Dragon King- A Circle of Steel Novel

Chapter 1
The young man pumped the bellows with a steady pace, sweat dripping from his nose and chin from the unbearable heat in the room. The heat seemed unnoticed as he worked steadily at keeping the heat in the furnace at a high temperature. He had been working steady at the bellows all afternoon, only breaking to fetch more wood to fuel the furnace when the blacksmith hollered for more heat. His pace was unwavering, keeping the heat at a steady temperature was essential when forging steel.
Hair matted and clinging to his sweaty face he showed no sign of exhaustion, although his clothing was drenched in his sweat from the hard day of work. He smiled to himself, work was almost complete for the day and all he could think about was his favourite swimming hole. He had found the spot a while ago, when he was but a boy exploring the woods that surrounded his home. He had always enjoyed the seclusion and silence of the area and was dreaming of its cool water against his body.
“Solan, you can stop now“, the large blacksmith bellowed, “Day dreaming again I see”.
“I guess I was”, Solan answered, turning to leave the shop, wiping the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his tunic.
“Before you leave”, the blacksmith called out. “I need the wood restocked for the morning”.
“I’ll get right on it, sir,” Solan replied, turning to leave once again.
“What’s your hurry boy”, the blacksmith asked, stopping Solan in mid stride, “Rest awhile, you’ve worked hard today. Grab a drink and sit awhile, I need to speak with you”.
“Yes Kalob”’ Solan replied, turning his attention back to the blacksmith.
He walked over to where Kalob stood; taking the flask from his soot covered hand, taking a large swallow he let the cool water slowly trickle down his throat.
“We have two days to complete the order of farm utensils”, Kalob informed. “I’ll be leaving for seven days to deliver them. I need you to rest up while I’m gone, when I return we’re going to be busy”.
“Yes sir”, Solan answered. “I best be on my way and take care of that wood”.
“You’re a hard worker, my boy”, Kalob said with a smile. “Now get that wood chopped and piled”.
Solan left the work shop laughing at Kalob’s attempt at trying to be a slave driver, it had always been the blacksmiths way of letting Solan know he had done a good job. He walked around back to where the logs were that needed to be chopped. He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe more sweat from his face. It would not take him long to complete his task, it never did. This had been his job since he was a little boy and he enjoyed it immensely.
Kalob had been his teacher with everything, teaching Solan so much about the forging of steel and always left him wanting to learn more. Everything Kalob put in front of him to learn he had mastered, not quitting till he had it perfected. The only thing he longed for most was to be taught the art of creating the perfect weapon, just the thought of creating the perfect blade was still a dream for him but a dream he would one day accomplish.
To Solan the sword was the most fascinating of all the weapons ever created and the skill in which it took to forge such a weapon was with in him, he just needed the opportunity. The thought of such an opportunity sent a shiver down his back, causing the hairs on the back of his neck and arms to stand on end. He laughed out loud, lucky Kalob was not around to catch him day dreaming once again, the blacksmith could be quite relentless when he found a way to poke fun at him, at Solan’s expense no doubt.
At a mere twenty-one years of age Solan had grown into a very muscular young man, all the years serving as a blacksmiths apprentice had given him a body most men longed to have, being so physically fit had its disadvantages however. When making deliveries to towns and the big cities Solan was always confronted by the local rough neck who wanted to make a name for himself or his reputation that much bigger by taking a few rounds out of a big guy like him.
Kalob had insisted on teaching him self defence, luckily he had only used it on one occasion. He had been reprimanded severely for the incident; the words Kalob said to him on that day had been forever engraved into his head.
“I know you were only defending yourself but that does not mean that you were in the right”, Kalob had said, “You are better than that and better than the man you just beat, but the better man always knows that he can walk away”.
“You knew that you could beat him”, Kalob went on, “and knowing that the man was no threat, there should have been no reason for you to retaliate. You should have walked away. I’m not mad at you, your young and these are the choices a young man your age is faced with making.
“I need you to be strong, in here”, Kalob said tapping Solan’s chest, “but I need you to be even stronger up here”, he then tapped Solan’s temple.
He had not fought since, always finding a way to turn from a potential fight. Kalob had witnessed this on many occasions and on a few of these occasions could not believe that Solan had walked off without knocking a few heads together. Kalob took it upon himself to take the training a step further, beginning with teaching him how to hunt and track animals. After many months of intensive training at the forge and in the art of hunting Kalob than began to train him how to track people, showing him how to successfully track a man by learning his preys many different traveling habits.
Solan could now successfully track and capture the crafty blacksmith, there were few times when Kalob could avoid being captured by his pupil but would always assure Solan that a teacher always had a few hidden tricks up the old sleeve. The games between the two would sometimes last days, but would only begin when there was little work to do at the blacksmith forge.
Solan smiled to himself, propping the axe against a tree, so deep in thought he had not realized that not only had he chopped enough wood for tomorrow but also for the next day as well. Sweat dripped from his hair down into his face and off the tip of his nose, his tunic drenched in sweat he tore it off over his head. He pulled his long red hair from his face before grabbing all the chopped wood he could carry. He made several trips to the workshop until completing his task, returning to the chop block after delivering the last of the wood to the bin inside the workshop.
He stood for a moment catching his breath as the cool fall breeze washed over his dark tanned skin. Solan closed his eyes letting out a sigh of relief before retrieving his tunic to wipe the sweat from his face and body. Work was complete, now he could get his tired aching muscles into the cool waters of the swimming hole and relax until dinner time.
Solan listened to the sounds of the forest, closing his eyes once more and picturing the leaves and tree limbs swaying in the wind. Birds chirped through out the trees and the sound from a pair of squirrels could be heard frolicking amongst the branches in their playful manner. Then a sound that did not belong to the harmonic sounds of the forest, twigs snapped under untrained feet. He estimated the person to be about fifty yards behind him, his first instinct was to turn and see just who was trying to sneak up on him. Solan suppressed the impulse; instead he stretched his arms above his head slowly turning to inspect the trees behind him. At first nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, it was quite possible he had heard wrong and it had only been one of the many antlered animals passing by while foraging for food.
Just when he was about to turn back a strong gust of wind revealed the culprit, blue fabric possibly from a cloak gave away the person who had hidden behind a tree. About the same distance he had guessed, the fabric fluttered in the wind. Whoever it belonged to, was not skilled in tracking. Maybe it was Kalob trying to spook him, but he had never known Kalob to wear a blue cloak or to be so careless when sneaking up on someone in the woods he knew so well.
Solan decided he would play the unsuspecting victim for now, so acted as if he had not seen or heard his stalker. If it was Kalob, he wanted to see just how far the blacksmith was willing to take this little game, although it was a little unusual for the old blacksmith to start one of his many games after a hard day at the forge.
Solan began to walk away, already formulating a plan to turn this game around to his advantage; he would lead his stalker to the river that lay not far from here. His tunic in hand, he began to leisurely stroll towards his destination where his plan would unfold and just maybe he would have enough time to get some relaxation in. These games with Kalob had always been enjoyable; it helped him to stay alert and to always expect the unexpected.
He continued as though suspecting nothing, towards the river he walked, his plans to visit the swimming hole would have to wait as he began to weave through the thickly wooded forest. Solan smiled as the sound of twigs snapping reached his ears, Kalob must be getting old or very careless to have made this many mistakes thus far. He cleared the final row of trees, coming to a stop once in the clearing.
The stream lay before him, the dark water gently rippling from the wind. A large rock formation protruded from the waters edge, the perfect place to spring his little trap. He made his way over to the waters edge, discarding his tunic on the grass than quickly removing his sandals with the kick of his feet.
His trousers followed soon after, taking a careful glance to his rear, to see if his stalker still followed, and that he was. Solan walked to the waters edge, paused than plunged into the cool waters, making sure to dive as deep as the river allowed. He kept himself hidden in the dark depths of the water, making it impossible to be seen. He swam up stream to where the large out cropping of rock lay at the rivers bank.
The shadowed figure stepped out from hiding as the young man dove into the river, making sure not to be seen before leaving the cover of the forest. The person wore a blue cloak with the hood pulled low over their face, disguising their identity. The stalker approached the area where Solan had discarded his clothing, kneeling in the grass; hands quickly began to fumble with the clothing, finding only empty pockets. So intent was the cloaked stalker in his search that he had not noticed the shadow that now hovered over him.
“Find anything worth your troubles”, Solan asked, “On your feet”, he ordered, slipping a long dagger under the thief’s chin.
The hooded thief said nothing but slowly rose to his feet as ordered, making sure not to make any sudden moves with the blade under his chin. The thief could feel by the grip on his arm there was no point in an attempt to escape capture, thinking it wise to be as amenable as possible. The man’s grip was powerful, strong enough to easily break the bones in the arm he had hold of.
The dagger was kept firmly against the underside of the thief’s chin, Solan taking no chance at being attacked. Slowly he turned his captive so that he could look upon his face, looking down upon the thief; Solan slowly drew back the hood of the cloak. To his surprise, revealing the face of a woman.
Not just any woman but one of the most attractive women he had ever laid his eyes upon, it left him momentarily speechless. Than the realization of the situation set in, “here I stand”, Solan thought to himself, “stark naked and a knife to this woman’s throat”. He felt the heat of embarrassment rise into his cheeks than flood his face, turning it into a crimson mask. A groan of displeasure and embarrassment escaped his lips as he stood before her naked, red faced and wet from his swim.
Long golden blonde hair spilled out over her shoulders and onto the blue fabric of her cloak, the way her hair framed her beautifully tanned face, took his breath away. Her gentle green eyes caused Solan to forget just for a moment why he held a blade to her throat. He could not believe how a woman this beautiful and with such a gentle appearance could resort to the life of a thief. Trying his best he concealed his bewilderment he mustered enough anger so as not to show how dumbfounded he really was.
“Why have you been stalking me”, Solan asked, his voice sounding to gentle for his liking. “And why would you think that I would have anything valuable enough to steal”.
“I will not speak to you until that blade is removed from my throat”, she stated defiantly.
“And what are the chances of you running off”, Solan asked. “What kind of guarantee can you give me that you won’t attempt an escape”?
“I give my word”, she answered. “I have nothing else to give”.
“Sorry but the word of a thief is not quite good enough for me”, Solan stated dryly.
He was slapped hard across his cheek, totally unprepared for the attack. The words had just left his lips and with lightening speed she had literally slapped the taste from his mouth with the flat of her hand. He looked upon his captive in shock, his cheek feeling like he had been attacked by a dozen hornets. With a growl of anger he grabbed her wrist, twisting it till she cried out from pain. Removing the blade from her throat he quickly wrenched her arm behind her back, pulling up to let her know who was in charge. Putting a foot to the back of her knee and applying the correct amount of force her knee buckled under the pressure causing her to drop to the ground on her knees. He than forced the thief down onto her stomach.
“Look I’m not trying to hurt you”, Solan said gently, “You’re leaving me little choice in the matter. I’m not quite sure how to deal with you so this is what’s going to happen, you are coming with me willingly or by force I really have no preference in how, but you will see my guardians so they can decide the correct course of action to take with you”.
She screamed in anger but Solan paid no attention to it, leaning to the side he pulled his clothing closer to him. He wondered how to dress himself while keeping her down on the ground; placing a knee to the small of her back he contemplated how he might solve his little predicament.
“Give me your word that you won’t try to run”, Solan demanded. “If you try to escape I will bury my blade in your back before you get ten feet from me”
“You have my word”, she answered, the anger still evident in her voice.
Solan quickly pulled his trousers on, his eyes never leaving her. She made sure to lay as still as possible, letting him get his clothing on. “My guardian is a kind man”, Solan said as he fastened the buttons on his pants. “He’s a fare man and will deal with you in a fare manner”.
“Just let me go”, she pleaded, watching him fasten the last button. “You will never see or hear of me again”.
Solan ignored her plea, although amazed that she had not attempted to escape, she had stayed true to her word. She had believed in his bluff and had not tried to escape, gaining a little of his respect and willing to face the consequences for her actions. He felt bad for having to man handle her the way that he had, looking down at her he decided to help her up to her feet. He placed both hands gently about her tiny waist, “Push with your legs, I would rather not hurt you again”.
She obeyed but finding that he needed very little of her help, she found herself up on her feet with his hands firmly gripping her waist, she leaned back against his hard body, letting out a sigh of relief. She could feel his body tense up involuntarily before he pushed her away from him.
“Thank you”, she said softly as she turned to look at him.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you”’ Solan apologized before reaching out and grabbing hold of her arm once again.
Solan gave a little tug, pulling her close to him as he began to walk in the direction of home, determined to escort her to his guardian so that they could deal with her. He found it very strange that a beautiful woman whose clothing was very expensively made would be so far from civilization and trying to steal from someone clearly not worthy of such an attempt.
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“What’s your name”, Solan asked curiously. “Mine is Solan by the way”.
She did not answer, following quietly by his side. Solan shrugged, either way she would tell Xander or Kalob who she was. He began to notice that she was constantly scanning the area, was there another person out in the woods he had not seen.
“Who’s out there”, Solan questioned. “Tell me now before someone gets hurt”.
“People that we really don’t want to meet”, she answered, looking up at him. “So if you plan on turning me over to this guardian of yours I suggest that we leave now”.
“Are you in some sort of trouble”, Solan asked, raising his eye brows.
“It’s not what you think”, she answered, looking into his eyes. “But if you don’t want to die we better get out of here now, I’ll tell you everything later”.
“Ok, lets get out of here”, Solan replied, becoming nervous standing out in the open.
“If you can hide our tracks or the direction we’ll be traveling that would be wonderful”, she stated. “I promise not to run if you can help me”.
“Can you swim”’ Solan answered with a smile.
She looked puzzled, “I can, why”.
“I know this river well”’ Solan responded, “If we swim down stream it will take us near my home, leaving no tracks to be found”.
With out any further suggestions she ran to the rivers bank, plunging into the cool rippling blue water. Solan shrugged his shoulders than followed her in, breaking the surface of water to see her head bobbing above the water not far from him. He swam up beside her than took the lead, knowing how far they needed to swim. The half hour swim felt more like an hour before finding the small path Solan was searching for.
It was a well worn path, slightly hidden from view from all the weeds growing near the river. He swam for shore, wanting to get out of the water and hopefully dry off in what remained of the sunlight. He pulled himself up onto the bank, extending a hand out to the beautiful thief who accepted his help eagerly.
“We use the path when we’re out fishing”, Solan stated, “Their thinking we’ll be hiding our tracks so won’t suspect an old fishing trail”.
“How far till we reach your home”, she asked.
“Not far at all, just over that hill up ahead”, Solan pointed off into the distance.
“Good I would like to get out of these wet clothes as soon as possible”, she replied to him still wringing out her cloak.
“Why don’t you remove your cloak”, Solan remarked. “It would be less cumbersome, most likely a lot more comfortable”.
“I’m fine, let’s get going”.
They ran quickly; Solan knew it was a couple of miles before they would reach his home but as far as he knew both their lives were in danger. Hopefully Xander would know how to help this woman. All thought about her trying to escape and that she had tried to steal from him were long gone and were replaced with thoughts of getting this woman to safety and protection. He was curious as to what they were running from or from who but it didn’t matter much, either way his life was now in danger as well as her own. After walking for about a mile the woman stopped, causing Solan to wonder what the problem was. They stood there in silence, Solan searched their surroundings. What could be wrong, had they been found or was she just tired.
“We must hurry”, she ordered. “I don’t know if they have found our trail or if their guessing, but we must hurry”.
Solan grabbed her hand and pulled her into a run. They moved fast, if they were to be found he would not be to blame. As they ran a thought came to him, Solan abruptly changed their direction. He tried to pick up the pace but she began to stumble, he stopped, “Forgive me”, he stated, throwing her up onto his shoulders and than running as fast as he possibly could. She yelled at him once to set her down, and then realized that he was actually moving faster now than they had been. It was only for a short distance when he stopped running and put her down. Solan dropped to a knee and revealed a grass covered door in the ground.
“Old hiding place”, Solan informed. “Climb in, I think it will be safe”, he said opening the door for her.
She knelt down sticking her head into the tunnel than quickly crawled down the dark hole on her stomach. The tunnel opened into a chamber at the bottom, about ten feet or so from the surface. She felt her way through the darkness, moving to the side so he would not trample her when he entered. She leaned back against a cold wet clay wall, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
“I would start a fire”, Solan said, announcing his arrival, “But whoever is after you would see the smoke rise out of the chimney hole above”.
“The dark is fine”, she answered, as she lay back against the wall of the cave.
The walls were cold and damp, causing there already wet clothing to stick to the clay walls. Solan had already begun to shiver from the cold, and imagined his companion was in the same condition. There came a horrifying shriek from above that penetrated right through the underground sanctuary, chilling Solan to the bone. The hairs on his body stood erect and his skin went cold from fear. He had no clue if the woman he was helping was as scared as he was, not daring to breath at the moment, fearing that whatever that horrid sound came from would hear the sound of his breath leaving his lungs.
Solan could not move a muscle, which probably wasn’t a bad idea for the time being any how, he thought to himself. Nothing had ever terrified him like this and he didn’t like it one bit. He always believed that there was nothing out in the world that could scare him this badly and he would be able to control any situation he was in, “how wrong had he been”, he thought to himself
“It’s gone”, his female companion’s voice came from the darkness. “We’re safe for now”.
“What was that”, Solan asked, forcing the words from his lips.
“Something that we never want to be captured by”, was all she answered.
“I gathered that much”, Solan retorted, a little angry with her response. “Don’t you think I deserve a little more information than the obvious”?
“In time you will have the answers”, she replied softening her voice so it would add a calming effect. “But I think for now we’re safer in here than anywhere else”.
“I think I have to agree”, Solan answered. “I don’t want to lead whatever that was even close to my home, and I don’t want to leave until it’s absolutely safe”.
“Than we agree”, the woman stated. “I think it’s safe to start that fire”.
“Yes, you must be very cold”, Solan said as he started feeling his way through the dark in search of his tinder box and kindling.
“You’re a very brave man, Solan”, she said kindly. “I am forever in your debt”.
“If that’s so”, Solan replied. “Than I say thank you and since you are in my debt than maybe you can answer just a few of my questions”.
A few loud cracks broke the silence as Solan worked to get the fire started. A few strikes with his flint rocks and a tiny ember glowed faintly which he quickly began to blow to start a small flame. He added a few pieces of chopped wood to get them warm. The fire grew, which spread a soft light to the small cave. Both drew closer to the fire to warm themselves.
“I have furs in the box over in the corner”. Solan informed. “We’ll spend the night here and in the morning we’ll head to my guardians”.
“My name is Nora”, she said, staring into the fire. “I’ve been running for months, stealing to eat and hiding wherever I can. The men who hunt me are very dangerous and if they find me I’m dead”.
Nora went silent for a bit, still staring into the fire. “You are the first to try and help me so do deserve some sort of explanation as to why your life is now in danger as well”.
Solan sat silently letting her speak, also fearing that if he were to interrupt she would stop speaking.
“The beast you heard was a dragon”, Nora informed. “My dragon, to be correct, I am a dragon rider”.
She paused again and Solan noticed that there were tears flowing down her cheeks. He had never heard of a dragon in these parts of the world and he assumed that dragon riders were nothing more than a myth.
“These men stole her eggs and hold them so that they can control her and make her do their evil deeds”. She said wiping her tears away. “They killed my people while they slept; I had thought that they would be safe if I had left”.
“I don’t want to speak of it anymore tonight”, Nora stated.
Solan put a hand gently on her shoulder. “You’ll see her again”, he said soothingly. “What’s her name”?
“Nala”, Nora answered.
“That’s a beautiful name”, Solan replied.
“She’s my best friend”, Nora said looking deep into Solan’s eyes. “There is a special bond between dragons and their riders. We are not their masters by any means but more like two halves of the same creature separated by our species”.
“You must get out of that wet cloak”, Solan replied. “You’ll get sick”.
Solan stood and went to his cache of furs. Nora meanwhile removed her wet cloak, raised her arms above her head and stretched her body.
“How did you find this place”, Nora asked, as she took a better look at their surroundings.
“Most of it I dug out myself”, Solan informed his companion, a smile showing his pride at his accomplishment. “At first there had been room for only one person, I used it to hide from Kalob, my guardian. Then I couldn’t stop making it larger”, Solan chuckled. “I wanted more space and warmth if I were to stay here over night or for a few days”.
“If you have a home, why are you in need of such a place”, Nora asked a little confused. “Are your guardian’s cruel people”?
“No nothing like that”, Solan laughed. “Kalob and I have these games we play on one another and I needed this place to hide from him. It sounds strange the way I’ve explained it but for now I’d say we’re lucky I built it”, Solan said smiling down at her.
Spreading out some furs in front of the fire indicating that this was her place to sleep, he did the same for himself, and then sat down by the fire once again to warm himself. Solan removed his wet tunic, tired of being wet and cold.
“You wouldn’t happen to have any food in that box would you”, Nora asked, with both hope and hunger showing in her eyes.
“Your in luck”, Solan answered, unrolling his fur to show a wrapped bundle inside. “I always keep a bit of food down here”.
Solan unfolded the package which held four small bundles inside. “Rice”, he said putting the package to the side. “Dried meat”, he stated, opening the pouch and handing her some, “spices and finally sun dried vegetables”, Solan said, listing off what he had.
Solan went back to the box where he had removed the furs and returned with a small cooking pot and two flasks filled with water. He poured water into the pot and set it on a steel grill he had placed over the fire, handing her the second so that she could quench her thirst.
Both sat waiting for the water to boil, neither speaking for the moment. When the water began to boil Solan added the rice, dried meat and some spices he had removed from the small leather pouches. With a wooden spoon he began to stir the food as it began to cook above the flames, as the food quickly spread its aroma through out the cave, Solan’s stomach let out a mighty growl of hunger.
Solan pulled some dried tomatoes from the last bag, adding the thin slices of sun dried tomatoes to the pot. He hoped that the meal would taste as good as the aroma it sent out about the cave, who knew how long it had been since his companion had any sustenance.
“When was the last time you had anything to eat”, he asked, breaking the silence between them.
She sat for a moment trying to think before she answered, “Three maybe four days ago, it’s hard to remember”.
“Well I’m not going to promise you that this is going to be the world’s finest cuisine but it will fill that empty spot in your belly” Solan said, smiling over at her. “And it will definitely cure your hunger”.
“I would eat raw fish if that’s all you had to offer”, Nora replied. “How long before anyone realizes that you have not returned home”.
“They most likely know that by now”, Solan answered as he removed a bowl from the box. “My guardians know if I have not returned by dinner I’m not coming”.
“Do they know of this place”?
“Yes and no”, he answered, “they know of this place but have no clue where it is. Kalob has tried to find it numerous times but has always come back upset. He says there has never been a place or thing he could not locate”.
Stirring the pot he scooped a small amount onto the spoon, taking a small bite to test the texture of the rice Solan nodded in satisfaction. “Well the foods done”, he announced, scooping most of the rice into the bowl he had retrieved earlier. He placed the steaming bowl into her waiting hands; she thanked him than spooned a large helping into her mouth, not letting it cool.
“You’re going to burn your mouth like that and than try to eat with a blistered mouth”, he warned. “I know your hungry but take your time and enjoy the meal”.
“I’m sorry”, Nora blushed, “your right it is very hot, can I have some water please”.
Solan passed the flask to her than began to eat his own meal, noticing that it could have used a bit more spice other than that it wasn’t a bad meal. He noticed that Nora had a little trouble controlling the speed at which she ate but had managed to slow her pace just a little. She was the first to finish her portion, scraping her bowl clean. Solan could see that she was searching for more so handed the pot over to her that contained his portion of the meal. She hesitated not wanting to accept his part of the meal.
“Take it”, Solan told her gently. “I had a large lunch and I believe you need this more than I”.
“Thank you”, Nora replied, taking the pot from him. “Your very kind”, she said, already chewing a mouthful.
Solan lay back onto his furs, silently watching her as she made short work of the remainder of his portion. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her, even after the incident by the river. She was so beautiful, even with her hair in tangles from the swim. He watched her so intently that he forgot his manners and noticed that she was blushing profusely.
“I’m sorry,” Nora said her face red from embarrassment. “I must look like a savage, eating like a ravenous animal”.
“No, I should be the one to apologize”, Solan exclaimed, turning away. “I forgot my manners, I was watching you eat”, Solan confessed. “But that’s only part of it, I’ve never met such a beautiful woman before and I couldn’t help but get lost in your beauty”.
“I see I’m not the only one here that blushes”, Nora laughed watching Solan’s face turn red. “But there must be beautiful women in the village your from”.
“Actually I live in a very secluded area”, Solan informed, “Just my two guardians and I live there. I’ve been to the big cities on a few occasions but I enjoy the peace we have out here”.
“I myself live the secluded life”, Nora remarked. “I live far to the south, up in the mountains with Nala and the other dragon riders”.
“Why not tell the other dragon riders of your plight and ask them for help”, Solan asked softly.
“I did”, Nora replied. “They won’t help, they, I should say we only get together when it’s needed”. “They refused”, Solan was outraged. “Your own people refuse when one of theirs is in need of help, I can’t believe that someone could possibly do that”.
“Don’t blame them”, Nora begged. “It’s the way that they are; it’s the way it’s always been”.
“I don’t believe that for a moment”, Solan replied anger making his voice gruffer.
“It takes a lot of time and commitment to be a dragon rider”, Nora stated. “You distance yourself from everyone you have ever known. The only thing that means anything in your life is your dragon. When your dragon first hatches from its egg they choose you, we have no choice in which hatchling we want”, Nora went on to explain. “The dragons and their soon to be riders form a very special bond even before they choose each other.
“It’s hard to explain”, she went on. “I think I described it earlier a little badly. It’s both dragonet and child that choose each other, yes that’s more accurate”, Nora said almost to herself, “After we connect we spend almost all of our time with each other, we sort of raise each other and as the years go by and both dragon and rider mature the bond grows stronger”.
“Can you feel her now”, Solan interrupted. “I mean the connection between you two”.
“Yes and no”, Nora answered. “I feel her pain and her fears but she wont answer my calls”, she began to cry. “When her eggs were first stolen all I could feel was her anger”, Nora said, tears streaming down her face. “Then she told me she found them and that was it for a long time. After a month she called out to me”, Nora was sobbing now. “I felt a searing jolt of pain through my ribs and she has not spoken since”.
“Whoever has her abuses her with a great deal of hatred for her kind”, she went on trying to wipe tears that would not seem to stop flowing. “The other dragons feel her pain as well”, Nora informed. “But their riders said that their dragons refuse to help cause there scared of something. They say Nala contacted them and warned them to stay away”, Nora explained. “That’s why they won’t help”.
“I’m sorry”, Solan replied. “You can have my help, I don’t know how I can help yet but I will find a way”.
“I don’t know what to say, you don’t even know me”, Nora answered. “Why would you help when I’ve tried to steal from you and endangered your life”?
“No need to say anything”, Solan said. “I was raised to help when help was needed. I think we should sleep now and than tomorrow we should go see both my guardian’s, maybe they have some advice for both of us”.
Solan threw more wood on the fire than laid back in the furs; looking over at Nora he gave her a reassuring smile before covering himself in the furs. “Try getting some sleep”, he said as a yawn escaped, “We’ll get an early start in the morning”.
Nora simply returned the smile than laid back into the furs as well; her body drained both emotionally and physically. Just maybe I can finally sleep tonight, she thought as her eyelids closed.