Dawn's Light

Chapter 22

The two humans sat in silence for several moments before Xan spoke up again, "I'm sorry," he apologized, "for attacking you, I mean." He sighs, "If we get out of here, I will help you get a proper weapon. And I have thought about it, and I will be glad to help you. Your cause is far more noble and righteous than anything else I have ever done. Irin was right when he told me that someone has to try, because if no one does, then who will?" He weakly laughed to himself, "and you definitely need my help if we get out of here since you have no idea what is on this side of the wasteland."

Celia paused, then remembered Verbena and her optimistic personality, and imagined what she would say if she was here. "When," Celia stated her correction and a small smile spread across her face, "when we get out of here."

"When," Xan agreed, and Celia sensed the same small grin form across his face. "When," he repeated softly.

Celia remembered Verbena, and all the time they had spent together, even if it was mostly traveling. They had spent all of that time together, and now Celia felt as if she had lost something. Celia would not even mind a cold, snow-covered nuzzle against her bare skin if it came from Verbena. She lifted her head and looked into the rest of the room behind her and imagined her friend there, with her.

Suddenly, a Verbena appeared exactly where Celia imagined her to be in the opposite corner of the room.

At first, neither one of them moved, but after they recovered from their initial surprise, Celia ran over to her friend and grabbed her frosted neck in an embrace. Celia felt relieved tears well up in her eyes.

Verbena happily used her wings to pull her favorite human closer to her now-melting snow-armored fur and nuzzled Celia's cloth-covered face as she purred. 'I scared and worried for you!'

Celia softly laughed a bit, then sighed in relief as many of her worries melted. "I am so glad you are here." She breathed.

"Thanks, Celia," Xan replied from the other side of the wall in a soft, grateful tone of voice, "I'm really glad you're here too. This would be so much worse without another human to talk with so I stay sane. For some reason, I cannot talk to Irin anymore and I feel empty because of it."

Celia blinked, then became a bit embarrassed, "Xan, as much as I also appreciate your company, Verbena is here too now."

"Wh—" Xan's voice froze for a few moments. "How exactly did she get here?! We specifically left her behind with Irin!" His voice cracked slightly in his jealousy of Celia's new situation.

Celia paused and looked up to Verbena as she thought about the answer to the question. At first, she struggled to find an answer as she broke the hug with her friend, but then realized something as her hand brushed against the dragonet's harness. "The returning ribbon!" She exclaimed and mentally facepalmed, then laughed to herself. "the returning ribbon brings lost things with the ribbon tied around it back to you. That is how she was brought here. I repaired the harness with the ribbon, then accidentally figured out how to use it since I never read the instructions."

"Returning ribbon?" Xan sounded skeptical, but then sighed in defeat and acceptance of the given explanation, "sometimes, magic even perplexes me, and I can use it!" He laughed in nervous acknowledgment of his lack of magical skill, then sighed again with a soft groan added to the mix.

"Maybe the Ulven will free us if they realize we are friends with dragons. I've heard rumors that they are more in tune with the balance of nature. At least, that idea makes me feel better than the alternative," Xan paused. "Brrrr," he shivered at the thought of exactly what that alternative detailed.

Celia frowned as she nodded, even though Xan could not see her. "So," she hesitated, "we just wait until someone eventually comes to get us and do whatever they plan to do with us?"