Dragon & Dreamer | ONC 2023 honourable mention

2 - Gift or burden?

"Your dreams seem to be more a burden than a gift. I won't let you travel to the city on your own. You can't have forgotten how they treat us Tannarí."

After a few steps, her mother stopped and turned back to her daughter, who hadn't moved. "It is true, the children of the sun don't like us much. But there is no war in the land, not yet. And our task is to keep things that way." She walked on, her steps determined on the frozen ground.

Dánirah rushed to her side. "Prevent war? I don't think the two of us can keep two warring nations apart. We will get killed before we are of help to anyone."

Shonai walked on in silence. Dánirah trudged along until she slipped on a frozen spot. She fought for her balance and regained it before her mother could reach out. "I'm fine."

But she wasn't. Dánirah was worried about her mother and the dreams that drove her across the country. Would it even matter if Shonai ignored them? Or did her mother just follow an ancient belief until it killed her? Before she found the courage to voice her doubts, a soft jingle caught her attention. She stopped and listened.

There it was again, louder this time, and to the right where a patch of brambles grew on the slope beside the path. Dánirah stepped closer and scanned the brush, listening for the sound.

Shonai turned around. "What is it?"

Dánirah beckoned her over and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I heard something, a bell, perhaps, and laughter?"

They both waited with bated breath. Dánirah was ready to admit she must have imagined things when she spotted a glow behind the thicket. Moments later, a group of glowing, semi-transparent spheres danced over the brush. They were the size of her palm and emitted a pearly sound that reminded Dánirah of her grandmother's wind chimes.

Shonai squeezed her arm. "Xylin. I wonder what got the creatures of the night so agitated."

Fascinated, Dánirah took a step forward. The xylin didn't seem to mind—to the contrary. The swarm approached and danced around her head before retreating to the thicket once more. She smiled. "They are beautiful. I've never seen them so close before."

At this moment, she glimpsed something deep in the brush. One sphere seemed caught between prickly branches. Dánirah pressed her bag into Shonai's hands and stepped closer.

"Hello, little one. How did you get caught in here?" She reached out to bend a branch aside and free the fragile creature. "Ouch, these thorns are sharp." She held onto the twig while the xyl wriggled out of its confinement and floated above her, an iridescent bubble in the moonlight. It jingled a few times before it reunited with the waiting group.

Dánirah sucked the blood from her finger and laughed as the xylin danced once more around her and zipped away towards the east.

Shonai handed her the bag. "This was extraordinary. Now I understand why we had to leave this early."

"Were the xylin part of your dream?"

"No, but I felt urged to start this journey early. At least it was worth getting up in the middle of the night." Shonai smiled, and Dánirah realised the sky in the east paled with the upcoming day.

~ ~ ~

They reached the top of a hill in the first morning light. Below them, the golden rays of the sun kissed the tower tips of a sprawling city. From their vantage point, Dánirah overlooked the valley where the mighty Haon river still lay shrouded in the morning mists. In the far distance to the left, the mountains of Eshte and Eshekir beckoned, their snow-capped summits glowing red in the morning light.

Shonai placed a hand on her shoulder. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, and I wish we could ignore all dreams and travel on together."

"I know you do. But there is a task to be done in Penira." Another cough shook her, and Dánirah placed an arm around her mother's narrow shoulders. Shonai leaned into her. "Also, it is you who will have to deliver my message to Naiin in Penira. I won't be able to come with you."

Dánirah stiffened. "Why? You never let me go anywhere alone."

For the first time in days, Shonai chuckled. Her reaction lifted a heavy weight from Dánirah's heart. Things couldn't be as bad when her mother found her mirth again. But the outburst didn't last long. "Of all the questions you could ask and things to worry about, this is the one?"

Dánirah didn't know how to answer and pulled a face.

"Dáni, you are grown up, and I trust you to make the right decisions on your own. Like today with the xyl. I'd love to have you around forever, but we both know this can't be. So, please consider doing this for me. Will you bring a message to Naiin? I cannot do it myself, as I have to find Dánan."

"My godmother? I haven't seen her for years." Dánirah remembered the shadow mage well, her gentle voice and healing skills. "I'm sure she'll be able to help with your cough."

"She will, but this is not the reason I have to find her."

Dánirah nodded. Nothing would convince Shonai to ignore her dream's message. "How and where can I meet you again?"

Shonai didn't answer. She seemed lost in thought, and Dánirah was already worried when she looked up at her daughter. "We will meet again in the northern prairies. Dánan is in Inoira now, but I saw the three of us united somewhere in the grasslands."

Dánirah remembered the grasslands' vastness. But she also knew Shonai wouldn't or couldn't tell her more. "When will you leave?"

"Now. I'll follow the road towards Zalkenar. If I'm lucky, I'll find a ship that carries me north."

Shonai rummaged in her bag and pressed a folded and sealed parchment into her daughter's hand. "Do you remember the vegetable market in Penira? If you follow the road that leads towards the king's fortress and take the second turn left, you will find a narrow lane. At its end, a flight of steps leads you to a small square. Naiin lives on the top floor of the first house to the right."

Dánirah took the message and stowed it in her own bag. Shonai enclosed her in a hug. "The letter is from the tribe's leaders to the king of Kelèn. Take care to pass it only to the right person."

"I will, mother." Dánirah swallowed. "Are you sure I shouldn't come with you? And what if I can't find you?"

"We will meet—you know my dreams don't lie. I love you, Dáni."

"I love you too."

Shonai waved and turned north. Dánirah watched her until she disappeared into a grove before she started the descent towards the great city with a heavy heart.

(1845 words)