Dragon Tamer

The first order of business was visiting Zellar in the dragon healing pen in the morning. He was still chained down where I had left him, but they had released his head so he could move it freely. He was in a deep sleep when we approached the fence. Camden stopped me before I could climb over the fence to see the large dragon.

“Is it safe?” he whispered, eyeing the dragon warily, as if he was pretending to sleep and waiting to attack when we got close. However, I knew a sleeping dragon when I saw one; they only breathed that deeply when they slept. “It was only last night he was rearing to kill you, Tallinn, and Amelia.”

“He was in pain,” I told him at a normal volume. Dragons’ ears were so delicate, whispering wouldn’t make a difference; he’d hear us all the same. “The healers said they removed the bone last night and he’s been a big baby since. Besides, if he tries to kill me, he won’t get any jerky.”

I shook the bag I’d bought on our way here, positive he’d wake up. And he did. The dragon unfurled his head from the nook of his legs and looked right at me. His eyes drifted to the bag. Drool dripped from his jowls.

“Hey, big boy.” I swung over the fence, ignoring Camden’s hesitations and skipped to the blue dragon’s side. “The healers told me you were good last night. As promised, I brought you some jerky.”

He didn’t need any more prompting, opening his mouth wide. I tossed a piece onto his tongue; he swallowed, purred, then opened his mouth for more. Greedy dragon.

I peered over my shoulder to Camden who was slowly making his way over, as if he feared his presence would set the dragon off again. “Do you want to feed him?”

In the overcast lighting, his hair wasn’t as lively with colour today, sticking to its dusty-coloured nature, but his scale jacket shimmered all sorts of colours despite the sun hiding behind the clouds today. He stood a good couple of feet away and held his hands behind his back. “I’m good.”

My heart sunk at the doubt in his eyes when he watched me feed Zellar; he might have admitted he needed me to find a dragon, but that didn’t mean he was entirely confident I could control a beast that could easily squish both of us in two steps.

After a few more pieces of jerky, I hit all of his pressure points again so he could move once he was released of his bonds. I bid him goodbye with a quick scratch to his eyebrow before gesturing for Camden to follow me back home where Elesor was awaiting our return. Now it was time to teach him how to fly.

If we had to fly around the valley to find his partner, I wanted to have my own dragon; it would become exhausting quickly having him hold onto me as we winded between the mountains. Besides, he had to learn how to fly at some point. Might as well streamline that process a bit since finding him a partner was actually going to be difficult.

We spent a good couple of hours going over how to saddle up on Elesor. Once he had it down, I enticed dragons to my backyard with the promise of jerky, waving it around to distract them while Camden climbed up their back. The only problem, however, was that as soon as he sat in the saddle, they threw him off and flew away. The only dragon who hadn’t done that was Elesor because I’d asked really, really nicely and promised chin scratches.

I sighed heavily, watching Riley buck Cam off, hiss dangerously at him, then take to the skies--with the saddle. That was the fourth one so far; I was running low on saddles. I’d have to hunt the dragons down and take our equipment back before we could do more training at this rate.

Kicking a rock in frustration, Camden made his way over to me and leaned against a fence post. He rubbed his creased forehead agitatedly. He’d taken his dragon scale jacket off a few hours ago, leaving him in a tight long-sleeve shirt that left very little to the imagination. Not that I was complaining. The view was most welcomed. It was the best damn view in the valley.

“I don’t understand,” he griped, staring at the spot the dragon had been standing proud and eager for jerky, “why do they keep flying away? I haven’t done anything to them.”

It was strange. Dragons liked some people more than others, but all of our dragons--so far--hated Camden. They wanted nothing to do with him. They’d puff black smoke whenever he got close, trip him with their tails, or straight up take one look at him then leave.

“They don’t respect you,” I replied thoughtfully, tapping my chin. “I’m not sure if it’s because of the way you treated me when you arrived, or if it’s something else. Elesor, what do you think?” She was lying down behind us on the other side of the fence, watching amusingly as dragon after dragon dismissed the prince. Her green scales shimmered in the sun today, dazzling us with her mystic beauty.

Camden rolled his eyes. “Why would how I treated you affect my Bonding chances?”

“Because I’m one of them,” I replied simply.

He stared at me blankly. “You’re not a dragon, Kal.”

“No, but they respect me as one of their own. I socialise with them more than anyone in this village. I might not be Bonded to any of them, but I have a connection with them.”

“And can you understand Elesor with this connection?”

I chose to ignore the mockery in his tone and turned to my friend. She narrowed her yellow eyes on him and stuck her forked tongue out at him.

I patted her face in comfort. “No, but she can show me. But I think I’ve found the problem. You don’t respect dragons.”

He crossed his arms, scowling at me. His ashe-blonde hair was almost long enough to tickle his eyes; give him two more weeks here--which was likely at this rate--and he’d have a full mop of hair in his eyes. A part of me was curious to see if it’d look as attractive as I imagined it would. “That’s not true. Dragons are formidable creatures, they deserve every ounce of respect a human can give them.”

“Because they’ll squash you if you don’t?” I guessed. He picked up on my accusatory tone and shifted his weight, glancing at Elesor guiltily.

He raked a hand through his hair, chewing his bottom lip. “If you want to put it in such simple terms, yes. In my family, your dragon partner is an extension of you, the power we couldn’t demonstrate before the Bond. We respect them for allowing us to share that power. . . . Clearly that is wrong,” he added to my disappointed glare.

“I don’t know how your brothers got Bonded if that’s how your family views dragons, but that’s not gonna work for you. Dragons are so much more than power and magic. They’re gentle, loving creatures, who love their families as much as we do. They live ordinary lives, as we do. Dragons are our equals. If we’re going to continue further, you need to understand that.”

“I’m trying, but they’re just animals, Kal, I can’t see them as any different.”

“Then, I guess, that’s it for today.”

He stepped for me, grabbing my arm before I could move away. Elesor sat upright and growled at him; I raised a hand to stop her. “What do you mean? We can’t try another dragon? Isn’t there something else we could do? Teach me something, Kali. Show me dragons are more than what I think they are.”

I gave it some thought, staring at his hand which still held me; it was warm and firm around my forearm, making butterflies tingle in my stomach. I didn’t like the feeling I got whenever he touched me and it was one of the reasons why I wanted to teach him to fly, so I didn’t have to feel weak in the knees and all giddy as he held me close to his body as if his life depended on it. . . .

That’s because it does, numbnuts. Don’t be getting any ideas about this prince. As soon as he’s learned what he wants from you, he’ll leave and you’ll never see him again.

It was true. His brothers had formed strong relationships while they stayed here for their training, but as soon as they finished, they left and never came back. Our ancestors could paint as lovely a picture as they wanted, but in the end my family was still only a tool for theirs.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp, clenching a fist at my side to distract myself from the void now hovering over my arm. “I guess if you’re willing to learn,” I started slowly, lifting my gaze to his, having no idea how long I’d been staring at his hand and if I should be embarrassed by it or not, “I could take you somewhere. It’ll be the most dangerous place you’ve visited, but if you’re going to learn anything about dragons, it should be in the heart of the Randala Territory.”

He gaped like a fish in surprise and horror. “You’re kidding me! No one’s stupid enough to risk their hide going that deep in dragon territory.” He locked eyes with me, serious. “It’s suicide. If the dragons don’t kill us for trespassing, the other animals that live there will. I appreciate you wanting to help me out that much, but this is insane. I won’t ask you to risk your life for the sake of our blood oath.”

“Just as well you didn’t ask,” I told him snootily, hands on hips. “Besides, it’s not that bad. I’ve been there a few times.”

He stared, face blank. Whether it was out of horror at the notion of me being in the most dangerous place in the world by myself or if he thought I was lying and was respectfully keeping that opinion to himself, I didn’t know.

“Bullshit.”

The former is it.

“Truth,” I corrected him, gesturing to Elesor. “She’s taken me there and back five times, safe and sound. It took a lot of convincing with the wild dragons, but they trust me as much as our colony does. They’ll let us in.”

He cocked a dubious eyebrow at me. “Seriously? Is there anything you can’t do?”

Despite his tone, I took that as a compliment and smiled cockily at him. “Aside from being the woman everyone wants me to be? No, not really. What do you say? It’ll be fun.”

He glanced at Elesor warily, unsure about the excited glimmer in her eyes. She loved going to the dragon territory more than I did. Despite what people thought about it being a barren wasteland, it was actually beautiful and teeming with life. She liked going there to meet other dragons and see what their life was like. The first time we went, after seeing how excited and happy she was to spend time with wild dragons, I offered to release her. She wouldn’t have any of that, though. We were joined to the hip. It was then when I realised how much I meant to her; I would always treasure her friendship and loyalty. She was the only one who’d truly been with me through everything; she was the only one who understood me.

“I’m in,” Camden said, a determination filling his eyes when he gazed at me, “but you’re forgetting one thing: I still can’t fly.”

I hopped over the fence and wrapped my arms around Elesor’s neck. “You will if Elli let’s you. . . right, Elesor?”

She raised her head, briefly lifting me off the ground before I had to let go, and glared at me.

“Come on, girl, you want to go back there, right? It’s been almost a year since we’ve gone. I’ll match you up with Marco when you’re old enough to breed.”

At the offer, she lowered her head, a soft purr rumbling out of her throat; her jowls rippled as the sound slipped between her teeth and lips. It was an attempt at her mating call. It would be far more beautiful when she was of age, but lately she’d been practicing a lot and it was showing.

Giggling, I rubbed the side of her face. “I take that as a yes.”

Camden looked between us dubiously, tossing his hair away from his face. “Really, that’s all it took? You’re going to hook your buddy up with a dragon she fancies? I didn’t even know dragons could have crushes--or be motivated by sex.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course they have crushes. I told you, they’re more like us than you think. And, well, sex is a fantastic motivator for any species.”

His lewd green eyes took liberties with my body, a satisfied smile tugging at the ends of his mouth. “It definitely is.”

There was no hiding my flush, so I turned to the equipment draped over the fence. “Okay, this is the last saddle in our stables, please don’t fly off with it, Elesor.”

Snorting, she flapped her wings once, bounced over the fence, and landed smoothly in my yard beside the prince. I handed the equipment over to him roughly, doing everything in my power not to touch him and avoid the tingle down my spine he made me feel.

Camden, having had much practice, saddled Elesor quickly and correctly. She shook her body once he finished to make sure the saddle was secure. It was. A small beam of pride surged through me.

When he climbed up her leg and settled between her wings, my breath caught. He really was meant to be a Dragon Prince. He sat in the saddle so naturally. He held his shoulders back proudly, eyes ahead, waiting to take on the world that would fall beneath him once they took to the skies. Even people in my village who had been around dragons all their lives and flew them almost daily never looked so perfect as he did right now.

“What?” Camden asked, catching me staring. “What am I doing wrong?”

I cleared my throat and approached them, checking the position of his heels in the stirrups then his grip on the handle. Up close he was just as flawless. “Did you ever ride your brothers’ dragons?” I asked in great need to distract myself.

He snorted. “Gods no. We’re not allowed to ride dragons until we come here to be trained properly. Something about avoiding learning bad habits. I tried to talk Liam into it once, but my father found us and made me do charity work for an entire month. Now,” he added to my offended sneer, “I’m all for giving to the less fortunate, but when it comes to organizing the events. . . it’s awful. I’m terrible at it. I’m glad I don’t have to be king. Leave all that shit to Eli. I’m much happier doing all the grunt work as a Dragon Prince. . . if I’m ever Bonded.” He pursed his lips and looked away in shame.

Withholding a smile from the sass creeping into his tone when he mentioned charity work, I patted his leg in comfort--and took note of the fine, firm muscle underneath the riding pants. “You’ll find one, Cam. You’ll be the strongest Dragon Prince there is.”

He scoffed, but his eyes gleamed in appreciation. “I don’t know about the most powerful one, but thanks.”

No, I had a feeling the stronger the Bond between dragon and rider, the stronger his magic would be, and if he stuck to my teachings, he’d have a very close Bond with his partner, just like Elesor and I. He was going to do great things.

“We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we? Your form is good. You’re a natural, really, but make sure you keep it when you take off. The ascent is always the hardest part for new riders. Once Elesor levels off, it won’t be so difficult to hold on. Lean into her turns, but not too much, you’re heavier than she’s used to. When you land, relax all your muscles but the grip on the handle. Got it?”

“Hold on, lean, relax, or die. Got it.”

I couldn’t help the laugh escaping my mouth. “Start gently, Elesor.”

I stepped away from them as she nodded. She flapped her wings to give Camden a chance to prepare himself. His lips were pressed tightly together as he held onto the handle so hard his knuckles were white. With one final thrust of her wings, they rose to the skies. Camden swore, pressing tight against her back as they went up and up. She went as high as Mount Caspian then leveled off and circled around the village. They were too high for me to see how Camden was doing, but I didn’t see any bodies dangling from her back or falling off, so that must be a good sign.

Chuckling, Dad came to my side and clapped a hand on my back. “He Bonded with Elesor?”

“No,” I sighed, hopping back to sit on the fence so my eyes were level with his. “We’re having problems finding a dragon to Bond with him, not that I blame them. He has a lot to learn about them. All the dragons that usually hang out in the nest have declined him, so we’re going to find the rest of the colony in the valley. . . . Has there ever been a member of the Acker family who didn’t Bond with a dragon?”

While I thought it was he who held most of the blame, it was possible it could be my fault. My brothers had a different way of going about it; instead of letting the dragon come to them, they taught the princes how to tame with their whips and chains. Eventually, one of the ones they dominated Bonded with them, impressed by their strength--or whatever the dragon liked about them. I hoped I wasn’t dooming Camden by doing things my way, because I truly believed if a dragon chose him this way, they would have a tighter Bond than any of his brothers had with their dragons, and it would make both of them stronger because of it.

Sensing my unease, Dad rubbed my back more tenderly. “It’s only been a few days, child. Give it time. Didn’t your brothers tell you to be patient?”

“They did, but we’ve already been through fifty dragons.”

“So? There’s another one hundred and fifty-four dragons left. Have faith in your own guidance; Camden does. As long as you’re both doing everything you can to find him a partner, he’ll find one. His dragon might not even be born yet. . . or part of our colony. I overheard you saying you wanted to take him to the dragon lands?”

I sat stiff on the fence. No one knew I’d gone to the dragon lands in the past. If anyone in my family knew that my week long hunting trips with Elesor were actually us going west, deeper into Randala Territory, they’d flip and tell me it was too dangerous. However, there was no rage in Dad’s eyes, only curiosity.

“I. . . I’ve learned a lot about dragons in their homeland,” I started slowly, waiting for him to lash out at my confession. Still, he remained calm, regarding me carefully and. . . with pride? There was a twinkle in his eyes which he only had when my brothers worked together to bring down a dragon--like Zellar the other night. I eased up and went on, “I figured Camden could learn a lot by observing them too. You think his destined partner is a wild dragon?”

“Possibly,” he replied coolly, brushing off my confession so casually, he must have misheard me. “Be careful when you go, I don’t need to tell you how dangerous it is--clearly since you’ve been there a few times.” His scrutinizing eyes slid over to me. “It would have been nice to know where you actually were, in case something happened to you, Kal.”

I looked down at the muddy grass at my feet. “I, huh, didn’t think you’d approve.”

“Approve? No, not really. No one’s ever returned from the dragon lands alive, yet you go by yourself without telling anyone. If something had happened, we wouldn’t know where to look for you. But. . . nothing did happen and my daughter is the first human to return from the dragon lands--it’s hard not to be proud of that.”

I hugged him, relieved that I wasn’t going to be berated, because I intended on going to the dragon lands many times in the foreseeable future. “I’ll protect Camden,” I promised him. “I’ll train him up before we go so he’ll be able to defend himself on Elesor. We might not even have to go if we find him a dragon in the valley.” Though, I secretly hoped I would be able to show Camden the dragon lands. I’d always wanted to share that experience with someone.

He kissed the top of my head. “You know it’s not him I’ll worry about while you’re out there, right? You can be as tough as any of your brothers, Kali, but you’ll always be my little girl. That prince better watch your back.”

I peered up at the green dragon flying circles around the village. Images of our journey back from Histero appeared before my eyes; he didn’t even want me as his guide at that point, but he still had my back as we fought the harpies. He’d even saved my life. He didn’t have to, especially since he would have gotten what he wanted--a new guide--if he had. “He will.”

“He will or I’ll gut him.”

I laughed. Maybe I shouldn’t have because he was entirely serious and Camden wouldn’t have been the first person to receive that threat, but Dad had yet to have any reason to gut anyone so far and I doubted Camden would be the first person to give him that reason.

Elesor roared in glee as she came in for a landing. She spread her wings wide and landed softly in front of us, shaking the mist off her scales like a dog once her claws touched the ground.

Camden slid off the saddle, panting, but with the biggest smile I’d ever seen on anyone. “That was amazing!” he exhilarated, wiping a hand through his damp hair. Completely ignoring my father, he hugged me so tight he lifted me off the fence. “Thank you!”

I waved it off once he put me down beside Dad. “There’s nothing to thank me for. You were bound to learn how to fly eventually. Next step is finding a dragon in this valley. We’ll practice the rest of the week and hopefully start your search on Monday.”

Remembering Dad was with us, he cleared his throat, stepping away to give me more space and nodded once, holding up his cool demeanor. “Sounds good.”

Dad slapped his shoulder roughly--so rough the poor prince staggered forward--and grinned evilly at him. “Glad to see you finally recognise my daughter for her talents.”

He inclined his head to hide the flush rising on his cheeks. “She is very talented for a woman, yes.” His eyes flitted to mine with a sheen of mischief.

I punched his arm, hard, uncaring if he was teasing me or not; he clearly had to be reminded who was in charge here.

Rubbing his shoulder, he winked at me. “You’re as fierce as any dragon, Kal, you don’t need me to remind your own father, do you?”

I hit him again. Only, this time, he caught my fist. His smile grew. “If you’re going to teach me how to fly and all these other amazing things, the least you could do is let me teach you how to fight with form. You’re sloppy--and predictable.” He looked to Dad. “If that is all right with you?”

Dad gripped my shoulder affectionately and grinned at me. “If Kali wants to learn, you have my consent. I want her to have everything she needs to survive.”

I was about to stick my chin up snootily and decline his offer, but Dad had a look about him. It wasn’t stern or demanding. He was pleading. He wanted me to train, to become stronger, so he didn’t have to worry about me while I was out in the mountains with Elesor. I’d sparred with my brothers and I knew how to fight, but having formal training might give me an edge I needed to make up for my size and lack of strength, especially against dragon scavengers who were sometimes defected soldiers or mercenaries.

I shrugged at the prince. “Yeah, I guess you have to repay me somehow for being so patient with such a hopeless student.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

He pushed me, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

I stumbled into Dad. “Hey, buddy, watch it. Dad, are you going to let him push me around?”

Camden stood stiff, forgetting my father was still with us. His arms were crossed, glaring at the prince.

But then he shrugged and ruffled my hair. “You started it, kiddo, I’m not digging you out of this one. Do what you will, Prince, she deserves every ounce of it.” He turned for the house, waving at us over his shoulder.

I gaped after him. What was that? He didn’t let anyone push me around, not even my brothers! But Camden was allowed to do it?

I glared at him. “Thank your lucky stars you’re still alive.”

“Oh, I am. He just gave me permission to do whatever I want to you.” He gave me a full look over, a devious smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “It’s quite the list ”

Snorting, Elesor swept her tail underneath him, tripping him. He fell flat on his back. I laughed at him, tiptoeing around his limbs to my dragon’s side so he couldn’t see my blush.