43. AURELIA

Chapter forty-three

AURELIA

D ragons started to pour out of the earth, filling the sky with their large bodies. They were shimmering in different colors. Their scales were purples, pinks, greens, violets, and blues, all pouring out. They all were different sizes, some looking scarier and deadlier than others. Each had different tails, talons, and wings, unique and breathtaking in their own way. Screeching and soaring erupted through the air, making me want to cover my hands over my ears.

The dragons were slashing through the clouds, happy to have escaped. Each of them was flying quickly, stretching its wings and talons. There were so many of them that I was unable to speak to a single one. I could sense their presence, but not a specific individual.

What was this? "Damian, how?"

He looked at me, a slight smile on his face. "I am so glad you're alive, my Queen."

"Alive?" Then it dawned on me.

The wish.

"I… I… died?" I sputtered.

Belle and Damian nodded in unison. "You saved me! Out of all of your dreams and wishes, you saved me." I cupped my hands around his face, looking up into his dark brown, dreamy eyes. My feelings exponentially grew, fluttering in my stomach, demanding to be released. I couldn't believe it.

Then the clustered feelings that he betrayed me sank in. He was going to have me killed. He was going to kill me like the assassin he was.

"Ow!" Pain shot through me, eliciting a yelp from my lips. My hands instinctively searched for the source of agony that radiated through my back. The wound wasn't healed. Withdrawing my hand, I found it smeared with a viscous golden fluid, the rich blood seeping through my fingers.

"Come, we must get you to the Scalebound colony."

"What? What is that?" I asked, still wincing in pain.

"Belle, do you know where to go?" Damian asked Belle, and she nodded, her snout moving up and down.

"What is he talking about?" I turned to Belle, hoping to clarify the situation and to get some answers. My vision blurred from the pounding that flared in my head, and the aching that throbbed through my body.

"There's a colony of Scalebornes westbound. The Scalekeeper told us to get you there. She told me where to go."

Lightheaded and dizzy, I said, "I think I'm going to pass ou—" And right as the words escaped my mouth, I felt my body go limp.