bit saddened at that.
4
Rifter guided
the quiet girl across the beach and to the tree line, where they passed into
the woods. It wasn’t long before Wren had realized that the tropical trees
from the beach had become a forest of pines and oaks which reached to the sky
with leafy fingers.
How unusual… The world had
changed in an instant.
She stole a
glance at Rifter, seeing he had pulled his hood back up over his head, and she
guessed that he was in good camouflage. If he was being very still, she didn’t
think she would have seen him. She couldn’t say the same for herself,
however. Her gown was practically glowing in the moonlight, welcoming trouble.
Wren found
herself looking at his face, and she began to feel lenient toward him.
I shouldn’t be
too disagreeable at once , she told herself. It was good of him to save
me from those pirates, and to bring me here. He didn’t have to.
Rifter didn’t
say much as they walked, keeping an eye out for danger, she supposed, but since
things seemed quiet to her, she decided to try talking to him.
“May I ask you
another question, Rifter?” she asked nicely. She thought that he would respond
to being asked permission, and as she watched him, she could see the little
smile on his face. He was amused she’d asked to ask a question.
“Alright, but
just one more for now,” he teased.
“Earlier at the
beach – and at the orphanage as well – there was a strange little light zipping
around. I assume it was a fairy, but where is it now?”
At the mention
of that, Rifter stopped dead in his tracks and Wren had stepped ahead of him
before she’d even realized it. He’d grown pale – white as a ghost.
“Oh hell,” he
groaned, and Wren was stunned, unable to grasp what had brought on his severe
reaction.
Rifter looked
all around, and Wren guessed he was looking for the light, but of course it
wasn’t there, as she’d said.
“Just, uh, wait
here a minute,” he instructed her, and a second later he’d taken off like a
rocket into the sky and disappeared.
Where...? She shook her
head, dismissing the thought before it had finished.
He is not very
considerate sometimes.
The darkness
settled in around her, and she felt alone here in the middle of the woods, more
so than she had at the beach before. The shadows were thick, encroaching
on her space, and she began to hear the sounds of the night beasts prowling
through the brush.
I hope he will
come back soon. Where did he go?
Standing there,
unprotected, a strange sound began to drift into Wren’s ears – soft at first
but growing louder. She felt that she had heard it before, but she didn’t
recall what it was until a glowing orb came cutting through the trees, halting
to dance erratically in front of her.
“Oh! There you
are! Rifter went off looking for you.”
The creature did
not respond except in whispers, which Wren thought sounded rather nasty. They
were of a hideous, hissing quality that she didn’t like.
“I’m very
confused by you,” Wren said thoughtfully. “I’m not sure that we’re friends but
I don’t know why you don’t like me. Is it because I was chasing you all over
the sea before? I realize that you were trying to get away from me, but I was
asleep, you see. I was dreaming. I couldn’t help my actions.”
Wren paused a
moment as she considered, but the orb kept moving about, leaving trails of
light in the air as if it was on fire.
“Would you just
be still a moment?” Wren asked. “I’m trying to speak with you civilly.”
To humor her,
the orb did come to a halt in the air, hovering in front of her face. Wren
could see into the light then, and what she saw made her gasp.
There was a
little woman inside there, held aloft by the rapid movement of dragonfly
wings. Her body was golden, and if it had been to Wren’s size, it would have
been long and lean – statuesque. She wasn’t wearing very much at
4
Rifter guided
the quiet girl across the beach and to the tree line, where they passed into
the woods. It wasn’t long before Wren had realized that the tropical trees
from the beach had become a forest of pines and oaks which reached to the sky
with leafy fingers.
How unusual… The world had
changed in an instant.
She stole a
glance at Rifter, seeing he had pulled his hood back up over his head, and she
guessed that he was in good camouflage. If he was being very still, she didn’t
think she would have seen him. She couldn’t say the same for herself,
however. Her gown was practically glowing in the moonlight, welcoming trouble.
Wren found
herself looking at his face, and she began to feel lenient toward him.
I shouldn’t be
too disagreeable at once , she told herself. It was good of him to save
me from those pirates, and to bring me here. He didn’t have to.
Rifter didn’t
say much as they walked, keeping an eye out for danger, she supposed, but since
things seemed quiet to her, she decided to try talking to him.
“May I ask you
another question, Rifter?” she asked nicely. She thought that he would respond
to being asked permission, and as she watched him, she could see the little
smile on his face. He was amused she’d asked to ask a question.
“Alright, but
just one more for now,” he teased.
“Earlier at the
beach – and at the orphanage as well – there was a strange little light zipping
around. I assume it was a fairy, but where is it now?”
At the mention
of that, Rifter stopped dead in his tracks and Wren had stepped ahead of him
before she’d even realized it. He’d grown pale – white as a ghost.
“Oh hell,” he
groaned, and Wren was stunned, unable to grasp what had brought on his severe
reaction.
Rifter looked
all around, and Wren guessed he was looking for the light, but of course it
wasn’t there, as she’d said.
“Just, uh, wait
here a minute,” he instructed her, and a second later he’d taken off like a
rocket into the sky and disappeared.
Where...? She shook her
head, dismissing the thought before it had finished.
He is not very
considerate sometimes.
The darkness
settled in around her, and she felt alone here in the middle of the woods, more
so than she had at the beach before. The shadows were thick, encroaching
on her space, and she began to hear the sounds of the night beasts prowling
through the brush.
I hope he will
come back soon. Where did he go?
Standing there,
unprotected, a strange sound began to drift into Wren’s ears – soft at first
but growing louder. She felt that she had heard it before, but she didn’t
recall what it was until a glowing orb came cutting through the trees, halting
to dance erratically in front of her.
“Oh! There you
are! Rifter went off looking for you.”
The creature did
not respond except in whispers, which Wren thought sounded rather nasty. They
were of a hideous, hissing quality that she didn’t like.
“I’m very
confused by you,” Wren said thoughtfully. “I’m not sure that we’re friends but
I don’t know why you don’t like me. Is it because I was chasing you all over
the sea before? I realize that you were trying to get away from me, but I was
asleep, you see. I was dreaming. I couldn’t help my actions.”
Wren paused a
moment as she considered, but the orb kept moving about, leaving trails of
light in the air as if it was on fire.
“Would you just
be still a moment?” Wren asked. “I’m trying to speak with you civilly.”
To humor her,
the orb did come to a halt in the air, hovering in front of her face. Wren
could see into the light then, and what she saw made her gasp.
There was a
little woman inside there, held aloft by the rapid movement of dragonfly
wings. Her body was golden, and if it had been to Wren’s size, it would have
been long and lean – statuesque. She wasn’t wearing very much at
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