Burned: Dragons' Trust Book 2 Read online

  He thought it was a decent attempt. It may not have been the prettiest verse, but it seemed to convey the tone and emotions behind the dragon's song. Even as he listened and repeated the words to himself, Renick could start to see a story forming.

  A deep throat call from Yen startled Renick. He turned to watch the dragon, who was lending his voice to the song. To Renick's amazement, one by one the dragons all joined in. Humming and thrumming in time to the wave of emotions from the black dragon. Even May, who was still sleeping, started to purr a countermelody. The song seemed to take on a new life, its meaning deeper, sadder than it had been before.

  Each dragon added a bit of their own history to the song. Yen had been rejected by his mother after hatching. Dron was beaten by his first owner. Renick was glad Dron's current owner treated him much better. And May had grown up with her family on a ranch before being sold. Renick thought he identified with her the most.

  Then, almost imperceptibly, the tone of the song from the black dragon changed and the others followed suit.

  Despair,

  Consuming every breath.

  Anger,

  Unquenchable, even by death.

  Revenge.

  Renick sat up with a start, shivering from the sudden cold that radiated through him. He pulled away, closed his mind to the lonely song. Instead, he contented himself with the soft singing of the dragons around him. Their honks and bugles held no words and needed no interpretation. He could just enjoy the melody without seeking its meaning.

  Still he felt the burning cold of the final word: revenge.

  Standing, he wrapped his blanket tightly around his shoulders and left the stable. He leaned against the wall and looked off into the distance where the black dragon had flown days before. In his mind he could still see the flames, hear the screams, and feel the fear. He shuddered in the warm night air.

  Eventually the dragon's song faded into silence, and the others in the stables quieted as well. Renick held his breath for a time, worried that the dragon would punctuate his song with another attack. But the sky remained clear and the night silent. He slipped back into the stables and was greeted by the rhythmic breathing of his sleeping charges.

  He found his bed again but could not sleep. Closing his eyes, he tried to match his breathing to May's, which he noticed was far steadier than it had been a few nights before. He counted his breaths and waited impatiently for sleep.

  Chapter 5: Warning

  Renick sprawled across the steps leading up to the well near the east gate—their meeting place, chosen because it was the central location between where each of them were staying. In the first weeks following their return from the forest, the three of them met every day so that they could stay close. Their friendship began in the forest, but sticking together afterwards was what really solidified their bond.

  Thane and Lainey were late, as usual. While he waited, Renick watched the people going about their morning rituals, opening shops, heading off to the market, and bustling around on other errands. He caught himself humming a portion of the dragon's song from the night before and stopped with a shudder.

  He heard quick footsteps running toward him. Turning, he watched Lainey narrowly miss colliding with two men heading to the gates and the fields beyond. She skidded to a stop in front of him, gasping for breath.

  "Thane … can't … come," she wheezed.

  "Why not?" Renick and Lainey had not seen much of Thane lately. He was always occupied with training to be a dragon knight and all his different duties. Lainey and Renick were busy too. It just seemed that they never had a break at the same time anymore. Renick was disappointed and he could see the same feelings reflected in Lainey's eyes.

  "The first hunt is tonight. He's helping the knights get ready."

  An odd sinking feeling settled in Renick's stomach. "We better hurry."

  Lainey nodded and together they headed for the gates.

  "Where are you off to?" One of the guards asked as they passed by.

  "Just a little outing to get some herbs for my aunt," Lainey answered with a smile. She and Renick kept moving.

  It was a beautiful day for a walk in the grassy fields that surrounded Trevinni. The sky was clear of clouds and the sun felt pleasantly warm on Renick's skin. A breeze teased the hair at the back of his neck. His mother never would have let it grow this long without cutting it. But here, out on his apprenticeship, Renick could get away with it. They reached the edge of the forest in hardly any time at all.

  Lainey bent down to pull a few plants from the ground and put them in the healers pouch tied around her waist. "In case the guards ask," she said in response to his questioning look.

  "Good idea." Renick bent and started helping her gather plants.

  "Not those, silly," Lainey said laughing at what he had collected. "Those are weeds. Here, pick these." She pointed to a green plant with little purple flowers.

  Renick started picking the plants as they worked their way into the tree line.

  Once they were deep enough into the forest to be well hidden, they found a nice clearing large enough for their dragon friends. Lainey sat on an obliging stump and started sorting through the plants they had collected. Renick closed his eyes and started to think of Wrytha, then stopped.

  "What is it?" Lainey asked, sensing his hesitation.

  "What if he can hear me calling to Wrytha and Plyth?"

  She cocked her head to one side. "Good point." She pressed her lips together for a moment. "I don't really think we have a choice though."

  Renick shrugged. "I guess you're right. We have to warn them." He closed his eyes again and thought of Wrytha and Plyth and the feeling of meeting old friends. He bundled that together with an image of the clearing and sent it out in dragon speak. Then, he settled down in the grass near Lainey to wait.

  The silence was broken by a rumble in Renick's stomach. Lainey giggled.

  "What? I skipped breakfast."

  "Again?" She reached into her pouch and drew out a small bundle wrapped in cloth. "Then it's a good thing I came prepared." She deposited the parcel into his outstretched hands.

  Renick found bread and cheese inside the cloth. He smiled up at her. "Thanks!"

  "I'm kind of handy to have around."

  The air seemed to hum with excited anticipation and a dragon bugled in the distance. Renick and Lainey exchanged a look. "Plyth," they said together. The slate gray dragon with black spikes that had been just a baby when they first met was now as big as a horse. Renick was still surprised how fast Plyth grew compared to domestic dragons. He would be full-grown in just one more year, instead of three or four.

  Plyth winged his way through the sky above the tree line and landed practically in Lainey's lap. "Kind!" he squealed. "How are you, Kind?"

  With a chuckle, Lainey patted his nose. "I'm good. How are you?"

  "Happy."

  Despite being over sixty paces long, Wrytha managed to land gracefully in the clearing behind Plyth. Her white scales and silver spikes caught the bright sunlight, and Renick had to squint. The landing was so quiet Renick would not have noticed if it were not for the wind Wrytha's wing flaps caused. "Greetings, friends," her rich voice said.

  "Greetings," Renick said just before he was knocked over by Plyth.

  "Trusted!"

  Renick playfully pushed the dragon away. "Good to see you too, Plyth."

  The young dragon ran in a little circle and then sat happily next to Lainey, inspecting her work as she stripped leaves off of some of the plants and stowed them in her pouch.

  "Where is Thane-Brave?" Wrytha asked.

  "He's busy," Lainey said.

  "That's kind of what we needed to talk to you about," Renick said, finding a safe perch on a protruding root close to Lainey and off the ground.

  "Oh? Renick-Trusted, please continue." Wrytha settled into the grass, her long neck snaking along the ground so her head could be near them.

  "Three nights ago a dragon attacked Trev
inni," Renick started.

  "You hurt?" Plyth asked, concerned.

  Lainey shook her head. "Not us, but many others were hurt very badly."

  Renick cleared his throat. "The dragon knights are preparing to hunt for the dragon, so it's not safe for you here."

  Wrytha dipped her head. "I see. It was good of you to warn us. Plyth and I will leave today. There is a place not a day's flight from here that I have been wanting to visit. That should be far enough to be out of the dragon knights' way."

  "There's more."

  "Yes?" Wrytha asked.

  Suddenly uncomfortable, Renick shifted his position on the root. "I think the dragon was one of your kind."

  Wrytha's head moved up sharply. "You mean one of the Dragon Kind?"

  "Yes." Renick nodded. "On the night of the attack I—I was trying to talk to one of the stabled dragons …" Renick could feel Wrytha's amusement at his hopeless endeavors. He tried to ignore it. "And then I heard him. Just after that he attacked."

  "If you are right, Renick, then this is serious indeed. What did he say?" Wrytha was watching him, her body tense and ready to take flight or attack. Renick was not afraid of Wrytha, but he did lean back a little. She was a very intimidating dragon. He knew Wrytha trusted them and would never harm them. She had, after all, helped them become Trusted of the Dragon Kind and marked with magical runes so that all wise dragons would know not to harm them. But he understood her reaction. The secret of the Dragon Kind's existence was threatened by this rogue dragon. Many lives were at stake, dragon and human alike.

  Plyth started to fidget nervously beside Lainey, who reached out and nudged Renick.

  "Oh, he said—'I will avenge her'—or something like that. I think—" Renick stopped.

  "Yes, go on, Renick-Trusted."

  "I think it was the dragon from the mines. Not Hyngarth, the other one."

  "Hmm, yes, this is most troublesome." Wrytha rose to her hind legs and spread her almost translucent wings. "We must leave. You three be careful. If this dragon is all you expect him to be, the humans of Trevinni are in grave danger. If you should need me, head south along the forest's edge until you reach the stream. Then turn west. Call for me and I will hear."

  "We leaving?" Plyth asked.

  "Yes," Lainey said, patting his nose again. "You have to go somewhere safe."

  Plyth hung his head but, with a little urging from Wrytha, launched himself into the sky. He did flips and loops in the air as he circled the clearing, waiting for Wrytha to join him.

  "Lainey-Kind and Renick-Trusted, I have one final warning for you. Avoid using dragon speak. The rogue may be able to overhear you." She turned her head so she could look Renick in the eye. "Do not even speak with the mute dragons, Renick-Trusted."

  Lainey snorted. She had, after all, been telling him the same thing for weeks.

  "I understand," Renick said without trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

  With a mighty beat of her wings that flattened the grass around her, Wrytha lifted herself into the clear, blue sky and flew south with Plyth close behind her.

  "Will we be okay without her?" Lainey wondered as she watched the sky, one hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

  Renick shrugged. "I hope so."

  Chapter 6: Dragon Hunt

  Thane stood outside the city wall in the cool night air amidst the gathering of dragon knights and other squires. He wore his tunic rather than his usual clothes. Among the squires he was still the highest ranking, his father being the wealthiest. He always felt like he stood out, apart from the others, and so tried his hardest not to remind them of his status.

  Grahm made him stand out too. None of the other squires had a steward. But Grahm was more than that. He was a teacher and a friend. Thane would never send him away. Besides, his father would never allow it. He thought Thane needed constant watching over. Ironically, Thane felt most at ease around Renick and Lainey, who were even further below him than the other squires.

  Sunset turned the sky a deep burnt orange color. One of the captains of the dragon knights, Sir Oberron, called for order. The jangling of armor and equipment increased in volume briefly before settling into near silence.

  "Listen up. This dragon is very dangerous. Probably mad. It'll be unpredictable and violent. If you come upon it, sound the signal and wait. Do not engage it alone." Sir Oberron instructed. There were some murmurs from the crowd. Some of the knights puffed out their chests, thinking they could take the dragon on their own. Sir Oberron stared them down.

  "If you are attacked, retreat. Now is not the time to be a hero. Squires, you will be riding double with your assigned knight. Stay out of the way and follow orders. Your job is to watch your knight's back and reload his crossbow. We'll meet back here at dawn, and I want to see everyone in one piece. Right, form up and move out." Oberron clapped his hands and the crowd divided itself into four groups.

  Thane was assigned a knight in the blue regiment named Arren Hobrin, who rode a beautiful green. As Thane looked up at the dragon, which was an impressive size for a domestic, he felt a funny fluttering feeling in his stomach. He squeezed his eyes together. Wrytha had been attempting to help him get over his fear of riding on the back of a dragon. But she was much larger than this dragon and a lot more—gentle.

  Checking to make sure no one was watching, he let out a nervous breath, stood up straight, and whispered to himself, "You can do this, Thane-Brave." He pictured Lainey smiling at him for calling himself by his dragon-name. But it gave him courage. The image of Lainey's gray eyes and blonde hair seemed to bolster his confidence too.

  Still, he wished Renick were there. Renick had a way with dragons that could keep them calm and prevent them from doing terrible things like a flip in midair. And with that image in his mind, all of the bravery whooshed out of him.

  "You coming?" Arren asked from his place in the saddle near the dragon's neck.

  Thane would not allow himself to appear weak. If he could not fly on a dragon, he could not be a dragon knight. He reached up and took the hand Arren offered and positioned himself in the second saddle, about an arm's length away from the front saddle. The green only had spikes along her jaw line and at the end of her tail, so there was not much for Thane to hold on to. He looked around for a moment, dismayed, and for the first time wished he were riding Wrytha.

  "Here," Arren said, depositing a set of reigns in his hands. "I have these specially fitted since Ora doesn't have spikes. Be grateful. It's a more comfortable ride."

  Thane nodded and wrapped the leather straps tightly around his hands. He willed himself not to be sick and not to scream. As far as the other dragon knights and squires knew, this was his first flight on the back of a dragon. They might give him a little leeway and only tease him for maybe a few weeks instead of a few years. But he would know it was not his first ride, and falling short was not an option.

  Beneath him the strong muscles of the dragon bunched, and she launched herself into the air. Thane sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. To his surprise, the sensation of takeoff was only slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps all those practice flights with Wrytha had helped. Thankfully, the green proved to be a very smooth flier. Or Arren was holding her back out of respect for his "first time" flier.

  The dragon knights had planned a trap for the rogue dragon. A few cows purchased from a local farmer had been set loose in a field a safe distance from Trevinni. The four regiments were positioned out of sight along the compass points around the field. That meant half the regiment was upwind from the cows, so speed was everything. When the dragon came to feed, they would strike. It was a simple and brilliant plan. But if Renick was right, the dragon would see right through it. Thane could not warn the dragon knights without betraying his oath to keep the existence of the Dragon Kind a secret. The conflict raged in his mind and tore at his heart.

  On the one hand, he wanted to protect the people of Trevinni and live up to his training as a dragon knight. On the other, h
e had sworn an oath to protect the Dragon Kind, among whom he counted many as friends. In the end, his honor to uphold his oath always won out.

  A tortured dragon cry broke the silence of the near darkness. The rhythm of the green's wing beats changed as Arren drove her to fly faster. She banked, and Thane felt the pull of the ground. It took all his will to resist looking down. Instead he kept his eyes locked on the sky ahead of them.

  Yellow and red flames cut through the night, and another dragon cried out. Then everything was still and quiet again.

  Something tickled the back of Thane's mind. He turned and saw the night sky move and shift to form the shape of a black dragon heading straight for them.

  "Look out!" he called to Arren, who reacted without looking. He laid himself flat along the green's neck and then started to dive. Thane copied Arren and squeezed his eyes shut.

  Do not scream. Do not scream.

  The sinking feeling in his stomach lessened as the dragon leveled out. Thane turned to search for the shape of the dragon. He could not find it.

  The heat of flames warmed his face. He held up a hand to protect himself. Luckily, Arren's mount could react instinctively when her rider was occupied. She carried them up in a sweeping arch and out of danger. Thane lowered his arm just enough to get a look at his attacker. The dragon passed so close to him he could see the glint of anger in his eyes.

  And then he knew. "Renick's right," he said to himself. "From the mines."

  Arren was shouting something to the other members of the team as they tried to form up and mount a counterattack. Things were not going well. Thane could only spot three other team members—there should have been five. In the brief flashes of light from dragon fire he scanned the sky, looking for the other two dragon knights. He only found one.

  "Below!" Thane called, spotting the dark shape of the black dragon rising from the ground.

  With a swift kick, Arren sent the green spiraling to the right. If he had not had his jaw tightly clenched to keep from losing his dinner, Thane would have screamed. Despite all his effort, he did grunt a little.