Traitor

Caedmon Teaches Me a Thing or Two

(So sorry for slow update you all hope this long one will make up for it a little!)

All the lights were dead at the beautiful log cabin. It was, after all, almost midnight. The only light other than the moon I could spot was a dim glow from where I suspected Zach was watching anime or something. I wondered if he got his manga books back. But when Blaize parked around back, I spotted one light was on, right over the mahogany door, illuminating a small circle of light around the entrance. A few feet beside it was a long wooden bench, upon which a scarecrow with a drooping cowboy hat rested. Kind of creepy.

I stood up, grabbing a few of my bags before hopping off, the dry grass crunching under my new Vans. I started trudging towards the door, my breath coming out in cool puffs of mist. It was freezing, and I was dreaming of my nice comfy bed. My joints almost creaked with every step. I'd been sitting in the back of that pickup for a few hours, and I hadn't moved much in that entire time. I was surprised I could move at all.

I was almost scared stiff when Blaize walked past me carrying the rest of my bags. He made absolutely no sound. He was almost like a ghost.

"Thanks!" I said haltingly, waddling behind him.

"You better be thanking him."

At that sound, I jumped and went flying back onto my butt, gasping. "H-hey! Who said that?" I heard a loud crack and really hoped it wasn't my stolen iMac.

The 'scarecrow's' hat tilted upwards, the light making a halo around the rim. But underneath, the face was still shrouded in darkness. At the moment I wasn't even thinking of using my darkness vision because I was sort of just staring at him blankly. "You know, I entrusted you with something that meant a whole lot to me. I let you hold in your hands the full force of a Hellbeast, who not only drove you hours there and back, but gave you instructions by which you could make it back alive." Bright red flames flickered in the darkness, but they seemed to suck in light rather than release it, because his face was still a pitch black. "I thought you had half a brain to at least respect him." He lurched to his feet, dwarfing me, his broad shoulders blocking out the stars.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to-"

He crouched down beside me. "You do something like that again, and I'll let him teach you to respect him himself."

Then he was gone.

I gasped, alone in the darkness. It seemed like he was still there, watching me from somewhere. My eyes scanned the scary, scraggly hands of the fir trees and I made a run for it, plastic bags slapping my hips.

When I finally made it to the room, I sighed and dropped all my bags on the floor before plopping on the bed tiredly. There was a grunt and I realized I had flopped on top of poor Caed. "Oh! Sorry buddy." I flopped on my side, trying desperately to see if he was alright. But he just yawned and set his head back under his wings. I sighed and curled around him, stroking his spine. I wondered what his day was like here at home? I passed out without even taking off my clothes, the coldness chased away by the warmth of my tiny dragon.

b

CRASH!

I was propelled from a fast action thriller dream of escaping the maniacal Joker on my trusty steed- a giant Pteradactyl. "Wuh!" I panted, expecting to hear that terrible giggle of a serial killer clown.

Instead, I saw the mountains from my large windows, which flooded my room with light (but luckily reaching my face or I'd have tomato cheeks). I exhaled in relief before turning towards the noise. Caedmon was perched on the nightstand, patting a small vase with two drooping flowers towards the edge of the cabinet. He looked bored to death. "Hey!" I said sharply.