Chapter 235 - The Burden of the Bond (Patreon)

“Drink?” Ado asked.

Hump nodded. “Please.”

He let the door creak shut behind him. Inside, he was hit with the scent of smoke and pungent herbs. The main living area was illuminated by heartstones just like everywhere else Hump had seen in Drakalyn. A wooden table with seats for four took up the central space, with a small fire burning in the hearth nearby. Cabinets and shelves were everywhere, filled with vials and jars of potions and dried herbs and other things—that explained the potent smell. The place was like a witch’s hut. Ado poured some water from a pitcher into an iron kettle and set it on the small fire, then poured more into a ceramic bowl.

Nisha ran in ahead of Hump, sniffing around the room excitedly, intruged by so many new smells and things. Her excitement raced through their bond, making Hump smile.

He placed the bowl on the floor. “That’s for your dragon.”

Distracted by everything else, Nisha didn’t even notice it.

“Thank you,” Hump said. “Her name’s Nishari, by the way. Nisha for short.”

Ado gave a curt nod. “Night storm. Very fitting. Not seen a wolf dragon with colouring like her’s before.”

“The elders said the same thing. Rena said it’s to do with being exposed to essence before she hatched.”

“That would explain it. Must have been a hell of a lot of essence though. Don’t see many like it around Drakalyn.”

“It came from a phoenix feather,” Hump said.

“That explains the gold.” He gestured toward the table. “Have a seat if you want.”

Hump leant his staff against the wall and sat down, watching Nisha as she wandered the room while he waited for Ado to finish making tea. She was curious about everything, putting her paws up on shelving units and cabinets for a better look, only stopping when Hump told her not to. She was getting more and more excited, so he distracted her by swirling his finger in the water bowl, encouraging her to have a drink.

It wasn’t long before Ado placed a mug on the table in front of Hump. He ran his finger over it, feeling the ribbing of the clay and smooth glaze. It was coloured with bright blue and red. In Alveron, pigments like it would be expensive, saved for those with money to spare. He suspected the forest had to be rich in materials for making dyes for such a culture to have evolved in Drakalyn.

A rich, earthy aroma rose from the drink, unlike any tea Hump had drunk. He took a sip, trying not to gag at the overwhelming bitterness.

Ado laughed. “Not had wisa bean yet, I take it?”

Hump shook his head, still reeling.

“Helps you focus,” Ado said.

“Does it poison you in the process?” Hump rasped.

“A bit of an acquired taste. You’ll get used to it.”

Hump wasn’t so sure, but he decided not to push the matter. He was a Rank 4 wizard, the White Flame of Sheercliff City—he could finish the drink. He took another sip…

Gods, it’s awful.

“I suppose you’re wondering about the point of all this,” Ado said. “I’m no wizard, and I don’t claim to know how your magic functions.”

Hump was surprised the man had brought it up himself. He thought for a moment, deciding how honest to be before saying, “It did cross my mind.”

“The Trinity don’t care about your power, or your magic. They sent you to me to learn of your spirit.”

“As in my soul?” Hump asked.

Ado shrugged. “Call it what you want. It is what makes you, you—your power, will, and life. And it can be forged through fire.”

Now that was something Hump was familiar with. “That’s where you come in, is it?”

“The soul’s my specialty.” He grinned. “And believe me, boy, I’ll put you through some fire before we’re done here.”

“I might surprise you,” Hump said, suddenly feeling more confident. “I’ve had my fair share of fire.”

“There’ll be plenty of time to show me. Point is, the winds of nature flow the same for everyone, whether Chosen, practitioner, or some pissant off the street. We wield it differently, but it’s the same thing. It makes us up, we draw our strength from it, and when we die, its what we return to.”

Suddenly, there was a shift to Ado. Nisha stopped, turning to stare at him. Before Hump’s eyes, it was like the presence of the shaman vanished. He could still see him physically, but he couldn’t sense him in the slightest.

“When the spirit is one with the world,” Ado said, “that is when we are at our most powerful. Finding that balance is what I can teach you.”

All at once, Ado was back, only now he seemed like a giant. His presence filled the entire room, a storm of focused intent that was perfectly under his control. Hump could no longer distinguish the essence surrounding them from Ado. They were one, freely flowing around the room.

Onto my lap, Hump thought at Nisha, envisioning her where he wanted her. She hopped onto him immediately, and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing back against Ado’s pressure with his own soul. His breath quickened. The weight was suffocating, siphoning essence from his grasp. If this was under different circumstances, he’d have manifested his soul immediately just to be able to put up a fight. He did not sense any sinister intent from Ado, however. This was a demonstration, not an attack.

Ado slowly withdrew his presence, the pressure in the room diminishing with every passing moment until finally things were back to normal.

“What circle are you?” Hump asked.

“Sixth.”

“And you’re not a Dragon Keeper?”

“Being a Dragon Keeper isn’t about strength. The dragons choose who they like. Myself—I’ve taken a different path. Perhaps one day I’ll show you.”

Hump wondered what he meant but didn’t press. His instincts told him it had something to do with those tattoos across Ado’s body, He’d sensed power in them—something primal. Seeing Ado’s strength, Hump realised how far he still had to go. His Soul Manifestation was powerful, but it was like he had to draw the essence of the world to him. For Ado, they were one and the same.

“You did well though,” Ado continued. “Didn’t expect you to sit through that so easily. You really must have been through some fire after all.”

Hump snorted. “It’s been a tough year.”

“It’ll show its worth now. Your foundation is strong. Your focus and intent clear. We’ve got a lot more to work with than I expected.”

“What do you expect?” Hump asked.

Ado shrugged. “They usually send me the ones they want to quit.”

Hump frowned at that, but Ado’s attention had already turned to Nisha.

The man smiled at her. “Sorry if I frightened you, Nishari.”

Something seemed to pass between them, because before Hump knew it Nisha was wriggling from his arms and back on the floor. She raced over to Ado, putting her paws up onto his lap, her tail whipping behind her. Ado wrestled her from side to side, Nisha getting even more excited. Hump was amazed at how good the man was with her. She was a friendly dragon to everywhere, but with Ado, there was an extra spark. Hump was almost jealous. She barrelled around the room playfully, jumping at Ado before racing off again, so excited that Hump couldn’t help but laugh. He supposed if she liked Ado, then the man was probably a pretty nice guy.

“I’ve got someone I think you’d both like to meet,” Ado said, eventually bringing a stop to the play.

He led them outside to a small barn behind his house, with a gate almost as tall as the room. There was no lock on it, and Ado easily pulled the doors open to reveal a black dragon inside.

Hump’s eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent creature, perhaps even as large as Keeper Tessa’s dragon, Igni. It was only as the dragon unfurled from his sleep that Hump noticed something wrong. Its wings were withered, and its hind legs atrophied, making its hind end look frail. It let out a long, sighing breath as it lay its head on the ground before Ado.

“This is Stonefang,” the man said, laying a hand on the dragon’s snout. “He was my son’s dragon.”

The dragon watched Ado with listless eyes, a grey fog over them.

Hump’s heart sank. Vamir had mentioned that dragon hunters from Alveron had killed Ado’s son, but he hadn’t realised the dragon survived. Stonefang leant into Ado’s touch, but there was no joy to him, just an overwhelming sadness.

This was what happened when a dragon lost its keeper. This is what would become of Nishari if he died.

It made Hump’s blood boil.

Fear and rage fought through Hump as he was reminded of just how much responsibility his bond was. Stonefang was broken. A husk of a dragon, even at a glance. Yet as Stonefang’s eyes found Nisha, his tail started to whip. A little light returned to his eyes and he shuffled forward, a great heaving sound as he scraped along the floor.

“There you go, big fella,” Ado said. “Come and say hello. This is Nishari, daughter of Vindari, and her bonded, Wizard Humphrey.”

Hump stepped forward, Nisha in his arms. She watched him shyly as the great dragon sniffed her, his great, huffing breaths warm against Hump’s face. Hump extended a hand toward him, and the dragon tilted his snout forward to be petted.

“He’s gorgeous,” Hump said.

“You should have seen him in his prime,” Ado said sadly. “He and Nel—Nel’s my son—were attacked while they were out on patrol. A caravan was under attack, and they went to help. Turned out, it was a trap. My son was killed and Stonefang was left poisoned. It caused partial paralysis, costing him his wings and hind legs. Lady Owalyn cured him of the poison before it killed him, but she could not save his body.”

“I’m sorry,” Hump said quietly. It was all he could muster. He didn’t know what else to say. How was one supposed to react to something so horrible?

“It was a long time ago.” The man sighed, looking at the dragon as if staring back into the past, before shaking his head. “Thought you should know though. Look after yourself, lad. This is what happens when you don’t.”

“Yeah.” It was one thing to hear it—Celaine had drilled it into him throughout their travels—but to see it now… It wasn’t just Stonefang’s body that had been ravaged, so had his soul.

“Good to see the ol’ fella cheered up a bit though. He always likes to meet the new hatchlings.”

“Happy to help,” Hump said. “Nisha’s only met a few wolf dragons. This is good for her.”

Hump suddenly sensed something strange through his bond. Images flooded him. One moment, he was staring at the skies over Drakalyn, the sun shining through the leaves of the Great tree, then next a good hunt, then a great expanse of water. Hump realised he was seeing the memories of Stonefang through Nisha.

He stared at the dragon in surprise, watching as it stared at Nisha with excited eyes. She whipped her tail back and forth too, caught up in the images like a child listening to stories.

“Oh, you’ve got company,” a voice came from behind him, breaking Hump’s focus. “I was just getting Stonefang a snack. He seemed a little blue.”

Hump turned to see a woman with red hair behind him, wearing a bright blue dress covered in yellow summer flowers. She was gorgeous, and her face lit up as she spotted Nisha nearby, eyes going wide as moons.

“That was good timing, Myra,” Ado said. “I was just introducing our latest hatchling to Stonefang.”

“Myra?” Hump said, the familiarity of Myra’s appearance dawning on him. “You’re Celaine’s sister.”

“And you must be her wizard,” she said, her voice unnaturally even, and her eyes transfixed on Nisha. “You have a beautiful, little dragon. She’s like stars in the sky.”