‘How do I protect her, love her, keep her safe, and not simply allow men like that to have their way?’
‘You fightevil,Donavyn. You retain honor. You lead others to do the same. You mold the world into a place where those little assholes are not tolerated. And you trust that the Creator who brought her to you, will heal her, and will punish the man who tried to destroy her.’
I sank back into the straw and let my head fall back against the wall. “Can you find her if we need to? If you become aware of a… a problem?”
‘I can. As can you, if you’re willing to listen.’
I swallowed hard.
‘But there will be no need, Donavyn, Akhane has a purpose as well. And it is to protect her.’
‘And the strange dragons?’
‘This is about so much more than dragons, Donavyn.’
I slumped, covering my face in my hands, and started to pray.
Because I wasn’t done being angry. I wasn’t done being afraid. I couldn’t be there where she was, and I would remain terrified until she was back in my arms. But I’d also heard my dragon. Heard his wisdom. And I knew he was right.
I need help,I pleaded.Keep her safe. Keep her smart. Let her see through traps. And let her stay in her strength. Then… help me to wait and trust. I need help.
I need a lot of help with that.
59. Just a Farmgirl
~ BREN ~
Benji was thrilled to fly on Akhane with me, even though we couldn’t give him a true seat. He swung off her mounting strap for most of the flight, whooping and screaming with delight until I made him stop when we were close enough to the hillside to disturb the dragons.
Landing was a shit show. Hanson did fall this time, but the safety strap caught him. Benji had taken a blow to the shoulder, swinging back against Akhane’s leg because the mounting strap gave him too much swing.
By the time I had them both on the ground and safe, I was exhausted. I blew out a breath, pushing a strand of hair off my sweaty forehead—but Hanson reached out and tucked it behind my ear.
I went very still, staring at him, but didn’t stop him.
When I turned away, it was to find Benji glaring, first at Hanson, then at me. I shook my head and gestured to him not to speak, but his brows only pressed down further.
Trying to distract Benji—who didn’t understand the truth of what was happening—I told him about the dragons we’d seen, walking quickly over that rise through the tree line and then snuck to the lip of the hollow…
“They’re still there!” I hissed back to Hanson, who wasn’t trying to avoid disturbing them. He simply walked to the edge and looked down, hands on his hips. “Of course they are. They’re always here, because we instructed them to be.”
“We?”
“My… Furymaster, I suppose you’d call him,” Hanson smiled as if he hadn’t thought of it that way before. “In any case, my young friend,” Hanson said to Benji, who scowled. “You see the herd below? Are you able to speak to any of them?”
Benji’s scowl at me shifted reluctantly to thoughtful consternation. “I’ll have to get closer to find out.”
“Well, then. Off you go.”
“Is it safe?” I asked apprehensively. During the flight, I’d had a hurried conversation with Benji via Akhane, instructing him on what was needed—we had to understand how these dragons came to be here, why they stayed, if they were the missing Fyrehold dragons, or something else. And how they were connected with Hanson. But he wasn’t to tell Hanson any of that, only me.
“Perfectly safe. They won’t hurt humans unless instructed to do so.”
As Benji scrambled down the hill towards them, I prayed it was true, but turned my attention to Hanson, who’d sat down on the lip of the hollow next to me. Close enough for his arm to brush mine.
I leaned forward to break the contact, pretending I was nervous to see how the dragons would receive Benji.
“Do not fear, Brennan. The dragons are mine. You can have your choice,” Hanson said, then met my eyes from the side. “I am a man of my word.”
