Page 64 of Stolen By Dragons

“Look, it’s grown,” he stated as he kneeled down. “This little one is now up to my knee. Maybe our bonding and working together helps them grow?”

“Maybe, mine is bigger too,” Lydia said as she stroked the chin of hers, who was standing beside Zephyr’s, having accepted his silvery dragon as a friend apparently.

Chris's dragon now stood the tallest, the size of a dog easily. And all three of their dragons seemed to have developed a friendship, much like their people. The sight filled me with a mixture of awe and envy. Why wasn't my dragon changing? And why was it so intent on remaining at my side and not interacting with the others?

Suddenly, Zephyr let out a startled yelp, stumbling backward. His dragon immediately moved closer to him, staring at him with its head cocked.

"Are you okay?" I asked as Lydia rushed over to him first, her dragon right beside her.

Zephyr blinked rapidly, looking between his dragon and the rest of us as we crowded around him. His face was a mixture of shock and wonder. "I... I heard a voice. In my head."

“You heard a voice?” Eirian appeared by us, his voice causing a hush to fall over the training area, everyone seeming to listen in.

Zephyr swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving his dragon. "It... it said its name. Aether." He looked at his dragon in wonder. "You can talk? Mentally?”

The silver dragon bobbed its head, letting out a trill that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

Before anyone could react, another voice cried out. "Mine too! I can hear mine!"

Soon, more and more people were reporting the same phenomenon. Dragons were communicating with their bonded people, sharing names and thoughts. The training area was filled with excited voices and draconic chirps.

This was insane, telepathy with our dragons? Even Lydia was a laughing mess as her dragon, Selis, seemed to be communing with her.

Eirian was barking out questions, asking about ancient magic, but it seemed the dragons were stating that their memories were returning slowly, that they were still growing. At least, that’s what their people relayed.

I turned to my own dragon, hope and desperation warring in my chest. "Can you speak to me?" I asked softly, kneeling down to be at eye level with it.

Those purple eyes met mine, filled with an intelligence I couldn't deny, but no words came. My dragon, the smallest of the group now, remained silent. I felt a lump form in my throat. Why wasn't it speaking to me? Was there something wrong with our bond?

Eirian's voice cut through the excited chatter. "I think that's enough for today. We need to discuss these developments. Please return to your quarters. We'll resume training tomorrow.”

As we filed out of the training area, Chris fell into step beside me. The excitement of the session had pushed aside the unease I felt, at least temporarily.

"That was incredible," he said, his earth dragon now large enough to walk at his side rather than ride on his shoulder. "Did you hear anything from yours?"

I shook my head, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice. "No, nothing. It didn't even try to use any abilities."

Chris frowned, glancing at my still-tiny dragon. "I'm sure it'll come in time. They're all developing differently."

“What does it sound like? What’s their name?” I asked.

“This is Traymor, and he sounds like a young man actually, it’s weird. I half expected a childlike voice,” he shared.

“Yes, same here with Aether, although Selis is a female, right?” Zephyr checked, and Lydia nodded. Most of the dragons were now walking with their people, a little too large to be flying around, although a few were just small enough to still perch on shoulders.

I vaguely wondered how the dining hall would change to accommodate this.

We paused in the communal area, and I looked at my dragon on my shoulder.

“Well, I think I want to go sit with Aether and chat,” Zephyr said as he smiled warmly at the dragon at his side. “I know you’re still remembering who you once were, but this is fascinating.”

Aether bobbed his head, and Zephyr laughed at something he must have said mentally.

“Same here,” Lydia said as she gave me a quick hug goodbye.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Chris said softly once they headed off, slipping his hand into mine once more.

I tried to keep from trembling, and then I spotted Ossian entering the communal area, and our eyes locked.

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