Reflections

Chapter 15

"Alright, you're ok. You're ok." Callisto said to her friend as she dabbed a wet hand over her head. Before she stuck her hand into the water next to her and back to patting her friends head over and over again. Due to the lack of help from the four who still sat in their seats.

"You are talking to a corpse, you know that right." Oriana said as they sat in the same position they were in earlier, only this time they were moving a flame between their fingers. The dark red flame licked their fingers as it traveled over, under, over, under, continuously.

"Not dead, slightly unconscious-" Callisto started before Tal snorted.

"Slightly."

"Moderately-"

"Just say you freaked the undies off her and be done with it." Tal said as he gestured to Xenia who was now coming too.

"Hey..." Callisto said softly and Xenia turned her head to the inside of the cave.

"No." She said before she turned to face the water.

"I know this is a bit much. I'll explain everything I promise. We just have to get up to the camp." Callisto said as she gently moved the hair stuck to her friend's forehead away from her face.

"We were riding a dragon-"

"Tarragon." Callisto corrected and Xenia just stared at her with an unimpressed look.

"And these people look like descendants from gods. Look at them. There's no way this is real. There must be something in the water here. Marijuana maybe..." Xenia mumbled and Callisto looked at her in confusion.

"You think they put weed in your water?" Callisto asked, mildly amused at her friends train of thought

"Well maybe it was accidental. I mean did you see all those plants up there. At least one had to be marijuana." Xenia said and Callisto blinked.

"Alright, that's a fair assumption. But seriously, I need to get you back to camp to change." Callisto grabbed her friend's hands and hauled her to her feet.

"Xenia, these are The Riders. Caspian, Oriana, Tal and Thelonius." She pointed to each Rider who nodded their heads in greeting.

"You explain this at breakfast." Xenia said as she turned to size up the very tall people who all looked at her with amusement.

"As you wish m'lady." Callisto said and Xenia smacked her arm profusely as she led the both of them out of the cave, and to the small thin rocky pathway that led onto a small area where a hidden stairway was tucked into the shrubbery.

"Meet us tonight!!" Thelonius shouted as the pair finally moved out of the cave and Orion trotted behind the pair, shrinking in size to be able to fit on the ledge.

"How did you find this place?" Xenia breathed as she looked at the small area, behind her was the water that constantly pulled and pushed on the rocks as they broke at the wave break.

"Yesterday, Orion brought me here." While Xenia saw the stairs that led upwards, Callisto did not lead her there.

"Don't you mean this morning." She joked as she followed tentatively.

"I guess so." Callisto pushed aside the thick leaves of a drooping tree and a set of stairs that faded upwards into the darkness.

"We don't have a light." Xenia mumbled as she peered into the covered stairwell, but when Callisto reached down and scooped something up from the ground.

"No but we have an Orion." In her hands was a smaller version of the very large Tarragon from earlier.

"You must be joking right. That's not possible." Xenia looked at her friend with disbelief.