Wucaii

Chapter One

Aelana stood on the branch, tightening her talons around the wood, bark crunching under her feet. She stared at the black horizon. Flickers of orange appeared at ground level and grew quickly, illuminating the dark with a hazy light. Short, pyramid-shaped huts were silhouetted in the distance. The blaze engulfed them, the horizon became flames and pillars of inky smoke.

Aelana sighed and extended her wings. With a whoosh, she was airborne. Gliding over the village, smoke stung her eyes. Tears drizzled into her hair. Banking to the right, she headed for the mountains. The air cooled; her vision cleared. She wiped the remaining wetness from her eyes with the back of her hand.

An updraft tossed her to the left, rolling her a few times before she had a chance to right herself. She shook her head. Focus. Pay attention. She angled downward, leveling off a few feet above the rocky surface. The moon wasn't out, and the light from the fires was too far away, but Aelana had great night vision. Not only that, but her flesh could sense the terrain. It felt cool on her underside. Temperature had no effect on her. If the landscape became too close, small jolts of electricity rippled through her. Moving away caused the sensation to stop.

Halfway up the mountain, a warm sensation tingled in her chest. She closed her eyes, absorbing the tenderness, and the sensation grew. With her eyes still closed, she glided around a large rock outcropping and then dove into a crag. Flipping her feet downward, she folded her wings. Gravel crunched underfoot. When she opened her eyes, blackness surrounded her.

"Your Highness?" Her voice echoed off the walls. She took a few steps deeper into the cave. "My Queen?"

Rustling sounded in the distance, the scrape of scale against scale. Aelana took a couple more steps forward. Two points of light emerged from the blackness, white lights that glittered like diamonds. They started out low, then slowly drifted upward, followed by a low rumbling.

"My wayward child has returned," a voice spoke in Aelana's mind.

Smiling, she hurried toward the lights. They dipped to meet her, and Aelana gazed into the eyes of her queen. She placed her hand on the creature's snout, feeling the smooth, warm scales beneath her fingers. The queen wrapped her forearm around Aelana, who settled against her majesty's neck. The warm sensation spread from her chest throughout her entire body, like being covered with a blanket. She felt safe; she was home.

"The others shall return shortly. Then, we shall head to the next destination."

Aelana frowned. "I know. I've been dreading this trip for days now."

The queen rumbled again, a gentle, soothing sound. Her breath warmed Aelana's cheek.

"I doubt there is any way to prepare for this trip, and your feelings of trepidation are justified. The planet will be a completely different place. You won't recognize it, and no one you once knew will still be alive. But we will be with you, and nothing bad will happen to you."

Aelana snuggled closer into the queen's body, sighing deeply. "I know nothing is going to happen to me. I can take care of myself. I'm worried no one will remember me, that my sacrifices were for nothing, and that people died in vain."

The queen chuckled, a grumble that originated deep in her throat. Her body shook. "It's been five hundred cycles, Aelana. If they've forgotten you, you can't blame them. Things change. We make sure of that."

Aelana sighed again. "I know. It's just . . ." She paused, thinking better about going on.

"Just what, love?"

"Nothing. I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"Then rest. You and the scouts will head in first thing. We won't follow until you give the signal."