Her eyes widen. “Really? Where?” she asks.
“I’m not sure yet. I didn’t really see any when we were out back. We’ll have to find a different way to see them.”
“I can’t go out front,” she reminds me.
I grin. “I know.”
“What are you going to do?” Elowen asks warily.
“Not sure yet, but we are going to figure out how to sneak out and watch the spirit dragons, so I can describe them to her.”
Auri looks between Elowen and me. “Any ideas?” I ask both of them.
Elowen thinks a moment; then lifts her chin. “Follow me.”
Auri turns to look at me, and I widen my eyes right back at her. “Let’s go,” I whisper excitedly as we follow Elowen.
Chapter 18
Elowen ends up taking us to a set of stairs behind a locked door I haven’t picked yet. “Are you okay to carry Auri?” she asks me.
I make a show of flexing my muscles, and Auri shakes her head, but I catch the corner of her lip tipping up. It’s not exactly a smile, but I’ll take it. Elowen opens the door, and I stare at the winding, rickety staircase. “Hmmm. Didn't know this was here.”
Elowen steps into the darkened stairwell. “Watch your step.” I pull Auri a little closer so I can see to navigate. I made a show of muscle, but the truth is my arms are getting a little tired. I'm not used to carrying this much weight, not that Auri weighs a lot. I scowl at my own weakness and make a mental note to up my arm strength. “You good?” Elowen asks from above us.
“Yep.”
The steps seem to last forever, but we finally make it to the top. Elowen opens another door and turns to us before stepping out. “We are mostly out of sight up here, but caution is stilladvised.”
“Okay.” She pushes the door all the way open and steps out. I follow her out and realize we’re on the roof of the castle. “Whoa.” I quickly get what Elowen was saying. We could be visible up here if anybody looked up. I quickly bend and take a knee. “All right. Down you go.” I place Auri carefully on the ground and then lay on my back next to her. She quickly follows suit. “If we stay like this, no one can see us.”
“Good idea.” Elowen gets to her knees and lays down next to us. I eye her to see if she needs any help, but she manages it just fine. “This is nice.”
I look up at the sky and agree. “What if the spirit dragons see me?” Auri asks in a quiet voice. I turn my head to Elowen, wondering the same thing.
“It won’t matter,” she says confidently, still staring up at the sky.
“Why not?” I ask, curious.
“Spirit dragons are a part of us and yet ancient.” She’s quiet a moment. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but they know...everything really. They know things we don’t know, and yet they only share with us what we need to know for survival. They would already know that Auri exists, but they would also know that she’s protected inside the walls here. And they would respect that.”
I feel Redara right there with me, in our connection.That’s how it is for me.
I think about that a moment.Does that mean you know things I don’t?
Yes.
And there are things you don’t tell me?
Yes. It’s difficult to explain. It’s not like I actively keep loads of information from you. It’s like, I may not even realize I know until I search for that piece of information and then find it already exists in my mind. Everything I need to know is simply there already.
I don’t really like it, but I sort of get it, I guess,I send back. A thought hits me.So you know where Nox and Rauk went then?
No.
How do you not know? You just said you know everything,I counter in frustration.
I have knowledge of things in the past, but I don’t know the future. I don’t know where they’re at right now because they didn’t tell me.
