Page 45 of Dragonbound

It was warm.

It gazed in wonder at a face, kind, worried. A blond-haired woman. The hatchling nestled into her arms, nuzzling at her breast, but there was no milk there.

Skaldi encouraged the hatchling to concentrate on the face. It was the Other who’d taken the baby from him on his ledge.

He wondered if she had other hatchlings to keep safe as well. No sooner had he thought it than her mind opened up to him. A cascade of snapshots of small Others as they grew to full size. Then a curiosity, turning towards him. He shook his head in frustration. He needed to guard his thoughts. He didn’t want to infiltrate the minds of Others, any more than he wanted them to seek out his. He needed his thoughts and not everyone else’s. Still, he was relieved to find the tiny one well and healthy.

Skaldi shut himself off to the thoughts of the Others. He paced around his cavern. He hoped being back in the safe refuge of his cave would calm him, but it had the opposite effect. The moment his mind stilled, he’d find himself returning to his Other. All day, he attempted to distract himself by immersing himself in the deep, warm pools of his cave and watching the old images of the ancestors anew, which had returned to the sleek surface of the cave. Whenever there was a view of the Others, he found himself involuntarily thinking of his Other. Was he well? Had he survived? Would he live? Eventually, Skaldi jumped from his pool in frustration, and once dry enough he need not fear his scales freezing, took to the sky again, even though the night winds were slowly gaining in intensity.

The flight back to the glacier was arduous, as the wind drove at him, draining the last of his strength. He needed to feed. He needed to rest. However, when he felt its presence – no, his presence – he relaxed for the first time all day. He remained in the cave, resting. The woman seemed to be preparing something for them to eat.

He didn’t understand this connection that existed between him and the man, but he knew it must mean something.

All of a sudden, he knew what to do.

He’d follow him. He would keep him safe.

Knowing the man would not leave the cave until the morning, now full darkness had fallen, Skaldi returned home, finding it somewhat easier now, despite the wind, and slept. He woke early the next morning to hunger pangs not dissimilar to those the wolves had sent him. He visited the hot feeding grounds with their ribbons of flowing lava, and, having eaten his fill, returned to the glacier. He found his Other already up and striding briskly across the glacier thrust into shadow by the height of the surrounding mountains. The Other’s thoughts didn’t mingle with his. Skaldi was pleased to feel only himself within his mind. He didn’t know why but welcomed the silence.

The Other seemed determined as he moved purposefully across the snowy landscape. Eventually, the sun dipped and the winds sprang up afresh, and the Other was forced to seek shelter. Skaldi spent the night protecting him from the worst of the storm, covering the cave entrance where he sought refuge.

Only as the Other approached one of his kind’s dwellings early the next morning, did any hint of his thoughts reach him. Skaldi couldn’t fathom what he was thinking, and was further frustrated when he entered the squat building and disappeared from his view, if not from sending out his apprehensive thoughts.

Skaldi was unsure what to do. The building didn’t seem to belong to the Other, it certainly wasn’t his home – he felt too much resentment and unease for that to be possible – but it seemed the man planned to remain within the dwelling for some time. He waited throughout the long day for the Other to leave the dwelling. Only as the sun began to wane did he return to his home, before the winds sprang up once more. He’d find him again. He wasn’t going anywhere overnight.

Skaldi found the Other quickly the next day, leaving the dwelling and striding purposefully back towards the coastline. Where was he going now? The thoughts shouting to him were confused and angry. What had happened within the building?

Skaldi could make no sense of it, and he warred with himself all day long. Why was he following the Other? When the Other again sought shelter under a small overhang of rock, he resigned himself to another cold night under the stars protecting him. He considered returning to his home, but feared it would be more difficult to find his Other come the daylight. The dwelling had been easy to locate. The overhang would be more challenging.

It was with relief he saw him reach another dwelling early the next day, having moved aside from the shelter as soon as there was enough daylight to see properly, shaking snow from his back. As his Other entered the heavily shuttered entrance way, feelings of pleasure emanated from him. Here, the Other seemed to be easier, more at peace. With a shake of his head, Skaldi flew home, feeling relieved and guilty. He’d spent many days watching the man and had no idea why he was so drawn to him.

Perhaps tomorrow he wouldn’t check on the Other at all. After all, he seemed safe, if agitated. Skaldi thought that with some time apart from him, he’d be able to break the link between them.

He hurried to the feeding grounds from the ledge of his home, but no sooner had he arrived than agitation swamped him. It took him a few moments to realise the agitation wasn’t his own. What had happened now? With a quick stream of thought to ensure the hatchling was well, he sprung from his icy ledge, and took to the sky, his huge wings driving him onwards, as light and shadows appeared and blinked out below him, out of the light shield and into the wider landscape.

He returned to the dwelling in time to watch the man disappear back into the long, ground-hugging building his kind preferred. (A steading – the word suddenly appeared to him.) And he was with the wolf and the woman who’d helped him on the glacier. He could sense the wolf’s interest in him, the animal standing, nose high in the air, as though it could smell him from his vantage point. Finding them together piqued his interest. Why were they all here? He hadn’t thought they were friends when they’d met before, although he was aware the man’s thoughts, when not angry or determined, were filled with images of the young woman.

Then he saw a small group of men climbing up a steep hill, in the direction of the steading, and comprehension of their intentions quickly took root. They must have travelled all night to reach this place. Where had they slept? Perhaps in a cave as well. Perhaps in another steading he’d not noticed on his travels. What he knew with more certainty was that he’d been correct to return so quickly. The images from these men were far from friendly towards his Other. He didn’t know why, but they meant him harm. Terrible harm. He couldn’t allow it.

The man and woman burst from the steading long before the men arrived, but Skaldi stayed. He was curious about their intentions. He watched with mounting curiosity that gave way to horror as they built a small campfire outside and started passing out brands. They meant to burn the building down, he was sure of it.

Skaldi swung his head in search of his Other and the woman with him, as well as the wolf. They’d been aware of the rabble of men approaching, and that’s why they’d fled. Surely his Other hadn’t abandoned his steading. Closing his eyes, Skaldi focused his mind on the man and was met by a wall of remorse and sadness and a mind-numbing inevitability. Skaldi felt a deep sorrow within him.

The feeling of agonised regret was too much to bear.

He must act. He flew lower and positioned himself above the men’s heads at the far end of the squat building. The first man stepped forward with his brand lit, and Skaldi gently blew cool air, reminded of how he’d saved his Other at the wolf steading. The brand immediately extinguished in the gust of cold air.

The man looked at it in confusion and tried to relight it. When the next man stepped forward with his flaming stick, Skaldi blew a whisper of cold air once more.

Again and again, the men came forward, and again and again Skaldi put out their flame. The men looked confused and increasingly angry, blaming each other for failing to set the steading ablaze. Finally, fearing the men would never stop their failing attempts, Skaldi shifted his aim and sent a gust towards the men’s small campfire. It guttered in the chill stream and died.

Now the men looked wary. Skaldi could see suspicion forming in their minds.

The men glanced at each other, and he sensed they were waiting.

Without more arguing, they dropped their extinguished brands and slowly backed away, before breaking into a run when they felt confident enough to turn their backs on the steading they’d come to burn down.

As they descended the hill in front of the steading, Skaldi released a huff of laughter. He didn’t think he’d ever enjoyed himself so much.