The Faithfuls

Chapter 21: Jinx

Chapter 21: Jinx

I walk into Merador feeling slightly alone. All the Faithfuls have gone home, and I’m back to talking to my conscience. So I decide to just walk...and walk...and walk. Eventually, probably after an hour, I reach the river, the rigid crop of towering rocks on the other side. I decide to climb the centre one, the tallest. My feet slip a few times, but I don’t fall. Anthrofauna used to climb these rocks all the time. Once at the top, I can see over all of Merador. Nature stretching out for as far as the eye can see. A family of dragons land on a ledge below me, roaring a hello. It’s beautiful here. I see a dragon off in the distance that looks like the ‘Devil’s Falcon’, spiralling and showing off over the waterfall. Over on the horizon I see my tree. My home. And even though I don’t have anyone to share it with anymore, I love it all the same. They’ll come back to visit some time. They’ll come.

They’ll come.

Won’t they?

I lay on a branch at my tree, watching the sunset. A big black dot appears in the centre of my vision. I’ve probably stared at the sun too long. But no matter how much I rub my eyes, it won’t go away. I move my head from side to side, but it stays in the centre of the sun. I don’t think it’s a dot. Just as I realise this a dragon crashes into the branch. ‘Devil’s Falcon’. It lands on the ground, and so I go to help it. It roars in pain, its mouth splitting into four for it to speak. I hear a groan from beneath the dragon. As I move it, it turns out to be a girl. Guess I spoke too soon when I said I was going to be alone now.

“Ow,” She groans. “I’m going to kill that dragon...” She sees me and backs away a little.

I adjust the engineer goggles on my head. “You’re welcome.”

She grunts and holds out her hand. “Grace.”

I shake it. “Jinx.” I can already tell she doesn’t like me. I walk over to the dragon and pat it. “You were riding ‘Devil’s Falcon’?”

“I was trying to.” Grace sighs. “It was a dare from some of my friends to try and tame it. I don’t think I did.”

“It doesn’t really seem like it. And I don’t think the dragon is too happy with you either. He’s beautiful though.”As I say this, the dragon flies off, back to its home.

“If you think that thing is beautiful then everything is beautiful to you.” She laughs.

“Eh, I’m connected to nature.”

“Ha! Hippie. Well, I’ll see you around in the village. Bye!” She wanders off back towards the village. Well that was a quick conversation. I wonder at what everyone else is doing right now. Brandon’s probably flirting with someone, Ursa and Muse probably talking battle tactics, and I’m not really sure about Zeth. Probably arguing with his father. Yeah, that seems about right.  I go inside, retract the hammocks everyone’s been sleeping on, and get into my own bed, drifting off into most likely dreamless sleep.