Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 54

He glanced at me and then back to Aeria. He said, "What exactly did she mean when she said she had to speak to you to get you both out alive?"

Aeria took a deep breath before slowly going over the events. By the time she finished, Taureen's eyes were closed and his breathing was reflecting whatever self-control exercises he had been trained in. He had been livid when the back gate had been broken, and I suspected that he was far past that point now that he knew that Draven had just tried to kill both me and Aeria. He was hiding it well though, possibly to avoid scaring or disturbing me.

He finally opened his eyes and gazed down at me. His voice remarkably calm when I knew that thrashing Draven was the main thing on his mind. "I must say that I am extremely glad that you mindlinked me. I wasn't aware that you could do that over such a distance."

I blinked slowly. "Neither was I." I let both of them hear my response, and they could feel the difference in my mindvoice. "The main mindlink isn't even strong enough to stretch from one side of the central park to the other. The direct speech must be stronger than I had realized."

Aeria sat up straighter in realization. "That was how you knew to send the guards. I wasn't aware that she had contacted you."

"Her voice was extremely faint, but I could hear it." He frowned slightly at me. "But she made it sound like she had gotten loose, and you two had simply gone astray. Her words didn't make me think that you were in any real trouble."

I shrugged as best I could while laying on my back. "I am sorry about that, but what would you have done if I told you that I had flamed the noses of three raptors while trapped in a cave with an insane Kymari outside? If you were closer, say on the planet, I probably would have included more details."

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes once again. "That is not really helping me calm down."

I wonder if a distraction would help. I glanced sideways at Aeria as I directed my voice at Taureen, while letting her listen in. "We could always discuss some of the other things that I overheard the ladies talking about while you were away."

Aeria's jaw dropped. "What did you tell him?!"

Taureen was successfully distracted and started chuckling. "It may be safer to ask what she didn't tell me."

"Tasha! How could you? To think that I trusted you!"

I grinned at her. "I am on Taureen's side, what can I say?"

Aeria shook her head while muttering something about the walls having ears. I wiggled a bit while upside down and gave her an innocent look. "To be fair, I didn't tell him everything. Some of it was girl talk that I didn't feel comfortable repeating."

She groaned as her gaze moved to stare at her feet in embarrassment. "I can't even remember everything that my friends and mother discussed around you. It never crossed my mind that you would even be capable of understanding us, let alone telling Taureen."

I tilted my head. "I am a winged lizard that lived in the forest until this year. I do not understand as much as you give me credit for."

"Thank goodness for small mercies."

Taureen chuckled before his mood grew serious once more. He pressed a few buttons on his wrist comm. "Tran, can you please tell me what condition Draven is in and where he is located? I have a bone to pick with him."

Tran's voice came back through the device. "Draven is dead, and his body is already being shipped out to his parent's place in the delta quadrant for funeral arrangements."