Black as Blood (Part Two)

Rider-Training Begins

Arianna had a fitful sleep. She was back in Grunde, on one of her favorite peaks in the country. It overlooked the dazzling palace and surrounding cities, and had the most brilliant sunrise she had ever seen in her life. Now the whole breathtaking scenery was covered in a shining blanket of snow. An immense wave of pride washed over her at the sight of the climbing tower in the center of the castle. It was the largest, most architecturally brilliant tower she had ever beheld. Her country spread out around it, stretching from her mountain to the glittering sea in the distance. She sighed, leaning on her bow and letting the cold wind ruffle her parka and the soft snowflakes swirl around her. She had dreamed this dream before. Many times. But most of the time it had been while she was in the hot, sticky forest and had been hungry and homesick. It had almost disappeared when she had met Ralem and his dragon. But now it was back, enticing her. A snuffle came from behind her and she absentmindedly reached a hand back and scratched something large and extremely hairy. She laughed as she found its large wet nose shoved into her face. “Oso!” she cried, scratching the bear amiably. Small black eyes blinked from a flat, angular head as Oso snuffled in her ear. His shaggy white hair ruffled in the wind, his huge paws hardly making a sound on the snow. Arianna dug her head into Oso’s fur. “Oso,” she whispered, “Oso, I miss you. But… but I can’t come back.” She said, tears building up in her eyes. Oso drew back, his head sank, his sad button eyes lowered. “Don’t leave!” she cried as he turned around and padded into the snow, “Don’t go! Oso, come back!” She sank into the snow, as the flakes around her seemed to speed up in a frenzy of sharp white. She couldn’t see anything, her hands clawed at nothingness, and the snow deepened around her body until she couldn’t move. She screamed one last time before she hiccupped to reality.

               She was alive. Not in a blizzard. But in her bed in Baroke, the southern sun bright in her  window. She couldn’t move because her blankets tied her up like a taco in the bed. “How on earth did I do that?” she thought out loud before untangling herself with some difficulty. With a yawn, she swung her legs over the bed and stretched tiredly, her weary eyes blinking in the room.  She sat there for a minute, trying to remember how she got there. Rubbing her eyes, the memory suddenly bombed her mind and she catapulted out of her bed. “I fell asleep!” she screamed, “He …. He could be dead by now!” She scrambled to get her clothes on, cursing when she struggled with the corset. Ditching the tight contraption, she shoved on some nightclothes. Now was not the time to look nice.

               Not even messing with her hair, she shuffled on some slippers and darted out the door and through the hall, her heart racing and her hands sweaty. Horrible thoughts paraded around her head. If she found him dead she would never forgive herself. Making a kitten noise, she shuddered at the thought of finding him cold on the bed.

                She bumped into several people in her charge, but only offered quick ‘sorry!’s without realizing what she was doing. She almost missed his door, and her bruised arm shot out and she painfully slid to a stop. Turning the knob, she shoved open the door.

               The light found Ralem standing there like a deer that had just been discovered in the underbrush. He was standing up, still in only his ripped pants, looking really scared.

                Arianna could have screamed for joy. She fist-pumped the air, “Yes!” But then she wondered, Is he still crazy? She looked at him closely as if he were an interesting species of bird she didn’t want to scare off.

                 Ralem held out his hands, surveying the room with big eyes, “Arianna, don’t come any closer. Someone’s broken into my room. I don’t know if they’ve stolen anything, but it seems like they stole my….” He looked down, “…clothes.”