Left In The Night

Chapter 31

After a short flight, leaving a dying Einar to the mercy of an enraged colony of Night Furies, Zyrah managed to track down Ragnhild, who'd escaped the chaos in the forest. The older woman was at the edge of a grassy clifftop overlooking the expansive sea. And in a steep drop below was a small beach, with sharp boulders poking out of the dark gray sand.

Ragnhild was slumped over, her braid partially undone, blowing in the harsh sea wind. Her shoulders were shaking, indicating she had been crying.

Zyrah landed with Blueheart a small distance from a small patch of woods, Rurik and Konall not far behind. Dismounting Blueheart, holding a hand out to keep her back, Zyrah slowly approached Ragnhild, noticing her sword lay on the ground a couple of feet away, just within arm's reach.

The hunter reacted to hearing her daughter's footsteps approach her, but she felt no fear, only defeat. She didn't bother grabbing her sword for self-defense, feeling no desire to fight.

Slowly turning to face her, Ragnhild looked tired, and for the first time, Zyrah noticed the circles under her reddened gray eyes, the wrinkles, and all the marks of age, even though she was younger than Zyrah's adoptive mother.

"I'm so sorry..." Were Ragnhild's first words to her. Initially, Zyrah was speechless, not expecting an apology right off the bat. She opened her mouth to reply, but Ragnhild shook her head.

"Please... I-... I truly am... it was never supposed to turn this way. He went too far..." Distressed by the turn of events, Ragnhild began to pace around, wringing out her hands.

"He'll be gone soon," Zyrah informed her, though with no intention of reassurance. Ragnhild froze momentarily, watching her daughter, her actions dawning on her. Zyrah couldn't read the varying emotions that crossed the woman's face. Distress, solace, pain... there was even a brief smile. A deranged smile? Or one of relief?

A million conflicting emotions and feelings. She didn't know how to react. She felt her heart pounding, her chest heaving as she tried to regulate her breathing to no avail. She was dizzy, and her eyes hurt.

"If you felt trapped by him... he's no longer in control." Zyrah attempted. Ragnhild shook her head, releasing a shaky sigh.

"I... I wish it were that easy."

"What do you mean?" With trembling hands, Ragnhild struggled to find the words.

She couldn't. For years she'd hoped that if something were to separate her and Einar, the weight of guilt would be lifted from her shoulders, and for so long, it never came. And now that he was finally gone, she did not experience that relief she longed for.

For 16 years, even after giving Zyrah up, Ragnhild had been mostly successful in suppressing her true emotions, knowing Einar would criticize her for feeling that kind of loss. Not to mention, Drago had no patience for any signs of weakness, for it would be eliminated. She'd seen adult children of other hunters fighting their grief if their parent was killed in action.

Her adult life had been ruthless, unsympathetic, and cruel. The worst in humanity, all for the cause of controlling or eliminating dragons, whichever worked best.

Ragnhild never truly believed in controlling such creatures. She had a great deal of respect for their strength and power, but she herself felt powerless and too afraid to escape. Einar had been all she'd known in the outside world. How would she survive without him?

He'd taken her away from her native village on the mainland when she was no older than Zyrah was now. She never got to truly say goodbye to her parents and siblings, losing her sense of spirituality.