A loud rumbling in her ears startled the princess, and her eyes flashed open. The first thing to meet her eyes were the knots tightly done in the mix of silks – miraculously holding her weight – and the slick stone of the castle wall. The rumble sounded beside her ear again and she looked, and was face to face with Lind’s shimmering golden eyes. Loren’s yelped and almost lost her grip on the rope.
“Lind! What are you doing here?” She hissed, her words drawn away by the wind. The dragon seemed to laugh as he rumbled again, deep in his chest. Loren looked, and saw the great lizard was flapping slowly, keeping himself suspended in the air. She didn’t hear the sound of his wingbeats over the howl of the sea breeze. And, perhaps, neither did the castle guards.
“Lind…” Loren started sheepishly. “Can you please help me?”
A spark of mirth shone in the dragon’s golden eyes. Lind powerfully flapped his wings, bringing himself another foot closer to Loren. The princess was tiny compared to the dragon, and was easily enveloped in his large claws. His claws were sharp enough to shear the rope clean through, and large enough to cage Loren completely. Without feeling the tension of the rope, Loren’s heart leapt in her chest, and expected to feel the horrible sensation of falling. But Lind held her fast, and the touch of his rough blue and gold scales reassured her.
Loren peeked through the gaps in Lind’s claws as he carried her off. She saw slivers of the sea lit by the silver light of the moon, rolling plains of green and gold from the Garruchian Plains and the packed walls of Rhodia, and a large blank space seemingly ripped out of the earth. The princess was curious. She tapped at Lind’s claws, a signal for him to open them a bit.
The dragon climbed higher in the sky, and flapped his powerful wings. Lind hovered in place, opening his claws so Loren could see out of them. The princess leaned forward, the upper half of her body exposed to the cold night winds. She kept one hand on Lind’s claw, but knew in that moment that he would not let her fall. She gazed out, hand to her face to shield her eyes, and saw more clearly the blank space just past what she knew were the Garruchian Plains. The space was barren, with no trees or discernable life anywhere. The land looked scorched, but in the moonlight Loren could not be sure. There were two structures in the space, both jagged shapes of rock so dark they seemed to leech the light around them.
“Lind?” Loren called to the dragon, her voice being carried off by the wind. “What is that? That space; it feels dead.”
Lind rumbled again, and his claws closed around Loren as if to say that was enough peeking for now. His powerful wings beat once, and the dragon began a slow, spiraling descent towards Markholme. As Lind flew, Loren felt something in her stir. A new knowledge came to her, or perhaps she already knew the answer in the back of her mind. The barren space abruptly ending the golden Garruchian Plains like a spill of ink on a piece of parchment were the Plaguelands of Yureun.
Lind circled above a thick patch of forest. Judging from the roads leading to and from it, Loren assumed it was the Kilrough Forest. She felt a pang of regret when she saw the thick canopy. Kae and Ma’trii must be somewhere in the Forest by now, returning to their own lives. The dragon landed in a clearing in the forest, his wings kicking up huge clouds of dust and scattering terrified animals in his wake. He set his claws on the ground and opened them, letting Loren easily climb out.
Loren pressed her forehead to Lind, whispering her thanks to the dragon for helping her away from the castle. She caught sight of the dragon’s shimmering golden eyes as she spoke, and her’s began to change as well. Words were shared without being spoken, and the dragon rumbled.
“Loren!” a voice shouted, out of breath and panicked.
Startled, both the princess and the dragon looked to the source, identical golden eyes scanning the dark gaps between the trees. Loren saw the arrowhead first, glinting in the moonlight. Then the bow being held with shaking hands, ready and drawn. Then the huntress.
“Loren?” Kae said again, stepping into the light of the clearing.
The princess couldn’t believe her eyes. Her hand slowly fell to her side as she left Lind to take cautious steps towards Kae. Behind her, Lind seemed to smile.
“Princess!” Kae’s nervousness disappeared. She dropped her bow, letting the precious weapon fall uselessly to the dirt floor of the forest, and ran towards Loren with her arms outstretched. Kae crashed into the princess, almost knocking her over. She hugged the princess tight.
“I thought I’d never see you again! When the king came and took you away, I tried to follow but guards held us back.” Kae’s voice was close to breaking, but when she held Loren at arm’s length, she beamed. “And here you are, sneaking out of Markholme all over again!”
“Kae…” Loren muttered. The princess’s golden eyes swept over Kae’s form, taking in every little detail. She saw the way strands of Kae’s unkempt hair clung to her face, saw every speck of dirt and the callouses on her hands, the bulge of muscle in her arms as she held her. Then she saw the emotion in the huntress’s eyes: worry, concern, admiration, and fear. “You’re scared.” Loren said simply.
“Scared?” The huntress scoffed, letting go of Loren. She bent to retrieve her bow. “Of what? The dragon? I guess
