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“I understand,” Angie said, shaking her shoulders.
“Tell me.”
“I feel so stupid,” Angie said, rolling her eyes to the back of her head, her knuckles turning white.
“I am sure you are not more stupid than how I felt trying to connect with my dragon and join a world that I am so unfamiliar with. Let’s see what you got,” I said, folding my arms.
“Well,” she muttered, fiddling with her fingers. I had never seen Angie seem so insecure. Usually she was masked with her strength and confidence, which overran her personality. “We were heading back to a village where there was an orphanage.” She nodded with a slight smile on her face. “We met them before. The kids loved me. I connected with them, and this village was mostly on board with dragons. There were still some adults who needed convincing that they weren’t monsters, but I knew that it would just come in time.
“We went on a journey which took a couple of days. During this time, we then met Luella. Luella was also an orphan, and she feels like a little sister to me.”
“Also?” I asked.
“Yes, I was left at someone’s door. They passed me from door to door until no one wanted me. No one wanted the responsibility of protecting something as fragile as us. Anyway,” she pressed, unable to talk more about her childhood and past. “I connected with these children. We were on our way back and…”
“Then that’s when I showed up,” I interrupted. Angie nodded, gulping. I had never seen her so emotional. Her barriers she usually held up were gone, shriveled to the ground, open like floodgates. “I am so sorry,” I continued. “I am so sorry to show up and to put the problems of my kingdom on each of you. It is very selfish of me…”
“No!” She stopped me. “You didn’t ask us to help you. That is the whole purpose of our colony. We want and need to protecteach other. We want to protect and help you in any way that we can.” The harshness of her chiseled face lessened, her softness showing through. A gleam in her eye shimmered that normally wasn’t there.
Damian and Abner appeared from the trees. “You guys ready?”
“Yeah we will be there in a second,” I said, ushering them away with my eyes. As they left, I turned back toward Angie. There was a lump in her throat that she pushed down. Her eyes distant as she fiddled with the ties and bags attached to the side of her dragon. “Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for bringing me in. For allowing me to be a part of this family.”
She mountedWashailameiias if it were nothing, and nodded. “You don’t need to thank me, Aurelia. Youarefamily.”
***
We flew for about an hour until we reached the inside of my kingdom. It was a surreal feeling to watch from a dragon’s eye view of what everything looked like from above. We were known for our agriculture and stone for a reason. Crops were divided into beautifully arranged colors and assortments below, each organized by type. The trees were wild, with different colors of earthy tones, plastering the surface. The mountains were majestic, reaching the tips of the sky simultaneously.
Some of the tops of the mountains were frosted white with ice and snow, whereas others were covered with different varieties of greenery and life. Flying side by side with everyone, Clemmy and Abner led us in directions that were away from the towns that would shoot us out of the sky, avoiding the edges of their lands.
It was lively until we passed the areas touched and affected by the Deathlies. These areas were so dead that there was no waya single organism was still alive. The trees were shriveled into stumps of nothingness, the bushes almost disintegrated, and the homes sat as ash, with the wood and bricks destroyed.
I thought of how I was a completely different person only a few days ago. I watched as the death of the land affected me, reminding me of why I went on the journey. This journey was originally for myself. I wanted to be queen. Of course, I wanted to save my kingdom, but it wasn’t my main focus.
“Malua2?” Damian asked inSatas Lerma, wondering if I was okay. I smiled, not knowing how to respond, fearful of the unknown.
The kingdom I grew up in my whole life started to blur into view. Seeing my tower on the outskirts of the kingdom and thinking of the spread of the Deathlies, I realized that my parents just wanted to protect me, to keep me safe. Maybe they did love me.
In less than thirty minutes, we landed on the outskirts of where my tower was. Each dragon landed with a clomping sound, hitting the ground as their wings stopped, leaves crushing beneath their claws.
Dismounting our dragons, we stretched our legs from the flight.
“Is this your tower?” Damian wondered. We looked up at the tall, spindled tower with only one way up and down. The bricks looked less like home. The greenery that used to wrap around was dead and withering, the leaves shrinking, and disappearing into thin air. The notorious purple shield was not up. My grandmother knew I was gone. I wondered if Nana had anything to do with it. She was the only one who could use old magic that I knew of, but she would never create the Deathlies. Right?
“Yes,” I sadly said.
My abdomen pained as I thought about the potential idea of having to confront my father. Would he know anything aboutthe old magic? Did he ever think about this earlier? Would he be disappointed that I came back without using the wish for the kingdom?
“I’m not sure where to start,” I announced, sweeping my gaze across the group.
“Do you know of anyone who uses old magic? That would be a great place to start,” Angie said, her tone always in an aggressive octave, but now I didn’t take it personally, understanding her backstory. I was positive that it was Tobias that we were here for, but Angie’s comment made me wonder if I needed to visit someone else before confronting him.
My grandmother was the only person I knew of who used magic from the Old Religion.
“My Nana. However, I ask that I speak to her alone.” I could see everyone’s objection brewing in their eyes. I could tell that the Old Religion's magic was more extensive than what everyone could fathom. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
I didn’t hesitate to get approval for me to go alone. My grandmother raised me. I saw her as my first mother. As my guardian. I had to speak to her alone, no matter the consequences.
