The Rift in the Domain- The Auranos Stories Book 2

Chapter 25 - The Plateaus

Abigail

I sat in silent shock for a minute or two after Reinon finished his narrative.

He sighed.

"When Yomir was stabbed in the stomach by a soldier," he said quietly. "I overestimated the wound out of paranoia. And then..." he took a deep breath. "Well, it happened so fast. I just... started thinking about life without him, and how we met, and my family, and how losing him would be just-"

He trailed off, shaking his head a little.

"I get it," I assured him. He smiled at me.

"Th-thank you," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" I asked gently. "Everyone has a past, Reinon. And this... it wasn't even your fault."

He gulped, locking eyes with me. "It is... just- things like this almost never happen in Lagokia, and they are always kept quiet when they do. I have no idea how others will react- even you. Especially you. Being- being an Earthling and all."

"Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens a little more frequently where I'm from," I explained, choosing my words very carefully. "Don't worry about me. And about the others- we're a team now. You saw how we reacted to Zina- well, Comet. We still trust her, and she was legitimately lying to us. This isn't something you have to keep secret to protect yourself, Reinon."

"You really think so?"

"Really," I said, smiling. "We all respect you, Reinon. You're as sensitive as they come and smarter than the rest of us put together. Whatever happened with your parents isn't going to change that."

Reinon opened his mouth as if to object to the compliment, but he seemed to stop himself. Instead, Reinon just smiled, looking almost surprised. Something deep in his eyes was different. I still don't know what it was, but it made me really happy.

"Thank you," he said, face aglow. "That... that means so much to me."

We sat in silence for a little while, looking around at the darkness. It was a long ways back to the rebels, and they wouldn't be moving our direction until morning. I didn't like the idea of trying to navigate our way back in the dark.

"It's... still late," I said, looking up into the dark sky. "Maybe we should get some rest."

Reinon nodded. "Right."

Just then, as if she had the same idea, Utopia got up stalked over to where I was sitting. She flopped into the grass with a flick of the tail, offering her fluffy stomach as a pillow.

Reinon grinned, a light in his smile that I hadn't seen before. "She is quite the smart one."

"Don't say that in front of her- it'll go to her head," I replied with a smile, scratching Utopia between the ears as I lay down in the grass.

"Goodnight, then, Abigail," I heard Reinon say as I looked up at the stars.

I sighed and closed my eyes, mind drifting away.

"Goodnight, Reinon."

What seemed like minutes later, daylight blinded me as I was thrown out of my sleep- Utopia had jumped up and was snarling like a thundercloud.

"Whoa, whoa," I mumbled, trying to blink myself awake. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, glaring bright red into my corneas. Everything seemed hazy.