Page 101 of Wild Bond

For some reason, I latched onto the fact that this woman said she was a caretaker. I couldn’t help thinking it must be a rather lonely existence living up here. Though Rake had told me that Three Points was also a sanctuary dragon riders could visit year-round, with a temple, library, and large collection of ancient dragon rider relics—all things I had yet to get to see. So maybe it wouldn’t be quite so lonely. I also knew that, thanks to the war, there were a lot more Hollow Ones at present than there usually were. Even still, I saw the pain in Alma’s eyes and thought of the queen when she had spoken of her lost dragon, and decided that maybe this woman didn’t mind the solitude so much.

“Now, once you and your dragon enter the obsidian chamber, the doors will be shut, and you will be locked inside,” she explained, without any preamble. “Smoke from the burning of magical herbs will be released into the chamber to help put your minds into a relaxed state. Then the trial will begin. You will have a quarter hour to free yourself from the illusion, though to you it will feel like much longer. If you are successful, you will wake on your own, without aid from us, and the door on the far side of the chamber will open, meaning you have passed.”

I opened my mouth, but she held up a hand. “I cannot tell you more than that. The Second Trial is different for each bonded pair, and there is no telling what you will see or experience inside.”

I gulped down some of my trepidation and even felt a hint of wariness from Skye.

“Remember, this trial is meant to test the strength of your bond,” Alma reiterated. “Rely on each other, otherwise, you cannot hope to master it.”

A priest clad in the Halmarish blue robes stood by the open chamber doors, waiting to close them once Skye and I entered.

“Good luck,” Alma said, bowing slightly.

As we stepped through the doors and into the chamber, I took another deep breath and focused on the calm coming from Skye. The chamber was massive, big enough for even the largest dragon to fit inside. Facets of the glossy black stone covered the entire surface of the walls, floor, and ceiling, though the floor itself was smooth. Another pair of doors were visible on the far side. There was a slight smoky quality to the air, and a fragrant scent I wasn't familiar with.

Skye leapt from my shoulder and shifted to her natural form at my side. I had been so focused on examining the chamber, that I turned just in time to see the stone doors rumble shut behind us.

Once again, I found myself in darkness that was utterly complete. Skye’s muzzle bumped against my shoulder, and I stroked her nose absently as we both waited for something to happen. I talked myself off a metaphorical cliff in my mind, trying not to let myself sink into that dark place again. The unfamiliar scent increased in strength, and before long, I began to feel slightly lightheaded. At first, I worried that the panic was overtaking me, but I could tell through the bond that Skye was experiencing it too.

I sank to the floor, my strength leaving me, and Skye did the same behind me. Her body curled around mine, and I leaned back against her.

Before long, my entire body relaxed, and my mind began to drift . . .

My eyes snapped open. I shook my head to try and clear my foggy vision. My head throbbed as I stood there in confusion. Where was I? Hadn’t I been sitting?

All around me were high stone walls that formed several pathways leading off in different directions. Feeling compelled, I followed one, the thick pounding in my head still present, until I came to a dead end. Turning around, I returned to where I had started. Then it occurred to me where I was.

A maze.

How had I gotten into a maze?

That was also when I became aware of the fact that Skye wasn’t beside me and was calling out to me in the bond. The desire to go to her—to find her—was strong, and I heeded it without thought. I started off in the opposite direction, taking a different path than I had before. I didn’t run into any dead ends this time, taking turns at random, all the while trying to head in the general direction of where I sensed Skye.

The odd disorienting feeling wouldn’t clear completely from my mind, and every once in a while, the walls and even the floor beneath my feet felt like it shimmered and moved or warped slightly like how I imagined a mirage in the desert might look.

The fog wasn’t just in my mind, though. It was also in the air around me, obscuring the space above me and the tops of the stone walls overhead. I got lost and had to double back several times all the while feeling this intense need to get to Skye. Pulled by that invisible string to my dragon. In some part of my mind, I knew that I wasn’t really here; that in actuality, Skye was lying right next to me in the chamber, but I couldn't pull myself out of it. Whatever magical herbs they used were strong.

I wandered for what felt like close to an hour or maybe it was only a few minutes—my head was still throbbing, and time felt weird here—before I finally stumbled around a corner and halted abruptly at the sight of a figure standing at the end of the passageway.

The fog around me cleared a little, and I was able to take in the figure as I cautiously approached.

The man was tall, with a lean frame and subdued but expensive looking clothing. His hair was dark, his facial hair cut into a pointed goatee, though his face itself was rather unremarkable. It was his eyes though, bright, calculating and assessing that made me pause and a chill go down my spine. There was something about him that instantly put me on edge. All my senses felt newly heightened. I wasn’t scared, necessarily, just wary. Watchful.

I halted again with about a dozen feet of space still between us.

“Welcome, Corrine Darrow,” he greeted, with a half-smile that was really more of smirk, as if he found something supremely amusing. “This is a rather unique opportunity for me. Usually, it’s my brother that most of you dragon riders get to help you. But you,” those cunning eyes looked me up and down, “get me.” He grinned. “How fascinating.”

Confusion reigned. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

His grin widened even further before he waved my question away and began rolling a gold coin, that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, between his fingers. “That’s not important. What is important is what I’ve been sent here to tell you. Though, admittedly, that isn’t much.”

I just stared at him, trying hard to mask my growing annoyance as I folded my arms. “You aren’t making any sense. If you’ve been sent here to help me, you aren’t doing a very good job.”

He chuckled, the sound gravelly and rough as though it didn’t happen often. “Not one to mince words, I see,” he commented. “Well then, I shall endeavor to be brief.” That shrewd gaze locked with mine. “As you travel the maze, don’t make the mistake of thinking anything is real. Think. Control your emotions, and use the bond. Remember, it is the rider who is on trial, not the dragon. Skye is here to guide you through this, and it is only through that bond that you can ever hope to master yourself and come out the other side.”

I frowned, about to ask him to clarify what he meant when he grinned again and offered a simple 'good luck' before he disappeared.

I blinked, then glanced around, but he was simply gone as if he had never been there in the first place.

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