Caredale Tales 1: The Sundered Light Chapter Twelve Part Two
April 4th, 2017 | Published in Dragon Wars
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A/N: I’ll be travelling this Friday so Friday’s installment will be up on Thursday evening
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Even without what the Key was telling her Ophelia would have known that the young looking man leaning casually against a tree by the river was the one they were looking for. What she wasn’t expecting was the sense of recognition that struck her when he met her eyes and smiled.
“Paritan!” The exclamation was forced from her and she blinked in confusion wondering how she knew his name.
“That’s me,” he agreed. “And you must be Ophelia. Darlryan-mirian says you’re troublesome. Are you troublesome?” he sounded amused as he glanced pver her shoulder and bowed. “Alsia-ida. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“Paritan! Have you lost your mind?”
“Of course not…” The rest of reply was lost to Ophelia because someone rocketed into her from behind and knocked her to the grass.
***
Kate flipped to her feet and turned to face Ophelia while the other girl was still sprawled on the ground. Her opponent was looking at her with a confused frown as if she knew that she should recognise her.
What do I look like? She wondered and heard Darlryan laugh in her head.
Oh, like this. He shot her an image of a girl who looked a bit like her but with darker hair and eyes. Strange metallic shadows were playing over her skin as well. The whole impression was very striking.
I-I … you made me pretty, Kate said as she forced her attention back to Ophelia who had risen to her feet. The girl’s eyes were flicking back and forth between her and Paritan as she backed away from them. He had told her she’d do that and what to do to keep her off balance. So she circled around to ensure she and Paritan we positioned where Ophelia could only see one of them at a time.
After a moment Ophelia stopped, looked from one to the other and raised an eyebrow. Then she shot up into the air and landed in the granches of a tall tree – a vantage point from which she could see them both. Kate glanced at Paritan as he winked at her. He had predicted this as well. She looked back in time to see Ophelia tilt her? head as she spotted Darlryan watching from not far away. From the way that she narrowed her eyes she had quickly pegged him as the biggest threat to her.
She saw you, Kate thought at him.
I noticed. He didn’t seem worried about that. And she’s not the only one.
“I told you not to show your face in my territory again!” Alsia covered the ground between them in a fgew steps and launged at his throat. “You never learn do you?”
“Perhaps I don’t but at least I’m not consorting with the ennemy!” even as he sidestepped her attack he cast a contemptuous look at the man standing beside Kira who Kate suspected must be her father.
Kate looked back to Ophelia and drew one of her knives. She gauged the distance carefully and threw it hard, hoping it would look like a convincingly close miss.