69. AURELIA

Chapter sixty-nine

AURELIA

I opened my eyes and found myself no longer tumbling through a black gaping hole in some sort of portal to Haxnau 1 . The sun was sticking out through the clouds, the rays refreshing my skin. Dragons were flapping above me in the air. Their figures differentiated as they swirled through the sky, their wings and tails different from each other. Their colors slightly stood out, signaling their maxz 2 and breed.

But there was no more fire, and I didn't see any Deathlies, either.

Loker came into my vision, and then everyone else followed. "Lia, you good?" Angie asked, her arms crossed over her chest. But that's not what caught my eye at first.

Their skins were clear. There were no more diseases or boils covering their arms and legs. I looked at my hands, and I couldn't find anything, either. We did it. We ended the Deathlies.

I was being held in familiar arms. "My Queen," Damian said, holding my face in his hands. His face was black with smoke, his eyes droopy and tired. "I thought I had lost you," he whispered, sadness showing in the droop of his eyes. I lifted my freezing hand to his face, soaking in the warmth.

My heart fell. Something was wrong.

"Luella!" I cried out, attempting to sit up, but my elbows gave out. I forced through the pain and saw everyone else glancing over where I saw Luella last. "No, no, no," I shouted. "No!" My body heaved. The sobs, like a race, ran through my body, unable to keep up with itself. Tears pricked my face, soaking them with sadness.

"I'm sorry," Damian said soberly. I forced my legs to move and ran to her. I collapsed right by Luella's body, my own drained with no energy. But I didn't care.

Luella's small body laid on the rock. Her golden eyes were closed. The sun reflected off her beautifully dark, unblemished skin. Golden blood was stained around her body, her back arched in an unforgiving way.

"No," I whispered, unable to speak any louder. Clemmy, Loker, and Angie wiped tears away from their faces. Abner comforted Angie by wrapping his arm around her body. We all stood in disbelief. Our friend was dead.

It suddenly felt like my fault. The blood from her death was deeply embedded into my hands–an unremovable stain.

I could feel movement behind me and felt Damian put his comforting hands over my shoulders.

Belle.

The thought of her made my stomach sink. Was she okay?

"Belle!" I yelled, panic arising.

"Right here," she said as I heard her clomping behind me. I stood up and turned around, facing all of the dragons. Everyone's dragon was there besides Angie's. Even Luella's dragon, Tanaleiiman 3 , stood over her body, tears dripping down his slippery bright ice-blue scales, acknowledging his rider and the life that she had.

In the mix of all our dragons behind us, there were even some other ones that I had never seen before. Their tails curved with daggers, sharply poking out; their scales were flashy and shiny from the light; their eyes were beady and gold. Many of them were different sizes, being big and small, or having sharp horns that wrapped around their bodies, or wings that were cinched to their sides, affecting their mobility. Each of them was unique, here today representing the Scalekind and the elements from their maxzq 4 that they possessed.

"Walamana 5 ," they said in unison, bowing before me.

"Why are you bowing?" I said out loud, "You all are above me. I am nothing to you or for you."

"We are bowing because you are our only safe way to create harmony with humans again for once and for all," the largest black dragon said in a thick, deep voice, nearing me. He was twenty times my size, and smoke puffed out of his nostrils as he spoke. He had horns that were thick and curled three times at the end, sticking out into the air. "We will be forever in your debt for what you can provide for our kind." My heartrate quickened, shock radiating down my spine.

There were at least fifteen to twenty dragons behind him at this point, all with the capability of devouring me within seconds. Their presence overwhelmed my senses. Their claws dug into the ground, the scales that covered their bodies shimmered from the different colors of the breed that they represented.

"Was 6 ," the black dragon continued, "let us escort you back to the castle."

I nodded, blinking the tears of sadness and amazement from my eyes. My heart longed for Luella, but they were right. We needed to get back. Then we could have a proper funeral.

The thoughts brought shivers of sadness over my spine. Grief overtook my body, making me shake.

Belle rushed to my side, and in a swift motion, I leaped onto her back, assisting Damian as he joined me.

The other dragons surrounded their riders, pushing off into the air. Clemmy and her dragon, Teiimanam 7 , held Luella's body tightly to his golden periderm scales. We had wanted to take her back to give her a proper burial at my castle.

The air was clear, with no sign of the storm in view. Clouds were composed and covered the sky with a large blanket, leaving gaps for the bright sun to shine through. The sounds of wings flapping filled my ears, making me close my eyes and take it all in.

I remembered when Belle took Damian and me on our first ride. I let go of Belle and let my hands be unrestricted in the air, soaring with freedom. Damian did the same behind me. It was a reminder that I could breathe. We had saved the kingdom and needed her Scaleborne ability to make it happen as well. I couldn't let Luella's life be in vain.

I remembered how determined she was to learn her maxz and to ride her dragon. I wanted to grow up to be just like her: determined, driven, and not having a fear in the world.

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

2. Maxz (Mahz): Ability

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

4. Maxzq (Mahz-eck): Abilities

5. Walamana (Wa-law-maw-naw): Thanks/Thank You

6. Was: Please

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