Flame Touched

Chapter Eleven - Camila

Whenever strangers entered Nassan Village, everyone noticed. They stuck out like a sore thumb because they were the only face that didn't have a name. Growing up in a town of less than 100 people, everyone knew everything there was to know about each other. They even knew everything about the citizens of the neighboring towns. Naturally, when Camila walked into town and saw a young man she didn't recognize through the bakery window, she took a moment to pause. Something seemed familiar about him, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She almost turned around and went back home, regretting talking her mother into letting her run a minor errand. I can't let Mom make me paranoid. He's probably just passing through, or visiting a friend.

The young man gazed at her through the window. She couldn't quite make out all of his features because he wore a cap low over his face, shrouding them in shadow. For a few seconds, his gaze lingered on her before averting to his mug. He lifted it to his lips and went back to chatting with the man who was nearly twice his age who sat across the table. Father and son? Camila wondered. That didn't seem right either.

Shaking her head, she brushed the worry aside and opened the door to the bakery so she could get the cake her mother ordered.

"This one?" the older man asked as she walked into the shop.

The young man gave a nod and curt, "Yes."

Then they both went silent, which wouldn't have been so odd if the shop wasn't completely void of patrons besides them. Why stop talking all of a sudden just because she was there?

She frowned and walked up to the owner behind the counter. "Hi Renee, I'm here to pick up an order."

With a small smile, Renee went back to get the cake. "Here you are," she said and winked. Why was she winking? The woman was always friendly, yes, but winking? That was a bit much, even for her.

Camila offered a weak smile and an even weaker wave as she moved to take the medium sized box. The two men at the table were talking again, only this time they did so with hushed voices so she couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. Better this way. I'm curious and all, but it's not worth getting anxious over. Besides, eavesdropping was rude, no matter how badly she wanted to know. She did take a moment to gaze at the young man in the hat before walking out the door. Where had she seen him before? It bothered her the entire walk home.

"Everything okay?" her mother asked from the kitchen as soon as Camila entered. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened?"

Sighing, Camila took off her shoes. She put the cake in the refrigerator. "Everything is fine, Mom. I promise. No one followed me on the way there or back. I'm still in one piece. The town was as quiet as always." Quiet and practically dead. She almost mentioned the men in the bakery, but decided it best to keep it to herself. Why worry her mother unnecessarily over something so silly as two men having coffee? Maybe they were doing business. There have been a lot of entrepreneurs coming through, looking to exploit our small town charm. With how little happens here, I'm starting to wonder if it's not such a bad idea after all. Even a small amount of growth would do wonders. Granted, we'd have more growth if the government stopped trying to take all of our profits.

Her mother came up and gave her a hug. "You're frowning an awful lot for everything to be fine."

"The Kendrixes," Camila whispered.

"They're okay. We are all okay."

Camila nodded. "They still don't suspect anything about the mini-party tonight, right?"

"As far as they know, we've forgotten all about it being Mrs. Kendrix's birthday today." Mom winked and moved to go back to her meal prep. "I need you to keep an eye out in case they start coming back this way. I'm almost done getting dinner ready, so I can hide it for later. I'd ask for your help, but..." She gave an innocent shrug.

Camila went to stand by the window to keep watch. "I burn water, I know."

"You try."

"And fail."

"You'll learn."

Shrugging, Camila leaned against the door. "Whoever I end up marrying will need to be prepared."

"Hopefully, he'll already know how to do it well." Mom nudged her in the side playfully.

Camila rolled her eyes and continued to gaze out the window at the empty field in front of her. "Have you seen dragons before last night?"

"Why do you ask?" Mom said quietly.

"I just want to know. You mentioned how they take girls away, and I wanted to know if you'd seen them before, or not. If you knew that from personal experience, or if it was just some kind of urban legend," Camila said.

Mom took a long time to reply, a sure sign she was choosing her words carefully. "I've seen them once before. A long time ago. I was close to your age, and a group of dragons was spotted in our backyard running through the forest. We all watched through the window. One of them saw me." She shivered. "I've never been more afraid of anything before in my life."

"They're definitely something else," Camila agreed. Scary, powerful, yet beautiful. She knew she should have been petrified of the creatures. If anything, they intrigued her. They were such a great mystery. A mystery she tried to not think about or attempt to understand. As much as she may have wanted to know, she knew it was better for her to stay in the dark. Whatever the dragons did, it did not need to involve her.

"Why?"

"Last night was my first time seeing them in person," Camila said. "You still didn't answer my question. Do you know from firsthand experience that they take girls? Or is it just a myth?"

Her mother let out a quiet huff. "Honestly, why do you like to hear about things that will only frighten you? Are you a glutton for punishment?"

"It's a simple question, Mom. I think it's one I should have an answer to. Don't you? Shouldn't I be prepared?"

"I suppose so," her mom said. "They took my best friend. Her name was Eilleen. We were together when it happened. If I hadn't been engaged, they would have taken me too. A group of priests came in the name of the empire, escorted by the Royal Guard. They decreed that Eilleen was to be taken away for some divine purpose."

"Like the Elite?" Camila asked.

Mom shook her head. "The Elite didn't exist when this happened. The Elite are fairly new, you see. For a long time, I wanted to believe it was something similar, but I've never heard from her again. The Elite are allowed to visit their families every so often. Eilleen has not once come back. Some say the Inero dragons demand sacrifices much like the Oceina do. I don't know what the dragons wanted with her, and I don't care. It might be selfish of me, but they're horrible monsters. The Royal Guard isn't any better."

Camila's heart broke for her mother. She'd never realized such a terrible thing could be true. Before she could respond, she saw her father come back toward the house with the Kendrixes. "They're coming inside."

"I just finished. Perfect timing." Mom placed the prepared pans into the refrigerator, tucking them away toward the back. "How about you go wash up for lunch?"

There was no need for Camila to wash up. She went anyway, understanding it was her mother's way of getting some time alone to regroup before everyone else returned. Camila went up to her room, her mind going over the conversation between the two men at the bakery.

"This one?" the older one had asked.

The way the younger one had nodded, how quick and terse he'd been when he'd responded, made her wonder if once again they were discussing her. And he kept looking at me. She lay down on her bed, exhaling slowly, trying to remember where she'd seen his deep, piercing gaze before.