Chapter 4
In the morning Van and Hitomi sat having breakfast. Hitomi was frustrated that she couldn't find Drachati. She had asked her pendant countless times, but no answer would come to her. Van was deeply furious and humiliated. He hadn't been able to save Drachati. Instead his brother now had her, and by now she could even be dead. He winced at the thought, and Hitomi put her arms around him comfortingly.
"Do… do you think she's ok?" he asked in worried tones.
"I know she is. The pendant told me that, but it won't tell me where she is. Where's Allen?"
"I'm not sure. I think he probably wants to be on his own. Drachati saved his life and now she's…well…she's gone"
"Poor Drachati. Why couldn't I save her? Why was I too slow?" Van sighed deeply.
"It's ok. We've asked Allen to look for her, I'm sure he'll do his best. And if he can't find her we'll try tonight. It's unlikely that Falcon will have hung around. He would have travelled away from Staikem hill so we couldn't find him. He might be back later though, to examine the spot where Drachati appeared. That's where we should wait for him."
Van clenched his fists, and stood up.
"This time I'm going to defeat my brother. He won't beat me again. This time he won't run away from his destiny"
Allen wandered across Staikem Hill. He had to find Drachati. He had crept out last night, and had hitched a ride here in the hope to find her. She saved his life, and he was going to do the same for her. His blue eyes looked deep and wistful as he thought about his brush with death. Then he remembered the technique that Hitomi had shown him recently. Maybe he could find the floating fortress that way.
"Show me the fortress," he murmured.
He imagined it in his head, dark and sinister. Where was it? Then he saw. It was very close to him, floating just six or so feet above him in the air. He froze in his tracks. Could they see him? A minute passed. Nothing happened, and he relaxed. Then he grabbed a rope from his belt, and, swinging it above him like a lasso he tried to hook it onto the edge of the floating fortress. After a few tries he managed to hook it onto a secure part of the fortress, and he started to shimmy up it, clinging on tightly as it swayed wildly.
"I'm coming Drachati!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
The fortress was luckily quiet. Falcon and most of the other crew on board were on a different level, discussing strategies. Allen hauled himself onto the giant floating mass, and slipped through the main entrance door. He followed a flight of stairs down to a heavy steel door, bolted in several places. Through a small grid in it he could see |Drachati. She was hung by chains to a wall, purple bruises adorning her arms and legs like strange tattoos. Her blonde hair hung lifelessly by her side, but her crystal blue eyes were glinting wildly. Allen rammed against the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"You monster! You keep away from me Falcon! I'll tell you nothing!" cried Drachati, and Allen heard the chains rattling as if she were trying to break free of them
"Hush Drachati, It's me, Allen!" he whispered
"Allen!" she gasped in relief
Allen broke the padlocks on the door with his sword, and burst into the dingy cell.
"I thought you were Falcon. I was so afraid! They beat me up and left me here. Then Falcon came and he asked me all these questions about you all. I said that I wouldn't tell him anything and…and he… he had this thing, it looked like a knife. He ran it across my stomach. She lifted up her tattered jumper a little way to reveal a bleeding gash running horizontally across her bellybutton
Allen's eyes widened.
"Drachati…are you ok? That looks really painful" he ripped a length of material off from his coat, and used it to tenderly dab at the freely flowing blood. He cut the chains away from her, leaving her with the shackled around her arms and feet like rusty copper bangles. Allen's attention was drawn to a smaller, stronger looking door in the corner of the 'dungeon.' There was a metal grid in that one too, but it showed only shadows within. Allen took a step towards the door, feeling a strange sense of dread. He heard the faint whirr of machinery inside, and paused to listen.
"Allen, someone's coming!"
She was right. Heavy footsteps sounded down the corridor. Allen forgot the mysterious door in an instant, and ran towards the door he had come through.
"Drachati. I know the way out. If we hurry we'll avoid being seen"
Together they ran down the corridor and up the stairs, till they came to the edge of the fortress. They hid behind the door till the footsteps faded away into nothingness.
Allen looked over the edge of the fortress, planning to escape down the rope to freedom, but the fortress had moved. It was now hovering some fifty metres above the glistening blue waters of Fanayleean Lake.
"We'll have to jump!" he shouted over the roar of the engines
The sound of many running footsteps sounded behind them climbing the stairs.
"We've been found out! Take my hand!" he cried
She did so, and with a great leap they jumped from the fortress. The water rushed towards them at an amazing speed.
"Someone! Please! Save us!" screamed Drachati, eyes screwed up, waiting for the painful impact of the sharp water upon them.
From deep within the lake a great shimmering blue dragon burst forth, elegant wings carrying it up and away from the lake.
"A water Dragon!" gasped Allen.
It caught them both neatly in its claws, and set them down on the shore before disappearing again in the water. Allen stared open mouthed in shock, then gathered his senses.
"We can't risk being out in the open. We'll have to stay in one of these caves" panted Allen, glancing upwards at the fortress.
They ran quickly into a fairly spacious one and sat on the bare rock floor at the back.
"Allen…I want to thank you. You saved me back there"
"It's no problem" Allen shot a glance at Drachati. Those eyes… they were an unimaginable shade of blue. And her hair… Allen felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Let me get those shackles off you" he said, and gently cut them off. She winced in pain, and he saw the red marks where the shackles had cut into her. He tended to her wound, bandaging it with a new clean bandage fashioned out of his coat, which by now was rather ripped.
Drachati looked at Allen. His hair was so flowing. His eyes themselves seemed to smile.
"Listen Allen" she said in an embarrassed tone. "Well…the thing is…well...I…" she blushed and trailed off.
"Well Drachati, I…think that I…" he moved closer. He had never felt this way about anyone before. He had gone out with so many women in his time, but he had never really connected with any of them. Not like he did with Drachati. He realised it then. He was in love with Drachati.
"Well, the truth is Drachati…I…I love you" he said.
Drachati gasped slightly
"Oh Allen… all this time I though it was just me! I tried to tell you my feelings but…"
Allen kissed her. His kiss was gentle. He spun a web of light around her, leaving her dizzy and light. She felt his hair in her hands, his long blonde hair. The kiss seemed to last forever. She wished it would.
"Oh Allen…" she whispered, tracing the outline of his face with her fingers.
Suddenly a shadow fell across the cave. Allen drew his sword, and motioned for Drachati to get to the back of the cave.
"It could be a Zybach soldier," he hissed, listening as the sound of footsteps got gradually louder…
So, what's going to happen? Will that Zybach soldier to kill them? Will their love last? Find out in the next chapter of Dragon Whisperer! Keep on reviewing my work! I love to read the comments you nice people write. Hope you like my work!