Dragonbound: Birthrights (Book 2)

It was early in the morning, the sun not ready to peak into the sky. The air was smothered with fog, meeting with the tall, colorless grass. The area was open, only a few, young trees standing around them. The only thing more ominous was the silence which enveloped them.

Everything was dark and cool, the only light coming from the lanterns ahead. Kiaran was crouched, her hand clutching the hilt of her terrorizing sword. The grass swayed in her view as she stood with her chest to her knees. She narrowed her eyes at the building just ahead. It was small and wooden, looking as if it was built only a few months ago.

Angered voices raised inside for a moment, making her heart race. Her fingers flexed, but she forced herself to wait. Clenching her jaws, her eyes darted across the field where Davin hid as well. She stared into the blankness of the fog, unable to see him. Hopefully, he’d act on the same impulses as she would.

Silently, she moved forward, her feet padding softly on the moist ground bellow. It was only two nights into their journey, and Ryker had already gotten himself into trouble. Men had stolen him in the night, hoping to sell the boy as a slave.

She grunted in distaste and hate as she continued to near the building. They were going to regret the day the considered selling human beings. The day they chose to be slavers was the day they signed their lives over to Kiaran. She was going to end them.

Finally, she reached the house. She darted to the corner, her hand resting on the damp wood. Voices perked her ears as they argued. “He’s too pretty to be put to work,” one man argued.

“Nobody cares what he looks like; he’s a mage,” a second man pressed.

“Healer, actually,” a third cut in.

“They’re more valuable,” a fourth. And they continued to bicker.

In all, Kiaran found five voices arguing, but there was a sixth man. His foot steps were slow, steady as he walked across the floor, listening to the argument. He was much calmer than the others, so she could distinctively tell he was not one of the five who argued.

She moved a foot forward, still crouched down. The wide window had no glass and light flooded out of it, shining over the ocean of grass. Her eyes landed on a tall, strong man who leaned against the windowsill, his arms crossed and his back to her. She could easily kill him then take the others. However, she felt it best to wait.

He listened to them argue and he finally shouted. “Shut up, you idiots! Do you realize who was with this brat?”

Instantly they shut up. His brows lowered as he stared daggers, his tongue stabbing like a thousand knives, “The two that were with him are covered in scars and carry swords. No one carries swords here.”

“They are foreign,” one man breathed a conclusion.

“Yes,” he nodded with a mocking tone. “They are warriors. Strong, and gone through more battle than any of you buffoons ever have. I can see it in the way they carry themselves. Especially the woman. She is the one we should worry about. Yeah, the man is larger, but she has almost a...lifeless look in her eye. That is dangerous.”

What a fool, he was, to think they could get away with this. To think they could fight her and Davin--they were near unstoppable on their own, let alone together. Soon, they would learn Davin’s abilities, and it would be too late at that point.

Past the window, at the other corner stood Davin. He was shrouded in darkness, the faintest of light catching in his eyes. He met gazes with her and she nodded toward the window. Following her gaze, he watched the man in the window.

“The boy won’t be out for too much longer,” he stood, dropping his arms to his sides, “He’ll wake up soon. It’d be best if you bound him up. And it better be sturdy. I don’t need another escape.” Then, the man walked away and out the front door.

“Another escape, what is he talking about?” one man questioned lowly. “We’ve not lost a single slave.”

“This was years before you started working for him,” another one answered. “We had a girl just over twenty years ago that ran off. She was a youngster, but developed enough we had a king interested in her. So, we had to find her...Lost about six people that night, but we got her back and sold her.”

Davin pointed toward the front of the house and Kiaran listened. Footsteps walked around the building toward her. Her blood ran hot and the hairs on her body stood. It was exhilarating to be in this stealth, in the fight.

She leaned against the wall that the window was on, hoping no one would notice her. She glanced to Davin who was ready for her ambush. The second she lunged, Davin would distract the men inside by leaping through the window.

They had studied their rounds for a few hours, and they knew the routs they took and how often. The men were not so smart as to change their tracks and walk differently. They made ruts in the grass, even.

The sound of boots stopped as the man never came any closer to the corner. Kiaran’s heart raced; what had changed? She wanted so desperately to turn the corner and find him, but that would be to alarming and the men would attack instantly.

Things were much different. Why couldn’t she fight like before with only a sword and no tactics? It was frustrating--Davin’s wounded arm caused his skills to be halved, so they had to fight strategically. It was thrilling, but also made her anxious.

Damn it...She kept motionless. Her target kept motionless.

Davin tossed a rock several feet ahead of her, enough to catch the man’s attention. She flexed her muscles as the footsteps moved forward. The second she saw the light landing on his shirt, she lunged.

A knife was thrust into his shoulder as she whipped around him. While yanking her sword free of its scabbard, she dragged the blade across his back. Ripping the knife from his shoulder, she stabbed it into his lower spine and he fell to his knees. At this point, Davin had leapt into the window and the men were shouting.

Kiaran leaned forward, her hair masking her face from the world. It seemed to curtain around her and the slaver, keeping a lid on her hatred. Hot blood poured onto her hands as she clutched the handle of the knife with all her might.

“You took the boy from me and when we get him back, I will kill you then.” She spoke each word with great wrath.

The man spat blood as he laughed hopelessly. “What good would it do me if I gave him to you? I die either way.”

“Exactly,” she grunted as she shoved the knife in farther.

The man fell forward, groaning in great pain. His voice and body quivered as she pulled the blade out. Standing, she darted around the corner, leaving him to die.

Placing a hand on the windowsill, she jumped into the house, regripping her sword. Parts of her were covered in some blood which shone in the light. Davin had killed three men, and two stood anxiously with their weapons. Kiaran nearly laughed; they were called weapons, but really they were basically broken metal attached to sticks. It was just unlawful to call them swords.

She sheathed her sword and the men tensed. “What-what are you doing?” one asked, the terror in his voice.

There was no need for her weapon, she could easily defeat them with her body as she did others for so many years. For the first time in a long time, she felt joy in the fight. She was almost excited.

Flexing her fists, she took her old stance and waited. One man lunged for her and she ducked to a side, jabbing a fist into his rib cage beneath his raised arm. He moved sideways and she instantly swung a leg through the air, slamming her shin into the back of his head. He flew forward, landing on the ground, his blade cutting his torso.

Facing the other man, she said, “Bring me the boy unharmed and I won’t kill you.”

He took a step back, his wide, terrified eyes bouncing between the two. “Again,” Kiaran grunted, “Bring. Him. To. Me.”

He nodded and darted through the doorway into the next room. “Leave, just leave,” he said shakily.

“Wait, they’re not dead? I thought you had them for sure,” the other man responded.

“We’re going to die if we don’t get out of here,” he pressed. Suddenly, they ran back into the room and out the front door, disappearing into the fog.

Kiaran burst into the next room where the warmth of any light was nonexistent. In the floor lied Ryker, still unconscious and bound in ropes. She narrowed her eyes and moved to his side.

Using her knife, she cut the ropes away, some blood smearing onto his clothes. His small arms fell in place, his fingers still curled into scuffed fists. He had fought so hard to get away, but it was to no avail...He was still captured and she still had to rescue him. That was something that would haunt Ryker most of all.

She wiped the blood off her hand onto her pants before placing it on his head. The bandanna was ripped off of him, so his hair laid in his face. She brushed it back, revealing deep bruising across his forehead and brow. Inhaling slowly, she watched him. He was still breathing, still alive. There was no need to be worried anymore.

Sheathing the knife in her boot once more, Kiaran took the boy in her arms. Standing, she and Davin left the house. They walked in the darkness, Davin’s sword in hand. Soon they’d be back with the horses, and soon, the sun would be up...and Ryker would be awake again.

Once Ryker had awoken, they were set back on their way to Priuti. The interruption of the slavers caused them to take a detour several miles in the wrong direction. The added mileage irritated Kiaran, and her attitude was poor for the remainder of the day. She was hot, exhausted, and far from her goal.

Not to mention, they had spent an entire day waiting out a heavy thunderstorm. A tree had actually fallen at the opening of their cave, and it took some time to get it moved enough to slip through.

Ryker walked so closely to Charmer that he was nearly leaning on him. His hand was tight on the reigns and his eyes were distant. Davin watched him anxiously. Nothing was really said between the three of them over the course of the day. They simply traveled.

Davin moved to the boy and helped him onto the saddle. “You need to rest,” he said.

“I am sorry,” Ryker finally broke.

“You can’t fight,” Kiaran responded, her back still turned to them. “Your father knew this, but he put you in this situation anyhow. Did you not think something like this would happen?”

Ryker’s face twisted, his brows furrowing deeply. His heart was broken, and tears formed slightly. “I did,” he finally choked out. He threw the reigns to the side and hid his face in his hands, holding his breath.

“Kiaran,” Davin said sternly, “I think we should rest for the night.”

She whipped around, saying, “We have at least two days of traveling to catch up on.” She threw up two fingers to strengthen her point.

His eyes hardened and she stopped, her horse slow to follow her pause. Ryker wiped his face and slid off the horse, stalking off to sit alone, sniffling. “He is tired, beaten, and broken. And not all of it was from those slavers,” Davin said softly, but with a fatherly strength. It made her heart cringe. “I will talk to him, and you should take a nap. You are...cranky.”

She frowned as she took Davin’s and her horse’s reigns, calling for Charmer to follow. A stream was nearby, the water running over ugly, misshaped rocks. As the horses drank, Kiaran leaned against a tree, her arms crossed.

Her eyes moved to Davin and Ryker as they talked. The man sat ahead of the boy, trying to cheer him up. Her heart grew heavy as guilt filled her. The only way she knew how to deal with fear was through anger. She was afraid that he was going to die, and that was easily her fault. Davin’s lips moved as he spoke and smile spread on Ryker's face.

How was she going to handle mothering this boy? All she could do was raise him as a warrior, not a child. Davin, though...he was able to nurture him, make him feel better and...not cry...The thought of being without Davin was difficult. She was unable to do this on her own.

The two stood, and Charmer walked toward them. Ryker rubbed a hand down the horse’s neck as Davin walked toward Kiaran. Once he reached her, he said, “That boy tends to make me question my intelligence.”

“He is smart for being so young,” she nodded. “Possibly smarter than even I am,” she added. She stood from the tree, resting a hand on the bark as she looked to Davin. Her fingertip dug at the pealing bark. Her heart was hesitant to feel whatever it was building up within her.

“Against your deepest regrets, I believe we are doing just fine with him,” he smiled.

She stared at him, her mind racing against her voice. “I can’t do this,” she found herself saying. Davin’s smile melted away and she continued, “I have no maternal instincts...I can’t nurture him, all I’ll do is bark at him like a dog.” She wanted to keep silent, but her words just kept falling from her lips, “I don’t see how you can do that. I want to be able to...but I just...can’t.”

“It’ll come to you,” he replied hopefully. “Give it time.”

“It will not,” she shook her head. ”We are doing just fine with him. But when we return, it will just be me. I cannot raise him on my own—you know that.”

His dark brown eyes locked onto her as silence took over. He processed what she had said, and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He tried again and was able to speak, saying, “If we were to rid this curse, would you want my help in raising him?”

“What--I don’t know,” she whipped her head aside, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. “There are plenty of people in Vintar who could help raise him—You cannot abandon your duties.”

“You know as well as I that I no longer have duties in Rishana,” he replied slowly. She couldn't say for certain, but it felt like he stepped closer. Just close enough for her to feel his warmth.

Her eyes shot at him sternly and she replied, “Davin. We can’t do this.”

“Do what?” he paused.

“Talk about this. You’re mind is not clear. I don’t want you to think we...Well, because when we go back home, you’ll probably lose sight again and do something far more drastic than burn a throne. I can’t risk that—you can’t risk it.” The tone in her words was stern, yet her eyes revealed the hurt in her heart.

Oddly enough, that was assurance to him that she felt a little more than companionship between them. But the words scared him. Did she think he would become a monster? That was his own fear, but for someone else to think it...For her to think it. It was painful.

His hand gently touched hers and he sighed. Turning away, he walked back toward the boy. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes, wishing it could just all be over. All she wanted was to be in her bed in Vintar. The solitude, the loneliness, though...the memory hurt her and the realization hit her like a gust of wind.

She truly didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to see him every morning she woke up. Her body actually craved to be beside his, to be touching his. Her face flushed and her brows lowered. She wanted to touch his skin, to touch her lips to his.

For once in her life, she felt this overwhelming desire to be with another person. And just this once, she felt truly heartbroken, knowing it was never to happen.

Biting at her bottom lip, she sat in the grass, removing her sword from her belt. Perhaps it was best to release the stress through sleep. Every emotion was amplified and all she needed was some rest. Leaning against the tree, she closed her eyes, and fell to sleep.

The next morning, Ryker sat with Davin at the creak. He watched as Davin carefully shaved the hair from his face with a skinny blade. The boy was so engrossed that it caused Davin to pause and face him. “Have you never seen this?”

He shook his head.

Lowering a brow, he asked, “Your father doesn’t shave? He doesn't have a beard.”

“Drakelings don’t normally have facial hair...or chest hair,” he replied, as if it was a known fact. “He never had to shave a day in his life.”

It was true that Ryker had been sheltered—Davin could tell in the quiet, strange behavior and the observations that Ryker constantly made. Davin slowly faced forward again, hesitantly putting the blade back on his skin. “Are you nervous you’ll cut yourself?” he asked.

“Only when people keep distracting me,” Davin retorted.

“Oh,” he breathed. He scooted back an inch or so, which really didn't provide any added space between them. “I apologize.”

Ryker averted his attention behind them where Kiaran untied the knots on her tent. She stood without her boots or coat, her hair in a ponytail. The wind brushed her shirt aside in the back a bit, revealing the tattooed tip of a sword on the small of her back.

There was so much ink on her body, and the gold rings that threaded through her nose and scarred eyebrow gave her such an exotic look. He grew lost in her unique beauty...and yet, she seemed so familiar.

“She’s rare, isn’t she?” Davin’s voice broke in softly as he turned around, sitting with him.

The boy flushed heavily and he nodded. “There are plenty of women around, I am sure...but she is so...different.”

Davin grinned, concealing a chuckle. That was his initial reaction in Kamoni when he first laid his eyes on her. She certainly was different, and was always intriguing. And as they grew closer, he found her to be unparalleled. Then, that interest had changed over to a deeper level.

Kiaran’s tent dropped and she began wrapping the rope up. She glanced over to them, just to find both sets of eyes gazing at her.

“I...didn’t realize I was putting on some sort of show,” she said slowly.

Ryker’s face reddened and he turned to the side, Davin laughing. A grin threatened to stretch across her lips as she said, “Davin, get your map out, would you?”

He nodded and walked to his pack, yanking it out of the pocket. Rolling it out, he carried it to Kiaran. The adults looked it over, conversing about it. Ryker watched silently, finding it somewhat amusing. They were foreigners and had no idea where they were. He had hardly left his house, but his sense of direction was near perfect.

Her silver-blue eyes met with the boy’s for a moment before lowering back to the paper. It grew quiet between them. “I’m going to finish getting everything packed away. Davin, why don’t you show Ryker some fighting skills?” Kiaran said.

He nodded and walked a few feet away. “Where should we start...” he said lowly.

After a few minutes of fighting with her tent, Kiaran got it shoved into the bag. She carried it and a few bags over to the horses and attached them to their saddles. The light fell past the tree overhead and gleamed across the animal’s muscles.

She ran her hand over the horse, feeling his neck and touching his mane. The sounds of Davin laughing perked her ears. Ryker fell, his face showing his disappointment. Davin tried to conceal his chuckle, but it was to no avail. His laugh reminded her of Torin’s and she smiled.

It must have been nice to be raised with a brother. Just discovering that she had one made her wonder what life could have been like if their family had kept together.

Her heart cringed as she thought of Grace. She was basically her little sister in all but blood. Yet, Kiaran did nothing to protect her. She allowed all the sins to be committed across the house. She knowingly let him live for far too long.

Exhaling sharply, she forced her thoughts back to the present. She walked to them and grasped the boy by the elbow and pulled him to his feet.

“You will get knocked down, and you will be disappointed in yourself. But you cannot allow that to stop you, or you’ll only get weaker,” she said.

He kept his eyes low as he nodded his head, his sandy-colored hair bouncing. “Now,” she backed away, “Your posture needs...corrected.”

They worked for near an hour to show him the correct way to stand, the correct way to punch, and the correct footing. Ryker had grown irritated and said, “I can’t do anything correctly, apparently. Every two seconds its ‘Move your foot, it’s not right,’ ‘Stand up straight,’ or ‘Don’t do it that way,’ or ‘Bend your knees.’ I am very irritated right now!”

“One thing to do is to stay calm,” Davin replied. The boy’s face turned red all over and Kiaran couldn’t help but shake her head.

“Telling someone who is angry to calm down rarely ever helps, Davin,” she said. “Ryker, you’re doing fine, and of course you are going to be awful at this if you’ve never fought before.”

“I am not used to being bad at things,” he mumbled.

“Everybody has to have something they are bad at,” she patted his head as she walked away.

“She is terrible at being social,” Davin grinned.

“I don’t want to hear it,” she called over her shoulder. “Let’s go, we have quite a ways to travel.”

It seemed that they’d never reach the city, but the wall stood just a few miles past the trees ahead of them. The horses walked steadily, the packs attached to their backs bouncing. Kiaran chose to walk, though the heat made her skin scream with sweat. Ryker rode on Charmer’s back while Davin walked beside his own horse.

Ryker spoke softly to Charmer, as if he understood what the boy said. With each word, the horse’s ears would twist and turn and perk to his voice. It was quiet between the companions, no one talking much about anything.

Estiahn was on Kiaran’s mind as the sun bled through the trees above her. Nurra purred slightly as he adjusted himself on her shoulders. Ryker had given her a book about animal bonding and some magic relations. She found it intriguing and read several pages every night. She had thought about the orange-eyed wolves and wondered if it were possible that he was linked with them.

Why, though, would he bond with wolves at the Zeil? She didn’t understand why he did not simply walk up to her...Perhaps...he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Sighing, her eyes lowered, her hair softly brushing across her face. Davin watched her silently, sensing her unease. Her sharp eyes moved to him and he froze. Those eyes were still as stunning as when he first met her, and they were just as fierce.

“Is everything alight?” he asked lowly.

“Yes,” she replied. “I was just pondering on a few things...”

“Such as?” he tried to get her to talk, though she seemed to ignore him. Finally, she told him about her suspicion of the wolves. “Didn’t they attack you?” he pointed out. “Why would he make them do that to you?”

“Well, just because he bonded with the wolves, doesn’t mean he had full control of them. He puts it in their heads to do something, and they will do it in their own manner. I put them in a line of danger, so they responded naturally,” she answered. “I just do not see what the point of the wolves was.”

“Find him and ask him,” he shrugged. She lowered a brow at him and he continued, “Do you truly believe he is alive?”

“I do,” she admitted.

“Then find him,” Davin said.

She smiled slightly and faced forward again, her eyes on the massive wall ahead of them. It was easier just to believe the orange-eyed wolves were a coincidence. But he agreed with her. Though it could have been patronizing, it still made her feel a little hopeful.

Another moment of quiet stretched by. Her stomach felt unsettled and her heart was tired. She missed her home, the dragons in Avestitia. It seemed unnatural to be so far for so long. It was how she felt every day she was in Kamoni.

“I can’t wait to get back home,” she finally sighed.

Davin faked a smile. He understood what she wanted, but he wasn't sure what he wanted. The second they’d return home, she’d be queen again. Where would he be? Would he be king again in Rishana?

“When we get home...I don’t understand why we can’t stay together...” he found himself muttering.

She frowned and watched him for a long time before responding, “You do realize the importance of solving the curse on your country, right? Work on that before we work on anything else.” Her voice was stern and her body was tense. “So are you going back to Rishana, then? To stay the king?”

He shrugged his good shoulder while massaging the bad one. “Do you believe I should?”

“I do,” she nodded, looking forward again. “You will be a good king—better than any of the others who might take over.”

After a few more minutes, Ryker glanced toward them, but gave his attention back to Charmer. “I am sorry,” Davin said lowly. He should have kept his thoughts to himself. “I hope I did not cross the line.”

“No,” she sighed. “You're fine...”

He slowly nodded his head once as he kept his attention forward. Ryker glanced to them again and asked, “You are cursed, Davin?”

They tensed a little and he inhaled deeply. “Yes,” Kiaran answered slowly.

“How serious is it?” he asked.

“It does not matter,” Davin huffed.

“Says you,” Ryker retorted. “I feel I should know what sort of curse it is. Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t,” Davin said shortly.

“You do not know that. Do you think I am just a normal child? I know more about nearly every kind of magic than half of Trindal-VinCar’s inhabitants,” he barked. “I know more than you could learn in the next decade.”

Kiaran grinned and Ryker clinched his fists on the reigns. “He is rather knowledgeable for a child,” she agreed.

“I am more wise than most men I’ve met,” Ryker grunted.

"A little confident, aren't we?" Davin muttered.

They watched Davin, waiting for his answer. She could see the embarrassment on his face, and she softened her stance slightly. Touching a hand to his arm, she locked eyes with him. “We can talk about this later...But it really must be addressed soon,” she spoke lowly, so Ryker couldn’t hear.

“Why?” he shook his head, “I don't feel it any longer. I'm not the king anymore. Everything I'm feeling right now is true."

Hesitantly, she asked, “What if it’s the curse?”

“You don’t understand," he interjected sternly. "Before, when I was focusing on my duties, I had no intentions of any human interactions. I had no idea what I was missing. And when I am away from you, it kills me every second.” Her heart twisted as she watched him, her face growing warm. “But all of that is worth it, because when we are together, I feel complete, and it is so much more than anything I could ever want.”

The breeze picked up slightly and the birds chirped. Kiaran was unsure what she was feeling or how she should respond. She wasn’t even sure if his feelings were true. Maybe the curse was making him believe he was in love, but really, he wasn’t.

"Regardless, curse or not, Kiaran, the thought's been on my mind for a very long time," he continued. "I'm sorry to pin this on you so suddenly...but, my feelings haven't changed. Not really."

Ryker gazed at them in surprise, but said not a word. Kiaran could feel her face turn as red as blood, her stomach aching. Finally, she inhaled and walked forward.

“We will see what this woman, Trukina, has to say about it all,” she finally got the words out of her throat. “That little girl gave us some invaluable information, but it only rouses up more questions as I keep thinking about it.”

“What girl did you speak with?” Ryker asked slowly. Kiaran gave him her name, but he only seemed confused. “She had eyes that changed colors and she could speak in Draken,” Kiaran said.

“Livla Sor,” he shook his head. “Living-Eyes is what she is usually known as.”

“You know her?” Davin asked.

“I know of her,” he shrugged.

Somehow, that did not surprise either of them.