Soulbound

A few months had passed since the storm hit Brar. We’d had a couple storms since then which hindered our progress, but none of them were as bad as the first. Buildings had been reinforced and remade, and everyone’s fences were as strong as they ever were, so we could have more than a handful of cattle again. The rangers were very excited to travel to Riverwood to buy more animals. They made a big thing about it, even hiring Dad’s wagon and filling it up with barrels of booze so they could drink along the way. I didn’t blame them. We’d all earned a day of drinking. It took everyone in the village, including the children, to get it ready for the winter.

We hadn’t even seen the shift in the trees for Fall yet, but it had become increasingly obvious that we wouldn’t have enough food for us to survive the dauntingly cold months to come after all our crops had been destroyed. I made up a hunting party with a few of the other men in the village and showed them where to get the bigger game, how to avoid detection from the griffins. At first they were hesitant--going against everything we’d been taught since we were little would do that--but after they caught their first stag, the pride of bringing something substantial to their families helped them grow out of their shells. With the food we brought in, we had enough to store for the upcoming difficult months and to trade with Riverwood for grains and vegetables.

This morning, I let out a particularly long yawn. With the group’s success, the men kept pushing to go out earlier and earlier. I learned something about myself during this phase: I was much less motivated to wake up earlier if someone else wanted me to wake up; I was fine getting up on my own accord, but being made to get up. . . The rebellious side of me just wanted to let them go hunting by themselves today.

At least I had my own room again, so I didn’t wake anyone up with my grumbling while I got ready for the day. I paused in front of the looking glass, in the middle of pulling my shirt over head. I barely noticed my scars any more, even though they took up a large portion of my torso. I’d even begun to admire them. They reminded me of how strong I could be, even if everything seemed so hopeless. Other people, however, were not as openminded. Whenever I bathed in the river with the other girls, all they could do was stare and whisper behind my back. I pretended I couldn’t hear them, that I didn’t care how ugly they said I looked. Dad said they’d told other villages of my scars. “The girl with dragon scales,” they called me.

When Erika overheard the girls, she told them what had happened to us, that they should be honoured to have met me. The first time, I let it slide because those girls could care less what a six year old had to say, but then she went around the entire village telling them what a good big sister I was. When I scolded her for telling everyone our secret, it was too late. Everyone knew I was Bound to a dragon. Whether or not they believed it was a different story. It was all rather farfetched, especially coming from a six year old. I sometimes didn’t think it happened either. Not until I fell asleep. Almost every night I dreamt I was a dragon flying over the ocean, inhaling the heavy salty air. I felt the wind beneath my wings as if I was actually flying, and the static building up under my scales. Without even thinking, I knew that I was charging up the electric current that surged through my entire body. I often thought about what it would be like to dive into the water and never resurface. Would the world forget about me then? Would peace finally find me?

Of course, none of those thoughts and feelings were my own. They were Arkon’s.

When I went hunting in the mountains, I felt his presence in the sky, but whenever I looked up to see him, he was gone. I didn’t think he was following me, but maybe just checking up on me. I hadn’t really had much time to visit him, but when I could see him we tried to figure out what else we could do with our Bond. A month ago, we discovered we could communicate telepathically if I concentrated really hard. I learned to control my dragon vision, especially how to turn it off when I didn’t want to see my neighbours in the privacy of their homes. It was incredibly useful when I hunted once I figured out how to tell how far away the animal was. I was always the first hunter to pick out our prey in the forest.

After my breakfast, I set off to meet the rest of the hunters in the village square. I sat on the bench under the old oak tree and sharpened my knife. It wasn’t long afterwards when more hunters joined me.

The sun had risen enough to spread its warmth over the fields. The farmers would be getting up soon to begin preparing the ground for Fall crops. I walked over to the sunny patches, welcoming the heat. For the longest time, every cold draft in the house found its way under my sheets and clutched to my skin as if I was going to give it warmth.

The last of the hunters arrived, and, as per usual, it was Chad, walking over with his annoying, confident swagger. He gave me a lazy look at my glare. “Lookin’ good this morning, Eva. Not that’s new to you.”

I opened my mouth to give him a sassy comeback-

An awful scream tore through the morning air.

A shudder ran down my spine. I’d never heard anything so horrifying.

“What the fuck was that?” Chad glanced in the direction of the scream.

Caid, another hunter, thrust his finger down the other end of Main Street. At first I couldn’t see what he was looking at, but then I used my dragon vision and saw a line of soldiers coming out of the forest. At the feet of one of the armour-clad soldiers was Mister McHale’s son, still, with blood pooling beneath him. The soldiers marched down the road for the town center, wearing a red snake emblem on their chest pieces. They weren’t the gold tree our kingdom bore.

We’re being invaded.

I didn’t know what to do.

They broke off into pairs, barging into homes. Screams and the sounds of struggle filled the air. Only the soldiers and women left the buildings. They dragged the women by their hair down the street--towards the village center--where I stood.

At this point, everyone was running out of their homes before the soldiers could catch them. Mister Roach and his family shoved passed me, knocking me out of my daze.

Caid pushed everyone into action, bow drawn. The other hunters followed suit, arming themselves. I readied my bow, but Caid shoved me in the opposite direction of the soldiers. “Run, Eva! They’re King Sylus’ men!”

King Sylus Fortys. He was the King of Estrus across the Aborian sea. From the same clan that killed Dracon. What were his men doing here?

I didn’t want to run. I wanted to fight alongside my fellow hunters. How could I leave them? We needed every person we could get.

The soldiers were close now. Close enough to notice our hunting party; they grouped up to fight us. I tightened my grip, ignoring the sickening feeling in my stomach.

“Run, Eva!”

Caid pushed me so hard I stumbled, falling on my butt. The soldiers engaged, eyes intent on me.

Run! Arkon’s booming voice inside my head was like a slap to the face.

I jumped to my feet and ran for home, refusing to look over my shoulder. All I could hear were battle cries and the clash of metal on metal.

Tears filled my eyes. It felt cowardly to run away. But it was the women they were after, and I’d be damned if I was going to let them have what they wanted.

Heart soaring, I barged through the front door, shouting for everyone to wake up. I grabbed my great-grandfather’s great sword off its display and kicked open Erika’s door. “Erika, you gotta wake up!”

She came to, tears already in her eyes. I don’t think she’d ever seen me this scared in my life. I had never been so terrified. Fighting a mountain lion off with my bare hands was nothing compared to this. Every part of me wanted to curl up and hide away somewhere. Cry the terror away, while the other part wanted to fight with everything I had.

“What’s going on?” Dad demanded, staring at the sword in my hands. “Are we being attacked?”

I couldn’t bear to utter a word. I feared if I said anything, I’d burst into tears, so I confirmed with a nod. Just like that, Dad was herding everyone out of the back door-

Soldiers burst through the door. Dad shoved one of them into the fireplace, while I quickly took care of the other one. I went through the door first--and was blocked by the tip of a sword.

Erika’s scream was deafening. I turned to see more soldiers had gotten in through the front door and had us surrounded. One tried to grab her. Without thinking, I thrust my sword into his gut. He fell to the floor. Another took his place, sword swinging. I blocked it and pushed my family back into the corner. The men stepped closer, ensuring no escape for us.

One young man stepped through the barricade, glancing down at the dead soldiers in disgust. He was the only one without a helmet, a silver crown atop his manicured head. He took in the scene perfectly composed, almost a little bored. His dark eyes assessed the situation, grazing over us coldly like we were livestock rather than people. “What’s the hold up, boys?” he demanded.

The soldiers didn’t take their eyes off me, knowing I would strike at the first chance I got. The black-haired man rolled his eyes. “Really, guys? One girl? Do I have to do everything myself?”

“Prince-”

He shoved past his men and glared at me. “Listen, girl, you can either put that toy down and come with us, or your entire family can die. Which one will it be?”

I held his gaze, unwavering. This sword was the last line of defense we had against these men. Even if I wanted to put it down, I don’t think my instincts would let me.

Dad put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, as if he was letting me know it was okay to release the weapon.

I swallowed. Did he really want to give up that easily? Or was this fight that pointless?

It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to drop the sword.

The apparent prince smiled. “Good girl.” He nodded to his men.

The soldiers grabbed me much rougher than my sister and mother. I glanced over my shoulder to look into my father’s eyes--for forgiveness. For him to tell me that I did the right thing. The prince picked up my great-grandfather’s sword, examining it with a satisfied grin.

“This is a nice sword. Too nice for common folk.” He tossed his own sword on the ground--then thrust my family’s sword into Dad’s stomach. Dad grunted, clutching his stomach. The light in his eyes faded before he hit the floor.

“NO! Dad! You son of bitch!”

I jumped for the prince--to claw his eyes out--but his men held me back. Mom and Erika cried out for him, sobbing as they were dragged away. I kicked and cussed them out with everything I had. I fought even as they lugged me to my feet and hauled me out of the house.

They forced me to my knees in a lineup of every single woman in the village. I rammed my elbow into the back of my captive’s knee and threw all my weight into him, pushing him to the ground. I turned to another soldier, ripped his blasted helmet off, and punched him over and over again. I let my rage and hurt drive me forward, to make them all hurt as much as I did. If no one else was going to fight back, I sure as hell was. There was no goddamn way I was letting these sorry excuses of human beings get away with this.

A soldier grabbed my hair and yanked me back. I cried out, thrashing in his grasp. The prince--eyes ablaze with rage--hit me with the base of his sword. White flashed before my eyes. “Shut the fuck up! Gods! Get a grip on this girl! I didn’t train you to be overcome by a peasant!”

Dazed, I let them drag me back into the line. One by one, they went down the line and ripped the shirt off every woman, examining their bodies thoroughly, past the point of desire. They were looking for something.

They stopped next to me, in front of Erika. After a moment’s hesitation, the soldier tore her shirt off. I spat at his feet. It was all I could do; my head pounded too much for me to do anything else.

They lifted me to my feet. The prince, seemingly wanting to be the one to defile me, shred my shirt open with his knife. His smile reached his dark glistening eyes. “Of course it would be you,” he murmured, almost like it was to himself. “The rumours were true: a nobody villager is Bound to a storm dragon.”

Wait. That’s what this is all about? All these people died because a dragon saved my life??

Absolutely furious, I slammed my forehead into his nose--it hurt already, why not make him hurt too? His nose crunched oh-so satisfyingly against my skull.

“Bitch!” he cried, clutching his nose as blood gushed down his face. “Take her away! Kill the rest!”

My stomach took a nose dive. “No!”

“Eva!” Mom hollered. She tried to fight them, but they were too strong. Meanwhile Erika shrieked, clutching onto her legs. The soldiers herded everyone to the old oak tree in the square.

Three men had to hold me down and put shackles on me.

“Please!” I pleaded with anyone who would listen. Blinded by tears, I begged until my throat was hoarse. “Please, don’t kill them! They’re innocent people!”

A dragon’s shadow passed over us, but before I could get my hopes up for a rescue, fire rained down on the buildings of Brar. The soldiers backed away and dragged me out of the town’s border before the flames surrounded us. The women took the chance to run. Mom and Erika pushed through the frantic group to get to me, but the flames were closing in quickly.

I reached out desperately for them, struggling against my captors.

The dragon came by for another sweep and poured its fire over the rest of Brar--and my people.

“NO!”

My legs gave out as their screams filled the air. They were quickly replaced by an overwhelming stench of burning flesh. There was no controlling my stomach: I hurled.

Dragon fire worked quickly. It didn’t take long for the humble homes of Brar to crumble into piles of cinder. The fire was thorough, merciless, snaring every piece of my life in its grasp and turning it to ash.

My heart lurched in my throat. This had to be some awful dream. Everyone I knew, everyone I ever cared about. . . burning in those flames. The heat was overwhelming, even as they hauled me along the northern road. I was too devastated to fight back. What was the point? There was nothing left to fight for. Not even my baby sister was spared.

I cried silently as the soldier on the other end of my chains mounted his horse then yanked on my shackles for me to follow me. The cold metal bit into my skin, clearly not designed for comfort. Though, I didn’t care much for comfort at the moment. They could do whatever they wanted; I doubt I’d feel a thing. There was nothing more they could do to me that could hurt more than the agony in my heart.

“Cheer up, girl,” the prince said merrily on his horse beside me. His nose didn’t look as good as he appeared to feel after burning innocent people alive; it was mangled with crusted blood outlining his nostrils. “Think of this as a new beginning. I’m going to make something of you. Soon everyone will know and fear your name. You’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted.”

I stared at him blankly. I had no energy left to bother with a retort.

It appeared to amuse him; he smiled and shook his head, like I’d told a clever joke. The son of a bitch. . .

A lightning bolt pierced through the clear blue skies, striking the ground before me. A spark of hope ignited within me. Horses reared up, one of them throwing off my captive. On pure instinct, I whipped my chains out of his hands and elbowed the soldier behind me.

Arkon landed near me, unleashing the fiercest sound I’d ever heard. The horses and some of the men ran, even against their prince’s orders. The dark prince dove for me before I could run for Arkon. A cool blade was at my throat in the next second.

“Call your dragon off!” he ordered me, watching Arkon rip one of his men in half.

I sneered at him. “Or what? You’ll kill me?” He’d already proven he didn’t want to do that.

With a big shove, I thrust my elbow into his ribs and kicked him away then I ran to Arkon. The dragon escorting the soldiers swooped down, fire oozing from its mouth. Arkon threw his wings around me, then with a powerful burst, whipped them open. The impact of the wind knocked everyone to the ground and dispersed the fire. He scooped me up in his claws and took flight.

The other dragon chased after us. He snapped his jaws for Arkon’s belly, but he was ready and twirled away. I held onto him as we swung upside down and spun around. With a massive thud, Arkon’s tail collided into the dragon’s throat. It gave us enough distance for Arkon to charge a lightning bolt and fire it at the dragon. It dropped out of the sky, landing in the river below us.

Soon the pillar of smoke, all that remained of Brar, was too far away to see. It was just us. Arkon lessened his grip around me and angled his head to look at me. Are you injured? he asked me silently.

My throat was dry and too sore to speak, so I merely shook my head. I was injured, but they were small wounds that would heal over time. No amount of time could heal the scorching agony in my chest.

I felt his remorse and pity as if they were my own. It was odd, feeling another’s emotions, but I took comfort in it. I felt less alone. Fear not, Little One. I will take you somewhere safe.

I said and did nothing, only watched as the life I once knew fade into the distance.

I didn’t know where we were going or how long we had been flying. The sun was on its way down, casting a dark orange hue over the mountains. The wind was ruthless in raking its icy talons over my exposed skin. Shuddering, I huddled my knees to my chest. Though, I was only partly cuddled up to protect myself from the wind; the comfort of holding something eased my pain.

Eva? Arkon crooned in my mind. His voice was smooth and cool like marble, and it brought an overwhelming amount of comfort over me. It was like his tone was a soft, heavy blanket, keeping me sheltered from the world. I could even sense that’s what he wanted, to protect me and to keep me from completely falling apart. Hang in there, we are almost there.

I peered up to the kind dragon through his thick claws; that was when I realised we were deep in a canyon. The walls were made of clay, coated in vibrant green moss and purple vines. They had wide white flowers in bloom, attracting small birds. Some of them flew beside us, hitching a ride on the wind currents generated by Arkon’s wings.

Almost where? I wondered. He hadn’t told me where we were going, nor could I manage to ask the simple question. But I trusted him; I could feel it in his soul that he was taking me somewhere safe.

We seemed to wind endlessly through the colourful labyrinth, passing over a river that was sprinkled with wildlife of all sorts. This canyon appeared to be a safe haven for all that needed it.

Arkon gestured ahead. Gingerly, I rolled onto my knees and peeked through the cracks of his talons. A castle was carved into the side of the largest mountain in the canyon, but it was sheltered from the eyes in the sky by a natural over hanging rock. Moss clung to its walls, further blending it in with the rest of the canyon; it looked old and unused, except I caught glimpses of movement through the windows. A wide platform protruded far beyond the mountain’s side, appearing to be a landing pad of sorts for dragons. The castle was surrounded by holes in the cliff sides designed as perches for dragons to rest. A few watched as we passed by with cautious eyes. Turrets stood on either side of the platform as we steadily approached, and the sentries standing guard gathered around, barking orders. Before we could land on the slab of rock, there were ten guards and a dragon standing in front of the grand doorway carved into the rocky wall.

Dragon Knights. He’d brought me to the Aborian base.

Arkon let out a deep growl when two men approached us with weapons aimed. The air around us began to adopt a static undertone, his scales bristling. He hid me within his protective clutches, close to his chest.

The men dressed in dragon scale armour stayed where they were, cautious. They hadn’t decided if we were friend or foe yet, their weapons still poised for a brisk attack if needed. The green dragon in the back twisted her claws into the platform, which seemed to cause the granite beneath our feet to shift and rise to form barriers shoulder-height to protect the guards.

“Where is Jacob Greene?” Arkon demanded. It was the first time I’d heard his voice aloud in hours; the harsh, grating tone made me flinch. His eyes raked in the crowd steadily forming in front of us, looking for any sign that it was time to flee.

The guards closest to us looked at each other in confusion. Even just at the mention of my brother’s name they relaxed--a smidgen; their weapons were still pointing at us. “Who wants to know?”

Arkon opened his claws so they could see me. Unprepared to have twenty heavily armed men see me in my half-naked state, I hastily covered my chest with my arms. “His sister.”

Altogether, the guards became less hostile. The one who appeared to be in charge--he had a couple stripes etched into his cloak on his shoulders for his rank--threw an order to the soldiers in the back; two of them ran inside.

He turned to me, removing his helmet to reveal cropped blonde hair and sympathetic blue eyes. “I’m Major Ahura, miss. Jacob is under my command. He’s out on patrol with Aries. He’ll be back later this evening. . . . In the meantime, we can get you cleaned up, and I’ll have some questions for you. . .” He moved to help me out of Arkon’s grasp, but my protector swiftly pulled me to his chest and growled fiercely.

“Eva stays with me until Jacob returns.” The amount of protectiveness he possessed over me was unfamiliar to me, but it dug deep in my bones. It made me feel like everything might turn out okay as long as he was around.

Ahura didn’t look like he wanted to leave me with a hostile dragon, but he also didn’t look like he was stupid enough to argue with a five ton lizard that could shoot lightning out of his mouth, either. He glared at Arkon, as if his scowl would induce enough fear into Arkon to hand me over to the major.

Grayson came barging through the crowd that had doubled in size now--more out of curiosity than for the protection of the base. He wasn’t wearing armour like the others; a long sleeved shirt hid beneath the billowing cloak around his shoulders and cargos that hung low on his hips.

The major grunted dismissively as the young man passed him. The take-no-shit glare on Grayson’s face disappeared instantly when he saw me. He rushed over, swinging his cloak off his shoulders. Arkon was about to growl, but I stopped him. “He’s okay, Arkon. He’s Jacob’s partner.” I’d never been so relieved to see a familiar face in my life.

Slowly, the dragon released me from his custody. Grayson draped his cloak over my shoulders, wrapping it tight around me. His eyes swept over my bruised and bloody face, down to the shackles on my wrists. “What in seven hells happened to you, Eva?” As breathless as his horror was, his concern rode each word and somehow tore down all the walls I’d built to keep myself together.

Tears stung my eyes. I wanted to cry out in anguish, but I croaked instead, “They killed everyone.”

“Who?”

“King Sylus.”

His face paled, a look of pity and sorrow looming over his face. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. I wasn’t sure if it was the comfort of being held or the emotions overwhelming me, but I finally let everything go and cried endlessly into his shoulder. He sat with me on the platform until the sun set behind us.