Dawn of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 092 - A Promotion (Patreon)

Aldric stood quietly with his hands behind his back, gazing at Pammon and Kaen, who had moved to a training courtyard so that no one would be able to bother them.

“I’m a bit frustrated, but I also understand,” he stated, never taking his gaze off of Kaen.  “You had a dragon and kept it a secret.  A wise decision but also a risky one.”

Tell me again, why do we have to listen to this nonsense?  Why would we have revealed ourselves while you and I were still weak?

Kaen let the humor of what Pammon said wash back through their bond and tried to keep a straight face.

He is the King.  He could summon Elies and Tharnok, which would be bad if we were on the wrong side of them.

Do you think they would honestly threaten us? From what I have gathered, we should be treated with honor, and yet I have not gotten that feeling from this ‘king’ of yours.

“So I would like to know your thoughts on this matter.”

Kaen realized he had missed something in the conversation with Aldric as he had been talking with Pammon.

Doing his best to nod and act like he was considering his words, a thought struck him.

“What would you consider to be the wisest decision regarding that?”

King Aldric smiled and bobbed his head.

That was impressive.  I had not…

Quiet, please, Pammon.  I really need to listen.

Pammon tried to hold back the thrumming as he began to laugh.  He could feel Kaen struggling with this as well.

“Staying here is something that would be helpful for our kingdom.  I know you have the academy to think of, which will only grow in renown with what the two of you have accomplished.  I could offer you two a place inside or outside the walls, but I believe you know as I do, that you are not ready to stay here.  Would you agree you need to go and meet Elies and Tharnok and learn from them?”

“For a time, yes,” answered Kaen.  “I am not ready to leave just yet as I need to deal with a few things that are here first.  Perhaps in a month at the latest, we would be ready to travel to Roccnari and meet with them.  As for where we would want to stay while here, let me ask Pammon.”

I am not ready to be cooped up behind some walls.  I prefer the countryside where I can fly whenever I want and find game as I desire.

Smiling, Kaen motioned with his head at Pammon.

“He would prefer someplace in the country where he can hunt and possibly have some land with cows for when the mood strikes him.  Far enough away that most won’t bother us but close enough to town that coming to see us isn’t a day's journey.”

Snapping his fingers, the King summoned a servant who dashed forward, and he whispered something to the man before he ran out of the courtyard.

“I will attend to that matter immediately and hopefully have something located within a day,” he announced as he motioned to one more servant who came forward.  “Your position puts me in a very difficult position if we speak frankly.  I cannot influence you like I can others.  You are a dragon rider, so my choices are to ally with you, have nothing to do with you or fight you.  Seeing the man you are and how your dragon has acted, I want to offer you an alliance.  I do not expect you to be ready to put pen to paper, but in time, I would like to structure something that works for both you and the kingdom.”

Kaen began to speak, and Aldric cut him off with a smile and a raised hand.

“No response is needed right now.  Sleep on it.  Enjoy even more renown with the people.  Just know I pledge myself to you and Pammon to help you be the best protectors our kingdom has ever seen.”

With that, Aldric gave a slight bow and departed.

That was unexpected.  I assumed he had a daughter and would want you to marry her.

Kaen elbowed Pammon, who smacked him with his wing, sending Kaen sprawling across the dirt floor as he thrummed.

One of these days…

Kaen smiled as he stood back up and dusted himself off.

“Let’s go find Hess.”

Once Aldric had left, Kaen and Pammon moved over to another area of the training grounds where they knew Hess was.

The second Pammon and Kaen entered through the massive doors leading to the other training grounds, Kaen was almost tackled when Sulenda rushed him and bear-hugged him.

She was sobbing and crying, and he felt her tears on his cheek and forehead as she squeezed him, lifting him off the ground for even a moment.

“I cannot thank you enough,” she cried.  “I owe you everything.”

“Breathe… I need to breathe…”

Realizing she was hurting him, Sulenda dropped Kaen and stepped back, looking at him with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “Hormones! I cannot control myself.”

Taking a breath, he nodded and moved back, giving her a hug and feeling her return it a lot gentler this time.

“I love him just as much as you do,” Kaen told her as he broke the embrace.  “Why, I have no idea, but I do.”

Sulenda laughed, tears still falling, and nodded as Hess moved up to her side.

“Oh, and Pammon!” she exclaimed, turning and holding her hand to Hess.

Hess put a tied-off bag that was a good foot in size into her hand.

“I have something for you, Pammon,” Sulenda stated as she bowed low and moved slowly toward him.  “Hess told me you enjoyed these back in Minoosh.”

Stopping a few yards from Pammon, she opened the bag, dumped out a pile of blood cubes on the dirt floor, and backed away.

Pammon moved quickly forward and sniffed them before using his tongue to deposit them in his mouth.  He trilled and bowed his head at her before lying down on the ground.

Tell her thank you.

“He says thank you,” both Kaen and Hess said simultaneously.

They started chuckling and saw that Pammon was smiling, having done that on purpose.

“You can hear him!” she gasped as she slapped Hess’s shoulder. “I didn’t believe you when you said you could!”

Massaging the shoulder that was missing part of his arm, Hess bobbed his head and shrugged.

“Only when he is close.  I’m not sure of the range, but I must be near him.”

Suddenly, Sulenda’s face turned red, and she pivoted on her heel, looking at Kaen as if she would rip his head off.

“How could you keep Pammon a secret!  Didn’t you trust me?!” she yelled, waving her hands in the air.  “I would have done anything for you two! I would not have told anyone, I would have…”

She then broke into tears again and let Hess pull her close and stroke her hair.

Kaen grimaced as he glanced at Hess, who tried motioning with his eyebrows at Sulenda.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she lifted her face from his shoulder.  “It’s the hormones.”

“Yeah… It’s ok,” Kaen replied as he took a step back.  “I need to talk with Herb anyway.  He wanted to see me before I left today.  You two going to be ok?”

“We will be fine.  You two go have fun dealing with Herb.  You might find him a bit more difficult to deal with now that he is in charge.”

Sucking wind in through his teeth, Kaen bobbed his head and began to walk back toward the training grounds they had just left.

“You’ll be back for dinner!  Right?” called out Sulenda.

“I wouldn’t miss it!” Kaen answered, waving goodbye without turning around.

We need to get out of here before she cries again…

Pammon followed Kaen back through the massive doors, his whole body shaking and thrumming as he moved.

Both of them could hear Sulenda crying as they walked away.

Herb and Kaen sat on some chairs that were surrounding a small wooden table their cups rested on.

“Words cannot describe how proud I know your dad would be,” Herb stated as he twisted his cup in his fingers. “I knew him well enough to know he never expected anything less.”

Herb paused and glanced over at Pammon, who appeared to be dozing after the meat Herb had waiting for him now rested in his belly.

“Perhaps he might have expected a little less,” he joked as he pointed at Pammon. “Regardless, you and I need to have an important talk.”

“It’s not any more trophies or gifts, is it?”

Herb just smiled as he shook his head no.

“It is the last thing I can do as guild master of this adventurers hall before you are no longer allowed to be part of it.”

“What?” Kaen asked as he sat up in his chair.  “Why is that?”

“It is the rules or has been, I should say, since long before this place ever was.  Dragon riders are a different sect of the world.  Kingdoms and Kings will try to lure you with promises of wealth and power.  Adventurer guilds are supposed to be neutral.  We rarely get involved in kingdom matters outside of quests and things like this last few days.  As such, you cannot do both, and I doubt you are willing to walk away from Pammon.”

Watching Pammon as he snoozed, Kaen knew that he was listening to every word they said. The truth of what Herb told him was hard to swallow.

“King Aldric already made an offer of sorts.  I guess I can understand what you are saying.”

“He did not make an official one because I asked him to wait.  I need you to be able to do something first, and I cannot do that if you are no longer part of us.  I only have two or three days to get this done, and I want you to know I have only learned a few things recently.  Things about your father and your mother.”

His hands betrayed him as they knocked over his cup, and Kaen turned sharply to face Herb.

“What about my mother?”

The tone was heavy and dripped with concern for something Herb might know.

“Are you sure you want to hear this now or wait till tomorrow?  I know it has been a long day.”

Rising from his chair, Kaen stood before Herb and held his hands out, confused that he would even ask that.

“You’re telling me there is a secret about my mother, and you expect me to walk away and wait till tomorrow?  Are you insane?”

Herb never lost his composure as he shook his head no.

“You are right.  You have proven you can handle difficult things.  Sit, and let’s talk.”

Kaen read the paper that Fiola had written for Herb a third time as he sat on the chair, looking like he had just spent a full day training non-stop.  His face was expressionless as he tried to comprehend all of that information.

Herb sat there just watching him, waiting till he knew Kaen was ready to talk.

“Why would you let me read this?  Some of this does not seem like something Fiola wanted me to know.”

“Because I want you to know I am not playing you,” answered Herb as he put the cup he had been holding onto the table.  “Everyone is going to try and play you from now on.  You will be the greatest thing in this kingdom.  What you believe you know is coming next is nowhere close to how it will really be.”

“Why aren’t you going to try and use me?” asked Kaen as he handed the letter back to him.  “Is your goal to tell me you aren’t and then try another way?”

Herb chuckled and smiled as he took the letter, folded it, and put it into his vest.

“That is a perspective some might consider, but no, I am not.  I…” he paused as he talked and rubbed his fingers against his chin for a moment.  “We, the kingdom, and every adventurer alive from this mission owe you too much to play that game.  Because of that, I will not dishonor those who died or those who live.  I will pledge myself always to be honest and explain my actions.  To do so will require a few things, one of which you and your dragon Pammon will not like.”

At the mention of his name, Pammon’s head lifted up, and his eyelids that had been closed revealed two sparkling eyes peering at Herb.

“You will need to come with me to the vault inside.”

“I thought I couldn’t go in there if I weren’t at least a gold adventurer.”

Rising from his chair, Herb nodded put his hand into his pocket, and pulled something out.

“You are correct,” he answered as he held out his hand.  With a flick of his wrist, he dropped a platinum token with his name stamped on it.  “My last act I can do for you is give you the rank you have earned.”

As Kaen sat there in shock, he watched as Herb reached into his other pocket with his other hand and held it out.

“I believe Pammon has earned this as well.”

A trill rose from Pammon when he saw a matching platinum token with a dragon stamped on it.