An Extraordinary Bond by Lorian Lilsiel (best ebook reader for pc .TXT) 📖

She knew it wasn’t a dream when the dragon leaned forward and they touched noses. She had summoned a dragon - and not just any dragon. The rainbow dragon. She could faintly hear the sound of the man frantically scribbling something on the tablet. 

Kara looked passed Opal and back to the altar. Without it, the remaining kids wouldn’t be able to have a ceremony. Thinking about it made Kara sad for a reason she only kind of understood. The bond between a dragon and its rider was said to be even stronger than that of a mother and child. Kara was already feeling attached to Opal, and she hadn’t even gotten out of the dragon temple yet. Knowing that one of the kids behind her might have had a chance at that that they will probably never get again made her feel bad. The whole thing did seem like her fault. 

“Alright then,” the man straightened his robes, “Ms. Woodensly, I congratulate you on your new dragon. You needn’t worry about the altar. We should be able to send a request and get another one before midnight. Hopefully…” The day of the ceremony was important. Twenty-two was a sacred number, and 16 was the age where a child starts to make the transition into adulthood. If they didn’t find a way to hold the ceremony today, the kids behind Kara in line might never be able to. 

Kara slowly started to get up, with the help of both Opal and her parents, who still seemed shaken by Opal but were containing it for the moment. She managed to stay on her feet after she had been stood up. Now that she was standing, she could see that Opal was a good size, and came up to her waist at the shoulder; much bigger than the red the boy summoned earlier. 

As they walked out of the room there was a collective voicing of disbelief throughout the antechamber. The man with the tablet shushed them, “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but there has been a bit of a delay. The summoning crystal has cracked, and we will need to get another one before we can continue with the ceremonies. Feel free to leave for now. A message will be sent when we receive the crystal. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get it in from Colinwood before suppertime. I apologize, but thank you for your patience.”

There was a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some continued to stare quizzically at Kara and Opal. Some were outraged at having to wait, while others looked relieved. The rest simply shrugged and left. Eventually, even the people who were angry left, and Kara and her parents followed. 

The twenty minute walk from the center of town to home had never seemed so long to Kara as it did that day as she walked home with Opal for the first time. Everyone stared at them as they passed by. Kara even saw a few faces through shop windows. Some people were more discreet, and simply stole glances, others full on stopped and stared, mouths open. 

Kara could feel the weight of their stares on her back, and it was crushing. Her parents didn’t say anything to her, not even congratulations. Kara didn’t blame them. This was not a normal occurrence, and they didn’t know how they were supposed to react to it. She figured they would talk when they got home. The wind had only gotten stronger and colder since they had been inside the dragon temple, and it cut through Kara’s clothing like a knife.  

After twenty minutes of walking, Kara and her parents were at the door of their small house at the end of an older, more narrow street. Almost immediately after entering, Kara could hear the twins sequel simultaneously, “They’re back!” Followed by pounding footsteps running down the hall. 

Tyler was just a little bit faster and stopped dead after seeing Opal. This caused Tae to slam into his back, knocking him over. This was followed up by a fit of flailing arms and yelling as they tried to untangle themselves from each other with little success. 

Once they had gotten sorted out, it was back to the stare-of-awe that Tyler had given on walking into the room. After a few unsettling seconds of silence, they started squealing and jumping up and down with excitement. They both ran over and hugged Kara, then tentatively turned to Opal. 

Tae cautiously put out her hand, and Opal pressed into it like a cat. After the same thing happened with Tyler, the twins started hugging Opal. “See sis? I told you you’d get the best dragon in the world!” Tyler smiled at Kara wide enough that you could see his missing tooth. 

“No you didn’t,” Tae gave him a look, “you only said she’d get a dragon. You never said it would be awesome.” 

“No, I said it would be awesome.”

“No you didn’t!”

“Yes I did!” The two started chasing each other around the house arguing. 

“Man it’s loud over here - Oh.” Charles had finally walked in and saw Opal. “Well, I did say knock ‘em dead. I think this probably got some faints, so, close enough I guess?” He gave a nervous laugh and a shrug. Kara felt a settling weight. Even light-hearted Charles was acting differently now. 

Kara laughed at the joke anyway. “Yeah, but I think I’m the only one who fainted, so it kind of defeats the purpose.”
“Oh honey, the attendant was pretty close to fainting.” Her father was trying to help lighten things up. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, you were passed out by then, but the poor man nearly fell over.” They all started laughing, though it wasn’t that funny, so they couldn’t figure out why. 

“Someone seems to have had a good day.” Gail was the last one to join, and froze the second she saw Opal. “I can see why. Sorry I doubted you… I guess?” Gail acting weird was normal, so this didn’t bother Kara as much as Charles’s reaction did, but it still made her feel uneasy. 

“Kara, sweetie,” her mom touched her gently on the shoulder, “you might want to think about what you want to pack. They’ll probably come to get you tomorrow, and you don’t want to forget anything.”

It was then that Kara’s world started falling. The very thing that she had been avoiding was brought to the front of her mind. Training at Colinwood. Her mom was right. They did usually come the day after, so that they had time to sort records and travel. The last thing she wanted was to get to Colinwood and then realize she forgot something at home. “Thanks, Mom. Packing is probably a good idea.”

Kara dodged the twins as she made her way to her room, Opal following close behind. She took her knapsack and packed in her clothes using the rolling technique her mother had taught her. It was a bit of a tight fit, but it worked. She also put in a handkerchief, as her father said it was a matter of preparedness to carry one around, and a rag doll that Dorian, her eldest brother, had given her when she was three. She sat the bag next to her bed along with her gray wool cloak. It didn’t fit well in the knapsack, but she would be able to wear it traveling just fine. The days were still cool, so a cloak would come in handy. 

Kara didn’t have much else. She never learned to read well, so she didn’t have any books. She didn’t have any jewelry because it was too expensive, and she didn’t have any other toys because she had never needed any. 

“Is that all you’re bringing?” 

Kara jumped at the voice. She whipped her head around, trying to find where it was coming from. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me. Opal.”

Kara looked down at the dragon next to her. Opal was looking at her, “You can talk?”

“Of course I can talk. You don’t live for ten thousand years without learning to communicate.”

“You’re… Inside my head?”

“Yes. We have been linked by the summoning ceremony so even in this lesser form I can speak to your mind. Maybe if I regain my former power, I will be able to speak to others again.”

“How did I summon you? You’re supposed to be-”

“Dead? Yes, that is what I thought as well. I have no idea how you summoned me. You are correct in thinking that it shouldn’t be possible to summon me or my six kin. All you can do is put faith in Tara that this is for the better.”

Kara thought to the prayer she had made before her ceremony. She had to trust that Tara had answered it and that Opal wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. “Alright then, I guess I’ll have to trust her… Though I don’t see why the crystal would have broken. I feel sorry for the kids that didn’t get a ceremony…”

“The crystal most likely cracked because summoning me put too much strain on it. Those gems are made to conduct magical energy, but they do have a limit. I’m sure the children that were to go after you will be able to get the chance.”

Kara looked back to her knapsack of belongings. “This is a sign, isn’t it?”

“A sign of what?”

Kara’s eyes drifted around her small room. The brittle bed in the corner, the nightstand that was always covered in dust no matter how much she cleaned it, her dresser that had more drawers than she had clothes to put in them. “I’m not going to be normal again, will I?”

Opal didn’t respond for a few seconds, instead opting to look at the floor. “I think that the next few years will bring you much more than most see in their entire lives. You are not normal, but I think the catch is that you were never meant to be normal in the first place. Be strong, Kara Woodensly. For I fear a storm is coming.”

~~~

The next morning, Kara was busying herself with morning chores while Opal chased mice around the back. The house the Woodenslys lived in was small, but it had a yard that was just barely big enough for a chicken coup. It was Kara’s job to take care of the chickens, which meant collecting the eggs and giving them food and water every morning and evening. Opal just scared the chickens, so she was catching mice to try and help out with something. 

The atmosphere of the house was so tense, even the twins felt it. Carrier dragons made sending messages fast, and with a good horse, a representative of the Rising Dragons usually picked up soon-to-be dragon riders within a day of the summoning. 

Kara picked up the five eggs that were in the nesting boxes and carried them into the house with a basket, setting them on the table before going to talk to her mother in the kitchen. Mrs. Woodensly was busy preparing eggs and toast with jam, something special for what might be Kara’s last meal at the house. She perked up when Kara walked in. “Good morning my little sunshine! Thank you for getting the eggs already.”

“No trouble. I figured I should do it sooner rather than later. No telling if someone will show up or not... I love you Mom.” Kara hugged her mom and kissed her on the cheek. 

“I love you too sweetheart. Breakfast will be in just a minute, so you can hang tight at the table. Your father had to leave to get the bread going, but he said he loves you too.” It seemed like her parents were sure the representative was coming this morning. 

Kara happily ate her scrambled eggs and toast spread with cherry jam. Opal came inside from catching mice through the door Kara had left open for her. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.” Kara and Opal had spent a portion of last night practicing talking to each other with thoughts. It was a little tricky, but it would make things a