The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Act 2 ·The Lily· Chapter 18 - Weeping Willow

"Stick with your mother and don't look back!"

Those last words kept ringing in Dianthus' ears, along with the sensation of the reddening sky washing over his back and the non-stop tremor of the earth resounding through his very hooves with each leap. If his father had said something more to his mother, he couldn't know; his mind had gone numb as soon as he started running. He remembered the sudden wave of white heat, the sharp whistle in his ears as the aether was shattered by Griselda's cry and, finally, the impact between the dragonfire and Chrysantos' powerful magic. Everything had rushed upon him with the speed and the violence of a meteor; one moment he was weeping, huddled in Chrysantos' embrace, and the moment after he was escaping the raging inferno.

Then nothing more. Dianthus, his mother, and Cassidy had gotten to the cave within an awfully short time, and the sounds of the battle had died down all of a sudden. They were safe.

The fighters had left the forest, Dianthus knew it, but no one from the huge gathering of creatures (deer, birds, smaller mammals, and even the only manticore) was eager to leave the shelter too soon. Differences and Nature's laws bent before misery. A dragon was no match for any other creature in the forest; everyone was prey and victim. Wolf sat by deer, fox by rabbit, owl by mouse and so on, silently praying for their home to survive the fire from under the broad crown of the majestic tree.

Dianthus spent the first hours sleeping from exhaustion and shock—a deep sleep free of dreams—and when he awoke, he found that the light had dimmed drastically.

Now Dianthus sat in silence, contemplating the tufts of grass right in front of him as if the secrets of the universe lay hidden among them, or rather the answer to what was happening to his father, Griselda and the dragon. Did they escape? Did the forest burn to the ground? What was left of Willowglade? It didn't matter. None of that mattered because Dianthus couldn't know and neither did the tufts of grass. What he did know was that his father and Griselda were out there, facing peril, and everyone else was in here, safe.

Dianthus didn't have even the strength to glare at the insolent grass dazzling mockingly in his face.

Thalia was entranced in a similar task just by his side, in silence. The soft murmurs buzzing in the background couldn't reach them, and no one dared bother them. The unicorns had shut themselves from the rest to cope with grief and loss.

Eventually, even that merciful state of mind came to an end. When Dianthus looked up, his mother had already gathered herself and was a little farther away speaking with Chief Oak.

At that very moment, Birch and Cassidy walked up to him. Dianthus knew that they had been waiting for him, observing him from afar for all this time. He wanted to thank them for their patience, but when the two friends sat down, all Dianthus could do was blink.

"Hey," Birch said plainly, in a small, uncharacteristic voice.

Dianthus blinked again, slowly, somehow acknowledging the fawn.

Neither Birch nor Cassidy knew what to say, and for several seconds there wasn't any other interaction. What could they ever say? Unicorns were peculiar, sensitive creatures and one must be especially careful with words in certain circumstances. In every circumstance. The total absence of emotions on their faces was most disarming, especially when they should have been overwhelmed.

Still, no one could read minds. Dianthus was aware of this, so for his own sake and his friends', he willed himself to snap out of that state.

"You well?"

He almost winced at his own voice, and so did the other two. He didn't mean to sound so hoarse, not at all, but it felt like those were his first words in days. He cleared his voice and tried again.