The Dream Keeper's Dragon

30. I'm Done

The clearing was in the middle of a giant mountain. The top was straight as if someone took a knife and carved out a block. Water splashed against the edge, miles below.

Aurelie bent down and rested her hands on her knees, attempting to regain her breath. The journey had been silly, to say the least. She had barely any energy left to sit, and Kirin expected her to practice magic?

"I didn't even know that an ocean was nearby." Aurelie sat down, her legs dangling over the edge.

Kirin sat behind her and dropped his chin to peek down, the corners of his lips pulled back. "We share it with the Icelands. You don't realize before you hit their territory, the shift is so sudden that you freeze in place before you can turn back."

Aurelie frowned. "How stupid do you have to be to try?"

Kirin shrugged. "I don't think anyone does, but I've seen some of the ships that have frozen halfway in."

Aurelie's eyes shot up. "What?"

"Those that were lucky swam back. The others are statues on deck." There was tension between them. As he spoke, it looked as if his eyes might roll at any moment. She couldn't understand why he put the effort to take her here if her presence irritated him so much.

"God," she said, her upper lip forming a triangle in horror.

Kirin lay flat on his back and covered his eyes from the sun, drops of sweat forming on his forehead. "I should have brought something to drink."

"This was a terrible idea. I barely have enough energy to sit here. I've no idea what you were thinking."

Kirin curved his palms just enough to see her face and lifted his head. "It's safe. No one will see the smoke. There's an ocean if you muck up and no inn nearby that you can burn down. It's the perfect place." He shook his head irritably and lay his head back down to rest.

Aurelie clawed her fingers and clenched them in a tight grip, her teeth skidding against each other. "Are you ill? Is there a little beast inside you that tells you when to switch characters? One second you're barely tolerable, and the next, you turn into some wretched fiend. The other night we almost—

Kirin jolted up, his eyes burning a hole through her. "Almost what? Choose your words carefully, princess." His eyes narrowed. "I don't want to cause you any embarrassment."

Aurelie snorted, her nostrils flaring. "I'm done." She turned away. "I hope you get captured at that castle."

"You have five minutes, and then we start," he said and got up. His footsteps paused briefly, "And that's an order!" he exclaimed before walking further on.

Aurelie closed her eyes and listened to the ocean. The wind carried droplets of water to cool her skin. The sting of rejection settled on her heart. She was sure that whatever attraction had occurred between them was not one-sided. His footsteps sounded closer again. Embarrassment, huh! She stood up.

"You know what? I'm not letting you off that easy," she said and whirled around.

Daerious waved with a bottle of water in hand and a bag around his shoulder. "Kirin's over there." He pointed to a spot near the tunnel they had come from, where Kirin sat under cover of shade. "Come on, and I've brought some food."

"Can't take orders either, huh?" Aurelie followed. "What'd you bring?"

"Chicken sandwiches and carrot cake."

Aurelie took the water bottle from him and gulped down half. The liquid spilled from the edges of her lips. She wiped her mouth and sat down furthest away from Kirin.