“Loralie?”
“Petr’s mother. The North Witch.”
“Oh, that Loralie. Even in King Alric’s court, we’ve heard of her, though no one has ever seen her.”
“Neither have I, come to that. Det met her while on a mission, and a year later, she showed up on the edge of the Veil, asking a scout team for Det. He went to meet her, and when he returned, he had a baby boy in his arms and a stunned, angry expression on his face. Loralie had given him his son and taken off. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant.”
“That’s horrible! But it’s also good that she brought Petr to his father. She could have left him anywhere.”
“That’s true,” Luc admitted. “Perhaps she’s not a complete monster, but what kind of mother dumps her child on a near total stranger who didn’t even know he had a son?”
“And what kind of mother keeps the girl twin and allows her to drain her brother’s life energy?” Lilly’s voice rang with sorrow.
“Sweet Mother of All.” The oath whispered from his lips as he contemplated the stark truth of Lilly’s words. The pain in Lilly’s eyes echoed the anger and grief Luc felt in his heart.
He would have said more, but Shilayla winged back into view with a joyous Petr waving from her back. The other scouts followed behind and below, close enough to help should Petr need it but far enough away to let him feel independent.
Shi landed as gently as he’d ever seen her, and Luc moved to help Petr from her back.
“Uncle Luc! Did you see me?” Petr launched himself into Luc’s arms, more energetic than Luc had ever seen him. The wind aloft had burnished his cheeks to a healthy glow, and the fire within the small boy seemed to spark with life. The combination made Luc’s throat close with emotion for a moment before he mastered his reaction. It wouldn’t do to let Petr pick up on his feelings. The boy needed to feel as if he were like any other child in the enclave, not the “sickly one”. That had been the way they’d raised Petr as a family, and it had done the child well, Luc believed.
“I saw you, Petr. You looked right at home a-dragonback. What do you think, Shi?” Luc tilted his head toward Shilayla as he held Peter in one arm.
“He’s a natural flyer,” Shilayla said. “He didn’t pull on the ropes once.” Shilayla bowed her head in front of them, winking one jeweled eye. If dragons could smile, Shi was most definitely grinning like a fool.
“Nana and Father were outside the house when we passed, and Gren and Mena even joined us in the air for a turn.”
Luc enjoyed Petr’s excitement. This was, after all, a milestone in his short life. “You did well, Petr. I’m so proud of you.” Luc tossed the boy in his arms once, sharing his exuberance.
“Did you see me, Lilly?” Petr noticed her standing just behind Luc.
“You looked right at home up there, Petr.” She tousled his hair fondly, moving closer to them. Luc could feel her warmth at his back and breathed in her delicate scent. She was, by far, the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. In odd moments, her presence made itself known in subtle ways, striking sparks off him at the least provocation. Luc put his nephew down to talk with the other dragons and scouts who’d accompanied him on his first solo flight.
“I’ve never seen him so excited,” Luc said as Lilly came up beside him. He would concentrate on Petr’s excitement rather than Lilly’s tantalizing presence. She was all too distracting, which troubled him when they were out in the open and he could do nothing to ease the desire she inspired.
“I meant what I said,” Shilayla spoke to them both. “He is a natural born rider. It’s a shame no dragonet has yet come forward for him. He would make a good companion and partner for one of my kind.”
Luc patted the dragon’s neck fondly. “It means a lot to hear you say that, Shi. Maybe, someday, if the Mother of All wills it, one of your kind will deem him worthy of sharing his life.”
“Is that how it works?” Lilly asked.
“Each partnership is different. In our case, I was a youngster when I started having dreams about Shilayla. She was still in her shell.” Luc stroked the dragon’s scales, feeling the same affection they’d shared since those first few moments together. “I went out beyond the Veil in a snowstorm to find her, but I knew she was waiting for me. I found her just as she hatched, and we’ve been together ever since.”
“Mama told me you were coming,” Shilayla’s words reminded him of those early days when they shared their sorrow at loss of family but clung to each other. “The Mother of All guided her steps. She carried my egg all the way from her snow cave, just in time for my hatching. For you, Luc. For us.”
Shilayla nuzzled his chest with her shining white head as they shared a quiet moment of gentle care between them. The bond was as strong now as it had been the moment their eyes met across the swirling snow.
“I love you, Shi.” His words were for the dragon alone.
After a shared moment when they explored their bond, Shilayla lifted away and went after Petr and the other dragons and Scouts.
“I didn’t know you’d been together for so long,” Lilly said, standing at his side. “I guess I never thought about how or when dragons came to partner with your people. It must have been very special to grow to adulthood with Shilayla as your constant companion.”
“It was a good experience, but as I told you before, she’s not quite finished growing yet. Shi’s still a junenile and will be for some time yet. It’s the wild-born traits that make her appear full grown when she is not.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Wild-born dragons almost always come to those who will become warriors. They tend to be bigger and better fighters due to their wild natures. In general, the Lair-bred dragons have more magic and are of smaller size. They tend to partner mages, but each pair serves in their own way.” Luc turned toward the hall, and Lilly followed behind. He headed for the room where he kept Shilayla’s things. Females of every species, it seemed, liked to collect things. Luc quickly sorted through the bits of tack they might need on their journey.
In general, scouts didn’t need much in the way of saddles or harnesses. Most scouting missions were short in duration and didn’t require a great deal of equipment, and most riders were closely bonded enough with their dragons to be able to ride without anything other than the dragon’s scales to hold on to. But Lilly might feel better with a handhold, and they would probably also need a pack to contain their food and clothing.
“Can I help with anything?” Lilly asked, watching from an out-of-the-way spot by the door to the chamber.
“This won’t take long. Have a seat, if you like.” Luc nodded toward the bench that ran the length of one wall.
“Are there many scouts?” She sat, glancing pointedly at the small cubby holes that were assigned to different people.
He returned to sorting Shilayla’s belongings. “All dragons and their partners serve as scouts until the dragon is grown.”
“What happens then?”
“The strengths and weaknesses of the pair are evaluated, and they are given different tasks based on their abilities. Most of the wild-born dragons go on to become defenders, as long as their partners are skilled enough to earn the rank of knight. If the pair is more skilled in magic, they become defenders of a different sort.”