Statera *Chosen At Birth*

Chapter Seventeen

Daniel shifted uncomfortably with the small amount of added weight. He looked down to see Isabel still sound asleep on top of his stomach. The cocoon was gone, and the fire was out. He rested his head on the ground again to go back to sleep, but there was a strange smelling fog making his face feel sticky.

There was a rustling in the forest behind them. Daniel jolted so that he could investigate the trees. The motion nudged Isabel awake, "Good morning." She yawned and stretched after rolling next to him, "You're warm." She smacked her lips and looked around in the dense fog.

"At least we didn't freeze thanks to your plant cave." Daniel groaned from his aching back that was stiff as a rod. He helped Isabel get to her feet, she looked over the cliff alarmingly.

"It smells like smoke but looks like fog. I don't understand." She sniffed the air. She was about to walk to the edge, but sirens blared off in the distance. Soon after two more went off, but they sounded further away.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked with the memories from the air raids coming to mind when he was in France. He thought he'd never hear those sirens again.

"I have no idea, but that can't be a good thing." Daniel began to feel nervous. He had no idea what to expect in a situation like this.

A dark figure of a person walked towards them from the forest. Daniel gathered a cluster of fog dew and lunged it at the figure. The stream was swept up by a small twister that died as soon as the water was sucked into it. The water fell to the ground and Sydney appeared.

"What in the world?" Sydney shouted angrily, but her expression changed when she saw Isabel standing there, "Thank goodness you're alright." Sydney rushed past Daniel to give out a warm hug.

"I'm fine. I have a bodyguard." Isabel giggled. Sydney glared at Daniel.

"I noticed, but I can't be mad at you though." Sydney admitted, "But Santiago and Eric have drafted to Cavaroon." Sydney announced and Isabel's eyes got wide with horror, "The capital was first attacked last night." Isabel stood there not knowing what to say.

"Who's attacking it?" She managed to ask.

"Everyone in the south. Queen Bestienna and king Alek have decided to help King Arthur." Daniel looked up quickly at the mention of his friend's names.

"So, Alek and Arthur are kings and Bestienna is a queen?" Daniel chuckled at the news, "They all fit the titles, more than I do." Daniel rambled.

"So, you know?" Sydney looked at him in the eyes. They flashed cobalt, sapphire, and then turquoise before he nodded.

"I kind of figured. After all I can't see another reason the former queen would have to ask to rule her people. Then everyone made a big deal that I have a mono-colored aura, and everyone has two colors. Also, the dragon bit. I just pieced everything together. I just needed validation." Sydney gave him a proud parental look.

"This man has a good head on his shoulders... Sometimes. We need to go to Cavaroon too. I'm pretty sure that the others want to see you. They've been asking if you were awake nonstop." Sydney laughed.

"How long will it take to get there?" Daniel asked and she almost cried.

"It takes me about nine hours." She complained. Daniel could tell that she didn't want to fly back.

"I could carry both of you." Daniel turned into a dragon with a loud hiss as his aura illuminated the cliff. Isabel got excited as her wings appeared on her shoulder.

She grabbed Sydney's hand and pulled her up to his back, "You're going to keep forward until you see land basically. For you it might only be two or three hours." Sydney didn't sound too pleased with the idea of riding a giant dragon. Daniel could feel her body shift to see the ground.

Both girls screamed when he launched himself off the cliff with a dive. His feet skimmed with water until his wings pushed him up higher into the air, "Can we do that again?" Isabel asked with excitement.

"No, we cannot." Sydney sounded like she was going to be sick. Daniel roared loudly before continuing across the sea.