An Airan's Quest

Chapter 9: Meeting A Scandran Dragon Rider

Evanity's POV

It was already getting late in the afternoon when Fallon and I finally reached Esmeral Town and landed on a nearby marketplace. It was a tiny town no bigger than Laviar City and I caught some of the stares of the local Scandrans who were passing by and also overheard them whispering with each other in a strange language which I recognized as Scandese. They kept stealing glances at our direction then quickly look away when I got eye contact with them and it frustrated me a little for not knowing what they were talking about when we were clearly the main topic of their conversation.

All of a sudden, a thought popped in my head: I wish Tarah and Tristan were here. But then I quickly shove it aside and got off Fallon. Since he was attracting unwanted attention from the passersby, I decided to summon him back to my milaire and examined our surroundings. Just ahead of me was an open marketplace selling an assortment of Scandran goods which ranged from food to clothing and other daily necessities. As I walked over to it the pungent smell of fish, meat and chicken began filling my nostrils making me gag a little while my stomach grumbled at the aroma of food all around me. Suddenly I remembered that Fallon and I didn't have any lunch yet then we bought some cooked meat and fish from a seller. Then I went to a small wooded area just in the middle of the town, summoned Fallon out of my milaire and we had an early lunch together.

I still can't believe that you and Tarah had a silly argument awhile ago, Vann, Fallon said to mentally as he pecked at the fish that I bought for him at the market. You two should have known better than to argue over some stupid things.

"It wasn't my fault!" I told him sounding slightly defensive. I took a bite of my meat and chewed it thoughtfully before speaking again. "I really did see a Cabrian following us awhile ago. But when we left Caron City to head over to Laviar Town he abruptly vanished into thin air."

I know that you're right, Vann, my seclaire agreed with me. He finished the last of his meal and stretched his wings then took off into the air before perching on a huge tree branch just right over me. But without Tarah and Tristan as our guides, how do you think we can reach Enara in time for you to accomplish your mission before the Cabrians start to attack the four other kingdoms?

"I'll find a way to complete my mission without her help," I said trying to sound confident then set down the remains of my food on the grass. But deep down inside I wanted to curl into a ball and cry my eyes out because of my reckless actions which led to these disastrous consequences. I didn't even give much thought of how I'm going to travel to Enara now that Tarah wasn't by my side. It was then that I realized how much I depended on her - not only for our security - but also for directions and guidance. Now, I felt alone and lost and if it wasn't probably for Fallon being here with me right now, then maybe I wouldn't have made it this far in Scandra. I pulled my knees up to my chest, placed both arms on my knees and rested my head in my arms, truly regretting what I had done awhile ago as extreme hopelessness washed over me. Before I knew it tears were spilling out of my eyes and I brushed them away and turned my head so that my seclaire wouldn't see me crying.

But it prove to be useless since Fallon and I were the same entity and being, and sensing my sorrow and regret, he flew down from the tree and descended next to me on the ground. Don't worry, we can still find them, Vann. They couldn't have gotten that far yet.

I twisted my head to look at his big dark eyes and said, "But we don't know where they are right now. For all we know they could be already at Rajah City in Batidalle right now."

My seclaire shook his head. That's impossible. They can't have traveled that far already. Have you forgotten that I'm your only source of transportation? Without us, they would have a hard time getting here in Esmeral Town. They would either have to walk all the way here or hitch a ride with someone else.