Dragonbound: Birthrights (Book 2)

Lirra and Ruthianna awaited in the forest just at the border of Trindal. Kiaran had contacted Ruthianna to give Davin a quick flight to City of Rishana. They found it safest if he returned home quietly rather than by ship.

Their eyes lit up as Kiaran walked toward them. Her heart swelled slightly, feeling all the more comfortable around the dragons. Breaking ahead of her companions, she darted to the great beasts, touching a hand to each of their noses. Lirra leaned into it, curling her neck and slender body toward her. She smiled as the dragon submerged herself into Kiaran’s touch. As mighty and large as she was, she was as sweet as a little cat.

Turning toward Davin and Ryker, her smile widened. Ryker’s eyes were large as he watched them. The only dragon he knew of was the tiny one that clung to his father’s finger like a ring and then Nurra.

Holding a hand out, she gestured for him to come. Her voice was soft as she said, “Come, Ryker, meet her.”

Hesitantly, he inched his way toward them, his eyes glued onto the dragon. She took his hand and placed it on the dragon’s nose. Lirra closed her eyes trilling softly. Excitedly, he flashed his eyes to Kiaran and then back to the large dragon. “She is beautiful,” he admired her shimmering, bronze scales. “What is her name?”

“Lirra,” she said. Ruthianna waited patiently, the shadows nearly hiding her away. “And this is Ruthianna...I believe the third dragon I’ve bonded with...Hm...well, fourth after Kriettor.”

As the boy admired the dragons, Kiaran walked back to Davin. He stood at the edge of the shade, the sun pouring out on the grass just behind him. His arms were crossed, his expression difficult to read. She stood beside him, her hands on her hips. They watched Ryker silently for a moment.

Since that night, he had said but only a few words to her. She understood that she could have hurt his feelings. But it was necessary, wasn’t it?

“Soon enough, we’ll be back in the comfort of our homes,” Davin said.

“Aye,” she nodded. She tried to deny it, but she knew she would miss him again--and it would be far worse than before. Frantic, she searched her mind for a topic. Anything to forget the emptiness she was soon to feel. “All dragons have names that represent something," she began, finally finding something. "It isn’t an exact translation...but Ruthianna means world beauty--or something of the sort.” She thought to keep the air light between them. Hoping he’d not hold a grudge against her once he left.

“And what of Lirra?” he pointed his chin toward her.

“Lirra means priaddi, which means love.” He watched her sternly as she continued, keeping her eyes ahead, “I find it ironic. Love is difficult to come across, and she was hidden away for decades, never bonding with any humans. They're both rare...”

He smiled; it was a warm smile, one that she would miss. The words that he spoke next, however...seemed to strike against his smile. “I suppose it’d be best if we were to not have any direct contact after we part.”

Her heart sank slightly. “Oh,” she breathed. “Yes...” She didn’t want that, but it was true. It was necessary.

His eyes softened as he faced her. “My first desires were for my country’s well-being. After I saw you in Trindal, you were all I could think about. Perhaps, while I am still away from Rishana, I can redirect my thoughts....” he slowed as he said, “It would be too hard if I see you again.”

“I understand,” she forced her voice to work.

“The last few days, even while Ryker kept my curse at its best, I find myself constantly thinking about you. It will only be more difficult when you are away,” he continued. Her heart dropped, and she lowered her eyes from him.

“Just so we are clear,” he gently rested a hand on her arm just above her elbow. He leaned in, his hair hanging between them, blowing in the breeze. “While I am as close to myself as I can be, my heart is still aching. And, honestly,” her head began spinning, “The more time I got to spend with you, the more I realized I love you.”

That was it. Her heart ruptured, leaving her dazed and numb all over. Without giving her time to respond, he walked to Lirra, saying, “Well, I suppose it is time to go.” Ryker bounced over to him and he said, “Take care of Kiaran, won’t you, boy?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “If your curse gets to be too much, come see me,” he said. “You know…” Ryker began hesitantly. “One last night shouldn’t hurt...right?”

The two glance to each other, then to Ryker. Finally, Kiaran nodded slightly. “Yeah. One more night.”

Soon, they had a fire started, which was much easier with the dragons. Ryker had some food skewered over the fire, the meat and few vegetables roasting deliciously. Kiaran and Davin sat with some distance between them, neither really saying much.

Each time she caught him in her view, Kiaran’s heart would stop. What were the odds that two men would admit their love for her? Maybe it was Trindal. The land gave off a strange vibe, so maybe it affected them in an odd way.

She knew her conclusion was silly, but it was all she could come up with.

Nurra was busy playing about Lirra, weaving between her massive claws like she were a play thing. The large dragon purred happily as she closed her eyes.

What a serene night before their separation. However, she harbored ill feelings, almost like a foreboding sickness. She swallowed hard, lifting her gaze to Ryker.

Suddenly, Lirra shot up in alarm, her voice shifting to a deep growl. “Kiaran,” she faced her.

She felt it too. Ruthianna snarled as she stood, flexing her wings. “Ryker,” Kiaran barked as she leapt to her feet. Davin followed suit, both adults drawing their swords.

Out of the shadows emerged a group of men with weapons. Kiaran yanked Ryker behind herself, her eyes scanning the ambushers for her most threatening opponent.

Before anyone had a chance, however, Ruthianna had lunged, tearing one man down. Her tail whipped back, thrusting another into a tree. She roared, flames licking past her teeth, just missing another man.

Lirra’s voice stirred deep within her chest as purple light began to glow within her maw. Kiaran noticed a man turn toward the dragon and she shouted, “NO!”

He lifted a crossbow, shooting a bolt directly at her face. Lirra turned her head, the bolt digging into her, just beneath her eye. She snarled, ready to launch at him.

Davin was already blocking blows from two attackers. Kiaran cursed as a blade came for her as well. She quickly deflected it with her own sword while still keeping hold of Ryker with her other hand. She sidestepped, keeping the boy glued to her side.

“Kiaran,” Ryker gasped in a panic. “There’s magic!”

Suddenly, a force blew through them, knocking Kiaran and Ryker onto their backs. Her hearing momentarily was impaired, her ears throbbing. She grimaced while she tried to sit up. A silver blade swiped just past her face and she gasped sharply. Slamming a hand to Ryker, she kept him down. Then, she kicked precisely at the attacker, getting the side of his knee.

He crumbled beside her, his knee broken. In a swift motion, she drew a new blade and swung her body up, stabbing the blade into his chest. When she yanked the knife free, blood stained her wrist.

Her blood rushed hot as she stood, fending off yet another attacker. “Damn it,” she snarled. Ryker’s sharp voice cut through her as he was yanked away. Kiaran spun to attack, seeing Nurra already climbing up the enemy, clawing and biting at his face.

Davin was knocked away, a blade narrowly missing his head as he hit the ground. Again, a gust of power nearly knocked Kiaran to her knees. She cringed, holding her breath and trying not to fall. She narrowed her eyes, looking for Davin as a blade was thrust clean through his shoulder.

“Da--Davin,” she gasped, trying to breathe.

Ryker forced himself to his knees as he looked about. There was a source of this crippling power, he just needed to find it. It seemed to stir his own power within his small body, to the point he might burst.

Farther into the shadows stood a lone figure, one without armor, with robes and a cloak. He held his fingertips to each other, creating a steeple with his hands. Though he couldn’t hear his chant, Ryker knew it was a spell.

Scrambling to his feet, Ryker shouted as loudly as he could. A counterspell for just about anything. It was able to cover a variety of attacks.

The air filled with a blinding mix of blues and greens, wind swirling as the two spells collided. Hot air whizzed through, hair and clothes whipping about wildly as if in a windstorm.

Through the chaos of it, Kiaran found her sword off the ground, gripping it tightly. The tongues of sizzling magic reached out, whipping at the dragons. Kiaran’s eyes widened, seeing the fear and pain in their eyes.

It was dangerous--possibly the worst thing for a dragon to fight. “Go!” Kiaran tried to yell over the roaring of the spells. Lirra looked to her, then took off. Ruthianna, however, was too stubborn to leave.

Finally, the combined spells ruptured, sending everyone to their backs. Little flecks of flames caught onto bits of clothing and dried grass. Kiaran lied on her back, stunned. Her eyes tried to focus; she blinked several times before her vision came back.

Sitting, her head began spinning. She didn’t realize her hearing was gone until it slowly came back to her. Blinking a few more times, she gasped, looking desperately for Ryker. He was nearby, unconscious, but alive. Little flames of orange and blue stood on his clothing. She quickly patted them out.

Seeing her hands as she patted his body down, she only just realized the blood which drenched her left arm. She slowed to a stop, her eyes moving up her arm to the massive gash in her flesh. “Oh…” her voice whispered. Her fingertips were cold and shaking as she reached up, hoping to stanch the blood.

Her attention was caught as Davin tried to fend off more men. Were they after him? Specifically? Trying to stand, she was surprisingly weak. She fell to her knees again, growling to herself. Again, she forced herself to her feet, fighting off her dizzy spells.

Her stomach twisted and lurched, causing her to vomit across the burnt ground. She fell to her hands and knees, her eyes fighting to stay open. They filled with hot tears, dripping from her lashes.

As someone approached, Ruthianna forced herself between them. She roared so loudly it nearly burst Kiaran’s ears. The enemy backed away. Though she were hardly able to see, she could see his mask clearly. It was smooth and white, eyeholes cut into the porcelain. His hand tightened on his blade, rotating his wrist as he stepped back farther.

A tall man stepped into view, his robes shifting silently. She could hardly see him, though, as he stood with his back to her. He ordered his men to do something. As he looked over his shoulder, his eyes caught Kiaran’s.

He was evil.

Suddenly, Ruthianna breathed such a strong river of fire at them that it nearly exploded around them. Kiaran fell aside, shielding Ryker with her body. Heat waved through as the flames tried engulfing them.

As the heat was slowly replaced with coolness, Kiaran lifted her head. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the remaining glow of the fire against the night air.

“They’re gone,” she breathed to herself. Shakily, she dropped to her side, an arm still draped across her nephew. She let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes.

Ruthianna stepped cautiously across the ruins of the forest, sniffing the few enemies who fell. Suddenly, she let out a startled, guttural sound as she faced Kiaran.

“What?” Kiaran shot to her knees, sensing the worry and fear from her. Nurra came rushing for her, growling and chirping in alarm.

“What happened?” she began to panic. She could only stand when Ruthianna offered herself for support. Leaning on the dragon, she swallowed down her fear. Davin wasn’t dead--he couldn’t be. He might be injured, but...that’d be it, right?

She stumbled forward, tripping over her own feet. “Well...where is he?” she breathed quietly, looking around. “Davin?”

It finally dawned on her that he wasn’t there. Fear flooded her as she gripped tightly onto Ruthianna’s side. Her own blood made her hand slick on her scales. Kiaran slowly stood back from the dragon, looking one last time. “They took him?” she whispered. Her heart shattered, her stomach twisting and gurgling again.

Her head throbbed and she fell, finally allowing herself to lay down. She was overcome with fear and sickness, her body draining quickly of any strength.

Nurra nudged her chin, trying to get her to move. Ruthianna gently wrapped her mouth around Kiaran’s good arm, pulling her back over to Ryker. The large dragon wrapped herself around the two, keeping them warm.

Gradually, the world faded from her senses.