Wucaii

Chapter Six

The smell of blood and burnt flesh pulled Aelana into consciousness. She gagged and rolled onto her side, pulling her knees up to her chest. Gravel crunched under her legs. Her eyes flew open. Where was she? Her body jerked into the sitting position. Black dots danced in front of her eyes, and she placed her hand on the ground to steady herself. When her vision cleared, she glanced around. The room was dark, with a faint hint of orange light coming from an unknown source to her right. Thick, putrid air surrounded her. Another gag shook her body. She moved to stand. The black dots returned, and pain flooded her head, causing her to drop to all fours. The right side of her head throbbed, like it had a pulse of its own. Her fingertips gingerly touched the area. It was warm and sticky. Pulling her hand away, she saw that her fingers were covered with blood.

A hissing sounded somewhere in front of her. Her head shot up, her gaze directed at the light. Holding her breath, she waited for the sound. Silence. She attempted to stand again. With some help from the wall, she accomplished her task. Slowly, with deliberate steps, she walked toward the light. The room narrowed into a small corridor; rocks lined the walls. She was in a cave. Nausea gripped her stomach, both from the smell and the pounding pain in her skull. Dizziness swept over her as she staggered through the rock hall. After a few steps, it opened into a large chamber. A fire burned off to the side. A body lay close to the flames.

She stepped into the room and grabbed her head. What had happened? How did she get here? Her mind tried to recall the previous events, but it couldn't bring forth the memories. She took a few steps closer to the body. It was a man, large and muscled. His clothes were torn, the rips bloodstained. Dark hair spilled over his back and pooled onto the floor. There was something familiar about that hair, the shape of the body. Aelana stared at him, trying to place what it was. In a wave, recognition took over.

"Thoran!" She ran forward.

She placed her hand on his arm and slowly rolled him over. Hair covered his face, so she slid it out of the way. His eyes were closed, his face pale. Her throat tightened, her stomach tingled. Her ear lowered to his mouth. A faint exhale of breath tickled her lobe. Relief washed through her.

"Thoran." She shook him gently. "Thoran, wake up."

He didn't move. The hissing sounded again, closer. It almost sounded like it came from somewhere in the room. Nervously, her gaze scanned the area. Nothing. She shook Thoran harder.

"Thoran, come on! I need you to wake up."

A hiss and then a grunt. Aelana's heart stopped for a moment. She looked up again.

To her left, from a hidden opening in the wall, a wisp of smoke curled toward the ceiling. Her heart sank; her breath left her lungs.

"Oh, no." The words were barely audible.

A black snout extended into the room, followed by a wedge-shaped head. Footsteps crunched on the floor as more smoke drifted into the room. The head cocked to the side to look at Aelana. She tried to look away, pull herself from the trance, but those diamond eyes mesmerized her. Light caught them just right, causing prisms to circle around them. They swirled and danced. The colors melded and turned into images. Aelana watched as her world unfolded, seen from high above. Flames engulfed the land; reptilian bodies writhed in the ashes.

The dragon inched closer, but Aelana didn't notice. It dipped its head down, and she followed its eyes. The visions were horrific—dead bodies strewn about charred villages, people being devoured by dragons—but it was impossible to turn away. She had to see what happened.

"Aelana," a voice sounded in the cave.

The voice broke the spell slightly, causing her to become aware of the presence.