Through Smoke and Ashes

Twenty||Invaders Part 2

I would've kept pushing myself away from the approaching man, but the others were also close behind me. I got to my feet, looking for a way to escape. Naxan was close, I could feel his presence coming closer. "No Nax, don't show yourself. Just wait." He growled in frustration through the bond. I was thankful he listened to me.

The younger males around the fire didn't move from where they were standing, but the two older ones had their hands on their swords a couple of feet away from me. I turned around and was about to flee from them, but a hand firmly wrapped around my clothing and dragged me back to the ground. I tried looking around again for a possible escape route.

A sword was drawn quickly and pointed at my face as if he knew of my thoughts. "Who are you?" Memories of the hunter who asked me the same thing came rushing into my head. Naxan growled out loud at what he was seeing. A couple of them looked around, but the one who had his sword pointed at me didn't take his eyes off of me.

"Naxan will eat them."

I stayed quiet. My hood still covered my head, so they couldn't see who I was.

"He asked you a question, schlamp." I moved my head towards the man called Baylen. His use of the curse word was meant to be vulgar, but it brought me a sense of homesickness as I thought of my town's drunk, Steve McGarty. If he didn't use that word at least once in every sentence he spoke, there was something wrong. I couldn't believe I was thinking of that when I was in such a situation.

I remained silent. The one who had pushed me to the ground stepped forward. The firelight illuminating his features. The first thing I noticed were his eyes, the emerald and amber glowed together in unison.

I recognized those eyes! They belonged to the dragon rider that had been in the hunter's camp. The one with the golden marking on his arm. I was thrilled to know that I wasn't in the midst of hunters, but dragon riders.

His sword captured my hood with its tip and he flung it off. Everyone could now see who I was. Baylen blanched as he realized the use of his words towards a female.

"You're alive." Says the man who took off my hood. His voice was breathy as he took in my appearance. I'm surprised he remembered me.

I smiled slightly. "And surprisingly, so are you. Didn't you die a few months back?"

He cracked a smile at my remark, extending a hand towards me. I took it and he hoisted me onto my feet. He sheathed his sword and we continued to share a look.

"Kayne, are you going to introduce us to the pretty lady?" Baylen asked, leaning closer towards the other male.

"This is..."

"Navi." I quickly say.

"Like the color? Navy?" Baylen asked. I nodded my head, I guess so.

Kayne resumed talking. "Remember when we were searching for someone I had seen when we took down those hunters awhile back? This is her."

Baylen stood wide-eyed. "You're telling me that you've been here this entire time? And you haven't been eaten by anything here?"

I thought of the many encounters when I had almost been made a dragon's chew toy or a cat's meal, but instead, I softly smiled.

"Why were you here in the first place?" The older fellow's eyes were piercing into me with a burning harshness.

All eyes were turned expectantly towards me. I was trying to think of a reason, I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal to them that I was a rider just yet. Especially since my dragon was a breed they'd never expect to bond with a human. The shock of me being a rider in the first place would be enough to put them on their arses, to be named a rider of a Valairex dragon would take the ground away from under their feet. No, I couldn't tell them. It had to remain a secret.