Read The Endonshan Chronicles Book 1: DragonBond Page 5
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It didn’t seem like much time had passed when I woke, but the angle of the golden sunlight streaming in the window suggested that it was several hours later. Thone sat beside my bed, a bandage around his upper arm and a book in his hands.
He glanced up at my stirring and put his book aside. “How do you feel?”
I tested my limbs. My arm whined, my leg ached, and my head registered a formal complaint at the rough treatment my body had endured while it was still recovering. But Magra had again worked wonders, and the world stayed level as I sat up. “Well enough, thank you.” I looked at the bandage on his arm. “And you?”
He flicked a glance down at the bandage. “Not nearly as bad as it could have been.” He lifted his arms higher, and I saw the skin was markedly redder along his forearms and hands. “I could have done without the scalding, but I suppose that was my own fault for not running the instant I saw the dragon.”
My cheeks burned. “My apologies. She—”
He waved a hand. “No apologies necessary. We would’ve lost quite a few of our men if she hadn’t intervened and sent the enemy running.” He paused and cleared his throat, seeming to come to the point of why he’d been waiting at my side. “It was a very brave thing you did, facing those men alone. And noble, intervening in a problem that had little to do with you personally. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for you saving my daughter’s life.”
I ducked my head, finding the old habits of manners returning now that I was no longer facing a group of Sectarian thugs. “It was the right thing to do, tabe-ro.”
An awkward expression crossed his face.
I realized I had inadvertently put him in an uncomfortable position. On the one hand, I’d saved his daughter, and he was grateful for that. On the other hand, I was a woman. Women weren’t supposed to be placed at risk—or place themselves at risk. They were too valuable for such dangerous activities. I inwardly cringed, unsure how to proceed.
He spoke haltingly, obviously just as unsure as I was. “I do not wish to seem… ungrateful. I understand that you are accustomed to a more,” he weighed his words, “liberal approach to life than is traditional. And we do not presume to tell others how they should or should not approach their own lives. But here in our village… You see, the way we view women is with an elevated position, one of value.” He hesitated again, fumbling for words.
“One does not use an intricate tapestry as a cleaning rag. One does not set up a crystal goblet for archery practice. One does not place a fine vase as the target for a wrestle-race.” The words slipped from my mouth with recited ease, unearthing feelings of a time long in my history when I’d learned all the traditional ways.
He looked relieved. “Then you understand, raisa. We certainly admire your bravery and are, unquestionably, eternally grateful to you. But here in our village, it is not right for a woman to place herself into such danger.”
“I will do my best to restrain myself from further heroics.” I managed to say it with only the tiniest note of sarcasm.
He shifted his gaze down to his book, back to looking awkward. Perhaps the sarcasm had come across more strongly than I intended.
The moment stretched long until I couldn’t stand the silence. “I’m sorry your daughter had to go through such an experience.” I spoke quietly, testing the waters. “It must have been quite traumatic.”
Thone slowly nodded. “Traumatic. Yes, it was. Horribly.” He eyed the window. “So traumatic that she can’t stop telling everyone about how she got to ride on a dragon.”
Was that a glint of humor in his eyes and tone? I almost smiled.
“Most in the village have agreed that you are welcome to remain here as long as needed,” he said. “We will see to your needs until you are ready to continue your travels. They are less concerned about having a dragon so close to the village as they once were.”
“Because she helped save your daughter?”
“That, yes. And seeing the dragon lying peacefully while a child clung to her cheek like a tree-snit did much to make people reconsider their concerns about the dragon being a danger to us.”
This time I did smile.
“Granted, there are still some who are vocal in their displeasure and would rather see the dragon gone.” He sighed, looking almost awkward again. “And those are fairly prominent members of the village, at that. If I don’t ask you to be on your way, I’ll have to face their wrath.”
Erret among them, I’d wager. “I can leave. I don’t wish to cause trouble.”
He shrugged. “On the other hand, if I did ask you to leave, I’d have to face the wrath of my six-year-old daughter. And that, quite frankly, is far more terrifying than anything those loudmouths might do to me.” He smiled.
A laugh escaped my mouth. “That is indeed a quandary. I can’t say that I blame you for your choice.”
His smile widened into a more relaxed state, and I got the feeling that I was seeing him as his family and village usually got to see him, not worrying about tending to a guest or dealing with a threat, but simply enjoying the pleasures of life as life exists.
“I will confess that many hope you will stay,” he said. “Admittedly for selfish reasons. Having a dragon nearby certainly will go far to ‘improve’ our relationship with Krenish. But I understand you were traveling when you came to us and don’t expect you to change your plans for our sakes. If you need to continue on your way, then enjoy our hospitality until you are well enough to carry on. But if you were seeking a more permanent home…” He gestured with his hand. “You are welcome here.”
A mass of emotions knotted tight in my chest. I opened my mouth.
He stood. “Don’t feel you have to decide now. For the time being, Magra has asked me to convey that the only thing you are permitted to do is rest.”
I closed my mouth. “Of course. Thank you, tabe-ro.”
He bowed. “Our gratitude is with you, raisa-ro.”
The door shut behind him, and I nestled into the soft pillow and mattress. I hardly paid attention to the comfort around me, though. Instead, I dug into the knot in my chest and worked to untangle it, trying to sort it all out.