Of Two Suns

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Ryla's whole body ached, throbbing in time with the beat of her heart. It was all she could do to push herself to sit, her left shoulder screaming with every movement. With her back to the hill she had just tumbled down, she stared at her feet stretched out in front of her. One of her boots, together with her stocking, had come off during her fall to expose a bare foot.

Behind her, the witch had gotten stuck on a tree during her fall; the thick trunk had refused to yield to her. Her motionless body was still wrapped around it, only her golden hair visible from where it hung over. If Ryla had eaten, she would have vomited. She wasn't sure if she would have preferred that over the dry heaves that ripped through her body, doubling her over every time her thoughts returned to the witch.

The sounds of small wings met her ears just before the dragons landed on either side of her. The dragons chirped at her from where they sat beside her thighs, twisting their necks to watch her from different angles. The relief she felt at seeing them was small in comparison to her grief that ceased to tire.

As she stared at her feet, the tears began to flow.

Nothing made sense; everything was wrong. Her mind was still whirling with the events of the past day, unable to completely process everything that had happened. She wasn't sure she even wanted to process it.

"What do you do when your world falls apart?" she whispered under her breath.

The mostly white dragon settled gently onto one of her shins, careful to keep its claws from scraping her skin. It twisted its neck to look at her sideways before chirping softly. Seconds later, the other landed on the grass beside her, its golden scales glinting in the light that filtered through the trees. Unlike its sibling, when it began to chirp at her, it somehow sounded more like a command.

A few seconds ticked by as she stared at it before she said, "I don't have the energy for your attitude." Her words did little to discourage it, as it was quick to continue.

Ryla sighed as she closed her eyes. She began to breathe in slowly, only releasing her breath when her lungs could hold no more. She repeated the action a few more times before opening her eyes again. Two pairs of eyes stared up at her, their necks twisting back and forth to stare at her from different angles.

"We can't stay here, can we?" she asked them, her voice quiet. They were quick to reply in unison.

She loosed another deep breath as she brought her gaze to the foliage above them. The scent of home was growing faint; she was nearing the edge of Perneah Woods.

It took longer than it should have for Ryla to stand. With every movement she made, her left shoulder screamed in protest. By the time she made it to her feet, her jaw had begun to ache from grinding her teeth. As painful as the joint was, the lack of movement she received from it was equally frustrating; it was dislocated.

As Ryla gripped her upper arm to hold it still, she noticed for the first time that her hands were free of their bindings. She realized then that the rope must have caught on something as she tumbled down the hill, and her momentum had been enough to break the tie.

It took almost all of her self-control to keep her back turned to the hill; to the dead witch still draped across that sturdy tree trunk. Ryla knew perfectly well that their positions could have very easily been reversed. She didn't let herself pause to consider what it was that was so intent on keeping her alive. Should she even be thankful?

Instead, she let herself focus on the two little dragons flying around in front of her, chirping for her attention.

"With all your noise, you better know of a hot spring around here somewhere." her voice came out softer than she intended.