In the Heart of Pernelle

Episode 3 (3)

Eirian paced outside nervously, wondering what would happen if he went through the dome's shield. Could he even? He might have been too big. Besides, if Inuro was already dead what would be the point?

The dragon wouldn't take his eyes off the dome, hoping and praying to see the boy return unharmed so that he could scold him on his stupidity. To think, Eirian came out of his two hundred year old home for a boy stupid enough to walk right into a trap. It felt silly.

As he paced the sun moved about in the sky, slightly faster than usual. The dragon looked up with suspicion as the shadows in the forest changed drastically. He hadn't remembered time ever speeding up in his mind, although 200 years in a cathedral could do some damage to one's time perception. 

Finally he heard the crunch of human feet on the frost-bitten ground and he turned to see Inuro panting beside him, eyes watery and face pale. 

"Finally!" The dragon said, "What were you doing in there?"

The boy didn't say anything, though, instead raising his arms wide and bringing Eirian into a hug. "I'm sorry, Eirian. I won't do it again."

The dragon relaxed after a moment, sighing. He looked at Inuro with concern, searching for wounds of any kind. "Were you hurt? What happened?"

The boy shook his head. "I'm okay. I'm not hurt." He then lifted his head and Eirian could see the confusion in his glossy eyes. "But there was this man, and I gave him food and then he- he-"

"Did he hurt you?" 

Inuro took a deep sigh, calming himself down to finish his sentence. "He died. The food was poisoned." 

Eirian's eyes widened at the realization, and he glanced back over at the still silent house, wrapping his tail closer to the boy. 

"You're okay now." He said, trying to comfort him, but Inuro didn't look like he was finished talking. 

"Before he died he told me- he told me that there's something inside of me. A drum." Inuro looked up towards the dragon, who was analyzing him, eyes narrowed. 

Eirian didn't know what to say to the poor boy. After all, he knew the dead man hadn't lied. The dragon could constantly hear the drumming, beating inside of Inuro, much louder than a heartbeat. He wasn't sure why, whether only creatures and elven born humans could hear it or not, but it wasn't something to be taken lightly. He wondered if the man had known what the beating meant. 

"I see." Was all he could think to say. 

The boy's ears raised a little as he slowly calmed down, exposing something to the green eyes above him. "Wait, Inuro." 

"What?" Inuro said in a panicked tone. 

"Your ears." The dragon said, examining the blue markings that slowly faded onto the tips of his ears, carved as if they were designed and tattooed on. "When did you get the markings on them?"

"Markings?" Inuro furrowed his brow and brought his long ears into his line of sight, noticing the intricate royal blue designs painted freshly on. He jumped when he saw them. "I-I've never seen them before."

"They're blessings." Eirian said, examining them closer, "They are given to elven creatures from sorcerers and spirits. They bring good luck to those who bear their designs." 

Inuro thought back to his conversation with the man, remembering his words. "I'll give you my blessing, boy. You'll be rewarded for your kindness." 

He wasn't sure what the man had meant by that at the time, though he hadn't suspected he meant it literally. 

"Does the color come off?" Inuro asked, and the dragon smiled at him, slowly calming down. It was evident there was no harm done. 

"No, not for a long time." Eirian said, "One much change all that defines them for the markings to fade." 

The boy furrowed his brow, thinking about this. The dragon reassured him. "They won't bring you any harm. Quite the opposite." 

He nodded with understanding.

"Instead I'm wondering how you made it out." Eirian began, "I've never heard of a person escaping a Condor's hut."

"A what?"

"A Condor's hut," The dragon explained, "is a house which lures unsuspecting nomads in and kills them somehow. They're protected by a dome so no one can hear what goes on inside."

At this point, Eirian kicked a rock towards the cottage, and Inuro watched as it disappeared into thin air, everything around it beginning to ripple like water. He turned to the dragon, white as paper. "I went through that?"

The dragon nodded. "I was calling your name until you came out, but you didn't hear me, did you?"

Inuro shook his head. He continued watching the rippling air encompass the dome as Eirian began wandering away. 

"Maybe next time we should be more careful as to which houses we search." The dragon said, and Inuro raced after him, tearing his gaze away from the hut. He wasn't listening, though.

"But what does it mean?" He asked, "Why was there a man in the cellar?"

The dragon shook his head. "I don't know. No one knows anything else about the houses. "

The two began walking, and every now and then Inuro would look back at the fading house with curiosity. At one point he looked back and the cottage was no longer there. Just the woods that was behind it. Inuro said nothing about it.

"I'm sorry for going in so fast." He said after a few moments of silence, his ears lowering and eyes searching the ground as they walked. 

Eirian sighed. "It's alright, at least you made it out. Next time, though, we'll try to investigate the places we find before running straight into them." 

Inuro nodded in agreement. He had little more to say, although his stomach was not the happiest as it grumbled in despair, remembering the meal he had given up in the house, the one he hadn't known was poisoned. 

He'd just have to go hungry for a little while longer. 

(Hello! If you're reading this, which you're probably not, are these chapters long enough? I need to know in case I should add length. I'm trying to split the episodes into three parts each although episode two was a bust lol but from now on they should be around three parts long. I forgot to mention that seasons will be roughly 13 episodes long if I can plot correctly. For now, thank you for reading!)