scarlet

previous part: https://jordynsaelor.com/2026/06/04/meet/

all parts here: https://jordynsaelor.com/cant-catch-me-now/

***

Never as simple as it seems,

they found me following them

by my panting breaths

and noisy footsteps

–maybe a good thing,

since even with speed runes,

I was dehydrating

in the wastes

under the sun

trying to keep up with them–

and they nabbed me

but I set off a flare rune

in their faces

for the dead dracans

and tried to kick free

of the claws

but they still held me

and by the time the flash wore off

my invisibility was fading too.

So they informed me

that I was fighting for the wrong side

by coming after them;

I should blame the dracans’

deity for taking all the liquid.

Then, like I was stupid,

they slowly explained that

they (the caricaurs),

hunted dracans (the flying things)

since they had all the water,

hoarded in their moon lake.

They (the caricaurs) once had a secret underground canal

feeding from the lake

but it’d stopped flowing weeks ago

so they’d gone to take their water back

but the dracans around the lake

repelled them

so they resorted to more drastic strats:

burning the town of non-combatant

dracans.

And now,

they told me,

wriggling in the arms

of a bronze-furred creature,

we’re just on our way back

to our village

to tell our neighbors

the lake is suddenly fair game.

So I said,

“But all the remaining dracans

flew away willingly, they weren’t

holding the water prisoner.

And what do you mean, town of non-combatants?

All the dracans lived there

and none of them are combatants,

so that distinction is meaningless!”

And one caricaur

with blue braids around their neck

and shiny claws

laughed,

asking

if I wanted to hear a story.

So I said,

“Sure. As long as you give me something to drink

so I don’t pass out before you’re done.”

And the other caricaurs laughed

about me, their captive, demanding things

but the blue one

just said

we have no water,

weren’t you listening?

The dracans

refuse to share.

So we went for the ones

asleep,

all tidy in bed,

revenge

for our ancestors.

So I thought,

“How cruel of you

to go for the sleeping ones.

I don’t care

how many dracans you claim it took to repel you at the lake

(though I never heard about this

so you’re probably making it up),

that hardly seems enough reason

to burn them to death,

and okay, sure, the moonspeaker never liked me much

but it’s still awfully hard to believe

moa was a combatant cutting anyone off from water

and I’m quite positive there aren’t many dracans

who train regularly

and would’ve

fought you.”

But I didn’t say that,

instead

I said,

“Put me down at least,

and we can walk back to the lake.

What’s this story

you’re going to share?”

***

find my published books at this link

header photo by Paolo Sanchez on Pexels.com