“I’m sorry to disturb you, my lord, but I need to speak with Lord Kelan for a moment.” The warrior said quietly. He stood near the door at attention waiting for permission to speak.
Kelan turned with a frown. The frown deepened with he recognized the warrior as one of the guards assigned to protect Trisha. Had something happened to her? She was supposed to be visiting with Zoran’s mate and the other females. At the thought of the other females, namely Ariel and Carmen, Kelan gave a silent groan. Had they talked her into helping them escape? He could care less if the other two females did, may the Gods and Goddesses of the universe help anyone they encountered, but he refused to let them take Trisha with them.
“What is it?” Kelan asked impatiently. So help him, if those other two females tried to influence Trisha he would ban them from ever leaving their living quarters again. He didn’t care what Mandra and Creon had to say about it.
The warrior stepped forward quickly. Once he was near enough to speak quietly he quickly explained the purpose of his visit. “My lord, your mate does not seem well. We were escorting her back to your living quarters after her visit with the other human females when she appeared to become very confused and frightened. She was unaware of where she was and was very, very pale.” The warrior paused before adding, “We could smell her fear. Something has frightened her badly.”
Kelan looked at the warrior carefully and saw the concern in his eyes. “Was there any food or beverages served? Do you think she could have been poisoned?” Kelan’s first thought was of what happened to Trelon’s mate, Cara. Could some type of poison or drug have been slipped into the refreshments the females consumed?
The warrior shook his head. “No, sir. All of the food and beverages were carefully monitored and tested before being served. I stopped on my way here to see if any of the other females were having difficulties and all appear fine, except for the one called Cara. She said she was ‘okay’ that she was on a ‘caffeine’ high and the way she was acting was not abnormal for her. Lady Abby was very polite and said she was feeling fine. The one named Ariel did her usual eye roll and the other one tried to attack me. Both behaviors were normal for them.”
Kelan nodded. He closed his eyes briefly and stroked the gold band on his wrist trying to communicate with his symbiosis. He frowned when he received an impression of his symbiosis feeling overwhelming sadness. Had something terrible happened to Trisha and his symbiosis couldn’t help her?
With a muttered oath, Kelan threw a glance at Creon who was watching him closely. “My mate needs me. Something is wrong.”
Creon gave a brisk nod. “I will check in with Zoran and with the guards protecting the other females. Let me know if you need additional protection or help for her.”
Kelan stormed out of the room followed closely by the warrior. A shiver of apprehension went through Kelan as if something bad were about to happen. All he knew was he hoped the Gods and Goddesses had mercy on anyone who wanted to harm his mate because he wouldn’t.
Trisha wiped a hand across her forehead. She looked around at the huge trees surrounding her and forced herself to push forward. Today marked the third day since she escaped from the palace walls. She was steadily moving further and further into the deep forests. The first night she pushed for distance not worrying about leaving tracks. Once she felt she covered a fair distance from the city, she slowed and began a more methodical path through deeper forest cover. At one point during the second day, she used a large river to cover several miles, letting it pull her along with the current. It was the sight of several dragons soaring above the river that finally drove her back to shore. She was using natural debris that was floating as a cover and sank as far under the water as she could when they flew over her. She watched them through the tangled limbs as they swept up and down before turning further north. She didn’t know if they were real dragons, just some type of aircraft designed to look like one, or if it was a drug causing her to hallucinate. She knew she couldn’t be discovered. All of her dad’s training was kicking in. She traveled throughout the last two nights stopping only once an hour to rest for fifteen minutes. Several times, she sensed she was being followed by a larger predator and she moved up into the trees waiting and watching as they passed under her. She continued to do the same each day after that until she figured she was more than a hundred miles away from the palace.
Trisha began focusing on the clues her surrounding environment provided her. She discovered the limbs on the massive trees were much larger than any she ever saw before in the mountains around her home. The third morning dawned bright and clear and she was able to see quite a ways from the perch she was currently in. The logical part of her said if she had been drugged, the drugs would be out of her system by now and all of this was as real as she was. Trisha drew in a deep breath. She would have to be careful. She wasn't ready to be found yet, not until she came to terms with what was happening to her. Trisha stood up and began moving again.
She decided to take advantage of the huge trees and their interwoven limbs to help get her further away. She used them as a type of above ground highway, much like the squirrels did back home. It slowed her progress but increased the difficulty of being able to track her. In addition, she used some of the mud, moss, leaves, and small branches as camouflage. She carefully applied a thick coating to any visible skin. She would need to stop and repair it; but, unless she needed to retreat back into the water again, she should be less visible. She weaved thin twigs through her long hair, braiding them in and out and letting them stick out at an angle to resemble some of the nearby bushes.
Once she was satisfied she had done her best to blend her person with the surrounding forest, she looked at the weapons she took from the man in the corridor again. She studied each piece carefully. She had a long, curved knife about two feet in length, some type of gun, and a smaller knife. She shoved the smaller knife in her boot. Looking around, she saw several branches that would make a good bow. Balancing along the limb almost forty feet in the air, Trisha cut a branch making sure it was not one that would be instantly noticeable. She carefully laid down several long, thick leaves to catch the shavings as she worked on shaping the bow. It would take her several days to get it just right and to cure it but she could work on it when she took her breaks. She didn’t want to stay in any one place for more than an hour. Once she felt confident she was safe, she would stop to hunt. She would need protein to help keep her muscles from deteriorating.
Once the initial shape was done, Trisha carefully rolled the shavings up in the leaves and tucked them inside her shirt. She would use the shavings, as well as some dry moss, to build a small fire once she found shelter for the night. She stood up listening carefully to the forest around her. It was her early warning system. She paid close attention to the changes as several dragons flew over earlier. She noticed the birds let out a long, sharp whistle of warning as they approached and a series of small, chirps when they were gone. She also noticed several plants tended to close up as they came by. She suspected it was a defense to protect their seeds which the dragons more than likely ate. She would have to check it out. Food and shelter were important if she was to remain strong. She spent the next six hours moving as rapidly as she could. She used the trees as much as possible. When it became too difficult or dangerous, she moved back down to the forest floor. She stopped frequently to rest. She could feel the drain on her body from the stress, intense physical activity, and lack of food and sleep. The last thing she wanted to do was make a stupid mistake that could get her hurt or killed. She would need to find food and shelter tonight. She needed both desperately. She would push on for a least another hour before she started to look for both, she decided.
It was closer to two hours later before Trisha glanced up at the sky. Dark, angry clouds were rolling in. She could smell rain in the air. She would need to seek shelter soon. She didn’t want to take the chance of getting caught out in a bad storm. Trisha used the trees to cover about a mile of terrain before she climbed down. From her perch up high, she was able to see some of the plants that reacted to the dragons. She moved slowly, staying to the shadows until she was close enough to jump the remaining distance to the moist forest floor. Working her way careful so she left as few broken leaves or impressions in the soft soil as possible, she came up to one of the huge flowering pods. In the center of the pod was a type of seed similar to a sunflower seed, only about the size of a cantaloupe. Trisha used the long knife to work two of the seeds free. As she drew them close, she felt the thing inside her moving again. Trisha held still and focused on the feeling.
Who are you?
Trisha asked silently.
What are you?
I am a part of you, your dragon.
It whispered softly.
Please, I want my mate.
We need our mates.
Trisha slammed down on the creature when it tried to make a soft coughing sound. She could feel the sound building in her chest and throat. She clenched her jaw tight and closed her eyes, focusing on pushing the creature into a large metal cage. She could feel it struggle to resist her but she was determined. Trisha learned at an early age how to create large, solid, strong places in her to put unpleasant things she didn’t want to deal with. At this moment, the creature, or dragon, inside her was one of those unpleasant things. She needed to make sure she was safe before she let it out enough to examine it. Trisha opened her eyes and began moving again with a focused determination. She thought she saw a cave up ahead where she could seek shelter from the storm. Trisha couldn’t help but think as she made her way through the thick undergrowth if she would ever find a shelter strong enough to help protect her from the storm of need brewing deep inside her, begging her to return to Kelan.
Kelan let out a roar of helpless rage. They lost her tracks again. If they didn’t find something before the storm hit, it might be impossible to determine which way she went. When he found the body of the semi-conscious guard tied up in the alcove three days before, he feared the worse. He quickly called for his symbiosis to come to him, wondering why it had not protected her or warned him of the attack on his mate. He was shocked to find out it was Trisha who was responsible for the guard's condition. Fear turned to fury as he tried to understand why she would do such a thing. After searching the palace, Kelan questioned each of the other women Trisha had been with in an attempt to try to understand why Trisha would run away from him. It was Abby who gave him his first insight. She said she noticed a change in Trisha after mentioning her ability to change into a dragon. She said it was more of a feeling than anything else. Abby mentioned while the others joked about it and teased each other, Trisha only particpated when she noticed someone watching her. She seemed distracted, maybe even upset. His visit with Ariel gave him the direction he needed to know where to start looking for Trisha. Ariel was worried when she heard Trisha had disappeared. She said Trisha always disappeared for a while when she was upset about something or needed to think things over. Kelan's mind drifted back to what she told him right after he discovered his mate was missing.
"Trisha would disappear for days, sometimes weeks into the mountains by herself. Her dad used to track her to make sure she was okay, but Trisha wised up to it one time when she was about fourteen. Some of the girls in town were giving her a hard time about being such a tomboy, calling her names and putting her down. When some of the guys started in calling her things and pushing her around, Trisha just got up and walked out of the class. She was gone for almost three weeks before she came back to school. Her dad found her living up near Bear Creek. There were some caves up there. Whatever happened up there she never told me but she back quieter, more reserved. She focused on making good grades and didn't hang out with anyone but Carmen and me after that." Ariel paused as she looked out the window. “If she is gone, she would have headed for the forests and mountains. It's where she feels the most at home.” Ariel turned to look at Kelan. “You won't find her unless she wants to be found. She's good, really good at disappearing. I honestly don't think even her dad could find her if she didn't want him to.”
Kelan frowned as he stared over Ariel's shoulder into the distance where the forest rose up to surround three sides of the city. “Why? Why would she run from me?”
Ariel smiled sadly at Kelan before softly replying. “You were changing her without giving her a choice. Trisha seems tough on the outside but inside all she has ever wanted was to be accepted for who she is. She's tried to be the perfect son for her father, the perfect daughter for her mother, the perfect friend, the perfect wife but it never seemed to be enough. Now, she isn't even just Trisha anymore if what Abby told us is true. We are doing the best we can to adjust to everything that's happened to us. Some of us are just better at it than others. Trisha needs time to accept what is happening and accept who she is becoming.”