He dropped the rucksack near the entrance to her cave. “Ma, I’ve got to get back before the tharuks miss me.”
Her reply was drowned out by the rattle of a chain. The beast sprang out of its cave, blazing bright orange in the rays of the setting sun.
Orange? Yes, and those were the same green eyes that had been peeking through the hole, watching over Ma. But how?
A thrum ran through his mind. Warmth spread across his chest. A rush of energy enveloped him.
The folds of what had been saggy gray skin by the creature’s side were now orange. They flexed and spread into wings. The beast was a dragon.
The thrum turned into words inside his head. “Thank you for feeding me those berries, Tomaaz.”
“I, ah—you’re a dragon.”
“And you’re now my rider.”
An image of him flying above Death Valley astride the orange dragon shot through Tomaaz’s mind. He felt like a mighty eagle soaring above the valley—free and powerful. “Whoa, that would be amazing.”
“It will be, when we finally fly together, free of this hell.”
“How can we get you out of here?”
“You don’t have to speak, you can share your thoughts and feelings.”
That’s right, he’d done this before while he was touching Handel and Liesar. “Like this?” With a whoosh, something rushed through him, making him want to dance and yell with joy. He approached the dragon, holding his hand out. The dragon bowed its head and sniffed his chest, butting him gently. Tomaaz scratched one of the dragon’s eye ridges. Its scales were warm and supple like worn leather. A rumble issued from the dragon’s throat, like a cat purring.
§
Marlies woke. Her head was clear for the first time in days. She sensed something familiar. Dragon energy? No, not in Death Valley. Unless … Slowly, she got to her feet and, leaning on the walls with her uninjured arm, made her way to the mouth of the cavern. For a moment she was blinded—it’d been so long since she’d seen daylight.
Then her eyes adjusted.
Tomaaz was outside, standing spell-struck before an enormous orange dragon. In her fever-induced dreams, she’d imagined a green eye staring through a crack in the wall. But no, she hadn’t imagined it. That green eye belonged to this bedraggled dragon in front of her son.
She slumped in relief. They’d done it. They’d found Zaarusha’s son. She’d nearly died, but she’d repaid her debt to Zaarusha. Well, almost. She still had to get them all back to Dragons’ Hold.
The poor thing looked half starved. Tomaaz had lost weight too. They were so absorbed in each other, they hadn’t seen her. They were imprinting. She shook her head. This was more than she’d ever dared hope for. Both of her children were dragon riders. Marlies swallowed the lump that rose in her throat, and blinked her pricking eyes.
Perhaps she could help them strengthen their bond. Supporting herself against the wall again, Marlies went back into the cave to retrieve something from her rucksack.
§
Behind Tomaaz, Ma chuckled. She was leaning against the rocky face outside her cavern, holding something out. “You’re imprinting, Tomaaz. You may want to feed your dragon. Here, from my rucksack.” She passed him some dried meat.
Tomaaz took it. Shards, it smelled good. The dragon’s nostrils flared and twitched. Its tongue tickled as it licked his fingers.
“Tasty,” it mind-melded.
“And here I was these past few days, thinking you were going to eat me.” Tomaaz laughed, really laughed, for the first time since Ezaara had left Lush Valley. So, this is why Ezaara had left. This inexplicable intense rush of feelings, this sensation that you could soar forever, this bond and feeling of rightness. This was imprinting. His chest swelled as if it would burst from happiness.
“So, this is Zaarusha’s son,” Ma said. “What’s his name, Tomaaz?”
The dragon’s green eyes regarded Tomaaz. “From now, I am called Maazini, in honor of you.”
“He says his name is Maazini, to honor me. What does that mean?”
Ma sighed. “I wish we could have taught you this when you were young, Tomaaz. When a dragon and rider imprint, their names share a common syllable, so he’s changing his name to match yours.”
“I am grateful that you gave me clear-mind.”
Tomaaz’s chest swelled with pride. This mighty creature was grateful to him. He rubbed Maazini’s nose.
Maazini butted his chest again. “Hide your mother in my cave. I’ll keep her safe.”
“Before you go back, have something to eat.” Ma held out some dried meat and an apple. “But be careful. Too much food might make you vomit.”
Tomaaz bolted the salty meat, then finished the apple, seeds and all. He’d taken good food for granted all his life, but never again. “Here, let me help you.” He shouldered Ma’s rucksack and helped her through to Maazini’s cavern. At the back of the cave, Maazini’s chain was fixed to the wall. Tomaaz yanked at the thick links, pulling with all his bodyweight, but they held firm.
“I already tried that, but all it did was chafe my leg.” Maazini snorted. “Did you really think you were stronger than me?”
“No. So, how can we get you out of here?”
“If I knew that, I’d be gone already,” Maazini replied. “I guess I’m stuck here.”
“No! Pa’s coming tomorrow night. I won’t leave you behind.”
“You might have to,” said Maazini. “A dragon never willingly sacrifices his rider.”
§
It didn’t matter how much Marlies slept, nothing lifted her bone-deep exhaustion. She nibbled on stale flatbread, but food didn’t really help much either. Doubt nagged at her. What if she never fully recovered from using piaua berries? As a healer, she’d treated people that couldn’t
