Tears of War (4 page)

Love. Unconditional, irrevocable, all-consuming love washed over and filled her soul until she wept with the sweetness of it. On her hands and knees, Anevay sobbed as tears flowed freely down her face. She raised her eyes. A bright yellow draclet, the size of a small pony, gazed back, her dark eyes filled with the love Anevay felt inside.

In an awkward, uncoordinated movement, the yellow haphazardly folded her damp, leathery wings. Large pieces of yellow shell lay scattered across the floor. Anevay climbed to her feet and scrubbed away the tears. More rolled down her cheeks in their place. The yellow reached her wedge-shaped face toward her. A sense of intense hunger rolled off the draclet. Anevay looked around.

Bardeck smiled at her from where he stood near the exit hall, his eyes full of happiness. “Somehow, I knew one day an egg would call you.”

She sniffed and wiped at the tears again. “I’m so glad she did. I’ve read it about it, heard about it, but nothing can prepare…”

His smile grew wider. “No, nothing can prepare you. Not fully. Are you ready to take her out to eat and meet the other dragons and riders?”

Anevay nodded and followed him as he stepped into the hall. The yellow walked by her side as they moved down the long hall that gently curved up. And then they were at the door, where just over an hour before she’d stood on the other side.

When they stepped out onto the green grass of the caldera floor, they were greeted by the others. Dragons lined up on one side, their riders on the other. The yellow stopped and gazed up at the adult dragons. Nydara lowered her silver head to touch noses with her first daughter. Tellnox, his green scales bright in the pearly light of early morning, gazed down at the draclet with pride in his silver eyes.

The riders, her closest friends, smiled at her but stepped back to allow room for her to lead the yellow past. As soon as the draclet smelled the freshly killed carcasses, she abandoned Anevay in her rush to eat. Her razor-like teeth sliced through hair and hide to the meat below.

Anevay turned tear-filled eyes on her friends. Maleena smiled, joy radiating from her. “I’m so happy for you, Anevay.”

Mckale wrapped her in a hug, his silver eyes full of warmth and happiness. “Welcome to the ranks of Guardians, Anevay.”

Vaddoc, his amber eyes catching the morning light, hugged and welcomed her. Kirynn, her long red braid hanging to the back of her thighs, gave her a brief but welcoming hug as well. Serena, her face radiant with delight, threw a tight hug around her. “Not only a Healing sister, but also a rider sister.”

Taela gave her a fierce hug as well. “You have no idea how happy I am.”

Kellinar stepped forward, the beads at the ends of his pale blond braids clicking together and his ice-blue eyes sparkling. “It couldn’t have happened to a better person.” He enfolded both of them in his hug.

The morning came alive with bright, luminescent threads. Thousands of them flowed out from Anevay. More flowed out from Kellinar and still more from Taela. The threads reached out toward each other, weaving themselves tight. Weaving the three of them together.

Anevay only stood and gaped. As the last thread wove tight, they faded and were gone. Her eyes flickered between Taela and Kellinar. Maleena stood with her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. Anevay couldn’t tell if the tiny woman was shocked, or desperately trying to keep from laughing. When Maleena turned and buried her face in Mckale’s chest with muffled choking sounds coming from her throat, Anevay strongly suspected the latter.

She looked around at the others. Kirynn made no secret of her amusement. She laughed so hard she doubled over, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. She hung on to Vaddoc for support. Vaddoc’s face held a bemused look as his eyes shifted between the three of them.

Serena ran her hands through her short, dark, spiky hair. Her blue eyes were pinned on Kellinar as if she tried to determine if this was somehow his fault, though her mouth twitched into a smile.

“Well.” Emallya stepped forward. “That was unexpected.”

“Unexpected?” The word sounded so mild compared to the shock driving Anevay’s mind into confusion.

“Oh, Anevay!” Taela’s voice held no animosity. In fact, new tears swam in her eyes as she hugged her again. “We are bondsisters.”

Kellinar shook his head. “Two of them?” His voice rose a little. “What, in the name of the Fates, am I supposed to do with two of them?”

“Well,” Kirynn said between gasps of laughter, “I’m sure you can think of one or two things.”

Kellinar glared at her, but his lips twitched. “You know what I mean.”

Bardeck smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “I have been bondmated to bondsisters. It isn’t always easy, but you will find it as comfortable as a pair-bond.”

Anevay took a deep breath as Taela stepped back. “Are you angry, Kellinar?”

His face relaxed and his rich blue eyes softened. “No, Anevay. Not angry. Confused. Why would I be angry when I’ve been fortunate enough to be bonded to the only other woman, besides Taela, I could possibly love.”

Warmth flooded through her. He loved her. She’d always loved him but assumed with Taela as a bondmate, it wasn’t possible for them to be together. It was no secret Kellinar loved Taela with his whole heart. Now she was part of that. Emallya and Bardeck had been part of a tri-bond, but Emallya’s bondsister had died five hundred years ago. Anevay had never seen such a bond in real life. She studied Taela’s face. How would Taela feel about a shared bond?

Taela smiled as if she read her thoughts, which she probably had. “It is like the bond with our dragons. At first, you feel there is no room for anymore love. Then you find your bondmate, and the love expands to include him and his dragon.” She looked fondly up at the blue dragon. “All I feel now is another expansion of love to include you and your dragon. We are bondsisters. Like twins that should never have been separated.”

The yellow draclet finally finished stuffing herself full. Her questioning look pulled Anevay from her shock.
“You must bathe away the blood, Latia.”

The yellow swung her wedge-shaped head toward the water. To encourage her, the adult dragons all splashed into the lake, their antics sloshing water well up into the grass around the shore. Latia ran for the water in an ungainly waddle. The older dragons settled to allow the youngster to accustom herself to her new environment without sloshing her around. Tellnox and Nydara watched her protectively.

Anevay watched the little yellow play with the older dragons. Her heart felt like it would burst. Even in her play, Latia’s emotions and thoughts were turned to her rider. Love flowed back and forth between them. The adults were beautiful but nothing in the world was so perfectly gorgeous as Latia.

The swim over, her scales cleaned of the blood from her feeding, the draclet waded to shore and walked to Anevay’s side. She yawned, exposing her dagger-like teeth.
“Can I sleep now?”

Anevay smiled.
“Of course you may, love.”
She turned toward Bardeck. “Latia wants to sleep now.” Her eyes traveled up the rock wall of the rim to the broad ledge that fronted the lair Taela and Kellinar shared with their dragons. How was that going to work? She shook her head, that would be worked out later. It would be months before Latia could fly.

Bardeck pointed to the lower caves, no more than six feet off the ground with wide steps leading to them. “Choose your lair, little Latia.”

The draclet waddled forward, folding her leathery wings haphazardly over her back. She disappeared into one of the caves. Anxiety filled Anevay. She couldn’t see the draclet in the dark lair. She started for the steps.

Kirynn beat her there. “Allow me.” Every lamp in the lair and the sleeping quarters through the small door at the back flared to life.

“I could have set orbs,” Vaddoc said, walking up and putting his arm around Kirynn’s waist.

Kirynn shook her head. “She can’t put the orbs out when she is ready. This way she can turn the lamps down or blow them out if she wishes.”

“Thank you, Kirynn. You too, Vaddoc, for the offer,” Anevay said, her eyes on the draclet. Latia lay curled around, her head tucked beneath one wing, already sound asleep.

Kellinar and Taela walked into the lair. His arm around Taela, he looked uncertainly at Anevay as if unsure how to proceed. She didn’t blame him. What were they supposed to do now?

Taela’s smile was reassuring. “It is best if you sleep alone with your dragon until she is ready to join our dragons in their lair. This is your time to bond.”

Kellinar nodded. “Even Maleena and Mckale didn’t share a lair until their dragons could fly. We may be bondmates now, but that doesn’t negate what you and your dragon need now. And what you need is to be alone together.”

Anevay smiled, relief washing through her. Kellinar was right. They may be bondmates, but all she felt was the need to be with Latia. A servant bustled in and began arranging thick bedding and blankets on the sleeping bench inside the lair.

Anevay glanced through the door to the sleeping chamber. A wide, comfortable bed dominated the room. It didn’t appeal to her. Someday, she would sleep in a bed in a bedchamber. But not now. Now, she needed to be closer than that to the little yellow. Kirynn smiled at her again as she and Vaddoc left. Maleena offered soft words of congratulations and then she left with Mckale at her side.

Serena gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you are a rider now.” She glanced at Kellinar again. Suppressing a smile, she left. Bardeck and Emallya once more offered her a warm welcome to the ranks of riders before leaving.

Only Taela and Kellinar remained. “We can stay with you if you like,” Taela offered.

Anevay shook her head. “No, I really didn’t sleep much last night and I’m almost too tired to think straight. You two go ahead and get something to eat. I can tell you are both hungry.”

Kellinar hugged her. “If I have to be part of a tri-bond, I’m glad it was you.”

She smiled back. Then they too were gone and she stood alone in the lair. Her eyes rested briefly on the yellow again. Happiness nearly overwhelmed her. She blinked back tears and moved into the bedchamber to blow out the lamps. Back in the lair, she put out all but one lamp and settled down on the sleeping bench. She stared at the draclet curled against the far wall until sleep took her.

M
aleena stood in her bedchamber, working her long chestnut hair into a braid that began at the crown of her head. Mckale watched her from the doorway to the lair. “I don’t know how you can do that without seeing what goes where.”

She shrugged and smiled. “Practice.”

After securing the end with a leather thong she reached to pull on her dress. The wide scars on her left arm stood out against her pale skin. More of the same ran across her back. A permanent reminder of her time in the Kormai.

The sleeves of the dress covered most of them although she didn’t make a special effort to cover them up. They were a part of what made her who she was. Maleena wasn’t ashamed of them. She’d gained the scars, but her captors had gained nothing. They were a badge of her own strength.

Her hands froze on the last button of the dress. Fear. No, not fear. Terror. Mckale’s shield usually kept the emotions of others at bay. Only a strong emotion could break through and this felt so strong she could almost taste it.

Mckale was in front of her in a few steps. He placed his hands gently on either side of her face, his silver eyes on hers. “Maleena, what is it?”