Draconia Offline vol. 2

86.2. Owing an Explanation - Part 2

I hope to have another lucid dream, but I'm sleeping too deeply this time. I guess it's for the best because when I wake up again, my headache is much more manageable. I'm really glad that I don't need to go to the bathroom anymore because I'm lying squeezed between Erik and Gotrid.

I'm relieved that they took me being confirmed to be half-alien well and I feel sorry about hiding the truth from them. Maybe I should have told them after all. Who else should I ultimately trust than my partners? They support me in everything I do and are taking care of me all the time, no wonder I hurt their feelings by hiding things from them. Will they forgive me?

However, while I do regret it, I also don't. Liana said it clearly—if they knew, they would try to stop me for sure. I did what I had to do for the benefit of Draconians and Celestial overprotectiveness would only get in the way.

"Are you awake, my Emperor?" Cien asks from behind the curtain that envelopes our bed, whispering.

"How could you tell?" I don't understand because I hardly moved.

"Your mana emanation changes a tone based on whether you're awake or asleep, Your Majesty, we can tell for quite some time now," Cien explains and silently opens the curtain. "Are you thirsty?"

"A bit," I admit and, careful not to wake up my partners, I sit up. So they can tell, huh? That's potentially problematic, there's no faking sleep anymore.

Cien hands me a glass of water using telekinesis and I drink it to the bottom. I do feel much better and my current headache is at the intensity I'm able to tolerate. I hand over the emptied glass and thank her.

"Are you angry with me as well?" I ask even though I can feel it from her.

"Yes," she admits openly. "I'm angry that our embodiment of magic is constantly throwing himself in danger. I might not be in the Imperial Guard, but I do consider myself to be your protector, my Emperor. How would you feel if the person you wish to protect with all your being always tries to sabotage your efforts?"

I bite my lip. She has a point. Gotrid can protect himself, but if Erik tried to run away on a whim the way I sometimes forget myself during my flights or refuse the guards I assigned to him, I'd be seriously angry and worried-sick.

"We know that you do things only with the Draconian best interest in heart," she continues. "You hid the truth from us because you wanted to get information from your father and you knew that we would stop you. Yes, we would. Your safety is much more important to us than getting intel, when will you finally understand that?"

"I know that I'm the embodiment of magic, but you're over..."

"No, we're not overprotective," she doesn't let me finish. "You're the only one who can handle a race of proud conquest-hungry magic casters. With you gone, Celestials would go berserk and we would be at war with humans already. You lead by example and we're honoured to keep our vices in check when following you. Nobody else can give us that. Just look at other Draconian races."

My first reaction is to ask what she means by that, but then I realise that I do know. I just don't want to see it. Patriarch Deminas keeps to himself in Russia and generally doesn't care about his people in other countries. The Dragonkin are forming guilds, happily trading with each other, but seeing only crafting and technological advancement that goes with it.

The Earthborn King and Queen Werden and Twyla have their people much more united, but their only concern is the environment and bioengineering. There isn't a day humans don't see the Earthborn rallying against the exploitation of nature and they are gradually retreating into forests, starting to build their unique habitats.