On their last circling turn, the other dragons appeared at the perimeter, and all of them approached the west end of the running track in wide-arcing turns.
As she flew, Mia removed the rolled up sign from a special carry pouch on her chest, and she and Kisa waited next to Citlali as the younger dragons got back into their line formation. When the north-south line was complete, Kisa grabbed the handles of the spindle Renny had made. Mia then detached and held onto the end of the sign, and Kisa made her way to the right, pulling the spindle along and unrolling the sign from it. As she passed each of the younger dragons, they grabbed onto the sign to hold it up as she continued on. It was an even more impressive feat when one noted how close to each other they were, and all with their wings beating to maintain a hover.
In less than a minute, the welcome sign was unrolled and Cheddar’s fine calligraphy skills were on display. At the ends of the line of dragons, Mia and Kisa turned their heads away, and flame erupted from their opened mouths.
Cheers broke out from everyone.
“Not bad, if I do say so myself.” Cheddar nodded approvingly at the sign.
The dragons dropped the sign and flew off to start their next routine.
Cheddar turned to Gregor. “Shall we go grab it?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
Some time later, as the young dragons finished their last routine, the senior dragonlinked arrived with their dragons. They landed in the field in the middle of the running track.
“How’d it go?” Aeron called out. He was smiling as he hopped off Anaya.
“Perfectly!” Liara smiled back.
Aeron walked over, rubbing his hands together. “Excellent.” He looked around at everyone. “This show is going to be the most golden, the most gigantic thing people have ever seen!”
“Yes!” Terry almost hopped on his feet in his excitement.
Several dragons, too, let out happy or excited barks and chirps.
“Hey,” Gregor walked over to Fillion, “is that one of those comm caps?”
Sharrah took a closer look. The riding cap Fillion wore had a protuberance, a small hump of additional stitched leather over his right ear.
“Yeah.” Fillion gestured to Quillan. “He’s got seven ready, now, and I wanted to try one out.”
He must have seen the look in everyone’s eyes, because Quillan chuckled and raised his hands. “I’m making the communication devices as quickly as I can.”
“Communication devices?” Korrie frowned. “That’s not very catchy. You’ll need to come up with a better name than that.”
“Catchy?” Brows drawn together, Chanté stared at her.
“You know,” Fillion said, “uh, fetching, memorable, amazing? Something that catches the imagination.”
Chanté glanced at Aeron and then looked at Fillion. “So . . . golden?”
Quillan chuckled and smiled at Chanté. “As a matter of fact, yeah. You could say that.” He turned to Korrie and nodded. “You’re right. Communication device, while adequate to describe its purpose, does lack a certain . . . flair.” He tilted his head. “I’ll work on that.”
“Oh, Sharrah,” Renata turned to her, “your guests arrived. Guildmaster Millinith wanted me to let you know she’s put them up in a guest suite.”
Sharrah blinked. “My guests?”
Renata nodded and smiled. “Your mother and father.”
+ + + + +
Cheddar looked left at Mia, at Sharrah on her back. The expression on Sharrah’s face when she heard her parents were here had not been as happy as he would have expected. It had been some time since she’d seen them, since coming up to Caer Baronel years ago.
Brows drawn together, he turned to the right and looked a little below, where Xoc flew. Is she angry?
His bond-mate glanced up at him momentarily before looking forward again. She is keeping her thoughts close, but I sense confusion and a little worry. A bit of irritation came through the link. Citlali will not tell me anything. Should I try to sense Sharrah’s thoughts more deeply?
No. Cheddar turned forward, and over Gregor’s shoulder, he watched the Guildhall grow larger with their approach.
A sort of ‘if you say so’ feeling came from Xoc, but the young dragon didn’t offer anything more.
Snooping on people’s innermost thoughts wasn’t something Cheddar felt was right. Even before the ethics lessons, that was how he’d felt. Sharrah would share when she was ready.
Kisa banked down toward the courtyard where he and Sharrah had their rooms. Its entrance looked like a wide-open mouth in the ground that swallowed them whole. Beating her wings faster, she pulled up into a hover just inside and slowly lowered to the floor. With one final flap, she dropped the last couple of feet onto her rear legs, then set down on all fours. She quickly padded to the side, to clear the way.
Cheddar removed the straps and hopped off. “Thanks so much for the ride back.”
Gregor waved a hand. “Think nothing of it.”
Xoc landed and padded over, then he watched the other two descend.
Wings pounding, Mia set down. Sharrah jumped to the ground as Citlali landed. The young dragon hurried to her side.
Sharrah’s smile was a bit forced. “Thanks Liara, Mia.”
Mia turned her head and chirped.
“Any time.” Liara smiled. “I’m going to head off to watch Polandra and the others practice.” She waved. “See you later.”
“Us, too.” Gregor patted Kisa on the neck. “Let’s go watch Coatl and Fillion!”
Kisa let out a bark, ran to the middle of the courtyard, and leapt into the air after Mia. Gregor waved down to them as they disappeared beyond the edge of the opening to the sky.
A few fluffy white clouds broke the bright blue expanse.
Might as well get to it. Cheddar turned to Sharrah. “Want to talk about it?”
Still staring at the sky, she let out a breath and nodded. “Yes. And no.” She turned to him.
His heart skipped a beat. Sharrah never looked vulnerable. He walked over and held her shoulders. “Hey, what is it?”
The fleeting look of uncertainty fell away. She smiled at him—her real smile. “I love you.”
His heart pulsed again, but then worry filled it. Why was she saying this? “And I love you. What does that—”
“My mother wants me to get married.”
He blinked. That was actually something he wanted, too, but Sharrah didn’t ever talk about it, and the one time he’d brought it up, she had seemed a little indifferent. He knew she loved him, however, and he most definitely loved her, so he’d let it drop, thinking to bring it up at some point later.
She scowled. “Though, ‘want’ is probably too soft a word. It’s not as if I’m against the idea of marriage, but the instant she found out I might be leaving Caer Tengish, her questions about when my wedding would be escalated and she even got suitors lined up for me to meet.”
Cheddar raised his brows. Were any of those suitors still looking to marry her? A sudden thought started his heart pounding. Was . . . was her mother bringing them?
Xoc let out a frightened bark. What is wrong?
Sharrah turned to him. “It’s alright, Xoc. It’s my fault for springing this on him.”
Cheddar recovered a bit and said, “I’m fine, Xoc. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Cheddar and I are going to have a little talk, guys.” She looked at Citlali and then Xoc. “You’re welcome to listen in, obviously, but if you have any questions, please save them until after.”
Cheddar blinked. A little talk? Was she—
Sharrah grabbed his hand, led him to the bench at the side of the courtyard just outside their rooms, and sat down.
Still holding his hand, she slouched a little. Gaze unfocused in memory, she shook her head. “I still don’t understand her. When my brother left home two years prior to me, she didn’t pester him about his marriage plans.”
“Maybe she was worried that with you away from home
, you might run into relationship entanglements.”
“Entanglements?”
He raised a brow. “Sex. Maybe she’s worried that you’ll be taken advantage of and then have to deal with the consequences yourself. Your brother—”
She barked out a short laugh. “Piss on that. No one determines when I do and do not have sex except me.”
He chuckled. “Of course. But that’s not what I meant. Perhaps your mother wasn’t as worried about your brother because things are different for guys.”
She stared at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Different biologically,” he hastily explained. “A girl is much more involved with a pregnancy.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It takes two to get pregnant.”
“Yes, but once she is pregnant, she’s the one who’s intimately involved with the rest of the process. The boy is done at that point, biologically. Though, if he’s worth a damn, he’ll be by her side throughout.”
She twisted her lips. “Hmm. I suppose mom could be worried about that.” She leaned back against the stone wall and stared forward. “She’s so silly.”
“Why?”
“At around thirteen, girls are taught Caroline’s Cervical Barrier in school as part of Healing Craft class, so unintended pregnancy isn’t really a concern.”
He recalled that in his school, too, there had been two days where the girls and boys were separated during Healing Craft class. Along with the basics about sex and reproduction, he and the other boys had been taught the importance of keeping themselves clean and how to do so. The girls, obviously, must have had their own girl-specific lessons.
He grunted. So it was called Caroline’s Cervical Barrier.
“What?”
He glanced at her. “In the boy version of those lessons you mentioned, we were instructed to always use a preventive unless we were trying for a child. I guess in case all girls don’t get those lessons. At any rate, now and again talking with the guys, I’d also heard about girls using CCB. I never knew what CCB stood for.”
“They didn’t talk about it in those boy-specific Healing Craft lessons?”
He shrugged. “Possibly, but I was a bit distracted by the diagrams. They were, ah, pretty realistic.”
“Boys.” She shook her head.
Something he recalled from Magic Craft lessons made him draw his brows together. “Hang on. In order to anchor a spell, don’t you need line-of-sight to your target?”
“N–Not necessarily. If you wanted to anchor a spell to your teeth, right this instant, could you?”
He thought about it. “Probably. I’ve seen them in the mirror as I brush, and because they’re part of me, that gives me a good idea of their positional relationship to the rest of me.”
Blushing, Sharrah said, “Same concept.”
All kinds if images flashed through his mind having to do with a room full of girls holding hand mirrors, and Sharrah with—
Cheeks hot, he cleared his throat and faced the courtyard. “A–At any rate, what do you want to do about your parents?”
Her sigh was loud with resigned acceptance. “I should go welcome them to the Guildhall.” She shook her head and looked at her bond-mate. “No, Citlali, not this time. You wait with Xoc, here.”
A little worry came through the link from Xoc. He was anxious, too, it seemed. The two young dragons glanced at each other and chirped. They didn’t sound too happy.
“We’ll meet them together, later.” Sharrah stood. “I want to see what my mom intends first.”
“And me?” Cheddar stared at her.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Oh, you’re definitely coming with.”
The walk to the guest housing section gave him time to think. He’d never met her parents. What were they like? Aside from her feelings about her mother constantly bringing up marriage, Sharrah didn’t seem to dislike her parents, and in fact, often spoke fondly of trips she’d made in her youth to trade fairs with her mother. So, what should he do? How should he act?
He glanced sidelong at Sharrah.
Brows furrowed, she nibbled on her lip. Her hand holding his gripped tightly.
He frowned. To hells with her parents. He wasn’t in love with them. He was in love with this girl right here, and she looked nervous. Whatever it took, he would help her.
He gave her hand a brief squeeze.
She squeezed back and glanced at him. “Xochi told Citlali that they’re in the third suite.”
He nodded and they continued down the hallway.
A few minutes later, they stood before it. A small brass plate with ‘Guest Suite 3’ engraved in elegant script was mounted on the wall. Like their own rooms, a heavy wooden door fit perfectly into the solid stone frame that had been enchanted in the granite of the hill.
Sharrah reached out and knocked on the large door.
Moments later, it swung open.
Cheddar stared. Her father was almost a foot taller than him and built like a smith. Dark brown hair topped his imposing figure.
“Sharrah!” His vice boomed.
Cheddar quickly released her hand and took a step sideways, elsewise he’d have been engulfed in the bear-hug as well.
A chuckle was followed by Sharrah’s voice from somewhere in the large man’s arms. “Hi, daddy.”
“Sharrah?” The woman who must be her mother looked out from the doorway.
Cheddar blinked. About as tall as Sharrah, she had the same ample chest, but her straight hair, pulled behind her ears, was sandy brown, and she was a touch heavier. Her smile was the same as Sharrah’s, though, bright and enormous.
He swallowed and tried to reconcile this stunning woman to what he’d heard from Sharrah.
“Hi, mom.” Sharrah, looking a bit embarrassed and shy, just stood there, lips quirked in a kind of half smile.
Arms outstretched, Sharrah’s mother hurried over and embraced her. “Oh sweetie, it’s been too long!”
Cheddar, smiling, watched them. Well, so far, so good.
“You must be Nilbert.” Her father eyed him.
Cheddar’s smile vanished and he gulped. “Y–Yes, sir. Though most call me Cheddar, so you may hear that occasionally.”
“I’m Toran,” he said and then gestured to Sharrah’s mother, “and she’s Saoirse.”
Cheddar had never heard that name before. “Saer . . . shah?”
Saoirse smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you. Come in, come in!” One arm still around Sharrah, she led them into the suite.
Once in the main room, she turned. “I have to say, when I heard how the Guildhall was constructed, I worried that it would be dark and dreary in here.” Smiling, she held out her hand and gestured around. “But it’s not! Isn’t that amazing?”
Unable to hold back, Cheddar chuckled. “Yes. The Magic Craft Hall at the Caer, its housing section and the lightglobe production rooms, are all also underground, so they have experience with making such places cozy and livable.”
“I’m so glad.” She smiled at him, then tilted her head. “Sharrah wrote that you’re in Archive Craft?”
Sharrah glanced at him. Her eyes said, ‘and so it begins.’
He smiled. “That’s right, ma’am, I started in Archive Craft. Though, at the moment, we’re both in Dragon Craft.”
Her father stepped past them and sat on the sofa. His massive left arm rested on top of the seat’s back. “What exactly is involved with Dragon Craft?” He glanced at Sharrah. “I’ve often wondered what could take Sharrah from her beloved Animal Craft, and my dear, sweet daughter hasn’t exactly been forthcoming in the few letters she’s sent.”
“Daddy.” Sharrah scowled. “I wrote about what we do.”
“‘Defend against nahual and help people’ is fairly vague, sweetie.” Saoirse sat beside Toran and took his right hand in her left.
Cheddar glanced from their clasped hands to their faces. They were happy, but faint traces of worry were there, too.
&
nbsp; “One of the ways the guild helps,” Sharrah said, “is by conducting nahual patrols around the country. Each patrol is performed by a human and a dragon, bond-mates that fly along a predetermined route, looking for nahual.”
“I’ve heard those beasts are horrific.” Saoirse glanced at her husband before looking back at Sharrah. “What happens when they find one?”
“They kill it.”
The look that appeared on her mother’s face worried Cheddar. “We spend a great deal of time working with our trainers in Magic Craft,” he said, “along with weapon training and hand-to-hand combat to prepare us for dealing with those terrible creatures. The dragons, too, provide support while fighting nahual.”
“We’ve also been called upon by High Lady Hasana to assist her special investigators in various capacities,” Sharrah said.
Her father grunted. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Cheddar said. “And we’ve helped ferry wounded to hospitals, we have contracts to patrol for near-do-wells along rail lines—”
“And we’re doing patrols in Stronghold to assist in keeping the peace.” Sharrah crossed her arms and stared defiantly at her parents.
“Well, not the two of us,” Cheddar amended. “Our dragons are yet too young to carry us, so we’ve not been able to perform any of those tasks.”
“Not yet.” Saoirse, small lines between her brows, turned to Sharrah. “You should get married. The sooner, the better.”
“Mom! I told you that I would, but in my own time.”
“And when will that be? You’ve already given up on Animal Craft. Will you put off marriage so long that you give up on that, too?”
Cheddar frowned. “She hasn’t given—”
“I’ve not given up on Animal Craft! I’m just focusing on dragons right now.”
“Dragons,” Saoirse said. “And where is your dragon?”
“I asked her to wait back at the rooms in case we got into an argument,” Sharrah said. “I guess I was right to do so.”
Saoirse glanced at Cheddar and then back to Sharrah. “We’re merely having a discussion about your future.”
Of Gods, Trees, and a Sapling: Dragonlinked Chronicles Volume 4 Page 76
