Black as Blood (Part Two)

Arianna's Decision

   Ralem was having a good dream for once of Redfield. Right when he was about to climb his roof to save a baby bear, he was shaken awake. “Ah,” he sighed, feeling like he had had only two minutes of sleep. Jaydon poked him again, “Hurry. They are serving food in ten minutes.”

                     Ralem rolled out of bed and absentmindedly ran his hands through his hair before following the dragon downstairs. He realized he hadn’t seen Arianna all day and it troubled him. She must be here, he thought, wanting to ask her about dance lessons. He was also itching to tell her about Jaydon’s test and ask about her day. He didn’t care what they talked about as long as he was with her. But when he looked around the table for Arianna, his searching eyes came up with nothing. Quickly he doubled his search and found that one other person was missing; Daemon. Pricks of suspicion made his hair stand at an angle, and his built up anxiety was making even Jaydon defensive. They sat hard a chair away from Lauri and Thistle. Lauri looked at him, searching his expression, “Ralem, you’re as tight as a bowstring. Is everything all right?”

                     Ralem nodded curtly, his senses tuning in to everything around him, “Where’s Arianna?”

                     Thistle shuffled his wings, “You mean you don’t know?”

                    “What do you mean, don’t know?” Ralem asked snappishly, his nerves on the verge of breaking.

                    Lauri twisted her pasta with her fork, “If you want the answer to that, you need to ask her yourself.”

                    “How am I supposed to ask her if I don’t know where she’s at?” he asked.

                    “Truth be told, we don’t either. She’s probably needs to be alone to make her decision. But you need to get it from her.”

                    “What decision?” he demanded. Then it hit him. His eyes widened as he thought of what Daemon had said the night before, Arianna’s downcast face, and the talk they had had in the field. It can’t be, he tried to soothe himself. “It’s Grunde isn’t it? She’s deciding whether or not to go back, isn’t she?” His voice cracked.

                     Nobody answered. Everyone picked at their food or ate it with exaggerated relish.

                     Ralem slammed the table so hard that everyone looked up in shock. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Jaydon stood next to him, his eyes demanding answers. The sky outside turned instantly dark and the royals shivered under a new, alien wind.

                     For a second nobody spoke. Then Ryan looked up and Ralem saw that he had sadness in his big hazel eyes. He didn’t say anything, just gave the briefest nod that confirmed Ralem’s worst fears. Ralem stood there for a moment in shock, and he felt a new scar open on his heart. He sank in his chair, suddenly not hungry at all. Forks and spoons clattered pitifully against the sides of bowls and for once not even the royals said a word. Even little Avila was silent, peeking across at him with a finger in her mouth.

                    Questions, thoughts, and suspicions swirled around Ralem’s mind, tearing him apart. Why hadn’t she told him? Was she planning this all along? Did she love Daemon? Was he just a joke for her, someone to laugh at? How could she lead him along, then just stab him in the back like this? All these horrible thoughts paraded around his mind even after dinner as he helped clean dishes in the kitchen. Jaydon worked alongside him, scouring the pans.