Page 51 of Dragonbound

‘What is it, Erann? Where are you hurt?’ she demanded, her voice a squeak of fear. She ran both her hands over his face and chest, trying to assess the damage, until his hands encircled her wrists, and once more, and despite it all, she felt a bolt of something jolt her at his touch.

‘Sereh,’ he hissed through tight lips. ‘Please stop panicking. I’m well. Well, as well as I can be after being buried alive in the snow.’ His eyelashes fluttered open on his startling green eyes, and he offered a small, tight grin. ‘I think I’ve broken one of my legs. The pain is, quite frankly, excruciating. Will you check for me?’ His eyes fluttered shut once more.

Sereh felt his grip slowly release and found herself wishing he’d not let go. That simple moment of connection was enough to make her feel calm again. She shook her head. What Erann needed now was her full attention.

She gently lifted the furs over his legs.

He groaned again.

‘Are you sure you want me to do this?’

He opened his good eye enough to smile encouragement.

The smile made her beam. ‘Brace yourself.’

She pulled the furs free from where they’d become entangled around his legs with a grimace and immediately discovered the problem. One leg had a piece of bone sticking through not only his skin but also his trousers. How had she not noticed before? She inhaled sharply as she went on to examine the other leg. It appeared uninjured, but when she rolled up the fur leg covering, she was greeted with a patchwork of purples and blacks. It was badly bruised.

Erann’s breathing was uneven. She was grateful he couldn’t see her face and see the worry that was undoubtedly reflected there.

While his injuries weren’t life-threatening, they’d heal with time, so long as they were set correctly. But out here it was difficult to know what to do for the best. They’d quickly run out of food, and Sereh was worried there’d soon be another avalanche. She’d heard more booms and snaps that made it feel like the mountain was waking the entire time she’d been awake, watching Erann.

She covered his bruised leg and sat back to think about what to do with the broken one. To properly tend to it, she’d need to remove his trousers. The thought made her blush. Erann let out an exasperated sigh, from where he lay with his eyes still closed, his breathing ragged with pain.

‘Well, are you going to tell me or sit there?’

His voice sounded strained but amused. She met his unflinching gaze, good eye open. She flushed from the intensity and quickly looked down. ‘Your left’s broken below the knee, and your right is very badly bruised.’

‘Well, that explains the pain then,’ came his matter-of-fact reply, only for him to hiss once more.

Sereh almost laughed. He didn’t sound anywhere near as worried as she was.

‘I’ll look around for something to use as a splint and get your leg tied up. It doesn’t seem to be bleeding, not any more.’

As she made to stand, she felt a pressure on her arm and turned to see Erann’s eyes on her again, his hand on her arm.

‘Thanks, Sereh,’ he whispered, ‘really, thank you.’

The intensity in his voice brought a flush to her cheeks once more, and she got up a bit quicker than she intended and then stumbled over the furs she’d pulled to one side when uncovering his legs.

She didn’t trust herself to answer. Something unfamiliar had taken root inside her – a warmth that seemed impossible here, amid the ice and blood and fear. It frightened her almost as much as the avalanche.

She turned back to the backpack, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. When she glanced over her shoulder, his eyes had drifted shut again.

A knot tightened in her chest.

His pain was evidently unbearable, and yet, somehow, he made her feel like this. As though they could survive anything. And maybe he was right.

34

ERANN

The pain was unrelenting. Closing his good eye seemed to help. But it kept opening of its own accord, and he welcomed drinking in the sight of Sereh. He watched her seeking a splint for his leg, with hunger he’d never felt before. It seemed to override the pain. Maybe he should keep his eye open after all.

But it snapped shut as soon as Sereh left the shelter of the cave. He sank gratefully into semi-consciousness. In this state, he could feel the friendly presence more clearly.

He’d seen the golden creature in a flash when Sereh carried him inside the cave. It reinforced what he thought he’d seen by the marker stone. He almost didn’t believe it, wanting to blame his exposure, but somehow it all made perfect sense. He’d always felt his people weren’t alone on this land. Now he knew the truth. They weren’t. He sought for the name for something so huge, so golden, with such enormous wings. It came to him in a rush. Dragon.

Yet, it appeared only he could see the dragon. Sereh hadn’t seemed to notice at all. She didn’t realise he’d only been brought to the cave with the aid of the dragon. He didn’t understand it.