He took one hard look at both Jaax and Jahrra, as if warning them to watch their words, then turned toward the Ruin. As soon as Hroombra was out of sight and out of ear shot, Jaax got right to the point.
“The last thing I expected when I arrived this morning was to find you making a spectacle of yourself in front of the entire population of Oescienne,” he said harshly.
“Then why did you know where to find me this morning if you didn’t expect it?” Jahrra countered rather cheekily.
Jaax just glowered down at her, his expression clearly showing his irritation. Jahrra simply turned her back and let out a half triumphant laugh as she pulled Phrym towards the stable. Phrym whuffled in aggravation, informing Jahrra just how rude it was to jerk him along.
On her way across the field, she decided that she was done talking to Jaax for the day. Speaking with him only lead to arguing and arguing only led to more anger. She stopped walking for a moment and held her hand up to shade her eyes as she peered out over the ocean. The sun was only an hour away from setting, and Jahrra, despite the pent up anger that was driving her, was finally feeling the weariness of the race. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply as she tried to calm her emotions. A gentle breeze lifted her bedraggled hair and dropped it behind her shoulders, the sun caressing her skin like a fire-warmed blanket. It was so calming just standing in the open field, listening to the music of the breeze-blown trees. Jahrra flinched, however, when Jaax’s voice interrupted her sense of peace.
“You can ignore me all you want, but I’m not going away,” he said with a steady calm, the earlier hint of anger and rashness now gone.
Jahrra refused to answer him. She snatched up Phrym’s reins once more and trudged on. I won’t give in this time. I’ll just keep walking and stay silent. He’ll leave eventually.
“Rude silence is not very becoming of a young lady,” Jaax called out from where he stood. “You could use a few lessons from your friend Gieaun.”
Jahrra turned so suddenly that she wrenched Phrym’s head around with her, causing him to start just a little.
“Since when have you been on equal terms with Scede and Gieaun? I thought your goal in life was to be far more superior to everyone you know, even Master Hroombra.”
Something dark crossed Jaax’s eyes and he lost his usual smirk and domineering gaze.
“Is that what you think Jahrra?” he asked in a dangerous tone. “Well, you don’t know me at all then, do you?”
“No, I don’t. And I don’t wish to either. I don’t even know why you keep showing up here, except to drop insults every chance you get. You always have some patronizing comment for me, no matter what I do, and this time you greeted my friends in a perfectly civilized manner while scolding me like a seven-year-old child!”
Once all of her pent up frustration had been expelled, Jahrra felt worse than before, not better. She thought, that after all these years, telling Jaax how she really felt about him would make her feel more confident and relieved. But now, as she stood there exhausted, both mentally and physically, with the Tanaan dragon staring down at her with what appeared to be a look of pity on his face, she just wanted to curl up and go to sleep for a very long time.
With a final spout of gumption, she looked Jaax in the eye and said simply, “You don’t like me at all, do you Jaax? I mean, I’m the burden you bear, aren’t I? Having to check on me every so often to make sure I’m still alive, it must be a great inconvenience to you. I’ll do you a big favor, alright? Forget I exist; stop checking in on me. Whatever reason there is for you to have some role in my life, it can’t be more important than anything else you could be doing. So go, live your life and let me stay here and live mine. I have Master Hroombra to look after me, and believe me, one dragon guardian is quite enough.”
The look of exasperation on Jaax’s face flickered to one of surprise. He never imagined that Jahrra felt as strongly as this. He took a deep breath, trying to push away the guilt that threatened to overwhelm him. He had good reason for his absence from Jahrra’s life, but when he gave it a good amount of thought, he knew it was no excuse.
“You’re right,” he said plainly. “I am harder on you than anyone else you know, and I do test you, but it is for reasons you couldn’t possibly understand at your young age. There are things in your future that you must be ready to face when the time comes, and you’re the only one who can face them. My job is to make sure that you’re prepared for that. You may not understand now, but someday you will.”
They had finally reached the stable and Jahrra had begun to loosen Phrym’s old saddle, the four pommel saddle that Jaax had sent her for Solsticetide almost glaring like a beacon on its shelf in the corner. The young dragon sounded honest enough, but Jahrra couldn’t avoid the sour expression that dominated her face. She refused to believe that anything he had to tell her could be inconceivable, and the fact that he suggested she needed to be “a little older” to understand simply infuriated her. Hadn’t she just defeated a group of world-class riders? Hadn’t she entered the Wreing Florenn on many occasions and emerged again unscathed? Hadn’t she encountered a draffyd and a sehnna and lived to tell the tale? She paused only for a moment, bade her tense muscles to relax, and continued with her work.
“You make it sound like I’ll be the only person ever to face the trials of life,” she stated with a raw voice as she heaved the saddle off Phrym, her back still turned to the dragon. “What could possibly happen to me that wouldn’t happen to anybody else?”
The silence that followed was as thick as harvest pudding. Only the sound of clinking metal and stretching leather combined with Phrym’s soft breathing interrupted the quiet. Jahrra plopped the worn saddle down upon a rickety wooden sawhorse next to the rest of her spare riding gear. She felt uncomfortable in the lengthened silence, and she wished that Jaax would say something more, even if it was something demeaning.
“Someday you’ll understand,” he finally said, his voice grown soft.
Jahrra heard him begin to leave but she didn’t turn to say goodbye. She was still too angry over everything that had happened that day, despite the lingering glow of her victory. The last thing she wanted to do was wish the dragon Raejaaxorix a good night.
Finally able to relax now that she was alone, Jahrra breathed a sigh of relief and finished getting Phrym settled in his stall. She patted him and said, “Good night my friend, you did a good job today. I’m sorry I seemed harsh, but I promise none of it was aimed at you.”
She kissed his dappled forehead and he let out a soft whicker. She gazed into his loving, smoky eyes and smiled. It was as if he was trying to remind her that if it wasn’t for that dragon she despised so much she wouldn’t have her semequin friend at all. Jahrra turned and faced the ruins of the Castle Guard and breathed a wearied sigh. She was tired from the day’s efforts, but her mind was suddenly alive with action. Her argument with Jaax had given her a new boost of energy, but all she wanted to do was settle down for the night.
Looking out over the edge of the Great Sloping Hill, Jahrra admired the changing of the sky as the red sun dipped into the sea. She smiled. Nothing was more peaceful and beautiful than the sun setting over western Oescienne. It was like watching a rainstorm of color unfold before her eyes. The eucalyptus trees, normally silvery green and creamy beige, were now bathed in a golden film. The lakes of Oescienne were five dark sapphire abysses with rings of trees surrounding them, changing from warm chartreuse to a cold jade in the fading light. The shadows that crept over the land painted the dunes with sharp angles and deep furrows, while the golden lavender tone of the mountains washed away to reveal a deep indigo beneath the shadow of early twilight. Jahrra released her breath, unaware that she had been holding it, and started towards the edge of the bluff to watch the changing landscape.