Draconia Offline vol. 1

42.2. The First Flight - Part 2

I wake up lying quite comfortably under a warm blanket but I know immediately that it's not my bed. The minds in my vicinity are all Draconian but I don't recognise any of them. At least my migraine mitigated so I can think clearly again. But where am I? Definitely not in Liana's skyscraper. I try to move a little. I lost three feathers but it seems I'm otherwise unhurt.

"Are you awake, Your Majesty?"

Someone gently pats my shoulder because I'm all snuggled under the blanket. Reluctantly, I peek out. There's an Earthborn woman with dark green skin and red hair I've never seen before. She smiles at me encouragingly and touches my arm. Her rooty tentacles curl around my wrist.

"I tried to heal your migraine but with no result," she says sadly. "I can't find the source of it. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm still so unskilled."

"W-where am I?" I rub my eyes.

"In a safe hideout," another voice speaks up. A bulky Dragonkin is standing next to the Earthborn lady. "We had to get you away from the riot, Your Majesty."

"A riot?" my heart skips a beat. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours," the Earthborn woman says. "Long enough for the videos to go viral across the globe. More than ten people were filming what happened to you. Those idiotic humans had no idea what they were doing when they ripped your feathers."

"But it was bound to happen sooner or later," the Dragonkin shrugs resignedly.

"What to happen?" I don't understand and try slowly sitting up. "Ohh," my head is still spinning.

"For humans to finally show their true colours," he says with an ominous grin while the Earthborn lady helps me sit up.

"Who are you? How did you know where to find me?" I ask and fold my wings close to my back.

"Fortunately, we were in the vicinity when the first messages of your sudden appearance started trending on social media," the Earthborn woman explains. "We hurried immediately to your rescue. We're one of many local communities of Draconians that decided to stick together for safety reasons. My name's Iyapa."

"Zirand," the Dragonkin seconds.

"Thank you for saving me," I whisper, not wanting to imagine what might have happened to me if they didn't show up. "I need to go back or it might develop into a political catastrophe. Did you contact the AstraTech's skyscraper already? Are they on their way to fetch me?"

"No," Zirand shakes his head and is looking at me strangely. "Not until you learn what's really going on."

"W-what? What are you talking about?" I blink, confused. "You want to keep me here? I order you to release me at once!" I try my Emperor's influence but I know my voice is too weak for that because of my migraine. "Ouch," I massage my temples.

"We won't hurt you, Your Majesty, calm down," Iyapa tries to envelop me into her roots again but I jerk away.

"Did you save me just to abduct me?" I accuse them even though I don't feel bad intentions from them. I can feel lots of hate towards humans, though.

"We'd never hurt you, Your Majesty!" Iyapa repeats urgently. I relax a bit but not because of her words—because I can feel her sincerity behind them.

"We just want to show you a few things before we contact the embassy," Zirand says and hands me a tablet. "Play the video, please."

I frown at him but take the tablet and push the play button. At first, I have no idea what I'm watching but when it finally comes to me, shiver goes down my spine. It's a compilation of various videos showing how Draconian are being cruelly mistreated by humans all over the world.