The Bond (Book 2) (23 page)

Why?

It’s my fault. He left because I didn’t do anything after my stupid words in front of them. He said he thought the leader of the dragonlinked would have done something. Why would he think that I was the leader?

You and I were the first bonded. We are all that is here. It is not beyond reason for someone to think that.

I guess. But I don’t think I want to be leader. I’m a terrible dragonlinked as it is. I failed at using combat magic with that last nahual, I ruined our chances at getting dragons from House Yaot, and now I’ve chased off Fillion and probably Liara. I would make a terrible leader.

Stop it. You are training with Master Doronal to do better with fighting spells. You used that training while we were in House Yaot.

And look what that got us!

I said stop it. Do not blame yourself for everything. What happened at House Yaot was not your fault alone. And we actually succeeded. Nenet is proof of that.

I suppose.

Still, Aeron could only blame himself for Fillion leaving. And for Liara. She’d probably given up, too.

What else would he ruin?

“Father? What are you doing here?”

She was so beautiful. He and Martha must have had Ulthis’s own luck in her creation. His wife was pretty enough, but he was beyond plain. Somehow, Violet had been born to them.

“I just wanted to drop by and say hello to my baby girl.”

“Daaa-aad.”

She looked so embarrassed. The blush and her expression were the same as when she really had been a little girl. He forced himself not to wrap his arms around her in a massive hug.

“I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Oh, Vi. You’ll always be my baby.”

The lines between her brows faded. “And you’ll always be my daddy. Still, I’m not supposed to have visitors.” She looked around the lobby of the hotel before turning back to him. “Now, unless you need information or are booking a room, scuttle off, and I’ll meet you for lunch like we planned.”

He smiled. “Alright. I’ll see you then, sweetheart.”

With Martha’s passing, Violet was all he had left. She’d done well at The Whispering Boughs, arguably Delcimaar’s best hotel, and was now the assistant host. Her self-reliance made him incredibly proud.

She returned to the welcome counter. The wallpaper on the wall behind her was dark blue, with little diamond shapes in silver.

He ground his teeth and made for the entrance.

Someone had sat in this lobby. Someone had sat here long enough, watched Vi long enough, to create that sketch, capturing her face and expression perfectly. And in the background of the drawing, a blue expanse with silver diamonds. From the inner pocket of his coat, the letter and sketch pressed against his chest.

Whoever had sent the letter was a bastard. And a well-informed bastard at that. Whoever it was knew he worked for the Bureau of Business Affairs, knew he had a daughter and where she worked, and knew exactly how to get him to do what they wanted.

He thought on it the entire carriage ride back to work, but he couldn’t think of a way to get out of it. The letter was post-marked here in Delcimaar. That meant the sender could very well be watching him.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning, Milly. I understand there is an application from a Lord Baronel and another from a Lady Rora. Could you bring me those files?”

+ + + + +

I do not wish to stay here.
Xochi adopted her stubborn stance: sitting on her haunches, forepaws planted on the ground in front of her.

To Renata, the young dragon looked like a cat, head raised, aloof. The similarity was lessened somewhat with Xochi staring to the side, away from her bond-mate, pouting.

Renata sighed.
Sweetling, how far away can you sense animals and people?

A quick glance at her, then away.
You said it was called a mile.

Yes. Just over a mile or so.

One of Xochi’s ears turned toward her. After a moment, sparkling, gold eyes did as well. Stubborn though the dragon might be, her curiosity was stronger.
Why?

Because, love of my life, I set up this camp just beyond that range.

Which is why I will not be able to sense what is happening to you if I stay here!

And neither will Anaya be able to sense you.

Xochi blinked.

We have to assume she has the same abilities you do, sweetling. That is why I rode ahead the last few days, remember?

I forgot.

Like you, she can probably sense animals and people. I just hope that that her range is the same as yours.

Xochi lay down, chin resting on her forepaws. Once she saw the logic of something, she accepted it.
I am going to hate not knowing what is happening. We have searched for them for so long, and now you are going to meet them alone.

Renata understood her bond-mate’s feelings. Just about a month had passed since they’d left the caves. Their journey was now nearly complete. Even so, she wanted to be cautious.

We do not know what his reaction will be. I want to meet him, meet them both, see what kind of people they are before I tell them about us.

Everyone you talked to recently said he was a nice person.

That’s true.

Xochi let out a pleading whine.
Then let me go with you. I can protect you from them if I need to.

Please, sweetling. We’ve been looking for almost a month. We can take a few days to be sure the tales and rumors are true before we risk our true selves.

I want to be with you when you go. I want to know what happens.

Silly, I’ll be able to tell you what’s happening. We have yet to discover a distance where we cannot speak to each other.

Xochi lifted her head.
That is true.
The dragon’s gaze locked on Renata.
You must tell me everything.

Laughing, she said,
Of course.

The laughter didn’t last long, however. She was too nervous for that.

Might as well get ready, she thought.

It had taken a little over an hour to set up camp once they arrived. Knowing they were close, Renata had ridden ahead of Xochi the last couple of days. And last night, she’d found it. Caer Baronel.

The settlement looked like a little constellation of stars amongst the trees, a pocket of light at the north end of the large valley. She’d spied it after topping a line of hills. Miles to the east was another smaller glow, but she was sure this one, the big one, was their destination. And now, she was finally going to meet the dragon boy, Aeron.

She threw the last item into her backpack and turned to Xochi.
Be patient, sweetling. I will let you know what goes on.

If you need me, let me know. I can be there in moments.

I will, love.
She stroked Xochi’s cheek and gave her a loving pat on the neck.

After mounting up, she lead Muffin to Caer Baronel.

+ + + + +

Aeron felt a little uncomfortable walking with Jessip to the dragon stables after lunch. Everyone else had returned to their craft halls to complete their chores. That left him alone with the older boy.

It had been exactly three weeks since the night Aeron said those words. And it had been just over a week since Liara and Fillion had stopped attending lessons. Master Doronal and Master Canneth had taken their absence in stride.

“
Having a few drop out is not surprising,” Master Doronal said. “Once applicants get a better feel for what is expected, some will change their minds and withdraw.”

Upon hearing that, Sharrah had turned to Aeron. Her stare was unnerving.

Now, as if sensing his unease and the reason for it, Jessip said, “It’s a shame about Liara and Fillion. It looks like they’ve really decided that dragonlinked training isn’t for them.”

Aeron glanced at him. “At one time, I thought you a bully and a dick,” he murmured, “but I never once took you for an idiot.”

Jessip chuckled. “I was trying to be nice.”

With a sigh, Aeron said, “While I appreciate the effort, it doesn’t change what happened.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Side-stepping a pile of horse dirt, Jessip said, “But let me ask you this: Are you upset because of what you said, or are you upset that we heard it?”

Aeron twisted his mouth as he thought about it. He was angry with himself because he’d said those things, because he’d felt that way. But
 . . . if he was completely honest, he was more angry that they’d been there to hear it.

“
Gods, maybe Liara was right. Maybe I am a selfish, greedy, liar who only—”

Jessip laughed. “Not a pleasant thought, is it?”

Gritting his teeth, Aeron shook his head.

“
Why were you angry we were there to hear it?”

“
Well, it was embarrassing, for one.”

“
Why?”

“
Why? Because you all heard me being an ass.”

“
So? What does that matter?”

Aeron stared at Jessip. Was he completely thick-headed? “If they hadn’t heard me, Liara and Fillion would still be here.”

Jessip nodded. “Probably. But that wouldn’t have made you feel embarrassed at the time—you didn’t know they were going to leave. So. Why were you embarrassed that we heard you?”

Aeron frowned. “Yrdra’s tits, why does it matter?”

Jessip stopped walking and grabbed his arm. “Why were you embarrassed?”

Surprised, Aeron tried to shake Jessip off. “Let go of me.” The older boy’s grip was too strong, however. Aeron couldn’t pull his arm free.

Jessip stared at him. “Why were you embarrassed?”

Nothing Aeron tried helped, so he finally stopped struggling. “Gods dammit! I didn’t want you guys to think of me as a horrible person, alright?”

Jessip released him. Pointing at a driver on a passing carriage, he asked, “If that guy thought you were an ass, would it matter?”

Aeron glanced up at the young man. Confused, he said, “No.”

Jessip pointed at a passing woman. “How about her?”

“
No. What’s your point? I don’t know them. I don’t care about them, so why would it matter what they think?”

A smile spread across Jessip’s face. “Exactly. You aren’t a selfish, greedy liar who only thinks about yourself. If you didn’t care about us, you wouldn’t have been embarrassed by what we saw, what we heard.”

Aeron stared at him.

“
If you didn’t care about us, what happened wouldn’t have been eating away at you these last few weeks.” Jessip started walking again.

Catching up to him, Aeron murmured, “I never thought of it that way.”

“I, of all people, know that we can think things, say things, and do things we are not proud of. But those things don’t necessarily define us.”

Jessip’s brows furrowed. “I never apologized for being such an enormous pile of horseshit to you all those times. I really am sorry for all of that.”

“I knew you felt bad about it, by what you did and said later.”

Jessip nodded as they walked along. “Words and deeds can make a difference.” He glanced at Aeron. “Liara and Fillion left before you had time for your own. They seemed more
 . . . attached to you. Perhaps they expected something sooner.”

A grunt was all Aeron could manage.

“Even so, it’s never too late, you know.”

+ + + + +

Renata went over the story again in her mind. She wanted to be prepared with a reasonable explanation as to why she was looking for Aeron, why she wanted entry to Caer Baronel.

She’d learned that caers were like fortified villages, enclosed in walls for protection. From what she’d seen at a distance, it was true. There was definitely a high wall surrounding the place. She’d also spied what appeared to be guards patrolling the tops of the walls and standing at the gates. Now that she approached one such gate, she saw that there were indeed guards. Well, one on the ground here, at any rate.

“Afternoon, miss.”

He seemed pleasant enough. “Good afternoon, sir.”

“Oh, no need to call me sir, miss. Can I ask your business in Caer Baronel?”

Here we go, she thought. “I’ve heard tell of a boy, Aeron. My unc—”

“Oh! Come to see our Aeron, have you?”

“I, ah, yes.”

“We’re very proud of him and Anaya. Well, if you follow this street . . .”

Less than two minutes later, she rode through the walled community, bemused. They didn’t appear to be very concerned here with who entered or left. Not anything like the Order.

All that effort on a story, wasted. Ah well, at least she was here now, on her way to see the dragon boy. And the dragon.

The guard was surprisingly helpful. I’m inside now, on the way to the boy.

I am so excited! What is it like? Are the people scary?

There were more people about than she had expected. There was no real reason there should have been fewer, but in her mind, a caer had sounded more military, so she had expected more soldiers or something.

This was not a military community. It was just like the other places in the region, if not a bit more civilized. And by that she meant the streets were paved, most of the buildings were of stone, and she’d even seen a carriage pass by. Oh, and the cobbled roads were lined with street lamps! She’d seen one or two in a few of the larger towns and villages she’d passed through on the way here, but never this many. The people themselves seemed to be in good humor, and appeared to be of several professions, based on their dress.

It seems like a nice place. The people look happy.

That is promising.

Yes, it is.

These looked like the buildings the guard had described. She took Muffin to the horse stables he’d mentioned, and gave the stable girl a small tip to take extra good care of the mare. The girl smiled and curtsied before leading Muffin away.