The Fields of Fire

Chapter 6: Tau Adana

She glanced back at Xaren. she really didn't like to think about what he was. She had believed Zytrian propaganda with every fiber of her being, even as a child. There was nothing she hated more than elves and sorcerers, wastes of space consuming resources that belong to mankind, the real mankind. That hate ran deep, deeper than just simply what she'd heard on the radio. But, at the same time, she knew Xaren was a kind boy, he was no monster. If most hybrids were scum, than he was one of the good ones.

She answered best she could, "Honestly, I'd never met a Hybrid before you. I'd heard all these stories about how you guys were genetic freaks, but I don't see that in you. I just see a boy who loves the world. All this war stuff, it's really complicated and, it can be confusing some times. But I know you're a good person, and there's not more to it than that." She smiled, "Besides, you remind me too much of my little brother for me to hate you."

Xaren looked somewhat surprised by Tau's comment, but his attitude was stifled by the sound of feet behind the door. Xaren and Tau looked back towards the door as it swung open. Stepping through the entrance to the cottage were Brandon and the Elven Woman, who Tau had learned was named Xara. Tau and Xaren got up from the porch and turned to face the two.

"You guys have a nice conversation?" Xara asked.

With a twitch of his pointed half elf ears, "Yeah! Turns out democracy is still awesome, and Tau doesn't hate me!"

Tau looked to see that Brandon was holding a backpack, what would they need that for? Xara smiled as she stepped down from the stairs. Tau often forgot how tall elves really are until she was standing in one's shadow. "Well that's good to hear," Xara said.

As Tau got a better look at the backpack she saw a few water bottles strapped to the side and a compact hiking stick jutting out of a zipper. "Where are we going?" Tau asked.

"We're going to show you one of those Atherian Sunsets everybody's always so worked up about." Brandon responded.

Xara interjected, "We're going to the Dracona Xe Yamazias."

Xaren instantly lost his mind, "HOLY SHIT! No way, NO WAY!" His mom started nodding, with the smile that only comes from the joy a mother gets from the happiness of her child, "Yes, This is going to be so Awesome!"

"What's the, Drocona eh, uh, ya-whatever the heck." Tau interjected.

"ONLY THE MOST AWESOME EVENT IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!" Xaren seemed so full of energy that he looked like he might explode, "It is the COOLEST most AWESOME, most SPECTACULAR festival anyone has ever been to ever!"

Tau still had no idea what they were going to, "I still don't get what the big deal is."

Xaren violently applied his palm to his face before explaining it to Tau like he was speaking with a child, "Dracona Xe Yamazia, Dracona, Fucking DRAGONS!"

"Xaren, Language!" Brandon shouted, but Xaren didn't seem to care.

"The Dragon festival is the coolest thing! There are Dragons and some of them are absolutely insanely huge and they fly and they dance in the sky and you get to meet some the dragon riders too, and they're like super cool ultimate badasses." He looked really serious, "and some of the Dragons that show up don't have any Riders, and If you're really lucky, one of those Dragons will choose to be yours, and then you can ride it and you'll be Dracoyaren, Dragon Bound! I go every year just in case it might be me." His face turned to disappointment, "But... they canceled the Festival. They needed every single dragon rider to be ready to repel the invasion." Tau was shocked, how do they know about the invasion?

"I just received word, the Zytrian Invasion has been aborted! The humans are turning around their ships around and heading back to Zytria. So now the festival is back on!"