55. AURELIA

Chapter fifty-five

AURELIA

A s our dragons landed, taking us back to the others, Luella immediately approached us. She begged us to tell her every single detail as her ebony hair bobbed from side to side, her nose scrunching with excitement. Clemmy wrapped her arms around small Luella's shoulder, taking her toward the fire where she told Luella everything before she begged loud enough for the Deathlies to find us.

Smiling as I watched them meander away, Damian approached me. "You okay?" he asked, noticing the chills on my arms. Or felt the nausea that radiated throughout my body, coursing through my veins, telling me that the Deathlies needed to be stopped.

Shaking my head in response, I knew that I wasn't okay. However, the urge to pretend that I had become a mask, a false identity, clung to my skin. I wanted to run home back to the comfort of my tower, but the problem was that I didn't want to be here or there. My body ached. My mind ached. Betrayal threatened my every step.

With what happened to Damian, I wasn't sure that I could trust anyone else. I wanted to trust the Scalebornes, but I just wasn't sure. I knew they made it this far with me, but what if I wasn't enough? What if they get sick of fighting the Deathlies? What if they get sick of risking their lives for something that was my kingdom's problem?

Angie's words raced back to my mind. Did they all feel that way? Was I a burden to everyone else here?

Deep down, I knew that they wouldn't. Deep down, I knew that we were all here for each other, because we never had that support before. We were a group of Scalebornes making our way through life. Fighting for our lives, unlike anyone else.

There was a trigger inside of me that was about to explode, wanting to tell Damian all of my thoughts, but not sure if I was ready yet. I wanted to, but everything felt like a whirlwind that I couldn't keep up with.

"Food is ready," Angie shouted. Everyone else grabbed their starving stomachs and made their way to the fire.

"C'mon. Let's get some food in you, and then let's talk. Yeah?" Damian suggested, taking me by the arm.

The heat of his body transferred to mine, making the coldness and ice that I still felt from the presence of the Deathlies fade away. I wanted more of him, more of his touch, craving him and his promised protection.

Angie's hands moved deftly, passing around charred morsels of meat and serving up wooden plates crafted by Loker, each containing various leaves and meticulously sliced vegetables. "Sorry, the meat is burnt," Angie apologized, her gray tunic beneath the black straps casing her body danced behind her as she sauntered toward us. "It was Luella's first time. She really wanted to try cooking tonight," she whispered.

I didn't even care how burnt the meat was. I just needed something to fill my growling stomach. We hadn't eaten all day except for a few berries in the morning before we left to come here.

Clemmy was found on the opposite side of the fire where more meat was rotating above it, held up by Loker's abilities. Her wrist flicked upward, growing small sideways trees around the fire; the perfect seating arrangement. The bark crackled as it rose from the ground and slithered along the grass, small twigs poking through every few feet, leaves peeking out.

As she finished, she wiped her hands clean and sat down on the closest trunk to her. I found my way to a tree trunk near me, and traced the wood with my fingers, feeling the liveliness of it; Damian linked with my other arm, sitting beside me.

His fingers made their way toward my thigh, delicately placing them as if they were meant to always be there. The warmth of his hand felt right. His touch felt right. I looked up, smiling at him, loving the dimple that I saw in return.

He felt right.

A sharp chill cut through the stillness, causing our breaths to hang in the air like wisps of smoke. The season grew closer to Nesaiman 1 , the atmosphere becoming crisper.

Everyone was around the fire, taking bites of the various vegetables and meats, eating them all sparingly. Loker's eyes wandered, looking at each of us across the fire until they settled on Angie, who sat down with her made shift plate in her hands, plopping some of the red vegetables in her mouth.

He opened his mouth, saying, "You know Angie, you make a big deal about burnt meat for burning it a lot yourself," he chuckled at his own joke, widening his eyes as he polished his portion of meat, licking his fingers clean.

Abner's arm was wrapped around Angie's waist as they sat side by side on the log, him also partaking of the vegetables placed on his plate. She shook away his hold, staring daggers at Loker, her brow knitting together. "You promised you would never bring that up, Loker," she said, venom lacing her words.

Abner looked away, stifling a laugh, pretending it to be a cough, Clemmy joining in. Angie shot them both glares as they did so.

"That was the night that you joined us, right, Loker?" Clemmy asked, her smile widening, forcing herself to hide more of her laughs.

"Yep. When you caught me in that trap," Loker said, throwing his wooden plate in the fire, and sitting back on the log comfortably. Angie's expressions softened, a smile starting to peak. "Who set that one up again, anyway?" Loker joked, fiddling with his wooden whistle between his fingertips.

Clemmy cleared her throat, shooting her gaze toward Angie. Each of our eyes followed, watching Angie's golden blood rush to her face. "Fine. Fine. It was me. Honestly, you're such a problem that I wish it was a plump animal rather than a plump Scaleborne," she said, the smile that she was trying to hide growing on her face. This also set Loker to giggles. Clemmy coughed as laughter fought her throat.

"Well, it was a good one. I thought all of my golden blood was going to start running through my ears for how long I was upside down for," Loker chuckled, glancing his eyes toward Damian and I.

"How did you all find each other?" I asked, feeling the need to jump into the conversation as well. Abner pulled Angie in closer and she accepted his embrace as they both continued to swallow their food. Clemmy and Luella were across from us on the fire, devouring their food as their laughs slowed.

"We all found each other at different times, starting from our own journeys," Abner stated, eyeing Damian and me. "I fled into the Forbidden Forest seeking solace with my mother at a young age. She died not too long after we fled and I was in the forest by myself for a while."

I thought of Abner being alone in the Forbidden Forest at such a young age–the mind games that it plays on you, the way it draws you in. Damian and I were lucky enough to not have experienced any of the mind games it plays on people, but I knew enough about it from my books.

He continued, "I remembered Angie from when I was young. After connecting with Waimanimet 2 , I went back to search for her. I felt a need, for some reason. Good thing I did, as she was also alone." He looked at her as he said it. She wouldn't match his gaze, her eyes staring off into the dirt.

Clemmy broke the sudden silence, "Then I found them, after running away from my Shamla community, then Loker, which was when we found him from one of the snares GG set up." Loker saluted toward Angie. She saw his gesture and crossed her arms, leaning further back on her log, rolling her eyes.

"Then I found them!" Luella exclaimed, excitement filling her voice. "Not so long ago, either. But you all are my family." Tears lined her eyes, ready to overfill and burst. She glanced my way, and I smiled, already feeling as Luella alongside everyone else was starting to feel like family to me too.

"Where did you come up with the name Scalebound?" Damian asked, everyone's golden eyes glancing his way.

"I came up with it!" Loker announced, bowing with his words.

"Did you hear it from somewhere?" I asked him, thinking about the book I read on Scalebornes. The four elements that had the title SCALEBOUND .

"Not until Clemmy told us that it was what it was called when we connected with our dragons." Glancing at Clemmy, she also made eye contact with me, her head tilting, realizing that my head was spinning. I had never heard of the term Scalebound being used in connection to the dragons, but only when talked about for the four elements. Did it have dual connotations?

We each slowly finished our meal, throwing the wooden plates into the fire, watching the flames crackle and billow higher.

"Lia, do you know who might be behind the Deathlies? Since they are happening in your kingdom?" Angie asked, stretching her back on the log. The responsibility felt heavy on my shoulders.

"I'm not sure. The only person I could think of having the possibility would be the sorcerer who tried to have me killed in the first place. My grandmother has magic, but she is older. I am unsure if it would be this strong." I told them about my grandmother. I wanted to lie about it to keep her safe. The lie almost rolled off my tongue, placing the blame solely on Tybalt. It was true that my grandmother had magic, but it might work if she used some sort of connection to tether her magic to and be the power source for this spell. But what would be powerful enough to fuel something like the Deathlies?

Deep in my heart, I knew that Tobias also had something to do with it. Why else would he have the map without my father knowing? Why else would he have just barely conveniently gotten a place on the throne by my father? Why was the nest of the Deathlies so close to this home village and the castle? It just didn't make sense.

"Ugh, I wish I could've gone with you!" Luella complained. Her small voice pitched high in the air. "My maxz 3 has been getting so much better! I could've iced down all the Deathlies! Killed them for good!" she shouted. I wanted to giggle, loving her confidence in her new abilities.

"Luella, we didn't fight them. We just looked. You're still learning to ride your dragon, so we didn't want to put that on you. Maybe next time you could come?" Abner kindly offered. Her head nodded, then slowly drooped toward the ground, the weight evident on her shoulders.

"Let's lighten up, aye? What if we learned some dances? Or games?" Loker pressed.

"I could teach you the Clandike dances? I don't know them very well, as I have never needed to practice, but I could teach you what I know. Loker, maybe you could play your whistle? Enlighten us with your tunes?" I asked. A smile curved on his lips, appreciating the gesture and acknowledgment.

He pulled out his whittled whistle, placed his fingers over a few holes, and pulled it to his mouth, playing a few tunes. "Tell me what type," he said, ready to play whatever I told him.

"It'll be upbeat," I said, standing up and walking behind the trunks of the quickly grown trees where everyone could see me. Luella, excitement lacing her movements, jumped up, matching my movements.

"You're going to move this arm up and switch while tapping your feet." I showed them the moves I remembered from the night of the masquerade ball. "Then you will switch sides and do it again with lower arms. You will then link arms with your neighbor," I gestured, looking at Damian, and commanded him to stand up. He rolled his eyes as he stood up, ready for my next order. "Then you will link arms and switch partners, and then do it over, but with your partner linked in arms. Then you will move your feet behind you like this." I showed them the movements and the claps that went in between.

By this point, everyone was standing up and following along. Loker was dancing as he played the flute, and it seemed that only he, Luella, and Clemmy cared. Abner, Angie, and Damian rolled their eyes a few times, but pulled it through.

It took Loker a few rounds before he got a hang of the song. I was impressed. He was playing it decently close to the original tune. It was off a little bit, but not by much.

After the fifth round, joy radiated from everyone, their faces bubbling with laughter, the lightness in their steps. The claps and the "hurrahs" were enthusiastic in between the steps, everyone's legs aching from the efforts.

Warmth filled my chest as a smile was displayed on my face. It was healing doing my kingdom's dances with others like me. They understood me.

As a child, my mother taught me the intricate steps. However, after one lesson, she never taught me again. My memories of the dances were only built upon watching the drunken knights in the courtyard, stumbling through their steps as they exited the ballroom from one of the elaborate balls that my father would host.

After what felt like hours, everyone collapsed on the wooden seats made by Clemmy, leaning back far from the fire, getting away from the heat as their bodies were already heated from the activities. Their energy was fulfilling, reminding me of the freedom that life was like out of my tower.

1. Nesaiman (Nes-ay-mawn): Normally Winter (Nes for short)

2. Waimanimet (Way-mawn-imet): Abner's dragon

3. Maxz (Mahz): Ability