Chapter 17

The first thing Evelyn heard was the buzzing of an overhead light… or maybe it was a bug? It was difficult to tell. Everything was still coated in darkness, though her sense of touch was slowly returning; a soft fabric pressed against her back and covered her lower body. She tried to feel around to get a better sense of her surroundings, but her arms refused to move. All she could figure was she was laying in a bed.

A wave of exhaustion struck her, luring her back to unconsciousness. She did not know how long she had been out, but what was five more minutes of sleep? Perhaps even ten. It was not as if there was anywhere she had to be, or anything she had to do. No one needed her for anything. Not a single… person…

Someone crossed her mind, but the thought quickly retreated into the depths of her mind, so she paid no mind to it and attempted to return to her slumber. But that buzzing got louder as her consciousness came back stronger, making her uneasy. On top of that, she heard the tapping of feet against the firm floor. Three pairs of feet… maybe one… two? Yes, two pairs. It struck Evelyn how hazy her mind was that it took her that long to discern that.

Whoever it was was anxiously pacing to either side of the room, the other stamped the ground impatiently. Were they concerned about her? If so, why? She was just sleeping, though not comfortably given the increase of noise reaching her ears.

I might as well get up… Her thoughts trailed off as she slowly began to open her eyes. Whoever was in the room stopped and called out simultaneously with a second voice that was cut off with the click of a closing door. She could not tell who it was or what they said, but they conveyed relief infused with anxiety.

The fog hanging over her mind slowly dissipated and she thought clearly once more. With that, everything came rushing back, along with an emptiness inside her. An emptiness that could only be filled by one thing.

“Lumin!” She whipped her torso forward and sat up, shooting open her eyes. The bright light hanging over her was blinding. There was a painful tug on her hand as she lifted her arm to shield her eyes.

Slowly adjusting to the light, she could make out the outline of the bed she laid in. She swung her legs off the side and readied herself to rush to her dragon. He should be with her. Why weren’t they fused? Where was he? Was he hurt? She needed to get to him.

A pair of hands pressed down on her shoulders, preventing her from leaping from the bed. She struggled against it, but their grip was firm. “Let me go! I need to find Lumin! I can’t fail him again. I can’t—”

As she tried pushing the hands off her, she felt a sharp, pulling pain on the back of her hand. The words of the voice finally broke through to her. “—vy, stop. Evy settle down!”

The familiarity of the voice calmed her nerves. She blinked away the strain from the light and slowly her eyes adjusted. Standing in front of her, with his hands on her shoulder and a face embroidered with concern was her brother. “Ben? What… What happened?” The first thing she noticed about him was his typically disheveled hair, but something about it was different. It usually looked unkempt, but was at least clean. It looked as if he had not taken care of himself in days. She then saw the bruising around the bridge of his nose.

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“You’re one to talk. You made me so worried, Evy.”

Looking around, she noticed they were in a small emergency room. A heart monitor with wires connected to her chest beeped rapidly. An IV went into her hand, which explained the tugging pain she felt. She was grateful that Benjamin stopped her from running away. The annoying buzz was from the light overhead. It flickered in brightness as if the bulb in it was going to go out any minute. The rest of the room was barren apart from some cabinets and a couple seats along the wall, one of which Benjamin sat in after he dragged it to her bedside.

As Benjamin released his grip on her shoulders, the door at the far corner of the room swung open. Isak and a Faiyan doctor walked through. The old rider looked as though he had gone through another decade of aging. The pockets around under his eyes were dark and baggy.

To Evelyn’s relief, the doctor turned off the sound of the racing heart monitor. With various tools, the doctor gave her a quick examination. As she did, Isak leaned against the wall and said, “about time you woke up. How are you feeling?”

“Sluggish, my mind feels like it’s in a puddle of mud.”

The doctor finished her examination, hanging the stethoscope around her neck. “Vitals are not perfect, but have improved.” She disconnected the IV bag and removed the needle from Evelyn’s hand. “I would like to keep her for another day for observation. Then at least a week of rest.”

“How long was I out?” Evelyn asked.

“Two days,” Isak said with a bluntness that crushed her spirit. “I hoped you would wake up sooner, but you drained so much energy with that stunt you pulled.”

She looked down at her feet. Then with a burst of energy, she leapt from the bed, startling Benjamin. “Lumin!” As quickly as it came, the energy evaporated out of every pore in her skin. She became light headed and her vision faded. Before she knew it, she was sitting on the bed again, not remembering the fall. The only reason she was not lying down was because her brother caught her, putting a hand on her back to keep her upright.

After giving her brother a thankful nod, she turned to Isak. “Is Lumin alright? Where is he? I need to see him.”

Before Isak could respond, Benjamin interjected. “Forget the dragon. Your rest and care is more important.”

She shot her brother a stern glare, but he did not back down.

“He is alive,” Isak said. “Though he has yet to wake up. I will not sugarcoat it, he’s in bad shape.”

“I need to see him.”

“Evy,” Benjamin said sternly, “you are in bad shape, too. Please rest.”

“Your brother is right. You should rest.”

“Bring. Me. To. Lumin.” With fierce emphasis on each of her words, she locked eyes with her elder rider, and he stared back. It made her skin crawl with cringe, but she was determined. If she were to do anything right, she was going to be there for her dragon.

She could not tell if he was in conversation with Safir or not, but Isak kept their staring contest going. When she didn’t back down after a full minute, Isak let out a heavy sigh. He gestured to the doctor to remove the sensors connected to the monitor.

The doctor gave him a curious look, which Isak responded with a crossing of his arms. “You would allow this if it were a companion seeking their ichneumon.”

She reluctantly complied and removed the sensors taped to her chest and back. “Bring her back as soon as possible.”

Once the doctor left the room, Evelyn slid off the bed, leaning against it in case she fainted again. Her legs wobbled and she nearly fell again, but she maintained her balance and started toward the door.

Benjamin grabbed her arm. “You are not thinking straight, Evy. Get back in bed.”

She yanked her arm away and got in Benjamin’s face, their noses inches apart as she glared into his eyes. “I’m going whether you like it or not. Come with us if you want, or don’t. I don’t care. But I’m visiting Lumin and you can’t tell me otherwise.” She did not wait to see his reaction or reply, she just turned away and followed Isak.

Once they were around the corner, she heard a groan from the room. “Fine! Let’s see the stupid dragon.” That irritated Evelyn, and she wanted to say something, but she knew this was the closest to acceptance she was going to get. Besides, she needed to conserve as much energy as possible.

Isak led them down a long hall on the side of the waiting room. At the end was a similar waiting room, but instead of decorations and furniture built for humans, it looked similar to a vet clinic’s waiting room. Chairs spread out, but enough space for an animal, or in this case —as Evelyn assumed— for ichneumon.

The receptionist did not hesitate to let them through when he saw Isak. Evelyn assumed he knew their intentions as he directed them to the third room on the right down the short hallway.

As they approached the back rooms of the clinic, Evelyn began to feel a sense of loneliness, like a piece of her was missing and she was lost in the void. The further they walked, the greater it was. That combined with her drained energy, she found it difficult to stand up straight, let alone walk normally. Only by sheer will to see Lumin did she stay upright.

Isak knocked on the closed door. After a moment, it creaked open just enough to see a sliver of the older woman on the other side. From what she could see, Evelyn guessed she was Aonachan given the curly, brown hair lined with gray. “Back so soon, Isak?”

“I brought guests this time.”

“You know we can’t allow just anyone to…” Her voice trailed off when her eyes drifted to Evelyn, who was trying to look beyond her, with little success. Looking her up and down, the woman smirked. “Ah, I see. You must be his rider.” The door clicked shut and Evelyn could hear the healer fiddle with a chain before swinging it open.

Disregarding general manners, Evelyn skirted around her and looked for her dragon. As she laid eyes on the yellow form laying on a table topped with thick cloth, the overwhelming dread of isolation became too much. She stumbled forward and barely caught herself on the bed. The aching in her chest made it hard to breathe. Tears started rolling down her face.

From a rush of adrenaline, she managed to push Benjamin away as he tried to help her up. She did not realize she had even done that until she heard a thud from him landing on his rear. What possessed her to do that, she did not know, and she needed to apologize later. For now, her focus was on Lumin.

In his comatose state, he looked every bit that Evelyn felt.

His legs kicked out every few seconds; wings tucked tightly against his sides, folded forward so they covered his chest as well. The lids of his eyes were pursed shut as the corner of his mouth quivered. It was clear that the pure loneliness Evelyn felt was not her own. It was Lumin’s.

Benjamin again tried to usher Evelyn up, but she refused, forcing herself to remain at eye level with Lumin. She reached out and placed her hand on the dragon's side, stroking him gently.

Isak’s large hand gripped her shoulder, but as he was beginning to pull her back, Lumin’s body relaxed. The tension in his extremities released and the trembling ceased. His breathing returned to normal and his mouth almost curled into a smile. At the same time, the dread from the feeling of loneliness she felt faded, her own emotions returning to the forefront of her heart.

Seeing this, Isak released her and backed away. The healer knelt beside Evelyn, looking at Lumin with astonishment. “I’ve tried everything to calm him, but nothing seemed to work. To think I overlooked the presence of his rider. Foolish of me to think he could not have a strong enough bond at this age.”

Continuing to comfort Lumin, Evelyn glanced at the healer. “What do you mean?”

“Dragons and riders may bond, but that does not mean they immediately form a strong relationship. That takes time. I never expected a dragon this young to trust and love you so deeply.”

I don’t deserve that trust… This was my fault. If I just… Her thoughts trailed off as Lumin stirred and she had a glimmer of hope that he would wake up. When he didn’t, Evelyn looked back at the healer apologetically. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have barged in like that.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Not a worry, darling. I would be more concerned if you hadn’t rushed to see him. My name is Norah, it is nice to finally meet you, Evelyn.” When Evelyn leaned back in surprise, Norah gestured to Isak. “Isak told me your name. As healers, it is important to know who a dragon is bonded with.”

It was not just the fact she knew her name that surprised Evelyn. The healer’s name sounded oddly familiar, but Evelyn did not know why. Norah was not a common name in Aonach, but something about it gave her a sense of familiarity.

“Thank you for watching over him, Norah. When do you think he might wake up?”

Norah shook her head. “It is hard to tell in situations like this. Based on his readings, he had only a sliver of magic left. On top of that, he regained little energy in his frantic state. Now that he is calm, the deficit will shrink at a greater rate, but it is difficult to give a timeline.”

“This is why I told you not to use his abilities,” Isak interjected. “The only reason you two are still alive is because you used his breath weapon.”

“Oh don’t berate the girl right now, Isak. Let them recover and then lecture them. Besides, based on your report, it seems she saved your butts by doing so,” Norah said.

Isak scoffed and crossed his arms. “Tell that to the egg we lost. There was only a single guard and rider remaining. An inexperienced one at that. Safir and I would have dispatched them quickly enough.”

“He’s right,” Evelyn said. “I should have listened to his plan. Instead I tried to be a hero and…” Her voice trailed off as she felt a deep rumbling in Lumin’s chest.

“Not… her fault…” To everyone’s surprise, Lumin's eyes opened slightly. He looked up at Evelyn, giving her a trembling smile. He then shifted his eyes to Isak. “My… idea…”

“Lumin!” Evelyn crumbled onto him, wrapping her arms around him in a deep embrace. A deep purr rumbled in his chest, though he did not move. “Don’t blame yourself, it’s my fault. I should have thought of something else.”

Isak stood still for a moment, silently observing the young dragon. “Even if it was your idea, your rider should have the wherewithal to not take a risk like that,” he grumbled, but then relaxed. “But it is good to see you awake.”

Lumin tried to sit up, but he struggled to even lift a wing. She held him down with one hand and caressed his cheek with the other. “Rest, sweetie. You are in no shape to move around. Go back to sleep, I’ll be here.” She heard her brother grumble something, but she ignored him.

“You need… rest, too.”

Before Evelyn could protest, Norah put a hand on Evelyn’s back. “His concern is well founded. You both require rest, though I can talk to your doctor about visiting again.”

Evelyn tilted her head. “You can understand him, too?”

Norah shook her head. “Not in the way you do. I can see the concern in his eyes. When you’re a healer for as long as I’ve been, you learn to listen to dragons in different ways. Now go rest.”

She gave her a half smile and turned back to Lumin. “I won’t be far.”

Lumin nuzzled his snout into her palm and closed his eyes.

Three more days had passed since Evelyn woke up.

The first day, the doctor only allowed her to visit once more for just a few minutes, which was marred by her brother's draining presence. The second day, when she was able to walk without her brother's assistance, she was able to visit him more frequently. This allowed her to evade Benjamin entirely.

While he did not wake up, his body relaxed more as if he could sense her presence, which pleased Norah.

According to her, he no longer had fits in his sleep, but he was still restless when Evelyn was not around. That worried Evelyn, but the healer reassured her that Lumin was recovering well after her first visit.

Midway through the third day, he awoke with renewed spirit. His first act was to try to leap and bound around the room; it took a concerted effort between Evelyn and Norah to keep him still to properly remove the special IV’s from his foreleg. What convinced him to calm down was Norah’s promise to explain what an IV was and how the needles got around a dragon's impenetrable scales.

Evelyn was relieved he sat still for it, and not just because she feared he’d hurt himself. She still wished to learn about healing, since this would most likely be as close to her dream of becoming a healer as she would get.

“There is only one thing that can penetrate a dragon's magical scales: Other magic,” Norah explained. “The needles used for IV’s and vaccinations are made from a material infused with dragon scales. It can also be made with ichneumon frills, though they were always reluctant to offer any for obvious reasons. Though that alone is not enough to penetrate the scale itself, it is enough to pierce the skin. Look closely at the IV still attached.”

Both Evelyn and Lumin looked closely. The tube was still taped to him, but it had been disconnected from the fluid drip. The needle protruded from his leg, but instead of piercing through the scale, it slipped under the scale from the open side.

“We use a special technique to lift the scale and pierce the skin. Perhaps I could show you sometime.”

As much as she wanted to accept the offer, she had to temper her excitement. Nothing could get in the way of her first priority: being Lumin’s rider. “I’m sure you’re busy, I would not want to take up your time.” Lumin seemed disappointed at that response.

“Riders typically have little interest in the healing side of dragon care. But I believe it is good knowledge for anyone to have. I am also aware you were once slated to be a healer yourself, so I would imagine it still piques your interest. It would be a pleasure to share this knowledge. Besides, I currently only have Foto, Lumin and the eggs to worry about. A far cry from my typical duties.”

Evelyn previously tried to press Norah about her background, but beyond her education —similar to what Evelyn would have gone through if she did not meet Lumin— Norah kept her role under the empire to herself.

As for her offer, Lumin begged Evelyn to accept it. “We may have to run it by Isak… but so long as it doesn’t interfere with our training, I don’t see why not.”

“Don’t worry about it, I will let Isak know,” Norah said.

For the rest of their time in the clinic, Norah performed tests and examinations on Lumin while explaining every step and the reasons behind them. It was a nice distraction for Evelyn.

While she had not talked to Isak about it since the day she woke up, she placed the responsibility on her own shoulders to tell Camadh what happened. It was a conversation she dreaded, but knew was necessary.

Just before evening, Norah discharged Lumin, allowing them to return to the nursery. Per her instructions, they were not to fuse again until the next day. While that disappointed Evelyn, as she missed the touch of Lumin’s mind, the brushing of his wing against her hip as they walked brightened her mood.

Through the bond, she could feel Lumin’s relief to return to the nursery and sleep near Evelyn again. That always involved using Evelyn as a makeshift pillow, and his growing size left less and less room for Evelyn to lay on the bed. But she too missed the comfort of his presence.

Both were surprised at what they saw when they opened the door.

Three people sat upon the beds, stopping their conversation to watch Evelyn and Lumin walk in. Their stares were not curious and they were not welcoming, not even indifferent like the ones from most Faiyans now. They were disapproving, and Evelyn felt the brunt of it.

The tension in the air was cut through by the man on her left speaking first. “You’re his rider?” After a second look, Evelyn recognized the man as she got a bad taste in her mouth.

“Landon? Why are you here?”

“You’re already buddies, huh?” The girl on the middle bed asked, looking between the two.

“Hardly. He tried scamming my brother and I when we were looking for Isak.” The girl in the middle began laughing historically while the girl on Evelyn’s rolled her eyes. Evelyn wondered if she noticed the sag on the frame caused by Lumin’s presence.

Landon crossed his arms and smirked. “It was just business, sweetheart. Pocketed ten segile from your arrogant brother.”

“…For the resistance.” The girl on Evelyn’s bed said.

Landon briefly stammered. “Of course, I was getting there. Either way, it seems Isak found you regardless. So it was a win-win.”

“Fortunately...” Evelyn turned her attention to the other two in the room and placed a hand on Lumin. “My name’s Evelyn, and this is my partner, Lumin.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Lumin said.

Before she could repeat his sentiment, the girl in the middle gasped while the other girl tilted her head and asked, “Wait, how old are you?”

Lumin looked down and started counting on his claws— something Evelyn taught him while in the clinic. “I think… eight.”

”Weeks old?” Landon asked.

Evelyn shook her head. “Days. He hatched eight days ago.”

From Evelyn’s bed, the girl walked over and knelt in front of Lumin to examine him. “Interesting, I’ve never heard of a dragon speaking full sentences in their first month, let alone first week.” Lumin lifted his head in pride. “I’m Riley, it’s nice to meet you, Lumin.”

The girl in the middle waved. “The name’s Violet, and you already know Landon apparently.”

“So you can understand me,” Lumin said happily.

Riley nodded and gestured to the corner of the room. On a nest of hay sat the two eggs they recovered, shining brightly under a sunlight lamp. While the flamebreath egg was dry, the aquafin egg had droplets of water rolling down its shell. They must be the prospective riders Fukayna mentioned, Evelyn thought.

“In case you’re curious,” Riley said, still looking at Lumin. “The flamebreath will hatch soon, but the aquafin is still a few weeks away.”

“How do they choose who gets which egg?” Evelyn asked.

At first, it seemed she was ignored. It was only when Lumin glanced up at Evelyn then back at Riley did they answer. “The dragons will choose when they hatch. We were all meant to be paired up, but…” Riley shot a dirty glance at Evelyn. “Because one of the eggs was lost, one of us will be left dragonless.”

A pang of guilt stabbed at Evelyn. It was no surprise Isak told them what happened, but it was still demoralizing. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lumin apologized instead.

“Sorry… We tried our best, but I wasn’t good enough.”

“Tch, you ain’t to blame, little guy,” Violet said, joining Riley and Landon in their visual assault.

Averting the glares, she guided Lumin’s eyes to meet hers. “Let me take the blame, sweetie. You’re young and learning, and I was being naïve.”

“Still…”

An alarm went off next to the eggs, startling Lumin. Riley gestured to Violet, who leapt from her bed, grabbed a spray bottle and coated the purple egg with a thick mist of water.

“What is that for?” Lumin asked.

“Each type of egg has certain requirements, as your rider should know.” Riley looked at Evelyn and seemed disgusted at her confused expression. “You’re telling me you don’t know? Weren’t you supposed to be a healer?”

“I… was never told. I only just got accepted to the academy, and there’s little information about dragons available to the public. The only thing I could think of was to treat his egg like a large reptile's egg.”

“So you took care of his egg like an animal?” Violet asked, seemingly offended.

“It’s a shame he got stuck with you. You only got lucky that Shockwing eggs don’t require anything special,” Landon said.

Lumin let out a deep growl, baring his teeth at Landon. “I didn’t get stuck with her, I chose her. My mom trusted her.”

“Just kidding, little guy,” Landon said, holding his hands up. “Sort of…”

The gentle petting Evelyn gave his head calmed Lumin down.

Riley continued her explanation of the different ways each egg was to be cared for. That explanation turned into a full lecture on caring for eggs of all kinds at Lumin’s request. Evelyn attempted to include insight from her veterinary experience, hoping to ease some of the tension her lesser experience with dragons caused. Unfortunately, it did not.

As the conversation started to wane, so did Lumin’s energy. He struggled to stay standing, so Evelyn ushered him to the hay opposite of the eggs. She too felt the wave of sleep laying siege to her mind.

The riders noticed and reclaimed the beds they were sitting in when Evelyn showed up, muttering complaints about her getting to rest for the day. Only three were placed in the nursery, meaning someone would have to sleep on the floor. Evelyn eyed the bed Riley sat upon, receiving a challenging glare in return.

“Don’t worry I wasn’t going to retake that bed.” Like a dog, Lumin circled and fluffed the pile of hay. Evelyn grabbed a pillow and sat in it, using excess hay as a back cushion. With a thud, Lumin collapsed next to her, using her lap as a pillow. Each rider gave them weird looks, but Evelyn ignored them, keeping her focus on Lumin, who quickly succumbed to sleep. Shortly after the riders left for a lesson with Isak, Evelyn found sleep as well.