ON HOLD (EDITING) Rise of the Dragons: Beginning

Chapter 6

As I cleared the trees and walked onto the track I started to worry about what I was going to say to everyone. I had missed one day of school. Remembering, to everyone I would have been missing for almost two days.

 I glanced down at my injured arm. That was going to be even harder to explain.

 I was in front of my house before I knew it. Taking a deep breath I knocked softly on the door and waited. After a few minutes the door opened slowly and I saw Kayla. Her eyes widen in shock as she saw me and she flung the door opened the rest of the way.

 She leaped on me, the hands squeezing me so tight I couldn’t breathe. “Lyra! What happened! You just disappeared! Oh I’m so glad you’re safe. We were so worried!” My uncle came running out then and a smile broke across his face as he saw me. “Lyra!” He wrapped his hands around both of us and I couldn’t help wince that escaped me or the breath that whooshed out of him in a flash as my injured arm was squashed between Kayla’s back and Uncle Hertays’ chest.

 They both stepped back then frowning. Then they gasped as they both saw the cut on my head and the makeshift bandage on my arm. Uncle Hertay froze, his expression turning murderous, while Kayla gently held my injured hand and looked at it.

 “What happened,” She and Hertay demanded at the same time. I quickly decided that I could partly tell the truth leaving out Eridor.

 “I was walking down the track then four soldiers tried to get me, so I ran into the forest and hid there for a while.  I thought I lost them so I started walking back to the track and then they came out of nowhere and hit me on the head with a sword to knock me out.” Uncle Hertay and Kayla looked at me their faces stricken. “When I woke up I was in front of this man called Ranne and he did this.” I gestured to my injured hand.

 “Why?” Kayla asked her expression grim.

 “He wanted to know where I lived but I wouldn’t tell him. He was interested in me because I had a silver aura. Anyway he put me in a cell and… I don’t remember. I escaped somehow and when I woke up I was in the forest.”

 Kayla was staring at the cloth that Narukl had ripped from his shirt as a bandage. “Where did you get this? I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s soft but it’s durable as well.”

 I desperately floundered around in my head for a lie that would fit. “I don’t know. I was wearing it when I came to in the forest.”

 “Come on, let’s go inside and sit down. I bet you’re hungry. I bet those soldiers are looking for you now.” Uncle Hertay said. With a shiver of unease, I followed then inside and sat down with Kayla as Uncle Hertay took out some food.

 I looked up at Kayla sitting beside me. You only had to wear your auras colours on the first day of the triad. She was wearing black jeans with a purple shirt that had a collar. She was looking at me too like she could tell that I hadn’t told her everything so I was grateful, when Uncle Hertay put a plate of food in front of me.

 Remembering Narukl and Eridor I quickly at it not bothering to even look at what I picked up. “I’m going to change.” I announced. I stood up and forced myself to walk normally to my room. I closed the door and took a deep breath. Thank goodness that was over. Unwrapping the makeshift bandage around my arm I Put it aside and plunged my arm into basin of water near my air. After an unpleasant stinging sensation the cool water soothed my inflamed skin.

 Taking my arm out of the water I dried it with some cloth and looked at it the edges were starting to heal but the rest was still open and jagged. Opening my drawer I took out some with linen that uncle Hertay put aside for cuts. I wrapped it around my arm securing it with a small non-visible pin. I looked at the cut on my head and it was already healed, barely visible.

 I washed my face before putting my swords and the small dagger on my bed. Changing out of my aura clothes I put on some long slightly faded blue jeans and a white t-shirt with tinges of light green across the sides. Doing up the buttons, I put on my only leather jacket. It was thin, tight and slightly worn but it was very durable. It was the same colour as my hair (as most of my things were) and up to my waist. I half did up the zip before changing my mind and I brushed my tangled brown hair down my back until it ran straight down. Attaching my sword and dagger to my jeans I crept to the door and pressed my ear against it.

 I heard Kayla and Uncle Hertay talking. I listened for a few more seconds before deciding that they were in the room hear the door, two rooms away from the kitchen. Turning back into my room I took my wood brown leather bag from the wardrobe and hung it on my back. I put some of the bandage linen in one of my bags pockets with some pins just in case this one came off while I was outside.

 I slowly opened the door of my room and crept out, leaving it slightly open.  I tiptoed along the worn-out hall with my back to the wall. The kitchen was to the right of the hall but the room which Kayla and my uncle were in was to the left. Luckily there was a thin wooden wall separating it from the hallway and kitchen.

 Just in case, I crept into the kitchen on my hands and knees. When I got in I dived behind the thin bench top and listened. They were both still talking. Sighing in relief, I slowly stood up out of sight and opened to tiny fridge that we had. I was a quarter of my size and only had two racks.

 Swinging my bag off my back I looked inside. Most of the meat and fish were things that I had caught. We couldn’t afford to buy anything from the butchers. Everything was wrapped in a soft type of paper. I took out a rabbit that I had shot from the back of the fridge and carefully put it in my backpack. I reached in again and took out a squirrel that I had shot the day before the triad. My uncle wouldn’t notice it was gone. Closing the fridge I tightened the strings on my backpack and crept out of the kitchen on my hands and knees. I slid through the opening of my door and into my room. I made it but I still had to get out of the house.

 Pushing the bloodied cloth that Narukl had given me under my bed I stuffed some clothes under my warm blanket so it someone came in it would look like I was sleeping. I peeled away the cardboard that covered one of my windows. Putting it softly on the ground it pushed my window up. I held my breath as it creaked but no one came. Securing my backpack on my back, I swung both legs out the window, slipping outside. Leaning in, I picked up the cardboard from the floor. Closing the window until I could only fit my fingers I wedged the cardboard upright so it blocked the window from the inside.

Turning, I ran into the cover of the trees. Keeping out of sight I raced through the tree line toward Eridor and Narukl.