She settled for planting her finger on the tip of her nose and giving it a tap. It paddled over to her side of the pond and plopped down across from her, legs crossed, mirroring her pose.Ĭlaudia considered picking her nose, but decided that she didn’t need to teach the creature that particular trick. You’re our only link to Aaravos, you can’t just go goo-ing off and getting lost in the woods.” The being squawked and smacked the pond in annoyance.Ĭlaudia sighed. The homunculus did the same, or tried to -but all the water streamed through the gaps in its long fingers. Once more, she dipped her cupped hands into the pond and lifted them to her face. She tilted her head, and sure enough, the homunculus did the same. Claudia blinked in surprise -she didn’t realize she’d been followed from the campsite -and the creature blinked back. The homunculus watched her from across the water. She splashed away her reflection -and heard an echoing splash from across the pond. Even her eyes looked older somehow, as though the work of the last two years had aged something deep within her, beyond the touch of time.īut of course it had aged her. Studying it, she frowned: her face was narrower than she remembered, paler against the sweeps of white hair. Claudia knelt on the bank, cupped her hands in the still water, and splashed her face, sighing as the dust of Umber Tor lifted away.Ĭlaudia’s reflection wavered below her in the water. Shafts of sunlight pierced its surface, highlighting smooth stones along the bottom. She found herself by a small pond edged with sweet-smelling fronds. The song faded on the last line- “For you are an Earthblood elf!”-as Claudia pushed past a thicket of trees. “Get mud beneath your fingernails,” he sang, “Ooze along with slugs and snails! Know your roots and know yourself…” Terry’s voice followed Claudia through the woods as she picked her way along the scrubby path. “But mostly, the song’s to keep my spirits up.” “The stroll will clear your head, and while you’re gone, I’ll sing my favorite song from when I was a sapling.”Ĭlaudia couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll be right here with your dad the whole time,” Terry assured her. “I think I saw a pond over that way.”Ĭlaudia squeezed Terry’s hand, his four fingers cool as earth after the rain. ![]() “He does look a bit wilted, but that’s usually nothing a good watering won’t fix!” Terry gestured toward a small trail leading out of the grove. “Hey, love.” Terry knelt down beside her and began to rub her shoulders. It should’ve been peaceful, but the quiet didn’t make her feel any better missing from the quiet was her father’s calm breathing, his low, measured voice… She heard the rustle of woodland life and the homunculus snoring in soft, gooey rumbles where it had curled up to sleep near the treeline, but nothing more. If the mountain was near, then so were Callum, Ezran, and their elf.Ĭlaudia held her breath, listening. ![]() Umber Tor reared like a fang above the trees, still uncomfortably close. Viren’s eyelids fluttered and Claudia’s heart leapt in relief-but her father only gave a wordless moan, and returned to his uneasy sleep.īiting her lip, she sat back on her heels and scanned the secluded grove. Illustrated by Caleb Thomas & Emily MarzonieĬlaudia laid her hand on her father’s brow, feeling heat beneath her palm. The Dragon Prince: Reflections “Lost Child” Written by Michal Schick
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