Aiden's Quest

Chapter 1.4 Part 4

They walked as fast as the little girl's legs could carry her. As they walked she began to sniffle again.

"Ye feet hurtin', isn't they?" he asked kindly.

She shook her head and kept walking ahead. It was true, there was plenty to cry about that night, even without one's feet hurting. Jashion reached his hand down and grabbed hers. She held her doll in her left hand and Jashion's hand in her right.

"Ye a name, don't ye?"

She nodded, but did not offer any words. Jashion had not realized that he hadn't told her his name either. The pair walked for some time in silence. The ground was soft, but occasionally she would step on a stone and he could see her wince. Dawn was slowly approaching; they could see quite a way in front of them. Jashion did not know what he was looking for, but he knew that whatever it was he could not see it. As far as he could see there was nothing ahead.

"I'll carry ye s'more now."

The pretty little girl with long, dark-blond hair looked up at him. Her tear stained cheeks and her bloodshot eyes only began to tell the tale of her night. Her little legs were tired and her feet did hurt. She had never stayed awake through the night and she was exhausted. Jashion lifted her up and cradled her in his arms. His arms and legs were tired too, but seeing that the child fell to slumbering quickly in his arms, he was pleased that he was carrying her.

Off in the distance a wooded area was spotted to his right. In every other direction all he could see were rocks and dirt interspersed with weeds. He hadn't remembered passing a tree. The wooded area broke up the scenery, and provided a destination of sorts. Perhaps it was the burning of his arm muscles or the hope of a spring of water, but somehow he lengthened his stride as he walked towards the trees.

It was dawn, and though still very early, it appeared to him that he walked in daylight. His mind was on what lay ahead, temporarily suppressing what lie behind. If he had considered it, he would have known that Dromreign did not stay out in the daylight, but rather only appeared with the cloak of darkness. But perhaps he would not have realized that the path he had chosen was precisely the path that Dromreign would take back to its lair. It wasn't until he heard the fierce shriek of the dragon in the distance, far behind him, that he realized their predicament. He and the child were in the open and unprotected. They would be spotted easily from the air. The only hope of a place to hide were the woods ahead.

With the sound of the shriek he began to run towards the woods. The second shriek, heard only moments later, indicated the speed of Dromreign—it was gaining on them quickly. Had they been seen? If so, even the woods could provide no protection. Dromreign would turn them into a heap of ashes in no time. Jashion's only hope would be to reach the woods before they were noticed. But they were alone, and Dromreign could track them by their scent. Was he following that scent now? Would he follow it to the woods, and then scorch it anyway? Jashion's heart pounded with his exertion, fatigue, adrenaline, and fear.

Further screeches from the dragon were louder than ever. It was fast approaching. The woods were closer too, but perhaps not close enough. The child's eyes opened with a penetrating scream from Dromreign. Jashion felt that they had been seen, but with nothing else to hope for he raced for the woods. The girl began to tremble in his arms and her body tightened. She did not make a sound; she was petrified. The next shriek brought chills to his spine and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He was so close to the woods; was it any use? He passed the first outlying tree, and headed towards the more densely wooded area further in. He did not stop nor look around, but kept going towards the darkness ahead. Fallen tree limbs began to crack under his footsteps, and his running slowed. He dared a look over his shoulder, but saw nothing. The screech told him that Dromreign was nearly to the woods.

As Jashion turned his head to look ahead, a sharp burning began on his right leg. He had scraped it on the sharp edge of a rock. It forced him to slow to a stop. The pain was intense and his already exhausted body wanted to just collapse in a heap. But the child was in his arms, so he forced himself to drop to his knees slowly. He laid the girl in front of him and then going to a sitting position, reached for his right leg. Already his pant leg was soaked in blood, and the warm and sticky sensation of blood on his hands unnerved him. The girl had not noticed his leg as she was looking up and to the northwest, the direction where she heard the shrieks.

A shadow approached the ground near them. Jashion looked away from his leg and over at the girl. Her widened eyes told him what she beheld. Dromreign was nearly above them and she had a clear image. He had seen this same expression, just hours earlier, on the face of Siccly. The reminder sickened him and his heart sank. Not wanting to look, but not able to keep himself from doing so, he gazed up at the sky. Though hidden somewhat through the foliage, Dromreign was passing overhead. Jashion looked down at the child and put his blood-stained finger to his lips.

She would have screamed, and if she had they would have been finished. Dromreign's eyes were burning in the sunlight, and its dark-adapted eyes saw poorly in the day, anyway. If it had been tracking them, it could have followed their scent. But its nostrils were so full of the scent of human from its recent conquest that the trickle of scent from these two had not triggered an arousal. Dromreign's belly was full, and its only desire was to return to its cave and sleep contently. Still, its keen ears would have heard her scream, and it would not have let them be. The dragon would have burned down this section of the forest, rather than let them live.

Asthe dragon passed by, its vulgar scent permeated the air. The two companionshad been holding their breath. When the immediacy of their vulnerability waspast they both let out their breath and panted heavily. Fear, fatigue, and forJashion, pain, mingled with the rotten scent of Dromreign made it impossiblefor them to feel safe, secure, and pleased for having escaped. The littlechild, sleep deprived, hungry, cold, aching feet, began to sniffle again. Shedid not have the strength to turn it into a full cry. Jashion winced in pain. Heworried that his escape from Dromreign may only lead to his bleeding to death.