Wucaii

Chapter Twenty-One

A crowd formed around Aelana immediately as she stepped into the light that spilled from the church door. People fell to their knees in front of her or reached out and gently touched her arms and wings. All of them looked for reassurance and guidance. She couldn't give them either. Her human side felt sympathy for them, wanted to see them happy and unafraid, but even that side knew it wouldn't happen. The world had to end. The dragons had to protect the planet.

She and Kalen stepped through the plastic and over the threshold. Kalen eyed the missing doors, his look telling her that he was wondering what happened, but he didn't say anything. They proceeded into the sanctuary. The rows were almost completely full of people, either staring at the dragon statues on the ceiling or bowing their heads in silent prayer. Aelana turned her attention to the dais, expecting to see Bayn presiding over the congregation. It was empty. She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the crowd, thinking maybe he had taken a more hands-on approach to comfort the masses. After all, only a few hours remained before the destruction started. He wasn't there either.

A chill crept from the bottom of her talons up her calves and to the base of her spine. She shuddered uncontrollably.

"What is it?" Kalen whispered.

"He's here."

Several people heard their soft voices and turned to look at them. Sharp breaths were inhaled, and their eyes pleaded for Aelana to help them. Fear hung thick in the air. The pair stepped down the aisle, eyes following them as they progressed. They wanted to say something, to call out and beg for their lives, Aelana felt it. No one said a word. They watched them silently. There was nothing worse than listening to pleas for mercy that would never come. It broke her heart. It made her feel guilty.

She wanted to say something. But what? They already knew what they had to do to survive. They had the marks; she saw the majority of them. Besides, despite their fear and desire to live, they had accepted the fact that the world was going to end. That radiated from them too. They didn't need to hear anything; they just didn't want to be alone. Relief mixed with the anxiety, and most of them were happy about her presence. It helped to reinforce that they were going to be saved. She stopped and turned to face the people, directing a wan smile at them. Several smiled back. If they only knew what was really going on.

She turned and headed to the door behind her statue. A feeling of dread washed over her as the chill deepened. She hesitated before turning the handle. Her human side told her to leave, to run and not look back. The dragons would take care of it; they knew what to do. Her dragon side confirmed it would handle it, and encouraged her that she could handle it and knew what to do. Combined, both halves told her if something wasn't done, those with the mark would be destroyed. It was now or never to intervene. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

A long hallway opened before her, leading to another large room. Artificial light spilled from the end of the hall, soft orange light from a lamp. Her steps were cautious. Kalen's footsteps sounded behind her. Panic gripped her chest, and she turned abruptly to face him.

"I think you should stay out with the others." Her whisper was harsh. "I've seen what he can do."

He shook his head curtly. "I'm not letting you go in there alone."

"I'm stronger than you. I have magic power. I can put up a better fight against him. I don't want you to get hurt."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to get hurt. I might not be able to fight him like you can, but maybe I can be a distraction. Plus, someone has to get Bayn out of there."

Aelana didn't like it. Too many things could go wrong. Her hands were full enough trying to rescue Bayn; she didn't need to worry about Kalen again. Their gazes locked. He wasn't going to relent. It was either let him go with her or risk him sneaking in another way. He knew the risks, and nothing she could say was going to sway him. Aside from casting a spell on him, Kalen was going into the room with or without her permission. She wasn't going to attempt to change that.