Leyra sprung to her feet and leaped to Kalai, depositing the thoroughly chewed leather ball in his hand.
Tauran raised an eyebrow at Kalai’s smug expression. “Teach me your ways, great dragon master.”
Kalai tossed the ball again and leaned back in his chair, regarding Tauran with a teasing glimmer in his eye. “For a price.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tauran stepped over Leyra when she chased the ball between his legs and stopped in front of Kalai, casting him in shadow. “What’s the price?”
Kalai held his gaze, then broke into a smile. “I’ll tell you later.”
Tauran would come to cherish the day they spent together, as the following three weeks grew busier than ever, and Tauran hardly found the time to see Kalai much beyond delivering meals for Arrow, which in turn had gotten easier after Tauran’s new access to the Sunrise Tower, making it possible to deliver food in far more manageable sizes. But the fleeting visits and brief kisses did little to still the longing growing in Tauran’s chest and the empty spot in his bed - especially after Leyra grew too large to curl up beside him. Once, on a trip to the store to buy an easy dinner, a young woman approached him with an offer of cheap company and he had spent the entire night ashamed that he had considered her offer for just a few seconds.
Even Catria and Roric were so busy Tauran hardly saw them. The three of them had recruit training duty at different times, and when they weren’t training recruits, Catria and Roric patrolled the city borders for sightings of wild dragons, at times even flying far enough to skirt the narrow stretch of water bordering Sharoani. When they returned, Tauran would strain to catch snippets of their reports. Large herds of silverhorn had been spotted moving east, away from dragon roaming grounds. Emilian sent the Ground Guard to try to corral them and herd them back, fearing the silverhorn moving east would prompt the dragons to keep returning to Valreus, but they’d had little success. No man on horseback would ever be fast enough to keep up with a herd of silverhorn, and Roric and Catria were already stretched too thin.
A summer rainstorm brought the first day of rest in a while, and it was as if the entire Sky Guard released a breath of relief. The temperature, too, dropped several degrees, a layer of clouds offering shelter from the sun. As a result, outdoor activity exploded like ants pouring from a nest.
Tauran found Roric at the bottom of the tower lift, loading it with boxes.
“What’s this?” Tauran asked.
Roric smiled widely, greeting Tauran with a one-armed embrace. “I’m moving up!” he said, emphasizing the last word with a finger to the sky. “Tenth floor, my friend. All to myself. Right below the nests.”
Tauran’s eyes widened. “The entire floor?”
Roric winked and clicked his tongue. “That’s right.”
“Someone’s getting popular,” Tauran teased. He pulled a crate closer and leaned against it to take some weight off his leg. When they had first met, Tauran had rolled out his charms for Roric like he so often had. Roric had turned out to be painfully straight, even with a couple beers in him, but they remained close as brothers ever since.
“You know,” Roric said, loading the last box onto the lift and gesturing for the guard to turn the crank. “I could probably get you a better space, too.”
“Nah,” Tauran said. “I’m fine where I am.”
“Really? You don’t even have a window! It’s really not so bad up there.” Roric leaned against the crate next to Tauran, nudging him with an elbow.
“So you say.”
“C’mon. You used to love it.” Roric chuckled softly. “Listen. Things have been so hectic, lately. Why don’t we go out tonight? You, me, Catria, Emilian. Spend a nice evening together. Somewhere really fancy with a few bottles of goldwine. I’ll buy.”
Tauran laughed. “You’ll buy, huh?”
Roric nodded. “Yeah.” He winked again. “I just got a raise.”
Tauran raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Mhmm. Careful, you’re getting replaced as Falka’s favorite sky boy.”
Tauran laughed.
“Come on.” Roric patted Tauran’s shoulder. “It’ll be fun. Just like old times.”
Tauran took a moment to consider. It really had been years since they’d had fun together. “All right. Let’s do it.” Tauran pushed off the crate. “You think Emilian will have time to join us?”
“Sure, he will! He might be busier than most, but I’m sure he isn’t too busy for a free dinner with friends and family.”