Dragon Queen: Book One-Scarlet Reign

Chapter Four- Misplaced Vengeance

Chapter Four- Misplaced Vengeance

Aelwen's eyes flickered open at the sound of a phoenix cawing its cheerful song into the misty morning air.

Her body was stiff and aching. She groaned as she stretched her legs, feeling the soft, freshly-upturned dirt press against her paws. She glanced down into the tent, noticing immediately that Gerel was gone.

A quick tap on her back sent her jumping to her feet with a loud screech.

The sound of Gerel's laugh immediately made her freeze. Her surprise melted off of her face.

"Looks like you're getting used to those legs quite well!" he said, whistling. "Enough to at least attempt to catch us a meal today, I hope?"

Aelwen shook her body, scales still raised in alarm. She strode out of the tent and sat in front of the fire pit, a meager breakfast awaiting her.

"I guess I could try," she answered, tiredly biting at the small bits of meat. The gears of her mind whirred as she thought about Gerel's actions towards her. Her father had always taught her to be a thankful and respectful ruler. "You've been doing a lot for me. As a citizen of my kingdom, it is your duty. However, I feel that you have gone above and beyond in your duty, showing that a kind and honorable heart beats within you." She turned to him and smiled. "For this, I am grateful."

Gerel stood silent for a moment.

"The village I am heading to is about a half a mile away. I put an invisibility ward spell over the camp, so you should be fairly safe in here. When I get back I'll teach you about moving your wings and learning to hunt as a dragon."

Aelwen blinked a couple times in slight shock. She had given him an embellished royal "thank you," yet he had hardly reacted. This boy is infuriatingly strange, she thought.

"Ah, so you can perform magic?" she ventured to ask. "You are quite young to have already learned something like an invisibility ward. May I ask to see what your particular wand looks like?" Aelwen began to feel the familiar spark of excitement she always experienced when talking about magic.

Gerel rubbed his temples, letting out a long sigh. "I don't have time to explain everything to you right now... Not that kind of stuff. You're not..." he trailed off, lines of concern gracing his forehead.

He shook his head and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Be careful. Stay inside the clearing. The ward doesn't have too big of a range. It doesn't account for sound either, so try to stay fairly quiet. These woods are usually quite empty, but after the dragon's attack, I don't know if humans are going to be tramping through here to either escape from the city or try to find out what happened to it."

He turned and strode towards the forest.

"Gerel."

The boy stopped and gazed over his shoulder at Aelwen, who sat solemnly, her eyes calmly gazing into his.

"Who are you, really?"

"I said no questions about-"

"Gerel."

The sudden royal authority in Aelwen's voice made Gerel freeze.

"I am grateful for your help, but I need to know what is going on. You are acting very strange as well as secretive. It is disconcerting to me," Aelwen said.

"I can't. Not yet," Gerel snapped. "I know you're confused, but you have to understand that..." he hesitated.

"What?"