WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 71 Raina

Hongse was saying something about not being cautious, but Raina could only look upon her beautiful features and in those precious few seconds, lost all her words.

The tall woman with vibrant blue eyes reminded her of her beloved city and its festival day, how each and every citizen embraced this colour with happiness, to honour their valuable oasis. How much she was already in love with this colour, from the inky depths of their waters, to the much lighter, shimmering surface, on hot days when it seemed as if a heavenly angel had spilled a basket of diamonds there.

The woman who wore every shade of red, yet her eyes were like two sapphires, shining with delight, and for a fleeting moment, Raina thought she saw something else...a recognition...but they had never met each other before...

Caution...such a funny word.

All at once, both sides of a sword, capable of protection and of its opposite, to hold the one wielding it a hostage. Caution could save her life, stop her from taking part in this madness, of leaving her home and the only family she knew...but if she let go of it, as these people were joking and laughing about such a thing....could she really be free?

Raina stopped the tidal wave of thoughts, the uncertainty that she was making the biggest mistake of her life, and she stepped forward.

She held out her hand to Hongse, vibrant and alive, like a living flame, all red and gold by the light of the fire, and she spoke.

"I am Raina."

"Hongse."

The meeting of their palms flashed power through their veins, a golden light in her blue eyes that made them look green only for a second, but Raina knew. And she knew that Hongse had recognised it...recognised what could be...if they let it happen.

As if she had been burned, Hongse let her hand go, rubbing her palm against those vivid red clothes, and giving her a strange look.

Raina looked away, suddenly shy.

What was happening to her? And why? Why now, when she was attempting to flee from one such relationship? She wouldn't let it happen...that's what she would do. She felt as if she was standing in the middle of a bridge across a great ravine; on one side stood her freedom, and all the benefits of leaving her old life behind, and on the other, an uncertain possibility of love, if Hongse felt anything like she did. That was the trouble though...whether she was alone in her feelings or not.

Clearly, the best thing to do here, was to forget about any romantic connotations. Raina didn't need to complicate her life any more than it was already.

Perhaps she could sweep these feelings away, hide them underneath the metaphorical carpet of ignorance, just for now. Like mushrooms growing under the blanket of darkness, she should leave these thoughts for now and concentrate on the present, on what her fellow travellers were discussing.

"We don't know how far the desert extends and where it ends, no guarantee of its perimeters." Hongse De was saying. "If your star is still visible, I suggest we follow it."

"What do you think, Lan Zhan?" Wei Ying was asking.

"Between here and the end of the desert, there is one inhabited place." Raina found herself saying.

"Really? Where?" Wei Ying turned to her. "People told us your oasis was the only source of water in these parts."

"That's because their routes lie in that direction. Anyone coming from there, will of course only find our Oasis as the only place. But if you came from over there," She pointed to the south, "there is one last place of refuge before the desert swallows up all hope of water."