Touch of Flame

Nightmares

Ravina spent the rest of her day going between the laboratory and inventory. She didn't eat or take a break and her uncle who usually nagged her about it was on a trip. Bram let her bury herself in work, knowing she was in too much pain to have free time that would allow her to think of other things, like where her sister was.

Ravina focused on developing her father's inventions further. Most of them needed precision and lots of practice. Ravina wanted to make the use easier so more soldiers could use it. She had already developed an easier use of the clamp. The fire had been the most dangerous aspect of fighting the dragons and that was why the clamp was crucial in the fight against them.

Now she was focusing on how to develop the terrorizer for a greater and more precise aim. If she succeeded then her development would also be useful for the graviton and the clamp.

"It is late now, Ravina. You should go to sleep." Bram said. "Maybe eat before that."

"I am not done yet." She said keeping her eyes on the project.

"I don't think you will be done anytime soon, so you might as well get some sleep."

She made a sound of frustration as she put everything aside. When she stood up, she groaned in pain. Her back and bottom were sore from sitting for so many hours.

"Alright. Good night then." She said and went back to her room.

"My Lady," her handmaiden Ester seemed to have been waiting for her. "You haven't eaten and have been working all day." She said worriedly. "I shall go bring you something to eat."

"No. I just want to sleep." Ravinatold her. She was tired and thinking of food made her nauseous. Thinking of anything besides work made her nauseous.

Ester looked at her concerned. "Is this because of what the queen tells you all the time?"

"Ester, have you ever seen me care about what other people think? The old lady is bored and has nothing better to do." Ravina scoffed as she began to take off her dress. Ester came to help her.

"I know you don't care about her. You should still look after yourself."

"I will be alright. I have no intentions of dying yet, so don't worry." Ravina assured.

Once she was in her nightgown, she went to bed. Ester bid her goodnight and blew the candles on her way out. Now that Ravina was left alone with nothing else to occupy her mind, her thoughts became filled with her sister.

Corinna. Her twin. Her other half. They were inseparable until they became separated. Until she lost her. She was supposed to be the one to look after her, being the older one. Or perhaps it didn't have to do with that. It was just the way her family was built. Ravina was tough and calculative like their father. Corinna was always sweet and kind like their mother, therefore Ravina felt protective of her.

She closed her eyes, trying to escape her own thoughts that tortured her, but she knew sleep wouldn't bring her peace. Her nightmares always returned stronger whenever a dragon was brought here and this one made her have the worst of them. The one nightmare she hated the most. Her parent's death.

Ravina dreamed of how the real terror began when a large shadow was cast on them. A dragon flying right above, ready to burn them to ashes. Ravina had covered her sister as if that would help and waited to feel the fire burn her skin when her father came to their rescue.

"Take your sister, Ravina. Run!"

Ravina did as her father told her while he distracted the dragon away from them. Her heart was pumping hard as she ran away as fast as she could, dragging her sister by the arm. But she could not just leave her father behind and in a moment of worry, she slowed down and looked behind. The soldiers were dead and the dragon had his tail snaked around her father. Ravina watched with horror as put her father into his mouth.