Heart Song Returns

KAEL

~“Eithne.”~

Kael stroked the soft scales under the dragon’s throat, leaning all of his weight onto her. He knew she would support him.

~“Kael.”~

The Pair spoke directly to one another’s mind.

Now, finally, there was nothing separating them. The moment they had both craved since they’d left each other’s side outside Castigo’s manor had finally come.

Kael didn’t even have to tell his dragon how much he’d missed her. She already knew.

Her mind was warm against his own, like a crackling bonfire that would burn through the whole night.

He pulled back and stared into her reptilian, chestnut-colored eye as it blinked excitedly.

~“We’ve arrived at the best part of our journey,” she spoke into his mind, “the part we can travel together.”~

Kael smiled as he patted her cheek affectionately. The dragon huffed smoke into the air in delight.

~“My companions will agree I’m a more favorable companion when I have you by my side,” Kael replied.

Only then did Eithne acknowledge the others surrounding them.

Colmen waved and Alik nodded. The slave girl looked intently at the horse’s mane.

Kael ~knew~ his dragon would be full of questions about her.

~“So, she’s still around? Has she fallen out of any more windows since I’ve been gone?”~

~“No windows…maybe fallen from a horse or two,”~ Kael replied good-naturedly.

~Well, then I trust you can catch her yourself from now on. That’s a much shorter fall,”~ Eithne joked. ~“Tell me about this girl. I’m beginning to get a bit jealous.”~

~“There’s not much to tell. She doesn’t talk. I know little about her, not even her name.”~

But as soon as Kael said that, he began to think of all the things he ~did~ know.

He had seen the girl’s scars, and he had heard her pain loud and clear, even in her silence.

She had been oppressed for so long that she didn’t know how to be free.

And yet, there was something powerful inside her…something even she did not yet understand.

Something yearning to break free.

The girl had saved his life. She had pulled an arrow from the air and turned it to ash.

~“Oh my…,”~ Eithne responded to Kael’s thoughts. ~“She is quite an interesting soul. I bet I can make her talk.”~

Kael raised his eyebrows.

~“Well, if anyone can, it’s you.”~

“Hey, come here,” Kael called to the girl. “Eithne wants to meet you.”

She glanced up at him, shocked.

Colmen stepped down from his horse and moved toward her, his hand extended. The girl dismounted and kept her eyes on the ground.

Colmen encouraged her forward, but she walked slowly. She risked glimpses of the dragon until she was right in front of Eithne.

Then the slave girl looked right into Eithne’s chestnut eyes. Kael could tell she was holding her breath.

Her face flushed crimson, and she turned her eyes back to the ground.

~“Play nice,”~ Kael warned the dragon, but he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t know what Eithne had said, but he had an idea.

Dragons weren’t afraid to say what they were thinking. Kael could tell Eithne already thought highly of the slave girl, and he assumed the dragon had flattered her.

~“Slaves are forbidden to speak with dragons…,”~ he reminded her.

Eithne flickered her eyes to him for one moment. With one glance, she told him what she thought about that.

She didn’t approve of humans interfering with what didn’t concern them.

And the dragon would not let such things stand in her way.

Kael looked on as Eithne turned her attention back to the slave girl.

ANDRA

There it was again, the warmth of the fire.

Andra enjoyed the sensation, but the heat was intense.

So close to the dragon, Andra felt exposed. She kept a wall up around her mind, keeping her own thoughts in as the dragon sent messages to her.

~“How interesting you are, young one. You have a bold and powerful voice, yet you don’t let yourself use it…”~

Andra turned away and closed her eyes.

This wasn’t the first time a dragon had told her as much. The first time, Andra had been foolish enough to believe it.

~But not anymore.~ Andra promised herself. ~Such dreams are too dangerous.~

~“You can speak with me. Please don’t be afraid.”~

The dragon’s voice was caring and maternal. It was almost like she didn’t notice or care that Andra was a slave.

Of course, Andra knew dragons could talk with anyone.

The law was immortalized in the sacred contract carved into the Stone Table of Myli Ondo. This communication was the magic that bonded humans, elves, and dragons.

And while the Judges could not stop the dragons from speaking with whomever they chose, Andra was not allowed to respond.

It was magic, after all. And slaves were not allowed to witness magic, let alone conduct it.

“You were forbidden from speaking with dragons?” Kael asked.

Andra nodded.

Now that she knew Kael was a Rider, she felt even more intimidated. It meant that he had abandoned his post, which was his duty to defend.

~Who were these rebels?~ she wondered. All Andra knew was they were fighting against everything she had ever known.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Kael told Andra. “You can talk to her.”

Andra continued to look at the ground, but slowly she let down the wall around her mind.

The blaze burned even brighter and warmer around Andra.

~“Thank you,”~ the voice sighed. ~“How nice it is to know your mind.”~

Andra realized she was holding her breath, and she released it.

~“Why don’t you speak, young one?”~ the dragon asked.

~“Speaking up has only brought me pain,”~ Andra replied in her mind.

~“We can talk here, and we don’t need to use our voices.”~

Andra wasn’t sure what to say. Even without her voice, communication felt difficult for her.

~“You are far from home,”~ the dragon went on. ~“But all dragons know you need to leave home to find out who you are.”~

Andra looked into the dragon’s ever-moving eye. In it, she saw understanding.

~“I already know who I am,”~ Andra replied, ~“and I am not worthy of your compassion.”~

~“Then you are wrong, young one. I will help you to see what I see.”~

Andra broke eye contact once more, overwhelmed even by the brief conversation. She turned away from the magnificent creature, lost in thought.

Her mother had seen the good in her, and Andra had quickly proven her wrong.

Talias had too. Andra held onto the possibility that he didn’t know what her voice had done…that maybe he still thought of her, and missed her, and dreamed of a future where they could be together.

~What is Talias doing now?~ she wondered.

~What would he think about talking to a dragon?~ That made Andra smile. He would have been delighted.

~“Who’s Talias?”~

Andra flushed. She had forgotten to guard her mind again, and Eithne had heard everything!

Quickly, Andra drew the walls up once more.

But not a minute later, Andra was stealing a glance back at the dragon and her Rider.

It was like Kael had become a totally new person in Eithne’s presence. For the first time, he seemed relaxed.

He reclined against the dragon’s side as he stared up at the sky, and Andra assumed the mind mates were deep in conversation.

Kael, who had always been heavily burdened, now seemed not to have a care in the world.

A smile broke out across his face. She had never seen him smile before. The sight was so arresting, so ~enticing~, that Andra caught herself smiling too.

“Eithne’s going to take us to the camp,” Kael announced. “We’ll tether the horses up here for the night.”

Andra began to panic. He wanted her to ~ride~ a ~dragon~?

Colmen took the mare’s reins and, before Andra could run away, Kael was at her side. He took her hand firmly, sensing her panic.

He escorted her to the dragon and encouraged her onto Eithne’s back.

Andra straddled the beast’s muscular body, daring to touch Eithne’s smooth scales with her palms. Kael climbed on behind her, and the others behind him.

Andra’s heart was in her throat, but there was no time to think. The next moment, the dragon took off on her muscled legs, and the group shot into the sky.

Andra felt as if she had left her stomach down below on the rocky ledge.

She was weightless—at the mercy of the most magnificent and capable creature imaginable. They soared way up high, surrounded by the pale-blue sky.

Eithne extended her wings, catching the wind. It was like time had stopped. They were suspended in the air, outside of reality as Andra knew it.

Andra’s whole face was beaming. ~This~ was what it was like to fly.

She felt powerful, at one with the dragon below her. She knew Eithne would not let her fall.

But the next moment, the dragon dove…

They careened past the cliff face with impossible speed. Below them, the ocean was choppy and daunting.

Andra was terrified, but she had never felt so alive.

Tears streamed from her eyes. The wind in her face was fierce. Humans weren’t built for flight like dragons were.

With one languid twist, the dragon brought them to a standstill once more. They were perched at the mouth of a large cave that had tall, craggy red walls.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over again. Andra was breathless.

She wanted ~more~.

Kael helped Andra disembark on trembling legs. She turned to see the ocean glistening far beneath them.

Alik sighed with relief, and Colmen began sorting through his belongings.

“Home sweet home.” Kael took some kindling from the pile of firewood and began to make a fire.

Andra looked around her. There were already a few cots laid on the ground. It was clear that the Freemen were comfortable here.

She was exhausted. The sun hadn’t completely set yet, but Andra was ready to sleep.

Andra curled up on the rocky floor by the fire as the others discussed what to eat for dinner.

“Hey.” Someone touched her arm, and she opened her eyes to see Kael.

“Sleep on this,” he demanded, laying his cot down next to her.

Andra shook her head. She could never take a Rider’s place to sleep. She didn’t mind sleeping on the floor, after all.

“Take it,” he demanded. “I’ll sleep with Eithne, anyway.”

Andra knew she couldn’t refuse. Without meeting his gaze, she climbed under the blanket and fell into a deep slumber.

***

Andra woke early to the alluring sensation she had become used to.

It was warmth, pressing not only against her skin, but her mind…and her heart.

It was not the wild, unruly flame of Eithne. It was the feeling of being whole. Of restoring that one missing piece.

Andra opened her eyes to find it was not the campfire, either, as it had gone out in the night.

Dawn was just breaking, and everyone else was fast asleep.

Andra needed to follow the sensation she had felt only once before.

When the purple dragon’s eyes had fixed on her, she felt like she belonged…

She was not only adequate, but important. Special.

But then, it had all fallen apart.

The memories were tinged with pain, but Andra could not resist.

She journeyed deeper into the cave, down a tunnel that was decidedly smaller and tighter than the entry to the cave.

But the warmth only felt closer, and as she ventured further, she felt more and more safe.

Just when the tunnel was becoming too dark to see, Andra saw a flame flickering in the distance. She continued forward…

Until the tunnel opened up, and she was inside a dim, cavernous space.

Suddenly, a column of flame erupted above her head.

Andra froze in place as two shapes descended beside her.

A low growl echoed off the walls, and Andra’s heart skipped a beat.

In the firelight, she could make out the bared, knife-sharp teeth of not just one, but ~two~ dragons.

~Maybe this was a bad idea…~