A Questionable Quest

Chapter 20... in which I refuse to be a damsel in distress

It was nearing sunset that night when I heard something rustling in the branches outside our cave.

It wasn't Van -- it couldn't have been Van. He was off buying food from the local merchants, and it had taken us nearly half a day to find this hollow in a random cliffside. He'd left a good while ago, but I knew he wouldn't be back yet.

I stood up, took two steps towards the cave entrance, then sat back down onto my small boulder of a seat.

It's not safe, my gut said.

It's probably just a squirrel, my brain argued back.

As usual, instinct won out. I stayed where I was.

The sky was a light blueish-purple, and several clouds floated at the scarlet horizon (which was directly visible from the mouth of the cave). In about twenty minutes, I knew from experience, it would be pitch black.

I really hoped Van would be able to find his way back here.

As it was, if he weren't back in a few hours, I was determined to cast a reverse way-finding spell to lead his way.

Van.

I sighed. However much we'd both (silently) agreed to avoid discussing the kiss when in each other's company, I knew I wasn't going to forget that moment anytime soon. I might never forget it, actually.

It just felt so-

Something poky nudged against my right hand. A small, spiky, scaly head appeared, even with my hip. Dero shifted closer to me, pushing insistently at my leg.

I lifted my hand and, absentmindedly, stroked three fingers down the dragon's armoured spine. He shivered in delight.

"It felt so right," I told the dragon, my one companion. "When we kissed. It just felt right."

Dero hummed, though whether in contentment or agreement I couldn't determine.

I kept stroking him. "What would you do?" I asked no one in particular. (Well, actually, I originally asked the dragon, but he didn't seem to be paying attention, so I redirected my words to the open night air.) "What would you do if, theoretically, you started to like someone who wasn't allowed to marry anyone below his station, but you're actually above his station but he doesn't know and-" I took a gulping breath "-and if you tell the truth you could lose him forever but if you keep lying you get a few more days and then you lose him?"

Silence.

Well, actually, a few crickets answered me. Seeing as my language tutor never thought to teach us cricket-speak, however, it might as well have been silence.

"Oh," I added to no one with a sarcastic smile, also directed at no one, "and did I mention that he finds out who I am either way?"

More unintelligible cricket responses.

Dero, sensing some of my mood perhaps, looked up at me with his big yellow eyes. When I met his gaze, he blinked once, then twice, and stretched his neck up until his head was even with mine, his hind legs supporting all of his weight.

He puffed. A grey smoke ring flew into my face.

My eyes stung. I blinked rapidly and coughed. When the smoke cleared, Dero sat back down, ruffled his scales proudly (apparently he thought he had helped me somehow), and curled into a wreath by my right foot.

My lips twitched. He was cute.

And, as I'd been trying to convince Van of all day long, about two inches taller than he'd been when we found him. Van didn't believe me.