Soulbound

The days flew passed in a blur. I could barely keep up with the ruthless routine Annalyse held me to. I slept the entirety of my rest days and trained from dawn until dusk, sometimes later, on training days. Most of the time, we were in the gym, working on my strength or on the mats honing my combat skills. On the days in between, we practiced aerial drills, continued with my readings, or focused on my Bond with Arkon and the magic we shared, which mostly consisted of us communicating telepathically. Not the real magic I was eager to get started on. Once Annalyse was satisfied I would be competent in the field, we would go look for Sasha Remoar, who was the only other person Bound to a storm dragon and she would teach me how to use lightning magic.

Today, Anna had me running laps around the base, grabbing several items from different wings as proof that I had been there. So far I’d collected a salt shaker from the mess hall, a pot from the kitchen, and a roll of twine from Taylor’s Closet. I still had a whole list to go through and if I didn’t complete it in time, I’d have to do it all over again.

I was already working up a sweat from carrying everything and I really didn’t want to have to repeat, so I ran like a banshee through the halls. People moved aside when I called out to them, chuckling as I went. Something told me this was a typical Anna thing to do to her trainees-

My laps were immediately forgotten when I caught sight of Grayson’s tall, lean form down the hallway. I hadn’t seen him in weeks!

“Grayson! Hey!”

Caught by surprise, he spun on his heel to face me, a hand on the hilt of his shortsword. All the tension in his body evaporated when he realised it was only me. I stumbled to a stop in front of him and dropped all my items.

He took one look at the pot and grinned. “Anna’s got you doing her little scavenger hunt, I see. Your training must be going well if she’s giving you a break.”

“A break??” I balked at him. “I’m sweating in places I’ve never sweated before!” Then I realised how disgusting that sounded and definitely didn’t want him envisioning me in such a filthy state. A deep red hue took over my face. Clearing my throat, I batted loose strands out of my face and tried to appear a little more put together. “How are things going for you and Jacob? I haven’t seen you since we went to Kain Castle.” Since that night on the balcony.

When I was actually given a moment to think about other things that weren’t training related, I often thought about our talk on the balcony, how he had looked at me so openly and tenderly. A warm fuzzy feeling spread to my toes at the mere mention of it.

His expression darkened, but there was still some warmth in his gaze when he looked at me. “I’m doing better now than I have all month. It’s good to see you, Eva. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about you.”

“You have?” I was surprised. “I kinda got the impression nobody wanted me around. Until I killed an Ogre, now everyone seems happy to have me aboard. Who knew all it took was killing a monster?” I laughed nervously. My blathering mouth wouldn’t shut up.

His mouth fell open, torn between shock and horror. “You did what?”

Oh. Guess he hadn’t heard that part.

I waved off his concern. He was a little too late to be worried about my well being. “Oh, some Knights were picking on me, so Anna had me kill an Ogre to prove to them that I had what it took to be a Knight. It was super fun.”

His face twisted into fury. ”Fun? Eva, you could have been killed!”

I didn’t get what the big deal was. Sure, I’d even been apprehensive when Anna first brought it up, but nobody else seemed to mind what I had done. In fact, people were rather impressed by it. I still got fist bumps from people in the hallways. “But I wasn’t. The Ogre needed to be dealt with, so I dealt with it.”

He huffed, gripping his blade’s handle so tight his knuckles went white. “Anna shouldn’t have put you in that kind of situation. She knows better.”

“It was good for me, Grayson. I needed it and so did the other Knights. They needed to know that I won’t be a dead weight to them when the time comes for me to fight.”

His anger disappeared. Guilt riddled his features. He released his sword and hooked his thumbs on the front pockets of his cargos. “You’re not a dead weight, Eva.”

I folded my arms across my chest, suddenly feeling vulnerable, and looked away. “I feel like one. I’m not like you. I had no previous experience in fighting. I have to train every day to look even remotely competent with a dagger.”

He hooked my chin and urged me to look at him, into his soulful eyes. “You don’t want to be anything like me, Eva. You will be a great Knight some day. There’s no need to rush, even if you are a storm dragon rider. Promise me you won’t do any more reckless things just so other people will like you.”

I wanted to be snippy and tell him I couldn’t make a guarantee like that with Anna as my teacher, but I bit my tongue and nodded.

“Thank you.” A hint of mischief sparked to life in his eyes. “Now, I believe the clock is still ticking for you and you still have a few things to pick up. If you follow me, we can make up for lost time.”

I glanced down at my collection so far, hesitant. “That sounds like cheating.”

“We’re Dragon Knights. We work as a team or not at all. You have to learn how to work with all sorts of people--think of it as a part of your training.” He raised his eyebrows at me in a silent dare to argue with him. Joke’s on him, I wasn’t going to turn him down.

I collected the pot, dropping the salt shaker and twine inside, then handed him my list. “Lead the way, partner.”

He flashed me a lopsided smile then ran in the opposite direction I had been going. I groaned my frustration and thanked the gods I’d run into him when I did. I would have been lost and late if it weren’t for him.

Just when I thought I was getting used to the labyrinthic hallways, he showed me shortcuts that would have saved me weeks ago. We made it to the stables in half the time it usually took me to get there, taking a stairway I had never seen before but it was clearly used frequently.

Quite smug, he grabbed a tack puller from the storage closet and deposited in my pot-- then he was off again. The man had the stamina of a horse. It was a wonder I could keep up with him.

Our next stop was a feather from the messenger pigeon tower. Anna had never taken me here before and when I voiced as such, Grayson gave me a minute to gawk at all the pigeons. Small ledges lined the walls, spiraling from the bottom of the tower to the very top. Each ledge had a lattice window, allowing the sun’s rays to shine through and cast light and shadows on the walls inside in a beautiful pattern. There were enough little apartments for every single pigeon.

“This is the tallest point in the base,” Grayson said behind me. “We send pigeons to every corner of the world and they always find their way home.”

I finally tore my gaze from the wonder above us and looked at him. The intricate patterns from the shadows played on the angles of his face, highlighting his handsome features to envious degrees. It also made the space feel much smaller. More intimate.

I swallowed, suddenly nervous. Especially when all he did was stare at me with those dark, storm cloud eyes of his. They held deep, intense emotion, but what it was I hadn’t a clue. All I knew was that it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe. “What is it?” I asked, feeling more self-conscious by the second. Had a pigeon pooped on me without me noticing?

Without a word, he reached for my hair, tucking a loose strand behind my ear. His fingers were warm as they grazed over my cheek, around the shell of my ear. I held my breath--and then he plucked a feather that had fallen on me from my ponytail. “Mission accomplished,” he answered thickly, placing it in my pot. “Let’s get moving. We’re lagging behind.”

He moved swiftly, going down the stairs far too quickly. It felt like he was running away from me. I managed to keep pace with him, barely. We didn’t have to go far for the library. The wind was harsh as it cut between the base and the cathedral they’d turned into the library.

Grayson held the door open for me but otherwise kept his distance, eyes scanning the list for my next item. He smiled to himself then walked confidently across the room to a particular shelf. Without missing a beat, he peeled a small green book from the shelf and handed it to me. “The Tale of the Mouse and the Lion,” it was called. It was an old children’s tale; my mother used to read it to us every night. It was the first book I learned how to read.

My heart clenched, and my lip threatened to wobble. Feeling as though a stone had lodged itself in my throat, I took the slender book from him and added it to my collection.

“Are you familiar with the tale?” he asked, studying me closely with concern etched into his gaze. It was like he couldn’t help himself, despite his best efforts to avoid me.

I nodded stiffly. “Everyone knows this tale. The lion was a big, powerful beast--and hungry. Always hungry. He bullied all the animals in the jungle to give him a portion of their food or he’d eat them instead. Until one little mouse stood up to him. The mouse could barely scrounge up enough food to feed his family, let alone give some of it to the lion. He went to the lion’s den and said ‘I will not be giving you any food today, nor any other day. You will just have to eat me.’ What the lion didn’t know when he opened his gaping maw to eat the mouse, was that the mouse had a weapon, a tiny needle. Nobody said it could be done and was too afraid to help the mouse, so they watched the lion swallow the mouse whole. The mouse killed the lion from the inside and shared his food stash with everyone in the jungle.”

He smiled as I summed up the children’s story. “Very fitting that Anna asked you to fetch it, don’t you think?”

I looked down at the book cover, of the lion roaring on top of a mound of rock and putting fear into everyone in the jungle. The mouse was hidden away in the corner, out of sight of the lion, but standing defiantly against him. “I’m no mouse,” I murmured. “Just a hunter who had everything taken from her.”

“And against all odds you’re here, wanting to do your part, aren’t you? You’re as strong and brave as that mouse.”

Try as I might, I couldn’t fight the smile tugging on my lips. A compliment like that coming from him felt like high praise. “You think?”

“I know.” He chucked my chin playfully. “Come on. Next stop is Ahura’s office. He should be starting his lunch soon, so we can sneak into his office while he’s gone.”

My eyes bugged. “Sneak?”

He gave me a disappointed look. “Eva. You think the captain is going to hand over his wax seal, which signs everything its stamped in his name?”

“Anna said nothing about stealing.”

He chuckled without humour. “She wants to see what you can do without guidance.”

I crossed my arms, inwardly grumbling. “She tricked me.”

“She’s testing you,” he corrected, tapping my arm playfully. “This scavenger hunt is classic Anna. She can learn a lot from you based on how well you do.”

I considered this and thought back to my training. Nothing she had taught me so far had really helped me with this task, aside from showing me how to get around the base, but I could see how certain elements would be more helpful to me further down the road. This was just the start of what was to come--if I passed this test.

I squared my shoulders, resolved. “Then we should get moving if I’m going to finish on time.”

He winked then took my hand. “This way.”

The hike up the infinite stairs did a number on my legs and lungs, but I hid it successfully from Grayson and pushed body further. Thank the gods tomorrow was a rest day.

We slowed down once we reached the officers’ floor. His footsteps went utterly silent, as soundless as a hunter of the forest, much like mine. We stalked through the hallway until we reached Ahura’s office, as per the sign on his door. Grayson checked his pocket watch, nodded to himself, then peeked through the keyhole. “He’s gone. Stand watch. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Wait.” I stopped him before he could try the lock. “This is my mission. It seems only right that I do this.”

His eyebrows popped into his hair. “Are you telling me you know how to pick a lock, Greene?”

I opened my mouth then shut it. Why did he have to make it sound so dirty? “Huh. No.”

Half of his mouth quirked up into a devious smirk then he turned for the lock again, brandishing a lockpicking set.

“Ah. Yes. A standard issued Dragon Knight pick set. Anna must of forgotten to give me one of those.”

He slid me a look. “Shh. Almost got it.”

The door clicked. He pushed it open and gestured gallantly for me to enter. Ignoring the blush working its way up my cheeks, I chose to roll my eyes at him before slipping into the dark room. Captain Ahura didn’t have much of a view from his window and definitely not a lot of sunlight. I didn’t want to tip anyone off by turning on any lightstones, so I let my eyes adjust to the darkness then fumbled around his desk. Of course, it was in the last place I looked, in the top right drawer. I pocketed the wax seal then stepped out of the office.

Grayson was leaning casually on the wall, spinning his knife between his index finger and thumb. When he saw me, he halted the knife mid spin then tucked it neatly into its sheath at his thigh. I glanced at its twin on his other thigh then to his shortsword.

“Are you always armed?”

“Always.” He left it at that. “Did you find it?”

“Yep.”

“Good. Where are you supposed to meet Anna?”

“Our room.”

“Let’s go. You’re running out of time.” It was a miracle I hadn’t run out already. There must be a way I could thank him later for his help.

With all my items bouncing around in the pot, we jogged down, down, down the stairs. Once we reached our hallway, Grayson came to a stop. “This is where I leave you.”

My heart deflated. I knew this time was coming, but I’d enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt with him. He managed to take all the pressure off me. I felt like a regular Knight, not the storm dragon rider who could supposedly change the tides of war.

“Thank you.”

He shook his head. “No. I should be thanking you. I really needed this, just to forget about everything for a moment, you know?”

Gods, I knew all too well.

“Will I see you later for dinner?”

Any and all sense of easiness in his form was sapped right out of him. He went tense, jaw clenched. “No. Jacob’s giving Hargin a quick debrief while I grab us some more gear, then we’re heading out again. King Renkon has given us an important mission. We won’t be back for a few days.”

My soul shriveled and nearly burnt out. While I’d been running around with Grayson, I hadn’t once thought that Jacob might also be somewhere on base. Now knowing he was so close but I couldn’t see him. . . that hurt me more than I’d hurt for a while. “Oh. . . that’s. . . okay.”

Feeling horrible, Grayson stepped for me and touched my arm softly. “I’m sorry, Eva.”

I swallowed back a swarm of tears then let out a long breath. I’d learned controlling my breathing helped keep my emotions at bay. “It’s fine. Just tell me--how is he doing? Truly?”

He blew out a mouthful of air, thinking before he spoke. “He’s managing. He misses you. Dearly. He tries to make time to see you, but. . . it just never works out.”

I nodded in understanding. With my training, I hardly had any time to think, let alone find time to spend with Jacob. By design, no doubt. I was grateful Annalyse was helping me work through my grief, but I still worried for my brother. We’d been hit hard and we needed each other to heal, to remember we hadn’t lost everything.

“Will you tell him I miss him too?” I asked of him. “And to look after himself--that goes for both of you.” Whatever Grayson was going through, it was taking its toll on him too. If I couldn’t be there for them, they had to be there for each other.

He smiled at that; it was faint and a little sad, but it was enough for me to know that they would be okay. “I will and thank you. I’ll see you when we return, Eva.”

“Goodbye, Grayson.”

With a curt nod, he passed me and went for his room further down the corridor. I sucked in a deep breath, summoning all the courage I could muster, then opened the door to my apartment with a triumphant smile on my face.

Anna was on the couch reading a book; she peered over the brim of her book, glanced at the pot in my hands, then returned her gaze to the book. “Good job. Now do it again without help this time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I placed the pot and it’s contents on the table. “Nobody helped me.”

She laughed, snapping the book shut and tossing it beside the pot. “You’re a terrible liar. Good effort, though.”

I deflated onto the couch. “How’d you know?”

“People talk, girl. And while the walls are soundproof, the doors are thin--something to keep in mind if you meet anyone you fancy.” She scooted to the end of the couch and examined the pot’s contents, raising a pair of impressed eyebrows. “I’ll tell you what: I’ll give you points for initiative. I didn’t specifically tell you not to ask for help. Bring me the first three things on my list in a third of the time and I’ll forgive you--without help.” She clicked the button on her timer.

I sputtered. “A third of the time. Anna-”

“Time’s tick-tick-ticking,” she sang, enjoying my torture far too much.

Grumbling, I snatched the list from her then ran out the door to do it all over again. At least it was better than doing pushups all day.