Childhood Pact

Tyr reached the Valois estate in time for dinner. When he walked in the large dining hall, he found Hrod sitting at the head of the table eating a seared fish with sauteed spinach and zucchini. Upon seeing her son, she placed her knife and fork onto the plate.

She patted the corners of her mouth with a white napkin. "Tyr, what brings you here?"

He pointed at his mother and smiled. With an ironic tone that stressed his words, he replied, "Perhaps I wanted to see your lovely face."

This response led her to raise a disapproving eyebrow at him. Since moving out, he had become less sophisticated. He often acted like a low-class street urchin, forgetting his manners.

In a serious tone, she stated, "You don't have to be snide."

She thought they parted on good terms last time, so his attitude towards her left her puzzled.

He nodded as he strolled towards her. "You are correct. My manners are in poor taste. I came to discuss an interesting bill that recently graced my desk."

After saying this, he pulled out the folded receipt from his coat's breast pocket. The crisp white paper flipped open and a long list of expenses jumped out at him. Struggling to remain calm, he cleared his throat.

"Now then... let's see... five hundred gold per door handle. Interesting…" he tapped the paper lightly with his finger.

His boots clicked against the wooden floor as he paced. His eyes grew wide.

"What's this?" He gasped with exaggerated enthusiasm and looked between his mother and the receipt. "They require a hundred and ninety-two MILLION gold for the airship you are commissioning."

The vein in his forehead protruded out, causing his handsome appearance to become sharp and criticizing.

A bored expression graced Hrod's face, and she continued her meal. She did not bat an eye at his statement.

Her clear voice carried across the room, "Yes. That sounds correct. Is there a problem? We agreed that I could handle the airship's specifications."

Tyr slammed his hands down on the table. Her conspicuous consumption amazed him. "Of course there is a problem! How can you even justify such a purchase? That money could help all the poor in Marseille to have better homes," he yelled.

He crossed his arms in front of his wide chest and stood to his full height. "You could start a war in a poor country with that money. Are you trying to make all of Marseille hate us?"

No matter how he viewed it the price tag of this airship was ridiculous. Even for their fortune, it was not a paltry sum.

She did not understand why her son became so upset. The family's businesses had been doing better than ever.

She tilted her chin up, in a pompous voice she asked, "Can we not afford it? Were you incompetent and unable to keep the businesses afloat? Even Macha was able to do well enough during the war."

The accusations and challenge to his capabilities angered him.

His green eyes shot to her direction as he growled, "Of course we can afford it. We can afford more than one if I felt like it. All the businesses have shown a larger growth and profit since I..."

"Excellent. Then I see no problem with the price," she interrupted him. Now that she settled that matter, she wanted to calm him. "Does Macha enjoy the airship I gave her for her birthday? Have you two used it yet?"

The mention of Macha derailed Tyr's train of thought. "Uh, yes. We went to a floating island a little while ago. That isn't the point."

His mother was trying to diverge the conversation, but he did not want to let her get away with this.

Hrod recalled the memory bead that her son's girlfriend shared with her and smiled. Her smile was beautiful and made her usually stoic features soften. The surrounding aura changed as she turned on the charm that she only showed outsiders.

"It is the point. We are extremely rich, but you always go on about not spending, using it wisely, charity, and saving. What is the use of having all the gold in this world unless you enjoy it? You cannot take your wealth with you when you die."

She had finished eating, so she got up from the table.

"Now, make sure you enjoy that airship with her. I heard you two decided to co-own the ship."

Her smile was genuine because the mention of that small woman always placated her son. Although she still disliked Macha, the girl had her uses. She would never allow another family in Marseille to own an airship worth more than hers.

Tyr followed her out of the dining room, but before he restarted the argument, a servant delivered a letter. He was going to shove into in his pocket, but he realized it was from Macha. When he tore it open, his brows came together as he read about Aži becoming bedridden.

"Dragon Shit," he muttered.

Hrod turned around, "Excuse me?"

She could not believe her son would utter such a disgusting word in front of her. Before she had a chance to reprimand him, he ran out of the house.

****

When dawn broke, a loud knock sounded on the Swat family's home. A servant opened the door and Tyr came rushing in. His traveling clothes appeared dirty and his hair was askew.

"Show me to the wyvern," he demanded.

When he left, Aži's health had not been that bad. He assumed it was indigestion because the wyvern had been overeating after that one week of starvation. If his friend became so sick as to be bedridden, then they were in danger.

Tyr's life was directly linked with Aži and vice versa. If one of them died, so would the other. It had been a requirement for the pact they made when they were younger. This link allowed both of them to become stronger and helped them to control their magical abilities with more precision.

The servant showed him to Jóhanna's bedroom; he was shocked to find his sister, Luna, in the room. She sat on the floor, testing Aži for any traces of demonic magic.

He turned to Macha, "Has his condition improved any?"

She shook her head, surprised that he returned so quickly. "Not yet. Luna said you should ask the breeder to come and see what could be wrong."

He grimaced. "It would take a few days for the breeder to get here."

His forefinger tapped his lower lip as he tried to think about what to do. He turned to Tai Shan who sat on the small bed. The man looked impeccable and well rested and he envied him.

"Can I use your A.E.M?"

Tai Shan nodded, "Sure. Follow me."

When the two left, Luna glanced up at Macha. Her hands shook as she looked at the results. The strip of paper that she used to test his pee came out negative.

Her voice cracked when she explained, "This doesn't have anything to do with demons. Aži has never had problems like this before."

Macha went down to hug Luna. Her voice was soft and comforting, "Don't worry. He's just a little sick. I'm sure the breeder will be able to help."

She patted her friend's back in an attempt and calm her.

Luna shook her head and pushed her friend away. "No, you don't understand. If anything happens to him, Tyr would... you know, too." With that, large teardrops cascaded down her face.

What Macha just heard left her head reeling. She stumbled to the ground, "What? No, I don't know. What do you mean?"

The 'you know' seemed like it implied death, which was impossible.

Not wanting to utter the word, Luna mouthed it.

Jóhanna saw that Uncle Tyr's sister talked about the wyvern's death and that made her upset.

"No!" she screamed. "No! Get away from him!"

She threw some of her stuffed animals before pushing Luna away from Aži.

"Get out!"

Seeing the child become so upset, she immediately left. A few people in the city owned wyverns, and she wished to talk to them about what was happening.

****

Later that night, Tyr sat on the large bed in Macha's room. It was softer than the one they used at the apartment and his body nestled down into the mattress. The walls of the bedroom were decorated with golden branches running across a lavender silk chinoiserie wallpaper.

They agreed to stay in the Swat home for now until the breeder came. Aži did not want to move, so Macha convinced him to live here for now. They were unsure if moving the wyvern would be too taxing on his body.

Macha massaged his shoulders and thought about what Luna had said.

He never divulged anything like that to her before, so she had to ask, "Is your life linked with Aži's?"

"Yeah," he replied.

He said nothing more, but that one word caused her heart to drop into her stomach. Her small hands tightened on his shoulders. Right now Aži's health seemed dire. She was confused because Tyr's health seemed perfectly fine, but if the wyvern died he would too.

In an attempt to understand, she sputtered, "S-so, so if he dies..."

"I would too. Yes."