The Night Rider

Chapter 54

The different places keep circling in my mind, over and over again. The last places my thought can reach are the stables and the sky. Reviri is in the stables, which means it can't be either of them. I wake up from my thoughts as soon as Noa grabs my hand. A cold shiver slides over my body as soon as my skin touches his.

I look at him in my full surprise, I know this feeling. An icy cold, a dark strength and no substance all combine to make the characteristics of a vampire. As far as my knowledge of the boy, I know he was not born a vampire, nor did he die. 'Find her'. The words are almost pleading. Something inside me tells me he knows more than me, feels more than me. I see pain and despair in his eyes, worse than I've seen before.

I nod slowly. Noa has a bond with Rafiki that I can't put into words, that goes deeper than infatuation. It's as if the two feel each other out, know where to find each other. It is as if the two purest forms of Yin and Yang keep seeking each other out and are connected. With Nuri as the purest form of Yin and Chea as the purest form of Yang, the children make the following lines.

I close my eyes and wrap my hand around Noa's. With him as an anchor, I search in every fiber I possess for a feeling that will lead me to Rafiki. Somewhere in a deep distance I feel the pain emerge, my connection to Rafiki begins to recover. I unconsciously squeeze Noa's hand very hard but he doesn't budge. The burning pain that takes over my entire body bring me to the point where I connect with Rafiki

'The Roof'. Noa immediately lets go of my hand causing the burning pain to slowly go back, to the point I can bear it. Novak grabs me by the waist and holds me upright. 'She's on the roof', the words leave my mouth wearily. I can't believe Rafiki is enduring this pain. Noa is hesitating whether to run to Rafiki, I'm ahead of him. I straighten up and start walking.

My slow steps change to faster, to the point that I am running. Along with the two vampires, I run through the hallways to the stairs, up the steps. I throw open the door leading to the roof. A gust of wind makes my hair fly through the air and causes me to close my eyes for a moment. As soon as my eyes regain their strength I open them and look over the red roof tiles.

For a moment Rafiki seems nowhere to be seen but to my luck my eye falls on the girl sitting on the other side of the roof. Without hesitation I kick off my heels and walk across the roof tiles towards Rafiki. It's that I have tremendous balance and am not used to anything else about walking on dragons at great heights. Noa and Novak walk behind me in small steps, I can hear them balancing.

Meter by meter I walk over the edge of the roof to Rafiki, who sits with her back to us. She looks out over the deep forest and doesn't move a finger. I want to put my hand on the girl's shoulder but I am stopped by her words. 'Why?'. The word leaves her lips so softly that the deep emotion can be felt through every fiber. for a moment I let my hand hover over her shoulder before I place it on her skin anyway.

Something inside me tells me that all I have to do is listen. 'Why is my destiny a dark depth? Why do I no longer know a time without pain? Why me?'. I have never heard Rafiki say this before. The iron-fisted girl has turned into a depressed version of herself. She turns her head in my direction. Her normally hopeful eyes, are dark and dull. I don't know why the just-strong girl has changed but it hurts me terribly.

I kneel down in front of her and take hold of her hand. 'Where do you get these thoughts?' I join in the whispered tone. She half turns and unfolds her hand. The black lines seem to have taken over her hand, it has doubled with the last time I saw her. She turns her arm around revealing the wound I made, it is not healing. Rafiki should heal by the forces in a day at most.

Powerlessness takes over my body as I look at her arms. I do the first thing that comes to my mind and that is get up. I turn around and grab Noa by his hand. I pull him forward and push him towards Rafiki. I am powerless when it comes to the physical part but Noa is not. I take a step backwards causing me to bump into Novak. The man I've known for a long time grabs me by the waist and pulls me gently against his chest.

Breathlessly, I watch Noa kneel down in front of Rafiki and grasp her hands. 'For a second don't think about everything around you, for a few seconds don't think about that pain or the future. Focus on nothing but me'. Noa is the calm herself and as soon as he presses his lips to Rafiki's his words seem to have real effect. Rafiki's muscles visibly relax, her hands hang limply beside her body and even I feel the pain disappear for a moment.

'This is our cue to go Cell'. Novak whispers the words softly in my ear and slowly lets his hands slide down my body. I nod without looking at him as a sign that I have understood. One last look falls on the couple before I turn and walk back across the roof behind Novak.