Dragon Bound

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Chapter One

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Jason knelt before his king, head tucked, short bronze hair reflecting the firelight of the surrounding torches. His dragon, Damon, knelt just behind him. The Sun King regarded him with an almost listless expression as his sat on his throne of gold and dragon bone. The king’s dragon was just as grand as the king himself, a powerful and rare gold-scaled beast of incomprehensible beauty, captured as a hatchling from the Desert of Glass far to the west.

The world was full of powerful and ancient creatures. No boat could cross the oceans as the monstrous sea serpents that lived within the black waters could grow larger than any castle. The skies held dragons and the deep mountains held many kinds of things that slithered, burrowed, and ate flesh. It could be said that the human race should have been wiped out over a millennium ago. Perhaps they would have been if not for the few that learnt to wield magic. These humans were able to use their magic to tame the land and its beasts. Most importantly, it allowed them to capture and tame dragons.

With dragons by their sides, the humans were able to rise out of their caves and spread across the lands. They could finally travel the oceans and fight back against the creatures that had hunted them for so long. From these lands, four kingdoms emerged, each with its own ruler. The kingdoms were divided by the vast ocean, the virtually impassable Kaempe Stor Mountain Range, and the Desert of Glass in the west. These parts of the land were not ventured much by humans. Virtually uninhabitable, they were the true wilds.

Jason was but one of the thirty knighted dragon riders of the Sun King. He was young for his station. Most knights owned at least four dragons by the time they were knighted. Jason owned only two and the second was a crippled filly dragon he had rescued from the slaughterhouse. She was for breeding only and couldn’t be used to ride or fight.

It was law that those children gifted with magic be taken in and trained under the watchful eye of the king’s guard. They would go into the forest and tame their first dragon, usually something small like a Thistle Dragon which was no bigger than a carrier pigeon. Leaf Dragons were also popular first choices. Named for their dark green dappled pelt, they stood no taller than a house cat.

Jason however, had chosen neither. He was trained by his father, a dragon knight himself. He had studied in his father’s stable. It was unorthodox to say the least, but Jason was a particularly gifted student and as he had passed all his magic sigils classes with embarrassing ease, he was permitted to wait. At the age of fifteen, Jason had packed his bag and vanished into the wilds with his fellow riders. His fellow students were sent out to capture their first true riding dragons. Stealing an egg or hatchling from a nest was the easiest way.

Again, for a first riding dragon, most young students chose the more common breeds. Jason was not most students. He stayed in the wilds a full month by himself. He had travelled a long way into the ancient lands. It was on a night with no moon that Jason had found his dragon. Damon was of a spectacular rare breed. His scales were inky black, his eyes, glittering silver. He was a Yoru Dragon, a Night Dragon and they were very seldom seen by living people. The female only ever hatched up to two eggs at a time unlike the other breeds which normally had clutches of nine or ten.

It had taken almost everything Jason had to tame Damon. Damon was just as stubborn and powerful as he was. Many of the older knights had petitioned the king to remove Damon to the care of a more experienced rider but the king had allowed Jason to persist. Broken bones, blood, sweat, and magic bonded the rider to his dragon and Damon was now unquestionably his. No other could touch him. Except the Sun King.

Jason kept his head bowed as he heard the man rise. The hairs on his arm and neck stood on end with the intense magical aura the king permeated. A warm hand slid down the side of his face to cup his chin. Jason’s head was tipped up.

‘I have been so very patient with you, haven’t I?’ the king asked. Jason swallowed. The man was breathtakingly beautiful with his golden skin, hazel eyes, and long neatly braided hair like molten honey. He was also terrifying.

‘Yes, my king,’ Jason breathed.

‘I hope you have come to me with some good news.’ The king’s grip slid to his throat and Jason shivered as the hold tightened a little.

‘Because you are long overdue to claim your second dragon and I grow weary of waiting. Several of your fellow riders have expressed their… distress at your lack of action.’ I bet they have, Jason thought gruffly. Damon, upon hearing his thoughts, gave a quiet amused snort. Jason’s rank was under constant watchful and envious eyes.

‘That is what I have come to ask of you, my king. I wish to beg for my leave. When my squad flies out tomorrow to check on your territory, I wish to leave them and fly on towards the mountains and search for my new dragon.’ Storms were frequent in the early Spring. They could do terrible damage. It was not uncommon for the dragon riders to inspect the farmland and villages. They would make an assessment and bring it back to their king who could then provide aid to those who most needed it. This time in particular though, Jason wasn’t thinking of that. What he was thinking was that the storms could be big enough that some lesser seen species might be out and about. The king smiled knowingly.

‘And how long do you require?’ he purred. Jason hesitated.

‘I am unsure how long it will take my king, I wish to request-’

‘I will give you a month. That is how long it took you to collect Damon.’ The king looked up at Damon. The dark-haired dragon shifted. The magic infused collars that the dragons wore also allowed their riders to force them into a humanoid form. It was this transformation from massive scaly beast to a soft-skinned human that allowed the species to be broken in and trained. Jason dared not argue.

‘Yes, my king,’ he said. The king released him, and he rose, a little unsteady.

‘Oh, and Jason?’ Jason froze mid step, his body tensing. The king hardly ever called him by name.

‘Yes, my king?’ The Sun King struck like a snake, elegant fingers coiling in Jason’s hair and wrenching his head back. He gave a gasp of pain.

‘If, in a month, you return to me empty-handed I will take Damon from you and make you long for a death you will never receive, is that understood?’ Sweat beaded on his brow as he guts twisted with fear.

‘I understand my king. I won’t fail you,’ he croaked.

The Sun King smirked. ‘Oh, I know you won’t.’ The king kissed him firmly, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Jason was then shoved away as though he were of no more importance than a dish boy. Jason straightened his uniform and he and Damon left the courtroom.

He packed lightly. With Damon able to easily bring down large prey and the worst of the storm season finished, he did not need to pack much. He had no need for a flint when he had Damon, and the dragon would be in his massive beast form for the trip, so he only needed clothes for himself.

‘A month isn’t long,’ Damon grumbled, saying what Jason had been thinking. Even as a human, Damon was tall and hulking. Hard well-defined muscles, messy black hair and a finely sculpted angular face, he was all male. He was nearly a foot taller than his human master. Dragons were not necessarily attractive in their humanoid forms, but Damon was certainly that. It was just another reason for the other riders to be envious. He hated clothing and wore no more than black pants and a leather harness across his torso. It wasn’t like the dragon could get cold though the magic of his collar prevented him from summoning his dragon fire unless Jason allowed it.

‘It’s all we’ve got,’ Jason sighed, adding a thick coil of rope to his duffle bag. Despite the time constraint they were both rather excited for the trip. It had been a long time since they had been able to satisfy their wanderlust and leave the king’s city and their squad. Neither Damon nor Jason enjoyed flying in formation though they were, of course, particularly good at it. They had to be.

‘And to think we still have to spend the first half of the trip listening to Estevan and Kyril’s snide-ass comments,’ Damon sneered. Jason nodded.

‘True, but imagine, a whole month before we have to deal with their bitching again,’ Jason added.

‘One of these days your control is going to slip just a little and I might just take advantage and set them and their prissy dragons on fire,’ Damon purred. Jason snorted.

‘Don’t tempt me.’

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Lune pressed himself flat to the little hill of snow he had found. He shifted to get comfortable. Not a single muscle felt good. The last month of Lune’s life had been one unceasing chain of unfortunate events. He had lived deep within the Kaempe Stor Mountains, protected by the thick snow, deep caverns, and unscalable cliffs.

His father had been the leader of a grand harem of filly dragons and young sons. Lune had spent his entire life with his little clan, fishing the deep strong flowing rivers and soaring on the icy wind currents. With the growth of his first nose horns this spring, he was finally marked as coming of age. This spring had also brought a new rival to fight his father.

Lune had seen many dragons challenge his father for territory over the years, but he had never expected what was to come. The challenger had been bigger, younger and of a different breed to Lune and his father. The fight had been bloody and long. The screams and roars of the fighting dragons still woke Lune in his sleep though the battle was long finished, the memory of his father’s broken body imprinted deep in Lune’s subconscious. The sight over the eviscerated body of the white and silver dragon, his throat torn out and wings slashed had sent cold terror through Lune.

The victor had roared his triumph, calling out to his new harem, then he had set his red eyes on Lune. If Lune had been younger, if he had not come of age this year then he would have been permitted to stay. Yes, it would have meant submitting himself to this new alpha, but he could have stayed protected and with his family. Now though, now he was of age and a potential threat. Lune was forced to flee or be killed. A few of his half-brothers had to do the same but none of them looked like Lune.

Lune was the only full-blooded Kagame Dragon in the region aside from his mother and father. His blood was rare. It was also difficult to hide. He understood that his breed’s name meant mirror. His scales were almost luminescent. They were shades of ghostly white and pale silver, like clouds on only the finest of days.

In the depth of snow his kind could hide but out in the forest and craggy mountains, he was exposed. So horribly exposed.

It was still early in the spring and snow still lay on the ground and in the branches of tall trees. He hid as best he could, only travelling late into the night. He had been sleeping in a snow drift when the wind had changed. It was the sharp splatter of hail that had woken him. Confused and startled, he had sat up, his tired wings stretching. The clouds above swirled a sickly purple and green. He had watched with wide lilac eyes as the wind spread over the forest in front of him like a giant crushing wave. The trees shook violently, and Lune was snatched from his outcrop, the wind sending him tumbling into the branches of a nearby pine.

Screeching with shock and panic, Lune took to the air. The full force of the storm hit him. He needed to find shelter, somewhere less exposed. But there was nowhere! All around the sky got darker, the wind stronger and the rain heavier. Every now and then the thundering rain would turn to sharp pieces of ice that cut and bruised him as he flew.

He beat his wings as hard as he could, the sound of the storm drowning out all other noise. Lune was borne on the wind as though he were nothing more than leaf. If there were any other dragons around, he did not see them. Water washed over him, up his nostrils and into his slitted eyes, past his second eyelids. Exhaustion and pain rode him just as hard as the wind and as the world came ever darker around him, Lune became less aware of himself.

When Lune woke, he was quite unsure of where he was. Trees were smashed to pieces around him, and branches lay haphazard in the mess. The world dripped with water and rain still fell from the sky though the storm had moved on. Lune had to move very slowly. His own blood mingled with the slick mud under his claws. He had a deep cut on his flank and another above one eye. Small cuts littered his aching wings and every muscle in his body felt viciously beaten.

Lune limped sluggishly away from his crash site. He needed to be out of the open. The only small conciliation was that he doubted any big predators would be out and about yet, the storm scent still heavy in the air. Up above the wind still howled in the high tree branches. Lune followed the sound of rushing water to a high river. There he had collapsed against a large boulder and drifted into an exhausted sleep.

When he next woke the world had quietened down. He lay for a long time just resting. A herd of spotted deer went by, crossing the foaming water. The clouds were low and heavy but there was sunlight. It filtered down through the trees, warming him. Lune stretched timidly and drank slowly from the river.

Still too weak to hunt he fossicked around the nearby bushes, pulling off and eating any bean pods, flower blooms or berries he found. Most dragons could eat just about anything though he would need meat soon to keep his energy levels up. He groomed the mud from his scales and washed himself in the water. The icy water stung his cuts.

It had taken him most of the day to get out of the forest. He decided to head to the nearby mountains. He was traveling that way when something made him look up. He turned his head into the wind and felt a thrill of horror at the sight of an enormous black dragon in the sky. The dragon was wearing a leather harness and though Lune couldn’t see from below, he was sure the beast carried a rider. Humans seldom came anywhere near the Kaempe Stor Mountains though Lune had flown out before and seen them, tending their rice fields or mobs of lowing white cattle. He knew that humans that rode on dragons could use magic. Every dragon knew this.

Away.

Lune had to get away. But where? It was then that he had seen the patch of snow and had hurried towards it. He lay down and pressed himself as much as he could into the melting snow, praying to the ancients that the white of his body might be disguised from above by the white of the snow.

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Jason and Damon had been flying for over an hour. Three weeks had passed since he had split away from his flight squad. Three weeks of combing the countryside and nothing had taken his interest. He had flown deeper into the wilds to this valley. A storm had swept through it two days ago and the forest floor was strewn with debris. Surely here, so far away from tame lands, he would find his new dragon. They had seen a few uncommon breeds, one rather interesting looking lapis dragon and several common browns but Damon had not even bothered to fly down for a better look. He knew his master was looking for something more spectacular. He felt Jason’s eagerness as well as his impatience. It roiled in his belly like spoilt meat. Damon only felt the thrill of the hunt.

He had been happy to breed the little hell spitting filly dragon his master now owned. Despite her crippling injury he was sure she would have a strong clutch of eggs. Still. He longed for something more. If Damon had grown wild and free, he would have owned a massive harem of fillies by now. He was strong and powerful. It wasn’t natural for him to go on with only one breeding companion.

He beat his wings, catching the wind and soaring higher. The land below was undeniably beautiful. The vegetation was of a deep green. They had fed well on their travels, always able to find a distracted deer and plump wild turkey. The river sparkled in the evening light. It still carried bits of log and branches from higher up.

Snow lay in patches about the valley. He was about to turn back towards their camp when he felt Jason tense in the saddle. The ebony dragon twisted his neck back around to see what had caught his rider’s attention. He began to circle, searching. At first, he thought it was nothing. A trick of the light perhaps, or a strange angle in the rock formation and snow. But what was it really?

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Lune was barely breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut as the massive black shadow fell over him again and again. The beast was circling. They still might leave. But of course, this month was not a kind one.

At that exact moment, the sinking sun broke through the taller branches into a gap. The sun hit him perfectly and his scales lit up, dazzling and beautifully reflective. He felt the sun’s warmth and his eyes snapped open. He turned him head just slightly, seeing with horror that the light fell directly on him. The shadow above faltered and Lune let out a groan of frustration and anguish. The shadow dipped, and Lune sprang into the air.

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‘Damon!’ Jason roared but he need not have said anything. The form of a snow-white dragon leapt from its camouflage. The other dragon was small and young though exactly how young Jason didn’t know. He didn’t recognise the breed. He felt his heart leap inside his chest, adrenaline surging hot in his blood. Damon’s own excitement was like an inferno. Male or female, Jason didn’t care. This dragon would be his.

Damon dove for his prey. To their combined shock the little dragon snapped its wings and curved back on itself at an incredible angle, dodging Damon’s reaching talons. The wild dragon arched around Damon, heading back towards the towering cliffs. If it made it into the caverns, they could very well lose it in the massive labyrinth of caves.

Damon followed fast, his massive wings beating heavily. He was bigger and stronger than the smaller dragon. He could outlast it in the air, but the smaller dragon’s size and agility were a hazardous mix. Twice Damon let out a shriek of excitement, reaching for it and twice, the snow-white beast tucked its wings and vanished with awesome speed.

Through his connection with Damon, Jason became aware of a scent on the wind. Blood. The little dragon was injured. Perhaps that had been why it had chosen the flee instead of fight. Already, it was not turning as fast as it had when it had first dodged Damon’s claws. Turn it toward the ground sigils. Damon swung wide and roared. The little dragon arched away, back towards the valley. For weeks Jason had been laying magic infused sigils traps in open areas in preparation for their hunt. These traps would pull the dragon to the ground. If they could get it close enough.

The nearest trap was still several hundred metres away, in a little clearing. The white dragon tried to turn back towards the mountain again. Damon opened his mouth and Jason let the magic seals fall away. Damon sent a blast of fire towards the other dragon, cutting off its escape. The dragon screeched, flapping back and nearly tumbling from the air. Yes, one of its wings was definitely not beating as quickly as the other. Jason spurred Damon on. He feinted to the left. It turned again.

Lune’s breathing was a staccato of short painful inhales. The pain of his bruised and cut body was causing small winking lights behind his eyes. His body was screaming at him to land. With a great effort, he folded his wings to his body to dodge the massive black’s talons again. He was coming over a gap in the trees. Maybe if he could make it to the river, he could out manoeuvre the bigger dragon over the water.

He felt the pull before he saw the glowing sigils. His eyes widened in alarm. Like a large hook behind his navel, his body was yanked violently from the air. He flapped uselessly as an invisible chain wrenched him from the sky. He saw the other dragon descending with him. He hit the grass heavily, his injured wing jarring. White hot agony spread through his shoulders, temporarily blinding him as he let out a shriek.

Distantly he saw a dark figure lunge from the saddle atop the black dragon’s back, a ring of glowing silver in the human’s hand. Lune tried to lift his head, to call on his dragon fire. The black dragon pounced, pinning him to the ground, its massive claws holding Lune’s muzzle still. A band of metal slide around his neck and snapped closed.

Lune screamed.

He could feel his own magic being confined, his dragon fire shrinking inside him to nearly nothing. The collar was glowing blue now, active. He could hear voices in his head, voices that weren’t his. Terror consumed him as he tried to break free, the metal band felt as though it were suffocating him. The white dragon thrashed for several minutes under the weight of the black before going completely still.

Jason stood close to its side. The creature had passed out. Damon eased off it, sniffing curiously. Up close Jason could tell by the gentle sloping horns that the beast was a male. Definitely younger than Damon. There were cuts littering its fantastic pelt. Blood was leaking from several larger ones. He knew they weren’t from the flight, Damon had never gotten close enough to grab the smaller dragon. It must have been injured during the storm. Jason grabbed his bag which was strapped to the back of Damon’s saddle and quickly rummaged around for ointment.

Now that the beast was out cold, Jason could finally get a good look at it. Even in the dying evening light Jason could appreciate the strangeness of this breed. There were actually small soft feathers close to the base of the dragon wings. The feathers went down between the wings and made a thin line down the spine to the tail. The tail had thin long lethal looking spines, disguised by the surrounding soft long feathers. To his knowledge there were only three breeds of dragon left in the world that had feathers and each breed as supposedly ancient. His own excitement grew as he studied the animal’s wings.

Wings.

The white dragon had more than two. Damon chuffed in surprise as Jason moved the larger wing out of the way. The dragon had a second set of much smaller wings that overlapped the underside of the main flight wings. This must be how it had been able to turn so sharply in mid-air. He carefully wiped the cuts and painted the ointment into the wounds. He worked quickly but carefully. There was no guarantee the beast would stay knocked out and the fading light was not helping the process.

It was not unusual for a dragon to lose consciousness the first time they were collared. Having one’s own magic sealed was hardly a pleasant sensation. He examined the white dragon’s wings again. The white scales were stained with blood and dirt. The joint of one main flight wing looked particularly swollen and sore.

‘Take these to the river and soak them.’ Jason gave Damon several clothes. Damon took them neatly in his teeth and flew off. The white dragon could wake and attack but in his weakened state, Jason was sure his own magic and the collar could subdue it. Damon returned quickly and loitered like a fussy mother over its fawn as Jason cleaned and wrapped the dragon’s wing.

‘We will camp here tonight and let him sleep. Tomorrow, we head home,’ Jason said as he finally stood. He stretched, several joints cracking as he did. They would have to travel slowly with the dragon’s injuries. It would certainly be cutting his deadline with the king closer than he would like. At least he wouldn’t be returning empty handed. He looked up at his new dragon and grinned. Oh, Estevan was going to have a fit when he saw them.

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END

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