Wucaii

Chapter Fourteen

Aelana lay on the hill above her cave. After collapsing onto the floor, she had decided to search for Kalen's green aura. Tears flooded her eyes, and she expected the worst, believing he hid among his peers. Instead, she found nothing. The first thought that ran through her mind was that it was a mistake, that her vision was clouded by anger. After taking several deep breaths, she searched again. Nothing. He had disappeared from the face of the planet.

To say it was strange was an understatement. There was nowhere he could go. The only way he could have escaped her detection was if magic blocked his aura or he was dead. Something was wrong. She knew it instantly. He couldn't be dead. She felt it in her heart and soul that he was alive, which meant someone had taken him and shut him off from her. But where to look? Who would have taken him? Why? She thought back to her encounters with the homeless people. Obviously, they had the ability to speak to the earth, and from their reaction, they knew what she was. It had to be someone who had seen them together, who was using Kalen. They wanted her, there was no doubt, but for what? Did they intend to harm her? She wouldn't be surprised if they tried; it wouldn't be the first time. It had happened on several other planets. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to worry about it right then. The dragons were approaching, and she needed the council of Her Majesty. If anyone would understand what Aelana was going through and what she should do, it was the queen. She stood and prepared to greet Her Highness.

The queen zoomed over her head, the breeze stirred Aelana's braided hair, and she dove into the cave. Aelana waited a few minutes before following after. The area seemed darker, as if blackness and shadows followed the queen wherever she went. It was a spell the queen cast to keep herself hidden. If a human ventured into the cave, they would suddenly be overcome with a sense of foreboding and fear. Sounds would echo around them, shapes would dart at the corner of their eyes. Their primal fear would be tapped. They would flee from the premises, believing they would die if they stayed, which, really, wasn't that far from the truth. If they did somehow overcome their terror, the queen would kill them. Aelana walked to the farthest corner of the cavern.

"My sweet child." The queen stuck her snout out.

Aelana rested her hand on the queen's scales, followed by her cheek, and sighed deeply. "I've missed you so much," she whispered.

"And I you." The queen lifted her head slightly to rub her nose against Aelana's cheek. "How has the return home been?"

Aelana moved to sit on the queen's forearm, snuggling her body into the soft scales of Her Highness's neck. "Better than expected, but in some ways, the same."

"Family lines have a way of repeating themselves throughout history, and the earth makes sure the information remains, even if people don't know where it comes from. But remember, those people are not the same as the ones you once knew."

"I know. It's brought up a lot of memories. Some I'd long forgotten."

The queen chuckled. "Yes, returning home has a way of doing that. What have you been thinking of, child?"

"Remember when you and I first met? In that cave, after Leld's death?"

"Of course."

"I was thinking about how you tried to kill me."

The queen laughed. "Aelana, that is my nature. It's what I came to the planet to do. You can't take it personally. But if you recall, I didn't get the chance. You buried me in a mass of weeds under the sea."

She sighed. "Still. After eating my grandfather, attempting to kill my lover, attempting to kill me, and turning me into a hideous human dragon hybrid, I never hated you. In all these years I've been with you, I've never blamed you for what happened to the planet."