Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 7 - Conflicting Emotions

Kastali Dun

Reyr made one final sweep of Kastali Dun's perimeter. He allowed the air currents to catch his wings and propel him forward. With the day's drills finished, he breathed a sigh of relief. His work was nearly done.

As he extended his wings, stretching them to their fullest, he growled with pleasure. Nothing matched the feeling of riding the wind, except perhaps mating, but that was a pleasure long given up. He had made his peace with it.

He turned his massive head towards the horizon. The sun was fast approaching its daily destination, blanketing the land below in its golden rays. In little more than an hour, its disappearance would cast the world into darkness.

Only one thing remained before the evening meal. He had promised to meet with Claire.

He called to her, waiting patiently, but he received no answer. After waiting a few moments, he called again, "Claire?"

He shut his eyes and extended his consciousness to hers, something only the Drengr were capable of. When he felt her mind, it did not appear that she was blocking him; he could still sense her. No, she was sleeping. "Claire?" he called once more, hoping to wake her.

"Reyr?"

"Have you been sleeping?" He failed to hide his teasing tone.

"I was so tired. I needed a nap."

"I have finished with today's drills."

"Oh. Okay. See you soon..."

His contact with her ended. He was left smiling, which was simply a matter of baring his teeth, since dragon smiles were quite different from their human counterparts. If a human had seen him smirking, said human would have thought he was snarling viciously.

Hearing Claire's voice was thrilling. It was akin to what he had felt when Gemma had lived. Before Claire, Gemma had been the only woman capable of invading his consciousness, as it was for all mated pairs. With the exception of a mate, no Rider was capable of speaking to another Drengr, yet Claire could address whichever Drengr she wished. She heard all of them, even when their conversations were meant to be private. It was an incredible ability—one he never believed possible until meeting her.

Thinking about her secret left him guilt ridden. Hiding her ability from the king did not sit well with him. It was dishonorable; it went against his oath. He needed to remind Claire of this again so that she might reveal the truth before he was forced to.

Several of his trainees hailed him from the sky. They offered their thanks and goodbyes before gliding down to Fort Kastali. The fort sat north of Kastali Dun, a half-league away. Due to its close proximity, the king's Shields often assisted with drills. Today in particular, he had played the role of a wild dragon. The drills were a necessary part of their training and preparation for war, but Drengr on dragon combat would only get them so far. Few were discussing the real problem at hand, and until they had a solution, there was no effective way to defeat the dragons. If it were some other creature they battled, then there would be no dilemma. The only true weapon his kind possessed was their fiery breath. Unfortunately, wild dragons were impervious to fire, just as the Drengr and their Riders were.

He descended to a lower courtyard in the Great Keep. His form melted away revealing the human side of him as his feet touched the ground. The shift was effortless. The momentum he landed with carried him forward so that his pace from the courtyard into the keep was quick.

When he reached Claire's door, he gave a quick knock and opened it before she could answer. She hated it when he did that—when he barged in on her. For some reason the elicited annoyance drove him to do so as often as possible.