonderfully clean and cool. Though they could still hear the shouting, running, clanging, and roaring of the outside world, it was muted inside the stall.

A small team of squires led by Gabe proceeded to unstrap and remove what they could of Damon’s gear. Several of the buckles had been bent so that the leather straps had to be hacked through to free the dragon of the armour. Lune curled up beside him, watching the medics with narrowed distrustful eyes.

The medics shuffled from foot to foot. They seemed very reluctant to get any closer, not encouraged by the rattling tail quills. Lune hadn’t forgotten all those months ago when they had wanted to pull out one of his teeth. Now that he could breathe fire, his posturing would seem a lot more dangerous. He was half tempted to throw a quill at one of them, just because he could.

Petty? Maybe. Would it make him feel better? … also, maybe.

‘Lune,’ Gabe’s grizzled face twitched, partly in amusement and partly in annoyance. The man had dark bags under his eyes. Likely he had not slept at all since the Sun King had led his knights away. Probably not even before that. Lune grumbled but flattened his quills down and settled.

‘They need to check you both over,’ Gabe said. Damon nodded his head, but Lune huffed. The Yoru turned and nipped him gently on the shoulder.

‘I’m trusting you both to do the right thing here. These men aren’t armed. I promise they mean you no harm.’ Lune looked from them to Gabe. He may not trust the medics but… he did trust Gabe. On the upside, if they did suggest taking a tooth, he could set them on fire. That was something.

Once Damon had been stripped of the last of his tack, the squires retreated along with Gabe. ‘I’ll be back to check on you soon and to bring you news. Try to get some rest and don’t eat the medics,’ the old man said, only half joking. The white faces of the robed men told Lune that they hadn’t particularly enjoyed his dry humour.

The sun might have been rising but all over the stronghold, the tone of people inside seemed to be one of collective exhaustion. Lune had reluctantly allowed the men to apply a strong-smelling salve to his open cuts. When one of the trembling men attempted to touch his sore wings, he had snarled and shown his teeth until the medic retreated. He and Damon curled up together on the heated bamboo mats and would have slept soundly if not for the constant aching worry of the rider that lay somewhere else in the depths of the stronghold.

As it was both dragons shifted often in their sleep, sore muscles twitched and jerked in response to phantom weapons and attacking ghosts. It was late in the afternoon when Gabe returned with a large cow for the dragons to eat and news. ‘Your rider still lives. They were able to close the wound but he’s very weak,’ the man explained gently. Lune whined, looking at the door expectantly. Gabe gave a dry chuckle.

‘You expecting to fit through the human hospice like that aye?’ Lune blinked. He glanced down at his clawed feet and then around at a bemused Damon. Of course, he couldn’t transform into human form without Jason or his king. Gabe gave his muzzle a sympathetic pat.

‘He’s going to need some peace and quiet while he rests. Wait until tomorrow, let everyone calm down some,’ Gabe said knowledgeably. Damian nuzzled Lune. Both dragons were still tired and aching. They could use the extra rest.

They ate side by side, Damon having to nudge Lune to encourage him to eat. Lune couldn’t stop wondering just how many dragons had been killed in the battle. In the oncoming night, there had seemed like so many bodies on that hillside. Were they there still? He shuddered, the idea of all those creatures rotting away, leaving their bones to bleach on the side of that mountain for hundreds of years to come.

Jason’s squire came by, but he didn’t come inside the stall. Lune could smell the fear coming off the boy. He obviously didn’t trust either dragon without their collars. It was roughly noon the next day when a hushed silence fell over the stable. The change was so abrupt, it snapped Lune out of his light doze. Someone was coming down the stone corridor towards them and Lune knew exactly who.

The Sun King looked as dangerous and immaculate as ever as he stood in the doorway to their stall holding a small bundle of cloth. It was almost an insult. So many people had died in his battle and the man stood there, looking as relaxed and untouchable as ever. Magic hummed around him. Lune growled.

If there was any human he would have struck down now that he was uncollared, it was this man and yet this man was probably the only human he couldn’t. The human stank of heated magic and ozone, the air practically electrified.

‘I understand you came back with us despite losing your collars,’ the king said. Damon was awake now too and seemed to be trying to edge himself between Lune and the man.

‘You have proven yourselves loyal and if you wish, I can bring you to see your human.’ The two dragons looked at each other before both bobbed their heads. The king inclined his head.

‘Very well. Be still.’ The king raised his hand before Lune had prepared himself. The change the king forced on them was even more invasive and uncomfortable than when Jason had done it. Maybe it was the lack of a bond or maybe the magic itself was just older and thicker. Whatever the cause, Lune retched violently as his skin slithered about and his bones reshaped themselves.

He was left wobbling on two human legs. His injuries had apparently shifted as well because he was bruised on his shoulders and throat. The king nodded, apparently satisfied, and handed them both robes. The man turned and vanished out into the corridor.

As soon was the world stopped its sickening lurch, Lune and Damon hurried after him. The corridors were still full of people. Lune’s stomach flipped at the sight of a woman hurrying along with a mass of bloody bandages in her arms. Most dragons were now resting inside their stalls. Lune couldn’t help but notice that the stable was far emptier than it had been before. They seemed to be moving towards a large source of the noise. People in white aprons were running to and fro. The king stopped at the entry of a massive room. Damon gently tugged Lune inside.

It was very clearly a hospice. Beds were laid out in rows as far as the eyes could see and almost every single one of them was occupied. Lune felt as though the air had been punched from his lungs. There were so many people. Some were sitting up and only appeared to have minor wounds. Amara was sitting a few beds away, having a cut on her cheek cleaned. Further in, there were forms on the beds, covered over completely with white blankets. Still. And very obviously dead. Lune swallowed heavily.

‘Who are you here to see?’ barked a stern looking older woman with grey hair and a neat white apron.

‘Sir Jason,’ Damon replied because Lune was still too taken aback to get his words to come. She nodded curtly. ‘This way please.’ She led them swiftly through the sea of beds until they reached the bedside of a man they recognised. Lune had to work very hard to swallow the sob that threatened to rise in his chest.

He looked down sadly at Jason. The man was still pale. His face was rough, his auburn beard growing in from lack of shaving. His left eye was very swollen and bruised. His chest was thickly wrapped in clean white bandages. He was so still. Lune squeezed Jason’s hand.

‘I am afraid we are not sure when he will wake. He has lost a great deal of blood. The arrowhead was barbed and did not come free easily. If it had been another inch to the left, it would have struck him in the heart and killed him,’ said the woman gravely. Lune winced, holding on tight to the limp cool hand.

‘Can we stay with him?’ he asked softly. The matron regarded them for a moment then gave a nod. ‘So long as you are not disruptive to the patients. They need rest,’ she said firmly. Both dragons nodded. They sat down on the two spindly chairs provided as she marched away.

‘When do you think we will find out the full story of the battle?’ Lune asked quietly as they huddled together by the bed. Damon hummed thoughtfully. ‘Probably not for a few days. Something clearly happened here whilst we were gone. The king will need time to collaborate with his advisors and work out the damages.’

‘Damages,’ Lune said bitterly. Damon reached out a hand and gently stroked the side of Lune’s face.

‘The real problems will start when they try to work out which dragons were killed and which deserted,’ Damon said grimly.

‘Jouet killed Estevan. I saw him,’ Lune breathed.

Damon’s expression darkened. ‘I’m not surprised. They seemed to be trying to free as many dragons as they could but to be honest… I don’t feel like they did it for our sake, you know? It almost seemed as though they were doing it just to create as much chaos and disruption as possible.’

‘I know what you mean. Some dragons they killed, others they freed and still… They almost seemed surprised when my collar broke. I don’t think they meant to loosen it,’ Lune said thoughtfully. To his surprise, Damon looked nervous. ‘What?’ he asked.

Damon cleared his throat. ‘The collar didn’t come loose because of them... Jason unbound it,’ he said. The impact of this statement stunned him. He blinked. And then blinked again. He remembered Jason reaching up to him, remembered the rider petting his neck, adjusting the collar. Lune had been so anxious about the up-and-coming battle that he hadn’t even noticed the collar’s magic fade.

‘Why though? I could have killed him! I could have abandoned you both,’ Lune rasped. Damon smiled weakly.

‘I know,’ the black dragon replied. Suddenly Damon’s emotional state before the battle made more sense. He had been worried for Lune’s safety, but he had also known that there was a real possibility that Lune would leave.

‘You’re both idiots,’ Lune spluttered. He looked from the unconscious man in the bed to the dragon beside him.

‘Yeah, but we love you,’ Damon whispered. Lune forgot how to breathe. One moment, Damon was staring into the wide lilac eyes, the next, he had a lap full of white-haired dragon. Lune kissed him hard, coiling his arms around the back of Damon’s neck. Damon purred and kissed him back.

‘That’s a sight to wake up to.’ Lune yelped and tumbled out of Damon’s lap. They both turned to look over at the man now slow blinking. Jason voice sounded awful. Lune scurried off Damon and attempted to pour out some water for the rider, slopping a great deal of it on the floor in his rush.

‘Hey there. You look like shit,’ Damon said affectionately. Jason grimaced. ‘Yeah, don’t feel great,’ he croaked. Lune helped him sip a little of the water.

‘You took a barbed arrow to the chest. Medics said it barely missed your heart,’ Damon grunted. The Yoru was trying to play it cool, but the male was noticeably leaning into Jason’s space.

‘Ah, yeah that might do it,’ Jason agreed drily.

‘I take it we won then?’ he added with a slight grin.

‘Honestly? No fucking clue. Think so seeing as we were able to come back here in one piece, but they are still trying to work out just how many we lost,’ Damon growled.

‘Damn,’ Jason sighed.

‘There was an attack on the stronghold whilst we were away,’ Damon added.

‘The king thought as much. It’s why he left Gabe and Garret in charge. Do they still live?’ Jason asked in a tired voice.

‘Gabe came to see us when we landed. Not sure about Garret. It’s fucking chaos out there. Most of the dragons that returned came back without collars. It’s causing a great deal of tension between the humans,’ Damon explained gruffly. Jason sighed. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the lumpy pillow. He was still for so long that Lune was starting to wonder if he had fallen back asleep.

Then his eyes opened, and his slightly glazed stare swept over to Lune.

‘Your collar is gone too,’ he observed.

Lune glared at him. ‘You’re an idiot.’

Jason blinked owlishly. ‘You told him?’ Jason asked Damon. Damon nodded.

‘And you still came back?’ Jason whispered.

Lune scowled, his cheeks turning red. ‘Of course I did. You’re both my mates,’ he said.

Jason’s smile could chase away the doom and gloom in the air. ‘Just wait until I’m well again. I’m going to show you how much that means to me,’ he promised, eyes sharpening.

‘Well then hurry up and get better. This place gives me the creeps,’ Lune snapped. The other two laughed weakly. They would have to wait awhile for answers, but at least they were together.

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END

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