Aeron walked in the direction of the voices, following a faint trail as he made his way to the edge of the clearing. Three people suddenly appeared along the trail ahead, just over the side of the hill. They were three boys, the oldest of whom couldn’t be more than twelve. The two older boys carried short swords at their waists. They stopped when they saw Aeron.
“Good afternoon,” Aeron said.
They stared at Aeron, at his riding gear. Then the youngest gasped and pointed to Anaya. “I told you I saw a dragon!”
Aeron looked at the boy and smiled. “Her name is Anaya.”
“She has a name?” the boy asked, incredulously.
“Of course. All dragons do. They know their names when they hatch.”
“And who might you be?” asked the eldest boy.
“My apologies,” Aeron began, “my name is Aeron. I’m from Caer Baronel. Lord Baronel has tasked me with exploring the farms and communities in the region.”
“Oh?” he replied, placing his hand on the pommel of his small sword. “What for?”
“In case we have to return to help fend off a nahual attack, or perhaps to assist after an attack.”
At the mention of nahual, the third boy had placed his hand on his sword as well. He was eying the trees around them nervously.
“Have no fear, there are no nahual about,” Aeron reassured the boy.
“Of course not,” the eldest said. “They don’t come out until night.”
“True enough, but I meant there are no nahual about at all, not for ten miles around, at least.”
“And how do you know that?” the other boy asked, still darting glances at the trees around them.
“We scouted around,” Aeron said. He didn’t want to mention the nahual-sense ability. “We found no sign. We’ve become very good at, ah, tracking nahual.”
“How did you come to be here?” asked the eldest boy, looking around the clearing. “I see no horse for you.”
“I flew in on Anaya.”
“You can ride the dragon?” The youngest boy’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“Yes. We fly everywhere. She’s quite a good flier.”
The little one is very impressed with me.
As well he should be, love. You’re spectacular.
Anaya casually stretched her wings out and then settled them on her back. The effect on the three villagers was amusing, though Aeron did not show it. He didn’t want to seem as if he were making fun of them by laughing.
Show off!
Anaya let out a pleased rumble.
“Is she going to have babies soon?” the youngster asked, eyes glued to Anaya.
“No, she’s only a few months old now, she won’t be ready to lay eggs for nearly a year.”
“Oh.” The disappointment was obvious in the boy’s voice. It seemed every boy had dreams of having a dragon!
“Who knows,” Aeron said, sympathetic, “maybe by then I will be in the area again on my scouting trips.”
The boy’s eyes lit up.
A half-formed, tenuous idea floated around the edges of Aeron’s mind. It drifted away before he could fully grasp it, however, so he turned his attention back to the boy. “But for now, I must be going. I do have these flyers. If you’d be kind enough to take them with you and show them to the village leaders, Lord Baronel would be grateful.” He handed five copies to the youngest boy. “They outline what we have learned about nahual. Perhaps the information can help someone in town.”
Aeron nodded to the three and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you all.” He turned and walked back to Anaya, and she watched the three villagers as he did so.
Both awed and somewhat wary of Anaya, the boys merely watched Aeron mount the dragon. A few minutes later the villagers were on their way back to town, excitedly chatting about their encounter with an actual dragon, and Aeron and Anaya were in the air.
Aeron had her fly a small distance away before they opened a portal back to the Caer. He had taken to anchoring the Caer side near the dragon stable, so they could then just land and be home. Anaya flew through the portal and turned to begin her landing glide. As she did so, Aeron noticed someone standing outside the dragon stable below, by the door to his study.
He quickly closed the portal as he watched the person. Whoever it was hadn’t noticed him and Anaya above. Aeron sighed. Though he had resolved to endure people coming by, he wasn’t looking forward to more adulation. It just sat wrong with him. He tried to ignore whoever it was.
As he was removing his straps after Anaya’s landing, however, he couldn’t help glancing at the unknown visitor. With a start, Aeron recognized the man and nearly fell from the saddle. It was his father! He was staring in some shock at Aeron and Anaya.
Aeron quickly finished with the straps and hopped of Anaya. “Dad!” he yelled and ran to him. His mixed feelings about what his father had and had not told him about his mother were pushed aside by the sheer joy of seeing him again.
“Aeron!” His father took a step to him, arms wide.
Running as fast as he could, Aeron slammed into his father, wrapping his arms around him. “Oh dad, I missed you. I didn’t even know how much until I saw you.”
“I missed you too, Aeron, don’t think I didn’t.” After a few moments, his father held him away, studying him. “It looks like they’re feeding you well here, you’re taller.” His father smiled and then looked behind Aeron. Anaya had walked over and now stood next to them.
“Oh, dad! This is Anaya. I wrote to you about her.”
“Yes, and your letters are one reason I am here. But seeing her in the flesh is a different thing altogether.” He stared at her. “I have to say, at first I thought you were making up fancies, talking about dragons. Then, of course, we all heard the news at Caer Iron.”
“She’s real, dad.”
“Yes she is.” He was still staring at Anaya.
“You can touch her, if you want.”
Anaya extended her head to Aeron’s father, tentatively. He smells nice. But he seems to be worried, unsure. And I do not believe it is about me.
Aeron’s father slowly reached up and patted Anaya on the neck. “She seems friendly,” he said. “And I guess that’s why everyone was so nice to me when they heard I was your father.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I got here, the guards at the southern gate were pretty matter-of-fact until I explained that I was looking for my son, for you. When they heard I was your father, their demeanor changed. They even sent a guard with me to show me the way here. As we made our way over, he kept mentioning what a fine son I had and that your dragon was incredible. Everyone seems to be impressed with you and your dragon.”
“Well, she is amazing,” Aeron said, nodding and looking at Anaya. He didn’t want to mention the hero-worship he’d been getting, or why. “But let’s go in. I need to unsaddle her and change.” Aeron slid open the large doors and they all moved inside. Aeron’s father helped him close the doors behind, and then Aeron removed Anaya’s saddle.
“If you want, you can sit anywhere,” Aeron said, indicating the two chairs and the couch in his study as he walked through to his bedroom. “I’ll be right back.”
Aeron closed the door and then leaned back on it a moment. What was his father doing here? He’d said the letters were one reason he had come to visit. What other reasons did he have? And should Aeron ask about his mother? He gnawed on his lip a bit, unsure what to do, before walking over to the wardrobe to change. It only took a few minutes and he was done, but he still hadn’t decided whether to ask his father why he’d lied about his mother’s death.
“Would you like something to drink?” Aeron asked as he walked back into his study.
“No, I’m fine, thank you. These are your rooms?”
“Yeah. Master Doronal and Master Canneth figured it would be better if I was near Anaya. I used to live in the Magic Craft Hall, but they let me move to these rooms to be near her.”
“Y
our own rooms. You’re doing well for yourself then. I’m happy for you.” His father smiled at him.
Aeron smiled back. “How are things at Caer Iron?”
“About the same as they have been. Work is steady and there are people still waiting for positions. I’m glad you were able to find something here. Your letters said you were working in magic?”
“Yes. And it’s coming along fairly well. I’ve even invented a couple of new spells.”
“You have? That’s great! But, you are being careful, aren’t you?”
“I am. Anaya helps me with magic too. She scolds me so when I’m not concentrating or if I’m not building a spell correctly.”
“Well good on her. I was a little worried when you wrote about looking into magic. It can be very dangerous.” He seemed like he was about to say something more, but stopped. “You do seem to be doing well at it, however.”
“How did you get here? They let you take time off?”
“In a way. One of the men that works with me agreed to take on my workload in addition to his own during the time I am away. I will make it up to him by returning the favor when I get back. So I can’t stay long. My horse is fairly fast, but even so, I’ve been away for nearly two weeks so far and need to head back soon. But I wanted to see you, make sure you were okay. There have been so many rumors about ‘the dragon,’ and your letters talked about all the things that have changed for you. I just wanted to be sure you were okay, were safe.”
Aeron nodded, then cleared his throat. “You said my letters were one of the reasons you came to visit?”
His father took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes. And because you’re old enough now, I think, to know what happened to your mother.”
Aeron stared at his father. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve always told you that your mother died of a heart attack.” His father looked at him, uncertain. “That wasn’t exactly true.”
Even though Aeron knew what was coming, it still felt like a shock. “What?”
“You have to understand, Aeron. You were so precious to her, to me. You still are. When I found your mother, I searched everywhere for you. I thought you were dead too, that you had been taken from me as well. I could hardly think, I was so scared. Then, when I found you, my initial relief didn’t last long. You were so still. At first I didn’t think you were breathing. And your eyes. They were open, staring. Blank. But you were alive, somehow, miraculously alive. I placed you into bed and then took care of your mother.” He paused, eyes staring. “It was bad. She had cuts on her neck, slashes. And there was blood. Not as much as I would have thought, but . . .” He shook his head and turned back to Aeron. “When I returned to your room, you were still just lying there, eyes open, catatonic. I got scared.” His eyes were dark with remembered pain.
“You wouldn’t respond when I called your name, when I shook your shoulder. I didn’t know what to do, so I slapped you. Once. Twice. Three times. And finally, you awoke!” His father smiled, but then his expression fell. “You asked for your mother. I thought, perhaps you hadn’t seen. I so hoped you hadn’t.” He rubbed his hands absently. “I was scared to tell you what had happened. I wasn’t sure you could handle knowing. You were so young! And I didn’t want to lose you too. So, I didn’t tell you the truth.”
“The truth?”
“Aeron, your mother was killed by a nahual.” He looked down at his hands and sighed.
I am very sorry. Anaya let out a quiet, mournful sound.
His father shook his head slowly. “I couldn’t tell you. Instead, I told you that she had died of a heart attack. It was terrible of me, I know. I felt so guilty.” He looked at Aeron then. “But I was terrified of losing you.”
Struck by the echo of his own words about Anaya, Aeron, tears welling up in his eyes, nodded at his father.
“Once you seemed better, I moved us to Caer Iron, where I got a position. Luckily, we were at the beginning of the flood of people looking for safer places to live. And we were safe there. Safe from those gods-cursed creatures.
“And just look at you now!” His father smiled. “Sonya would be so proud of you, Aeron. Like I am.” His father’s eyes glittered with unshed tears and he looked down at his hands, clasped in his lap. “I still miss her.”
Aeron took his mother’s pin out of his pocket and stared at it, throat tight. “Me too.”
They spent some time talking about life in the two caers, how things were the same, how they were different. Aeron begged him to stay for dinner, to see his friends, and he did. Willem, Sharrah and Cheddar were all delighted to meet him. In fact, Cheddar and his father had spent a great deal of time talking. His father being a smith, he and Cheddar had plunged into a discussion about printing presses. Sharrah had watched them talking with a faint smile on her face.
After dinner, they all returned to the dragon stable and spent more time talking, sharing stories. Eventually, his father said he had to leave.
“So soon?” Aeron wanted to show him around the Caer, wanted him to see the Magic Craft Hall, meet Master Doronal. Maybe even see the Live Caverns.
“I’m afraid I must. As it is, I’ll have about four weeks of extra workload to make up.”
“Can’t you stay the night, leave in the morning?” Aeron didn’t want his father to leave so soon!
“I wish I could, but I travel at night and sleep during the day. It’s safer on the road that way with nahual about.”
That made sense, Aeron thought, glumly. If he was on the move while they were about, it made it harder for them to sneak up on him, to attack him. And soon enough, he would be in the more populated areas in the south and be much more safe.
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Willem said.
“Yes,” Sharrah agreed. “It was great to meet you.”
“Always a pleasure to discuss craft matters with another,” Cheddar said smiling.
“I have to say, I am greatly relieved to know that Aeron has such good friends. And an amazing dragon too!”
Anaya, in her den, made a happy rumble.
I like your father.
Aeron smiled.
His father spent a few minutes gathering his things, and then they made their way across the road to the loading stable, where the guard had told his father he could leave his horse.
“I’m glad I came to visit,” his father said, looking at Aeron, a loving smile on his face.
Aeron hugged him. “I am too.”
His father mounted his horse and began riding off. “Maybe you can come visit me some day?”
“I will,” Aeron said, waving.
His father was soon out of sight behind the Magic Craft Hall, on his way to South Gate.
“You have more than a little of your father’s look to you,” Willem noted.
“He was really nice,” Sharrah said.
“He knows his Smith Craft, he does.” Cheddar took Sharrah’s hand. “Certainly how it relates to printing presses.”
Aeron had a large smile on his face as they walked back to his rooms.
“You seem happy,” Sharrah remarked as she and Cheddar sat on the couch.
“I am,” Aeron replied, sitting in a chair. “As you and Willem know, I’d thought my mother died of a heart attack. Well, after the memory of what really happened was unlocked, I knew that wasn’t true. And it made me worry about why my father had lied to me about her. But we talked before dinner. It turns out he had been trying to protect me. That’s one of the reasons he came to see me. He felt I was old enough now to know the truth.”
Sharrah smiled at him.
“Anyway,” Aeron said, “I’ll be right back. Too much juice at dinner and hot cider afterward.” Aeron left the room and made his way to the water closet.
“I was really impressed with his knowledge about the construction of the presses,” he heard Cheddar say to Sharrah as he closed the door.
When Aeron returned, a corner of his mouth quirked as he watched Cheddar and Sharrah,
still talking. They were in a little world all to themselves. He again sat in his chair, leaning back a little. Willem, sitting back against the edge of the desk next to him, looked at Aeron and smiled.
Everything was working out, Aeron thought. He was advancing in his magic studies. Master Doronal was now teaching him offensive and defensive spells, which were more exciting and more dangerous than the spells in his apprentice book. And even better, he and Anaya now had more than one way to fight against nahual.
It is our purpose. We do it well.
Aeron smiled and looked at her through the door. She was so big now. And though her growth spurt had slowed, she still wasn’t full-grown. He remembered how much smaller she had been when he found her. And so shy! A burst of joy and love flowed between them through the link.
I am happy that your father likes me.
He does, doesn’t he?
And his father had told him the truth about what had happened to his mother. Somehow, knowing what really happened, both from the freed memory and from his father, helped ease the loss he’d felt all these years. He placed his hand over his pocket, felt the adept pin under his palm. Everything was going to be okay.
Aeron glanced over at Sharrah and Cheddar. They were still talking, hands clasped. He sighed.
“What’s on your mind,” Willem asked him, quietly.
He looked at Willem and smiled. How was it he always knew when Aeron was thinking about something important? “I was thinking again about what Fillion said. Everything seems perfect, except—” He broke off as he and Anaya turned their heads north.
Willem, who could see both of them from where he leaned on the desk, said, “No! It can’t be. There was just one two weeks ago!”
“What is it?” Sharrah asked, alarmed.
“It’s a damn nahual, isn’t it?” Willem asked, staring at Aeron.
“It’s north of us, thank the gods,” Aeron said, staring blankly. “My father headed south, so he should be fine.”
“Someone should get Master Doronal,” Sharrah said.
Aeron looked at her.
“What?” she asked. “We have time. There aren’t any settlements or farmsteads north of us.”
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