The Dream Keeper's Dragon

33. We're Fine

Aurelie was in a mood to fight. Rage boiled over inside her. Ever since she opened her eyes that morning, she was ready to burst into flames at the first sign of unkindness. So much so that something inside her told her to go out and look for it.

She hoped that Orken would irritate her again to prove that she was not just making idle threats. Her irritation and anger stretched so far as to imagine setting what little blobs of fur he still had on his head alight.

She lay back on her boulder and looked at the sun. Her eyes burned, and her surroundings were covered in a dark blue tint. Her legs dangled restlessly off the side of it, making a loud knocking sound every time they touched the side.

The water usually calmed her, but today she was in a mood to stick her arms right in and test whether or not she could cook all the first in one go. She had forgotten how she had ever been able to get angry without lighting something on fire before.

Leaves rustled nearby.

Aurelie shot up, her head turning in every possible direction, trying to see what had caused the disturbance. Her eyes had still been affected by the sun. A large bright spot covered half the field and made everything surrounding it look much darker than it should have been. Aurelie closed her eyes and watched the light spot slowly disappear into the darkness. When she opened her eyes again, only a little bright spot remained in the corner of her eye, and she was about to see the trees before her clearly. Nothing seemed to be disturbing it, and the sound didn't return, so Aurelie lay back down, keeping her ear skeptically alert to any more sounds.

Probably just the wind, she thought after a moment.

A twinge of worry remained at the back of her mind. What worried her more was the unsettling feeling of being watched. The hair on the back of her neck rose. She felt like a little girl again, trying to creep through the dark cabin while feeling the eyes of monsters on her back. They weren't there, just as she was sure nothing had been out here now, but that did not stop that dreadful feeling.

She jumped off the boulder, looking around again, slower this time and much more carefully. Aurelie's back was stiff, and her strides long as she made her way back to the cabin. Too scared to look back at the forest, Aurelie broke into a run, her elbows carelessly knocking into her sides.

The last steps towards the cloaking spell surrounding the inn were the longest. The three strides seemed miles away. She jumped and skidded on her knees. Aurelie slumped down on the ground, releasing a breath. The field around her was clear, but the grim feeling did not leave her.

She thought herself sillier then because even if something were watching her, it wouldn't have been able to see her any longer, yet she felt its eyes still resting firmly on her. Aurelie shook herself as if trying to regain her sanity.

People walked to and from the back garden. Orken was not outside, so she remained there in the hope that she could avoid his miserable face as long as possible. He had no right to speak to her as he did, and while everyone could hear and see him! An urge to beat out his remaining teeth settled over her. She tightened her lips and got back on her feet, wiping off the grass that stuck to her knees. Thinking of Orken made her forget all about what had happened and focus on how angry the old fart had made her the day before.

Someone had put clothes on Kirin's hay men. The middle one wore a red shirt and a straw hat. Aurelie burst into a fit of laughter. Daerious, she thought, shaking her head and laughing some more. Only he—or perhaps some of the little ones—could have done such a thing. One of the hay men wore an old dress that looked suspiciously like the one Aurelie had arrived at in.

She looked at the figures, wondering which one to start with. Kirin's voice kept sounding in her head. Burn the inn down. She smiled. It faded quickly, replaced with a sudden emptiness in her stomach that always came with missing him. She missed him often . . . even when he was nearby. The rejection was cold and lonely. Among the many things she wanted, he was at the top of the list.