The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 51

Ralf was exhausted. He had been riding Mirum as fast as he could for as long as she could go. He was cold, dirty, and still trying to make sense of what happened. He had his answer. Now he only needed to make sure he returned safely to deliver it. It was easier said than done. Mirum had been flying nonstop and Ralf was struggling to stay awake. She was pulling on him for energy, using the dragon bond. Ralf felt the constant tugging, felt her draining his energy. It was difficult to stay on the saddle when she did that; difficult to stay awake and not fall over with sleep.

"Mirum," Ralf murmured, struggling to keep his eyes open. "Take it easy on the bond, or you'll have to fetch me when I fall over."

She craned her neck to look back at him. "Sorry. We're almost there. The sooner we make it back, the sooner King Alan can make preparations."

"There's just one problem," Ralf pointed out, Mirum oblivious. "If you suck all the energy out of me I won't be awake to tell him the answer, no matter how fast we get there."

Mirum huffed frustratedly, but reduced her speed, thus decreasing her pull on Ralf's energy. It was enough to keep his eyes open, but not much else.

He was uncertain of how much time had passed. Eventually the familiarity of his kingdom came into view. When they reached the castle, Mirum wasted no time. Rather than drop him off at the castle entrance, Mirum decided it would be more efficient to take him in herself. Luckily, the castle was made for such an occurrence. The doors were dragon height, allowing Mirum to enter with only having to duck her head a little to avoid hitting the archway.

News of their return spread remarkably fast. Ralf's parents met him the moment they entered the doors. He noticed the look of relief on his mother's face and hoped she hadn't spent the entire time he was gone worrying.

King Alan helped his son out of Mirum's saddle and pet the dragon affectionately. "You've done well, Mirum," the King said in appreciation. Ralf wasn't sure what else his father said to his dragon. There was a ringing in his ears that only blissful sleep could cure.

He had to put an arm around his father for support. He was so tired he could barely stand. Ralf had no idea what time it was, but judging by his parent's robes and Elysia's hair, he guessed it was either very late at night or early morning.

His sister ran over to give him a brief hug, her guardian ever present by her side. Shade gave Ralf a nod, though Ralf wasn't sure what that meant. He nodded back regardless.

At some point, Mirum had left to return to the Dragon's Den, to rest and recuperate no doubt. Somehow--with the help of his father--Ralf managed to make it to the King's Study, where his parents, Elysia, and Shade gathered around him anxiously.

He must have dozed off because he was startled to Elysia grabbing his shoulders and shaking three times. He yawned, but sat up straighter, willing his eyes to stay open if only for a few more minutes. Mirum had really taken it out of him.

"Well," Elysia asked impatiently. "What did they say?"

"First of all," Ralf said, forcing his eyes open, "I don't know why Shade made such a fuss about it. The trip was a breeze, practically a vacation. The destination was lovely, a beautiful mountain really."

Elysia was frowning, his mother looked worried, King Alan looked annoyed, and Shade was smirking.

"I give it five stars," Ralf went on, finding himself hilarious. Lack of sleep was doing strange things to his sense of humor. "The Fates were a little rude, but other than that, I'd go again."

"Ralf!" Elysia yelled, her patience clearly dissipated. "What did they say?"

Ralf laughed, unable to stop himself. Everyone was in such a rush. He supposed he should be too. "Fine," he agreed. "They did answer my question."

"What was their answer, exactly?" King Alan said, his arms crossed. Clearly his patience was fading too.

Ralf sighed. "They didn't exactly have anything pleasant to say. A lot of talk about how the odds were not in our favor. They did some weird thing where they looked into the future. Something about how there were hundreds of different outcomes, but only one that benefited us."

"What does that mean?" Elysia asked.

"It means," Ralf said, leaning back into his chair, "we have only one possibility of winning this war. If we fail to take the necessary step, we will lose."

King Alan leaned forward. "What do we have to do?"

"We have to ally with the kingdom of Bacciballum. If we fail to earn their help in the war, then we lose all hope of winning."

Judging by the look on his father's face, Ralf sensed this was not the answer he had wanted. Bacciballum was a kingdom that kept to itself. A kingdom of women, nonetheless, which Ralf was beginning to think may not be the best thing. In his limited experience, women had a habit of changing their minds and abandoning their commitments at the slightest inconvenience. He found his feelings toward Karolina were becoming embittered.

From history lessons, Ralf knew well enough that Bacciballum was a defensive kingdom. Forming an alliance with Lyra would be an offensive move in the eyes of its neighboring kingdoms. Bacciballum's current status allowed them to remain an isolated kingdom, their only inconvenience an occasional scuffle with Impetus, the kingdom they had originally derived from.

Ralf himself had not been pleased with the answer the Fates had provided. It would have been nice to have at least one alternate solution. Now the fate of their kingdom relied solely on forming an alliance with the most isolated kingdom in the land. If they failed to ally with Bacciballum and lost the war, his family's reign would be over. His kingdom would be overtaken, his people enslaved. Dragons--endangered as they were--would be hunted to extinction.