Page 17 of Wild Bond (Wild Bond #1)

A s we arrived in Itrain, I marveled at the city. It wasn’t quite as large as Dessin, but the wooden and stone structures lining either side of the curved streets still spread out in all directions, as far as the eye could see. As we flew overhead, beginning to drop lower, I noticed a Nest at the center of this city. The familiar white stone of the arena surrounding the black obsidian floor offered a stark contrast to the rest of the buildings around it.

In my class with Gemma, I had learned that most of the major cities in Palasia had been built purposely around these deposits of black stone, because the dragons answered The Call each year to those locations. The great arenas were built around the obsidian and became known as the Nests. It had been that way ever since Lethara bonded her dragon.

Our dragons circled as we lowered even further, coming to land on one of the several cleared, elevated stone platforms that dotted the city for this very purpose. Skye touched down gently so as not to jostle me too much.

A man approached for the purpose of storing our saddles until we returned. Zade tossed him a few copper lads for his trouble.

I dismounted as gracefully as possible from Skye’s back. I had never ridden for such a long length of time and found my legs and especially my thighs were quite sore. It was hard for me to stand up straight without wincing.

“You’ll get used to it,” Zade said with sympathy. Then he added with a teasing light in his eyes, “But do straighten up. We have a reputation to uphold.”

I glared at him, and he just laughed as Skye’s large head leaned down and nuzzled mine.

“I’m all right, girl,” I murmured, rubbing her pale green nose affectionately.

“Who is the rider assigned to this city?” Zade asked Rake.

“Leah,” Rake answered, his voice stiff. Had he sounded reluctant to answer?

Zade’s eyes gleamed. “Ah, yes, the lovely Leah. And how is your lady love doing these days?”

It seemed like Rake was now the one purposely not looking at me as he replied, “There hasn’t been anything between us for years, and you know it.”

I fought hard to suppress a totally unfounded flare of jealousy at the thought of Rake with another woman. I had no right to the feeling whatsoever. He wasn’t mine. Rake and I had only kissed once, and based on the way he was acting like it hadn’t happened, I doubted there would be a repeat anytime soon.

Zade shrugged. “No matter. I’m sure she’ll come greet us at some point. She’ll no doubt be informed of our arrival. We’ve caused quite a stir.” He looked around, and I knew his eyes missed nothing as he took in the small crowd that had gathered. Most likely to admire the dragons.

“That was kind of the point,” Rake patted Naasir’s side as the dragon shrank down to his minor form, his scaled head coming to just above Rake’s waist.

Skye and Valla did the same, and I stroked Skye’s head, feeling a wave of affection and protectiveness from her as we descended the steps of the platform. She glanced around eagerly as I did, but she was feeling a bit more wary.

“Follow me,” Rake ordered, making his way out of the little square we currently found ourselves in, anyone in his way quickly moving out of his path.

Zade shook his head with a grin and followed after his friend. Valla walked primly at his side; her minor form just slightly larger than Skye’s. I did the same and tried my best to ignore the stares and whispers. I knew that even here people would have heard of the Jade Dragon, and Skye’s coloring was too unique not to be recognized. Not to mention the fact that everyone knew who Naasir was—there was only one black dragon in Palasia—and by extension, who his rider must be.

After a few minutes of walking, we found our way to one of the city’s main thoroughfares and finally, the markets.

I was amazed at the sheer size of it all. Dessin had a bustling market, but I had never seen anything like this before. Rows and rows of stalls selling goods and services of every kind lined the space. The market was humming with people and my senses were bombarded with the noises, colors, and many conflicting scents. I caught hints of lavender, spice, and freshly baked bread, as well as the more unpleasant scents of livestock and unwashed bodies.

As we made our way down one of the pathways between stalls, I took in everything around me. One vendor yelled prices to passersby, leaning over a table displaying magical items such as precious stones and amulets. Another stall sold potions, salves, and spices, while still another sold colorful scarfs and jewelry. There were maps, tapestries and paintings, spicy meats and baked goods, chocolates, a stall selling colorful beetles and insects, and even a roofed pen of pixies. There was a table with a display of bones and teeth from different magical creatures, perfumes, soaps and candles, jars of organs and things I couldn’t even begin to name.

I caught myself before I nearly took something from a stall with a distracted merchant out of pure habit. I no longer felt right about stealing. Before, I stole out of necessity, but now I had food, clothing, shelter, and everything I could need. It felt wrong to steal when I could be taking from someone who needed it more. Skye was also having a hard time keeping herself from darting off after every shiny thing she saw. I was proud of her, sending her encouraging thoughts, empathizing with her on fighting an urge that was so instinctual.

We were almost to our destination, or so Rake said, when a particular stall caught my eye. I couldn’t help but come to a halt. The two men noticed my diversion, and both stopped as well.

The table before me was laden with finely crafted weaponry, from blades and short swords to bows and arrows.

The daggers were what had grabbed my attention—one set of daggers in particular. The pair of blades gleamed in the sunlight. Marbled jade with the darker green and lighter, near-white tones swirled together to make up the beautifully polished handles. The mix of colors were a near perfect match for Skye’s scales.

The stall keeper, noticing our interest, finished up with a customer and made his way over to us. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with a broad smile and a shrewd gaze. He wore a long, colorful cloak and dark turban on his head. He bowed to both Rake and Zade. “Riders,” he murmured respectfully. Then his eyes fell on me. “Trainee.” He bowed again, and his eyes widened slightly as he noted Skye at my side. “Welcome to the Itrain markets. How can I help you today? Are you looking for anything in particular?”

I stroked my fingers lovingly over the blade of one dagger and down to the slightly rounded pommel.

“A fine choice, my lady,” the stall keeper observed. “Those are made from the finest Halmarish steel and crafted by one of their most renowned artisans. Had to pay him a pretty gent or two before he was willing to part with them.”

“How much?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure why. Trainees received a monthly stipend from the crown for necessities and to compensate their families, but I knew it would be nowhere near enough.

As he told me the price, my brows rose. I could save for several years and not be able to afford that amount. My heart sank. I let my hand drop and gave the stall keeper what I hoped was a lighthearted smile. “On second thought, I don’t think I need them.”

His expression remained a professional mask as he dipped his head. “As you wish, my lady.”

I turned to face the two men at my back and smiled, probably too brightly. “Sorry for the detour, shall we continue?”

Rake gave me a look I couldn’t quite read and began to offer, “I can—”

“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “I don’t need them.”

He shut his mouth and nodded. I could see that he knew there was no point arguing, but the hard line of his mouth told me he wasn’t happy about it.

I wasn’t sure if Zade had caught the exchange or not. When I looked over to where he had been standing, he had moved to a stall a few paces down. He was talking casually with the woman there. If I wasn’t such a proficient at sleight of hand myself, I would have missed the fact that the woman reached under the table and slid something to Zade with one hand while she accepted payment from him with the other. All of this was nearly hidden by the fold of her skirts and the cloth covering the table. He picked up what I knew had to be a random trinket from off her table as if he had purchased it, thanked her, and then strode back to us casual as could be. Valla followed him.

He dropped the trinket into my hand and declared, “For you, Button.”

I glanced down to see that he had bought me a thin necklace made up of a simple silver chain. I looked back up at him in surprise and pleasure. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “Don’t mention it. Besides, I had to get you something to remember our trip by, since you won’t let his broodiness over here buy you those daggers.”

“Oh?” I scoffed. “Are you sure it wasn’t just to disguise what else you bought from that woman?”

I heard Rake’s rough chuckle at the look of shock on Zade’s face.

“She has you there,” Rake grinned. His blue gaze had warmed considerably as he looked at me. “Quite observant, aren’t you, little thief?”

A small thrill went through me at his words and the rare levity in his expression. His whole demeanor had softened slightly. Not that I thought Rake could ever fully turn off that lethal edge, but it was at least dimmed for the moment.

I raised my chin a little. “Very observant.”

Rake’s eyes gleamed. “Well, then,” he said thoughtfully. “I can’t very well allow myself to be outdone by that pretty boy over there, can I?”

“Uh, excuse me,” Zade interjected. “First off, I resent, or rather resemble, that comment because I am rather stunning, and secondly, have you looked in a mirror?”

Rake continued as if Zade hadn’t spoken. “Since daggers are off the table, I’ll just have to find you something better than that measly necklace, won’t I?”

I grinned. “It only seems fair.” The stiffness I had sensed from him earlier was gone, replaced by a teasing light in his gaze. I loved getting a glimpse at this rare side to him. The man was mercurial, that was for sure.

I gave the chain to Skye. She hummed at the tiny silver necklace and puffed her jade scaled chest out a little as I dropped it around her neck.

Mine? she asked, staring up at me hopefully.

Yours , I thought back to her.

“Challenge accepted, my friend,” Zade proclaimed, rubbing his hands together in mock anticipation.

I couldn’t help my amusement at their antics as we began to make our way back down the path between stalls.

We spent the next hour with each of the men buying me one ridiculous bauble after another, each time trying to outdo the other. At first, they bought me semi-useful things like candies, a scarf, soaps and lotions, and even a low-slung cloth body bag to hold it all. But then Zade found an elixir that made it so you could throw up on command, supposedly for medicinal purposes, and things deteriorated from there. I drew the line when Zade found me a feathered headdress made of bright purple feathers from a magical creature I had never heard the name of. I made him take it back.

My favorite gift, however, was a silver ring Rake gave me that was made up of a pair of dragon wings that wrapped around my finger and touched gracefully at the tips. It was both delicate and feminine, and somehow fierce at the same time. ‘I thought you would like this’ was all he said when he slipped it on my finger. I was glad Zade wasn’t around when he did, because I had to fight to keep that annoying blush from my cheeks as I thanked him. Then I had to mentally remind myself not to read into it.

I wasn’t foolish enough though to think that buying me outrageous gifts was all they were doing. I didn’t miss that while the men purchased me one ridiculous gift after another, they were also having quick, casual conversations with the shop or stall owners. Often quite a bit of money exchanged hands, way more than the worth of what was supposedly purchased. Remembering what Rake had originally said about why we were here, I played along. A few times, Rake or Zade even slipped away for a few minutes, and I would have no idea where they had gone before they reappeared again.

I didn’t question them about it, though, to avoid drawing attention, as people watched us wherever we went. I remembered doing much the same thing when I was young, staring unabashedly the few times a dragon or their rider had ventured into the lower city. I had to admit it was a little unnerving to be on the opposite end of those stares now, but I forced myself to pretend they didn’t bother me. The three dragons were really what drew the most attention anyway, and Skye, for her part, was soaking it all up. Once, when a little child was brave enough to come close, she even pretended not to notice when he patted her tail.

You’re such a softy , I teased. Skye simply huffed.

At one point, when the sun had reached its height in the sky and late morning turned to afternoon, during one of the times Zade was mysteriously absent, Rake stopped at a food stall and ordered from the young man running it. He handed him a few coins in exchange for what looked like two balls of sugared fried dough on sticks, drizzled heavily in chocolate, and handed one to me.

“Here,” he urged. “Try one of these.”

I took the offered sweet and inhaled the delicious smell of it. I felt Rake’s eyes on me as I took a bite and groaned as the warm sugary flavor melted on my tongue.

Rake took a bite himself. “They have these in Taveran,” he shared, referring to the capital city of Zehvi. “I used to eat them as a boy. Whenever my mother sent me out on errands, I think she always gave me a little extra coin on purpose so I could buy one.”

I smiled at the thought of Rake as a little boy. “So, you did grow up in Zehvi?” I observed, licking my fingers clean of the sugar, and trying not to appear like I was incredibly interested in his answer. I had heard the rumors. Everyone had. And there was, of course, the way he looked.

He nodded. “I did. Though my mother was Baldorian, and she and I moved to Dessin when I was thirteen.”

“Why did you leave Zehvi?”

He paused then said, “We didn’t have much choice.”

When he said no more, I ventured, “And you bonded with Naasir soon after that?”

He nodded again, though I got the feeling he didn’t want to disclose any further information about himself. Which was unfortunate, because I was extremely curious, about the man that walked beside me.

We finished our treats in silence. I was even nice enough to offer Skye my last, precious bite, but she only sniffed it and scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Suit yourself , I thought, popping it into my mouth.

Deciding to share something with him in return, I volunteered, “I’ve never been outside of Dessin . . . until today anyway.”

Rake’s dark brows rose. “Never?”

I shrugged. “This is the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.”

He regarded me with that too knowing stare. “We’re going to have to change that.”

I stopped and turned to him. “What do you mean?”

He started to reply, but was interrupted by a loud, feminine voice.

“Kyan Rakim!”

We both turned to see a beautiful woman approaching. She appeared to be around Rake’s age and had long brown hair that fell in loose waves down her back. The feathery light folds of her gown flowed around her as she halted before us, its violet color offsetting the deep tan of her skin. She didn’t appear to be Zehvitian though, just someone who spent a lot of time out of doors. Long gold earrings hung from her ears and gold bangles clinked at her wrists, as she enveloped Rake in a hug.

“Leah,” Rake greeted not unkindly, though he immediately pulled back.

So, this was Leah. The dragon rider who Rake had once had some kind of relationship with. It was only then that I noticed the rider tattoo on her right upper arm and wondered where her dragon was.

“What brings the queen’s spymaster to my fair city?” Leah asked.

“Training,” Rake answered, gesturing to me. “This is Corrine Darrow and her dragon, Skye. I have been assigned as her flight instructor for the foreseeable future and thought we might as well have a destination in mind while she practices. We came to see the markets. Rin, this is Leah Gantoh, the dragon rider assigned to protect Itrain.”

At Rake’s words, the woman turned to me.

Leah nodded her head respectfully at first to me, then Skye, and then gave me an inviting smile. “So, you are the trainee that I have been hearing so much about. Welcome to Itrain. I hope you have been enjoying exploring the markets. There is so much to see and do here. Though admittedly, I may be a little biased.”

I smiled back and hoped it appeared less forced than it felt. She was being perfectly nice, after all. “We have been enjoying ourselves. The city is beautiful.” I wasn’t lying, but I couldn't help the unfamiliar feeling of jealousy that slid through me and settled in the pit of my stomach as she turned back to Rake. Her face was alight with obvious pleasure at his presence, and a flicker of desire as well, as she regarded him.

I hated the thought of her being with Rake, even if they weren’t together anymore. It would have been so much easier to justify disliking her if she were rude. But of course, she seemed perfect and genuine, and maybe even the type of woman I would want to be friends with under different circumstances.

Realms!

“And where is Zade?” she inquired with a grin. “I believe I saw Valla in the skies earlier when you arrived.”

“He’s here,” Rake confirmed. “But you know Zade, he’s always slipping off to parts unknown. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon.”

“Knowing you,” she replied, her tone teasing, “whatever he is doing is probably the real reason you came here. You never do anything without having multiple reasons for it.”

Rake’s expression stayed relaxed, giving nothing away. “Think what you will, Leah. You know I can’t reveal anything to you, even if that were the case.”

She gave him an exaggerated pout. “Well, you’re no fun.” She seemed to shake it off good-naturedly, then added in a more serious tone, “But you will tell me if it is anything I should know about?”

“Of course.”

She smiled at him, and her voice softened enough so I could barely hear as she murmured, “You know, you don’t need an excuse to come and visit the city Rake . . . to come and visit me.” She stared up at him in a sultry manner that I knew I could never hope to replicate, and my stomach clenched again.

Unfortunately . . . or maybe fortunately, before I got to hear Rake’s response, Zade appeared.

“Leah!” he cried, wrapping the female dragon rider up in a crushing bear hug and then releasing her. “How is the respectable rider life treating you?”

With a final glance at Rake, Leah turned to the other man and launched into a discussion with Zade about her life here in Itrain.

Feeling a little out of place and wanting to look busy, I meandered over to a nearby stall that was selling all kinds of different powders and ingredients for potions, medicine, and the like. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the stall was selling unicorn dust.

Unicorn dust, which was made from the horn of a unicorn ground up into a fine powder, was obscenely expensive and extremely rare. There weren’t many unicorns left, and they were impossible to catch since they could escape almost any snare or trap. The powder, when mixed into a liquid and drunk, could cure any injury, even if you were on the brink of death.

“It says it costs ten gold gents per ounce,” Rake said, his deep voice startling me. I turned to see he was standing right behind me, watching me.

“I know. I can read,” I said, trying not to sound defensive. It was an understandable assumption for him to make, considering where I had grown up. Luckily for me, my mother taught me before she died.

“My apologies,” he said. Then he lowered his voice enough that the stall owner couldn’t hear as he told me, “It’s fake. No seller in their right mind would have that much unicorn dust out in the open like that if it were real.”

I shook my head in mock concern. “Any thief worth their salt could just saunter on by and steal it right off the table without anyone being the wiser.”

His lip twitched. “Now that would be a shame.”

We stared at each other for a moment before I found myself looking away.

“We’re not together anymore,” Rake said a few quiet seconds later, surprising me.

I glanced back at him and couldn’t help studying his face before I said, “I didn’t ask.”

“You were not asking very loudly.” He smirked then his eyes shifted as they stared down into mine. “Rin—” he started.

But once again we were interrupted by Leah trying to convince Rake and Zade, and by extension me, to come back to her home and stay for a drink. Thankfully, Rake declined, saying we had to be on our way soon so it wouldn’t be nightfall by the time we made it back to Dessin. Leah accepted the excuse graciously, but not before giving Rake one last longing look, a look which he appeared to ignore altogether.

We left the markets and made our way back to the landing platform where we had left our gear. It wasn’t long before we were mounted up and in the air. As we took flight, I heard several awed cries and gasps from the crowd. It made me think once again of how surreal my life had become in such a short span of time. I was no longer one of those people watching from the ground. Instead, I was riding a dragon in the sky.