by Nira Steele
The air was absolutely freezing, biting into every inch of her exposed skin. Laurentius did not seem to be bothered by it, so perhaps the Draconarid did not feel the cold like humans did? Peering sideways Andie began trembling as the cold seeped into her veins. How much more of this insanity was she going to have to take?
Then her stomach started churning as she reached the limit of her endurance.
“Please. I’m not feeling very good,” she croaked out. Closing her eyes she pressed her free hand against her mouth.
“Get us down,” Laurentius directed loudly.
Andie felt the air abruptly change direction. It began moving up from underneath her, indicating they were descending now. Shuddering briefly she pressed her lips together in an effort to maintain control.
She really needed to find a good distraction. The body she was clinging to felt strong, so she concentrated on how comforting it was. The skin pressing against her cheek was warm with just the hint of a delicious masculine scent….
Okay that wasn’t helping.
Strands of hair were brushing over her skin, the long smooth tendrils as fine as silk. It wasn’t her hair though unless it had miraculously grown another foot and a half.
Grimacing desperately Andie managed to stifle a little squeak. Then she felt a slight jolt run through her entire body. Opening her eyes she saw the bright expanse of the platform surrounding her.
The relief was practically tangible. Relaxing her jaw she began sucking in a long slow breath. Next thing she knew she was being lifted up, her mind unable to grasp how she was moving. Within a heartbeat Andie’s feet were back on solid ground.
“You’ve done well,” Laurentius said softly to her… from far too close.
She was still clinging to him as he gently placed her cloak around her shoulders. Abruptly realising what she was doing Andie immediately withdrew her arm. Tugging the edges of her cloak together she stepped back and dropped her chin.
Andie did not know what to say but she definitely knew what to do. Turning quickly she bolted straight for the stairs.
✽✽✽
She did not make it all the way back to Tessa’s house. Lunging head first into a garden bed she noisily emptied the contents of her stomach.
Luckily Andie had managed to find a secluded little courtyard. Its only contents were a delightful collection of blush coloured miniature Camellias. Unfortunately nobody would be finding them very charming anymore. Sitting back onto her haunches she forcefully sucked in some air. Thank goodness nobody was around to witness this humiliating….
Then she felt a strange prickling sensation. Glancing sideways she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was right beside her, something dark which quickly flashed out of view.
Sighing slowly Andie rolled her eyes back into her head. It was time to get inside before she started seeing black dots everywhere. Struggling to her feet she tried to brush off some of the foliage sticking to her leathers.
By the time she staggered back to Tessa’s home her stomach had calmed down. Weaving her way down a corridor she made a beeline for the bathing room. Closing the door with nerveless fingers she then began removing her riding gear. Crumpling onto the floor, she started peeling off her soiled sticky outfit.
This was disgusting - somehow she had managed to throw up on herself. Pushing her clothes away she then literally crawled down the stairs into the water. Moving slowly through the warm soft currents she could feel the hot tears welling up.
She could not see the point of that dreadful flight today. It made no sense to her, none whatsoever. Unfortunately Andie did not get much time to contemplate it. Within a few minutes Tessa had entered the house.
Twitching, Andie heard her voice as it echoed down the corridor outside. Ducking her head underneath the water she hoped her friend would stay away. However Tessa was never going to leave her in peace. Barging straight through the bathroom door she launched into a verbal assault.
“What is that terrible smell?” Tessa bellowed out. “For heaven’s sake have you just thrown up in here?”
Andie avoided her eyes as she poked her head up out of the water.
“Please Tessa, not now,” she murmured.
“Are you okay? Come on, tell me what happened.”
Andie turned away from her and winced fiercely.
“Hey don’t ignore me!” Tessa snapped. “What’s wrong with you? Speak to me right now.”
Andie tried to muster up the courage to talk to her. She tried as hard as she possibly could… but it was just too painful.
“I can’t,” she murmured. She sat quietly in the water letting the silence speak for itself.
For a few moments Tessa stood there waiting for any kind of response. Then she lost her temper and huffed loudly as she collected up Andie’s clothes.
“Suit yourself!” she barked as she wrinkled her nose. “I should throw this lot in with you!” Stomping out of the bathing room she shoved the door closed behind her.
Andie sunk down under the water as the tears began flowing freely. When she finally emerged she found a cup of lukewarm tea in her bedroom. Next to the brew was a hand-written note, advising Andie of Tessa’s location. She would be working in the Horticulture Hall where Andie could come and find her.
Rubbing her face Andie remembered Tessa was still conducting some tests. It was so easy to forget her little friend actually had a full time job. Rather embarrassingly Andie had not considered how much work time Tessa must be sacrificing for her.
Hanging her head she felt the stinging guilt of imposition again. Then she noticed it, a neat brown parcel sitting in the middle of her bed. Carefully unfolding the layers of crisp paper she found a beautiful blue gown nestled inside. Andie instantly remembered this - it was a dress Tessa had commissioned especially for her.
Well now she felt even worse. Why had she been unable to tell Tessa what had happened? Sure she was upset but keeping it to herself would not improve the situation.
Towelling her hair dry, Andie knew she needed to make amends.
Carefully donning her new blue dress she then wrapped a thick black belt around her waist. This looked perfect - it was the type of thing the Draconarid women wore everywhere. Slipping on a pair of flat black shoes Andie donned her grey cloak before heading outside.
It took her a while to find Tessa but eventually she managed to locate her. Perched atop a high ladder, the avid gardener appeared to be adjusting a collection of copper irrigation pipes. From the look on Tessa’s face things were not going as well as she would have liked.
“Uti tibi fortitudinem (use your strength)!” Tessa yelled out.
A strained female voice responded from somewhere close by. Shaking her short bob, Tessa then noticed Andie standing nearby.
“Oh give it up Ariel. I think I’m done for today,” she declared loudly.
Andie stood by quietly as Tessa descended the ladder. The little Draconarid was wearing a set of tan overalls marked with a patina of stains and marks. Strapped to her waist was a large heavy pouch crammed to the brim with tools. Stepping off the bottom rung Tessa drew in a big breath. Placing her hands onto her hips she then turned and levelled a glare at Andie.
“I see you didn’t float off down the drain,” Tessa declared.
Andie could see how annoyed her friend was. Bowing her head she knitted her fingers together over her waist.
“I’m so very sorry,” Andie offered quietly.
“What in heaven’s name has gotten into you?” Tessa grumbled as her lower lip started protruding.
Andie lifted her gaze and did her best impersonation of Tessa’s moon-eyed stare.
“I didn’t mean to ignore you,” she professed quietly. “Can you possibly forgive me?”
Tessa continued pouting for a few seconds before rolling her eyes. Releasing a sigh she leaned forward and lightly slapped Andie on the arm.
“Oh alright. I can’t stay mad at you when you’re making such a face.”
“I had a terrible afternoon. I hurled up my guts into a garden on the way home,” Andie revealed.
“Yeah I had to arrange to have your riding outfit cleaned.”
“Thank you so much,” Andie responded sombrely.
“What caused it? Was it something you ate?”
“Oh no, it was my flight. Everything just went wrong. Really, really wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can we go to the Arboretum?” Andie whispered as she leaned in close. “I don’t want anyone else to hear this.”
“Of course,” the little blonde breathed as her eyes grew wide. “Oh wait, just give me a minute to change out of this.” Dashing off she left Andie standing on her own.
Sighing, Andie gazed around at the masses of greenery all around her. You really could not help but admire this place. Every single plant here seemed to be thriving under the care of the Lunarian gardeners. Wandering off, she headed towards the vast windows running along one side of the Hall. As she approached the glass expanse she noticed the hue of the sky outside. Sunset was fast approaching and soon the tranquillity of night time would descend.
There would be no peace for Andie though if she did not get this off her chest. Clenching her jaw in determination she began recalling the details of her flight. Her stomach churned in retaliation but she had to ignore it because if it happened again….
There was no way she would be able to take it.
✽✽✽
Andie had a lot of trouble telling Tessa her story.
At first she just felt nauseous but then her cheeks began to burn. Rubbing her face she had to stop and take a few deep breaths. Fortunately they had the Arboretum to themselves this late in the day. The last thing Andie needed right now was an audience.
“Oh you poor thing. You’ve just suffered a nasty shock,” Tessa murmured.
“I - I just don’t understand,” Andie stammered as she frowned into her lap.
“Lord Laurentius was probably just checking up on you. He is the reason you’re here you know.”
“I get that but why did he force me to ride with him today? You can’t tell me he didn’t know how it would turn out.”
Tessa frowned for a moment as she pursed her lips in thought.
“You were away for a long time yesterday. I think there was a bit of concern you weren’t coming back.”
“Oh,” Andie responded quietly.
“Dragons can stay airborne for days. The grumpy red sook could literally take you anywhere.”
“I see.”
“It’s also your sixth day here so I would say Laurentius was assessing you,” Tessa remarked. Sitting back she took a deep breath as she stretched her arms out sideways. “This still doesn’t make any sense though. Why weren’t my parents told, or me for that matter? “Honestly how are we supposed to assist you with these things?
This was something Andie had already considered.
“I don’t think it was planned. It just felt too spontaneous,” she remarked.
“Honestly, men can be so hopeless,” Tessa replied with a little huff.
Andie’s eyes shot open. Never in a million years had she expected to hear such words from Tessa. Well at least not in reference to Lord Laurentius.
“I mean, why do it?” Tessa murmured as her big violet eyes turned back to Andie. “Was he testing your bond or was he intentionally trying to make grumpy face… well, grumpier?
“I think he genuinely wanted to put pressure on us.”
“If it’s okay with you I would like to mention this to my parents. I need to understand what is going on here.”
“Yeah sure. I don’t think I could handle another crazy flight.”
“If I have anything to do with it you won’t have to.” Tessa was wearing the determined look she got sometimes. Andie had seen it more than once since she had arrived here. Just seeing Tessa’s expression gave her such a feeling of relief.
“Please be careful. I don’t want you getting into any trouble. I’ve already caused enough drama for one day.”
“Nonsense,” Tessa replied crisply as she drew her brows in even further. “Exactly what did you do wrong today? Nothing, absolutely nothing at all.” Relaxing her face the fierceness eased from her eyes. “Let’s just find out what is going on here.”
“Agreed,” Andie replied with a nod.
Together they gathered themselves up and headed out of the Arboretum. Hooking arms Tessa turned to Andie and started beaming like a ray of sunshine.
“By the way the new dress looks really good on you. We must take you out one evening to show it off.”
“Let’s see if I survive tomorrow first,” Andie responded with a grimace.
Tessa chuckled as they headed off into the labyrinthine corridors.
Chapter 8 - Faith and Fortitude
“Where are we going?” Andie asked as they climbed yet another flight of stairs. She had noticed they were not heading back to Tessa’s place. It was strange, as Willa and Terenus were sure to be returning home soon.
“We’re all working back tonight. Just a couple of hours to catch up on things,” Tessa explained.
“Okay,” Andie responded with a little smile. “So your parents aren’t in the Horticulture Hall then?”
“They will be upstairs in the Curia – it’s the official building of our guild. All the offices are there so they will be ploughing through some paperwork.”
“Oh of course, Terenus is a Magister.”
“As the guild’s leader he has to ratify all of their decisions. If they are ever questioned by the Council he has to be able to justify them.”
“Being the boss isn’t as much fun as people think it is,” Andie commented with a little frown.
“Exactly. It’s mainly meetings and boring documents to review.”
As they continued chatting they soon emerged into the open air. Gazing around, Andie noticed they had reached the top level of the town. This wasn’t an area she had seen before and it looked very formal.
“We’re almost there,” Tessa said as she continued walking.
They began following a wide curving avenue paved with large white stones. The smooth surface was amazing, its crystalline structure glittering like freshly fallen snow.
Beside the walkway ran stretches of lush green grass so perfectly manicured they looked like carpet. Standing within the lawns were life-sized statues, each so realistic Andie found them a bit disconcerting. These weren’t plain sculptures like the kind she had seen before - these had been painted with incredible detail. They had coloured hair and highly detailed clothing, strange tools and even weapons which looked like they could be put to a very real and lethal use.
Looming beyond the lawns were tall buildings lined with huge columns of the palest sandstone. Over their doors loomed large roman letters, the gleaming brass symbols clearly visible from the pathway.
In a short time they had reached the Curia of the Horticultural guild. Tessa strolled up to its high carved doors and began pulling on a large metal handle.
“Come on in,” she said with a smile. “It should be quiet this late in the day.”
Andie moved inside as her eyes wandered everywhere.
Standing before her was a huge square room containing the biggest table she had ever seen. Its round surface was made of a dark polished wood which glimmered faintly with tiny slivers of metal inlays. All around stood high plaster walls, the sheer surfaces covered with huge paintings. The images were bright and colourful with each depicting an expansive agricultural scene. Set within the images were hidden doors, so well concealed they could only be seen on close inspection. Soaring above it all was a large clear dome filling the room with fading daylight.
“This way,” Tessa beckoned as her voice echoed through the air.
They moved around the vast circular table and headed towards the wall on the opposite side. Reaching it quickly Tessa pressed her hand against an orb hidden within its painting. She stood there jiggling up and d
own, tilting her head with a little sigh. Smoothly a panel slid open….
“This is a surprise!” Terenus boomed out. He was standing right in front of them with a wicked smile upon his face.
Tessa yelped loudly and hopped backwards like a startled rabbit.
“S-Stercis! (Shit)” she stuttered out.
“Come on in,” Terenus said cheerily. “It’s been an age since you visited me here my dear.” Turning away he sauntered off with a little chuckle.
Shaking her head Tessa moved forwards through the door. Andie followed her slowly so she could examine the large office they were entering.
This room was far nicer than Andie was expecting. Filled with furnishings of fine carved wood it felt very light and wonderfully airy. There were plants sitting literally everywhere, nestled into urns and sleek gilded pots. They blended in perfectly with the mint coloured walls which rose above the wainscoting panels of warm burgundy wood. The ceiling above contained a beautiful crystal dome which tinted the faint daylight still entering the room. The whole space had a wonderful ambience to it, a true reflection of a horticulturist’s working place.
“Is mother here?” Tessa enquired.
“She’s just next door. Shall I summon her?” Terenus asked.
“Yes, thank you.” Staying standing both young women watched as Terenus moved towards a side door. Knocking gently he then stepped aside as it slid open.
“My goodness,” Willa remarked from the doorway. “There must be something seriously wrong to bring you here.” As always she looked amazing with her long smooth hair flowing down right over her back. Swathed in the folds of a beautiful lavender gown she seemed somewhat surprised as she moved into the room.
“There most definitely is,” Tessa declared as she clasped her hands. “You won’t believe what happened to Andie today.”
“Let’s hear it then,” Terenus stated as he moved behind his desk. Frowning slightly he sunk down into his large carved chair.
“Laurentius rode with Andie today!” Tessa blurted out in a raised voice. “He just turned up out of nowhere and forced her to do it.”
“Did you hear about this?” Terenus asked as he frowned at his wife. Willa shook her head as her eyes widened before glancing towards Andie.
