Heir of Amber and Fire by Rachanee Lumayno (non fiction books to read TXT) 📗

Sarcasm seemed to be the way Pazho and Dennan communicated best with each other.

After our meal, we gathered our things and said goodbye to our hosts.

“Thank you for putting us up for the night, and for the food,” Beyan said. “Are you sure you won’t take any coin at all, at least for the two meals?”

Dennan shook his head. “Just tell other travelers you meet about my inn.”

“Choose wisely, choose well.” Pazho leveled a serious look at Beyan.

Beyan gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks to both of you, again.”

We turned to go. Pazho pulled me aside as the rest of my group started walking away. He pulled something from his pocket. I gasped, recognizing the amber pendant hanging from the delicate gold chain as the necklace from the marketplace yesterday.

“For you,” Pazho said, pressing it into my hand.

“I couldn’t possibly accept this,” I protested, even as my fingers curled around the piece of jewelry.

“You already have.” He closed my fingers decisively around the pendant and pushed my hand gently toward me. “Think of it as a souvenir of your time in Annlyn. And maybe something else, besides. You’re a long way from home; amber is thought to protect a traveler on their journey. It’s the stone of fortitude, as well. Call on it for courage in the days and hours to come.”

I gave Pazho a sharp look, marveling again at how he could have ascertained so much in just two short days of knowing me.

“Thank you.” I impulsively gave him a hug, slipping the necklace into my pocket. I hoisted my pack up so it sat comfortably on my back, and then hurried after my friends. They hadn’t gone far, and I found them quickly. We joined a small group of people leaving through the just-opened city gates.

“You should have tried harder to give our hosts money,” I chided Beyan as we walked. “They were so generous, and I hate the idea that they lost money on us by being so kind.”

Beyan laughed. “I figured they wouldn’t accept payment. So I gave a bag of coins to Dennan’s niece last night while he was busy and told her to hide it in the kitchen. He’ll find it sometime today, I’m sure. There was enough to cover our rooms and our meals, and a little bit extra.”

I laughed as well, imagining Dennan’s and Pazho’s faces when they discovered the money.

I had wondered how exactly we would find Joichan once we were in the south, but Beyan led our group decisively west of Annlyn. I thought perhaps that he had been to Joichan’s cave before, but when I said that aloud, Beyan shook his head.

“The hardest part of seeking is knowing which way to start the journey,” he said. “It’s not enough to tell me to find a certain dragon. My connection with such creatures depends on being in their general area, and having some sort of link to them. The stronger the link, the easier it is to seek.”

“I haven’t given you anything of Joichan’s, though,” I said, neglecting to mention that I and my necklace might very well have been the link he needed. “How are you so certain this is the right way to go?”

“Because of my father,” he said simply. Of course. Kye’s history with the dragon, and his connection to his son, would be the strongest link of all.

A few hours later, our early morning energy had faded a bit under the midday sun’s blazing heat.

“I wish horses weren’t so easily spooked,” Rhyss complained, shifting his bag on his shoulders as he walked. “It would be nice to not have to carry so much.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t purchased so much, you wouldn’t have to carry so much,” Farrah pointed out unsympathetically.

“All of it is necessary,” Rhyss said. “And as a gentleman, I couldn’t allow you or Allayne to be overloaded as we journey.”

Farrah snorted. “Just admit you didn’t want anyone else to carry the food.” Her stomach grumbled loudly. “Speaking of food...”

Beyan glanced up, assessing the position of the sun in the sky. “I think we can stop for a break.”

We gratefully stopped, unpacking the food Rhyss carried and sharing a quick meal between us. Rhyss, Farrah, and I were glad for the rest, but Beyan seemed agitated and anxious. He bolted his food down and then paced around nervously until Farrah told him, “Go scout ahead, if you’re that skittish.”

Beyan obliged and was soon out of eyesight, disappearing into a stand of trees.

“He’s always like this when we get closer to our target,” Farrah explained. “Something to do with his seeker skills.”

“He once described it like a waterfall, but in reverse,” Rhyss said. “You know how you can hear the water rushing, but faintly, when you’re nearby? And then as you approach it gets louder and louder until you’re at the waterfall itself? Beyan gets that sensation when seeking, but instead of the feeling getting louder, it starts loud, and only goes soft once he’s found the dragon he’s been trying to find.”

“That doesn’t sound pleasant,” I said.

“It’s not,” Farrah said. “He used to get terrible headaches because of it when he was younger. Through training and experience he’s learned to dampen the sensation, but once we’re near the dragon’s area, he can’t stop it.”

“Seeking always sounded like such a glamorous gift, but from the way you describe it, I don’t think I would want that burden,” I said.

“I agree,” Farrah said. Rhyss just nodded as he polished off the last of his meal.

Beyan came back, moving quickly but quietly. “Come on, you lot of lazybones! We’re here.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

AFTER QUICKLY CLEANING up the remains of our lunch, we followed an impatient Beyan. The dragon’s cave, it turned out, wasn’t exactly “here” — it was still a good mile or so from where we had taken our rest. Beyan had discovered the cave, but had not seen any sign of Joichan. He had then hurried back to get us.

As we neared the cave, I wondered