Page 55 of Dragonbound

‘I’m sure I told you to stay lying down,’ Emma commented and bent to pick something up before passing it to him. ‘I think you might need this. Come, Sereh, give the man some peace.’

37

ERANN

He’d woken from a disturbed sleep in the first light of morning when the pain had substantially lessened on his friend’s return. But the arrival of Emma, the woman from his dreams, had caught him by surprise. It had left him feeling wrong-footed. He’d assumed – wrongly, as it turned out – he was the only one of his people the dragon knew.

Emma’s soft voice and firm but gentle manner was comforting. She’d examined his leg, allowed him the means to relieve himself, and then slipped him a warm, mildly spiced drink that had left him feeling sleepy and pain-free. She’d instructed him to stay lying down, no matter what, and to sleep.

When he awoke again, some time later, whatever pain relief she’d given him had worn off.

He groaned through gritted teeth. Not that he minded when Sereh rushed to him and took his hand. She looked confused as well as concerned, although she covered it well. He briefly wondered why – until Emma shifted into his line of sight. Ah, yes. This wouldn’t be easy to explain.

His friend had given him no indication of how he was to account for Emma’s presence. But, Erann understood Sereh wasn’t to know about the dragon. He squeezed her hand in apology. He decided to act normally, acknowledging Emma’s presence, until he worked out what to do.

‘Good morning, Emma.’ The shock on Sereh’s face crushed him. He squeezed her hand again in mute apology.

‘How’s the leg doing?’ Emma asked.

He attempted to sit upright, but movement sent fresh waves of pain pulsing down his legs.

He grunted and slumped back down.

‘I’m sure I told you to stay lying down,’ Emma cautioned, passing him a bottle to relieve himself in again.

Sereh turned away quickly, but he saw the hurt in her eyes. He felt swallowed up by agony. He wanted to tell Sereh everything. The secret he must keep from Sereh could drive her away. They’d only just found each other again, and yet already he’d begun to think more of her than anyone he’d ever known. He wondered how she felt about him.

Emma kept Sereh busy by the fire, and so neither of them saw his sorrow.

Hello, Erann. The calming presence of his friend returned.

Please do not worry. All will be well.

Abruptly, he was looking down on a scene of himself. He lay, weighted down under furs, with Emma, Sereh and Arrow loosely scattered around the fire burning brightly in the centre of the cave.

Erann smiled.

What else he could communicate to his friend was instantly assaulted by a stream of further images. A cave filled with shifting translucent reflections. Emma talking to his friend. The image blanked, leaving him alone for a moment. He blinked in confusion before his friend returned apologetically. For that brief moment alone, the pain had been intense once more. Not just his legs but also his head, chest, and back – it had felt like he was being squeezed together.

Emma appeared at his side and offered him another cup of the warm, spicy tea. He sat upright carefully and took it, sipping slowly. The spice was less overpowering. He looked at her questioningly over the rim of the cup.

‘I thought you might like to be awake for a while. I’ll keep Sereh busy. You need to talk to Skaldi.’ Although she spoke under her breath, her tone brooked no argument.

‘Skaldi? Is that…?’

Emma nodded. She turned to go, and he reached out and held her arm.

‘Please, please be gentle with Sereh. I don’t understand what’s going on, and she has even less idea. Please. Please be kind to her. She… she means a lot to me.’ His voice trailed away, worried about what Emma would think. She took his hand and held it gently between her own.

‘I understand more than you can ever know. I’ll aid Sereh. You have my word.’

Emma scooped the wooden cup up and walked back towards Sereh. Erann was surprised by how much better he felt after admitting his feelings out loud. They felt right, and he felt comfortable with what he’d said.

As Emma strode away, he realised he still wasn’t sure how to talk to Skaldi. He didn’t want to call Emma back to ask. He didn’t want Sereh to think they were keeping something from her, but he still needed to work out how their friendship worked. There was nothing for it. He couldn’t form coherent images of his thoughts for his friend to see, as he’d seen in his dreams. Feeling like a fool, he spoke quietly to himself.

‘Hello?’

Hello, Erann.