Searching for Thanksgiving (Dragonlings of Valdier)

Chapter 14

14

“ I ’ve found them,” Trisha murmured into the communicator, watching the raft as it floated by her.

“Where?” Paul immediately replied.

Trisha sent the location. She sensed Kelan when he landed in a tree near her. Shifting into her dragon-form, she lifted off. He followed her as she flew high over the river.

Should we stop them? he asked.

No… not unless they get into trouble.

I’m really impressed they made it this far! They have to be a good eighty kilometers from the palace!

I wonder where they are going, she replied.

I know there is a village farther down the river. Edna and Christoff live not far from here, he replied.

I don’t think they know Christoff and Edna… or about the village, she replied.

We’ll find out soon enough. Their parents might not be quite as willing as you to let them continue on this little adventure, he replied with rueful amusement.

She chuckled. Dad would. Let the others know to meet us there. I’ll stay with them, she said.

Kelan’s dragon bowed his head before he veered away. Trisha continued following the bright pink raft as it floated down the river. She was impressed at the kids’ ingenuity and resourcefulness. Where they got the raft, she had no idea, but the bright color made it easier to keep an eye on them.

Finding them had been a combination of luck and tenaciousness. None of the others thought the kids would have made it this far from the palace. With no tracks or scents to follow, the searchers decided to spread out in all directions.

She had been about to turn around when her dragon caught the faintest whiff of sticky butter and honey. She had made enough sticky butter and honey sandwiches for Bálint to know the smell by heart. She had eventually found the spot where they had camped for the night… and the scars on the tree from a woverbear. She had taken solace in the fact there had been no scent of blood. After that, following the trail was easy. It had been obvious the kids were transporting something that was very heavy for them… and it was obvious that Leo had been very, very hungry. The trail was littered with cookie crumbs.

She had reached the shoreline just as the kids pushed off. Morah’s soft words had drifted back to her. ‘ I love goings on adventures.’ Her heart melted at the joy and contentment in the little girl’s confession. It reminded her of when she was little and out on an adventure back home on the ranch.

Have your adventures, Morah. Dad will completely understand and be very proud of you, little sister, she thought.

Deep in the forest

A thin line of smoke rose from the chimney of the quaint hut nestled in the forest. There was a small vegetable and herb garden, accessed by an ornate iron gate and surrounded by a rock wall that helped keep the animals from getting to the precious bounty contained inside. A creek ran nearby, supplying water to both the garden and the resident inside the hut.

Crystal Anderson pulled the cloak off the peg near the door and pulled the heavy wooden door open. Cool air collided with the warm interior, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She grabbed the bucket next to the door and walked along the uneven rock path. She turned to the left when the path divided and headed for the enclosed garden. The iron latch felt cool under her hand as she lifted it. She left the gate open behind her as she walked along the rows of ripening vegetables.

She hummed softly under her breath as she began picking the vegetables that she would have for lunch and dinner over the next couple of days. Her mind wandered as she did the soothing chore. It was hard to believe that at almost twenty-three, she was content to live an isolated life on an alien planet.

The feeling of being watched sent another shiver down her spine, this time of apprehension. She straightened and glanced around the area. A slight movement in the shadows made her grit her teeth until her jaw hurt.

“I thought I told you to leave me alone!” she hissed.

The creature rose and stepped closer. It moved with the grace of a lion stalking its prey. A shiver of fear coursed through her, and she glanced toward the door of the hut. There was no way she would make it out of the walled garden and into the hut before the creature pounced her.

“What do you want? Why are you… why are you stalking me?” she asked in a quivering voice.

The creature didn’t answer. It simply watched her. It was massive. She didn’t recognize the shape. Spark, Christoff and Grandmother Edna’s symbiot, was half the size of this creature. Spark was also gold, as were the few other symbiots that she had seen. This one wasn’t. This one was black.

She reached for the hoe that she had used the day before to clear some of the weeds and held it firmly between her hands. Her throat tightened when the creature released a low, menacing snarl, its eyes locked on the tool in her hand.

“Leave me alone,” she said in a firmer voice. “Go on! Get outta here.”

The creature didn’t move for several seconds. Then, it began to back up until it disappeared back into the forest. Crystal remained frozen as the minutes ticked by, straining to see into the shadows. Only when the menacing feeling faded did she lower the hoe.

Her body was trembling so much that she was forced to use the hoe as a brace to keep from melting into a heap in the loose soil of the garden. She gathered the basket of vegetables she had harvested and carefully made her way to the gate. She paused only long enough to latch it before she hurried as quickly as her uneven gait would allow her back to the hut.

Only when she had bolted the door behind her did she realize that she was still shaky and breathless. She placed the bucket on the floor next to her and unfastened her cloak. Hanging the cloak on the peg by the door, she picked up the bucket of vegetables and carried it over to the kitchen sink.

The interior of the hut was small. Her quaint house was comprised of two rooms, the bathroom and the rest of the house. She had a small kitchen, a table with two chairs, a living room with a fireplace and a long couch, and the loft upstairs where she slept. The spiral staircase had been a challenge to master, but she had figured out a method to get up and down them without too much difficulty.

Christoff had renovated the hut for her a few months ago. He understood her need for privacy and space. She moved around the kitchen, preparing the simple meal of fresh scrambled eggs, cheese, and fresh bread that her grandmother had made for her.

The chime from the communicator Christoff had given her startled her and she dropped the ladle back into the pan before she had a chance to put any eggs on her plate. A flash of annoyance rushed through her before she sighed and reached for the small, rectangular device.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Are you eating?” her grandmother asked.

Crystal glanced at the pile of steaming eggs in the pan, and two slices of buttered bread on a plate waiting to be eaten. She gave a rueful smile when her stomach growled with hunger.

“No… because you interrupted me,” she added before her grandmother could admonish her—or worse, threaten to come for a visit.

Edna’s dry chuckle told her that her teasing had relieved some of her grandmother’s stress about her being alone. Crystal leaned her hip against the counter when she heard Christoff’s voice in the background. She waited.

“How is the garden?” he asked.

Her lips curved into an amused smile. He knew perfectly well how the garden was. He had been there the day before she arrived.

“You know I can take care of myself,” she said.

“Your grandmother is worried about you,” he replied in a gruff tone.

“This isn’t Earth,” she quietly replied.

“Your parents are here. They’re safe.”

Surprise stiffened her at the news. She hadn’t expected her parents to arrive so soon. A shudder of relief ran through her.

“Are they okay?”

“Shaken, but relieved and safe. They will be staying with us for a little while,” he replied.

“I’ll… I’ll try to come over to visit in a few days.”

“They would like that.”

She nodded, then stopped. He couldn’t see her reaction. She absently stared out the window over the sink. The shadows of the afternoon were growing longer.

“I’d better go before my food gets cold,” she murmured.

“If you need anything, just ask. I can fly it over.”

“Thanks. Christoff?—”

“Yes?”

Crystal paused as she stared out of the window. Her eyes automatically searched for the black shadow that had been haunting her since her brief visit to the village a few weeks before. She shook her head. It was probably nothing.

“Thanks for being there for my grandma, my parents… and me,” she said instead.

“Anything, Crystal. You have no idea of the gift Edna has given me to have you and your family in my life.”

Tears burned her eyes. The emotion in his voice struck a chord in her. She murmured a soft goodbye before disconnecting the link. She continued to stare out of the window for another minute before the aroma of her meal pulled her back to the present.

Dishing the eggs onto the plate, she scooped up her meal and walked over to the table. She sat and stretched her leg out, helping to straighten the prosthetic that encased the lower half of her left leg. They said time healed all wounds.

Not in this case, she mused, rubbing her thigh muscle to ease the knot in it.

It was hard to believe the tenth anniversary of the accident was approaching. She closed her eyes for a moment as a flash of pain radiated through her. Even after all these years, the pain could still take her breath away.

She lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed her fingers along the smooth, dry skin. She was surprised. The tears—and the anger—were never far when she thought about the past.

Maybe the tears are only on the inside now, she mused.

Her best friend, Stacy, and Stacy’s mother had perished ten years ago in a car accident that nearly killed her as well. The memories of the crash, waking up in the hospital to discover that she had lost her leg, as well as her best friend, chased away her appetite.

She pushed the plate away from her and sat back in her chair. It was too early to go to bed, and there wasn’t anything to help distract her as she had when she was back on Earth.

“Yeah, like someone trying to kill you,” she muttered with a disgusted shake of her head.

Her stomach tightened at the recent memory. Her dad’s last legal case had turned into a nightmare. He was a Federal Prosecutor who worked on numerous cases, but the last case involved a very powerful businessman. She didn’t know much about the case, but she knew that the threats had been real when two men attempted to kidnap her as she walked back to her apartment after a late class.

Nausea roiled her stomach as she remembered how helpless she had felt. She pushed against the table and stood. She was reaching for her plate when a thud against the door startled her. A swift shaft of anger surprised her.

Christoff!

He must have been on his way over when he contacted her a few minutes earlier. She walked over to the door and jerked it open. The retort on the tip of her tongue changed to a hoarse cry of fear. She stumbled backwards. The heel of her left boot caught on the rug, and she felt herself falling as a choking wave of terror swept through her.