Fire Realm

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The dragon dropped my bow case into my palms and looked me in the eye.  Seeing my fading terror, he sniffed the air and his pupils dilated in urgency and understanding.  We hurried back into the mountain, closing any doors we passed through in an attempt to delay our enemies if they tried to follow us.

Mekka was searching for me frantically, afraid that I was gone and never to return. I locked eyes with him and he shoved his way back to me through the throngs of dragons and their riders.

"Thank God you're alive!" he said, "I thought you had run off and been killed or something!" he exclaimed with fear filled eyes.

It was so annoying.  How clingy he was, and how he underestimated my ability to take care of myself.  It was hard, knowing he loved me and knowing that I might never feel the same way.  Most of all, I was so unsure of how to act; whether I should play along and pretend to love him back, or whether I should behave normally and let him feel rejected.  I took a moment and studied those dark green eyes of his, and I tried to imagine how he must feel.  How he knew, that day when he and his family had left, that he might never see me again, and how much it hurt to lose the one he loved.  It was quite a different feeling than what I had experienced the day they drove away.  I had felt like I had lost my best friend, and even though I cared for him it still hadn’t felt like losing a loved one.

"I almost was." I said softly.

His wide eyes grew even larger in shock and he opened his mouth to ask about it when a dragon's low and commanding rumble shook the crowd into silence. We looked up at some sort of raised platform where my mother, father, and Rowan were standing.

"Due to our current emergency situation," my mother began, "We have been forced to relocate sooner than we had previously planned."

I rolled my eyes.  No, really? I thought sarcastically, I thought we all came down here covered in ash to eat some milk and cookies. Despite the fact that she was always stating the obvious, my mother never skipped her formal introductions. At least she was consistent, I thought.

"If you haven't done so already, please have someone from each family gather supplies at the shelves. Gather as much as you can carry, and be prepared for several cold nights. Spring is not always as kind at night as it is during the day."

This prompt of 'one person from each family' quickly morphed into 'Quick! Everyone grab supplies!'  I watched as the crowd of riders and their families rushed to the walls lined with supplies and started filling their arms.  The dragons did not need supplies.  They were like cats, always able to take care of themselves.  Fights over items ensued only moments later. Mekka dashed off sometime during the fray and came back carrying a thick woolen afghan.  He handed it to me without hesitation and then looked around for more supplies. I held out a length of the blanket and realized how big and thick it was, large enough to keep about three people warm if they really snuggled up. I folded it in fourths and put it over my shoulders. With the pillow case full of food cans by my feet and the warm blanket around my shoulders, I tried to stay out of the way of pushy people as I waited for Mekka to come back.

He wasn't gone long but in the time he was gone he had found another much smaller blanket, a simple canvas satchel, and some twine.  He started stuffing things into the bag haphazardly, and when they wouldn't all fit started trying to pound it all in. I touched his shoulder and he backed away to let me organize it.  As I arranged it, I silently made an inventory in my mind: three jars of beans, a jar of peaches, four packages of dried beef strips, a box of matches, twine, and the pillow case which I used to cushion the jars. To Mekka's amazement, it all fit just fine and had room to spare. He made a face at my superior packing skills and hoisted the satchel strap over his neck. He wrapped the smaller blanket around his own shoulders as we once again heard the low growl that signaled another announcement from the front.

"We have heard report that the enemy is searching for remains on the main level. We must move out now. Everyone gather up your things and quietly follow me." Rowan said firmly. It was good to have someone commanding and brave take the lead.

Mekka looked at me with concern.  Perhaps he was wondering how I felt leaving another home.  Another home burned and destroyed by the same evil people who burned my real home.  I clenched my jaw to keep away the anger rising in my throat.  It seemed that wherever I  went, destruction followed.