Ky'Mera: The Next Generation (Sequel Series to the Ky'Mera Adventures Trilogy)

Chapter 6: Surface Invitation

She took a deep breath and said with controlled patience, "I said that mom and dad are going back to the surface, even though dad's leg is still broken! Tell them that the idea is stupid because they won't listen to me!"

I looked over at Chiara, who must have heard the whole thing because the next thing she said was, "Then I'm going with you." She moved to get up but closed her eyes as her hand went to her fractured rib.

"You are in no condition to go anywhere." I said as I gently pushed her back down onto the bed, "You need to let that rib heal before you even think about getting out of bed."

"Actually mom wanted to talk to Chiara and Koni as well," Gabby said, placing one finger on her temple, "something about choosing the new leaders of the Delvi and Draconians." She said it slowly but the message was clear enough. I pulled Chiara to her feet and raced out of our tent, leaving Gabby in the dust as we ran to Helios' former tent.

As we came stumbling to a halt inside the doorway Chiara and I were a bit surprised to see mom and dad sitting next to several elders from both the Delvi and the Dracos. They looked up as they realized we had come in, and mom smiled at us as she motioned for us to sit next to her.

We took a seat on the bed and an old, wrinkled blue Draco cleared his throat, "Well, now that everyone is here but young Gabby, we can begin the decision of who will become the next leaders of the Delvi and Draconians. We will need someone besides ourselves to take on the job, for I fear our ancient state would hinder our people in these changing times."

"But how do we choose a younger member to lead when there are so few that have any experience in leading anything, much less an entire people?" a grizzled Delvi with more gray fur than black asked, "Who among us has the knowledge to lead but is still young enough to change with the times ahead?"

I cleared my throat to get their attention, and everyone looked at me like they had just realized I was in the room, "You're forgetting that in this very room are two prime candidates for the positions of leader for both people." I lifted up Chiara's hand, "Here is one for the Delvi," I got up and went over to Koni as he sat in the back corner, raising his hand as well, "and here is another for the Draconians." I looked at the elders and saw looks of skepticism, "Oh don't tell me the thought hasn't already crossed your minds before this. Chiara and Koni are the best options by far because they have been in combat leading the Delvi and Dracos together against a far more powerful enemy, and they have already known leaders of great quality to model themselves after." I spread my hands in a questioning manner, "Do any of you have a reason that they couldn't be the new leaders?"

They looked from one elder to the other and then cast several glances at Chiara and Koni, seeming to size them up to the task of being leaders. I saw heads nodding ever so slightly as they reached a decision, and a green female Draco stood to address the group, "It is the agreement of this council that what Jason says is true, but we will not force ones so young into a position that they feel they are not ready for." She looked at Koni, "Do you feel that you can lead the Draconians wisely and justly as Rona did before you?"

We waited on baited breath as he scratched his chin for a moment, then he looked up and said, "I think I can manage."

The elder then looked to Chiara and asked, "And do you think you can lead the Delvi in your father's place, knowing that they will compare you to him on many occasions and test you to see if you can fill the place he used to have?"

She never even paused as she said, "I'll be the best leader we've ever had. I'll make my father proud to have called me his daughter."

At that the elders stood and pulled Koni and Chiara into the center of their group, the Delvi placing their right hands on Chiara's shoulder, while the elders of the Dracos each produced a small fireball in their hands. The Delvi ran their hands down Chiara's chest, back and sides, chanting something I couldn't hear, though Chiara seemed to know what they were saying. I looked over and saw the elder Dracos forming the fire in their hands into tight balls as Koni removed his shirt. They then used the balls to lightly burn marks down his chest and back in complex designs, until his entire torso had swirls and lines covering his scales. He didn't seem to be harmed by the heat, though given his scales I would imagine it was just a surface mark, not deep enough to harm his skin or muscle.