Part of the reason Willem hated these shifts was that the area they worked in right now was incredibly cramped. The narrow tunnel was only three feet wide by seven feet tall, forcing the team to stand very close to each other as they created it. Adept Samuel, the team leader, even had to crouch slightly.
Once the underground passage neared the lake, a ward would be placed ahead of them to keep the lake water at bay while they completed the underwater opening. Then, the space would be reshaped as they retreated, forming two three-foot-diameter pipes, one atop the other, to bring water to the guildhall. When the pipes were completed and all were safe back in the water room, the ward would be removed and the pipes could then be used to fill the tanks.
That wouldn’t be for another week, though. Now, it was stand here, get drained, duck when needed, and move forward when enough new passage had been created. Dull in the extreme.
An enormous yawn escaped his control.
“Gods, man, don’t start that or you’ll have me doing the same.”
Willem glanced at Boyd, one of the other team members. “Sorry.”
“Not that I can blame you, eh?” Boyd sighed. “This isn’t the most exciting work a man has ever done.”
“You’ll both be happy enough to take a hot shower or a hot bath with the water these will provide.” Drinn frowned. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line.
“You speak Alandra’s own truth,” Boyd said, “but that doesn’t make this work any less boring.”
“Cut the chatter back there,” Samuel said, glancing back at them. “We’re almost done. Keep quiet for a little longer so I can concentrate and get to our finishing point for today.”
Willem shrugged and turned forward. He didn’t have much energy for talking anyway.
It’s almost over.
There is a surprise waiting for you when you are done.
Willem raised his brows. A surprise? Like what?
If I told you, it would not be a surprise.
As tired as he was, Willem nearly couldn’t stifle the laugh. Even so, a snort still made it out.
Boyd glanced at him, a question in his eyes.
Willem opened his mouth, glanced at Samuel ahead of them, then mouthed slowly: my dragon.
Lips curved in a smile, Boyd nodded in understanding.
Everyone on the shift knew he was one of the dragonlinked, was a bonded dragonlinked. The pale skin at his wrists, bands of no pigmentation, were one clue, as was the riding gear he wore. Though, in these tight confines, he’d taken to leaving the riding jacket up top with the rest of his things. There had been many questions when he’d first started with this enchanting team, once they realized.
How much does Balam eat? How much does he weigh? Will he get larger? How often did dragons do it? Did the Bond hurt? Can he tell what Balam is doing right now? What is it like flying? Can I be a dragonlinked? How big is his—
He’d had to cut off some questions and had answered most as best he could, ignoring those he didn’t want to answer. When he introduced them to Balam, the big dragon’s announcement that they were all candidates made them quite happy. Willem warned them that applications weren’t currently being taken, but they were more than willing to wait until such time as they were. Which had not been all that surprising. One needed patience to survive enchanting shifts.
When today’s shift was survived, Willem let out a deep breath and headed up the passage with everyone else. The spring was definitely gone from all of their steps as they made their way to the water room. Once there, Willem grabbed his gear and headed for the nearest exit.
I’m on the way out.
It didn’t take long to get to the doors, but for a moment, Willem thought he’d gotten turned around in his exhaustion. The doorway was darker than it should be. The top half of the doors were glass, and through them, he expected to see the bright outdoors. Instead, it was dim. As he got closer, he realized why. It was snowing. A lot.
Surprise!
Willem stepped outside. Large, fluffy flakes fell silently from the gray sky. The serene quiet was disturbed only by the sound of large feet, shuffling.
Balam stood at the base of the steps. Feet in constant motion, bouncing with energy, his bond-mate stared at him as excitement came through the link. We can play in the snow!
Oh sweetheart, I know how much you enjoy that, but can we wait until tomorrow? I’m really tired right now.
Balam’s feet stilled and his wings slumped. I guess so.
I’m sorry, love. These enchanting shifts really take it out of me.
That is okay. We will have a lot of fun tomorrow.
Yes we will.
Fun they might have on the morrow, but flying in the snowstorm was proving to be anything but. Willem wiped his goggles once more. We should portal back.
I will not. You are too tired.
He didn’t even bother arguing. Balam knew exactly how he felt. Can you even see in this?
I can. Besides which, I know where I am going.
If you say so. What of the others, though? Was the wagon back to the Caer going to be able to make it through this? The snow had already been a foot deep when they’d left. Some of the workers might end up spending the night at the Guildhall. Should we go back and wait until the storm is over?
You will miss Aeron leaving if we do not get back soon.
Do you think they’ll still go with this weather?
I doubt it is snowing in the South.
Good point. Willem forgot how different it was down there and how far away it actually was. Despite the fact that they could portal there instantly, it was practically a world away. It was more than likely warm and sunny down there. He tried not to feel jealous.
Some of the snow that had melted on the goggles was re-freezing. It was difficult to scrape the ice layer off. Willem wondered how Balam was able to see with all the snow, then he remembered the dragon’s inner eyelids, the transparent ones. They could be blinked to clear off any snow.
Already tired, clamping his thighs to the saddle and gripping tight to the hand-holds got even more difficult as the cold began to penetrate. Why hadn’t he thought to bring winter riding gear? He started to worry that this had been a terrible idea when the light of Caer Baronel pierced the snowy gloom ahead.
You’re the best, Balam.
A happy rumbled vibrated the saddle.
As they landed, Willem heard Aeron calling out.
“Anaya! Get your dragony butt over here, I need to saddle you up.”
A mass of dragons was romping in the deep snow of the courtyard. Happy chirps, rumbles, and clipped dragon laughs made clear just how much fun they were all having. One separated from the bunch and made its way to their stable.
Willem patted Balam on the neck. There you go, love. Go have some fun in the snow with them.
Balam touched noses with Anaya as she passed, then, with an excited bark, he practically galloped over to the others. He jumped and half-glided into the middle of the dragons.
Through the falling snow, Willem was just able to spy other dragonlinked at their stables watching the dragons play.
“Ikan, you be careful, now, you’re a little bigger than them. I’ll give you five more minutes, then I have to saddle you, too.”
Polandra. Willem frowned and turned away. As he walked to the stable, he tried to clear his head. Thoughts of them having who knows what kind of adventures in the South kept plaguing him, however. He slid the doors mostly closed, leaving a gap to see and hear outside.
Aeron, checking the saddle on Anaya’s back, smiled at Willem. “Hey. I was worried that your shift would run long.”
“Nah. It went well, though I am exhausted.” Willem walked to the other side of Anaya to help. She touched his ear with her nose. He gave her a brief smile and a pat on the cheek before starting on the saddle. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”
Aeron yanked on a strap, checking if it was secure. “We have to find out what’s going on at the flats.”
“No, I mean, I wish you didn’t both have to go.”
“She knows the people down there and helps me fit in better.”
Willem closed his eyes. Aeron was frustratingly . . . nice. “I’m jealous, okay? I can’t stand how much time you spend with her having fun.” Opening his eyes revealed Aeron staring at him.
Aeron just stood there, looking at him.
Willem panicked. Was Aeron angry?
“You snore very softly when you sleep on your back.”
Willem blinked. “What?”
Aeron walked around Anaya and stood in front of him. “You’re embarrassed about your freckles . . .” he reached out, and his fingers were gentle on cheek and nose, “. . . but for the life of me I don’t know why. They’re amazing.”
Willem stared at him. “I don’t—”
“When you really smile, you have one, tiny dimple on your left cheek. And your scent,” Aeron breathed in, “I could pick it out from a million people.”
Willem frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Aeron nodded. “Yes, there is that. You sometimes get cranky when you’re tired. And you wake up annoyingly early, too.”
“I’m not perfect. Is that what you’re saying?”
“All those quirks and more I love about you.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know those kinds of things about Polandra. I never will.”
Willem sighed. “I know that you’re not falling in love with her. That’s not what I—” He took a breath and let it out. “I hate that you and Polandra do these exciting things together. That’s what I’m jealous of. We don’t have fun adventures like that.”
“But I have fun just sitting next to you. Being around you makes me happy. Believe me, if I had to choose between the most amazing adventure someone could think up and, I don’t know, eating a sandwich with you, the poor roast beef wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Willem chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “You and food. I swear.”
Aeron smiled at him. “Every minute I’m with you is an adventure. Don’t you know that?”
“I just find it hard to believe, I guess.” Willem shrugged. “What’s so special about me?”
Aeron stared at him, all humor gone. “Everything.”
Anaya chirped at him.
Willem swallowed, trying to loosen the sudden tightness in his throat.
Alandra’s merciful heart, how did I get so lucky?
He tried changing the subject. “So, do I really stink so much that you could find me in a crowd?”
“No,” Aeron shook his head. “Gods no. Your scent is the absolute opposite of stink. It is so far from stink that—”
When Aeron misses you, he often smells your pillow.
“Anaya!” Aeron’s face flushed crimson.
Willem was astonished and a little embarrassed. “What do I smell like?”
Aeron cleared his throat. “Well, uh, your scent is rich, yet soft, like the woods after a light rain, and there’s a hint of leather, and”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“gods, I don’t know. But I do know that it makes me feel happy and peaceful, and it makes me feel safe, like I’m home. You smell like . . . you.” He shrugged.
“You ready, Aeron?” Polandra’s head was poked in the dragon door.
Willem had never been happier to be interrupted. On the verge of bawling like a baby, he took slow, deep breaths.
Are you okay? Balam sounded confused.
Turning to Polandra, Aeron said, “Give me a second. I’ll be right out.” He walked to a worktable and grabbed a few items along with his satchel.
Willem felt a little more in control. I’m fine, or I will be. Aeron just said the most amazing things about me and I . . . I almost burst into tears. I’m too tired for this!
Balam’s laughter couldn’t be heard from the courtyard, but the feeling of it came clearly thorough the link.
Laugh it up, you pile of leather scrap.
He watched Aeron packing a few last items into his satchel. It was time for them to leave.
Willem took another breath and checked his eyes. They were dry, thank the gods. He turned and hugged Anaya’s neck, whispering, “Bring him back safe, okay?”
She rumbled in reply.
“Well, we have to go.” Aeron, lips crooked in a half-smile, stood behind him.
Willem reached around the satchel and gear as best he could and hugged tight. “Be careful.”
Aeron’s arms wrapped around him. “I’ll try.”
+ + + + +
“I think it’s a great idea,” Millinith said, “and something I completely forgot about with everything else going on. Did you have any ideas on a design?”
Sharrah smiled and held out her hand. “This. Obviously, the ones for the guild will be in silver, and we’d use rank gems instead of the dragon’s eye gemstone.”
Millinith nodded. It was a perfect template, actually. “Yes. How did you get that anyway? He always wears it.”
“Not when they go down there.”
“Ah, of course.” She frowned. “You know, I have no idea how to find a jeweler for the commission. Maybe I can stop off in Delcimaar sometime soon and visit a few there.”
“Actually,” Sharrah said, “I’ve already spoken to the jeweler who made this. I didn’t mention specifics, just asked if she’d be willing to take on commissions. She said she’d be happy to and even told me how to contact her.”
“Excellent. I’ll speak with our accountant about getting a contract ready.”
“We have an accountant?”
Millinith smiled. “As of four days ago, we do.”
“It still catches me off-guard that the guild is real.” Sharrah had a wistful look on her face. “It wasn’t so long ago that Aeron was sneaking off to the caverns to feed Anaya, keeping her a secret, because he was so scared people would be afraid of her and want to kill her.”
“Someone tried to.”
Sharrah frowned. “Well, those people were mislead, were lied to. Everyone else is either indifferent to dragons, or likes them to one degree or another.”
“How about you?”
“Me?”
Millinith had noted the look of relief Sharrah had each time she’d been passed over for bonding and wondered why that was. “Do you like dragons?”
“Of course I do.”
Millinith raised a brow.
Sharrah looked hesitant. “I’ve always liked dragons. I just have some things to think about, things to work out in my head about them and being bonded to one. But I’m getting through it all.”
“I hope so,” Millinith said. “If anyone can document the bonding process accurately, it’s you. All your dragon records are excellent. I look forward to reading your report about it, as you’ll no doubt be bonded before me. I’m not even sure I ever will be.”
“Anaya said all of us were candidates. You never know.”
Before Millinith could say anything more, a not-too-familiar sound interrupted her.
Sharrah looked around. “What is that? It sounds like a . . . metal cricket?”
Millinith lifted a few sheets of paper, found the tablet, and slid it in front of her. “It’s the guild’s ‘writer.” Lifting the leather cover, she touched the metal plate in the right locations and sequences, unlocking and silencing the device. Words began to appear.
Greetings. Master Investigator Gella, here, looking to speak with the Guildmaster ~
Millinith was surprised. It had been weeks since she’d heard from the woman. She slid out the stylus and wrote her reply.
Greetings. Guildmaster Millinith, here ~
I’ve discovered where the sample came from. Could you meet me at the Gallia country estate in an hour? ~
After scanning the schedules on the wall—he was free—Millinith turned to Sharrah. “Could you speak with Fillion for me? Tell him I’ll need him to give me a lift within the hour.”
“Of course.” Sharrah stood and made for the door.
Yes ~
See you then ~ ~
Thankfully, the snow had let up a great deal by the time they had to leave. Slow, fat flakes continued to fall, but only a fraction of their former number drifted lazily to the ground. The other dragons and dragonlinked had abandoned the courtyard earlier in the afternoon. The cold must have finally gotten the better of them. Their churned up piles of snow were now softened by the accumulation since. A thick, white mantle covered everything.
Millinith checked the riding belt once more, it was snug, and walked over to the waiting dragon. He lifted his foreleg for her. “Thank you, Coatl.” Using it as a step, she lifted herself into the saddle behind Fillion.
A minute later, and they were off.
It was sunny and clear near Delcimaar. The layer of snow covering everything, however, was evidence that a storm had passed through recently, perhaps even the same one now at Caer Baronel. Coatl made for the yard at the rear of the large house, the same place they’d landed on that trip a few months ago.
Lady Erindia stepped out the back door after they landed. “So good of you to join us, Guildmaster.” She smiled.
“I couldn’t resist.” Millinith removed the riding belt and tucked it into one of Coatl’s saddlebags. “I’m curious as to what the Master Investigator learned.”
“Dragonlinked—Fillion, isn’t it?”
Fillion, brows raised, nodded. He was probably impressed that Lady Erindia remembered his name. Millinith was of a mind that Gella had told her he’d likely be along, too.
“Feel free to stable your dragon in the barn. Please join us after.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Fillion bowed his head and walked off with Coatl.
Lady Erindia tucked an arm though Millinith’s and led her to the house. “You seem a little thin. Does leading a guild not agree with you?”
Millinith frowned. “Doronal said I was thin, too.”
“Doronal?” Lady Erindia shot her a look and raised a brow. “Hmm. Well, my son is an observant man, after all.”
“It’s a bit more work than I expected, but nothing I can’t handle, I’m sure.”
A smile lifted the corners of the woman’s lips. “Good.”
A Storm in the Desert: Dragonlinked Chronicles Voume 3 Page 21
