Chapter 10
Sitting in the Dinner Hall, I was alone. Not a single student remained, no teachers sat here, no house elves darted in or around the empty food trays (but five dishes), and no one else existed. Alone. A hollow eeriness settled in the castle, in my thoughts. Draeos. The grandest of all places, and at present; it was making my skin crawl. I double glanced at shadows; lingered on the scraping of glass, or drips of water that echoed far off. This place was too big for one person, even shovelling down my food and spending time with La’Kera for three hours didn’t help my unease. Making the walk to the ninth level was another problem all together. I swear I could hear humming, I was sure I had heard footsteps running along the halls; echoes of memories is what Walt called them. That was all they were. Memories. La’Kera soothed my worries with her songs, hoping to distract me. And the den full of dragons was looking a little more inviting, with each passing shadow. I walked the hall, noticing the lights glowed to life when I walked into the area. Making it to my room, I heaved a nervous breath. Did I need to shower? I sniffed the air; the sweat from today was soaked through my shirt and hair; damn. I did. I hated I had to leave this room now. I made the steps to the shower room. The hot water streamed along my body, washing away the sweat, the fear, the ache, and nagging thoughts, I had been suffering all afternoon. I fuzzed my hair with the towel, staring at my reflection, and laughed, the sound bounced off the stone walls, which had me laugh.
“Fool.” I hissed. “There is nothing here. No one but me.”
And me, added La’Kera, I laughed. You fear the shadows, but you can see in them?
Yeah, guess. I brushed my curls, dressing into a loose fitting night shirt that hung to my thighs. Resting my hand on my left wrist, the glove was always a touch a way. I sometimes forgot it was there, unable to be removed. It was a part of me, my skin now. The blending was complete. The section between my palm and the glove were closed, as to the ones on my inner arm and around the elbow. The skin and glove had mended together. It didn’t itch, sting or feel odd. It was mine.
“Shush, ahh … shush.”
I frowned to a sound in the halls. It echoed as my voice had, only this sound was trying not to. I gathered my dirty clothes and my bath bag; slinging the towel over my shoulder, I stepped into the hall. I stopped in my tracks. A sound. A sob. I glanced left, and then right. Taking in the halls was simple. At least a dozen doors went in either direction. The hall was stone and wooden framed for the doorways, with light torches above every door arch and drapes along the sections to add effect to the walls. What was out of place was in the far right of the hall. Sitting on the floor, was a girl. Leaning into herself, knees pulled tight to her chest, her hands balled firm around her body and her head, hidden from view. The strands of her hair fell around her, covering her, some touched the stone floor as her toes curled on the edges of the hall rug.
“Hello?”
My heart froze as my voice echoed along the hall. Her sobs stopped instantly, though she didn’t move.
“Hello. What … what are you doing here?” I made a hasty line towards her; surprised she was sitting near my door. “Are you alone? Did you forget to get on the shuttle? Where are your belongings?” Questions jumped from my mouth. Why was she here? And why now. Why not before in the Dinner Hall? The shock was doubling as I lowered myself to her level. “Hey. Little girl?” I reached towards her, the air around us suddenly dropped by several degrees. Chilled.
“Don’t touch me!” She shirked and her head shot up.
I was alarmed. What I was seeing wasn’t right. In the dim light of the fire torches, I made out the tear streaks on her cheeks, the sunken sockets of her eyes. The sadness, the pain, the underfed form of her tiny frame, and the dirt smudged on her nose. Long messy mouse brown hair fell across her face, covering most of her pale skin and hiding all but her left eye, large brown and tear filled.
She shirked at my approach, “Don’t touch me,” she repeated.
“I wasn’t … Um … Are you okay?” I forced myself to look away from her pale face, the pasty chapped lips, the cracked lines on her mouth, and even as she darted a dry tongue out to run over her lips, the sound was rough and disturbing. “Why are you here? Why are you not in EzRah?” I made the fatal mistake of reaching out to her.
In a heartbeat, she was on her feet. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” She started to pace backwards.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s okay. We’ll go get Karson. You want to meet a Ryder of a hundred years?”
Her sad eyes bulged. And in an instant, her face became painful, fearful. “Make it stop.” She hissed, clutching her head, clawing her skull.
“Make what … what stop?”
“Make the pain stop. Make it go away!”
“Um … where are you hurt?” I restrained myself from reaching out to her. A scan of her tiny frame told me, she was most likely starved. She was bony, even brooms had more thickness than her arms and legs. There were no clear wounds, no blood, no broken bones or bruises—“What happened to you?”
“You have to do it. Only you.”
“What. Do what?” I reached towards her—big mistake. She took off fast, considering she screamed about being in pain. Crap! Crap! Crap! Dropping my towel, bag, and dirty clothes, I ran after her. I was a Ryder—my speed was faster than most simple dangorians, and I was sure I would catch a little girl.
Nope.
She turned down the hall, and a length ahead of me, bounding the stairs to the next level. And even as I made the rush down them, she was in the other hall before I could keep up. My breath was harsh, as I heaved deep. Okay, so the Sleeping Chambers were a good two track length if you ran the whole thing around, from north to south, and it so happens that was what she was doing. Running around the halls, to descend the stairs and run again.
She was gone.
I bounced the stairs, hoping to beat her there, and then I waited, waited, and waited.
“Little girl?” I called out, “Hello. You can come out now.” I walked along the fifth hall to take in the empty darkness, the echoes of my footfalls and the shadows that played my eyes. No one was there. No sound of her sobs, her pain, her calls. I turned with haste and ran down the next level, again and again and again. The sob had me look up the ever looming staircase.
Nothing.
I took one last step to the lobby floor and hit a hard solid wall. “Wuff!”
“Rehema!”
“Karson?” I was shocked. “You scared me. Wh-What are you doing here?” Taking in short breaths, trying to still my racing heart, my sweaty palms and the knowledge I had just run at full speed down nine flights of stairs. Each level had a split on the staircase, making the number double. Eighteen flights of stairs, twenty steps each! I shouldn’t have to work out for the next week. Karson had his hands on me as concern flickered across his features.
“What happened? Why are you wasted of energy?”
“I … ran d-down … th-the st-stairs,” I puffed as Karson slowly released me. I stumbled from his grip. “I’m okay … in a bit. Why are you here?” I sat on the step, gaining breath.
“Blade’Dur informed me of your panic. What happened?”
My panic? I wanted to roll my eyes. The hu expression fell across my face, followed by my dry voice “A girl … y-you sure I’m the only one h-here?” I palmed my brow, sweating badly as I was and my heart was pounding still.
“Yes.” Karson took in my appearance, sitting as I was. His eyes travelled up and down my body in a sweep of—oh, my Drae’Gon. He was taking in my form as I took in his tight shirt and half breeches for comfort. He was seeing my form. The exposed creamy skin, the low cut night shirt wasn’t covering my shoulders. Small in length, resting on the mid’s of my thighs. And since I was sitting, it had slipped further to the top of my thigh. Thankfully, I had small clothes underneath … His eyes travelled up my thighs, rested at my hips to move to my chest—my bust were nothing but a handful; it was still in peeking view, with no corset to keep myself c
overed. His eyes struggled to look away from me. His nice fitting shorts didn’t help my attention, and the fact his legs were bare. Strong muscled legs and the shirt was snug fitting across his chest with ease. I shied from his look, from the reddening touch of his cheeks, and knew mine were red—much too red. I folded my arms over my chest and stood to avoid the position I was in.
“T-There … w-was a girl.” I forced myself to talk.
Karson blinked, several times.
I ruffled my long curls around my shoulder, hoping to cover something of my body. I was so exposed right now, so here and now. Somewhere inside, deep inside my body was thrilled—but no. It wasn’t right. This was about the girl, not my needs.
“She … s-she was at my room. She was in pain, and then she ran away.” I tilted my head, taking in Karson. He was frozen.
Okay, not completely. He was aware of me, he was—there. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, and then closed it. He was with Blade’Dur and he was here, watching me, though a glazed look was visible, I didn’t doubt he would trip me up in the instant I tried to take him on. Focus damn it. This isn’t about attacking him, even if I secretly wanted to be pinned.
A shadow of annoyance washed his features, the first look of anger I had seen on him. “Are you sure you saw this girl?”
“Yes. She was in the hall.”
He narrowed his eyes. “She’s not here. Blade’Dur did a scenery check. There are no other students in the sleeping chamber.”
“Maybe she’s outside.” My voice was weak. How? I wanted to scream. Fly off the seventh floor.
Karson shook his head. He scanned the entrance area before dropping his eyes on me. “I don’t like liars. And I don’t appreciate jokes—bad jokes.”
“This isn’t a joke. This is real. She was right there—”
“No more.” He held up his hand to still my words. “You will stay in the guest room on my floor.”
“The Teachers Tower? You want me to go to the teacher’s tower?”
“Yes. And now,” he ordered.
“What. No. I have to … my stuff … it’s …”
“The house elves will take care of it. Come on.” His tone was harsh.
“NO. Please. I have to find her. She’s hurt, and upset.”
“Stop. Rehema. Stop with this already. Blade’Dur has deemed no other dangorian is here, no one. Do you hear? You need not lie to me. If you were worried about sleeping on your own, you should have said something. Come on.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Even as he balled his heels and marched across the entrance floor. “I won’t ask again.” His tone was sharp.
“I wasn’t lying.” I growled. “I wouldn’t do that. Why won’t you believe me?”
He opened the oak doors, making sure I followed. The night air cooled my sweaty skin. I was tired, stiff, and sore with the knowledge I had just run the flight of eighteen levels in minutes.
“Let’s say for argument sake, I do.” His tone was less angered, though his face wasn’t ready to relax. He pressed his lips together with an arched brow. “What did she look like?”
“Around ten, maybe younger, she had mouse brown hair, sad eyes, underfed and she wore a nightgown. She had no shoes on and she was in pain … I think she was starved.”
“And therein lies your first untruth.” Karson turned on me in the courtyard, fast too. His eyes narrowed with true anger of his Roo’Bineyes sign. “No one is starved in the castle, no one is underfed, no one is scared.”
“W-Well s-she was.” I reeled in my fear of his attack. Magic, fist, whichever it was, it was on its way.
“She? She is nothing but your need to find ways to stay out of the chamber. You can spend the night in the guest room. Then, tomorrow I will look into a more suited room for you while you stay at Draeos for the holidays.” He turned without a look back, to growl my name to follow.
He was mad.
I heaved a breath as he guided me to the west tower—the Teacher’s Chambers. Taking me to the twelfth level, he stopped at room eight.
“Here.” He opened the door, turning to me, though some of his anger had melted away, his eyes lingered on my form, noticing my bare feet. “I’ll have the house elves bring over some of your things.”
“Karson?” I was timid in talking.
“I am your Master, remember that,” he corrected, the shadow of anger was still present.
“Sorry. Master Karson. I didn’t lie. I swear to you I didn’t lie.” I pressed my lips together, feeling the burn of his green eyes. “Maybe … maybe she’s one of the stable owner’s children.”
“All children who live in this area attend the academy, and when the holidays are on, they return to their families in EzRah.”
“So what if she didn’t. What if … she was just sneaking around the grounds?”
Karson ran his hand over his face, shifting his black locks under his fingers and heaving a deep breath. He glanced to the roof, as if seeking an answer. He was slowly relaxing, as I was. The gloom of his anger was leaving him.
“I’ll look into it tomorrow.” His tone was as close to an apology I was going to get. He dipped his head to the room. “Stay here for the night. I don’t want you walking around looking for a ghost.” He turned and stopped four doors away—his room. “I will see you in the morning. At the Combat Yards.” He opened his door, stepped inside, and left me standing in the hall feeling alone, empty, cold.
I hugged my arms and headed into the new room. It was cosy—not mine. Nothing here was mine. The bed spread was strange, the lamp, the clock, the window that overlooked the Dinner Hall and courtyard—not the Combat Yards.
Had I imagined the whole thing, had I thought I was seeing her? Was it all just a joke. But she was there?
She was. La’Kera wasn’t sure if she should come to Karson or wait. He was angry you might have lied.
I didn’t lie … I just. Why would he think I did? Why would he be so blind to the idea that an underfed girl was running around the grounds. Was she someone he knew and didn’t want me to find them?
I don’t know. The best you can do is wait until morning. Maybe then, he will have answers for you.
Yeah … maybe. I pulled the blankets down, straining my ears. No sound echoed in this room, no far off idea that I was alone. Karson was four doors down the hall. Angry as he was, he was there, in the Main Building when I least expected it. How did he know I was in trouble? And why was he there? I climbed into the bed, feeling the odd lumps, the strange softness that followed and I was sound asleep.