Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 4 - A Proposition

Fort Squall

Tamara sat with her eyes fixed before her. This was entirely challenging. Even though she faced forward, her attention wandered to the man beside her. She studied him, straining against the edges of her vision. He sat comfortably upon the bench they shared, leaning back so that his elbows rested behind him atop one of many trestle tables arranged in Fort Squall's dining hall. His long legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles. Fine long legs they were too, with muscles accentuated by well-fitting trousers. Even sitting, he was a whole head taller than she.

Her gaze darted towards his face, stealing nothing more than a moment's glance. She saw his golden hair and amber eyes. He looked so much like his father, Lord Davi, though there was a little of his mother, Lady Emmy, which could be seen in his fine straight nose and prominent cheekbones.

Byron caught her glance and winked. Heat flooded her cheeks. She immediately returned her attention to the front of the room, scolding herself inwardly. This time she made an extra effort to focus on the matter at hand—that of Lord Davi and his speech.

Lord Davi was Fort Squall's leader. His mate, Emmy, stood beside him. Their son, Byron, was Tamara's intended mate. "Our recent loss has been devastating for everyone," Lord Davi said, his modulated voice permeating the hall. "Something must be done! I have decided to call a kingdom-wide meeting, and representatives from each fort are to attend."

This meeting was the first since their awful tragedy. Death hung over the fort like a dark cloud, haunting its very existence. Losing five Drengr-Rider pairs was a heavy blow. To know they died at the claws of brutality burdened Tamara's heart. No one deserved to die the way they had, torn to shreds and eaten by wild dragons.

As Lord Davi's voice washed over her, calming her, her mind began to drift again. She strained to see more of Byron beside her. She saw so little of him these days. As the fort leader's son, he had many obligations, and with her special lessons, she too struggled to find the time.

Ever since discovering her bond with Byron, she had been taking private lessons with Lady Emmy, learning all about Dragonwall, its politics, its history, its secrets...

So much had changed in the last few weeks. She had gone from being a lord's daughter to Rider-In-Waiting (or so she called herself). Her father, Lord Redwynn, who was Lord-Governor of Warslie, had intended to marry her against her wishes to Lord Rahl, the lord of Squall's End and Lord-Governor of Shaldorna. When she had learned of the marriage, she had fled her family and her home to seek out Fort Squall. Upon arriving she had posed as a volunteer with a fake identity using the name of Amber, in hopes of someday becoming a Rider. As luck would have it, a Touching Ceremony had occurred several days after her arrival. That was when she had touched Byron's scales. When her skin had touched his scales, their souls had greeted each other in profound recognition. Fate had meant for them to be mates, and upon discovering this, she had never been happier. The only problem was, she was late in reaching her womanhood, and Byron would not mate with her until well after that occurred.

If only they could already be mated! She continued to ruminate over this. Once they were mated, their minds would be connected. She would always know what he was thinking, where he was, what he was doing. She longed to feel the connection. What would it be like? How would it change her? For now, she was forced to speculate.

"One thing is certain," Lord Davi's voice cut through her thoughts. "We must prepare for war. Dragons will attack sooner rather than later."

The idea of an attack frightened her. With such an event imminent, it seemed prudent to seal her bond. If the dragons attacked before she and Byron were mated, life could take a terrible turn. Numerous scenarios flashed through her mind. What if they became separated during the attack? What if he flew out to meet the dragons in combat without her? What if he died in the battle? She so desperately wished they might seal their bond, even if the method of if left her face burning with embarrassment.