Silver Soul

Chapter 31: Defense of an Attacker

Chapter 31: Defense of an Attacker

                       There I was standing in the golden mist. I was wearing the white death dress that Vivian had adorned me with when she thought that I had left this world. I knew that my eyes were their bright amber normal human ones. I knew my dark brown hair was at my waist where I am sure it would have stayed if I had remained human. I opened my eyes and saw that in one hand was my silver bow and slung around my back was my quiver. I looked up to see everyone looking down at the apparition of me. I closed my eyes as I felt the golden mist start to dissolve and with it my last image. I let the realization of what they had seen sink in before I answered Cory’s question.

Yes, Cory. I was human once as you have seen. In that form I would have been called Rose if you had known me then, I replied in a low quiet voice as I lost myself in swirling memories.

                         It was so silent that I swear I heard the cave breath, but no one replied to my answer. I knew that they would all need time to get accustomed to the fact that I had once been so small and fragile, but was now a powerful ruler of the skies. I got up; heading towards the entrance of the attaching cave. I flopped down on my sides to rest. That story had brought up all sorts of bad memories as well as good. I listened for another hour or so. I felt all drift to sleep except one, Volc. I knew that I had to get out of the cave and stretch; possibly find a meal to fill my empty belly. As I emerged from the cave I saw Volc lying in a corner with Cory and Kassa but I knew that he was awake watching me through slits.

                       I didn’t even glance his way. I kept walking to the entrance of the cave. I felt a strong cool breeze flow through the cave. I fluttered my wings as I prepared to launch. I had a sudden idea and so instead of raising my white wings I dropped and folded them up. I climbed over to the boulder while my claws click-clacked against the stone and rocks. Another thing I would miss about being human was the ability to be stealthy on the ground. Now I could only be stealthy in the air. I climbed the mountain by jumping from rock to rock. I knew that someone was following, but what I couldn’t know was whether it was dragon or human. I continued my way up the mountain until I came to a huge flat break of stone. I hoisted myself onto the stone where the wind was just blowing gently.

                       I waited for it to come and that’s when I had another idea to find just what was following me. Walking slowly to the edge of the cliff I looked down. All I could see was darkness and I hopped that a rock wasn’t pointing up from below and I dropped. I just let myself fall over the edge. I used my diamond claws to grasp the side of the cliff and jump onto a smaller cliff below the large one I had just jumped from. I waited and that’s when I heard it. The scraping of claws on stone that clearly gave away the presence of a dragon. I waited for it to stop but the next thing I heard was the sound of boots on stone. Then a second pair of boots came almost right after the first.

“Are you sure we can talk here without being overheard?” I heard a voice ask that after a moment’s thought I recognized as Cory’s.

“Yes, no one ever comes up here now. Not after what happened,” I heard a voice say. It was Zane.

                    What was he doing up here with a dragon and Cory. I had a hunch who the dragon was but I didn’t approach the mind. If it was the dragon I thought it was, then it would pick up on my thoughts as soon as I slipped through. So I decided to stay quiet. I waited for Zane and Cory to continue.

“OK, so what are your questions?” Zane asked. I assumed he was speaking to both Cory and the dragon.

“We should tell you that all our questions will be about her. So we don’t know if you will be ‘allowed’ to answer them,” Cory said in a voice that I did not like at all.