Bonds of Fire

  ~

  It had been a short and uncomfortable night with his charges sleeping only fitfully. On edge, Drekken had forced himself to remain alert until the sun had risen. Then, he had spoken to the group only enough to explain that they had to keep to the trees up the lower slopes and then he had led them all off. However, the early start took them up into the mountains-proper by the time the sun was over head and Drekken's tension eased off as there was no sign that they were being followed. A quick stop for a lunch of berries and ice apples recharged them all and Drekken was impressed with the babies as they continued to make good time in the afternoon, so much so that Malachi had a chance to practice his hunting skills. When Drekken sought them out a place to shelter for the night, Malachi was carrying enough rabbit to feed them all.

  Everyone was in surprisingly good spirits, including Drekken, when they all clambered carefully through a narrow entrance into another cave. This one was huge compared to the one from the previous night, and Drekken smiled to himself as the small ball of flame in his hand reflected off what he had hoped to see when he had noted the stream outside, a gently flowing pool. The afternoon had been warm and close and Drekken's shoulder scales itched as he eyed the clear water. Quickly, he ushered everyone past him onto the small sandy shore of the pool and then he heaved at a boulder that was lying next to the entrance. His already aching shoulder complained, but the rock was not a large one for an augmented human and he slid it across the entrance, mostly blocking the path. A couple of smaller stones on top and no-one outside would know the cave was passable.

  Seven pairs of eyes were watching him as he descended down to the shore and Drekken surprised himself as he smiled and told them, "We'll be safe for the night."

  The relief was almost palpable. Yakov smiled back and Drekken was still more surprised when that made him even happier. It was a strange and unexpected feeling that rather put him off balance, and so, after a second, he turned away and busied himself making another stone hearth, one that would this time cook their supper. He knew he was being watched as he gathered the small rocks and fed them with his replenished fire, but he concentrated on his task and, eventually, Malachi announced, "I really need a bath."

  There was the sound of a sniff and then Yakov agreed with distaste, "We all need baths. Everyone, into the water."

  It didn't take long for Drekken to finish his task and his odd reaction had settled by then. However, when he turned to the sound of splashing, it was not only that feeling that leapt up to greet him. He had heard stories about empaths lacking inhibitions, but he had not expected to see two young, athletic, naked bodies entering the water and his libido reacted instantly. As a soldier, he was used to seeing his comrades, both male and female, in states of undress and dragons found the whole concept of clothes rather quaint, which had rubbed off on him somewhat, but what really caught Drekken's attention was the way Yakov's hand was wandering down over Malachi's arse and Drekken had no hope of quashing the rush of heat that ran through his body. He bit his lip, hard, and turned rapidly away again, cursing the fact that it had been far too long since he had enjoyed any company.

  Drekken fiddled with the hearth, moving stones around, piling them just so and trying not to remember the flash of pale, slender flesh behind him. The whistles and clicks of young dragons as they too entered the water helped settle his libido somewhat, after all, it was hardly appropriate to be fostering such thoughts in the presence of children. However, his arousal wouldn't disperse completely and he could only listen as Malachi called, "Keril, come on, it's lovely."

  Drekken heard a stamp of foot and Keril made a sound of disquiet. There was a short pause and then Malachi's response was, "Oh."

  It was a knowing sort of 'oh', and it was faintly amused.

  "You want Drekken to come in too," Malachi interpreted.

  His face heating up, Drekken swivelled on the spot and found himself Keril's centre of attention. He was not sure when he had gone from being a source of suspicion to one of interest, but the Hawkhead was looking at him expectantly. Drekken glanced up at Yakov and Malachi, who were waist deep in the pool and lazing against each other and a rock, and swallowed hard.

  "It's lovely and cool," Yakov announced and, dropping his head onto Malachi's shoulder, winked at Drekken.

  Drekken concluded that as well as no inhibitions, empaths in a good mood also had no shame and both of them were very much aware of his reaction. However, Keril was not and she snorted at him, the universal sign of dragon impatience. The water did look very inviting as the scales on Drekken's shoulders continued to itch. Renar was wallowing in the shallows, his eyes closed in bliss and Ghemas, the River Dragon, without a dangerous current to worry her, was slipping through the water as she had been born to do, her head causing barely a ripple when she surfaced. The Sandy twins, Isthy and Misthy, were the only ones who did not look like they intended to enter the pool. They were sitting on a rock together, their tails just flicking the surface of the water and eyeing the liquid with disdain. Thanks to Keril, however, all the dragons turned their attention to Drekken as well and waited.

  Drekken mentally kicked himself: he was too old to be embarrassed by a perfectly natural reaction to good looking young men. However, he could still feel the heat on his face as he stood up and began to unstrap his boots. It was such a relief to remove the constrictions on his feet that he sped up as he turned to the rest of his clothing. He dropped his gauntlets and belt onto the sand and then things became more complicated. A flier's uniform was designed for two things, aerodynamics and warmth at altitude, but not necessarily ease of removal. However, the leather-like synthetic fibre fitted him like a second skin and, as he reached up to detach the back panel from the collar, that gave Drekken ideas.

  He glanced at Malachi and Yakov, who were watching him a little more than casually, and his embarrassment morphed into bravado. He was not a big man: for a flier, being hefty would just have been impractical, but Drekken knew he had a good, lean, muscled body and he wasn't above showing it off, especially after the tease from Yakov. Carefully, he unhooked his arm from the sling so that it was hanging only around his neck. The back panel that, only being held in place by the fastenings at the collar, enabled his gliders to unfurl, dropped to his waist and he turned his back to his watchers, ostensibly to lift his little charge off of his body and to lay her down on a rock that sat opposite the Sandys' perch on the beach. However, what the move also did was to show off what he had been told was a very impressive collar of iridescent Grey Wing scales over his shoulders. He smiled to himself as he heard the intake of breath from one of his companions.

  Yet, his pleasure did not last long, because the baby, who had been sleeping most of the day, lifted her head out of the cloth and clicked her disquiet at no longer being against his chest. Drekken felt a twinge of guilt too as his magic shifted without her tiny presence close to his heart.

  "I won't be long," he promised, placing her carefully on the flat boulder, and, all tease gone, he unclipped his collar, took hold of his body suit in both hands and pulled it down.

  It peeled off him easily and, following that with his standard-issue briefs, he then strode rapidly into the water and ducked right under the surface. The pool was chilly, but so refreshing after the sticky feel the climb had left him with, that he stayed under and let the current tug gently at his scalp. His aching muscles relaxed in the slow movement of water and he would have groaned if he'd been above the water. However, slowly his contentment was replaced by a nagging anxiety and Drekken surfaced a little frustrated. It was then he heard the urgent chirrups and whines that told him where the anxiety was coming from. Now aware that the emotion was not his own, Drekken waded over to where the rock stood at chest height and reassured his young charge, "It's okay, Baby."

  He shook his head and showered the tiny dragon in droplets of water. She screeched, but then shook her head back at him, and, as he leant down and accepted a nuzzle at his cheek, the shots of delight let him
know that his tease had had the desired effect. However, tuts from behind him reminded Drekken that he wasn't alone and he turned to see Malachi and Yakov, still lazing against their own rock, shaking their heads and trying to look superior.

  "Barely one day and she has the big bad soldier wrapped around her tiny little wing," Malachi disparaged, but ended up smiling broadly.

  "No discipline, that's the problem," Yakov agreed gravely, hiding his grin behind his hand.

  Drekken turned back to his little charge and told her, "Ignore them, Baby D."

  However, after the two difficult days, it was time to let off some steam in the safety of the cave and, dropping his right hand below the water, Drekken let his dragon fire build up in the palm of his hand. His natural control of the magical flame was much smaller than when he used his implants in combination with his gauntlets, but he had trained without them and his fingers tingled as he felt the fire form between them. The water steamed, but under his direction, the fire resisted the natural extinguisher and, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the orb sailing just under the surface, right at his taunters. He turned only when he heard Yakov squeal and he was in time to see the two youths part and dive, one onto the beach and the other into deeper water. Drekken had intended on exploding the orb of fire close enough to make the youths wince, however, since they had vacated the area, he brought the flames back under control and, showing off again, brought it up hissing and sizzling to rest on the surface of the water.

  Drekken liked the feel of magic running under his skin, something that his implants, in their efforts to make things more efficient, sometimes hid. Dragon fire was the oldest gift bestowed by the bonding of human and dragon and Drekken dallied a while in the experience, sinking his senses into the impossible ball of flames licking at the water. The mock attack over, Drekken was vaguely aware of Malachi and Yakov closing in on the spectacle, but it wasn't until he felt the tongues of fire begin to weaken that he let them go and he blinked at two awed faces as his equilibrium expanded back to the real world. His raw magic was something intimate that he normally only shared with Miri and, feeling exposed by his indulgence, Drekken scooped Baby D off her rock and splashed his way out of the pool. He sat down on the far side of the fire from the others and cradled the infant to him.

  Silence followed him and he felt foolish, but then Yakov asked quietly from the pool, "Drekken, are you alright?"

  Then he felt really foolish and he laughed, but did not have a clear reply for his companions. He was not surprised when Yakov padded out of the water and crouched down on the opposite side of the hearth, arms resting on his knees and expression openly concerned. Drekken didn't have much choice but to look into the youth's blue gaze and eventually he had to say something.

  "Blame it on hormones," he threw out flippantly and scratched Baby D's head.

  The infant shivered and made a funny little sound at the back of her throat and ripples of pleasure ran through Drekken. He concentrated on the child, expecting a scoff from Yakov. However, there was silence, which made looking up again compulsory, and he was met with the same considering stare.

  "You might be right," Yakov finally revealed his thoughts.

  "I was joking," Drekken replied quickly, trying to stifle a small shot of anxiety that there was something affecting him.

  "Still, it would explain how moody you were yesterday," Yakov shrugged.

  That floored Drekken for a few seconds, but then he spotted a twitch at the corner of the youth's mouth and he realised he was being teased for a second, more subtle time.

  "Cheeky Ba-," Drekken began, but Yakov held up a hand and waggled a finger at him, interrupting, "Ah, ah, ah, children present."

  The youth chuckled then, which was annoyingly endearing and Drekken felt a smile forming on his face without his conscious consent. Keeping Baby D cradled on his lap with one arm, Drekken lifted the other and threatened, "Lightly roasted I think."

  However, he kept his palm facing away from Yakov, a precaution drummed into him from his very early training, and let a gentle flame dance over his fingers for a second. Yakov didn't even move, just grinned at him and settled his chin on his arms.

  "You've spent too much time around dragons," Drekken observed, relaxing and then wincing as his shoulder complained when he returned his hand to his lap.

  "And you’re in pain," Yakov returned, amusement falling away and concern coming back to his expressive eyes.

  "Just a damaged muscle," Drekken shrugged and regretted it.

  Yakov's response was surprisingly positive: he smiled and stood up and announced as he walked around the fire, "Now that I can help with."

  "It's okay," Drekken dismissed, a little uncomfortable with letting a relative stranger near.

  That did not deter Yakov, and was also the catalyst for Malachi to exit the pool, dragons in tow.

  "He's very good with his hands," Malachi offered, sitting down in the position Yakov had vacated, and the smile he sent Drekken was not an innocent one.

  The dragons all found their own places round the fire, and, hemmed in, Drekken had nowhere to go when Yakov sunk down behind him. The youth hissed through his teeth and then ran a light finger down the right side of Drekken's spine.

  "You have bruising all down here," Yakov told him and Drekken shivered. "Is this where your wings are?"

  "One of them," Drekken replied, shifting a little under the scrutiny, "and they’re called gliders."

  "How do they disappear like that, there's only a faint line?" Yakov was revealing himself to be a curious sort.

  "You'd have to ask a tech that; I only use them," Drekken fobbed his helper off, growing more uncomfortable.

  "Yakov, help," Malachi interrupted the questioning with an earnest glare at Yakov.

  "Sorry, I also talk too much," Yakov responded immediately and then asked, "Do you have any ointment, or oil in your belt?"

  "Left front," Drekken replied and then nodded gratefully to Malachi.

  Drekken found himself being observed again, by Malachi this time, as Yakov busied himself finding the first aid kit. Malachi was older than Yakov, Drekken judged, and wiser if the considering look in his darker eyes was anything to go by. He had been trained to observe and he had watched the youths all day. Malachi was the clear leader of the pair, a much stronger character, and he cared for Yakov very deeply. The only person Drekken held in that kind of regard was Miri and, his curiosity raised, he asked, "So what led you two into the mountains?"

  Malachi blinked at him, apparently surprised by the question and, realising he was intruding, Drekken explained himself quickly, "I mean, I know empaths often look after young dragons because of the use of emotions before they learn to thought-speak, but why in the middle of nowhere?"

  Drekken fell silent, having caught himself out for the umpteenth time that evening, and Malachi regarded him with surprise. However, before he could feel even more awkward, Malachi smiled and replied, "After his bond-mate died, Master Besthan came up to the mountains to go wild."

  That wasn't the start Drekken had expected, but made sense, many dragons who lost bond-mates, especially early in life, returned to the dragon country to retreat from society.

  "But he found an abandoned nest on his second night on the slopes and one of the eggs hatched," Malachi's smile widened at what had to have been an often told story. "He tended the child and brought her down to Willendorf. When people heard about what he had done, they brought other orphans to him and he decided to dedicate his life to helping the children. He couldn't do it alone, so he started training empaths as well."

  "And why did you two volunteer?"

  "We're orphans too," Yakov replied rather more quickly than Malachi was expecting if the flash of disquiet in the young man's eyes was anything to go by, but Yakov barrelled on before Drekken, or Malachi could respond, "Now, this is going to hurt, but it will feel better soon."

  A hand came down on his shoulder and fingers dug into the spot between his shoulderblade a
nd his spine and then Drekken saw stars as pain lanced out from the injury site. He tensed, shuddered and then went embarrassingly weak, falling backwards against Yakov's chest. He fought the collapse, but Yakov tightened the hold on his shoulder and told him, "Stay still, deep breaths, let it happen."

  The pain receded in successive waves of trembling and Drekken could do nothing but obey his holder. His muscles were tingling by the time his strength began to return and then Yakov gently pushed him forward and began to massage the same spot he had attacked. It was still sore, but his shoulder relaxed with an ease that had been missing since his fall. The feeling was almost orgasmic and, closing his eyes, Drekken actually groaned.

  "I told you he was good," Malachi murmured and sent messages to other parts of Drekken's body as well.

  "So you're orphans," Drekken tried to clear his head and avoid any embarrassing reactions, especially with Baby D in his lap.

  When he opened his eyes, the vision of Malachi all dark, wet bangs and dark eyes staring at him did not help his concentration, but Yakov, at least, kept on talking.

  "We've been together since I was three and Mal was four. My mum couldn't cope with me, not with three other kids, so she gave me up and Mal took me under his wing at the group home. No-one wanted a couple of kids who could read minds, at least that's what they all thought, so we stuck it out until we were sixteen and then we saw an article about Master Besthan and he agreed to train us."

  Yakov gave out the information very freely as he continued to massage Drekken's back, but there was more pain in Malachi's eyes, which made Drekken wonder how much he had shielded Yakov from.

  "That was nearly three years ago…"

  Yakov sounded like he was going to go on, but Malachi stepped in and asked quickly, "And you, how did you land up in our village?"

  Drekken laughed to himself and, partly because of the lovely endorphins Yakov had released into his system, and partly because he owed his companions for Yakov's honesty, he admitted, "I fell off my dragon."

  "Fell off?" Malachi checked, his face breaking into a grin.

  "It happens; wouldn't need gliders otherwise," Drekken shrugged and then groaned again as his movement set off another wave of shivers.

  Drekken gave in to the sensations and let his head loll forward. The fire was warming his bones, the massage was relaxing his muscles and the tension that had been keeping him alert began to fail him. He blinked at Baby D, who was nestled in her sling in his lap and she moved in and out of focus. She sniffed at him and then dropped her head over her hind-quarters and closed her eyes and Drekken's next blink took longer than it should have. There was something more at the back of his mind to carry on the conversation, but the last tremble had taken away all his energy and he couldn't bring his thoughts forward. His next blink didn't finish at all and he was left listening to the wispy crackling of the dragon fire over the stones. It was a very soothing sound, and, coupled with the lovely sensations in his body, he let it take over and the world drifted away.