CHAPTER 17
The next sunrise, Raef got up, performed the New Leaf washing, and did his meditation before going to the Ceremonial Lodge. After sunrise homage, Keeper Dimmel only kept him a short time, so Raef went to the Healing Lodge to meditate for Rodon again. It began to rain, but Raef remained, meditating, until what seemed to him the right amount of time had passed. By the time he got home, he was soaked to the skin. He shivered even after he dried off and changed.
Each sunrise, for several sun journeys, Raef went to meditate for Rodon’s healing. Keeper Dimmel allowed him to meditate for Rodon each sunrise rather than study at the Keep. Chaz saw him once, when he came to visit Rodon while Raef was meditating outside. Raef did not know why he felt so compelled to do this, but it seemed right. He was not just doing it for Rodon, he was doing it for Chaz too. He did not want Chaz to lose his father, even if he had not always been a good friend.
The first few sun journeys after the attack, Rodon seemed to get worse and the healers were convinced he would die. Raef refused to believe it, however, and told the Keepers that he was sure Zul would heal Rodon. The Intercessors worked hard to save him. The scribes brought out ancient texts for the herbalists to study. The herbalists tried all the healing mixtures, even the ancient ones no longer used. On the fifth sun’s journey, Rodon did begin to improve. Raef was relieved, but he also began to grow tired of meditating so long every sun journey.
By the seventh sun journey, it became clear that Rodon would be fine. His wound was pale instead of angry red. The swelling had gone away and he was able to eat. Raef was so happy that he hugged Chaz when he came to visit the Healing Lodge. Chaz stepped away, looking angry for a moment, but then smiled at Raef and hugged him back. On the eighth sun journey Keeper Dimmel called Raef back to normal apprentice duty.
In the mean time, Raef had become fairly well known in the village. Between his lack of fear when the dragon attacked and his persistence in meditating for Prime Warrior Rodon, who had in fact been healed, everyone seemed to believe Raef was someone special. At least the adults did. The other younglings did not seem to appreciate the attention Raef received. In fact the teasing he received from younglings in the streets grew worse, but at least the adults seemed to notice him now. Raef was becoming quite certain that he was going to become a great Keeper one season.
But not everything was going so well. Raef made it ten whole sun journeys since his last visit with Rail before he began to think about the dragon again. He started pulling out his dragon hair at night to look at it, but he was determined to do no more than that. When he was helping Keeper Dimmel his mind wandered, imagining he was playing with the dragon. He kept getting into trouble for not paying attention. By the end of the moon cycle, Raef could scarcely think of anything but the dragon. Even when he was with Domik after last meal, Domik would get upset with him.
“Raef!” Domik would say when Raef did not answer, “Raef, I asked you if you wanted to go to the square and play ball!”
“Oh, sorry Domik.”
“Are you even listening to me?” asked Domik.
Raef could not help it. He began to miss the dragon’s majesty and power, and how it nuzzled him with its soft snout. Swinging on that great tail was far more fun than any game of ball.
On the last sun journey of moon cycle, Raef could stand it no longer. He had to see Rail. But right after last meal, Domik called at his door to see if he could play.
“Go on, out with you!” said Raef’s mother.
“Let’s see who is in the square tonight,” said Domik.
“I…I don’t really want to go to the square,” said Raef, closing the door behind him as he came outside.
“That’s okay,” said Domik, “it was getting a little dull anyway. Most of the younglings there are too young for us anyway.”
They walked down the road in silence. Raef tried to think of a polite way to get rid of his friend.
“Are you angry with me?” asked Domik.
“No, why would you say that?”
“It is as if…as if you do not want to be with me or something. You have kind of been that way for a few sun journeys.”
Raef felt badly. He did not want Domik to feel that way.
“No, it’s not that I just…I just want to do something different.”
“So, what do you want to do?”
An idea came to Raef. An idea that seemed impossible, but if it were possible would be very exciting.
“Well…I know something, but I doubt you’d want to go along.”
“Raef, why would I not want to go?”
“Well, it’s kind of dangerous. I don’t know if you…”
“I can do anything you can.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Tell me!”
“I’d have to show you.”
“Alright, then show me.”
Raef turned and they began walking into the forest. Domik skipped alongside Raef, acting excited. Raef began to feel a bit afraid. Domik was an Intercessor. What would he say if he found out Raef knew the dragon? But it would be very fun indeed to have a friend to come along to play with Rail.
“This is getting pretty far into the woods,” Domik said.
“Well, if you’re afraid…”
“No, no, I’m coming.”
They found the old path, now well used, and followed it down the ravine, to the edge of the hidden clearing. Raef’s excitement and fear reached a peak as they came up behind a tree at the secret clearing’s edge.
“You have to promise never to tell.” Raef said.
Domik held out his fist, his thumb extended.
“Promise,” he said.
Raef reached over and pressed his thumb against Domik’s thumb, sealing the oath.
“Now, we stay hidden behind this tree,” said Raef.
“Okay.”
“Be very quiet and look out into the meadow.”
Domik peeked around the tree trunk, and Raef peeked around the other side. Rail was there, stretching its vast wings in the low sun. Raef knew that Rail had noticed them coming and had arrived ahead of them. He also knew Rail would put on a show for them, acting as if it didn’t know it was being watched. Rail would be pleased Raef had brought someone else to play. But Raef would not tell Domik any of this.
“The dragon!” Domik whispered.
“This is where it hides,” Raef whispered.
“How often have you seen it here?”
“A few times.”
The dragon stretched and spread its vast wings out over the surrounding trees.
“It’s so huge!”
Rail stretched out his long neck and opened his mouth. Sword sized teeth flashed in the sun.
“Spirits of the Province,” whispered Domik.
“What do you think?”
“It is so…so enormous. And it has hair all down its back. I never expected that.”
Raef was relieved that Domik did not suggest they tell their parents about the place. He had been worried Domik would say something like that. Raef watched Domik’s face. His friend seemed amazed, not revolted. He decided to take a final risk.
“I’ll show you something even more amazing, if you promise not to tell.”
“I already promised,” said Domik, “and you know I would never tell on you.”
“Okay,” said Raef, “be ready to be surprised.”
Raef walked around the tree and across the middle of the clearing to Rail. He heard a gasp behind him. Rail lowered its snout to Raef. Raef patted it. Then Raef removed his shoes, climbed up the dragon’s side to the top of its back and walked back to the dragon’s tail. Rail arched its back so that Raef was high in the air, letting its tail droop down to the ground.
“Watch this!” Raef called out.
Raef sat and slid down the tail and rolled onto the grass. He lay laughing on the ground.
“Come on, Domik! It won’t hurt you!”
After a long silence, Domik slowly crept from behind the tree.
He looked frightened now, but curious too. Raef ran to his friend and dragged him to the dragon’s claws. Raef put Domik’s hand on a large talon. Domik’s eyes grew huge.
“It won’t hurt you at all, I promise.”
Rail bent its huge head down in front of them. Domik drew back a little and scrunched up his nose.
“Domik,” said Raef, “this is Rail.”
Domik turned to Raef, “It has a name?”
The dragon lowered its huge head in front Raef’s friend.
“Of course I have a name,” said the dragon, “how else would you know how to call me?”
Domik jumped back, his eyes and mouth wide. Raef fell over on the ground laughing.
“It talks!”
Raef continued to laugh and roll in the grass.
Rail turned its paw and extended the tip of a black talon to Domik. Raef composed himself and stood up.
“Go ahead, shake its claw,” said Raef.
Domik hesitated.
“Here, I’ll show you,” said Raef, and he reached out to take Rail’s talon.
“No, I’ll do it,” said Domik, and he grabbed the shiny claw.
“I’m Domik,” he said, his voice catching.
“Any friend of Raef is a friend of mine,” said Rail, bowing its head.
“Great spirits,” said Domik.
The two played with the dragon until it was dusk. The dragon said goodbye to them and spread its wings. Before leaving, Rail nuzzled Raef with its great snout and Raef patted its nose. Domik said nothing, just stared at the beast. Then Rail leapt into the sky with a single swoosh of its wings. The air blew Domik to the ground, but Raef had known to brace himself.
“What did you think?” asked Raef.
Domik stood up and dusted off.
“It was okay,” he said.
They began the long walk back to the village. Raef looked over at his friend. Domik’s eyes had a distant, vacant look. Raef tried to strike up a conversation, but Domik would hardly respond. Domik started walking faster, and Raef had to hurry to keep up. When they reached the edge of the village Domik turned to walk toward his home.
“See you sunrise!” Raef called after him.
Domik did not respond, he simply kept walking.