Dragonfly Web: Whitestuff

Fourteen | That Didn't Go Missing

As the sun hit the mouth of the cave, Ciara felt  rested, but weak. I'm not cold anymore.  I must have slept deeply. Maybe I was worn out from running, just like Skye said. I still don't remember.

It looked bright outside. She headed for light.

Squinting in the sunlight, Ciara saw that the cavern was on a bottom rim of the cliffs. It sat above the camp and behind a rockfall of boulders. She glanced over her shoulder. There's the cliff ridge where Skye said that he was, but he's gone now.

The space in between the cave and the camp looked impossible to cross. The cracks had long ago filled in with grasses. I'll have to go round.

She tried to run through the fields between the mountains, but her legs disagreed. So, instead she waded through the high grass.  At last, she passed the camp below and made her way across the main path. The sound of murmuring voices startled her.  She waited in a tall thatch of grass to see who was coming. 

As the voices drew closer,  she determined they came from the Library, just where she was going.  The boys were chatting and laughing, approaching from the opposite way, until they eventually crossed the main trail from the Spire and went back toward camp. That was lucky! I don't really want to run into Rondan again.

She stepped out of the grass and continued on her way. Before she got near the library vault door, she heard rustling high above her and felt Skye's presence. Gravel crunched on the footpath in front of her and bits of stone went tumbling down the mountains below. Skye.

Ciara pulled hard and held the door's weight as long as she could. She didn't really know if it was possible for an unseen Skye-voice to go through walls or if he merely was a sound just in her head. Regardless, holding the door open for him seemed like good manners, at this point.

"Shhh. It's a library! We have to be quiet," she whispered to Skye.  She paused as the heavy door clanged shut.  She could hear Skye, so she knew he was with her. "Quit breathing so hard," she whispered.

Then loudly, Ciara heard the second woman whom she'd first seen with Liv call out to greet her. "Are you with someone?" Can they see Skye?

Ciara hesitated. "Oh, sorry. I'm a Proxy for him."

Looking around the assistant clearly saw no one, but she played along, guessing that this was a game. "All right, I see. Good that you're quiet, then," she winked at Ciara.

"Er—this is my —Trainer, um—Skye—Voice," Ciara replied.

"Oh, hello. Nice to meet you, Skyvoice!" The Assistant was cheerful and nodded to both sides of Ciara.

"Could I talk to Livara Quek, please? We're exchanging this book."

"Oh, she's gone to visit her family, just now. I'm the Curator, Ylva Manladel, but I'll help you."

"I had hoped for a new one." She knew Library Liv had signed the book out as her personal guest, so Ciara locked eyes with the girl and stared intensely. I should impress upon her that to have a different book is truly important. This one was just a mistake.

"What circle is that for?" the Ylva asked.

But suddenly, Ciara's throat grew raw and wide and just opened, entirely on its own.

"Just orien—ta—tion." The voice squawked out, rough and raw. Ciara started to cough and she sputtered, "We haven't decided yet—"

"Umm— You'll hurt your throat if you don't tell your friend to talk more gently." The Curator's wink was warm with advice.