Page 117 of Dark Island: Rescue
"Watch the house, Chicha." I crouched to scratch behind her ears. She licked my hand once, then sat straight and wagged her little tail. "I'll be back by nine." I stopped by my father's armchair, kissed his cheek, andthen did the same with my mother. "Is Gran in bed already?"
"She is watching the news in her room." My mother took my hand while Chicha pressed against my legs, sensing my mother's anxiety as she always did. "Be safe, Kailin. Stay vigilant and hold the repellent spray in your hand at all times."
"It's in my purse." I patted my cross-body satchel.
My mother shook her head. "If there is an attack, you might not have time to reach into your purse and get it. Attach it to the bracelet I got you."
I wasn't about to walk into the bar with a thick elastic band around my wrist and a canister of spray hanging from it.
"I'll be fine." I gave my mother a tight hug. "Shovia and I are meeting Morek and walking to the lodge together. Stop worrying so much."
"I can't help it," she whispered. "I wish you would agree to carry a gun with you."
Since the attack on our village, my mother had become jumpy and jittery, even though she hadn't been there that night. She was even scared to leave the house to go grocery shopping.
As Shovia and I stepped out into the cool air, I heard Chicha's soft whine from behind the door, which I took as a promise to keep watch.
I took a deep breath, letting the crisp mountain breeze fill my lungs and ease the anxious energy that I'd absorbed from my mother. Looking up at the auroras dancing overhead, I admired their beauty for a moment to center myself.
Beside me, Shovia waited patiently. "I know that it is not my place to suggest, but your mother should talk to a healer or, even better, to Saphir."
"Saphir doesn't grant private audiences." I began walking. "He doesn't have time for that."
Shovia snorted. "What does he do between pilgrimages?"
That was a good question. Our shaman rarely made public appearances, and his speeches at big events were mostly televised. It wasn't safe for him to make them in person at scheduled events. That would have been too tempting a target for our enemies and therefore required a massive security detail.
If Saphir appeared at all, it was at random and without giving prior notice. That being said, he rarely missed the blessing ceremony before the start of the pilgrimage. There had been only a few occasions when it had been televised.
I figured that since the pilgrimage itself required heightened security, Saphir could make an appearance without further burdening the guard.
"Maybe he tends to the dragon eggs," I suggested.
"What care do those eggs need?" Shovia asked. "They are extremely hardy and can survive on their own for thousands of years."
The hatching process was a highly guarded secret, and no one other than those serving in the Citadel knew what it involved.
I shrugged. "If they don't need any tending, why have none of the hidden eggs hatched over the years? Saphirmust have done something to make the ones he guarded hatch."
"Like what?" Shovia asked. "It's not like he sat on them."
"I don't know." I looked at her. "Maybe they need to be coaxed into hatching."
Since dragons were more or less giant flying lizards, I assumed that their eggs also hatched in reaction to warmth. Then again, dragon babies took a long time to mature, while lizards were independent from birth, so perhaps the comparison was invalid.
When we reached Morek's house, the front door opened, and our friend stepped out looking freshly showered and quite handsome in a dark brown fitted shirt that accentuated his muscular build. His black pants looked laundered and pressed, and his wavy, dark blond hair was slicked back.
I hated to admit it, but he still had an effect on me.
He gave us both a thorough once-over. "You two look good."
"Thank you." Shovia grinned at him. "You're not too bad yourself."
He fell into step beside us, hands shoved into his pockets. "I hope there are some Elurian ladies this year, but if not, I'm sure there will be plenty of beautiful Elucian girls to choose from. I prefer homegrown anyway." He sighed. "I wish I didn't get so tongue-tied around Erona. Why am I cursed to only be able to flirt with girls I'm not serious about?"
"Can't you pretend to yourself that you are not serious about Erona even if you are?" Shovia asked. "After a while, you'll get used to it and won't need to pretend anymore."
He hung his head. "It would be like lying."
"Not at all," Shovia insisted. "Dreaming and imagining are not sinful, and that's all you would be doing. You would be imagining yourself as someone who can talk to anyone."
What she'd suggested was borderline deceptive, but even Saphir would have no problem with that. Our shaman warned against zealotry and lack of flexibility.
As we approached the lodge, I could hear the muffled sounds of music and laughter spilling out into the night, and a knot of anxiety formed in my stomach.
Shovia wrapped her hand around my arm. "Breathe, Kailin. It's just a bar. It's not a worm-breeding swamp."
