Adrina was missing. The camp spun with excited activity. Shchander and his men were sent to search the woods in the immediate vicinity while Nijal and Amir set to finding Adrina’s tracks. Noman and Xith were quick to collapse into sudden but friendly argument. They didn’t discover until much later that one of Shchander’s men was also missing.
By afternoon, troubled eyes stared desperately to Xith and Noman who were still arguing. Xith soon turned to Shchander with many questions, to which Shchander could respond honestly. Shalimar was a man to be trusted, and he held no ill in his heart. Xith turned to Nijal, regarding his nervousness and asked, “Did she say anything to you, anything at all that you counted odd?”
Nijal was slow to speak, but he did. “That night, I had an odd—no, it was nothing.”
“Speak, man,” said Noman commanding Nijal to bring words to his lips. “All things have significance.”
“The night Adrina woke screaming, when I coaxed her to return to the carriage. I watched her. I saw her eyes as she lay there. She was afraid, very afraid. For hours I kept watch, hoping she would drift off to sleep, but she never did. I am not sure, but sometime during the time I was there I had a dream. I may have closed my eyes for five minutes or for several hours, I am not sure. When I awoke, her eyes were upon me as if she knew the dream I dreamt. She asked me again if we could go outside, and this time I did so without hesitation.”
“The dream, what was it?” asked Xith intrigued.
“A voice,” replied Nijal.
“A voice?”
As Nijal began, his voice quivered and his hands twitched nervously. “After that, I did not want to be near her. It was a very strange thing. It is my fault. I should have been with her, not Shalimar.”
“Nijal, stop babbling. Go back to the dream. Tell me about the voice.”
“The voice?”
“Yes, the voice, tell me about it. Nothing can hurt you. Close your eyes and tell us about the dream and the voice.”
Nijal closed his eyes, and all became silent around him as the others waited for him to speak. Nijal still was hesitant; he thought it best to let his dream be lost. “I was surrounded by darkness, so much darkness, and he was there. He came out of the darkness, which seemed to follow him, and after a time, I could see, as if my eyes focused. Black flames licked the air, streaming from dark coffers. He was seated on an ebony throne. He bade Adrina to give him the child, but she would not—” Nijal’s voice faded off, and he broke down into sudden sobs.
Xith looked to Noman, who returned his concern. “Nijal, listen closely, who are they that Adrina spoke of?”
“The shadows, they spoke to her—and the dragons, they spoke to her.”
“When?” demanded Noman, looming over Nijal.
Nijal cowered down to his knees, “Once out of the blackness, they asked her to follow them.”
“And you did not tell us? What were you thinking, Nijal, son of Geoffrey?” yelled Shchander angrily, cursing Nijal the only way he knew how.
“Wait, do not be harsh with him. I can see it on his face; he only now remembers. He did not know himself until he spoke the words. Is that not so?” stated Noman, his tone now very kind and understanding.
“Yes,” replied Nijal honestly. He said nothing of Tnavres, the tiny dragon Adrina harbored, though later he would be unable to explain what held his tongue.
Noman began to speak again, but he stopped, and then turned, his eyes wild with surprise and relief. “Amir, Shalimar—Adrina?”
“I found them,” said Amir, “and you won’t believe this, only about a half hour walk from here. Gathering flowers, the truth be known.”
“White flowers growing along a peaceful stream; it was so serene there,” said Adrina.
“Flowers?” demanded Xith, losing his temper briefly.
“Yes, beautiful white flowers. I picked some for you,” said Adrina, offering Xith a bouquet, and as he accepted them, staring into her eyes of pure innocence, he forgave her and said nothing further on the subject. Noman started to object, but as she handed him a grouping of flowers, he held back, only chastising softly, telling her never to go off alone again, to which she responded that she hadn’t gone off alone.
All thoughts of dark shadows were cast aside, and soon they were moving rapidly along the trail, trying to make up some of the lost time. Only one significant change had occurred, and it was that now only Amir and Nijal would ride with Adrina and keep watch over her. No one chastised Shalimar, as he had already punished himself and repented wholly for his mistake, which had been an honest one.
Noman saw Adrina in a new light from then on. She had the gift of persuasion, there could be no doubt. She knew how to get what she wanted. Shalimar was no fool. He had been led astray and by what Noman suspected could only be the guiles of the Voice—a thing that would be most troubling if it were true.