“Yes, but—”
I don’t want her to talk Auri out of it, so I keep moving. “All right.” I bend over, and she puts her arms around my neck. I turn around and carefully maneuver the steps with her in my arms. When we get to the bottom step, I keep walking over to Redara. She turns her head and that long neck stretches her head close to us. Auri lifts her hand and then drops it. “You can touch her,” I encourage. “She won’t hurt you.”
Auri reaches out a hand, and Redara touches her snout to her hand. “Hi,” Auri says softly, to which Redara responds with a snort. Auri jerks back a moment but then seems to recover. “She’s amazing.”
“She is,” I agree as I help her settle in her chair. I don’t want to do anything to ruin this moment, but I have to know. “Have you never seen Noxlyn?” She shakes her head, and anger rushes through me so hard and fast. I wish Rauk was here right now; I would give him a piece of my mind. I squeeze my hands into fists and try to calm myself down. Getting angry won’t do anything to help right now in this moment.
“Would you take me for a ride on her?”
Auri’s question shocks me into silence. I look over at Elowen, who’s staring at me with big eyes. She shakes her head just the slightest bit, letting me know exactly what she thinks of thatplan. I look back down at Auri and can’t handle the hope shining in her eyes. I cave. “Sure.” I agree before I really know how we’re going to do this.
You sure about that?
No,I send back to Redara. The truth is, I have no idea how to pull it off. But I will figure it out. I look down at Auri. “I don’t know how to make it work just yet, but give me time, and I’ll figure it out. We will get you up on that dragon, Auri; and we’ll fly.”
Her head spins in my direction. “Really?”
“Really.” Even as I say it, I mentally commit to this. I will figure out a way to get her on Redara’s back andneverlet Rauk find out. “Just give me time to figure it out.” I give her a few more minutes with Redara. “We should probably head back inside.”
“Do we have to?”
Even as she says the words, she shivers. The last thing I need is for her to get sick; then Rauk will know for sure something’s going on. I cave at the look in her eyes. “Just like...five more minutes.” Redara reaches her snout down to Auri again, and Auri rubs her hand down it.
“I have to go, but I want to come back and see you again.” The words are so soft, and yet I catch them.
Tell her I will come when she’s ready.
“Redara said she’ll come when you’re ready to see her again.”
Big, dark eyes meet mine. “She talks to you?”
How does she not know anything about any of this?!I swallow down my frustration and keep my voice gentle. Well, gentle-ish. “Yeah. We have a mental bond or a link where we can talk to each other. Rauk and his dragon have one too,” I point out, butshe doesn’t say anything in response. “All right, Kiddo. Let’s get you back inside. Redara has to leave now.”
No, I don’t.
Yes, you do,I mentally argue with her.I’ve got to get her inside, and she won’t go inside if you’re still here.
Sounds like ayouproblem.
I don’t face my stubborn dragon. “I'm starving. Aren’t you?” She gives me a sullen nod, and I take it and run with it. “Okay, let’s go.” She wheels her chair towards the stairs, but it gets stuck in the snow, so I help as well. When we get to the stairs, Elowen holds the chair while I pick Auri up and carefully carry her up to the top of the steps, where the chair is waiting. We head back inside and thaw out in front of the fire. Once we’re sufficiently warm, we all head into the kitchen for warm bowls of lentil stew and biscuits. Auri hasn’t said much since we came inside, and I miss the sparkle in her eyes. “Have I told you about my friends?” I ask. She shakes her head and doesn’t look at me. “I think you would like them. My friends are both bonded to animals, like I am. My friend Farrah is bonded to a wolf, and my other friend Kinsley is bonded to a jaguar.”
Thatcaptures her attention. “Really?”
“Yes. And both of them have had babies. The animals, not my friends.” Though I have a feeling that it won’t take long for that to change for either of them. Of course, this war could really mess with things. Anger at Rauk and his unwillingness to join this war springs on me suddenly, and I have to take a deep breath and push those thoughts away. He’s not even here right now, so there’s literally nothing I can do about it. Each day thatpasses, though, makes me feel like more of a failure and a disappointment to everybody I left behind. I mentally push those depressing thoughts away. “Anyway, the babies are seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. They grow fast, though.”
Auri’s eyes are on me now. “Do the other kingdoms have spirit animals too?”
“They do. Wolves and Jaguars.”
“I bet they’re not as pretty as our spirit dragons.”
I smile at that. “You’re right. I think there’s something about looking up at the sky and seeing the spirit dragons flying overhead.” She gives a wistful smile, and my stomach tightens. “You will get to see them someday, Auri.” She gives me a doubtful look, but I let it go. To see them, she’d have to compete in the Spirit Trials and earn herself a spirit animal. I believe she could do it one day; that’s what I’m training her for, even now.
But when I look back at her sad expression, I decide to do something about it. “Come on,” I say standing to my feet.
She looks up at me in confusion. “Where?”
“We’re going outside. I’m going to look at the spirit animals and describe them to you.”
