Dragonblood Read Free Page A

ground, but looked afraid.
    The dragon, sensing his rescue effort was no longer needed, veered away and flew back toward his cave, releasing his hold on the human’s mind. Perhaps, he thought. Perhaps I shall enjoy this bond.
    When Tallon came to his senses, Cimian was out cold on the ground with soiled pants and no gang. He quickly surveyed the area and saw three of Cimian’s henchmen staggering away down a path toward town. Two of them were trying to carry the third, and they all looked in danger of falling down. Tallon checked to see that Cimian was in fact, alive. Once satisfied that he was still breathing, Tallon made his way back to the safety of his parents and home.
    When he arrived at his parents’ cottage there was a great commotion in progress. Tallon stayed hidden behind the house and listened in. His parents were arguing with the constable and one member of Cimian’s gang was gesturing wildly.
    The constable said, “The boy here says your son kilt this Cimian boy.”
    “Our son wouldn’t hurt anyone, Cleve!” Maryll defended her son.
    “I know, Maryll”, Cleve, the constable said. “But you wouldn’t mind if we just checked out the woods behind your field, would ya?”
    Cruss grunted. “Yer gonna do what yer gonna do, no matter what we says, right?”
    “Well Cruss, I gotta do my job, you understand.”
    Cruss spat, “Let’s do ‘er then. I’m comin’ with ya though. My son and my property!”
    So they set out. Cruss, Maryll, the constable, and the cringing boy. A few townsfolk went with them, just to see what all the fuss was about. Tallon, having ducked out of sight while they passed, followed at a safe distance.
    * * *
    “Careful of my dang crops, ya nosy buncha do-nuthins!” Cruss grumbled as the group tramped through his grain fields.
    “Hush, darlin’”, Maryll cautioned her husband, “They’s just curious is all.”
    The constable was just ahead of Cruss and Maryll, trying to make sense of the choked directions given by the babbling boy. A group of townspeople followed, anxious to see if something exciting had finally happened in their village.
    Further back, Tallon stealthily followed the strange procession. He too was curious. Curious as to how he had defeated his attackers after years of accepting getting beaten as a matter of course. He did not even remember hitting anyone. Maybe, he thought, these new muscles really can do something!
    From up ahead Tallon heard a shout, and then a chorus of loud exclamations. They’d found Cimian.
    Flying had once again proven to conquer confusion and spiraling emotions. Of course, the pleasure of battle hadn’t hurt either. Even battle vicariously fought was quite fun. Dragons loved competition, and mock battles were often a source of great pleasure for the giant beasts.
    The young dragon had come to a decision. His blood had been ingested by a human. He would accept the consequences. The hard part, as he saw it, would be convincing the human to accept them also. It could be a very rewarding experience for both, if the human could be made to understand the sanctity of the blood bond. If only human brains weren’t so puny!
    The other problem, only slightly less hard, would be to convince his parents he knew what he was doing. Youth had inherent difficulties. No adult thought you could think, fly, or eat correctly without their input! Oh, the naming day could not come soon enough! For all the respect he had for Fracco and Blessa, he could hardly wait to be on his own. An adult with all the privileges the status implies.
    Until that time however, he still lived under his parents’ rule. This incident, though not of his making, could embarrass them and hurt his chances for a proper name. Draconic logic was formidable, and he would have to make an impressive argument to keep this bond. Somehow he’d have to save face for his parents and display his worthiness as a dragon of full stature.
    Cimian was just coming to when he heard a shout