AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If that is what you meant, then why was it not what you asked?” Reka complained. “I begin to understand why my father always told me that humans are poor communicators themselves, yet absurdly quick to be frustrated with the communication of dragons.”
“Never mind that,” said Heath quickly. He had no desire to hear another long-winded recital of all the lessons Reka’s father had imparted to his son about humans, gleaned primarily from his interactions with Heath’s grandparents. “It doesn’t matter how the barrier got here. Let’s see if we can find the gi—the people who live here.”
“It might not matter to you,” Reka retorted, “but it is a matter of great interest to me to know what became of the dragons who lived here.”
“The dragons who…what?” Heath paused in the act of stepping over a large rock. “Okay, I’m totally lost.”
“What do you mean?” Reka asked, his head tilted to the side as his gaze passed from Heath to the jungle ahead of him. “How can you be lost? We haven’t even left the beach yet.”
“No, Reka, I meant—” Heath cut himself off, drawing a deep breath and willing himself to be patient. He had waited a week to look for the girl and her people again. Another few minutes wouldn’t make a difference.
“You think the magic barrier means that dragons once lived here?” he tried again.
“I don’t think anything of the kind,” said Reka, sounding slightly offended. “I know that dragons lived here, and I didn’t need the barrier to tell me that. The evidence of their presence was obvious to my senses when we were here last time, just as it was indisputably clear that they are no longer here. The question raised by the barrier is why they didn’t remove it when they left, and by extension, what caused them to leave.”
Heath stared at his friend. “You could tell last time that dragons once lived here?”
“Certainly,” said Reka calmly, his expression a trifle smug. “You couldn’t?”
Heath closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. Reka’s father might think himself an expert on humans, but Heath had heard the tales, too. And he was starting to understand what his grandmother had meant when she told him once that there was little logic to be found in what information dragons did and didn’t consider necessary to share.
“No,” he said aloud. “I couldn’t.” He frowned slightly. “Are you sure what you felt wasn’t just the same magic that hung around the girl I saw?”
“Positive,” said Reka.
“I wonder what did happen to the dragons,” said Heath, looking at the ruins visible from where he stood. “I wonder if it was the same thing that happened to the humans.”
“Unlikely,” said Reka with maddening superiority. “Humans are easily displaced or disposed of. It would take considerably more to dislodge a colony of dragons. I conclude that the dragons must have left by their own choice.”
Heath rolled his eyes. “Of course you do.” He hoisted his rucksack up on his shoulder. “Enough chitchat. Let’s go.”
He led the way up the beach, the dragon loping unhurriedly behind him. For lack of a better place to start, Heath headed for the lagoon again. Reka lingered behind to sniff curiously at a ruined archway, so Heath was once again alone when he pushed his way through the trees and emerged at the edge of the inlet. His eyes scanned the area eagerly, and he froze where he stood.
She was actually there.
Heath blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. As much as he had come here looking for her, the idea that she would just be floating there waiting for him was too absurd for him to actually believe it.
And yet, there she was.
It was undoubtedly the same girl. Her wild, tangled hair and the restlessness in her dark eyes were unmistakable. He’d never seen anyone quite like her.
Their eyes locked once again, and he had to fight his first impulse. Running toward her and shouting for her not to disappear again would probably have the opposite effect. Instead he stepped forward tentatively, extending a hand, palm open, in a gesture of peace.
“Please, don’t leave,” he said carefully. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Yes, I did lose my head a little last time, didn’t I?” she responded frankly.
Heath blinked, his hand dropping to his side.
“I don’t usually startle so easily,” she continued, her words clear despite an unfamiliar accent. “I’ve just never seen a creature like you before, and it rattled me more than I care to admit.” She swam closer to the shore, her strokes sure and confident. “The truth is,” she said matter-of-factly, “I didn’t actually think you existed until I saw you.”
“I, uh…what?” Heath said stupidly. This encounter was not going the way he had expected.
“But I’m very glad you came back. I wanted another chance, and I have so many questions. My name is Merletta, by the way.”
“I’m…Heath,” Heath said. He would have liked to have thought of something wittier to say, but his mind was still blank.
“Greetings, Heath,” she said. Her tone was stilted with the awkwardness of someone who was unused to formality, but felt the need to attempt it. As a result of his noble rank, Heath had often come across such demeanor in those of the poorer classes.
