Dragonbound: Restoration Book 5

Ryker was stirred awake by Nurra. The small dragon jostled him endlessly until he rose. Sitting up, he looked over to see Kiaran had finally passed out with tear stains across her cheeks. Cyrin, too, had fallen asleep where he sat in the corner.

His mind slowly began to awaken back into reality as he remembered what had transpired. It was heartbreak all over again. Davin was dead. He was gone and Kiaran was pregnant with his child. He watched her with tears in his eyes.

Hearbroken, Ryker stood and followed Nurra into the dark, morning air. The sky was still filled with stars, but held a warm glow to the east. He stumbled with weak muscles, trying to keep up with the rushing dragon.

He grew nervous, his heart in his throat as they moved farther from the center of camp. His nervousness proved true when he came to a stop at the edge of camp. He was being led out of camp. But why?

Nurra, however, trilled. The small dragon insisted he continue after him. After several seconds of consideration, he finally followed Nurra farther.

There was a struggle as he moved through the thick brush at the base of two steep hills. He became tangled in the jagged vines and branches. Yanking himself free, he stumbled forward, landing hard on his hands and knees. His head was bowed, his teary gaze on the dirt beneath him. His fingers dug into the dirt as he tried his hardest to breathe. His teeth clenched, his muscles trembling as fat tears fell from his face.

How could he have let Davin die? Ryker was supposed to be a healer. The Healer. How did this happen? His nails dug into the soil as he sobbed.

Nurra cautiously approached him, touching his nose to Ryker’s hand. He dropped his forehead to the dirt, crying.

“Oh,” a familiar voice made Ryker jump. He quickly sat up with wide eyes, dirt and tears mixing on his face. He saw Estiahn standing ahead, a small hut behind him. He was wiping his hands with a dirty rag, his own complexion exhausted and wounded. “So that’s where you’ve been. Brought a healer, have you?” Nurra purred proudly.

Ryker stood, wiping his dirty sleeve across his face. “Well,” Estiahn began with a weak smile. “I suppose now that you’re here…we can talk about a plan for healing the wounded.”

He followed Estiahn into the two-room hut. He glanced to the doorway leading to the next room. A grim expression set over his face. “Kiaran must be heartbroken,” Estiahn whispered.

Ryker watched him with wide eyes. “I brought him back here. But…there was no healing him. He’s gone.”

“He’s here?” Ryker gasped.

He ran into the next room to see a shadowed body lying on a bed. The room was dark, filled with the stench of blood and dirt. Ryker gripped the doorframe on either side of himself as he stared. How far gone was he?

Rushing to the body, Ryker cried out in fear and desperation. It was him. “Davin,” he cried, gripping his chest. Estiahn had removed his armor and shirt. It seemed, as though, he had tried tending to his wounds.

There was no breathing, no heartbeat. Dried blood was matted across his body and face. “Davin, please,” he whispered painfully as he placed his palms flat to Davin’s chest. “Y-you’re not too far. You’re still warm! I’ll help you.”

Though Ryker’s body grew hot with magic as he attempted to heal him, Davin’s body had no response. “No! You have to come back!” he begged. “You’re not too far! I can feel it. You’re right there,” he begged.

The heat within Ryker spiked higher, his skin a blinding white. It transferred to Davin, almost like a bolt of life shocking through his lifeless body. His heart fluttered and he inhaled sharply, his eyes and mouth snapping open.

“Davin!” Ryker roared, his glowing skin dimming slightly. He, then, healed his broken, battered body, using every ounce of energy he could muster.

Davin’s gaze darted around the room in horror as he tried breathing past the pain and the blood which settled in his lungs. “Davin,” Ryker sobbed again as he saw the pain and fear in Davin’s eyes.

“It’s okay,” he sniffled. He used a spell to set Davin into a deep sleep. He wiped his eyes then began cleaning Davin up. He needed to sleep for a while, to rest and finish healing. He let out a long, exhausted breath as he rested his forehead to Davin’s arm.

“Damn,” Estiahn breathed from the doorway in shock.

“H-He’s okay!” Ryker shouted, his head still bowed. “I put him in a coma until he can heal up more.”

“Ryker,” Estiahn began cautiously. “This…is a very dangerous thing…”

Ryker tilted his head just enough to look at Estiahn. “What do you mean?”

“...Son,” he sighed, leaning against the door frame. “Tell no one of this.”

“What?” he shot up, facing the prior king. “What do you mean? Kiaran needs to know--”

“Listen to me,” he began, “listen…Davin was dead. You brought him back to life.”

“...Well, he was not fully dead. He was right on the cusp,” Ryker said, not totally sure, himself.

“We must remain watchful of him,” he said. “He may be different since you brought him back. So be diligent. Nonetheless, the Mage Queen thinks he is dead. And if he does survive this? He will be an asset. Our strongest force against her. She hates him and fears him. I want no one to know that he lives.”

Ryker fell on his hind end, his palms flat to the ground. “Why?”

“When the time is right, we will reveal it. But only to those who truly need to know,” he explained. “Once he is stable enough…I think he should be moved closer to his brother. So Sterjia cannot sense him.”

“Understood,” he nodded weakly.

“I’ll keep you with me. We’ll heal the wounded and continue to tend to Davin until he is stable. Then, I will take you back to Kiaran.” Estiahn turned and moved back into the front room.

Ryker stood, pulling the blanket over Davin. He couldn’t believe he had healed him. He was alive. “Davin’s alive,” he whispered in shock.

He, then, met with Estiahn who prepared him a fresh cup of water. They sat together, drinking quietly. Finally, Estiahn asked, “Kiaran…Is she healthy?”

“Fair enough,” he nodded.

“The baby?” Ryker’s eyes shot to him in surprise. “I assume you knew before any of us,” he looked at him.

“The baby is fine,” he answered. “She took a blast of magic, it somehow got around her armor. It seemed to be almost ineffective by the time it hit flesh. The baby is fine.”

Estiahn nodded slowly. He ran a hand over his hair, in deep, distant thought. He glanced Ryker over, noting the tear stains down his face and on his shirt. He was filthy and exhausted. “Go and rest,” he said. “You really need your sleep. And do not worry about Kiaran,” he added. “She will be alright.”

Estiahn stepped outside with a weak sigh. He turned to face his visitor, one he hadn’t seen in a while. “Kimana,” he greeted.

The short woman stared at him with a very stern expression. She was often aloof and carefree. However, she was now quite grim. And he knew exactly why. “This isn’t a good thing, you know,” she bit.

“I know,” he replied. “There’s not a thing I can do about it now.”

“Yes there is,” she retorted. “He is meant to be dead.”

“There have been many instances in the past that go against the Destine’s frame. He is no exception,” he said.

“The moment he took a breath, the future went dark,” she retorted. “Kill him. With that, she was gone. Estiahn hung his head and closed his eyes.

He wasn’t going to kill him.