Rider of the Laika

Rider of the Laika: Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Cast Out

I slipped out early in the morning and met Asteria at the corner. She didn't look to happy about sneaking out early to cure a dragon shade, the phoenixes sworn enemies, but she didn't say anything until we were flying down to the forest floor, Asteria caring me of course. Not for the first time over the last week since I had found Jaden, I wished that I could fly myself. It would be so much easier...

Finally Asteria spoke. "You know how much trouble we would be in if they caught us, right?"

I sighed. I didn't know the exact consequences, but... I could assume pretty accurately that it would be dire.

"Yeah, I get it," I said.

She studied my expression. "Don't fall for him," she warned. "It'll only make things hared for you."

I did my best to look outraged. "I'm not falling for him!" In truth, my feelings surrounding him were to complicated to try to figure out. I couldn't tell the difference between suspicion and attraction when it came to Jaden.

I could tell from Asteria's expression that she didn't believe me, but she didn't say anything more.

We arrived and crawled inside our makeshift hut. "Sasha, Phoenix Girl," Jaden said with a nod. He flashed a half smile, messing with me, and heat rose to my face. I hoped no one noticed...

Ugh, he was so mysterious. I wished that he and Asteria could just get along, but nooooo, they just had to fight and argue and.... well. They couldn't get over their differences.

What would it take to bring them to the point of getting along? I had no idea.

Unfortunately, I was about to find out.

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I was woken up by Asteria's mother. She was shaking me roughly. "Come," she said. I followed her down the stairs. She was muttering something along the lines of, "Never should have let her in the house..." I felt a thrill of foreboding.

Asteria was waiting downstairs next to some important-looking officials. She shot me a look that said, "I told you so."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We are here to escort you to the Headhouse," said one of the officials. The Headhouse is the phoenix term for where the courts and leaders work. We were either in deep trouble or we were about to be given an award for no reason whatsoever.

We left the house. A few guards fell in step with us. I glanced at Asteria, but she refused to meet my eyes. I looked away. I had the feeling that she was either angry or embarrassed. But why embarrassed? There was only one thing that could have got us in trouble, and that was Jaden. But how could they have found out about him? Asteria had a right to be angry, I had forced her to help me take care of him.

By the time we reached the Headhouse I had worked myself into a very high state of anxiety.

We entered the building and walked down through several hallways. Finally we entered a large room filled with rows of empty chairs. At the front there was a desk/pulpit thing, and at its base a boy was sitting with his back to us.

Jaden.

They pushed us up to the desk next to Jaden. A man sat there, no longer blocked from view by the distance.

"Well?" he said. "Do you deny that you have been healing this boy? The enemy?"

I shot Asteria another glance, but she was gazing at the floor. I saw tears glimmer in her eyes and I realized that things must be really bad, worse than I thought.

"Speak!" he commanded.

"We..." I started, but I couldn't form a full sentence.

The judge's eyes narrowed. My hands were sweaty and shaking.

"You!" he snapped, pointing at Asteria. "What have you to say?"

"I - we, well, we did take care of him, but - but we didn't have a choice! He said he'd kill us, and there was something hypnotizing about the way he talked. We didn't have a choice!" Asteria lied, clearly trying to find a way out.

"She's lying," Jaden said.

I was hurt. I thought he was on our side! I thought he was all right! I glared at him. He half glanced at me, as if he could tell how angry I was.

In the end, there was nothing we could do. A blindfold was placed roughly over my eyes and we were led outside. A few moments later we were flying. I had grown used to the sensation, I realized. How odd... I still wanted to go home, but I was adjusting to this world.

We were placed in a clearing far away from the city. None of us had our bearings, and in the time it took to remove our blindfolds the others were gone.

"This is your fault!" Asteria yelled at me.

"It's the war's fault!" I protested.

"The war!" Jaden snapped, surprising both of us. He stalked over to the edge of the clearing and stood there, sides heaving as he tried to calm down.

It didn't matter. We were outcasts.