Wucaii

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aelana wrapped her talons around the tree branch and stared at the horizon. The night was dark, the moon nonexistent. Clouds covered the sky. A few stars peeked through the breaks. The bark crunched as Kalen stepped next to her. He reached forward and grabbed her hand. An orange light flickered on the horizon.

"So that's how it starts, huh? Just a small flame in the distance?"

Aelana turned to look at him. "Yeah. But it doesn't take long to turn into an inferno."

He frowned. "Does it get easier to watch?"

Aelana shook her head. "No. I don't usually hang around to see the planet totally destroyed. I usually go to my cave or head to the next world."

He glanced at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "Have you ever tried to stop it?"

She touched his cheek. "No. It's part of the cycle. At least now some of the inhabitants are saved. Before, everything was destroyed."

"True. It's just so . . . depressing."

"Try not to think about the death. Try to think about the new life that will come after this. It helps. A little."

"Do we have time to tell Bayn goodbye? I don't want to leave without seeing him one last time."

"Of course." She kissed him quickly before dropping his hand and jumping for the sky.

She hovered for a moment and watched as he carefully sidestepped down the branch. He bent his knees and bounced a few times before jumping. He wobbled as his wings caught the air and leveled him out. Aelana bit her lip to keep from laughing. Kalen glared at her.

"I'm sure you looked just as foolish when you started flying too."

"I doubt it." Her body shot straight up, then dove back down, spinning as she flew past him. She dipped into the trees and popped up in front of him. "I've always been a natural flyer."

Kalen beat his wings quickly to keep from sinking to the earth. He narrowed his eyes at her in mock anger. "Yeah, right. I'm gonna ask the queen about that."

Aelana smiled. "Be my guest." She turned and headed for the city.

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Kalen was behind her. He was a ways back, but he was getting the hang of it. She banked from side to side, spinning occasionally and diving up and down—an attempt to make him jealous, to make it look easy. She could only imagine what he would say when they landed.

The Church of the Wucaii appeared on the horizon, its outline silhouetted against the dark night. The planet had lost power a few hours ago. Almost a week had passed since the destruction started. The dragons closed in on the city. Soon, there would be nothing left. Bayn and his followers would have to head to safety shortly. They were determined to stick it out as long as they could, though. That was their home, and they didn't want to abandon it until they absolutely had to.

Kalen and Aelana had spent that week hiding in her cave. Kalen was changing, and he felt uncomfortable being around humans. The panic and fear had only gotten worse as the destruction grew closer, and he feared the violence would be directed at him. He couldn't be killed or harmed, but he was still figuring out his new body, his mind. That process was full of its own turmoil and adjustments. He didn't want to have to defend himself too.

Aelana knew exactly what he was going through, and she supported him. She taught him to listen to the earth and hear the multitude of voices, but he wasn't allowed to listen for long. He always found people crying for help—it wasn't hard—and he had to fight every inclination in his body not to go help them. He was a Protector, he wanted to be out there protecting, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't save those people, and he couldn't put himself at risk. Aelana decided to focus on helping him fly instead.