Page 43 of A Door in the Dark
Stray feathers covered the field. They were so bright and lovely that they briefly distracted Ren from what was scattered beneath them. She’d initially mistaken the white shapes for sun-paled stones. Now she saw there were hundreds of bones decorating the plain.
Ren could feel her stomach knotting. The kobold kept gesturing like the host of an extravagant restaurant. He held up the earring one more time, bowing his thanks, and Ren realized their payment had been for something entirely different than anticipated.
“This is a taming path,” she whispered. “We paid a toll to make our approach.”
“Taming path?” Timmons echoed. “Taming what?”
The answer cut through the clouds above them. A great sweep of impossible wings. They all watched as the wyvern descended, clawed and cruel in the otherwise empty sky.
25
Ren had seen wyverns in the Heights.
She knew those versions had been wild creatures once, but seeing this one made it clear just how docile wyverns became in service to humans. It was the size of a small carriage. A great mane of red hair tossed in the wind, bunching and curving into a dark V at the creature’s neck. The hair ran in a thick line down its spine before forming a whiplike tail that swished as the beast sniffed the air, taking in their scent. Both wings folded neatly into its sides as it began to walk forward.
Scales covered most of its body, alternating between onyx and ivory, a pattern that Ren knew was meant to briefly dizzy its prey. Great talons dragged over the stones as the beast slunk toward them, a menacing growl guttering out of its throat. The eyes were the most startling aspect. Riders in Kathor fitted their mounts with harnesses and ceremonial masks. Even depictions in museums featured such blinders.
Now Ren saw why. Five amber-colored eyes swiveled. Two on the left, two on the right, and one fixed in the middle of the creature’s forehead. It was unnerving to watch each eye spin and rotate separately from the others. It also distracted her attention from the rows of teeth running below them. Ren shook herself. The creature was halfway across the clearing, and she hadn’t thought of a single spell. Any chance of recovery was cut off by the sight of Theo Brood.
He was shirtless.
“Do not move,” he said quietly. “Do not attempt magic. Do not speak.”
Another chest-deep growl. Ren watched as he removed his boots. Pale and exposed, he walked out to meet the creature, skirting bones as he went. Her mind was a flickering pattern of chaotic thoughts. Look at those teeth. If Theo dies, we’re screwed. Look at those teeth. He’s not half-bad with his shirt off. Look at those teeth. She was trying to think of spells as Theo approached the creature.
He set his feet, taking up a stance that made the great wyvern pause. All five eyes were drawn to him. Their flickering attention became flame. And Theo Brood began to dance.
“Well, we’re all going to die,” Ren whispered.
She briefly wondered if this was something he’d read in one of those ridiculous adventure books. His head slid side to side as the rest of his body remained motionless. She saw his golden hair toss with the motion before he swept both arms wide. His hips moved, rotating in time with a song they couldn’t hear. His feet began to shift. She realized the steps weren’t improvised. There was a rhythm to how he stood on his tiptoes, then rocked to his heels. A planned pace that his entire body strained to match. She also noted how the steps allowed him to slowly circle the massive creature.
The wyvern was motionless. Only its eyes trailed his progress. There was a practiced art to his movements. The way his back flexed. The way his chest pumped and folded. Every few steps he would dip, swinging one knee toward the other while looping his hands overhead in tight patterns. It was unlike any dance she’d ever seen before. But all that mattered to Ren was that it was working. Theo completed a half circle. The wyvern had slowly turned to watch. The moment its back was to them, Ren felt her mind unlock. Spells came leaping from her memory. A dozen magics that she might use. As she mentally sorted through them, Theo went completely still.
Ren watched closely as the wyvern tilted its head. The only movement was the fog creeping along the crags above them. The wyvern barked twice, deep in its throat. Ren saw the satisfied look on Theo’s face. It was clearly an invitation to keep going. He resumed the dance as her mind raced through backup options. She had no idea how much longer Theo would have to keep this up, but she did know there were just seven wyverns in Kathor. The mounts were uncommon because the process of taming them was incredibly difficult. If he failed…
She watched him continue to circle, moving easily through the motions now. She couldn’t help thinking about how barren he looked. Not a single scrap of armor or cloth stood between him and those waiting claws. If the wyvern struck, muscles would rip and skin would part and blood would paint the stones.
Ren found herself whispering prayers into the empty air as he performed another tight spin. The wyvern’s stance changed ever so slightly. Ren noticed the way its front shoulders dipped lower. Its rear end was still raised, tail still swishing, but the rest of its body…
“It’s falling asleep,” she whispered. “It’s actually falling asleep.”
The air was cold up here, but Ren saw sweat trickling down Theo’s chest. His pace was picking up. The increase in speed was not random. She saw him performing the same steps and turns. Just faster now. Ren held her breath as he came around for the final few paces. The wyvern’s back end lowered. Its great wings tucked in to its sides. She saw the eyelids growing heavier and heavier. And then the tail stopped swishing.
Theo finished the circle. He stopped his dance by holding the same pose he’d held at the midpoint. The wyvern snorted once, but Ren saw that it was nestling in. It had actually worked.
“Well, that was terrifying,” Timmons whispered.
Ren had to pull her scarf over her mouth to keep from laughing in relief. Theo waited a few moments before breaking his pose. He crept quietly back toward them with all the focus of an adult trying to avoid waking a child who’d finally fallen asleep for the night. His body shook with violent tremors. Ren offered him the discarded shirt. All three of them watched as he shrugged his arms back into the sleeves and started buttoning up. He slid his boots back on before looking at them.
“It will sleep for a few hours. We need to get away from the nest and keep moving.”
Timmons frowned. “But you tamed it? Can’t we fly home now?”
He shook his head. “That dance is just the first step. Riders come up here with all the equipment. The next step is to get a harness around its neck without waking it up. You have to fit a saddle to its back and everything. Then when it wakes up, you have to take it on one ride without dying. Do all of that and you have yourself a tamed wyvern.”
Ren realized that she’d never come across any of this in her research. There was a note about the taming paths that fliers used to access wyvern nests, and certainly it was well known that some sort of submission was required. But the dance he’d just done? She’d thought less of him earlier because of his assumption that he knew things she didn’t. Now she saw it was actually true. He had a different kind of knowledge, a hoarded sort, that only members of the founding families knew.
“What you just did…,” Ren said. “That was incredible.”
