The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 27

Darkness surrounded Ralf. Even with his heightened senses he could not see. Then suddenly there was a bright light. The light moved in the darkness and Ralf followed it. When the light stopped moving, Ralf stopped walking. All of a sudden a man appeared. He was sitting on a stool and his hands were bound behind his back. His face was battered and bloody and when he slowly looked up at Ralf, the prince finally recognized who this man was. It was the Nieblan spy, the one Ralf had spoken with, the one who had bitten off his own tongue.

Slowly the spy smiled, his lips drawing wider and wider until he revealed a tongueless mouth.

Ralf shuddered and turned away, unable to look any longer. He started running in the opposite direction, deeper into the darkness until he tripped over something. A branch. He was in the woods. Light and heat abruptly surrounded Ralf as men with torches encircled him. In one hand these men held torches and in the other hand was a sword.

Ralf struggled to stand up, his paralyzed leg keeping him down. "What do you want?" Ralf screamed up at them as they inched towards him. He tried to use his magic to push them away from him but nothing happened. His dragon's mark burned on his right hand. Again Ralf shouted, "What do you want!"

In unison, they answered, "Death."

Ralf fell violently out of bed, kicking and clawing his way out from under the covers that ensnared him. His breathing was rapid but it slowed as he realized where he was. His chest continued to heave as he removed the cover from over his head and looked around his room. He was in no danger. It had all been a dream, a nightmare.

Ralf struggled to shake the dream off as he went about his day. Sometimes the visions from his dream would pop up in his head and Ralf would stop dead in his tracks, paralyzed in fear. He needed a distraction.

Mirum found her dragon bond pacing towards the Elysian river, incredibly far away from the castle grounds. She wondered how long he must have walked to reach the river without her help. The walk must have at least taken several hours.

"You weren't planning on swimming without me?" The elegant silver-scaled dragon asked her rider.

Ralf looked up at her as she flew above him in the sky. "I just needed to get away."

"Something's troubling you."

"I'm fine."

Mirum suddenly landed directly in front of Ralf, shaking the ground he stood on. He caught his breath, unable to calm his jitters. The slightest noises were making him jump and a giant 35,000 pound dragon landing directly in front of him didn't help matters.

"You're lying," Mirum accused.

"Bad dream," he relented.

"So you've come for a swim to take your mind off of it?" Mirum stated it without question. She knew her rider better than he knew himself. "I hate to say it, but you will have to face this dream eventually. Swimming might occupy your mind for a while but once you close your eyes tonight you'll be defenseless."

"Thanks for the reminder." Ralf muttered bitterly. He didn't want to think about what would happen when he tried to sleep again tonight. Hopefully the nightmare was a one time occurrence.

Ralf braced himself for the icy harshness of the water. Despite the sun's heat that day, winter was only a few short months away from freezing the river solid. On land the day was nice and warm with a gentle breeze sending the golden leaves off from their branches and onto the green grass. The water, however, was a different story. Cold and unforgiving.

After Ralf removed his shirt and trousers and slipped his boots and socks off, he jumped into the river. He met the water with a splash and let his body plunge low into the water until he needed to come up for air. His dragon was beside him on the land, waiting for the moment when he would need her assistance.