Chapter 8

The Hunt

When are you going to tell her? Ralem asked as they made their way through the forest. And why on earth did you invite her, he wanted to ask, but didn’t think this was exactly the best place to do so.

When the opportunity comes up, Jaydon answered as he stepped over a large fallen log, keep up. Ralem just noticed how far behind he was. While Arianna and Jaydon moved like cats in the forest, Ralem was left behind as he tried to avoid stepping on the quicksand-like mud.

I’m trying to, he said, grimacing when he found himself ankle-deep in the muck. With a tremendous effort he pulled himself out but one of his boots didn’t follow. Curses, he thought as he tried to pull it out. But the muddy water just filled his boots to the top and it slowly sunk deeper into the mire. Scowling, he gave up and kept trying to keep up with the rest. They were already disappearing in the forest. Anxiously, he tried hopping, then gingerly treading on the forest floor, but thorns heavily infested the area, and he could hardly walk without tripping all over himself as they caught on his clothes and bit into his foot. He said more than one curse as he continually got nailed by a viciously curved thorn. When he stepped on a particularly nasty web of stickers, he was forced to sit down and painstakingly pick out each one. By the time he was done, he had one bloody sock, a particularly bad attitude, and was completely lost.

Oh great. Here I am in the middle of the forest more lost than a bird that fell out of its nest, with who knows what kinds of creatures out there looking for a good meal.

He thought, scanning the surrounding area for any sight of his “friends” or an unfriendly animal. When he didn’t see anything he kept hopping, trying to remember where they had gone and where he had went. I need to be able to go back and get the Jul-whatever before some carnivores gets it so I could show it to the Queen. He thought about the stories that would be told about his kill for decades to come. Not to mention the possibility of a prize…

A crash in the bushes startled him from his reverie. Now he had absolutely no protection. No weapon, no armor, no dragon, and he felt completely vulnerable. He stood stock-still, his eyes searching for something he could use to defend himself. The animal jumped out of the bushes in a flurry of brown fur. Ralem yelled and jumped backward, his heart hammering in his chest.

But instead of attacking the animal just bounded away on graceful long legs.

“A deer?” someone snorted, “Really?”

Ralem was relieved when Jaydon jumped down from a tree nearby. “We have been waiting here forever. Are you usually this slow?”

“No,” Ralem said grumpily, “I just lost my boot.” He showed him his mucky sock.

Jaydon waved his hand dismissively, still chuckling, “Come on, her camp is just over this hill.” He turned around and walked away. Ralem hurried after him, determined not to lose him again.

When he made it over the hill he was surprised to see her little camp. A tent was made out of some strange furry white animal hide. A small fire was burning in the center of the clearing; a stick with a fish impaled on it was slowly roasting on top of it. Arianna was kneeling next to the fire, tending her dinner.

When she saw him she laughed airily, “So there you are straggler. About time you showed up.” She poked the fish, “A little burned on one side because I left it cooking when I was busy saving your behinds. Not enough for all of us. But..”

Jaydon cut her off, “I can get some more. I just saw a deer nearby,” he said, smirking at Ralem, “I’ll be back in no time.”

“You need help?” Arianna said, fingering her bow.

“No, I’m fine,” he replied, walking towards the woods.

You’re just going to leave me here alone with this lady? Ralem said.

You scared of a woman?

Well, it’s just the fact that she has weapons and that I do not worries me.

You’ll be fine. She can’t really hurt you. I’ll be back soon.He disappeared into the foliage.

Can I go with you? Ralem asked desperately.

And scare our meal away? No way! Trust me, she won’t hurt you or she will deal with me

. Ralem could hear the truth in his words and settled down, if only a little bit.

“You okay?” Arianna asked.

“Yes,” Ralem said hastily.

“Ok, because you looked a little out of focus there.”

“Been a long day,” Ralem yawned for emphasis.

“I should say so. That beast is a piece of work. Why did you come all the way out here to kill it? For the glory of killing a monster?”

“No,” Ralem admitted, “It was because it had killed the men under my command and almost killed me. Their deaths needed to be avenged.”

Arianna nodded understandingly, her hair covering her face, “I lost someone I loved to the Julnor.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “You are lucky. The Julnor doesn’t usually leave survivors.”

“Well I think it thought I was dead. I sure did,”

“You’re Ralem, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Sorry. It’s just you two are so much alike. Is Jaydon your twin?” she asked, sharpening a stick with her knife, “The only thing that I can tell you two apart by are your eyes. I have never seen eyes like his.”

“That’s what everyone says. Yes, he is my twin, but we aren’t much alike in anything other than looks,” he said, lying like a dog. Feeling more comfortable he sat down on the log across from Arianna, who was starting to eat the fish.

“So where do you come from?” she asked, wiping her face with her hand, “I told you where I hail, so what about you?”

“I’m from Redfield.”

She spat out some of her fish, “You are under Queen Anne?”

“Yes,” Ralem said, mystified why this was such a problem.

“SHE is the one who has intruded on our lands to kill the king’s snowdeer and the frost dragons!” she spat, “and she has taken away parts of our territory, killed our warriors, and…” she seemed to not have any words bad enough for the Queen.

Ralem, who had shot up at the word dragon, asked “You have dragons?”

“Of course we do,” she replied, “Dragons are everywhere, except maybe your country. They don’t want to live anywhere near the Queen.”

Ralem tried to find words to what he was trying to say, “Do these dragons like people?”

She frowned at him, “Not particularly. Dragons are wild creatures. We just give them food so that we can live on their land. They don’t hurt us.” She winced, as if remembering a bad memory, “usually.”

“Can dragons talk?”

“No….” she stared at him, “why?”

“Just asking,” he replied.

It was awkward for a moment, except for the crackling of the fire. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts, trying to find something to say.

Right before Ralem was going to say something really smart like, “nice weather today,” Jaydon walked out of the forest. He had been so quiet they hadn’t heard him walk up. Arianna jumped to her feet in surprise and her bow shot in her hand. “Hey, don’t shoot the food-deliverer,” he said, his free hand in the air. His other hand was wrapped around a nice-sized deer, which hung over his shoulder like a scarf. Its lolling neck revealed one oozing hole. “You have a rope?” he asked Arianna.

“Yes,” she said, diving into her tent to come out with a five foot long rope that was fancily braided in knots that were unfamiliar to Ralem.

Not wanting to feel like the only one not helping out he spoke up, “I could prepare it.”

“No, I’ve got it,” Jaydon replied, looking pointedly at Ralem, “I’ve got the dagger for it.” Taking the rope from Arianna, he tied it around the deer’s back legs and tied it to a lower branch on a tree. Then he got to work preparing the deer. Don’t do that in front of Arianna! Ralem protested. But luckily for them, she just sat back down on the stump.

“How are we going to find out where the fiends are that controlled the Julnor?” she asked abruptly. “We can’t just follow a trail! Do you know where they are?”

“No,” Ralem said truthfully.

“Then this is not going to work. How can we find something that we don’t even know where to look, or start looking?” she asked, flustered.

This was your idea, Ralem reminded Jaydon. “You’re right,” he said, “We probably shouldn’t do this at all. Especially without supplies.” He looked down at his bootless foot. “We’d need to go to Vulnaire.”

“Vulnaire? But that’s right outside the castle!” Arianna said, horrified.

“I know, and I don’t care for the Queen either but we need more than the clothes on our back to complete a quest like this. If we just cut the bird’s head off and present it to her….”

“Give it to the Queen!?” She cried, outraged at the very notion.

“Hear me out,” Ralem said, “anyway, she will pay a huge price for the bird. She just loves to add to her collection.” At the word “collection”, Arianna bit her lip. “And with the money we could buy as much as we want to get ready, or even people to help us.”

“First off I don’t want to add more people. They could just turn around and stab us in the back,” Arianna argued.

“And how do you know we won’t stab you in the back?” Ralem asked.

“Because I saved your life and you owe me,” she said stiffly, stuffing another log into the fire.

Jaydon rolled his eyes as he worked on the deer.

“And another thing: Vulnaire is at least a month’s walk from here. How do we manage that?”

Jaydon said, “Well I could just…”

SHUT UP, Ralem thought it so hard he almost said it out loud.

Why?

We can’t just fly to Vulnaire! You’ll be seen!

I’ll land where there aren’t people around.

There are people everywhere! You could just fly over the forest and someone could see you! No. This is way too dangerous. Besides, I want to keep your identity secret. I don’t trust her yet.

Ralem could tell Jaydon was skeptical, but he had shut his mouth.

“Umm… you were saying?” Arianna said, looking confused. “What just happened? You both just blanked out.”

“It’s getting dark,” Ralem said, trying to change the subject. The sun was setting in the sky, its dying colors spread out like a blanket around its retreating light. Jaydon had just finished preparing the deer, and brought it to be eaten. They cooked it in silence. Arianna stayed at the other end of the fire, sharpening her stick and tending the meat. As the darkness grew, Ralem glanced at Jaydon and found that Jaydon’s eyes were glowing! Can you dim your eyes a bit? If Arianna sees them she’s going to have a heart attack. Is that raw meat you’re eating?

Jaydon grinned sheepishly, revealing dagger-like fangs. Ralem nearly fell off of the log. He shot a glance at Arianna, who was thankfully turning the deer leg. Don’t do that! He reprimanded Jaydon, Anyone would think you’re a vampire! Try to eat it cooked, because people will get suspicious if they see you eating raw meat.

Jaydon shrugged and tossed a bone behind him, you’re making me feel like a chick that needs to be scolded.

You are a baby chick.

Jaydon growled, startling Arianna. She looked around to find out what had made that noise. “It’s my stomach,” Ralem said, glaring at Jaydon, “I’m starving.”

“Well good for you, because it’s ready,” she replied, looking at him strangely. She handed him some meat, “Jaydon’s got us enough meat to last for a week! Careful though, it’s a little hot.” Ralem nodded his thanks and took it, tearing into it hungrily. It was cooked well, and tasted like it had a little salt on it. The deer must have been young and fat, for the gamey taste was subdued. Overall it was delicious.

The dimming sky, full stomach, and the heat radiating off the healthy fire worked together to make Ralem’s lids heavy. Finally Arianna stretched, “Well I’m going to bed. You two ok with staying out here? There are a lot of creatures in this forest you wouldn’t like to meet. If you just keep the fire going it should keep them at bay.”

“We’re fine,” said Jaydon, careful not to look at her lest she see his glowing eyes, “I doubt anything would mess with us.”

“You’d be surprised,” she said grimly, as she ducked into her tent.

Indeed that night, many creatures gathered at the edge of the clearing, but none ever dared go in because of the lingering scent of a great dragon.

In her tent Arianna wondered what her new companion’s secrets were. They were hiding something from her. But then again, she had secrets of her own.

Ralem woke to the smell of eggs. He yawned and stretched, turning to see the source of the smell. “You’re finally up, sleepyhead,” Arianna said playfully, as she stirred something in a pan “We’ve made breakfast and plans while you were asleep. You were going to snooze the whole day away!”

Ralem sat up a little straighter, feeling very left out, “Plans?”

“Yes,” she smiled, “We’ve found out how we are going to get to Vulnaire.”

Thanks for telling me this, Ralem told Jaydon in his mind. He didn’t see him at the moment but knew that Jaydon had heard it when he heard a sorry. “And…”

“And we are going to make a raft and go down the stream. I came up with the idea. The River Flumen flows all the way to Redfield!”

“Pebble Lake.”

“What?”

“It flows into pebble lake, or the lake not far from my home.”

“Well anyway, Jaydon’s working on it now. It’s amazing how strong he is.” Ralem flinched, knowing the reason why. Why did the dragon have to be so obvious? As he was eating he noticed a boot beside his pack, identical to the one he had lost. He put it on, knowing it was from Jaydon. The dragon wore the same things he did, and thankfully because Ralem hadn’t had any clothes to give him.

He ate breakfast then hurried over to where Jaydon was working. He didn’t want to feel like the only one not doing anything to help. Arianna was busy packing her things. As he stumbled down the hill, his head was almost taken off by a log swerving in midair. He quickly ducked and it sailed over him. “Hey!” he yelled.

The log dropped to the ground with a crunch. “Oh, sorry,” said Jaydon apologetically, “Didn’t see you back there.”

Ralem brushed the dirt off his back and glared at Jaydon crossly, “What are you doing? I thought we were a team. And then Arianna comes along and you two get together and make all the plans, leaving me out!”

Jaydon sat down heavily on the log, “Sorry, you were just too tired. I didn’t want to wake you up. I figured you would find out anyway.”

Ralem didn’t know what to say to this so he changed the subject with a snort, “If our little band is going to make it you’re going to have to act more human. It seems like you’re not even trying! You better act more human when we make it to the city or people will suspect.”

Jaydon sighed, “I know I’m not good at it. But like you said, I am only a couple days old, so give me some slack. It’s hard to be something you’re not. I’ll get better. I just hope this goes by fast because I don’t really care for being human.”
            “You got us into this whole mess,” Ralem reminded him, playfully shoving his dragon.

“No, you and your revenge did,” Jaydon answered, shoving him back. It was a little harder than they both had expected, and it sent Ralem sprawling in the dirt.

“Sorry,” Jaydon said, hurriedly as he extended a hand to help Ralem up. Ralem spat out some dirt and took it. “Yeah,” he said, “You are going to need some work.”

Together they worked all morning, Jaydon working on the heavier things like lifting logs while Ralem tied them together with vines and ropes. Jaydon had both shoes still, and Ralem wondered how. Then he thought the dragon had simply found his mucky shoe in the mud. He was working too hard to think much about it, however.

 The unforgiving sun bore down on them relentlessly, and Ralem was getting very hot. Jaydon, however, loved it, not even breaking a sweat. Ralem was thankful for the river being so close by, because he took several dips before the craft was completed. His fingers were getting rope burn from all of the ropes and vines he was using to tie the logs together; they all healed quickly, but still hurt. Jaydon didn’t slow down in his work. He cut down the trees with ease, becoming a dragon quickly and snapping them with his claws. Lucky for them, the trees were smaller by the stream than in the center of the forest. While Jaydon was doing this, Ralem kept watch to make sure Arianna didn’t come down the hill to find the huge dragon cutting down trees. They were working at a furious pace, and by the time the sun was at its climax they were done.

“Just one more thing,” Jaydon said, carrying a couple logs, “A mast.” He quickly set it up. Just then Arianna came down the hill, her belongings stuffed in her arms. She set them down on the boat and gave both of them some deer meat. “Made some jerky. Wow, you both worked so fast. We’ll be in Redfield in no time. I think it would take about a week and a half because of the rains we’ve been having….” She stopped for a moment, looking the raft over, “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the makeshift mast.

“A mast,” Jaydon replied, grabbing Arianna’s tent’s hide.

“A mast? We don’t need the mast, just the current. A mast may actually slow us down! And what are you doing with my Tarboe hide?”

Jaydon didn’t answer; he continued draping the hide around the mast. With the tent spikes he drove the hide into the mast.

“What are you doing?” she yelled, running to him and trying to pull him away, “You have no idea how valuable that is.”

“I put it where your tent spikes had already gone through,” Jaydon showed her, “so no harm done.”

She softened but said, “It’s just going to make us go slower of the winds blowing in the opposite of where we are going.”

“It won’t.”

She put her hand on her hip, “So you’re lord of the winds now aren’t you?”

“Something like that.”

Arianna huffed, rolling her eyes.

They stepped back to look at their masterpiece. The raft was sturdy and plenty big enough for all of them. Arianna had her supplies. There was only one thing missing.

“Are you forgetting something?” Ralem asked Jaydon.

“Oh yes. I still don’t understand why it is so important but I’ll get it.” He turned and walked into the forest.

Ralem took one last quick check to make sure they wouldn’t sink the second they got out in open water. Right now the river was swollen and moving faster than usual. This also made it more dangerous, especially if there are unseen rocks hiding under the murky current. If you fell into the water, you probably wouldn’t make it out.

Everything seemed fine and tight. Arianna was securing her things and was making herself comfortable. She had made a nest of her blanket and her pillow, which was leaning against the mast for support. She sat back and relaxed, a smile playing on her face. “You ready?”

“Are you?”

“Yes. I’ve been wanting this all my life. A true adventure, without anyone telling you what you should act like, or telling you to be ladylike and proper,” she made a face and put her hand on her hip, the other waving in the air as she mimicked telling someone off. Then she gave a wry grin, “But you didn’t answer my question, you ready for this?”

“Of course,” Ralem scoffed, but then looked at Arianna’s skeptical face and said, “Not really. It seems like my life has been turned upside down the last couple days. It’s been crazy, I just…” Ralem didn’t know why he was telling her this, but she was easy to talk to. He sat across from her and looked down at his hands, embarrassed by his confession.

“Hey,” Arianna said kindly, “I know how you feel. I have to admit it is a little scary going into the unknown, but that’s the whole point isn’t it? The nervous excitement before you head off.” She fingered her ring on habit, as she got lost in thought.

Ralem didn’t really think this was the case for him. He thought of the recent events. He had kind of been pushed into them, like fate had been messing with him. Just a couple days ago he was happy in his own little pocket of the world, serving as a soldier, with more certainty in life. Now he was a Rider of a dragon… where would he be next? He couldn’t live a normal life with a dragon by his side. The two sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

Their silence was broken by the crack of a stick as Jaydon made his way the raft. It was creepy how they both hadn’t notice him walk up to that point, but there he was, the bird’s head securely balanced on his shoulder. The bird’s head was puny, compared to how big its body had been. It was almost four feet long and snow white. Its eyes, now glazed over in death, still made Ralem flinch with their reptilian glare. A few flies circled it drunkenly.

“We are going to have that on the raft right next to us?” Arianna said, horrified “It’s going to smell and attract flies. I mean, I am fine with it; it’s just the smell and flies that bothers me. And it seems to be looking at me.”

Ralem agreed that it was disturbing, but didn’t say it out loud. Jaydon set it down near center of the raft with an oof that sent feathers flying. Both Arianna and Ralem scooted away from it. Without further ado, Jaydon readied himself and grunted as he gave a tremendous heave, propelling the craft into the water, hopping in before it hit open water. It popped up in the river like a cork.

The second they were in the middle of the river a steady gust blew in out of nowhere and blew on the hide, making them go twice as fast. Ralem looked back. Jaydon smiled and winked. Soon they were speeding down the current, frothy waves in their wake as they zoomed along. “That was weird,” Arianna said, looking at Jaydon, “You were right. How did you know?”

“I just knew,” Jaydon shrugged and busied himself eating the jerky, “Mmph this is so good.”

 For hours they coasted down the river, and then Jaydon got a little careless. He was getting tired of concentrating on the boat, so he just pushed against the hide, which was holding up pretty well.

Arianna hadn’t noticed. She was relaxing at the side, her hand trailing in the water. Ralem was sitting across from her. When he glanced at her he was amazed at how beautiful she was. Her hair draped around her shoulder, dangling above the water like a ripple of dark brown. Her delicate, if a little dirty, face was beautiful, made complete by the stunning blue eyes that shined in reflection of the steady waves. He just sat there for a while before he discovered he was staring and looked away, shamefaced. Jaydon saw him and winked, silently laughing. Ralem pretended to be suddenly interested in a bird that was flying across the river.

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone down on them, but the trees lining the bank served as some protection. They whispered and swayed as if they were a captivated audience, watching everything that passes under their leafy limbs. They saw a couple turtles relaxing on the submerged logs as they soaked up the sun and an occasional water snake that would dart the other way the second it caught the scent of Jaydon. A crane stood at the edge of the river, as still as a statue on its rod-like legs. Ralem marveled at its patience as it didn’t even twitch a muscle. As fast as lightning it struck, grabbing an unwary fish in a slender beak.

 The reeds hid a variety of creatures, and once they saw a family of raccoons washing their food. Some geese swam around the raft with their goslings, honking in irritation.

Ralem tried to ask Arianna about her life to break the silence. She eagerly entertained them with stories of her homeland- interrupted by only the occasional honk. The magic, the ice castles, the strange and wonderful creatures that they hunted or took care of. It seemed like a beautiful place, covered in snow two thirds of the year. Ralem asked questions especially about the dragons and magic. Jaydon listened intently, his green eyes lighting up with the pleasure of a good story.

From what Arianna claimed; It seemed the dragons there were just wild creatures that were beautiful and revered. They lived high in the mountains, their light blue scales camouflaging them among the ice. Arianna admitted she had never actually seen them. There was also many other dangerous creatures there, which had much more intelligence than normal creatures. Arianna went on to tell them of the magic that flourished in their country. She was a brilliant story teller- something Ralem could appreciate, being one himself- weaving an enthralling tale of another country with her hands, her facial expressions, and her vivid depictions of wars and great hunts drew them both in like bears to honey. Many of her reenactments of the monarch’s tones and activities were enough to make a stone laugh.   

Once Ralem asked how they had so much magic and that his country lacked. She replied that magic was found everywhere, but it worked best in the cold. There were special magicians who claimed to know how to use these powers, but she laughed and said most of these were just sleight-of-hand tricksters.

“But enough of me,” Arianna said, “How about your country? Your life? I’ve talked enough.”

Ralem discovered he hadn’t a clue about his country’s history. Of course he knew the basic things like big wars and stuff, but as a common soldier he hadn’t had much more education than what he got at home. Also, up until now his life had been largely uneventful. He told her what he knew (in a most exaggerated better-than-it-actually-was way), and then fell silent in embarrassment that he didn’t have a very interesting life or country.

After a moment, Arianna nodded politely, even though Ralem could tell that she was doubtful that he had told everything. She turned to Jaydon, “What about you?” she hugged her legs to her chest, “You do anything interesting?”

Jaydon puffed out his chest like a rooster about to crow, “Well, actually yes.”

Ralem intercepted quickly, “No. We’ve been together for everything. Since the moment we were born.”

“Oh come on, don’t be a party pooper. What were you going to say, Jaydon?” Arianna prompted.

Ralem gave him a look like, don’t you dare. Jaydon shuffled, annoyed, “Well… the thing I was going to say is that I am the best deer hunter in the country!”

Arianna smiled, “You’re a hunter? That’s great because so am I! How many deer have you caught?”

“Two,” Jaydon said proudly, folding his arms.

Arianna slapped her knee and started laughing hard, “You are hilarious, you really are,” she wiped a tear from her eye, “Maybe we should go hunting sometime together, haha.”

“What’s so funny?” Jaydon asked.

“It’s just… nevermind… haha you’re good!”

“Okayyy…” Jaydon said suspiciously. Ralem hid his chuckles behind his hand. Jaydon elbowed him sharply and he stopped with a sharp breath.

As the day wore on, more bugs began to gather around the bird’s head and soon mosquitoes were pestering the trio. Jaydon was left alone, his blood was poisonous to the insects. But Ralem and Arianna were getting eaten alive, and the started smacking the bugs as fast as they could, but more and more kept coming.  Finally even Jaydon got so annoyed that his eyes flared and a huge gust rushed at the boat and blew them all away. Arianna grabbed her things to keep them from flying away, “I hope a storm is not coming. The wind is acting finicky today.”

Jaydon stopped, flicking his tongue out when no one was looking. He made a face, “What’s that smell?”

Everyone had become accustomed to the smell of the dead bird, but this one was overpowering. It filled the air with its stench, the sickly sweet smell of death.

Ralem covered his nose, “A whale must have died! That is really strong.”

“There are no whales in rivers,” Arianna tried not to gag.

“Whatever it is, it is right up ahead,” Jaydon choked out, who was getting the worst of the odor.

Sure enough there was something bloated in the water. It was colossal, very much dead, and extremely smelly. As the raft floated over beside the creature they got a closer look at it. It was a fish that was easily the size of the boat. Its scales had grown grey with death. The fish’s eyes and head were under the water, but Ralem didn’t really care to see them. There were strange growths on the sides of its tremendously long body. Let’s get out of here Ralem said. Jaydon agreed and soon they were speeding away from the creature. Arianna crawled to the side of the boat and retched, “If that wind hadn’t come to save us, I don’t know how I could’ve stood it any longer,” she said, wiping her mouth with her hand.

Ralem couldn’t have agreed more. But as they continued downriver they noticed the smell wasn’t going away. Stop the wind for a little while, Ralem told Jaydon, you’re blowing the nasty odor toward us. The wind immediately stopped and the hide went slack. But still the odor clung on, surrounding them like a foul mist. In fact it seemed to be getting more intense by the minute. Ralem tried to keep the jerky down.

 “Umm guys,” Arianna said, “the fish is coming closer.”

“Must have been the current,” Jaydon said, and started the wind up again. But it seemed that no matter how fast they went the fish was still the same distance behind. “The current can’t be going that fast,” Jaydon muttered, his brow furrowed in concentration. Ralem watched the fish in fascination. Then suddenly the fish disappeared. “The fish!” he called, “it vanished!” Everyone turned to look. Jaydon was pushing the raft more furiously than ever.

Suddenly their feet went out from under them as something bashed into the boat. Arianna flew back and hit the mast with a thud and collapsed on the floor, blood trickling out of the wound on her head. Ralem almost landed in the water, where he was sure to be fish food. Grabbing on the logs with all his might he slowly crawled toward the center. BAM! The fish struck again and Ralem held on, if only barely. His knuckles whitened and his teeth clenched as he fought to stay aboard, his boots trailing the frothing surface of the water. Something heavy landed on him. Without thinking, he grabbed it and realized it was Arianna, her limp form just inches from the water. Ralem looked around to see if he could find Jaydon. But he was nowhere in sight. Oh no, he thought, now we are really dead.  Then the raft righted itself with a tremendous wave and they flopped in the center, relieving Ralem of his burden. He gently dragged her to the middle of the raft and sat down so he wouldn’t be knocked off his feet again. With his free arm around the mast, he searched the surrounding waters for any sign of life.

With a spray of water a thick, serpentine crest rose from the river, spikes lining the top. Monster after monster Ralem thought, now we’ve got a giant fish and a sea serpent. The water started churning as the monsters fought below the surface. An occasional webbed fin or spiked neck rose over the water. Soon blood started to color the water.  from various wounds, but it hung bitterly on. They disappeared back into the water, making a wave that completely drenched the raft.

They stayed underwater for an impossible amount of time. Ralem wondered just how long a dragon could hold its breath. The only way he knew that they were down there was the churning and roiling of the water. Waves lapped and rocked the raft. Finally Jaydon surfaced to take a breath, his mouth covered in blood. Then he disappeared. Ralem felt like he was waiting there forever, desperately praying that Jaydon would be ok. He bit his lip in anticipation. Arianna moaned softly in his arm. They couldn’t just die here.

There was an enormous wave as something was thrown out of the water. The serpent landed on the beach, then tried to squiggle back into its territory. But Jaydon was too fast. He burst out of the water in a flash of green and held the serpent trapped with a huge talon. The monster desperately squirmed, but Jaydon tightened his claws around its neck. He put his head down near the creature’s head and whispered something. The serpent growled something back and the dragon released it, letting him squirm into the water.

Jaydon looked pretty proud of himself as he jumped back toward the raft, swiftly turning into a human the moment before he landed.

“You can talk to sea serpents? “Ralem asked abruptly, more than a little shocked and relieved. He had meant to say something like, “glad you didn’t die,” or something, but that was the only thing that came into his head.

“Sea serpents are in the same family as dragons. We speak a common language. “

“So… you let him go,” Ralem finished.

“And yes, but it’s for a good reason. He’s going to take us to Redfield. Frankly, I’m tired of having to concentrate on the mast. He says he can make it there before midnight.”

“He better, because if not we are in trouble.”

“Why?”

“Arianna. She has a nasty cut on her head and needs someone who can help her.”

Jaydon’s eyebrows knit together in worry. He hadn’t met that much people in his short life, so he thought Arianna was the nicest person in the world (besides his Rider; he didn’t think that counted though). He didn’t want to lose her. Kneeling by her he carefully he wiped her dark hair out of the way to reveal a long cut, surrounded by a violent purple bruise. The moment he touched her skin her eyes fluttered open, the pupils not focused. She seemed to be staring at something beyond Jaydon. “Oh my head,” she moaned.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there soon. Then I’ll find someone to treat you.” Ralem assured her, feeling more than a little worried about her wellbeing.

She tried to sit up abruptly, then fell back again, “The fish! Jaydon fell overboard! Ohh…” she moaned. Ralem gently pressed her to convey the meaning, stay down.

“Hey, I’m right here,” Jaydon said, “We are ok. The fish is gone. And…” he surveyed the raft, “most of our belongings.”

Ralem looked around to find that only a few things remained. The heavy birds head, a pan, and the bag full of jerky were all that was left. “Now we REALLY need supplies,” he muttered. Arianna’s head slumped against Ralem’s arm as she drifted into blissful unconsciousness.

Ralem felt a tug on the raft. He stiffened, preparing for the worst, but it just became a steady pull, making them go so fast they were almost flying over the water.

“You never made it go this fast,” he told Jaydon jokingly.

“I didn’t want to break the hide,” Jaydon muttered.  

The sun was setting again, and soon the stars were peeking out once more. Jaydon’s eye’s glowed like beacons in the moonless night and Ralem was glad that Arianna was unconscious. Her head lay across his lap as she slept. It was a fitful sleep, and she tossed and moaned occasionally. Ralem knew she needed help and fast. Suddenly he had an idea. “Could you heal her?” he asked Jaydon.

“No,” Jaydon admitted, “I can only heal you.”

Ralem slumped against the mast. Hopefully they would make it to Redfield soon. He watched the river’s slow ripples. The drone of the rushing water had a tiring effect. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but soon he drifted into a dreamless slumber.