Consequence of a Kiss (7)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Kane
Date Posted: 17th February 2026
Characters: P'yanka
Description: Peyanka secures a lift to Barrier Lake Weyr from the Sunstone watchrider
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 13, day 17 of Turn 12
Notes: Follows directly after Consequence of a Kiss (6)
The watchrider stationed at the seahold proper was already up, as dragonriders always seemed to be, leaning against a post with casual ease. His dragon, a giant behemoth of a brown, watched with half-lidded eyes, alert but calm, his hide catching the early morning light with an oily sheen that highlighted the old dragon’s scarred and weathered texture.
Peyanka approached fast, boots scraping, his breath ragged and his imagination running wild in frantic circles. Any moment now someone sent by his father would catch him, surely, clap a hand on his shoulder and drag him back. Lock him in some deep, damp cellar.
The rider’s posture shifted subtly, attention sharpening.
Peyanka’s unease surged back with a vengeance. Lock him up and throw away the key. His hands fumbled with the token. It slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a soft thud. The watching dragon’s eyes seemed to whirl faster.
“Shards! I’m sorry-” Peyanka blurted, dropping to snatch it up.
At the same time, the rider bent too, an instinctive motion, and their shoulders bumped.
“Sorry!” Peyanka said again, mortified.
Glint chattered frantically from his perch on Peyanka’s shoulder, wings flicking, his mind buzzing with agitation.
Peyanka swallowed hard and gathered the firelizard into his arms, pressing him close. With practiced gentleness, he covered Glint’s whirling eyes with one hand and murmured soft, steady words meant for frightened patients and skittish beasts alike.
“Hush now,” he whispered. “Easy. Easy, Glint. It’s all right. You did well. You did so well.”
Glint exhaled a long, slow breath, his body finally loosening against Peyanka’s chest.
The watchrider watched all of it without comment, quietly assessing the youth.
Firelizard finally settled, Peyanka held out the token with a shaking hand. “I have a token for Barrier Lake,” he said, voice hoarse. “I… I need passage.”
The rider’s gaze flicked over him in a single sweep. The rumpled shirt, messy hair, eyes red and swollen from crying, a rucksack far too small to carry a life. He recognised the boy, the visiting dentist’s son, though the knot on the boy’s shoulder was missing and the desperation in his dark eyes was unmistakable. But.. the token was real enough. He pressed it back into Peyanka’s hands.
“When do you want to go?” the rider asked, tone brisk but not unkind.
Peyanka’s throat tightened.
He couldn’t help it. His eyes slid back toward the gravel path that led to the guest cottage occupied by his family, toward the door that had closed on him twice now. Morning light touched the windows. His vision blurred. A sob rose sharp and hot tears threatened to spill out.
He swallowed it down hard.
“Now,” he said, the word raw.
A heartbeat later he caught himself, forcing manners back into place with a shaky voice. “I mean.. as soon as possible.. sir.”
The rider studied him for a long moment. Then, with a small nod, he straightened and turned toward his dragon.
“All right,” he said simply. “Come on, then.”
The brown lowered himself with a rumble that vibrated through Peyanka’s boots. His only boots now. The thought, so absurd given all else he lost, made him choke. The rider offered a hand and Peyanka took it.
A moment later as the dragon launched his breath left him in a rush that was half relief and half grief. He clutched the token so tightly it hurt, as if it, and his desperate gamble for a new life, might vanish if he loosened his grip.
Behind him, Sunstone Seahold woke fully into morning, indifferent and unchanged.
Last updated on the February 28th 2026