Draklyn Found Pt. 1

A vast and brilliant landscape unfolded below. Every twitch and spasm along her elongated body drew it nearer into focus. A sweet, elusive scent tempted her closer and closer to the field of snowy blooms. Oh, how she longed to dive among them, crushing their frail blossoms, rubbing their heavenly scent so deep into her skin that the day she died she would still be able to smell them...

But their purity held her back.

Instead, she glided just above them, stirring up clouds of pollen that trailed behind her as she flew at a giddy speed. She wore the stars as her skin as she wove back and forth through her own trail and admired the glittering pollen spores in their slow descent. The light illuminating them seemed to come from nowhere. She glanced up at the starry sky. The moon was dark and a foreign sun was just beside it. The sun out with the stars? She flew upside-down for a while, staring at the moon as the thought toyed with her mind.

A new scent entered her nostrils that sent her diving beneath the flora. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings and it caught her entirely by surprise. When she lifted her head to scout out the origin of the desecrating stench she saw that she had almost ran into a human.

The word 'human' clicked in her mind, but she ignored it as she noticed the human's rampantly blazing aura.

Magic; the odious herald of sorcery.

It was so raw as it danced to fey lutes round and round in endless exuberance, she could hardly believe it could belong to a human. She extended her own aura for a moment, stretching, flexing and eventually retracting it. Her scales tingled with its excited energy. Something familiar, but how?

He had turned at the sound of the crash and now slowly stood from his crouched position. She could see him searching the flowers with a slight frown. His face was pale against the night as he searched for any evidence that his imagination wasn't just playing tricks on him. "Who's there?"

A devilish glint came to the serpent's eyes. She sped through the dark jungle of vines the undergrowth provided and maneuvered her way, invisibly but not inaudibly, behind him. Above the line of flowers she could almost picture the human turning this way and that in fright at the horrible rustling sound of her scales against the flora. A split second more and she had reached her destination. Without slowing she threw herself out of the vegetation and spun into the open air, a torrent of petals in her wake like a geyser of snow that slowly settled itself gently back down upon its brethren.

The human had turned, following the visible commotion as the dragon's body thrashed against the plants until that moment when he found himself staring up at her in amazement as she dangled among the stars above him. The pale petals glimmered as they spun in the sky all about her.

"Draklyn?"

The word seemed oddly familiar, yet out of place. It seemed to make him smile, though, so she licked his cheek like lightning as she dove by. Ecstatic shivers sent her soaring, circling this man-boy.

Why am I bubbling like this? The thought breezed through her mind but was ignored simultaneously, much as the thought about humans had been.

He hugged her muzzle, whispering more words that only he could hear. She wrapped her entire length about him for a split second before struggling free and flying off again. She was circling him once more when she began to become numb. Something was pulling her away. It was making the human sad… she wished to make him smile again; he was infinitely more attractive when he smiled, she thought, but the numbness had just reached her mind. She closed her eyes and drifted away.

-----------------------

"No!"

Kate jerked her arm in her sleep and awoke with a start when it landed in a puddle. Blinking her eyes open, she looked around in a daze. The cobbled stones beneath her were hard and she could feel the fringe of grass near her arm. Vaguely recognizing where she was, she stood and brushed herself off.

Her eyes couldn't help but to linger on the distant stars as she tried to remember her dream. It was refreshing to dream, even once, of something so happy. Nightmares of beasts and darkness had haunted her for so long.

Sighing, she turned to scan the dark alley to make sure she was alone. The world was silent but for a neighbor's snoring and a pair of cats on the prowl. Dogs barked in the distance, but they didn't bother her. There wouldn't be any between this derelict alley and the derelict inn where she was staying tonight.

It was odd being back in Kraffol. She hadn't wanted to leave it, but she had never imagined that she'd come back. The orphanage was just down the street. The bell tower beside it stood in silhouette of the full moon. The bell belonged to the Sisters' asylum. Below it were the Sisters' quarters and living areas. She had visited a comatose woman there while held in Kraffol. With a hint of a smile, she remembered kicking and screaming when they pulled her away from the woman's bedside and tried to prepare her for her journey to her new "family."

Another orphanage.

How old had she been? Three or four? With no memory of her true family or name or home. She couldn't even speak. The only vague memory she had was of that comatose woman crying over her in the dark, holding her, soothing her fears. She didn't even know if the memory was real.

The small, cramped room she had at the inn was less inviting that the cool night air, but it was almost second nature for her to sleep indoors now. The cot was as hard as the pavement outside, she had found. Trying to get comfortable, she could still picture the wallpaper as she saw it before the black shadows hid it: old, faded and peeling; its pattern a mixture of yellow-brown splotches and cobwebs. The thought of the spiders made her skin crawl. She couldn't even tell where the window was in the dark. Didn't they have any street lamps out there? The town just didn't want to spend any more money than it had to, greedy fiends. Only her exhaustion allowed her to calm her irrational thoughts of fork-tongued officials and fall back asleep.

At the first hint of light fighting though the dirty glass pane, Kate rolled out of bed. She hadn't bothered to cover up. Who knew who else had slept under the comforter since the last time it was washed. Changing quickly into suitable clothing, she stuffed what had passed for a nightgown into her small suitcase and marched out the door. She was sure to be silent so that she wouldn't wake those who wished to sleep in. They could sleep all they wanted to. She, however, didn't trust her driver to wake her. Pete, she speculated, was more of a gentleman; he wouldn't dare enter a lady's quarters to rouse her simply because she needed to leave. Instead, he would allow her to waste all of the precious hours of the day sleeping in and her precious little money paying him for an extra day's worth of travel. Gentlemen.

Passing through the front room, she gave him a quick nod. He was sitting there, smoking his pipe in a shaft of golden light that was becoming more distinctly orange. He sighed and then chuckled as he pulled himself out of the chair he was sitting in. With a mighty groan, he stretched wide his fingertips above his head to rid his aching bones of some of their discomfort.

Kate swiftly deposited her luggage into the closed cabby and went to feed the horses. After three days' travel they had adjusted to Kate's sleep patterns and were already awake as well. Pete appeared in time to watch her dole out Sadie's and Erma's oats. He patted Sadie's cheek. "I can take after my own horses, thank you. You go see to yourself."

It only took one confused look before she put her hand against her hair. It was a mess. She gave a half-smile and retreated to the cabby to fetch her brush. Pete shook his head and had a word or two with his horses about their current patron.

Sitting in the cab, Kate untied the length of cloth she had used to secure her braid. Running her fingers quickly through her soft hair, she worked to unbraid it. By the time Pete was ready to go, Kate had just finished brushing it. She had no mirror to know for sure, but she was fairly certain that her hair was falling to her shoulders in waves of shiny maple syrup. That's what her hair had done every time she had a mirror to look in.

Pete looked to her as if for permission to get started. "Go on. I can fix my hair in a moving cabby."

"Yes, Miss." He swiftly provoked the horses onward.

Kate sat in the back of the cabby, balancing her gangly frame as she loosely re-braided her hair. She was soon done, despite the jarring motion of the cab, and found herself with nothing to do. She inspected her fingernails mildly for a moment, decided that they were fine the way they were and shortly moved on to inspecting her wrists. There was no special reason for this, it was just something she did. She was constantly wondering at the many marvels of the human hand. She flexed her fingers vaguely to watch her bones work beneath her skin.

"Where are we going?"

"What do you mean, 'Where are we going?' You are supposed to be driving me to Aghir!"

"I meant 'why are we going there,' of all of places? It's practically in the BlackWood

Forest."

"Maybe I have family there."

"You would have to be crazy or desperate to want me to abandon you there."

"Maybe."

"I can still turn this cabby around."

"Don't."

"Just give me one good reason why. Make me believe."

"No matter what I say, you won't believe, so I think I'll just save my breath. But why, if you were never intending to take me to my destination, would you take me this far?"

"I only just decided that I didn't want you to go to Aghir."

"I would walk."

"So it's crazy, then." He looked her over for a moment. before easing himself back onto the driver's seat. "Get in. I'll take you to Aghir."

-------------

The rest of the day passed smoothly as both driver and passenger sat in a forced silence. Both sat contemplating their destination as the dark clouds gathered over what could only be DarkWood Forest, still distant on the horizon. Night greeted them early in the afternoon with a steady downpour just as the horses' hooves first clattered onto a stone that marked the beginning of cobbled roads and the town's edge.

Buildings had been visible for a very long mile. The inn's location had been plotted in both Kate's mind and Pete's not long after it came into view. The name of the establishment announced itself as the Headless Horseman . Given the area's reputation, it was the perfect name for the local inn. Or so thought Kate, at least. Pete simply shuddered as he guided the horses into the stables.

The stables were unnaturally empty. No other horses, no stable-boys, no hands. If Pete and Kate weren't the only guests at this inn, they were the only ones who were from out of town. Pete took extra notice of this. He exchanged glances with Kate, but she soon moved to see the management about getting their rooms for the night. Pete was left with a feeling of homesickness.

He was a wanderer by nature and profession, feeling at home no matter where he went for as long as he could remember. This place was the lone exception. The only thing he could do to keep his mind off of it was to go through his routines. Unhitch the horses, put them in the stables, feed them, brush them down. No thoughts could penetrate such a fortress as grueling routine.

Kate had no routine to follow. She ran through the rain to the back door of the Headless Horseman, each ballistic drop of rain soaking through her thin shirt and sending separate shivers down her spine. She jostled the door knob, gave a few loud bangs to the door and waited a split second for an answer before running around to the front door, dodging all the icy bullets she could.

The front door wasn't locked, thankfully. She tore it open and allowed it to slam behind her. She could do nothing but perch where she had landed, rubbing her hands along her arms for warmth. The front room was dark and bare. Blue light from the large front window fell on an empty bar and random furniture to her left. Beside the bar a shadow betrayed a staircase, probably leading to the boarding rooms on the upper level. A roll-top desk stood to her right, closed, with a sleeping cat as its sole ornament. "Hello?! Is anyone here?" The cat jumped. Suddenly, it arched its back and began hissing in her direction. Kate, caught by surprise, stumbled backwards into a low table. Feeling that it had sufficiently warned her, the cat jumped off of the desk and ran to the back of the inn. Thinking of Pete, and cursing silently at the pain in her leg, she made her way to follow it. Pete would need the back door open.

The cat ran down the hallway alongside the staircase. Cautiously, she listened to each footstep creaking the floorboards and held her arms out in front of her. The moment she had stepped into the shadows she couldn't see a thing. One hand on the wall and one hand in front of her, she made her way slowly to the back of the inn. As one hand lost the wall, the other found another.

"Mew" The cat, as far as she could tell, was at the end of the corridor she had just found. It seemed to be waiting for her to open a door for it. At least, she hoped that's what it was doing.

Before she reached out to feel for a door knob, she could feel the cat press itself against her, its low purr rising over the sound of the rain pounding against the roof. The doorknob was there, its metal cool textured against her palm. She turned it with little hesitation and pushed.

The next room was dark as well, but not as dark; there was a drop of light somewhere. The cat ran past her. Kate scanned the room for the source of the light, shutting the door gently behind her. That was when she spotted it. It was a door! The light was coming through the keyhole. It only took a little jostling this time to open. Standing with the door open to the pouring rain, she wondered why it was so much easier than before.

Shrugging, she turned to inspect the room. Bathed in the same bluish light as the cobbled stones outside, the kitchen-like room was bare. There weren't any pots, pans, knives, lanterns, or food anywhere, yet the stove and cupboards betrayed a place to cook. There was also a bed in the corner, a white quilt folded at its foot.

Disappointed and confused, Kate searched a drawer for old candlesticks. The drawer was empty but for a few cobwebs and a layer of dust, as was the one below it and the two white-washed cupboards. Next, Kate tried the sink. It worked. She ran her hand through the cool water, then cupped both hands together to drink. The cat, who had been sulking in a corner, leapt to stand beside the sink. It was thirsty, too, it seemed. She smiled and put the stopper in the drain. Having to do without a towel to dry her hands on, she wiped them on her skirt. When the sink was full, she turned the flow of water off.

The rain thundered on the roof. She felt sorry for Pete who had chosen just that moment to cross the walk between the stables and the inn. He was drenched when he finally landed beside her. Kate sighed when she thought of her impending trip to fetch her things. Why hadn't she taken them with her in the first place?

Pete was the first to speak; or pant, as he was still out of breath. "So, do we have our rooms for tonight?" He was bent over and appeared to be speaking more to the floor than to Kate.

"I don't know."

That caught his attention. "What do you mean?" For the first time since that morning he looked her in the eye.

"There hasn't been anyone to ask."

"What?"

"The place is empty, as far as I know."

The cat took this opportunity to fall, yowling, into the sink of water.

"Well, we can get our own rooms and pay for them in the morning, can't we?"

"I guess, but it's pretty dark…"

"We can get a lamp…"

She almost thumped her own forehead when she saw him looking about for one. "I know the way, though." Knowing his nature, she decided it wouldn't be the wisest of things for him to know that the entire kitchen was bare. Anything that seemed remotely odd might spook him.

He gave her an odd look, but he could tell he didn't want to ask any questions. "Lead the way."

She opened the door to her right, leaving the outer door open. Thankful that the light from the outside was now lighting the end of this hallway, she made her way down it without Pete's hand in hers. There would be light at the other end as well, she knew, from the large window in the front room.

Before they even made it halfway through the second hallway, Kate could tell that something was different. Not wrong, necessarily, but no longer devoid of life. The light was reflected off of an object standing beside the window and a soft breath made itself audible.

"Hello?"

Kate was the first to speak. She didn't think Pete had even realized that they were no longer alone. Whether he had seen him or not, though, Pete gave no clue.

"Hello?" The voice's owner turned to face them. He had his forehead leaning against the wall before she had spoken but as he spoke he slowly lifted it and turned to face them. His voice was slow to match it, drawing the question out as if asking five.

"We are looking to stay here for the night."

The dim light showed no change in his countenance. The rain began pounding on the roof again.

"Can you help us?"

"Yes…" came a man's drawl.

Kate waited. When the strange man by the window made no motion to lead them upstairs or ask for payment she lost her patience. "Who are you? Are you the owner or just someone who stands around wasting other peoples' time?"

The stranger's voice finally became assertive as a smile tugged at one of the corners of his mouth. "You may call me Demo. I am the owner and caretaker of this establishment." A little voice in Kate's head was telling her that wasting people's time was just a hobby for him.

Silencing this thought, she waited for him to continue. When he made no effort to, she decided a little extra goading was necessary. "Well, I'm tired. It's been a long day." She stared into his eyes, hoping that he would recognize his cue. His expression had yet to change.

"Yes, it has," his aloof voice replied mildly. Pausing briefly, he waited until Kate opened her mouth to speak again to continue, "Your room is this way."

Pete was the one to object. "Excuse me, sir, but we need separate rooms."

"This way." Neither Kate nor Pete knew whether he had been listening at all, but neither were particularly eager to ask their eccentric host.

Demo walked to the bar and, leaning over to reach behind it, retrieved a lantern which he then lit. With Demo and his lantern in the lead, three sets of squeaky footsteps ascended the staircase. The second level was comprised of a single hallway with five doors. "You may choose your own rooms. I'm not expecting any other visitors any time soon…" He drifted off for a moment but then abruptly asked, "Speaking of which, how long will you be staying?"

Pete seemed anxious to announce that he would only be staying that night.

In an attempt to punish Demo, Kate took an excessive pause before sighing and giving her vague answer. "I don't know how long I'm staying here."

"Who will be paying?"

"I will."

"In that case, it will be two lairds for tonight."

"Oh!" She spun. "I left my luggage in the cab. I need to go get that!" She flew down the stair. Pete and Demo stood on the landing in silence as they listened to her footsteps pound around the corner, down the corridor and finally end with the back door slamming behind her. Demo turned to Pete with raised eyebrows, but Pete chose to settle on a room instead of try to excuse the girl's behavior.

"She will be back, won't she?"

"Where else does she have to go?" Pete cracked open the door to one of the rooms so that the light of Demo's lantern illuminated at least a portion of the room.

Demo seemed to consider his words for a moment and shrugged. The man had a point. The Headless Horseman was the only inn in town and no one else in town would be about after sundown. He exchanged glances with Pete before staring back down the stair after the girl. He tapped his foot impatiently for a moment before he gave in to his impatience. "Tell her to leave it on the bar. I'll get to it in the morning. I'm going to bed." With that, Demo turned to go back down the stair.

"Can you light a candle or something for me?"

"Here's the lantern." Once the lantern had exchanged hands, Demo was free to turn to go back down the stair.

Kate was on the stoop, pounding on the back door. It was stuck again. Demo opened it for her and got out of her way. She almost got to the stair landing when she remembered why she had ran out into the cold to begin with. Stalking back to the back room, she tried to swallow her embarrassment.

Demo was stretched out on the cot by the stove, his long legs propped up against the far wall for comfort. He silenced her the moment she reached the doorway.

"Go to bed. Pay me in the morning."

She dropped her hands to her sides, letting the luggage drag against the floor. She gave the cat lying on the counter a quick smile and made her way back upstairs.

"Wait." Kate walked back to the open doorway. "Do you need a light?"

"No, I shouldn't."

------------

"Draklyn? I wish I could remember..."

She cocked her head to one side. This human was making absolutely no sense. He was lying on his back, staring at her as she drifted aimlessly above him in the inky sky. She hadn't even had to scout him out on this journey; her first thoughts through the numbed void were of his voice as he said those words.

"You are her, though, aren't you? The dragon I played with when I was little?" This was a statement and not a question at all.

She gently came to rest, much like a heap of rope, on top of his body; her chin, trailing behind, landed lastly on his chest. He rose his head to looked down her muzzle as his aura wrapped around hers. "Can you even tell what I'm saying?"

She had an unintelligible yet irresistible urge to shake her head from left to right and promptly did so. He smiled. The tip of her tongue leapt to peck his chin.

Creating a strong pulse in her own aura to overcome him for a moment, she lifted into the sky. He leapt to his feet after her, laughing. She could feel the cosmic wind pressing her to dance through the sky, and dance she did. He joined in where he could, but eventually fell, laughing, to lie on his back once more to watch.

When he fell, she let loose a stream of flames in victory. They rose, full spectrum, to lick the stars. She left the boy staring in awe and herself completely exhausted. Snapping her mouth shut, she fell violently into the snowy petals.

The numbness took her once more until her nostrils, absorbing the heavenly scent of the flowers, failed her…

------

"You're up pretty early this morning, don't you think?"

He caught her by surprise. Demo was lounging by the bar when Kate tried to sneak back in. She had found herself asleep in the outskirts of town in a meadow just off the road. It had taken her quite a while to find her way back. "I like to go for walks just before the sun rises."

"In your night gown?"

"On occasion. Excuse me."

She ran up the steps to her room and got dressed. Pete was still snoring audibly next door. Passing his room on her way down the stair, she left a note under the door telling him that she was going to go have breakfast and that she wished him the best of luck on his journey home.

Kate was almost in a good mood as she descended the stair, but Demo was still on the same barstool, with the same bottle in his hand and the same thought in his head. "What are you doning in Aghir?"

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't had business in years; no one wants to visit this place. What are you looking for here?"

"I'm looking for a job." He wouldn't rest without an answer. It was partially true, at least. If she were going to get any headway in her investigation she would need the means to support herself...

"You could get a job anywhere. What are you looking for here?" His eyes burned holes through her stomach.

"Answers."

"What kind of question could possibly be answered here?"

"That would be my business and not yours."

"I might be able to help you if I know."

"I would appreciate help with finding work."

He looked at her appraisingly. "Very well." With that, he returned to his drink. When

Kate turned to leave, he spoke again. "Wait," he drained the rest of the bottle, "I'll help you find someplace to work." He slammed the empty bottle down on the counter. "The sooner you find work, the sooner you'll be out of my hair." He spun off the bar stool, landing haphazardly, and didn't even glance in Kate's direction as he moved past her through the door. She could smell the stench of alcohol as he passed.

Kate was still stubbornly standing in the doorway. "I want breakfast first."

"Lena doesn't serve this early, sorry. We'll just have to start on an empty stomach." Demo was already waking ahead of her, not even pausing to see whether or not she was following him.

She sighed inwardly. "So where do we start?"

"What are you good at?"

"I can do anything someone will pay me for."

"That's a good attitude. Do you like blacksmithing?"

Kate grimaced. "I'd do it."

"Too bad the town doesn't need another…"

Kate grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him so that he was facing her, odious smirk and all. "If this is nothing more to you than a joke, don't waste your time."

They stood facing one another for a long time in the pre-dawn starlight. Kate planted her feet in the cobbled stone. She would not be broken by an obnoxious innkeeper. She would stand her ground and-

"You are a very straight-forward person, aren't you?"

She couldn't take it. What was she doing trying to reason with a drunk, anyway?

She turned on her heel and walked away.

He was quick to catch up with her. "If you are, why can't you do such a little thing as tell me why you're here."

She shook her head at the heavens as she kept walking.

He was leaning eagerly over her shoulder as he said, "Listen, I won't bother you any more about it. I'll just pull some favors for a complete stranger who I don't trust because she can't even give me a straight answer about her intentions. Here, let's go see Lena." He maneuvered in front of her, stopped and turned, "Her restaurant is over there, though," he said, pointing over Kate's shoulder.

She turned angrily and started stomping in the direction he had indicated.

Demo, in his victory, tried to wrap an arm around her shoulder. When Kate slid immediately out of it, he didn't try again. He had only wanted to do it because he knew it would make her angry.

Kate kept her eyes fixated on the door Demo had had pointed to. She was taken aback for a moment when she saw the face looking out the window next to it. The woman had looked terrified. Kate looked to Demo, but he was smiling back at her.

Rolling her eyes, she looked back at the window . The woman had fled but now returned with a man whose angry expression worried Kate more.

"Demo, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" The smile, she could see, was slipping. He glanced behind them, gave her one last try at a confident smile and ran straight into the dawn.

"Demo!"

(to be continued)