I looked at it. The wood was grey and fine-grained and unfamiliar to me. I drew off my gloves and placed my hands on the railing. There. I knew I smelled him. You touched him with your hands, didn’t you? You groomed him. I have never groomed a dragon. You did. And he claims you as his. Verity. It was not a thought I had intended to share. My walls were slipping before this ship’s determination to force his way into my mind.
