Daughter of the Dragon

Chapter 25: The Kiss (NEW)

Darya was sitting in the great oak tree when Meika found her. Bairo was long gone, of course, having finally ventured into the mist that still hung over the cemetery. Darya resolutely kept her eyes on the distant forest and the sky above. She didn't want to think about what hid inside the whiteness, nor what horrors had befallen the bard.

"There you are," Meika called from below.

"Go away," Darya mumbled. Darya hadn't tried to hide as much as she needed to get away from everyone and everything.

"Are you alright?"

Darya considered lying, but that would probably make her cough or something. This whole thing with the lie detection was turning out to be a double-edged sword. "I'm... looking at the trees and enjoying the sun." Which was true, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

"The trees aren't going anywhere—and Vedia, the sun goddess, will return tomorrow."

Why couldn't Meika just leave her alone? Why did the little know-it-all witch always have to stick her nose where it didn't belong? "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I think you're thinking too much about what might be coming and what's in the past—and ignoring the present."

"Is that supposed to cheer me up?"

"So, you are miserable. You didn't just storm off because you were so happy and wanted to lounge in the sun like a lizard?"

"You're not as funny as you think, Meika."

"I'm more fun than you've been for the past week. Can I come up?"

Darya pretended to think it through. "You won't take no for an answer, so you might as well."

"True," Meika said and quickly ascended the rugged, twisted trunk of the old tree. The healer's daughter squeezed down next to Darya, shoulder against shoulder. It was a tight fit, but if they didn't move too much, there was room enough for both without either falling out of the tree. "Talk."

Darya didn't want to talk. Not to Meika, not to anyone. "I've nothing to say."

"You threw a tantrum in front of everyone, stormed off, and now you're sitting in a tree. I know all there is to know about sitting in trees, feeling sad and lonely. You want to talk. And I'm here to listen. I think that's how this friendship thing is supposed to work. But you're my first, so I could be wrong."

Why was Meika always so pushy and annoying? Besides, what did the healer's daughter know about anything? The girl had grown up in a forest, friendless and with a witch for a mother. She knew nothing that mattered. "Leave me alone," Darya said, struggling to keep her voice even.

"No, I won't. Soon you'll be gone, and I'll be alone again. But while you're still here, you're stuck with me."

That was part of the problem, wasn't it? That Darya and Valant were going away while Meika was staying. They would have left already had Valant learned to manage his memories. "I just... it's not that I don't want to talk to you... more like I don't know what to say."

"I'll say something first. Maybe it'll help. I was angry with you for leaving. And some days, I still am. But it's as much my fault for staying, so I can't stay mad for long. And you're too cute to be angry at anyway," Meika said, leaning her head against Darya's shoulder.

Cute? And why did Meika need to sit this close? It was too warm already, even with a soft breeze rustling the leaves. Now the heat became almost unbearable. Darya wanted to edge away, but if she did, she'd tumble head-first into the ground. The only other options were to get up and leave or ask Meika to bugger off, neither of which felt right.