Daughter of the Dragon

Chapter 18: The Task (UPDATED)

Valant was angry at himself for not realizing sooner. Meika had been at the river before anyone else. Darya had said as much. When the boys finally showed up, Meika's chestnut locks were still wet, like the blue dress clinging to her body. That part Valant remembered very well. How had he missed such an obvious clue?

Thinking about the stele made Valant wonder how Haran had fared. Tessa had said Darya's brother hadn't been in the village, but who knew what had happened afterward. What about the Sweton sisters? Were they dead? Injured? Or carried away as slaves, like the Northmen reavers of old used to do? And what about Darya's father? Was Old Man Travers really gone? What about Harress and Rijek? And that other templar, Arthrem. Was he on Tessa's side, or did he lie dead somewhere? And Ela, of course. Where was she? Why hadn't she come to the cave as agreed? Maybe she had but couldn't get inside because of Tessa? So many questions and absolutely no answers.

Darya looked despondent, standing over the still-sitting Meika. "Why didn't you say anything. Not at the temple. Not at the cottage. Not in the cave. Why?" Darya grew increasingly agitated as she spoke; she was clearly angry by the end.

Meika stood and faced the taller girl, scant inches between them. They were a study of contrast. Darya was tall, fair, and slender. Meika was shorter, darker, and more curvaceous—relatively speaking. "You don't really know that, Darya. I could have told Mother many things before I fetched you."

"But you didn't," Darya insisted.

"No, I didn't. I... I didn't want to say anything in front of the old men. They sounded like they knew what they were talking about... and Harress had a vision about you two, not us three. And I didn't tell my mother because... I didn't want to scare her!" Meika was no longer cool but just as fiery as Darya.

Valant chuckled to himself. All those times during the Great War when Darya and Meika had been at each other's throats. So long ago, yet nothing had changed between them.

"Or make her angry. Because I was careless and nearly drowned. Because I was foolish to approach the broken stele when I should have known better. But I was going to tell her." A little more heated, and sparks would start flying.

Darya would storm off soon. But later, she would return to Meika, and the girls would kiss and make up. They always did. And after, they would be stronger and more united than ever. Dalan was glad he was part of it, even if he was the proverbial third wheel.

"But I never got the chance. And maybe now I never will. Maybe I'll never see her again!"

Valant blinked, trying to clear his head. There had to be something he could do to defuse the situation. Tell them to quiet down and remember their duties and obligations. Remind them of the stakes: victory—or eternal enslavement under a black sky choked with falling ash.

Rasselin cleared his throat. "Girls. Ladies. There is no need for anger. Anger never leads to anything good. What has been said has been said. What has not been done has not been done. We cannot change that. But we can decide what to say now and what we do going forward."

Or Valant could let the giant hairy feyr with the antlers do the talking. Rasselin seemed to know what to say. No need to interfere.

"Sitting down is an excellent first step towards peace. And maybe stop glaring at each other until you have cooled off?" Rasselin smiled, making him look like an oversized cat.

It was funny; this giant, alien creature looking like a mischievous kitten. The girls didn't laugh—or smile—but they did sit down.

"We are all surprised and shocked in our own way, and we will need time to digest everything. But that time is not now. Right now, we must focus on freeing me. To do so, you must find the control rod and bring it here so we can switch off the dampening field."