Page 16 of Consorting with Dragons

“Of course, Marshal General.”

I turned to go back up to my quarters and tried to get my mind off him. We were only a few hours away from Horvath now, and it was a good thing from the reports I’d been getting all morning about the egg. It seemed that it was beginning to tremble from time to time. I’d seen that before, and it was usually a sign that hatching was imminent, and the vetami would soon be here.

Nobody knew how “aware” the vetami truly were inside the egg. From the moment they hatched, they were clear thinking and able to form a bond with their riders. Or at least, right away they followed the commands of the one they chose, whilestill displaying a lot of personality that was all their own. Each one seemed unique, just like each of us. And all of them were stubborn and wanted their own way in all things.

And that was a problem, because the hatchling needed to find his rider very soon after it hatched so the two of them could bond. We had a waiting list for new riders, but the Dragon Riders, could be almost as difficult as the vetamis themselves. Most of them had been wary of this egg, because there was no way of knowing what might hatch. Breed and lineage were important factors to any new rider, and we weren’t even sure what color this one would be—Red, Green or Golden.

Red breeds were wilder and harder to train, as a rule, but more highly prized because they were absolutely fearless in battle. They were also prickly and difficult to handle, as a rule. They were fire breathers, which was highly prized as well. They tended to be hard to tame and would spit fire at their rider or anyone else who seriously annoyed them. A good rider had to break him of that bad habit right away without being too harsh and then vigilantly teach them loyalty.

Green dragons, on the other hand, were more playful and weren’t fire breathers. They were fast fliers and could be any shade of green from deep emerald to a pale, leafy color. They tended to be easier going and not as hard to handle, but along with that came the fact that they weren’t especially known for their battle skills. As a result, we kept them away from the fighting, if we could, and they were used most often as messengers because of their speed. They weren’t as sought after as the Reds by the riders, of course, though they were still vital to the mission.

As for Goldens, they were an unknown. They had died out on Horvath years ago, and the only specimens we knew of were the ones on Thalia. Information from that source had been sparse, to say the least.

The first thing I needed to do was make a list of suitable candidates for a rider on this ship, just in case the egg hatched before I could get it back to our base and then talk to each of them about becoming the hatchling’s rider, if necessary. I’d meant to do it earlier but had been distracted by the attack.

Or I should say I’d been distracted by beautiful young men who clung to me with fear in their blue eyes, needing my protection. A part of me knew that would lead to nothing but attachment and trouble, and it had to stop.

Oh, I’d give him the protection he sought. Feelings of possessiveness, protection, and discipline for a mate were all fine, even to be desired. But love? And not just any love but love to the point of distraction—that was what had been known to happen with the mate bond and what I had to avoid at all costs. Love like that was for other people, but it couldn’t be for a Dragon Rider. We had a prior claim to our loyalty and our love, and I didn’t think many of us had the capacity for two obsessions.

A love relationship with a mate would further be impossible to maintain as a rider, because we were only home with our mates perhaps ninety to a hundred days out of a year, and that almost always caused trouble. Most mates weren’t willing to wait around and most Riders’ marriages lasted only a short time. Some Riders still surrendered to the mating urge and left the service—which I now understood all too well. But it was unthinkable to me to leave my dragon. Feelings for a mate could be very strong, and though Riders did sometimes try to have both--establishing homes for their mates and being with them as their duty allowed, it was far from an ideal situation. Part of a fated mate’s focus was always elsewhere. It was one reason why Dragon Riders were so hard to recruit and even harder to keep. The commitment it took could be a lifelong challenge.

Chapter Six

Rylan

When I woke up much later on, I felt a little better. The pain pills the doctor had given me were effective, and the ache in my head was at least tolerable now. I thought I might be able to think a little better and maybe figure things out. Things like where in the world I was and how I’d gotten there. There were big gaps in my memories that made my head ache if I concentrated on them too hard.

The doctor had given me a band to wear around my midsection. He called it a name that he said translated roughly to rib supporter, and there were little pouches all around it that had a cooling substance inside. It felt good against the soreness. He said it would help the swelling of my ribs and muscles to go down too. He got me on my feet to walk, and I made it to the bathroom. I walked around a little in the sick bay area as well, and though I was exhausted when I got back in bed, my mind was clearer.

Well, a little. I knew my name was Rylan, anyway, and not just because they called me by that name. I had no idea why I was on this ship though, and no one would tell me. They just said, “Wait for the general.”

I remembered the tall, handsome, blond officer and wondered what my relationship was to him. I thought it must be close because of the way he looked at me and held my hand. When he finally came back to see me, though, he wasn’t as friendly as he had been before. He sat beside me, but when Ireached for his hand, he looked surprised. He held it anyway when I reached for it, but he seemed uncomfortable.

“Maybe I’m in your way,” I told him.

His eyes softened with surprise as he looked down at me. “You’re not in my way.”

“Really? Then why do you sound so irritated?”

“I don’t mean to. I just have some things on my mind, that’s all. I need to hurry back to Horvath.”

“Why?”

“I know you don’t remember much about what happened. I think we have to give it some time and not get into all of that now. In the meantime, I’ll contact your family and let them know where you are.”

I had a pain in my chest when he mentioned family and started rubbing it with my fist. Suddenly I had a strange yearning feeling that was physically painful. The general frowned down at me.

“Don’t look so sad. I promise you I’ll contact them.”

“Okay. But why don’t they know where I am? Where exactly am I anyway?”

He smiled. “I haven’t heard that word ‘okay’ in a long time. Your voice and the way you talk…it sounds human sometimes. Are you part human, or do you visit Earth often? Maybe one of the other old Alliance planets?”

“Earth? No, I don’t think so. That doesn’t seem right, but I-I’m part human, I think. That sounds right. I don’t remember everything like I should. Why won’t you tell me where we are?” I started breathing hard and feeling agitated again, and he wrapped his arm around me.

“Don’t get upset, Rylan. I have told you, but you keep forgetting. We’re on a ship to Horvath, one of the moons of Lycanus 3. You need to stop worrying. I told you that I’m taking care of everything, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“I-I’m not. Not exactly. It’s just that I think there’s something I need to remember. Something about why I’m here. Remind me why we’re going to Horvath.”

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