Forging the Bond (Dark Mists of Ansalar Book 3)
Damaeris Timberlyn has boarded the back of a silver drake and disappeared into the mists off the seaside cliffs of the Larramis Peninsula. The dragon takes her to a place mentioned only in legend, a place known as the Dragon Continent. Once there, she becomes part of a strategic agenda developed to combat the degethozak raids prevalent across central Ansalar, a plan that will make her a skilled dragonrider in her own right. While Tallachienan departs to find Aeris and bring her home, the rest of the group continues their journey to the faelin realm of Elvandahar, certain they will find sanctuary there. Joneselia Mondemer, princess of Karlisle, doesn't share the sentiment. With their kingdoms a war, she will surely be used as a bartering tool the moment Elvandaharian warriors realize her identity. She has no choice but to leave her comrades behind and forge her own path, one that will lead her back to the dangerous place she had barely escaped a year before. At her side rides Tigerius Solanar. He feels an unnatural pull to the west, one that leads into the unknown. But for a while at least, he can travel at the side of a friend. Within the space of a single moon cycle, the group has become severely fractured. The world is fraught with peril; how will they face such adversity if they are so far apart? Even more, how will they overcome it?
Aeris stood in the center of the immense bowl, rays from the afternoon sun shining down on her. Being surrounded by massive mountain cliffs, the valley was almost just as deep as it was wide, making it the perfect place for gatherings. The cliffs were littered with multitudes of ledges, natural perches for the influx of dragons to this place for a very special occasion: her bonding to Jaxomdrehl, the son that swore he would never be bound. Damn, how was it that she had walked out of one disastrous commitment just to enter another?
It was early evening, and she had just returned from her mounted tour with Thulnar and Sordra. The moment Aeris had entered her home cavern, she’d been accosted by several people who seemed to function as isterian. At first, she was nervous, but when she saw the bath that had been brought, she couldn’t help but smile. She had forgone such luxury for far too long. She was quick to throw off her travel-stained tunic and trousers to step into the heated water, hissing when it touched the sores on her legs. She then took her immersion more slowly, noting that the waters had been incensed with some unfamiliar perfumed oils. She found she rather liked the scent, and she told herself to remember to ask someone about it.
After the bath, the servants had presented Aeris with a white gown. She frowned when she saw it, for she had it in her mind to wear her own clothing, which resided within the travel pack she had stored inside the chest at the foot of her bed-pallet. Much to her dismay, the isterian refused to allow her access to it, insisting that she wear the gown since it was the one required for the “ceremony”. Of course, she’d had no idea what they were talking about, and as she became increasingly irate with the servants, Aeris began to shout. Damnation, she was so tired she could fall over, and she had yet to eat anything since arriving there.
It was then that Jaxom had arrived on the scene.
Aeris watched as the wide-eyed isterian mumbled something to him and gave a brief bow before quickly leaving. Jaxom had come in faelin form, for the entrance wasn’t wide enough to accommodate a fully-matured dragon. Aeris calmed under the soothing vibes he sent through their link, adjusting the loose towel more snugly around herself.
She regarded him suspiciously from narrowed eyes. “Why is everyone so nervous around you?”
Jaxom shrugged nonchalantly. “I suppose they think I might take them to task for some perceived wrongdoing,” he replied.
Aeris narrowed her eyes. “Is that the way it has been with you in the past?”
He averted his eyes from hers in mild discomfort. “Perhaps.”
Aeris nodded as she pursed her lips. Feelings of unease welled up inside her, and Jaxom sensed them immediately. His gaze locked back onto hers, his silver eyes piercing. She could then feel him in her mind, searching for the answers he required. Once having them, his shoulders seemed to slump with dejection.
“Why did you not tell me you felt this way?”
It was Aeris’ turn to shrug her shoulders. “You never asked me.”
Jaxom sighed heavily and closed the distance between them. “Did I not tell you that we are meant for one another?
She nodded.
“Don’t you believe me?”
She felt her throat begin to ache and she swallowed heavily. “I want to."
Jaxom raised a hand and held it before her, palm outward. “Then put your faith in me. I won’t let you down this time. I promise.”
Aeris shook her head. “But what about all the things I’ve been hearing? Jaxom, I know you don’t want me–”
“That’s not true!” he said in a resolute voice. “I do want you; I just didn’t realize it at first.” He paused and then continued. “Who do you think it was that helped you and Tallachienan escape Tholana’s citadel?”
Aeris felt her eyes widen.
Jaxom nodded. “I fought the denizens of the catacombs so that you would have a path to freedom. When I finally realized what the Cimmerean bastards did to you, a part of me died inside.” His eyes were beseeching. “I have failed you already, but please let me make it up to you. Please.”
“But what about–”
Jaxom shook his head. “Pay no attention to these people. They know nothing about me and the life I have led since I left here. And they don’t know you, and what you could possibly mean to me.” His gaze became intense. “All you need to think about now is how much I love you, and how much you might love me in return.”
With tear-filled eyes, Aeris regarded the hand still held before her. He was so different from the individual with whom she’d journeyed these past weeks. She heard him whisper in her mind, <Trust me>.
Aeris raised her hand to meet his. The moment they touched, an explosion of sensation swept over her. She could feel Jaxom coursing through her like a wild river, finding all of her most hidden places. She gasped with the intrusion, yet allowed it access. Within mere moments, he knew her more intimately than any other. In spite of it all, his love for her remained.
<What have you done?> she asked incredulously.
Jaxom smiled and curved his fingers around hers. <You are my bondmate, my companion in life. Wherever you go, I will be with you. I will always be your protector, your brother, and your friend.>
And now, with those words in her mind, Aeris stood there within the bowl. She breathed deeply, blinking away the tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. She would be strong, for she had promised Jaxom that she would place her faith in him. And to be quite truthful, she already loved the dragon with all her heart. The dragon Elders arrived all at once, their scales shimmering iridescently in the scanty sunlight remaining to them. They were magnificent to behold, resplendent in their pale glory. They landed at the same time, and the impact of twenty-four pairs of massive dragon feet made the ground shake beneath her. They were huge, for the elders were the oldest and wisest of all those living on Shayamalan. Three of them had golden eyes, and the other three silver. Trebexal was one of them.
Aeris suddenly found herself overwhelmed as she blinked up at the massive dragons. By the gods, she was nothing compared to these beings. Her heart began to thunder in her chest, and her palms began to sweat. She felt herself running out of breath as she rubbed her hands nervously over the sides of her gown.
It was then that she saw Trebexal wink at her. It was hardly discernible, for he did it on the sly. But she knew it was intentional and made just for her because, at the same moment, she felt a slight breeze sweep through her mind. She could suddenly breathe again, and her heart ceased its race. She realized that everything was going to be all right, and it was at that moment that Jaxomdrehl arrived.
Almost immediately Aeris began to hear a chanting in her mind. The voices of the six Elders entwined in a soothing melody, spoken in a language she couldn’t understand. Yet, she could feel the meaning of the words as they swept through her, enveloping her within a rhapsody of tone and nuance. Time seemed to melt away, and all she could see, hear, and feel was the chanting of the Elders and the presence of Jaxomdrehl there beside her.