The Boon of Alon

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

The next day I see Iamon is also the day Jeddin gets bonded. His dragon, blue Zuri, starts the process as soon as he approaches her, so I end up watching the bonding from the oil line.

I wonder if he's going to get sent off to Pangessa or the Republic, too. I wonder how Rev is doing out there. It hasn't been very long, but a lot can change in a few days.

I'm anxious—reasonably—when I approach Iamon, but also I somehow feel like weight is being lifted off my shoulders the closer I get. He might have bad news for me, but he'll have a plan, too. He's my dragon—he's going to take care of me.

He snorts and noses against my arm once I'm in reach. "Did you watch this bonding, or are you still squeamish about it?"

He's going to take care of me, but he won't be very nice about it. "I watched. It was Jeddin—he's my friend." Maybe more Suthi's friend, but that means we cross paths a lot.

"Is he?" Iamon seems to be asking rhetorically, because he retracts his head before I answer and extends his wing instead. So I just start oiling.

"Are the other dragons in a hurry, too?" I ask. "It seems like everyone's getting bonded lately."

"Yes," he says. "Not entirely because of the rebellion."

"How many riders have we lost recently?" I ask, heart sinking.

He takes a moment to respond. "Some dozen or so, in the past two months."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't good." He sighs, and I glance up to see the resulting little plume of smoke rise from his snout. "I fear there is something greater at play than bribery and murder, but I cannot see far enough ahead to tell."

"That's not because of me and my big choice, is it?" I ask.

He rumbles gently. "That does not mean it is your fault. I cannot see the choices the gods make until they make them."

Well, great.

"Do not dwell on it," he adds. "Your task is great enough already."

"That's easy to say." Don't dwell on it? As though I've done much else but dwell since I came here. It's the reason I know how much shit I'm in now.

"Dwell on something else, then." His voice takes on a lighter tone. "Something happier, if you can manage it."

I don't know what would qualify. Even Suthi is a fraught topic again. It does remind me of the last time I saw Iamon, though. "Oh, thanks for the warning the other day, by the way."

"Ah. You were successful?"

"I didn't get drenched in wine, if that's what you mean." Though now I have to wonder if he saw how the rest of that conversation would play out. "We had a good laugh about it."

"Good," he purrs.

"That the outcome you were aiming for?" I tease.

"I always aim for the best outcomes," he proclaims. "Your happiness is one."

"That sounds like a tough goal." I say it like I'm joking, but gods, I don't think I am.

Iamon, of course, sees right through me; he cranes around to nose at me over his wing. "Do not mistake this time of trouble for forever," he says. "There will always be joy, even if you cannot see it now."

I guess, if anyone would know, it's him. "I know you can't tell me the details, but...is there really a way this can all turn out okay?"

"Yes," he says firmly.