Chapter 12
My breath exhaled slowly, as I followed Karson towards a meadow some distance from the camp. I marvelled at how soundless he moved. Bow in hand, knotting the arrow ready. He held it downwards, resting it on his thigh. He paused, sniffed the air, and then narrowed his eyes in the distance. The meadow held shadows of dusk; the stars had started to show themselves. After several seconds of taking in the area, he readied his bow, taking aim of his chosen target.
Rabbits.
Several nibbled at the grass that concealed most, if not all of them. I risked a step closer and his eyes lifted from his position. The smallest movements of his shaking head, told me not to move, not to move a single muscle. My breath caught. I waited.
His eyes on the rabbit, the string pulled tight. His fingers rubbed the red feathers as his breath exhaled, the string released in a breathless—Thawk! The path was short lived, hitting the animal dead on. The squeal was small and all the other rabbits fled to the safety of their burrows as Karson lowered the bow, I released my breath. With a nod, we walked towards our soon to be dinner. Taking in the dead rabbit, I realised it wasn’t alone. A second rabbit stood next to the first, oddly not frightened or bothered as Karson reached for the dead rabbit. I was unable to take my eyes off it. This rabbit flopped its ears, scratched its face with its front paws, but paid no mind to the dead rabbit beside it. Karson had retrieved the corpse, pulled out the arrow and wiped the fresh blood away and shoved it into his quill set. I stared at the other rabbit, shocked.
“It’s hard to kill them, I know. But you will learn. Survival of the fittest and hunger out wins all trials.”
“No. It’s … I just didn’t think the rabbits would be friendly.”
“Friendly?” He questioned. Karson held the dead one to my view. “It’s dead. Not friendly.”
“That one isn’t. It’s far too happy to sit and watch us.”
Karson swivelled his head around the area. “Which one? Where?”
“There … two foot to your left.” I widen my eyes at it. “It’s scratching its nose and looking at us as if we have treats.”
Karson tilted his head. That look from last night crossed his features in a flash.
“It’s right there!” I took a step towards it and the rabbit leaped backwards, and for the first time, it was actually afraid.
“I don’t see any rabbit.” Karson watched me idly. “What are you doing?”
“It’s frightened … Sort of. Or curious. When I walk towards it—” The rabbit leaped away by a third bound, it turned and gazed at me. “It’s afraid of me …”
Karson wasn’t paying any attention to the rabbit. He was looking at me. “Come on. I don’t have time for this.”
“It’s here Karson. Please don’t do that.”
“Do what.”
“Pretend it’s not happening. There is a rabbit about ten feet away, but it’s still a rabbit. Why can’t you see it?” I pointed, and Karson glanced everywhere, but at the rabbit.
La’Kera! I breathed, seeking her thoughts instantly.
He turned from me to the rabbit and back several times, when Blade’Dur appeared in front of her.
“Open your mind to me La’Kera. I wish to show Karson of the sight your Bond sees …” His deep voice made her hum a little distracted. “Free your mind. That is all I ask. Allow my mind entrance to yours …”
She frowned at his words and slowly she was able to blend her mind with his, or as far as we could tell, he was seeing what I was seeing. How it worked had my interest perk up and I wanted to question Karson, but it had to wait. Karson stopped staring in annoyance and turned his green gaze to the rabbit, to stare at it.
“You see it?”
“Yeah. That’s what I’ve been telling you. Rabbit … is being nice. Why?”
“It’s not there. Least … I can’t see it. Not like this.” He blinked several times. “The girl … you said she vanished off the seventh floor.”
“Yeah …” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “What does this have to do with the rabbit you can’t see unless La’Kera shows Blade’Dur, which I want to know how that works by the way.”
“The rabbit is real, to you and La’Kera … as was the girl. But neither I, nor Blade’Dur could detect her, and in all truths. There is no rabbit standing ten feet from us. I can pin point six rabbits in the area we stand, and all are forty feet away, except for one to our right, which is hidden and ready to run.” He picked up a rock and tossed it in the direction he claimed; a flash of brown and the rabbit was running. “You see. This rabbit.” He waved to the area. “Isn’t here.” He walked out towards it, and to my surprise, the rabbit didn’t actually care about Karson, though it did pay some mind to the rabbit he held. It watched it, taking in the dangling corpse with a puzzled look, if rabbits had such looks. I took a step towards it, and it stopped in its actions, to stare at me.
“It reacts to me. Why?”
Karson waited a moment longer and it was La’Kera and Blade’Dur talking.
“What of your truth of colour?” He asked.
I see no colour around it, said La’Kera. It is white, a hue of white, and crystal haze. Pure. No colour of emotion, no fear, no worry, no desire. She shuffled her wings and took in the rabbit with great care, and to my surprise, all four of us said what we were thinking simultaneously.
“Ghost.”
“But … How? This is … impossible. I don’t see ghost. Least I never have before and if it is, why now? What for? And, why a rabbit? A little girl? You think she’s a ghost too? If she is, why was she screaming at me to help her? But won’t let me help her?” My questions tumbled without thought and Karson waited a time for me to catch my breath.
“We’ll start on dinner and discuss it further.” He held up the dead rabbit and walked from the clearing.
I watched as the ghost-rabbit tilted its head. I took another step towards it, and then it ran, fast and far, vanishing into a haze of the darkening meadow. The stars were starting to double and brighten above in the evening sky. I pressed my lips together in thought as I made the walk to camp. Karson had started the preparations of cleaning the rabbit, for the soon to be meal I was anticipating. I watched silently, wanting answers. To talk, to understand what he and I had just discovered. I see ghost. Did this make me crazy? Did it make me weird? Had I always been able to see ghost? Had I always known about them, seen them at the academy? And that was why people thought I was weird. Okay, so I didn’t talk to many people. It was fair to say, I had little contact with anyone in the past three months.
“Do you think this is a Dy’Monian power?” I asked, unable to hide my need to discuss it.
Karson worked over the rabbit, peering up to me and continuing with his work. “Possibly. Some people have gifts that are heightened when they are chosen.”
“How so.”
“I know of a Ryder, before she was chosen; she was able to sense if a person’s mind was of great will or simple will.”
“You mean, men have will without Bonds.”
“All men have will. The bonding of dragons awakens it. As a child, we can work it and use it. To never train it, the will becomes weak … fades, and is no more by the time the man is of age.”
“Oh. So. You think I have this gift.”
“I don’t know. It might be a Dy’Monian power. Though I can’t say it isn’t. La’Kera sees auras, you see souls, and perhaps it is a connection. The sixth sign of truth.” He smirked. It made my body tingle to think that was the true name of my power.
“Why is there no documentation on Dy’Monian?”
“You did read a book in the past six months didn’t you?” A wry smile played his lips. Wiping the blade on his thigh, he stood.
“I did. And that’s what I mean. I don’t know anything about a Dy’Monian Ryder or dragons. I can read about all the other signs, I can even read about Sy’Rah, even the war on dwarves, which dated three hundred years before the First Bonds. I can talk about the great Drae’G
on himself, who started all the herds, and the wills of the kin that sailed here. But not Dy’Monian.”
“I see your frustration.”
“Do you?” I stood swiftly, pacing a few feet. “I just realised I can see souls and you see my frustration.” I put my hands on my hips in emphasis.
“Easy Rehema. Come on. We’ll get through this.”
“You think I’m crazy don’t you?”
“No. You’re in need of guidance and I’m willing to help. We need to cover all areas first.”
“So wish there was something of the Dy’Monian books.”
“You do remember the tale of the Great War.”
“Yes. They say that was when Sy’Rah took on the lands and the herds, but lost.”
“Yes. He did, but so to did the herds. It wasn’t until the war was over, the members of each herd wished a meeting of the signs to make a peace and oath on the paw of Drae’Gon that we discovered there were no Dy’Monians left. The few Elders that remained had been maimed in ways they wished not to speak to us, it was nothing, but a few short decades later, and most had vanished. All books, documentations and anything of Dy’Monian were gone. Drae’Gon knows where.”
“But you still know about Dy’Monians.”
“We have that knowledge at least. That there were six herds in the lands of the Dangora, Drae’Gons knows why a seventh was here at all. The older dragons did not forget the Dy’Monian, just what their part was.”
“Do you think there are more Dy’Monians out there?”
“Dangora is a large land. It has been seen by dragons for many hundreds of years and still they find new areas to explore and fly in. It would take you several days to travel to the city of elves and that’s not including the flight to the heart of the forest let alone the invitation to walk in their woods. Most Ryders of EzRah guard the base of the Terrill Mountains, many explorers and risky adventures make the dangerous journey into the high mountains in search of other Dy’Monian eggs. La’Kera’s wasn’t the only one, or so they hope, and will risk their lives and their Bonds lives for the taste of pure fame and fortune.”
“So is it true. The men who found La’Kera are now kings.”
“The seven lucky explorers that found La’Kera in the mountains have and are well renowned, but that was fifty years ago. They were men. Simple, humble men that told of a great tale, a fine telling to all young children and perhaps a tale you should have read. Though they are most likely dead now.”
“You mean you don’t know.”
“We know what we need to. I am at times, out of touch with the coming of news, as are many Ryders. We take the knowledge when it is presented and while some news is less interesting, most is a pass on the wind. Your best bet would be to study yourself. You and La’Kera have great potential. Become the Ryder that is destined for you, and maybe you will make those discovery’s along the way.”
“Maybe. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
“Tell me more about the girl, have La’Kera show Blade’Dur the scene as it was.”
“Um … why didn’t you just get her to do that last night?”
He paused, in the preparation of the rabbit. The fire light glowed, his face shadowed when he turned to me.
“I wasn’t thinking about you last night. I was distracted. I am sorry and I will not mistrust your words again.” He dipped his head.
“Thanks … but even I think I’m going crazy at times.”
“It’s a simple fact that a crazy man does not know he is crazy. You are still confused, and in need of guidance, and here I am.” He skewed the rabbit over the flame and settled onto his sleeping area as I took a seat opposite him. “So. Come on La’Kera. Images of the ghost-girl.” He tapped his temple, which had me smile; La’Kera rumbled in amusement to the action.
He’s playful now … that is amusing.
She allowed the images to flow and ebb into Blade’Dur, and after a good five minutes, Karson started to talk about all the possibilities. Did La’Kera get a read on her aura? Did she touch us? Was she able to touch herself? It was rounded off as one simple answer. She was a ghost, as was the rabbit. I didn’t want to think about other ghost at this time, though Karson pointed out that it might be my gift and it may become a burden to me. To see ghost isn’t fun. Maybe I could use a potion to make it go away. This was something I didn’t share with him, since I was bad at making potions. And by rights, I should have been sad that I was ready to eat the rabbit he had killed. The same rabbit I had seen as a ghost in the meadow and oddly, I didn’t care. I was hungry. With the rabbit cooked tenderly, Karson shared half with a relaxed smile. I was soon filling my belly as I settled into the meal, losing my thoughts with La’Kera’s mind.
She stood at the main den entrance, her eyes on the distance. And to my surprise, the small glow of orange in the thick of the brush, east of her position. She was able to see us, sort of.
“You will see her in a few days time,” informed Blade’Dur.
I wish to see her now. I wish to stay with her, La’Kera hummed on the idea.
“It is unwise hatchling.”
La’Kera snapped her head around fast. A low growl came from her throat. I am not a hatchling. She stood, arching her head to his chest. He snorted, nudged her to move away from the den entrance, and playfully hummed to her.
“Hatchlings who wish to snap at old hides like me will find their teeth brittle and weak, though my Bond is too far for your teeth this night, I ask you to show patience.” His riddle had her narrow her eyes at him.
She is my Bond. That is wise enough.
“Yes. And she will always be your Bond. You need not be her shadow. She is tired … rest as she will. Perhaps tomorrow there will be opportunity.”
She settled with that news at least.
I peeked at Karson, taking in his pressed lips, serious, though a smirk was visible.
“She’s fiery,” I offered.
“She has heart, as do you,” he added, finishing off his meal as I had.
I blushed at his comment and feeling the weight of my legs, the knowledge of today’s events and the idea I wanted to sleep and never wake. I yawned.
“We’ll talk more in the morning.” Karson settled into his sleeping bag as I did.
I stared to the canopy of trees, watching as the embers flicker and sparked to the sky above. The glow of a star was in my view and I wondered what else I was going to discover. An owl hooted in the distance as other nocturnal creatures made their way out of their day dens and into the night. I wasn’t even bothered that I was in the open, I was oddly comfortable on this part of dirt, not soft, but not too hard either; and as I yawned, I rolled my head to take in Karson across the flame. His strong form was relaxed, comforting to know he was beside me. He had his arms folded under his head as he stared at the sky above.
“Karson …?” I was too tired to use the title of master.
“Hmmm …” He sounded unbothered by it.
“If I’m crazy. Will you tell the school?”
His light chuckle had me smiling. Whether he answered, I never heard.
Sleep was my reward.
Chapter 13