Part 25: Nature Herself
The weeks passed, and Dracstan still did not return. Raina Lynn became more and more restless. The summer was fading, and the autumn moving in. Already, in the mountains, splotches of changing foliage had appeared. Raina did anything to find distraction. She began working on a more complex fire attack, one that would create a ring of heat and flame around her. She practiced with her Frost Gem, honing its icy vapor and increasing her accuracy. She packed and repacked parcels, finding new and interesting ways to use what little space she had. But there were still quiet moments when she gazed out across the Refuge and wondered. She was doing just that one evening when Krisr plopped down beside her on the grassy hill.
He flipped his dark hair from his face and turned one of his classic, earnest stares on her. "Thinking, m'lady?"
Raina Lynn didn't bother to answer the question. It was quite apparent that she had been thinking. Instead, she only shifted her head slightly, causing the Frost Gem to shift from one side to the other.
"Hmm, I see. Yes, Dracstan has been gone for quite a while now. ... No, I don't think he got into any trouble. He is probably gallivanting about, speaking with the stones and such. You know how he is. ... Yes, quite insufferable, really."
The Red Terran finally inclined her head so she could see her bondmate and gave him a long-suffering look.
"Raina, my dear queen, seeing you mope about the Refuge is becoming unbearable." Krisr's gray eyes held sadness and urged her to talk.
*Sometimes, I am afraid he isn't coming back, Krisr,* she admitted. She paused, not wanting to sound weak. She could feel her bondmate reach out to her, tell her it was all right. She took in a deep breath and sighed it out, then continued. *It will be winter soon. The mountains will become impassable, and what then? Wait for spring? Hope he shows up after the high mountain passes are thawed and summer is nearly here again? I could spend a lifetime waiting.*
Krisr shook his head. "No, you could not, my fair dragoness." A smirk played across his lips. "You don't have the patience."
*Right,* she conceded. *So... what do I do now? Indyana was going to send Dracstan and I out to find bondmates for the arriving Bunny Dragon eggs, but they have both vanished. That leaves me with no mission, even if I was going to go without waiting for Dracstan.*
The young man nodded thoughtfully. "True." His face took on the guise of seriousness.
*You say you don't think that anything terrible happened to him... but why hasn't he returned? Or at least sent word? What if he is in trouble?* She glanced nervously at the distant mountains.
"Hmm..." Krisr scratched his chin, feigning deep thought.
*Krisr, I am being serious!* The Bishen tried to glare, but she couldn't hold anger against him. He was only trying to cheer her up.
"Do you think he is in trouble?"
*... No. I think he isn't coming back.*
"So... that makes him a traitor. Or, at the very, very least, a liar." Krisr raised his eyebrows and stared into her eyes, compelling her to come to a conclusion.
Raina Lynn paused and returned his gaze. *No.*
Krisr blinked at her, one eyebrow cocking downward comically.
*I think something important has distracted him. I do not think he would lightly toss aside his promise and his plans.* Raina turned to look out at the mountains again, more thoughtful.
Gray eyes turned to match her line of sight. "Well... what now then, m'lady?"
What now indeed... Raina Lynn thought, mostly to herself.
The bondmates sat in companionable silence as dusk spread across the landscape, until the mountains faded into vague shapes in the night sky.
That night, Raina Lynn couldn't sleep. Her Terran nature had always made sleeping at night difficult; her type was prone to be nocturnal. She restlessly shifted again and again, trying to get comfortable. Finally, she crept out of the cabin she and Krisr shared and into the faint moonlight. The night was crisp, holding a promise of the coming seasonal change. She padded silently across the Realm Centre, not wanting to attract unwanted attention.
Bishen Realm wasn't silent at night; there were many dragons, especially Terrans, who didn't bother to adhere to the diurnal schedule of humans. Raina Lynn could hear dragons moving about in the darkness, and she avoided them as best she could. She had to pass close to one group, two Terrans and a Marine, but she gave them only a quick nod of greeting and hurried past, as though she had some important errand to complete. The Red never had been one for pointless socializing.
She escaped from Bishen Realm and struck out into the forest, ghosting along the border with the desert before beginning the climb into the hills of the Northern Forest. The moon was high before she stopped, finding a comfortable boulder to climb on and peer up into the starry heavens. She wondered if Dracstan was doing the same thing, perched upon a boulder in the cold mountains, deep in meditation. She let her mind drift for a while, enjoying the beauty of the night and letting its soft music calm her nerves.
Eventually, her mind wound its way back to the problem at hand. Dracstan wasn't returning. Ramona, usually tight-lipped about whatever future knowledge she might hold, seemed to agree with that conclusion... or, at least, she didn't disregard it. Despite the fact that he had unquestionably broken his promise, Raina Lynn was not inclined to simply forget about him. She was set on having him as part of her band of adventurers. But what could she do?
There was a saying she had heard: "The mountain moves for no one but nature herself." You had to go to the mountain. In all probability, everyone was right; Dracstan was still searching for his magic, practicing his attacks. But she couldn't sit here, waiting, forever. At the very least, it would give her something to do... and possibly get her hopelessly lost. Her father would never allow it. Krisr and Ramona would certainly counsel against it. Everyone would make a fuss, tell her to wait, ask to go with her.
There was a very simple solution for all that trouble. She just wouldn't tell them.
Raina Lynn glanced at the moon; the night was growing old. She would have to hurry.
The next morning began much as every other morning. Krisr groaned and rolled out of bed, ruffling his hair and yawning. Outside, many dragons were already busy with their plans for the morning. Always up before the birds' morning songs, Krisr frequently thought. As usual, Raina Lynn had risen before him as well. The man yawned again and shook his head. He was supposed to go down to the Main Cabin and help Ramona move some books today. Although she didn't rise quite as early as the Bishel Dragons, his goddess would not like to be kept waiting.
He splashed some water on his face and reflected that his tunic was starting to look rather worse for wear as he pulled on his work clothes. Then, he rummaged around the shelves that acted as their pantry, searching for something that could resemble a breakfast.
Mint tea, stale toast, and hot broth again, the human lamented and absentmindedly reached out to tap Raina with his mind. Raina, dear, breakfast! If you do not come to my aid, I fear the toast whilst be burnt again!
Krisr waited for a response while he cut the half loaf of coarse bread they had into slices. Then, he paused, the knife stopping halfway through. Gray eyes went fuzzy for a moment as he turned to look out the window, not seeing the sun outside or the Blue Terran who trotted past. Raina Lynn?
Where there should have been... well, something, there was an oddly empty spot. RAINA! he tried, concentrating. He searched frantically, his untrained mind not really able to find direction, location, or course of action. He could only recognize a distinct lack. The knife dropped from his hand, still stuck in mid-slice inside the loaf of bread. Krisr didn't even bother to pull on his boots before he opened the door and wandered out into the Realm Centre.
"Raina Lynn?" he called aloud before reflecting that if she couldn't hear his mental yelling, chances are that his bondmate was out of hearing range. He looked around, feeling lost. A few dragons nearby stopped to stare at him, and one Blue Arboreal hesitantly slithered a bit closer.
*Are you all right, Krisr?* he asked the man, taking in his slightly disheveled appearance and distinct lack of footwear.
"Um, yes. Have you by any chance seen Raina Lynn?" Krisr focused on the Arboreal—Caspsri, his mind finally provided—and tried to regain a bit of composure. No need to panic. Maybe she had just gone walking... a very long walk. A very early walk. Yes, that must be it.
*No, I am sorry, I have not. Perhaps she is out for a morning run?* Caspsri fluttered a wing in the general direction of south.
"That must be it. I will have to finish breakfast and then head out in search of the little Red queen, I suppose. Thank you, Caspsri." Krisr nodded, trying to act more normal, and turned to go back into his cabin.
Caspsri watched him go, considering the young human carefully, then leapt into flight. Maybe someone else had seen Raina Lynn go out that morning. He would make a quick check, to help Krisr out.
Krisr shut out the Centre and leaned back against the door, as though to ensure it stay closed. His gray eyes wandered the room, but they lacked focus. His mind seemed to be stuck somewhere, lacking a vital piece of information to continue a proper train of thought. Finally, he noticed something that managed to penetrate the fog. There was a piece of parchment on their table. Its bottom edges were slightly curled and caught the sharp, yellow light of the morning. Krisr blinked at the paper, trying to figure out what it meant. Parchment... parchment meant writing. Writing meant a note. A note. Raina Lynn had left him a note!
With that realization, he jumped away from the door and made it to the table in a few bounding steps. Of course! A note! Why hadn't he noticed that sooner? He recognized Raina's rather uneven scrawl on the letter before he had picked it up. Writing had never been her forté, but she managed to string together reasonably understandable sentences from the words she had learned. As he read the letter, he had to start over several times, not sure that he was understanding it correctly.
Krisr—
I have gone to look for Dracstan in the Shrivik Mountains. I will not be back soon. I am going away for a long time on a journey. I am sorry for not telling you, but I had to go now. For give me. Please, tell my father and all at the Refuge that I say farewell and wish them well. I hope to return some day and tell my tale. Please, do not make a rescue. It would make me sad. I do not want to go back yet and I do not want to cause you any trouble. Do not worry. I will be fine. I am sorry for going in the night. Please, do not worry.
Love,
Raina Lynn
He stood for many minutes, reading and re-reading the letter, unable to believe it was real. His Raina Lynn was gone. She had gone and not even said good-bye. Well, at least, not told him. He looked around the cabin, realizing only now that all her things were missing. All the packages she had been preparing, both packs... She had actually done it. She had left. Eventually, he sat down because his legs were feeling tired. He sat and looked at the letter again for a long time.
Later that morning, after the sun was well on its way to the top of the sky, there was a sharp knocking on his door. He blinked at it and didn't answer. He wasn't sure his legs were going to get him over there anyway. The door opened despite his disregard.
Ramona entered, shutting the heavy wood quietly behind her. She didn't say anything, just moved to stand behind Krisr. The young man didn't make the effort to turn his head, simply following her with his eyes until she moved out of sight. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his neck, and her arms crossed and rested over his collar bone. Krisr leaned back in his chair and breathed.
The Red Terran climbed through the crevices, constantly moving upward. She had cleared the walls of the Creature Refuge as the faint glow of dawn was paling the dark sky. Now, there was only endless rock and a bite to the air. She wasn't sure where she was going. She had only the faintest notion of the direction Dracstan might be in. But that didn't worry her.
Raina Lynn turned to glance back. She could still clearly see the valley of the Creature Refuge, a sharp open space in the otherwise solid, jagged mountain ranges. If worse came to worst, she could always turn back. But today, she felt she might be able to go on forever. The young Bishel Dragon shifted the packs on her back and then continued, finding her own way through the crisp, clear morning.
Background from Absolute Background Textures Archive. Bishel Dragon from Bishen Realm and copyright © 2002-2003 Rachel "Indy" Gratis. Text and graphics copyright © 2002-2007 Rachel "Indy" Gratis, all rights reserved, except where otherwise noted. Respect copyright, and do not take material from these pages.
Page Created: March 4, 2007
Last Updated: March 5, 2007
This story has ended, but you can continue to follow Dracstan and Raina Lynn in their new story. A Fool's Errand will most likely be re-titled and revised some day in the future. Thank you for reading and supporting my at-times-horrific writing. ;) Peace and the Force, -- Indy