They have nearly four thousand humans who arrived today, hopeful, and there are almost nine hundred among those that are capable of being bonded. Those are much better numbers than we’ve seen before. Liz has launched from my back and flown to the platform to talk to the human who’s wearing the dark suit, which I don’t like much. She’s a little too far from me for my taste, but when I insist she stay closer, she starts complaining. I can almost already hear her. A bond is not ownership. Ease up.
Even the thought makes me smile.
But to hear her over the din of the other humans and blessed present, I’m forced to rely on that bond.
“How do you think so many of the humans you brought were bondable?” Liz is asking the suit man. “It’s usually closer to one in a thousand, or if we’re lucky and find a group of nerds, more like one in a hundred or possibly one in ten or twenty.” She pins him with a stare. “One in four is unheard of.”
“We asked Australia for a list of the bondable humans they located,” the man says, “days and days ago. They shared that information, and we were able to find several correlating factors between the humans that were selected. So last night, when we heard you were in need of additional humans, we had already assembled a list of possible candidates and run it against the connection points we found in our analysis.”
Liz’s mouth is dangling open. “So, you used magic.”
The man frowns.
She’s kidding, I say. She knows math isn’t magical. It’s just incomprehensible to her.
The man in the suit clearly can’t hear me. But lots of other humans can. Even though they’re in the process of being bonded, many of them turn my way with a confused look.
Will you really not bond a human yourself? Hyperion asks Thunar. Nothing would make me happier than you perishing due to an inability to eat, but it seems like a pretty. . .reckless decision.
Thunar turns toward him slowly, and then he stares. I see that you bonded a very small earth child indeed. When Thunar leans closer, Hyperion spins away, blocking Coral from his view.
She’s mine.
Thunar’s laugh is ugly. I wouldn’t dream of touching your filthy little creature. His nose wrinkles as if he’s smelled something foul. I won’t tie myself to one of them unless no other option presents itself. I’ve gone years before without needing to consume flesh. Trust me—I’m not like you and your tiny brother. I know my limits, and I’m in no hurry.
I try to imagine him incinerating Hyperion in eggshell, and it’s not a hard image to conjure. Less than an hour later, all the bondable humans have been paired with one of the compatible blessed who recently arrived. Most of them are earth blessed, which I find strange. Here, all blessed of every variety were clamoring for a human to bond.
Now the strike and water blessed just. . .don’t care to bond one yet? Do they have a death-wish?
Before I can ask any of the earth blessed about it, Thunar announces loudly, We’re finished here. It’s time to go to the next location.
Finland. That’s what he means. They were next on the list, with a setup hopefully not dissimilar to this. They also offered to try and gather as many interested individuals as possible on such short notice. I can’t help noticing Liz gazing back longingly at the market she mentioned.
Do you want to stay? Hyperion can manage things for a while and we can follow after you’ve had a chance to be festive with your feelings. I hope I used the words right.
Her half smile tells me I got close, but probably not all the way there. “This might sound ungrateful, and I don’t mean to be,” Liz says. “But I’d like to go. . .with you.” She bites her lip. “Could we hang back, and could you be human Axel for a bit?”
Thunar doesn’t know, I don’t believe, about my second affinity yet. He’d have brought it up for sure. Being terrifying and awful to everyone around you has some drawbacks, most notably others not sharing information when they think it might not serve their interests to do so. If those earth blessed—who’d be most likely to have discovered that truth—want Liz to upgrade them, they might keep it to themselves.
Anything he doesn’t know, I shouldn’t show him.
But I’m not ashamed of it anymore.
It’s part of who I am, and according to Euphrasia, Odin and Thunar and all the others have always known Freya’s and Odin’s children were probably different. If Thunar finds out, even if everyone else is surprised that I alone can once again shift into my human form, so what?
It’s not like he can want to kill me more than he already does.
He’d find me an easier target in my human form, but that’s why I’d change forms after he’s already left.
“Wait,” she says. “If I don’t go to Finland now, who would be the spokesperson for the dragons?” She sighs. “I guess we can’t stay.”
She looks so glum.
I hate it.
“Did you say you need someone else to step in as spokesperson?” The Prime Minister smiles. “I’d be happy to do the honors. Since I set the meeting in Finland up, I’m sure it would be fine.”
“You’re sure?” Liz looks at me, as if I care what human represents us.
