Page 72 of To Touch A Silent Fury

I blinked as my vision swam again. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know how you did it so quickly. Maybe she helped. But there is nothing to mark you as a Son, now.”

I signed confusion, and Yvon sighed.

“Your eyes are blue, girl.”

My stomach turned and immediately I looked down at the tiny dragon sleeping beside me. The memory of its little tentative voice came back.

Yvon gave me the softest of smiles. “Bright, dragon-blue.”

We were bonded. We werebonded.

After I had drank more water than ever before, I took in the sight of my leg. It was a worse sight than I was prepared for.Thankfully, the blackness around it was the remnants of a compact of gleadless, domil, and ashraf leaves, rather than rot. Once I had used the rest of the water to clear it off, I could look at it without nausea. The arrow was gone, and the wound did not appear to be seeping anything to indicate it had gone bad. It was warm to the touch, and moving it hurt, but it would heal fine enough.

It was a far sight better than it should have been after four days, and I wondered then if Yvon had lied to me about the time that had elapsed. Though I couldn’t think what reason she would have.

Once I’d reapplied the salve of pestled leaves, I stared down at my young ward.

Bondedto me. Already. I could not stop looking at him. I was struck by how much I wanted to protect him.

Somehow, I knew Vellintris had done this. When I had taken it upon myself to help her, she must have done something, given me some method by which she would force me to look after her child. Passed her maternal bond through me.

I pined for Seth, knowing he would be fascinated by it all. He would throw himself into the research, poring over every known facet of draconic bonding. But I was here, in Gossamir, with a wounded leg and an infant dragon.

And I had no idea what I was doing.

I scooped up the baby and placed him in my lap. Stretched out from his puny tail to the pink tip of his nose, he was barely longer than my forearm. He curled tightly into a ball against me, warming me as I brushed a finger down his back.

I didn’t know the first thing about keeping this thing alive.

I had thought at some point this could happen. I had evenhopedfor it: my bargaining chip with Fate. To bond with a sapphire dragon was to become something Langnathin could not refuse. He could not allow a bonded dragon rider he did notcontrol. But one he could marry, another weapon in his arsenal, another jewel of the Vidarium? This was his ancient weapon, in my grasp. This bond was my way into the castle.

More than that, to be bonded was the only way to disguise myself. My hair, I could darken through muds, but one look at my eyes and the prince would know me. But this? With my dragon-blue gaze, he would not find me out straight away.

And yet, looking down at the bundle of flesh, I could not ever consider him a weapon.

Outside of the stone tower, low mumblings filtered through. So rare was the noise of talking Euphons that I found myself tucking my sleeping bundle against my stomach and donning my coat and boots.

Every act was as silent as I could make it. Seated, I was perfectly inaudible. As Yvon had taught, I wrapped the laces of my boots around my trouser leg, to stop the fabric from rustling.

When I stood, I held my breath to keep the hiss from escaping. The pain was bad, but by no means the excruciating force it should have been. It was stiff, and it did not want to be leant on, but I would have guessed the wound was two weeks old from the level of discomfort. I adjusted my movements for a limp, which made my footsteps heavier than Yvon had taught me. Still, I made it to the door, and the mumble increased to something I could almost hear. I dared not lean against the stone, instead holding my injured leg bent in front of me, its toe just touching the boggy ground.

I poked my head around and did not see them. But I didn’t need to use my eyes, for their sound gave their location as plain as their feet would. I squinted up to the grey sky above. The dawn was flat behind overcast white. No shadows should betray my presence as long as my steps were not detected. I edged across to the stone tower a few feet from this one.

Ergreen was famous for its rains, and it had clearly poured whilst I had been out. It could only be a week or so from Tanmer now, and I wondered where I would be when it hit.

A male voice grumbled in low notes. “She lives.”

Yvon’s voice returned, breathier, blending into the wind itself. “She is bonded to Vellintris’ child.”

“Already?” The man’s surprise elevated his voice. “That is uncommon.”

“I tell you, she is one of you. I have seen her.”

“Her hair is dark, her eyes blue. And she is a woman.” His voice held the same dismissal I had heard all my life. “What proof do you have for your claim?”

“Let her stay here, you will see the truth of her hair. You’ll see the moon in the dragon’s eyes.”