“Wyverns! Wyverns are coming!”
Shouts echoed all across the settlement while the people urgently herded their animals into the pens and cages. Those who could fight gathered their weapons, and the children and women were guided towards the edge of the camp, far away from the livestock. While not perfectly fluid in their motions, the people hastily fell into their respective places to fend against the sudden appearance of wyverns.
Shaden was also being guided towards the safe area with Keyga by Eshel, whose mouth was pressed in a thin line. She looked nervous, but not exactly fearful. Worried was the word Shaden was looking for.
“How do you even fight against wyverns?” Shaden asked, keeping his eyes on the dots in the distance. The wyverns were still circling, coming closer to the area with each second.
“Ballistae,” Eshel told him. She was holding both of their hands since they were only children. Shaden had never been treated as a true child before, so it was a funny feeling for him.
“How about magic? I’m sure you can slice them up with some wind, or burn them with a fireball.”
“Good luck finding a sorcerer,” Eshel snorted, pulling them along. “Nobody has time for that.”
“I mean, you can just chant the spell, right?”
She looked at him funnily, as if he’d said something absurd. “Just chant? Spell tomes are expensive, and even if you did have one, you’d have to learn it properly. Not efficient, and also dangerous. Why go through all of that if you can simply use a ballista?”
“I see.”
Shaden hadn’t seen any real battles happening aside from his hunts with Lytha a few years ago, which had been her doing most of the work. Somehow, everything felt somewhat underwhelming, as magic wasn’t as prominent as he’d expected it to be. Where were the mega explosions and the arrows of light? Where was the sand magic?
“Don’t you guys have any mythical beasts you’ve tamed?” Shaden asked, looking around. He had to raise his voice because the whole area was in a state of alarm.
“What are you talking about?” Eshel frowned. “Stop saying nonsense and don’t lose yourself in the crowd. But if you do get lost, just follow the women and children. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He wasn’t disappointed, but the atmosphere wasn’t one of fun and excitement he’d anticipated when fighting wyverns. It was urgency and caution, with a whole lot of shouting. And he would be missing out on everything, grouped with the noncombatants. Perhaps one wyvern would have been a better experience for him, but three had been too dangerous for the camp, wiping away any entertaining elements of the situation. Children were shaking, women were hushing their babies. No one shoved or pushed each other, which was good.
“Can I go look?” Shaden asked, pulling on Eshel’s hand.
“Look at what?”
“The fight.”
“If you want to be swooped by one and die, yes,” Eshel grunted, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you know about nature? They target the smaller, weaker ones.”
“We have the ballistae, right?”
“Do you think that they will simply sit there and get shot? It would be fortunate if even one met its target.
Oh. So it wasn’t that effective.
“What’s the point, then?”
“Scaring them off. It may be hard to kill them, but we can teach them not to visit again.”
“Aha.”
They walked until they reached the outer parts of the camp where large tents were laid out. Eshel continued to lead them along with the crowds until they finally found themselves in the shade.
“Okay. Now you two stay here—”
She looked down to find Keyga in one hand, nothing in the other. Her eyebrows shot up, and she desperately looked around, trying to find where Shaden had gone. She couldn’t afford to let the heir become hurt, and he was her responsibility—a pang of panic gripped her chest.
Oblivious to her worries, Shaden leisurely strolled towards the flying dots in the sky.
⤙ ◯ ⤚
When Shaden thought of wyverns, he thought of giant lizards with two wings and two legs, with a long tail and spiky head that spat poison and breathed fire sometimes. These looked like what he’d been expecting but much...thinner. At a distance, the creatures looked like short snakes with giant wings in the sky, flapping around while their long necks bent at weird angles.
Anatomically correct wyverns, he thought, feeling awed. They seemed a little fragile, but he appreciated the flying lizards.
No one could see him at the moment, as he had his layer of magic around his body. He passed by the now-emptier streets and made his way to where the noises were coming from—men shouting instructions as they spread their emergency tent coverings over the animals. Others were getting their ballistae ready with a variety of projectiles made to maim or kill the beasts.
He neared one of the weapons and inspected it. It was a giant bow, not as big as he’d expected it to be, forged like a crossbow with a reloading mechanism in the form of a crank. Well, two cranks, one for each side.
Shaden moved out of the way as three men came to the ballista and began to position it. Everyone else was doing the same. Two hammered the weapon into the ground at its base near the wheels, while one spun the upper part to aim towards the wyverns. It looked slow, and he could see why Eshel had said that the shots wouldn’t land.
It was even slower to charge the weapon, and the two men groaned while they spun the crank, bringing the rope back little by little. When it was pulled all the way, they removed the cranks and placed the arrow into the ballista—a large, spiky, iron rod.
“What are you doing, dimwits! Don’t load the arrows yet!” Someone screamed, and the three men hastily removed the projectile from the weapon. Not wanting to disturb them, Shaden moved along to search for some familiar faces.
Anyone who wasn’t on the ballistae was holding bows and spears, poised towards the beasts. Everyone had some kind of leather armor on them, covering their chest, back, arms, and head.
He finally managed to find Mayarrack (as he was the best guarded) and walked through the line of guards to the old man. There were two large, spotted cats sitting before the man’s feet, so he decided to approach him from the back. Undoing his power, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The man’s eyes widened when he saw him.
“Shaden! Why are you here?” he asked in surprise. Shaden sensed both the cats and guards tense, but Mayarrack raised his hand slightly, and they relaxed.
“I came to watch,” Shaden replied.
“What of Eshel?”
“She’s with Keyga in over there,” he told him, pointing towards the evacuation sites. “I wanted to watch the fight.”
“Stay by me and you will be safe,” the man said. “They target the smaller ones, so be careful.”
“I could take all three of them down if I tried,” Shaden stated, keeping his eyes on the wyverns. They were descending now, slowly, but their eyes were definitely on the camp. Or rather, the group of animals that had been purposefully left out to lure them in.
“It’s not good to underestimate creatures of the sky,” Mayarrack told him. “Your ability to remain unseen will not do much if they do not stay still.”
“I can use magic.”
That seemed to get the man’s interest. He turned his eyes towards him. “So I’ve heard. Would you like to try something?”
Shaden nodded. “Yes.”
“But it would be unwise to attract attention,” Mayarrack frowned, touching his beard. “Can you shoot missiles of earth? The more it blends in, the less they will notice. But wyverns are sensitive to mana…”
He’d never done it before, but he’d done harder things before. “I can try,” Shaden said.
“Perhaps later. Maybe when they are retreating. Any sooner and they will come to claw you away.”
Not like that would matter, but Shaden felt the worry in the man’s words and decided to hold off, as much as he wanted to show his powers. Someone fetched a seat for him, and after thanking the servant, he sat down and watched as the scene unfolded.
In the blink of an eye, one of the wyverns dove into freefall, zooming towards the exposed animals like a bullet. Just before it hit the ground, it spread its wings and stretched out its legs, clawing one of the sheep in the back. The sheep screamed, blood spurting on its wool.
“Why won’t they shoot?” Shaden asked, seeing the animals scurry around in terror. Getting through without losses would be the best, right?
“It’s very hard to hit them as they dive,” Mayarrack told him. “Once they sufficiently damage their prey, they will carry it to a safe place to eat. That is when we strike.”
The wyverns continued to dive and claw the animals. Shaden was glad that they were far away from the sacrifices because the more he watched the wyverns, the more terrifying they seemed. They were merciless, efficient killers, swooping down to attack then retreating as fast as they had come. Intelligent too, seeing that they were clearly aware of the weapons pointed at them. Why else would they zigzag?
Quickly enough, one sheep stumbled to the floor, unable to move. Taking the cue, one wyvern immediately dove down, feet outstretched. Shaden thought he heard a nasty, wet crunch as the wyvern’s claws wrapped around the sheep’s spine.
“1st group, fire!” someone shouted, and the people on the left released their missiles, heading straight towards the wyvern. With an ear-splitting screech, the wyvern let go of its prey and spun in the air, pulling its wings close to its body. Its wide body area suddenly shrunk to less than one-fourth of its original size, and most of the projectiles passed harmlessly by it. The ones that did hit their mark grazed harmlessly off of its scales like toothpicks on stone.
“What!” Shaden exclaimed. “Not even one? How tough are those scales?”
“Enough to endure the heat of melted stone,” Mayarrack answered. “Don’t worry. One good hit is all it takes.”
But even as the wyvern made three more attempts to pick up its prey, it dodged everything that was thrown at it and regrouped with the other two in the air. They began to screech even louder, and their eyes seemed to be focused on the ballistae now, not the prey. They seemed to be mocking them.
“Uh, are we in danger?” Shaden asked.
“Not yet. This is expected.”
The wyvern made one more attempt to snatch up its prey, this time even faster. Its legs made contact with the sheep—
Something whooshed through the air and struck the wyvern’s legs with perfect timing, causing it to stumble to the side. A giant bola. The rope had wound around the legs of the creature.
But as much as its legs were disabled, it was still able to dodge the next volley of spikes, doing its signature air roll again. Before the next group had a chance to fire, the wyvern shot upwards, using its momentum to join its companions.
Shaden was amazed at how agile the beasts were. One mistake would have caused it to fall, but the creatures were excellent in their maneuvers.
It shocked him even more when one of the wyverns chewed the rope off of its companion’s legs, letting the weights drop to the ground. They began to circle again.
Smart. Intelligent. These weren’t dumb lizards.
Then they all came diving down.
Two of the wyverns headed straight towards the group of ballistae that were reloading, causing cries of panic to arise from the people. They were quick. Only when arrows were shot and spears were held out did they swerve away, but the arrows did little to puncture their hides. As if noticing the ineffectiveness of the weapons, they immediately flew towards the men again, who held up their spears. At least the long weapons seemed to deter the creatures, and they swerved out of the way again.
Shaden was wondering what they were doing when he saw a sheep being carried away in the distance.
They were being distractions.
The wyvern and the sheep were already out of range, but the other two beasts continued to distract the humans. Leather ripped as a few of the attacks met their mark, causing shouts from the men.
Mayarrack didn’t look too pleased about the situation. It was made worse when one of the attacking wyverns headed towards the prey and picked up a sheep, flying away towards its other companion. The one that stayed relentlessly zipped around the people, screeching while making a scene. Was it laughing?
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“One is manageable, two is difficult, three is a disaster,” the old man muttered, getting up from his seat. He looked at Shaden. “You could use your magic if you’d like.”
The remaining wyvern was already flying away, but much more slowly, lingering in the air, taunting them for their failure.
“Is the situation bad?” Shaden asked.
The man shook his head. “Not at all. Only two sheep missing is a great result. But I’m worried that they may come again.”
“Is it okay if I get one?”
“Of course. That would be admirable. But they are quick.”
“Yeah.”
Shaden threw away the thought of using projectiles. Instead, he used the power he was most comfortable with. Stretching out his hands, he let his mana flow outward.
It was quite the shock for the wyvern when something invisible suddenly grabbed its wings and legs, pulling it down while it helplessly flailed around, screaming its throat off. But its companions were far away, carrying loads too heavy to turn back.
The people of the camp raised their weapons after seeing the wyvern approach again, but they all noticed the unnatural way the beast descended. Shaden heard some of them curse.
“Shaden, is this your doing?” Mayarrack questioned, his eyes wide with awe.
“Yes?” Shaden answered. “So...where should I put it?”
“I simply cannot believe it! Bring it here, bring it here. How long can you hold it?”
“As long as you’d like.”
“Your mana capacity—no matter. Incredible.”
While the ballistae were quickly aimed towards the wyvern again, they were unloaded after Mayarrack told them to stand by. The wyvern was being squeezed by Shaden’s hands at this point, only able to move its neck around as it tried to bite anything that came near.
“I’m very much wary, but a daring yet wonderful idea came to me,” Mayarrack said, watching the large lizard. Now that it was close, Shaden could see how large it was. Its body was as large as a lion’s, but it was its wings that really exaggerated its appearance. Each one was three times its body size, with sharp claws at the front and thick muscle and veins lining the bone.
“Which is?” Shaden asked.
“It was only today that you informed me that you could bond,” the old man said with a glint in his eyes. “You need a bond, and here is a gift sent from the sky.”
“The wyvern? I can bond with it?”
“It is a beast, and all beasts are tamable. Now, try. Or must we restrain the creature first?”
“There’s no need,” Shaden stated, looking at the wyvern. It had stopped screaming after he had shut its mouth. It didn’t look too happy about it.
Taking in a deep breath, Shaden allowed the new magic he’d learned to form in his hand. Gently, he pushed it onto the beast and felt it merge with its body, sinking into its skin and head. Slowly but surely, the beast began to relax, and Shaden was able to feel the emotions the animal was feeling.
You! I will kill you! Rip and tear! There is—oh, this is nice. Very comfortable. Ah, my friend, I see that you are a companion. Be gentle? I will be gentle. But I am uncomfortable. You will let me go if I stay still? Okay, I am still.
The wyvern didn’t actually say the words, but if feelings had a language, that was what they would have meant. And Shaden suddenly felt guilty for gripping the animal so hard, since he’d accidentally been pressuring a joint, causing pain. But it was okay now.
Shaden released his hands after placing the wyvern on the floor before them. The guards had already moved away with Mayarrack’s command, who was watching from behind with his feline beasts surrounding him. The large cats didn’t growl—Shaden felt ripples of mana from the man. He was controlling them to stay back.
The wyvern fluttered its wings, crawling forward to him. It placed its slender head on Shaden’s hand and growled, but Shaden knew that it was a sign of affection. Smiling, he patted the wyvern.
“Er, sorry about pulling you out of the sky,” he apologized. “I didn’t know you were that hungry.”
The wyvern opened its mouth and hissed.
“And thirsty? Well, sorry. You shouldn’t have flown around like that.”
It then made a gurgling noise.
“Alright, I get it. You’re safe, I think.”
Shaden turned to Mayarrack. “I tamed it. What should I do now?”
“Very impressive, Shaden, very impressive!” the man clapped, nearing him. “We haven’t had a wyvern in our midst for a long time. While you stay here, I would like you to take care of the beast, and as inexperienced as you are, you will be taught thoroughly.”
With a loud shout, the men were dispersed as they took their ballistae and weapons to their original locations. A group of men was selected to retrieve all of the arrows that had been shot and others to clean up the blood that had been spilled. There was something automatic about the camp and the way they went about the day with their chores.
Meanwhile, Shaden was led towards a part of the camp where the reptiles were kept, and though none of them were the size of the wyvern, the servants quickly managed to build a fence where the beast could stay. There weren’t any large cages available, but reading the wyvern’s mind, he knew that it wouldn’t like staying confined.
While he waited until things settled down, he used his abilities to learn more about his new bond. It was a male, traveling with other males in search of food. It was difficult to learn more since he didn’t quite understand some thought processes, but it wouldn’t matter that much.
Eventually, it was Eshan who came to him, the woman who’d carried the fire-lizard around with her, still around her neck. She looked surprised when she saw him with the wyvern like everyone he’d encountered so far, but it quickly faded away, being replaced with admiration for the majestic animal.
“A bonded wyvern!” she cried, putting her hands together in front of herself. While she had the beauty of maturity in her features, her actions made her seem much younger at that moment. “Can I touch it?”
“Yes,” Shaden told her, and she immediately went ahead to examine the beast’s scales and skin, stroking her finger around its wings, back, head, and tail as it stood still, looking at Shaden nervously. But after Shaden used his magic to inform the wyvern that Eshan was someone it could trust, it relaxed and poked its tongue out, smelling the air.
“Slightly malnourished, but definitely healthy,” Eshan observed, going around the beast. “You rarely see infections on beasts like this. It can stay, as long as it doesn’t eat the others.”
“It won’t,” Shaden stated. “Right?”
The wyvern snorted in agreement.
“Still, a wyvern! They’re too quick to catch, so I’m wondering how you did it,” Eshan said, this time looking at him.
So she hadn’t heard yet.
“Telekinesis,” he replied.
“You? How? You’re just a boy.”
“I’m not really a normal boy.” In reality, he wasn’t a boy at all.
“Yes, but I’ve never heard of your family using magic like that. Aren’t you meant to be more...unnoticeable?”
“I guess I’m a special kind.”
“Yes, you are,” she said, putting a hand to her chin. “Your control is smooth too. Wait a moment, you began learning about bonding yesterday, no?”
Shaden shrugged, which induced a wrinkling of eyebrows from the woman.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter. Come, Shaden. Let me show you how to take care of your bond.”
He was soon briefly informed on the things he’d have to look out for, such as the color of the animal’s eyes and the shade of its tongue, or if its teeth were secure and its claws strong. There were parts of the wyvern he could touch to see if there was anything unhealthy about the beast, such as the bottom of the neck to see if the wyvern was having any throat problems or the stomach area to tell if it was growing too obese.
“You should examine the elasticity of the tail too,” Eshan said, lifting it. “See how it’s not very bouncy when I press it? It’s not serious, but this wyvern needs more water.”
“And the wings?”
“There isn’t much to see in the wings. Just know that if they’re shriveled, the beast is dying. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. I have things to do at the moment.”
“You were wonderful,” Shaden thanked, letting the wyvern know as well. It leaned its head on Eshan’s shoulder, causing the lizard to scurry down her body and stay on her stomach, clutching on her clothes.
“Most reptiles need meticulous inspection, but wyverns are intelligent enough to let you know if there’s something wrong with it,” she concluded, patting the animal’s head. “Remember to keep bonding with it at least three hours every day for one week, then one hour for two weeks. After that, it won’t forget you even after a year. Hmm. Maybe your mana won’t be enough. Will you manage?”
“There won’t be a problem.”
“Are you sure?”
“I caught the beast myself, didn’t I?” Shaden smiled, doing a confidant pose. “You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Okay. But if you do need help—”
“I’ll remember to ask.”
She nodded then went on her way with a wave. She was around thirty steps away when she abruptly turned back and returned to him.
“My goodness, I forgot to tell you! Food and water will be provided every morning and night—I will tell the servants to do so. For now, you will have to spend your time with the wyvern. But I think that will be a little boring for you, so I will send over Eshel. Where did she go? She was looking after you.”
“I, uh, left to see the wyverns.”
Eshan raised an eyebrow. “Naughty, aren’t you? But I don’t dislike naughtiness. Good luck, Shaden.”
She left, not returning this time. Shaden looked at his bond and wondered what he’d have to do. Play catch with it? He’d never had a pet before besides Shidey, and cats were independent enough. Not to mention much smaller and easier to take care of.
“So, what do you want to do?”
The wyvern cocked its head and opened its mouth.”
“Eat? I guess that’s natural. But you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
The wyvern made a sad gurgling noise.
“Yeah, sorry. Oh right—water.”
Using magic, he made a rough earthen bowl, hardened it, then filled it with water. The wyvern drank from it deeply, putting its head up every time it filled its mouth. It was one of the disadvantages of having a long neck, though Shaden found it interesting.
“You shouldn’t let it drink that!”
Shaden flinched from the sudden shout and turned his head around to the source. Eshel was jogging towards him, her face twisted in what looked like a mix between frustration and shock as well as a speck of excitement. Her mouth was grinning, but her eyes were angry, and her hair flew all over the place as she moved. She looked like an annoyed teenage girl who was about to open a present.
“Why?” Shaden asked. He’d drunk it plenty of times before without feeling sick.
“Water conjured by magic shouldn’t be drunk too much,” she told him, her eyes glued to the wyvern. “A little is enough, but keep doing it for days, and you’ll start being sick.”
“I didn’t know that. Is it because of the mana?”
“I don’t know. I just heard it's bad to do it. If you have normal water, you should use that first.”
It probably had to do with the fact that conjured water was the same as distilled water, but as long as he’d gotten his minerals from the food he ate, it would be fine.
“I think this much is okay,” Shaden said. But Eshel had stopped listening to him. Her gleaming eyes were stuck on the wyvern, gazing at it as one might gaze at a celebrity.
“I’m going to touch it, so don’t let it go,” she told him, approaching the beast.
“Where’s Keyga?” Shaden asked.
“Somewhere,” Eshel replied, hugging the wyvern. It let out a low rumble from the depths of its throat. It was becoming agitated.
“I think you might be holding it too tightly,” Shaden warned.
“It’s gorgeous!”
Eshel let go of its neck and proceeded to hug its leg. It was less stressed than before, but it wasn’t used to being grabbed, so Shaden had to constantly soothe the beast with his power to prevent it from flailing about. But eventually, Eshel’s excitement died down, and she finally began to treat the wyvern gently.
“Did you decide on a name yet?” she asked, her hand on the wyvern’s chin.
“No.”
“I could recommend some if you’d like.”
“I’ll think about it. It’s my first bond.”
She paused. “Yes, that sounds good. Anyways, you need help familiarizing yourself, no? I will teach you how to have fun with bonds.”
Leaving the wyvern inside the pen, Shaden followed Eshel to some storages and retrieved a variety of goods they’d need for the beast. A ball was one of them, as well as a few bones, large pieces of jerky, a leather collar, and other miscellaneous items. The wyvern looked happy after seeing the food.
“Now, since you can’t always maintain your connection with your bond due to mana constraints,” Eshel explained, “you need other means of training it. Though I’m worried that it will fly away tonight without a proper collar and chain. We don’t have many of those.”
“I don’t think it will,” Shaden said, and the wyvern agreed with him. He could feel a little fear from the beast. Had he held it too roughly?
“The smarter the animal is, the longer it will take for it to forget,” Eshel said, “but it makes bonding with them the first time that much more difficult. And you did it! You’re pretty talented.”
Shaden scratched his cheek. “Thanks.”
They ate a quick lunch that they’d brought along with their other supplies and proceeded to play with the wyvern. Shaden quickly found out that when he was bonded with the animal, it would follow every command he gave it superbly without any confusion, which Eshel found to be very impressive. According to her, it wasn’t exactly easy to give commands, even while bonded, since the terms for action had to be set first before the bond moved fluently.
“It shows how smart this one is,” she said.
Before he knew it, many hours had passed and the wyvern had become tired after all the fetching and flying it had done. Shaden had even attempted to ride on its back which had caused cries of objection from Eshel, who said that it was too reckless. He’d relented, but someday, he wanted to fly the skies with his bond.
Someday, definitely.
After setting the wyvern a decent tent and feeding it dinner, Shaden and Eshel went to take a bath before eating dinner with the rest of the family. It was only his second day, but the ways of the Jakhar Kishaks were already seeping into him. The heat, while noticeable, didn’t bother him as much anymore. Though he’d used healing magic a few times because of the sunburns he was getting.
He was surprised when Mayarrack beckoned him to his side before the meal began, in front of his sister—the Auntie—who still stared at him furiously, though with less wrath this time around. Or so he hoped. The old woman’s eyes were thriving with life and vigor, showing none of the gentleness he’d expect to see in an, well, old woman.
After giving thanks, they began to eat, and Shaden was immediately bombarded with questions from the old woman.
“How did you catch the wyvern?” she asked, though came through like a demand.
“Magic,” Shaden replied.
“Eat the meat and cheese after wrapping it. Use some sauce—you eat like a child. Eat with more vigor! All the food will be gone.”
She was saying a lot of things that went against what he’d learned from Eilae, but as he was in their place, he followed them, though it didn’t feel pleasant. He didn’t like the old woman. He didn’t hate her; she just rubbed him the wrong way.
“You began learning yesterday, but you bonded today,” she questioned, narrowing her eyes while she stuffed a roll of pastry in her mouth. “How is that?”
“I’m...talented?” Shaden replied. It didn’t really feel good saying it with his own mouth.
“Take some more meat. And cheese. Vegetables are important,”
She dumped food onto his plate, and while he wanted to tell her that it wasn’t necessary, he didn’t want to upset her, nor anyone there. But he could feel his blood pressure rising. A sip of the sweet fruit drink made him feel better. At least the food tasted good.
Well, she was being considerate. It wasn’t that bad if he thought about it. It was just that his first impression of her hadn’t been too pleasant.
“Now that you can bond, you are part of the family,” she told him. “Family must help one another.”
Shaden knew what that meant. Eshel had been complaining about it. He’d have to do chores now.
“And what should I do?” he asked, half-expecting the answer.
She looked at him. “You can’t do much. But do what you are told to do.”
“Which is?”
“Eat. You are eating too little.”
That wasn’t too bad. But his life would probably become busier now. Well, he’d see how it went, and if he didn’t like it, he could ask Mayarrack. But he wasn’t an irresponsible kid. At least he could help out the people who fed him and gave him a place to sleep.
Come to think of it, he was here to learn, wasn’t he? That’s why he’d been allowed to travel and play for two years.
The buzz of dinner continued to proceed with laughter and debating when suddenly, a servant came to Mayarrack and leaned to his ear. Shaden had a good ear, so he heard what was said.
“There are Watayurk hunters that wish to stay the night.”
Mayarrack lowered his cup. “What are the eastern hunters doing here?”
The servant’s next words made Shaden’s heart sink.
“They are chasing three wyverns that have gone loose. They say they will recompense any damages they have done in return for our hospitality.”
“Ah.”
Mayarrack’s and Shaden’s eyes met, and Shaden knew that his time with his bond wouldn’t be as long as he’d hoped it to be.