Through Smoke and Ashes

Thirty Seven||An Ominous Presence

My palms were sweating.

I resisted the urge to wipe them on the material I wore, for it could ruin it entirely. I decided to focus on something else; my shaking knees or pounding heart, for example. All of which were a direct result of Baylen's words. His voice repeated in my head over and over again, pounding against my skull and leaching into my brain.

They're here for you.

How could he be so sure of this? How could he possibly know what the Kellso wanted? They were mindless, as he said. But their leader, on the other hand, knew what he wanted, and he was determined to get it.

Would he?

As my lungs constricted within my tight dress, I was beginning to feel dizzier by the second. By this point, I was manually breathing to try and stay calm within the crowded room.

Was it me he wanted? But why?

I needed a distraction; from myself and my thoughts. I was consumed, engrossed, in these words spoken to me, and my body was reacting to their violent and repetitious assaults to the point where I felt like I could barely move without breaking.

Looking across the room, I saw my peer's carefree spirits dancing and laughing with their acquaintances. They seemed happy. This night seemed to crumble down barriers and open locked doors that hid the rider's concealed emotions. If I didn't feel so distraught, I would most likely be doing the same with my friends and family.

"Navidean," A feminine voice broke through my thoughts, "Is everything okay?" It was my mom.

I dared not to speak, for my voice may give away everything I was feeling. She knew me too well to tell a lie from the truth. My eyes never left my focal point as I responded with a nod. I wouldn't be able to look at her without her seeing the distress within my eyes. I was terrible at hiding my emotions. Anyone could read me like an open book, but my mom would be the one to push on the matter, and I knew I would break apart.

So, I mustered a smile as I watched the crowd, pretending to laugh at something I saw. From the corner of my eye, I saw her head turn back to the conversation she was included in. It seemed like the mothers had gathered together, meeting and greeting one another on one sole commonality; their children being dragon riders. My father and brothers went elsewhere, most likely doing the same thing as the females.

Although I would have liked to join in on the conversation on both ends, I was nowhere near in the mood to talk. How awful it was to feel so miserable on a night where I was to be having fun.

A ripple of laughter broke out amongst the women behind me. I turned my head slightly to watch them as their conversation continued. They were currently sharing stories of their children before they became dragon riders.

"Delilah, do share some stories of Navidean. I'm sure we're all dying to hear about her." As the lady spoke, the others around her nodded eagerly. My mom chuckled as she turned her head to gaze at me. I shook my head, silently pleading with her not to share anything embarrassing about my childhood. Gods know there were multiple stories of me making a fool of myself, and Mom knew just about all of them.

Acrine was a small village. Nothing went unnoticed around there. There were the town gossips, who knew everything and anything happening in that place. Stories spread like wildfire, and their tongues were the spark it needed to carry out onto its raging path.

"I'll save the more embarrassing stories for when you're not around." She smiled sweetly, but I could see the playful glint behind her eyes.

I groaned in dismay and slumped my shoulders as I thought of all the stories she could share. "You are cruel," I mumbled for only her to hear. She hummed with a smile as she looked at me. Her hand touched my shoulder, and instantly I straightened my posture. She nodded approvingly in my direction but paused as she caught sight of something.