The Dream Keeper's Dragon

34. They Aren't Ready

The man had disappeared into the thickness of threes. Aurelie ran into the inn, jumped over the porch steps, and collapsed through the open door.

The drumming in her ears was even louder than before, overwhelming the crowd's sound into a soft buzz.

She shouted as soon as her lungs allowed her to stop gasping and utter a word. The murmur quietened and then stopped all at once.

Daerious rushed out of the kitchen, curls wobbling and eyes wild with questions. "What?"

"Where's Orken?" She didn't know whom else to call. Orken would not have been her first choice . . . but who else? Sasha wasn't the fighting type, and Kirin was gone—away. She didn't like using the word when thinking about him. It was too final. Too similar to dead. And he was fine. She had to believe it even though they had not heard a single word from him in days. He had to be fine. Her heart could not bear anything else.

"Here." Orken lifted his hand from atop the balcony, looking at her with much less enthusiasm than the situation warranted.

"There was someone in the woods. I think—he saw me. I moved, and he followed me . . . I think he wore the Dranoir uniform. I saw an emblem on his shoulder, but--" Aurelie placed her palm over her chest, forcing a steadier rhythm. "That doesn't matter. He saw me right from the woods. I was by the pond, and I heard something earlier, but I thought nothing of it." She had to catch a breath again. Between the talking and the running, she had hardly gotten a moment to breathe and now felt rather dizzy with the incoming air.

"Ag," Orken said, flicked his hand, and turned back to his room. "There's a cloaking spell on it. We're fine."

"No!" Aurelie stomped forward. "He saw me, I swear it. I moved, and his eyes followed. He saw me!" She understood that he was mad and that the sting of their old conversation remained, but if there ever was a time to listen to her, it was now.

Daerious ran to the door and stuck his head outside. At least someone believed her. He looked from the door to her and then back again, scanning the field carefully and finding nothing.

"He's gone," Aurelie said.

Orken came down the stairs, skipping steps, his legs quivering after each jump. "Where?"

"There in the trees," she answered. "He was watching me."

"Right, everyone out!" Daerious yelled and raced up the stairs. "Find him."

Blonde hair stuck out from behind the residents. It moved toward the door, dropped suddenly below the heads of the others. When the crowd dispersed, Aurelie saw an image of Leila that she would have rather been spared.

Her fingers grew longer, and claws sprang from her nails, thick as human fingers. Long white and black patches of hair grew from the back of her hands. Her chin extended, and fangs pierced through her gums, tearing flesh and spilling blood.

"Leila!" Aurelie called out, unable to utter anything else. It looked excruciating.

Leila's glowing eyes glared at Aurelie in response. A snap echoed from her bones. She slumped over forward on all fours, her claws extended and scratching the wooden floor beneath them. Hair popped up in patches, and her hands swelled, transforming into paws. Leila sniffed the ground and leaped toward the door. She caught up with the others in seconds and overtook them, disappearing into the thickness of trees.

Daerious emerged from his room with his bow in hand. His right hand gripped the railing. He swung his body over the side and fell, landing perfectly on his feet. "Come on," he said and ran through the door.

The witches and wizards were already reaching the trees at the edge of the woods where Leila had gone. A loud growl came from the woods, and Aurelie's heart skipped a beat and fell deep into her chest before coming back with a heavy knock that disturbed the rhythm of her newly steady breath.