Dragon Bound

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Chapter Eight

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The silence was deeply unsettling to the five people seated at the massive round table. It had been ten minutes since Jason had told the Sun King he did not want Lune to be a riding dragon. Ten minutes of the heaviest, tensest and most blood pounding silence he had ever experienced. The king’s eyes flashed.

‘He is large enough to ride,’ the king stated. Jason nodded, clearing his throat as the man’s eyes narrowed towards him.

‘He is,’ Jason admitted.

‘Then why would I allow you to waste him as a strike dragon?’ the king asked. The gold and polished bone of his headpiece glinted in the light as he tipped his head. Jason tried to work around his own dry throat.

‘It sounds to me as though you can’t be bothered training him. I get he’s a pretty thing to look at but sometimes a dragon needs a hard hand,’ Sir Dane added matter-of-factly. He was the neutral third party, so to speak. Usually, Jason got along fine with the older man though on this topic, he really didn’t need to hear what the other knight thought.

‘This isn’t about marking him up,’ Jason growled. ‘This is about the opportunity to have him tamed and willing by his own choice.’

Dane snorted indignantly. ‘His own choice?’ he said, amusement colouring his tone.

Jason nodded stoutly. ‘We may strive for perfection but none of us can claim to have never made mistakes. Would your dragon save your life if you were struck from the saddle mid-flight?’ Jason posed the question with a meaningful look at the woman standing behind Dane.

The woman was a tall muscular figure, her blazing magenta hair and cat eyes giving her away for not human. She had many battle scars just as her master had battle scars. For all his drinking, boasting, and taunting, Dane cared for his filly. The other knight gave an annoyed grunt. ‘Aye. She would,’ he said, already knowing where this was going.

‘Do you think Sir Kyril’s dragon would do the same for him?’ Jason asked, treading into dangerous territory. The king’s eyes narrowed but Dane still answered.

‘No,’ he said simply.

‘Lune wants to be here. He wants to be mine, just not as a riding dragon,’ Jason insisted.

’He is an animal. What he wants is irrelevant,’ Amara said from her seat.

Jason looked to the king. ’He will fight for you sire. He will fight for this kingdom. I’m not even convinced he would be able to manoeuvre and fight the way he does with the added saddle and weight. His wing structure is so different to any other species in the stable. We haven’t even been able to fit him with a proper saddle,’ Jason urged.

The king glanced over at the forge master. ‘Your thoughts on this?’ the king murmured.

Gabe was silent for a long moment. ‘The dragon has a good temperament. Quiet and curious. I’ve seen many young riders use force to make their mounts bend and to that end, I’m not sure such an approach would work with Lune. The beast would rather shut down and accept pain than be forced into action. He has bonded with Damon though, that much is obvious,’ the old man said, scratching at an old arrow wound on one shoulder.

‘Bring him to me and I will make a decision.’ The silence settled back in, thick and unwelcome as a lightning strike. Jason bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

‘Sire, he isn’t-’

‘That was not a request to be subjected to your opinion. Tomorrow night.’ The king’s voice was like the desert sun, utterly unforgiving and unnegotiable. Jason bowed his head. He could feel Damon’s tension radiating down his own spine. Painful, and constant.

‘Yes sire.’ He agreed because, really, what else could he do?

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Lune let out a loud huff and stuck his snout into the crack under the stall door. The day had been horrendously dull. He had woken early to find Damon leaving with Jason. Neither of them said where they were going, just that they would be back.

The spring air had become muggy and hot as the day went on and he could taste the spring storm on the air. He had considered napping in the oppressive heat of the mid-morning, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. It wasn’t the sensation of being watched as such, just a general sense of ill will. Just once, he thought he smelt something strange. It was like bitter herbs, cloying and strong but then it was gone on the next blast of hot wind.

By the afternoon it had started to rain. Lune wanted Damon to come back. He wanted to go outside and play. He didn’t think Damon would like to play in the rain, but he was sure, or at least, pretty sure that he could have convinced Damon to play with him. He wanted to stretch out his wings and soak the feathers in the cooling water. But no, instead he was stuck inside with nothing to do.

Lune was confused when his two captors finally came back to him. He had expected to be dragged from the stable and brought up to Jason’s room for the evening meal and stories. In all honesty, he was rather looking forward to it. The day had been atrociously boring without them. Even Jason’s apprentice and the forge master had not come to pay him a visit.

When they did finally come to see him after the meagre water parched sun had slunk behind the hills, it was with almost desperately sombre expressions.

Lune’s tail feathers fluffed out in nervousness. Lilac eyes looked from one face to another. The happy warble he had given at the sight of them turned to a low growl. Jason smiled wearily. Lune was so sensitive to their moods.

‘It’s alright. Come here darling,’ the rider murmured. Lune came closer but slowly as though he expected the cobblestone floor to fall out from under his claws. He timidly reached out his snout for Jason’s warm pat.

‘Sorry to leave you cooped up for so long. Would you like a bath, or would you like something to eat?’ Jason murmured, stroking the glittering snow white scales. Lune huffed with concern. He knew something was wrong.

‘We’ll tell you later,’ Damon said. He wasn’t looking at Lune. For an utterly ridiculous moment, Lune missed Damon’s eyes on him. Something had the black dragon distracted and Lune wanted to know what. In an effort to find out he thought, food. Jason smiled wearily.

The orange smog crept into the stall. It made Lune shudder, a heady mixture of dread and disgust filtering through him. Somehow, he didn’t think that feeling would ever fade even if he did always stay by their sides. The human form was unnatural for dragons. It didn’t matter if he was made to transform every day, that unnatural feeling would always be there.

‘Tell me what’s wrong,’ Lune demanded as soon as the world had stopped rocking. Jason took him by the hand and led him out of the stall and up the corridor.

‘I will, but not out here,’ Jason said.

‘Is it because you feel strange out here too?’ Lune wondered out loud.

Jason looked back at him with a frown. ‘What do you mean?’ the rider asked.

White hair tumbled over slender shoulders as Lune shrugged. ‘It is uncomfortable out here. Something isn’t right with the world. I felt it since this morning,’ he answered. Jason looked at Damon. Damon looked just as confused as his human partner.

‘I feel nothing,’ Damon said, baffled.

‘Really?’ Lune looked at them both with just as much confusion as they looked at him.

‘Come,’ Jason said gently, sweeping back Lune’s long hair.

‘We need to feed you.’ Lune gave a little smile and allowed himself to be escorted away, grateful for the company. As they ascended the stairs, he felt a wave of relief. That slinking creeping feeling didn’t follow him out of the stable.

The little trio was subdued when they reached Jason’s quarters. Jason himself stood by the crystal windows, staring out at the miserable-looking sky through the diamond patterning. Damon was oddly clingy too. When Lune went to sit on the fur rug by the fireplace, Damon came too, pulling Lune into his lap despite the angry yelps it got him.

Lune said Jason’s name three times before the man finally turned around to look at him.

‘What’s wrong?’ Lune barked, smacking Damon’s hand away from his waist. The rider seemed to deflate. He crossed the room to the timber table that held the usual platters of food. He spooned a fish and coconut milk soup into a bowl and carried it over to his white dragon.

‘I spoke with the king. I raised a case to have you moved from a rider dragon to a strike dragon,’ he said. Seeing Lune’s look of puzzlement, he went on. ‘Strike dragon are usually much smaller breeds. Needlewings and Agudo dragons that don’t grow any bigger than ponies but are fast and can do a lot of damage. If a squad has five large riding dragons, they normally take along two or three strike dragons. Think of it like taking hounds on a hunt or attack dogs in a war.’ Jason said with a wince. The description was offensive and not particularly flattering but it was the best way he could describe it.

Lune held his soup bowl, his eyes wide. ‘And these dragons are not ridden by humans?’ Lune asked, his voice painfully hopeful.

‘Correct. They are too small to be ridden.’ Jason murmured.

Lune’s face split in a gorgeous smile. ‘I can be a strike dragon!’ Lune said excitedly. He looked from Jason’s solemn face to Damon’s and his grin ebbed away.

‘It’s not that simple. There are strict rules about how large strike dragons can be. If they aren’t well trained or small enough, then they get in the way if a battle should occur. An invading force will go for a large riderless dragon first. You’re on the border. Really, you would normally be considered too big,’ Jason sighed. Damon gave a low growl.

‘There is also the issue that riders don’t consider strike dragons as important. If they are hunting an invader and the strike dragon gets in the way, they won’t hesitate to shoot through it to reach the target.’ Lune spun around in Damon’s lap, nearly splashing them both with hot soup.

‘What!?’ Lune’s voice was filled with disgust. He glared over at Jason.

‘We aren’t dogs or horses or any other kind of your dumbed domestic beasts! We are not cannon fodder for your human wars!’ Lune shouted. Throwing the bowl down he wrenched himself from Damon’s grip. They watched him pace with short angry strides, his whole frame vibrating with rage. They watched him awhile. He threw his hands up in frustration.

‘Just when I think I’ve seen or heard the worst, I am mistaken. How can you treat us so differently!? How can one dragon be considered worthless in comparison to another!?’ Lune shouted. His pale cheeks were pink.

‘It’s not that surprising. Human can’t even get along with each other most times if they don’t have the same skin colour,’ Damon muttered. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘You aren’t helping Damon,’ Jason growled.

‘Your species is ridiculous!’ Lune barked.

‘You may have mentioned that before,’ Jason replied dryly. More pacing. More muttering.

‘The king hasn’t made a decision yet. He wants us to bring you to him tomorrow. After the meeting he will decide.’ The rider sat down, looking worn out. Lune stomped back over the rug and sat down again, legs splayed. He picked up his bowl of cold soup.

‘It will be our only chance to argue your case,’ Jason stressed, and Lune angrily prodded at a piece of fish. He seemed to be thinking hard.

‘Alright.’ Lune muttered finally.

Jason sighed. ‘Please close your legs and sit properly.’ Jason growled.

Lune looked up at him and glared. ‘If I sit with perfect human posture, will he forget I’m a dragon?’ Lune sniped. Damon groaned.

‘No, but you need to make a good impression,’ Jason tried to stress. This earnt him a narrowing of those lilac eyes.

‘You think if I bow my head, braid my hair and drink from a cup with one finger out that he or any other human will think I’m less of a savage?’ Lune sneered. ‘I am what I am. I don’t care that your race will never see that,’ he snapped.

‘I don’t think of you like that,’ Jason murmured. Some of the waspish anger eased away. Jason looked so tired, so miserable that Lune couldn’t quite hold on to all of his indignant annoyance. The white dragon stood up and padded over to him. Jason gave him a small weak smile and stroked his cheek.

‘I will do my best to stand up for you, Lune. You know that. Just, please, try not it make it more difficult.’

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Jason stood at the door to the king’s inner chambers. Lune and Damon were behind him. He tried to calm his own breathing, knowing that his rapid pulse and anxiety would only feed into the two dragons. He was the oldest, the most experienced. He had to keep a level head.

‘Enter,’ came the powerful voice. The gold patterned doors swung heavily on massive hinges. Takara stepped aside to let them pass. Was it Jason’s imagination or did the gold dragon look distinctly worried?

The Sun King stood by one of the arched windows, the red stained glass giving him an eerie cast. He turned as they approached. Jason dropped to one knee. For half a heartbeat he worried that Lune wouldn’t do the same but as Damon went down, Lune went with him.

‘So. You brought him,’ the king mused. Jason wasn’t exactly sure what to say to this, so he just kept his head bowed. There wasn’t any doubt that he would have brought Lune. To disobey a direct order from the king was to invite a punishment worse than death.

‘Come.’

The trio stood uneasily and moved into the centre of the massive room. Lune stared around, his eyes wide. He had never believed that humans could create such incredible places or things. The walls were spirals of sculpted iridescent marble, the drapes a magnificent weave of blood red, orange, and gold. Everything from the furniture to the delicately woven tapestries glittered.

‘Lune.’ The sound of his name coming from the lips of the sun devil made the hair on the back of Lune’s arms stand up. Everything in him had a deep instinctive fear of this human in front of him. His scent was of powerful magic. It burnt the inside of his nostrils and bit at the corners of his eyes.

‘My knight tells me that you wish to stay here and serve me,’ the Sun King purred. Jason flinched as Lune straightened.

‘Is that a statement you want me to affirm?’ Lune growled. Jason sent him a sharp look which he ignored.

The king smirked. ‘It is.’ Lune rocked on his feet. He did want to stay. More accurately he wanted to stay with Damon and Jason.

‘The idea of helping humans enslave my own kind to fight your wars and defend your possessions disgusts every part of me,’ Lune said coldly. Damon made a strangled noise somewhere beside him. He didn’t look at him.

‘The suggestion that you rank my kind as lesser beings than yourselves disgusts me,’ Lune continued. He tilted his chin up. The Sun King towered over him, but so did every human Lune had met so far. He wouldn’t, couldn’t back away from this man.

‘The realisation that you would sacrifice dragons without a second thought to defend yourselves disgusts me.’ The king cocked his head to one side. His face gave nothing away.

‘But that isn’t what you asked me,’ Lune growled.

The king’s face broke into a crooked smile. ‘No, it isn’t,’ the ruler agreed. Lune took a slow breath.

‘I don’t want to defend you. I don’t even think you need defending but if it means I can stay with Damon and Jason then… I will,’ he said finally.

‘You wish to stay with your mate,’ the king said, nodding thoughtfully.

Jason blinked. ‘But… but they haven’t even mated yet,’ he croaked, sounding a little dumbstruck.

The king gave a snort. ‘Damon may not have bred the Kagame yet, but they are mated. It would be obvious to a blind man,’ the king said dryly. Jason’s face flushed a little. Lune dared a glance over at Damon. The black-haired dragon was standing rigidly.

‘You are wrong, however,’ the king went on.

Lune frowned. ‘How so?’ he asked.

The king poured himself a goblet of red wine and sipped. ‘I have never believed dragons to be lesser beings. On the contrary, their power and prowess are the reason why humans first sought to capture them. You did not need us, we needed you. The capture of a dragon is cause of great celebration. The taming of dragons is considered the highest form of skill and art. You consider it enslavement. I consider it elevation,’ the king said as he stared into his cup.

‘Do you have any idea how arrogant that sounds? Elevation? I have a collar around my neck!’ Lune shouted, losing his cool. Jason’s hand came down on his shoulder in warming.

‘Lune,’ Jason growled.

‘He is undisciplined, raw. The real question comes down to how his behaviour will affect the other dragons in my stable,’ the king murmured, more to himself than his gathered watchers. ‘Is he worth the risk of keeping?’ he asked. Lune tensed. He had the distinct impression that if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t simply allowed to be free.

‘Perhaps he would be better made use of as breeding stock, spend his days bound to the stocks and milked daily for the chance to breed a newer, more domesticated generation.’ Lune’s whole body went cold. Disbelief, horror, and fear welling up inside his chest until it felt as though his lungs were being compressed in iron.

‘Sire, please-’ Damon croaked. He made to take a step forward, but Jason threw his arm out to block him.

‘Be silent,’ Jason snarled. Don’t make this any worse, was the unspoken comment that followed.

‘Ah, yes. And what about you, Damon?’ the king cooed. He turned to face them again. ‘What if you had to choose between your mate and your rider?’ the king’s voice cut like a whip. Jason went completely still. Lune looked over at Damon.

And Damon?

The black dragon shook. He looked from Lune to Jason, his eyes wide with panic and desperation.

‘I…’ he rasped. His hands closed into fists by his sides, the knuckles white and bloodless.

‘I…’ he said again. He seemed to be choking on his words. The king’s face was growing dark. Or was it the whole room that was growing darker? Colder?

‘It would never come to that,’ said a soft voice. They all looked back at Lune. The little white dragon was kneeling, hands in his laps submissively.

‘I know Damon is bound to Jason. If there was a time, he would have to choose between us… I would never have him make that choice. I would make sure he would choose his rider,’ Lune said softly. Damon made an utterly gutted noise from deep in his throat. The king stalked silently towards the white dragon. He tucked a strong hand under the boy’s chin to tilt his face up. Terrifying glittering gold eyes met deep sorrowful lilac. The hand was painful enough to bruise but Lune didn’t draw away. He met that piercing gaze.

‘I see,’ the king said, and it felt like more than just an acknowledgment. ‘Sir Jason,’ he snapped.

Jason straightened up. ‘Yes sire.’

’Your five-month time limit still holds. You have my permission to train him as a strike dragon however Gabe will continue to design saddles until we find one that works. This is a test period. Make sure your dragon is cohesive with the rest of your squad and be ready to take him with you on a future mission. There will be no forgiveness of error,’ the king commanded. He turned away from the trio. He glanced back over his shoulder. ‘Of any kind,’ he clarified.

Jason, apparently dumbstruck, nodded. He bowed so low he nearly toppled over. ‘Yes sire, I understand.’

‘Good. Takara will inform the other knights of the changes. You may go.’ The three scrambled from the palatial quarters, still not quite able to believe what had just transpired but all desperately wanting to put as much distance between themselves and the king as they could.

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END

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