[wattys 2018 shortlisted]
Humans see her as a dangerous threat -a witch that must be executed. With the uncontrollable ability to form ice at her fingertips, Ravenna is forced into hiding amongst the humans, stealing to survive. That is, until she h...
"Hello Henry," the dragon called as they passed the garden.
The man looked up, his eyes murderous. He shook a fist in the air and started to curse in their direction.
Smiling cheerfully, the dragon waved at him. Ravenna frowned and shook her head. "That was cruel," she told the dragon.
"Worse than stealing your neighbor's cabbages?"
She blinked and glanced back over her shoulder. The old man now hobbled toward the garden's fence, looking disgruntled. He carefully eased over the wooden posts and crossed the street, slipping through the door of another house.
"What if he needed to eat?" Ravenna asked the dragon. "He might be starving, and unable to afford it. You could have just condemned him to death."
The dragon shook his head and pointed at the house the old man had disappeared into. "Henry is just a bitter man. His garden is right over there."
Ravenna followed the dragon's finger. Tucked just behind the house, half hidden behind a pile of firewood, was a garden full of blossoming fruits and vegetables.
"Oh," she said. "What a mean old man!"
The dragon snorted. "You've seen nothing yet."
She arched an eyebrow. The dragon didn't elaborate. He opened the door to the tavern and stepped aside so that she could walk through. As she entered, the tavern's usual chatter rushed forward to greet her. She immediately glanced toward the bar.
Vyses stood behind it. He clutched a cloth in his hands, wringing tightly. Water dripped from the cloth onto the floor. His gaze seemed locked on something behind her.
The dragon stepped inside and the door shut silently behind him. The mindless chatter seemed to fall quiet. All eyes seemed focused on both Ravenna and the dragon.
Unnerved, Ravenna clutched the book closer to her chest. The dragon stepped around her and started toward the staircase, toward the upper rooms. She followed behind.
"That was tense," she murmured as soon as they reached the second floor.
The dragon glanced down at her. "This tavern is old. Its owner is older. And we are not exactly friends."
She blinked as he stopped in front of her bedroom door. He waited patiently for her to fish out her key. "How do you know that one is mine?"
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Lucky guess."
Her lips pressed into a firm line. She unlocked the door and entered the room. No sign of the ghost girl.
The dragon waited in the doorway as she rummaged about the room. There wasn't much she needed to get, just a scroll or two that she had left behind. As she shouldered her bag and stepped into the hallway, the dragon closed the door behind her. He followed her back down the stairs and to the bar.
Vyses stared at them as they approached. His gaze darkened. A sour expression plagued his face. "Caelan," he said.
"Vyses," the dragon said.
Ravenna handed Vyses her bedroom key. "Thank you for allowing me to stay," she told him. Memories from the night before flashed across her mind's eye. She pushed them aside and tried to smile warmly.
Vyses took the key. His narrowed gaze met hers and he frowned. "You don't have to leave," he said. "We have plenty of other rooms if you genuinely don't feel comfortable in that one."
A hand curled around Ravenna's shoulder. Heat radiated from it, sinking through the cloth and into her skin. Vyses's gaze hardened. "I got worried when my apprentice didn't immediately find what she was looking for," the dragon said from behind her. His voice was cool. He squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of her, Vyses."
Jaw clenched, Vyses dipped his head in a nod. His eyes were cold, calculating, and focused on the dragon. He started to wring out the cloth again. "It was my pleasure."
The dragon released Ravenna's shoulder and started to walk toward the door. She followed, her lips pressed together into a firm line. As she stood in the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder at Vyses.
He looked at her like a wounded animal would.
The dragon cleared his throat. She jolted back to attention, tearing her gaze away from Vyses and stepping through the tavern door. It closed behind them, its gentle thud drowned within the torrent of pouring rain.
Another invisible barrier formed around Ravenna as she moved away from the tavern. She folded her arms across her chest and ducked her head down.
She felt bad about choosing the dragon over Vyses. The dragon did nothing but annoy her and test her limits. Not to mention that he was a horrible teacher.
She glanced upward, through strands of her hair, at the dragon.
He seemed the picture of ease, entirely comfortable in the rain. The invisible barrier worked well. His dry hair hung down his back like a snake, tied at the nape of his neck. He glanced around, expression stoic, taking in the world around them.
He had so much to offer her. There was so much that she could learn from him.
"So your name is Caelan?" she prompted.
He glanced back at her, eyes gleaming. "It is."
"I didn't know that you even had a name," she remarked.
He arched an eyebrow. "You didn't ask."
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So for Camp NaNoWriMo this year, I've decided to work on this story. The goal is to spit out as many chapters as possible. I'm hoping that I will eventually be able to update this story twice a week. Both on here and on Radish. That's the goal, anyways.
Since classes got canceled thanks to some severe weather, I should have some time to work on it tomorrow!
