A safe place

Kairios

“Aurelia!” Why did she have to let that spell hit her! My mind was wild with panic and rage. I was so enraged at her for the risk she took and at the fool who harmed her. I vowed my vengeance on him.

“Wake up! Please Aurelia!” She was unconscious and still in Dragon form. We have to get moving before we are found, they could be here any second. She too large to carry and I can't leave her.

“Kairios, let me try to wake her, please, it’s my fault she’s hurt.” Saira quietly bagged me.

Saira moved to Aurelia's head and placed her hands between her eyes and whispered an incantation. It was in a language that seemed odd and frightening. Aurelia didn’t wake up but she started to shift back to human form. When she was fully shifted back, I put my shirt on her then picked her up and started running to the mountain line ahead. We need to get to cover quickly before we can tend to her wounds, I can’t take time to look at them yet. I run without looking down, my only thought is to get her far away from here.

From what I saw her side was black where this spell hit her and she was bleeding a lot. Don't look, don’t look. I had to repeat myself. We had to get away. We ran for a long time; the morning came and went. As the sun passed across the sky, we grew closer to the mountains. Aurelia didn’t wake and my worry was almost unbearable. Saira and I didn’t say anything as we ran, this was all her fault and for what? A stupid spell book! Nothing was worth it to see Aurelia in this state. Nothing

It was now dark by the time we reached the mountain base, we needed to stop. I found a large enough bush that would keep us covered, I tried to lay her down as gently as possible. Looking at her laying there covered in blood, my mind began to crack from the pressure of my rage and fear. I begged for this not to be real.

“Let me try to heal her.” Her words we soft and pleading.

“This your fault!” I couldn’t control my anger anymore. It exploded out of me. It was all I had to not kill her where she stood.

Unable to stand it any longer, I left them to find water. I also needed to find a better place to stay till Aurelia could move again. I didn’t go far just in case but I stayed away for a long time. Saira was more capable to tend to her wounds then I was. I took stock of my own wounds. I had been lucky, moments before she hit the ground I jumped off. I had a few scrapes on my arms but I couldn't tell if they were bleeding. I was covered in Aurelia's blood. For the first time in my life, I cried quietly and bagged the moon to save the girl I loved.

After a while I notice the forest is quiet, normally there would be animals out at this time of night. The quiet made it easy to hear the footsteps approaching, they were light, possibly a woman and I didn't recognize them as Saira's. They were coming from somewhere behind me. Surprised to be followed by a woman I waited till the steps were right behind me.

“What are you doing out alone in the forest in the middle of the night?” the intruder wasn’t fazed by my sudden appearance.

“I am looking for the injured girl you brought here in your arms." The woman said as she walked into the Moonlight.

She was an older woman but it was hard to tell how old in the dark. Her clothing was mostly black and hid her features well. The woman pulled her hood down revealing light red hair shining with silver. She looked familiar...

“There is no one with me.” I made my tone as unfriendly as I could in an attempt to make her leave the area. I didn’t trust this stranger.

“I know she’s still here and I know that she needs help. I don’t mean her any harm." Her tone was becoming firm in her confidence that I was not alone.

“Why should I trust you?” Like her answer would change my mind.

“I am the only healer around that can help a royal dragon.”

How did she know Aurelia was a royal?

“If you know who she is, then that proves you aren’t a friend to us. No one should know her identity.” I confirmed her statement but I also didn’t plan to let her leave here alive to tell anyone.

“You’re right, no one should know but some do, especially now. You can trust me. I’m her mother.”

Her mother?

“Impossible.” Was all I could say through my shock.

“Didn’t she disappear? No one really knows what happened to her.” Saira asked. I haven’t heard her approach. How could I be so foolish to forget my surroundings.

“I did. It’s a long story, one I’m will not tell you now. I will tell Aurelia first. We need to hurry and get her out of here. I have a place on that Mountainside. There we can clean her up and fix her wounds, please trust me.” The woman begged.

I was at a loss of what to do. Do I trust a complete stranger? I have no idea how to help Aurelia and we have nowhere else to go.

“If you do anything that will hurt her, I will kill you.”

I carried Aurelia as we walked through the forest to the Mountainside she lived in. This whole scenario was completely unbelievable. How could this woman be Queen Acantha? Everyone thought she was dead like the king, even though no body was found. I had a lot of questions for this woman. I would have to save them for when Aurelia woke up.

We made it to her cave as the sun began to rise. I was almost too big to fit through the small opening that was her carved out entrance. The small cave had been hollowed out to fit a bed and a table. There was a small fire in the middle of the room and the smoke drifted up into the deep cracks in the ceiling. We filled the small area making it hard to move around.

Aurelia was laid out on the small bed. Saira was standing by the table with Acantha, it looked like they were mixing something together. The smell of it was horrible. I tried to keep my focus on Aurelia.

“What is that?” I asked disgusted unable to contain it any longer.

“If we put this on her wound it will help her heal.” The woman said.

When the mixture was finished, she walked over and started to apply it to Aurelia’s side. When it touched any area blackened by the magic, it began so bubble and smoke. Her wound was huge it covered her whole right side. Panic filled me again as I worried that she would never wake.

“She should wake up soon, her wounds are bad however. The spell is very powerful It’s a miracle she survived. When she wakes you will tell me what was so important to put her in that kind of danger.”