Rud began to laugh. “Koll’s afraid one won’t come near him if he’s alone, so he wants all of us to be on the lookout for him.”
“Using us for our eyes.” Lenda flicked her hand as if to dismiss Koll.
“The first one to find a dragon for me will be my best friend,” Koll said. He started to run and then stopped a few paces later once he realized no one was following him. “None of you want to be my best friend?”
"There's no difference between a friend and a best friend," Camren said.
“Not even a little,” Rud said.
“Friends are friends. That’s it. And they lived happily ever after,” Lenda said with a grin.
“Who even says best friends? What is that? How can you rate one friend as better than another?” Gilbar asked.
Koll shrugged. “I heard someone else say it. I don’t remember who.”
“What do you want to bet that person only has one friend?” Rud suggested.
Koll sighed. “My point was—”
He didn't get a chance to finish because the others raced by him. Shaking his head, Koll hurried to catch up. Between all of them, hopefully, they would be able to find a dragon or maybe even two. Koll was the oldest of his friends, but Lenda would turn ten in a few weeks.
The day turned into early evening, and Koll still hadn’t found a dragon. If he didn’t return home shortly, he would have to try again on the morrow. He wasn’t about to be late for dinner after he had promised his mom he wouldn’t be late.
“Go on ahead,” he told his friends.
Gilbar frowned. “I’m sorry, Koll. We really did want to find you a dragon.”
“Well, it’s not as if there isn’t hope for tomorrow,” Koll said.
“Yes, but on the anniversary of your birth would have been so splendid,” Lenda said.
“It doesn’t matter so much when I find a dragon so long as he or she bonds with me. The time and hour doesn’t matter—”
“Oh, stop being so gallant,” Rud said. “You know you would have never stopped talking about it if you found your dragon today of all days.”
Koll scowled, but Lenda hugged him.
“You’ll find one, and he or she will bond to you. It will happen.” She released him and rushed away.
The others said goodbye to Koll, and he glanced around. They had walked and searched a great deal, but as they had no horses, they couldn’t venture to either of the mountain ranges that bordered the northern and southern edges of Burning Heavens. If only he could go to either one of them, he was certain he could find a young dragon. Even if he came across a hatchling and he would have to wait for the dragon to grow older for him to ride on his or her back, he wouldn’t mind. Not one bit.
He turned around, his gaze skyward. A few steps more and he walked straight into a bush. Koll tumbled, unable to catch his balance, and he promptly fell down hard on the shrub.
The sound of laughter had Koll scrambling to his feet. He glanced all around, but he didn’t see anyone, not his friends, no one at all.
“That fall was spectacular.”
Koll glanced at the tree to his right and almost fell down again at the sight of a dragon perched on a branch that dipped dangerously under the winged creature’s weight.
“You’re a dragon!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, I am,” the dragon said dryly.
“I’m Koll. What’s your name?”
“Not your dragon,” she said.
Koll nodded and grimaced. The chances of a dragon finding him and being on the prowl for a rider wasn’t likely at all.
“Do you already have a rider?” he asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh.” Koll tried not to get his hopes back up again. “But you do have a name.”
“Yes.” She tilted her head. The sky was turning darker, the higher branches casting shadows on her face, but he thought she was a dark green color.
“I told you my name.”
“That does not make me obligated to tell you mine.”
“No, of course not,” he said, “but I would like to give you as much respect as possible.”
She tilted her head to the other side, appraising him. Koll rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels and back again. His nervousness made him smile. She might not be the dragon for him, but maybe she could help him find another dragon if that were the case.
“You just want to ride me,” she said dismissively. She turned away from him, lifting her wings.
“No!” he blurted out.
“No? Please don’t lie to me.”
“I want us to be friends,” he said in a rush.
“You mean friends first and then you’ll be my rider later.”
“No. Well, yes. Maybe. Possibly. We don’t know what the future will hold.”
“No. No, we don’t, Koll.” She jumped down from the branch and landed so close to him that Koll staggered backward. She was small for a dragon but massive compared to Koll. She could easily carry him on her back if she wanted to. “I am Ivna.”
“Ivna,” he repeated. “Um… what do humans and dragons do as friends?”
Ivna laughed. “Do not ask me that. I haven’t decided if we are friends or not. Besides… I don’t know. I haven’t seen many humans up close before. You’re so tiny.”
“I’m not tiny!” Koll crossed his arms. “I’m ten years old.”
“So very old,” Ivna said dryly.
Koll scowled. “I know dragons can live much longer than humans, but I’m not a child anymore.”
“I wasn’t remarking about your age. Just your size. I didn’t mean to offend.”
Koll kicked a rock. “I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive. I just… I should be going home soon.”
“Why?”
“To eat dinner with my family. It’s the anniversary of the day I first was born.”
“Is that so?” Ivna nodded. “I suppose we can be friends. And maybe one day, you can convince me to be your dragon?”
“How can I do that?” Koll asked eagerly.
“I don’t know.”
“How can you ask me to convince you to be my dragon if you don’t know how I can convince you?” He threw up his arms in frustration.
“Don’t take that tone with me,” the young dragon says. “I don’t appreciate it.”
“What would you appreciate?”
“Respect.”
“I respect you. I respect you loads. As much as I can respect anyone or anything, I respect you. Now, will you be my dragon?”
The dragon smiled, and Koll’s hope grew until Ivna said, “I need proof.”
“Proof? Of what? My respect?”
“Oh, no. Well, yes, I want you to show respect to me always.”
“Without a doubt.” Koll held a hand over his heart.
“But I want proof that you are brave and worthy.”
“And if I do that?”
"Then, I'll be your dragon."
“Deal!” Koll couldn’t be happier until he realized he had absolutely no idea how to show how brave and worthy he was.
Why couldn’t bonding with a dragon be easy and simple?
Chapter 2
The worried expression on his mom’s face melted away as soon as Koll came over and gave her a big hug.
“I was afraid you had forgotten all about us,” she said. “Come. Sit at the table. You never did tell me what you wanted to eat, so I made some fire-grilled flame sparrow, watercress rolls, moon apples, and mammoth fudge for dessert. How does all of that sound?”
“Delicious.” Koll glanced around. “Where’s Dad?”
“Right behind you, son.”
Koll whirled around and found himself trapped in a tight embrace.
“You left without saying goodbye,” his dad said. “Normally, I wouldn’t care, but today of all days…”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I won’t leave without saying goodbye ever again.”
“Ever?” His dad lifted his eyebrows and directed Koll to th
eir table.
Koll sat. “Not ever. I want to treat you both with respect.”
"Hmm. The maturity of a new ten-year-old." His mom smiled as she placed the plate of rolls in the center of the table.
“Or is there another reason for this respect?” his dad asked. He set twin flame sparrows in front of his place setting and proceeded to start to carve them.
Koll poured them all some honeyed juice. “You birthed me, raised me… Why don’t you deserve my respect?”
His mom beamed and handed him a basket filled with moon apples. “Let’s eat.”
Koll helped himself to a large portion of everything. The honeyed juice had been prepared just the way he liked it, which meant it was a bit too sweet for his dad’s tastes, but his dad didn’t complain. The moon apples glistened silver, and they went down smoothly, half as sweet as the juice. The flame sparrows were soft and tender.
When his mom started to cut up the mammoth fudge into bite-size pieces, Koll asked, “Dad, Mom, did either of you ever think about finding a dragon?”
His mom glanced at his dad and began to laugh.
Confused, Koll furrowed his brow. “What’s so funny?”
“Your mother thinks it’s hilarious that I am not fond of heights.”
“He wouldn’t even climb trees to gather the moon apples for your dinner.” His mom shook her head. “I had to do that. I don’t mind, of course, but a dragon rider cannot be afraid of heights.”
Koll laughed. “No, of course not. What about you, Mom? You aren’t afraid of heights.”
“No, but as much as the idea of being a dragon rider appealed to me, training to become a warrior of the realm did not. I am not a fighter, Koll. I am happy to bake and sell my pies and cakes and fudges. Your father is happy making shoes. We enjoy our work and our lives.”
Koll grimaced. He enjoyed eating whatever his mom prepared, but he hadn’t learned how to bake or cook, and he didn’t want to. He also didn’t have the patience to learn how to make shoes, although his dad had tried to teach him the trade a few times. Koll just wanted something more. His dad appreciated the art of cutting and treating the leather to make all kinds of shoes, but Koll found it utterly boring.
“We know our path isn’t the same as yours, Koll,” his dad said. “Is this respect thing because of a dragon?”
“I found one,” Koll said in an excited rush. “Ivna is her name. She won’t be my dragon, at least not yet, but I told her I would respect her, and that made me think that I should respect both of you more. I promise I won’t sneak off. I’ll do my chores before I go and see my friends. I want to make you both happy and make Ivna happy and my friends too, I guess, but teasing them is a lot of fun.”
“Teasing as long as it isn’t cruel isn’t a bad thing,” his dad said.
“I hope that you can make Ivna happy. Do you think respect is all you will need to show to have her become your dragon?” his mom asked. “I don’t quite understand how precisely a dragon and a human bond. Is it a magical union somehow? Is it a verbal agreement?”
“I don’t know myself,” Koll said honestly. He stared at the three pieces of fudge on his plate. When had his mom put them there?
“Go on and eat,” his mom urged.
Koll shoved one into his mouth. Chocolately heaven, that was what it tasted like, so rich and creamy. She didn’t make fudge often, probably because Koll would sneak a bite here, a bite there, and he would end up eating most of it before anyone else could.
“I’m sure you’ll find out.” His dad lifted his chin. “You’re a special young man, Koll. Any dragon would love to have you as their rider. I have no doubt that you can change the world.”
“I want to,” Koll said.
“You’ve already proven yourself dedicated by training with your weapon,” his mom said casually.
Koll’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You know about that?”
“Your stick-sword? Of course we do,” his father said. “So long as you’re careful with it and no harm comes to others, why wouldn’t we approve? You can trust us with these things, Koll.”
The ten-year-old dipped his head. It wasn't so much that he hadn't trusted his parents. He'd just assumed they wouldn't want him to play with a sharpened stick.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“For what?” his mom asked.
"For believing in me. I know I can convince Ivna or another dragon to let me be his or her rider. That you believe I can do it too makes me think I can’t possibly fail." Koll blinked furiously. He wasn't about to cry. No, he wasn't! "It's the best present you could give me."
“He lasted a lot longer than I thought he would,” his dad remarked.
“Yes. You owe me new shoes now.”
Koll glanced between them. “I don’t understand.”
His mom laughed. “Oh, your father and I had a small wager on how long it would take for you to mention a gift. Your dad thought you would as soon as you returned home. I said after the meal.”
“He still has a piece of fudge on his plate,” his dad protested.
“No, I don’t.” Koll shoved it into his mouth and grinned.
His mom crossed her arms. “When I said after the meal, I meant dinner, not dessert.”
“Hmm,” his dad said. He threw his napkin onto the table and walked out of the room.
“Do you need new shoes?” Koll asked his mom.
“Need? No, but your mother can never have too many shoes.” She laughed, her smile wide.
Koll shrugged. He didn’t understand why his mom would want more shoes if she didn’t need them, but his dad was returning, a blanket covering an object in one hand, a box in the other.
“Do not say I never get you anything,” he grumbled as he handed the box to Koll’s mom.
She opened it and shrieked. “Oh, Byran! They’re wonderful slippers!”
“Did you know you would lose?” Koll asked as his dad placed the other item, still covered with the blanket, on the table.
“I figured I might.”
“The beading, the details… You’ve been working on these for months,” his mom accused.
“Maybe.” His dad grinned and then looked at Koll. “When you put time and effort into something, the rewards will return one-hundred-fold.”
“Your father speaks the truth.” His mom finished putting on her new slippers, stood, and came around the table to kiss Koll’s dad.
Koll reached for the blanket. “Can I?”
“Go ahead,” his dad said with a laugh.
Koll removed the blanket and gasped. His father had fashioned a tiny young man who sat on a dragon. It was all made out of leather. The boy was painted, but the dragon was not.
“Once you bond to your dragon, I’ll paint this to match,” his dad said.
Now, Koll did give in and cried. He hugged his parents tightly. This anniversary of his birth had gone almost perfectly. Maybe on the morrow, he could finish what he had started and finally bond to a dragon.
Chapter 3
The next morning, Koll was ready to jump out of his skin, but he behaved himself. He set the table so they could eat breakfast together. Then he leapt out of his chair.
“Thank you for the wonderful meal,” he gushed. “Is it all right if I… I should help with the table and dishes, shouldn’t I?”
His mom laughed. “I do hope this newfound respect for us lasts a long while.”
“It’ll last forever,” Koll vowed.
“Nothing lasts forever,” his dad said. “One day, we’ll die, and there won’t be any more Hawks until you have a son or daughter of your own.”
“I don’t want to think about you two dying,” Koll said with a grimace.
“We have no plans to die anytime soon,” his mom assured him.
"You're more likely to die first, considering you want to climb onto a dragon's back," his dad muttered.
“Byran!” his mom exclaimed.
His dad sheepishly shrugged. “I do have a point.”
“I won’t fall off the dragon’s back,” Koll said, exasperated.
“Will you ride with a saddle then?” his mom asked eagerly.
“No.”
“Reins at least, surely?” his dad ventured.
“No.” Koll held out his hands at their alarmed, shocked expressions. “It’s all about trust, right? I’m going to trust my dragon completely. He or she won’t let me fall. It won’t happen.”
His parents exchanged worried glances.
“Have you ever heard of a dragon falling out of the sky? Has a rider ever fallen off?”
“Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen,” his mom protested.
“Maybe it’s not just riders and dragons who need to trust each other. Maybe the parents of the riders have to trust the riders too,” Koll said as he gathered their plates.
His mom reached over and tousled his hair before taking the plates from him. “Go on. Go see your friends and the dragon. Be careful, though. Dragons do have fiery breaths.”
“I won’t get burned. Thank you, Mom, Dad! I love you!”
Koll hugged them both and raced out of there. His friends were loitering near the fountain again. Not far from them was a girl with brown hair and blue eyes. A red dragon trailed behind her. Nicai Bright. She was the one Rud had mentioned, the girl who had bonded at the age of five. For the most part, she kept to her dragon, which bothered Koll. Just because she had been a dragon rider for four years now didn’t make her better than the others her age. She could still have human friends.
“What took you so long?” Gilbar complained.
“Why didn’t you come and get me?” Koll asked.
Gilbar tossed a pebble into the air and caught it. "I was trying to come up with a plan. Maybe if we split up, we will have a better chance of finding a dragon."
“I don’t think splitting up will be much fun,” Lenda argued. “Who wants to spend the day by themselves?”
“I don’t mind,” Gilbar said. “I like myself.”
Lenda wrinkled her nose. “Who says I don’t like myself?”
“We could do pairs,” Rud suggested. “But I want to head northward.”
Dragons and Mages: A Limited Edition Anthology Page 153
