Page 113 of Grave Situation

Jaimin’sright (as he usually is), and we see the main farmhouse on a rise to the south almost two hours later. I’m willing to bet it’s not far from a road of some kind—and possibly even a village. No sooner has the thought entered my head, though, than the stone is blasting me with disapproval.

I peer down at my chest and mutter, “I didn’t say we had to go find the village,” even though that was, in fact, what I was thinking. Stupid rock knows me too well. “Can we at least go to the farmhouse?”

~No~

“Rude.” Sure, it looks like it’s maybe an hour’s ride from here, and we wouldn’t even be able to see it if it weren’t on that hill, but it won’t take usthatfar out of our way.

The stone is still giving off negative sensations, though, so I sigh and concede defeat. I suppose we’ll be camping again tonight.

“There is some kind of structure ahead of you. Perhaps a mile away,”Leicht reports.

“Is it empty?”And what exactly does “some kind of structure” mean?

In reply, he sends me an image of a cabin. It’s not all that large, but from this angle, I can see it has four walls and a roof that are in decent repair, and there’s even a covered area attached to the back that would shelter the horses. No smoke is coming from the stone chimney, and I can’t see tracks in the mud that would indicate people have been coming or going.

Leicht’s eyesight really is extraordinary.

“Every part of me is extraordinary,”he boasts, and I focus on screening him out.

“Leicht says there’s shelter for us about a mile ahead,” I tell Jaimin, and he nods.

“It’ll be nice not to camp. I think it might rain again tonight.”

Delightful.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Leicht, actually,” he continues, and I wince. No doubt he’s planning to say the same things Master has been—if Leicht and I are bonded, which it appears we are, I need to stop pretending this will all go away and actually explore what that means.

Much like my feelings for Jaimin, which I’m putting true effort into ignoring, the bond with Leicht is something I’d prefer not to think about.

The ghost of Tia’s impatience haunts me, but I push that aside too. I can’t believe she’d truly want this—to be replaced in this way so completely.

So all I say to Jaimin is a vague “Oh?” Hopefully he’ll get the hint that this isn’t up for discussion.

He does not.

Keeping his voice low so the others can’t hear, he says, “Aside from the fact that you’re underutilizing one of the few tacticaladvantages we have in this fight, have you stopped to consider what the riders and other dragons might do when this is over?”

Leicht’s shock is an echo of my own. “What do you mean?”

Jaimin shrugs. “This bond is completely out of the ordinary. You never went through the riders’ academy and have no training to be a rider. The fact that you’re also a mage is going to make a lot of people very nervous, and there’s going to be political pressure on the riders to act. Leicht was bonded to your sister—the dragons will argue that they can’t allow a precedent to be set where a dragon can be inherited. It gives the impression that dragons are lesser than their riders, or even chattel of some kind.”

Leicht’s growl rumbles through my head.“Relax,”I tell him.“Nobody’s saying that’s true. Only an idiot would believe it.”I heard enough from Tia to know that the dragons take their independence very seriously.

“You think people will try to separate a dragon from his bonded because of politics?” I scoff. “I’d like to see them try. I doubt any of the dragons would allow it.”“Right?”I add privately to Leicht, and get a grunt of agreement.

There’s an edge of uncertainty that worries me, though.

Jaimin shakes his head. “Under normal circumstances, nobody would dare,” he agrees. “But if you and Leicht aren’t showing outward signs of the bond, there are going to be some challenges. There will be people from all three academies who dislike the idea of you having so much additional power. The temples will hate it, and I’m willing to wager some of the monarchs will too.”

“None of them can do anything but talk,” I insist. “Petty envy is something I’ve been subjected to before.”

He sighs. “You’re not listening to me, Talon. Yes, all they can do is talk, but if they talk enough and say the right things, there’s going to be a lot of pressure put on the councils—and thedragons. Bonding a dragon comes with certain responsibilities—military service, for example. If those people start pointing out that you never ride Leicht, that you’re not fulfilling the duties of a rider, that you act more like a mage than a dragon rider?—”

“Iama mage.”

“Right now, you’re both,” he counters. “You’ve bonded a dragon. However that came to be, as much as all of us wish it was different, that’s the truth of it. But you and Leicht aren’t making any effort to deepen the bond, and thatwillbe used against you. Especially since we—all three of us, your master, and the stone—deceived two riders and two dragons. They think this is temporary. That it’s not a full bond. Do you want them investigating ways it could be severed? Do you want them plotting to kill either or both of you?”

I stay silent. Not only do I not have a good answer for that, but I’m also feeling sick to my stomach and somewhat panicky at the thought. I don’t know how much of that is me and how much is Leicht, but it’s fair to say that as much as we antagonize each other, neither of us wants to be forcibly parted—or dead.

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