63. AURELIA

Chapter sixty-three

AURELIA

" T hey know," Clementine said, as we were running through the halls, trying to get to our dragons outside. The light illuminating from the sconces flickered as we ran on the pristine purple fabric carpet that covered the floor.

A numbness filled my body. My fingers lost the feeling in them besides the warmth of Damian's hand in my own, helping me make it through.

"Who?" asked Loker, keeping up.

"The Deathlies. The king was the connection," Angie said, smirking at Abner, catching up to us. "Wow, you're so strong. My Prince Charming," Angie mocked.

"Shut up, and keep going, GG," Abner exclaimed, not even close to being out of breath.

"You guys love getting off topic," Damian piped in. "Clemmy, what about the core of the magic?" he asked.

"We have to do something with the nest," I said, as Clemmy was running thin on breath. "The clue, y amceeii 1 axuaeii 2 uama 3 ," I repeated, my mind blank from watching my father die right in front of me, but the adrenaline kept it awake.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Damian asked, staying by my side, making sure that I could keep up. His eyes burned into my side, unsure if I was okay or not.

The truth was that I wasn't sure, either.

"Are you sure that you're the princess of this castle?" Luella teased me for not knowing where to go. I kept leading them in the wrong direction because the castle was so big. I was even more offended that it came from her, as she normally wasn't the one to insult the group.

"Oh! Down this hall!" I exclaimed, my fingernails burning into my wrists from clenching them so hard. We made our way down the passage, our footsteps pounding on the thick violet patterned rugs that lined the flooring.

We reached the large main hall stairs that split identically down both sides. A core memory of the night with the masquerade ball came to mind when I had to pretend to be Laneux 4 walking down the steps. It felt like a lifetime ago when, in reality, it was only less than two weeks. I thought of the person I was back then and the changes that had been made in my life.

In less than two weeks, I had become completely different and unrecognizable.

Powerful.

Strong.

The words that Damian told me occupied my mind. "Don't be afraid of how strong you are and how strong you can become. You have more to yourself than you give yourself credit for, my Queen."

We all flew down the steps, the patter of our shoes the only sound occupying the air as we crossed the marble flooring of the ballroom, reaching the back of the castle, passing the glass windows.

As we passed through the transparent panes, stumbling down the concrete steps, we reached the garden that was so familiar to me. The rain instantly pelted us, the storm loud above. The raindrops were so thick that I could hardly see my own hands in front of me. Flames flickered throughout the in-between of the water pellets up in the sky.

The dragons were fighting the Deathlies.

After a long streak of fire, something black fell limp to the ground, stampeding from the sky. It made a large thump as it collapsed onto the grass, barely missing the water fountain. Its limbs were misconfigured and poking out in unnatural ways.

The black body with hollowed wings made us gasp in response. It was a Deathly. And it was only a couple of yards in front of us. The grass around the Deathly started to pale and shrivel up, slightly spreading the disease around the creature.

The disease.

We had to get to the base, and I was worried that we wouldn't be able to make it.

"Belle!" I called out, hoping that she would answer. What if she wasn't okay? The fear of her being touched by a Deathly penetrated my heart, making its beating rapid and constant in my chest.

The sky was pounding with clashes, fire and lightning streaming across, flickering images of the dragons and Deathlies above. Where was Belle? She waited for me to worry uncomfortably until she responded.

"I'm okay!" she called out. I sighed, knowing that the gates of Ezu 5 hadn't taken her yet.

Something rushed through the sky, a creature hurtling earthward in a flurry of motion. At first glance, its scales gleamed a vibrant yellow hue, but within moments, a terrifying transformation took over, quickly morphing into a darker color, the scales covering its body shriveling, peeling off.

A bloodcurdling scream pierced my ears. Turning to look at the origin, I found Angie sobbing uncontrollably, fighting against Abner's hold.

"Don't touch her!" Abner's voice echoed through the chaos, his hands grasping Angie's trembling form as she thrashed against him. Her cries mingled with the tumultuous scene unfolding before us, her desperate struggles fueled by the desire to reach her dragon, now lying motionless on the ground. "There's nothing you can do, GG," he tried to say calmly. Her hysterical cries weren't stopping. Belle was in the sky, making her way toward Damian and I, her scales just as tense as I felt.

Diverting my gaze from Abner and GG, a rush of wind flew past me, and I heard something fly down to my left. It was an onyx black creature.

Covering my mouth, I could feel my body freeze up. Damian, by my side, pulled out his knife from his boot, and instinctively I did the same, following his motions, unable to move for myself. The Deathly closed in on us, forcing our footsteps backward, away from it, when I heard the same pounding steps behind us.

"We're surrounded," Damian said, his serrated knife out, ready to fight.

Calming my nerves, I raised my other hand and blasted flames, attempting to scorch the creature. It moved, the fire missing its body, and flew upward, spiraling to fling down back our way.

It curved down, swooping close, its claws outstretched. Without thinking, I flung the knife in my hand, hoping to hit the Deathly. The knife pierced one of its wings, and it crippled down, collapsing to the blades of grass, its body still pulsing with life. The ground beneath it started to ooze with black. Nearing it without touching the blackened ground, I raised my hand, using the flames to end its movements.

Turning around, I sighed as the Deathly that was near Damian also crumpled on the ground, his knife found in its lifeless body.

Pink caught my eye as Belle flew down, reaching the safe grass around us.

"Thank scales that you are okay," I told Belle, reaching for the horns that I normally would use to help hoist me up, but the rain on her scales made it difficult. Damian hopped on right after me, my hand lifting him up. Belle's back was slippery, my heart skipped a beat, nervous to go into the air with how slick it was.

"Luckily, but they know where we are going," Belle said, making my stomach twist even more.

Belle lifted off the ground, and as she made her way upward, I glanced behind us, watching the castle one last time, wondering if I will ever be able to see it again.

Everyone else's dragons were okay. Moisture welled in the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision and threatening to spill over, feeling for Angie. Washailameii 6 didn't deserve to die. I looked to see her crippled body on the ground, instantly rippling as it blackened from the spread of the disease. Her body shriveled up in an abnormal ball, the gold in her skin fading ever so slightly. Her scales flaked off like the dead skin of a snake.

I had to tear my eyes away, unable to witness anymore. I could feel my hands going numb, my body fearing this same thing happening to me or one of the Scalebound.

Belle launched into the air, the rain pelting my skin, my body shivering in return. Lightning streaked down, zapping the sky, lighting up for a moment, showing the other creatures circling around us.

We were about to enter a war zone.

The other Scalebornes were around us, also lifting in the sky, and following Belle and me leading away from the castle.

Their black bodies, a stark contrast from the lightning, pierced and petrified the sky. The dragons were about three times their size, but it only took one touch from the Deathlies to kill the dragon species.

The Deathlies were dropping like flies as dragons took the time to char them with their heated and unmerciful flames, however, the Deathlies were multiplying.

They started to cover the sky like dark, looming clouds. Whenever one fell, there were two more swelled into existence, a relentless tide rolling in to fill the void.

Flames erupted from Belle's mouth. The fire was like thick lava as it slashed through the Deathly in front of us. It shrieked as it fought the flames, but it was unable to stop the spread of the burn; It dropped from the air, meeting the gates of Haxnau 7 .

Angie was on Abner's dragon's back, and they were soaring through the air together. Angie's face was still stained with tears, but back in focus and control. A Deathly was on their tail, but Abner used his maxz 8 with his dragon, Waimanimet 9 , setting up shields from their shadows. Waimanimet then used shadows as blades and erupted scorching flames from his mouth as other Deathlies flew below them.

We all were attempting to make our way to where the Deathlies dwelled, some of us falling back at times, but catching up.

I fought back the emotions from losing my father. Later, I kept telling myself. Damian squeezed my waist, holding on as if to tell me that he was there for me and that everything was going to be okay.

The Deathlies were flying around us, snarling and gnashing their teeth, their eyes pierced with the color of Haxnau . I used my abilities, increasing the distance of my flames, working with Belle to scorch every Deathly that came into view.

Belle, being smaller, was able to sideswipe them quicker than the other dragons, maintaining their speed while not letting them come near us.

One reached over us, coming from above. I didn't even notice it until Damian cried out, "My Queen!" I barely saw its black leathered body coming after me, making eye contact as it swooped down, almost touching me.

" Washanam 10 !" I shouted in Satas Lerma , telling Belle to take a left. She followed my command and jolted herself, Damian and I holding on tighter to not fall off.

Off to the side of us, Luella held a water shield around herself, prismatic hues dancing on the surface from the filtered silvery radiance of the moon. Undaunted, her dragon, Tanaleiiman 11 , shot crystalline ice shards at each Deathly that they encountered, piercing their hearts and bodies, sending them flying to the ground. The freezing blasts engulfed them.

Belle took a rapid swoop downward, sending us below the fog of clouds originally crowding our view. Deathlies continued to come at us from all angles, and we could only fight them off one at a time, not even focusing on how many there were. We attempted to stay in our straight line toward their home, but we took an intense detour as we worked around the creatures.

I could see Loker on his dragon, Meiinaraux 12 , but only the outline of them that invisibly moved through the sky ; her tail scaled the clouds like a serpent. The manipulation of the wind around them sent Deathlies tumbling away in different directions, their wings halting as they flew.

I needed to use our maxz , but for some reason, the fear trapped inside of my gut wouldn't let me.

Concentrate.

Concentrate.

A Deathly swooped in front of us, its sharp talons slightly forward, ready to pierce us with its sharp claws. I imagined transporting exactly how we did when we were training. I only had a few seconds before we made contact with the Deathly.

Two seconds away.

Jump behind it, I told myself.

One second away.

Behind it!

I blinked, and the Deathly was gone, nowhere to be seen. However, we were heading in the same direction, the clouds heavy and dark in front of us. Turning, I saw the exact Deathly we passed behind us, confused and searching for where we went.

"Amazing, my Shadow Queen," Damian said, his voice rough and comforting.

A nervous laugh escaped my mouth, leaving my lips curved upward. The pit in my stomach slowly disappeared, the confidence of our maxz rising.

The moon shone through the clouds above, spilling energy down my veins. Light filtered in and out between the storm and the darkness of the sky. The rays gave me the same sense of hope that they gave me back when I was locked in my tower, leaving the moon the only constant in my life: hope.

"Help!" Luella cried out.

"Belle!" I yelled.

"Already on it," she said, turning toward the left, attempting to reach Luella and her Clanstan 13 breed dragon, Tanaleiiman . His skin pierced the sky with its watery blue texture, the rain sliding off like butter as if it was never there in the first place.

They were surrounded by five Deathlies. Luella was manipulating the water to the best of her abilities, creating walls between her and the Deathlies, as Tanaleiiman blasted ice from his mouth, freezing the Deathlies to a crisp, making them drop. However, each time one fell, a different one took its place.

We glided near them, and I created shadows of false dragons and riders darting past them. They caught the bait and followed the fake beings, leaving Belle to burn the rest to a crisp, helping Luella and Tanaleiiman .

"Thank you," Luella croaked, a sob escaping. "Don't leave me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

We plunged, the rain still plummeting on our skin, the clouds covering the moon here and there, making me wonder if I could still use my abilities even when the moon was covered as the fog wisped by.

We passed by Clemmy as she and her dragon, Teiimanam 14 , used light to blind the Deathlies, making them shriek and wind in different directions, thrashing with their teeth and claws in response.

The rain was so thick that I couldn't tell if we had passed by most of them. It was so dense and compacted, that I was worried a Deathly would fly up out of nowhere, and we would be too startled to do anything about it.

It only took one touch.

One touch and the disease would spread.

We were already one down.

There was no sign of any other Deathlies. Everyone else caught up, and I sighed heavily, knowing everyone was safe.

"Anybody touched?" Abner called out.

"No," everyone said in unison.

My shoulders relaxed. However, it wasn't over yet. We still had to go into the Deathlies territory. Where every little thing had been touched and dipped with the poison from their contact, we couldn't touch a single thing without bringing the plague upon ourselves.

1. Yamceeii (Yawm-say-ee): (Placed before the verb in a command)

2. Axuaeii (Ah-wah-ee): The verb to use

3. Uama (Wah-ma): Something to have/Theirs/Yours/His/Hers

4. Laneux (Law-neh-ooh)

5. Ezu (Eh-ooh): Heaven

6. Washailameii (Wa-shay-la-mee): Angie's dragon

7. Haxnau (Hah-nah-woo): Hell

8. Maxz (Mahz): Ability

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

10. Washanam (Wash-on-om): Left

11. Tanaleiiman (Taw-naw-lee-mawn): Luella's dragon

12. Meiinaraux (Mee-naw-raw-ooh): Loker's dragon

13. Clanstan (Clawn-stahn): Ice

14. Teiimanam (Tee-maw-nawm): Clemmy's dragon