Dragonbound: Birthrights (Book 2)
Crossing Borders

In their travels, Torin hadn’t said much. Something was troubling him and it seemed, to Kiaran, it might be his family. It made her stomach twist every time she saw that distant look in his eyes.

They had taken a road that bypassed towns as to reach their destination sooner. Reaching a flat clearing, they set up camp for the night. The dragons’ saddles were removed so they were free to hunt and drink as they pleased in the surrounding forest.

As Brick fought with his tent, Kiaran moved to Torin’s side. He was sitting by the fire, toying with a little brick of wood with pretty carvings all over. Bugs chirped in the trees, the only other sounds coming from Brick and the fire before them.

Torin was engrossed by the little trinket, not noticing Kiaran’s presence. She watched the way his fingers smoothed over the polished wood.

“Are you alright, Torin?” she asked softly. His eyes darted to her as if he was jolted awake.

“Yeah,” he said beneath his breath.

“What is it?” she gestured to the wood.

“The Tribe calls it carenbeth,” he answered. “It is a promise from one to another.” She looked at him curiously, never hearing of a carenbeth. “You’ve only learned the essentials while we were in the Zeil. There are many things we hadn’t yet learned.”

He handed her the little block and she touched it, replaceing it to be as smooth as it looked. It was carefully carved with great intensity and attention. “What sort of promise does this mean?” she asked.

The question seemed to please him and he faced her, cross-legged. He leaned over his lap, pointing to the top corner where the sun was carved with black designs. “That is obviously the sun, meaning that for days the promise will last,” he explained. He ran his fingers over the little dots that lined up to the moon in the corner diagonal to the sun. “And that shows that the promise extends night and day without end.”

His hair touched hers, their foreheads close together as he leaned in. Her heart ached slightly, catching his scent--something she only just realized she had missed.

There were fluid lines and curves with swirls that deepened and thinned out like silky hair in a soft-flowing river. And along the edges of the brick were jagged, broken lines. “This stands for the beauty that...” he paused. “It is the current that is my relationship with Lianna. It will be as smooth as the comforting flow of a river on a summer’s day...But it will also be as jagged and cracked as shattered glass.”

“It is a beautiful sentiment,” Kiaran said, handing it back to him. He took it, his eyes on it for a moment before nodding his head. “Do you miss her?” she found herself asking.

Not as much as he felt he should have. He nodded his head, keeping his eyes from Kiaran. “I am worried.”

“Why?”

“She is staying in the City of Rishana while I am here,” he answered. “She does not belong there--she is a part of the Zeil.”

He ended with a frown, thinking of the dress and shoes she wore before he had left. It seemed misplaced...and even more odd was the thought that he was raised to believe that was beauty. He much preferred the dress of the tribe.

“You do not have to assist me, Torin,” she said, her eyes on him. He shook his head in disagreement and she added, “You can go home. I am sure your wife would be happy to have you back.”

“Yeah,” he smiled, running a hand through his hair. “I replace that I would leave behind my duties if I return home. As a part of the Zeil, it is my duty to protect Rishana and to follow you.”

The air froze between them as his eyes locked with hers. Quickly, he lowered them again, hiding the wood into his pocket.

“You do not need to follow me,” she corrected him. He was still close, but sitting back a little more than he previously was. His eyes were such a sharp green, catching her off guard. It was as if she had forgotten how bright they were.

“I do not need to,” he agreed. “But I trust you over anyone else.”

“Has Kane done wrong?” she questioned.

“No--” He paused a moment and said, “Besides...I want to do this. I want to help my brother. I want to help you.”

Kiaran sighed softly, closing her eyes which were lined in black. “I...am thankful, Torin.”

“I suppose I am here more for my brother than for the king,” he admitted.

“As it should be,” she nodded. “He needs you, Torin. Now more than ever. I want to thank you for giving me this information.”

“I only hope that he is alive," he whispered.

Sighing, she stood and said, “Perhaps we will get lucky and replace something useful.”

“Perhaps,” he muttered, remaining where he sat. “Kiaran,” she paused and faced him. “...He believed that Rishana was cursed.” She remained quiet. When he didn't say anymore, she grew tense.

Kiaran frowned and lifted her eyes to the line of green pines in the distance. That seemed a familiar thought--curses. Sighing, she nodded once and walked away, leaving a trail of stress to flow over him.

Over a few days of traveling, they had reached the last city within Avestitia, traded their dragons for horses, and moved into Trindal. It took much quicker than the other two had expected to reach the city, seeing as how they were accustomed to horses rather than dragons. And once they had the horses, they felt slow--stationary, really.

Trindal’s land felt different to Kiaran, as if she knew she was out of Avestitia. Her body felt weary, her muscles wishing to go back to Kriettor’s land. Outside of that, the land itself was less mountainous and rather flat in most areas, filled with grasslands. The temperature had increased, having no mountains to cool them.

They moved through a few towns, replaceing nothing of interest. However, reaching a small town called Hapernum, they could all feel a bit of dread. Nurra hid in Kiaran’s hood as she pulled it further over her head. She could feel the dragon trying his hardest to calm himself and Kiaran.

The town was full of mostly huts and a few houses, all built poorly. Because of that, it seemed like a shell of a town.

The most unnerving thing, though, were the people. They were nowhere to be seen, hiding in their homes, watching them in fear. Brick shook his head, saying in a low voice, “Something isn’t right...”

“Not at all,” Kiaran agreed.

They walked the horses nearly straight out of the other side of the town, but paused as a short, broad figure stepped onto the path before them. He was draped in dark robes, a hood masking his face and his hands shoved into the opposite arm’s sleeves. Lowering his head, his deep voice carried an odd accent, saying, “Good evening, travelers.”

“Evening,” Brick replied cautiously.

“Come.” With that, the man darted between a few huts. The three glanced to one another and hesitantly moved after him.

“Where are we going--”

“Come,” he cut Brick off. “Come.”

He zig zagged through the huts and houses until they reached a peculiar hut. It was made of dark, old wood, and was much wider than the others to fit more within it. He pealed back the blanket over the doorway and said, “Enter, please. Enter.”

“We’d like to know who you are, first,” Kiaran retorted.

He lifted his chin enough so his glowing gold eyes met with hers. She froze under his gaze, the shadow concealing the rest of his face. “I am Umbardor,” he said. “You seek information?”

“...We do,” she nodded. “Do you have it?”

He shrugged a shoulder and waddled into his hut. Kiaran huffed and followed him in, leaving her horse behind. Without a moment’s pause, Torin darted after her, completely unwilling to leave her alone with this stranger.

Inside, the walls of the hut were covered in blankets and fabrics of all colors and sizes. Dried meat sat on the table with several bowls of fruit and vegetables--mostly potatoes. The man, Umbardor, sat at a separate, smaller table, Kiaran across from him. The man’s golden eyes lifted to Torin, and Brick as they entered. “Sit,” he said.

They found a couple of chairs and pulled them over, sitting with them. Umbardor lowered his hood to reveal a sunken face of wrinkles, a hooked nose, and dark lined, old eyes, What was left of his balding hair was braided down his back, his beard nearly as long--also braided.

“So what is it you wanted us for?” Kiaran asked.

“I have been told that travelers of two different lands will arrive the week of the strawberry moon,” he said. “You are thought to be important for Trindal. Important for all of the countries,” he chewed a bit on the tip of his thumb. “But all I can tell you is to go to Yuik, then from there to Urlanai.”

“Why?” Kiaran asked.

“You shall discover this on your own,” he shrugged. “I cannot tell you anymore, for nothing else makes sense to me. It is like a whirlwind of information that I cannot grasp. Therefor, I cannot explain it.”

Kiaran sat silently for a moment, her eyes drifting to her companions. “Yuik and then Urlanai?” she asked. He nodded and began chewing on the tip of his thumb again. “Tell me, Umbardor...What has happened to this town? The people seem terrified.”

“Incredibly so,” he nodded. “And with reason. You see...there are things happening in Trindal that are...They are...” he rambled to himself in growls, as if trying to discover his words.

“Slavers are worse than ever, and bandits? Ha! You aren’t in Trindal if there are none. But not only are the humans a problem...” His voice quieted as he leaned over the table, locking eyes with Kiaran. “Animals and such creatures are breaking. Their minds are...lost...Their instincts are lost. Trindal as a whole is under something of a curse. Something unbreakable--and I’ve said enough. Off you go.”

“What do you mean by all of that?” Kiaran asked. Umbardor stood and tugged on Brick’s arm until he stood as well. He shoved the large man toward the door while yanking on Torin to stand as well. He and Kiaran stood and she asked, “Umbardor, what do you mean animals and such creatures? Do you speak of dragons?”

“No, no dragons,” he shook his head. His eyes moved to Nurra as he hid in her hood. Looking back to Kiaran, he shook his head again, “No dragons.”

“Then what are they?”

He pushed Kiaran by the small of her back, shaking his head. “No. Off you go. Goodbye and good luck.” Thrusting them out the door, he left them to wonder.

“What just happened?” Torin lowered a brow.

“I...don’t know,” she admitted “But...” she reached her horse, climbing on its back. “I suppose it’s Yuik we should head for.”

“I suppose so,” Torin nodded.

“And you trust that the man wasn’t only mad?” Brick asked skeptically as he climbed onto his horse.

“Oh no, he certainly was crazy,” Kiaran shook her head. “But I’ve learned at times that madness is exactly what you need to make sense of things.”

“That doesn’t make any sense--”

“Exactly,” she muttered.