Odessa

Morning came too quickly, as it always does in times like these. However, I felt refreshed, rejuvenated now that worry about Duke Mortus was over. He was in pieces, still lying next to the wall in bags, guarded by at least ten of King Orion's soldiers. All during breakfast, I continued to glance toward the bags, waiting to see some sort of movement trying to reassemble himself.

"Don't worry, he can't do anything," Ondi came to sit beside me. Creed was fixing me breakfast while I had a large blanket draped over my shoulders to keep the morning fog and coolness away. I felt much warmer than I was last night after the blast of light coming from my body. I still wasn't sure how that all transpired, but the anger my dragon felt about being touched in ways we didn't help me release it.

She was a force to be reckoned with and a personality that I needed to gain for myself. More self-confidence... which I feel I have strived leaps and bounds since surviving yesterday. "Once they bring him to the arena, they will empty his body in a pile and you can watch how they assemble themselves. It's quite a sight." Ondi drank the hot liquid steaming from her cup. Sighing enthusiastically, her body came closer to mine.

"You did great, you know," she nudged me. "You wanted to fight back, and you did. Now take some of that fire inside you and put it to good use by controlling it. You dragon will give it to you if you will it." I hummed in acknowledgment. I was going to need more practice.

"Do you think Sorceress Bohdi will continue to teach me?" Ondi chuckled, tapping her finger on her tin cup.

"Most definitely. She's taken a liking to you, which is a splendid thing. She's powerful. She can choose who she wants to take care of or train. She hardly ever takes anyone. You're lucky." The little smile graced my face. All this time I thought I wasn't progressing enough and wanted to give up, but maybe I was on to something.

Pulling my hands out of the blankets, I cupped them gently, concentrating as Bohdi taught me the ball of light appeared in my hands as it was a part of me. Light hues of purple smoke surrounded the ball, now growling larger as I thought about how I wanted it to appear. My eyes widened, watching the size increase and decrease until I willed it to fall apart in my hand like sand falling through my fingers.

"Woah," I whispered. Maybe I could do this, do what they need me to do. No more running to a tree or a cave to hide under my mate's protection, but to help protect the future of Bergarian. Whatever evil, this dark magic that has rogue vampires and witches entrapped by the darkness needed to be stopped. How could Creed and I ever rest if there was always a threat?

Creed's arm came around me, pulling me to his chest. I giggled as he put a bowl of warm porridge in my hand. "We are out of meat, and we are leaving soon. I can feed you better once we arrive back at the light kingdom." "Thank you. This is all I need." It was. I still wasn't used to big meals. Creed continued to force down my belly. Slurping down the porridge, I remembered Ondi telling me that the Duke would be put in an arena. "So what is the arena they are going to put the Duke in?"

Creed's body stiffened at hearing his name. His chest radiated a purr that made me want to sleep. "I'm not upset silly." I patted his chest. "I just wanted to know what happens to him?" Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his dirtied forehead. "Orion wants to tie him up in the middle of the training field that is also used as public torture and killing viewing. He wants to send a message." Almost spitting out my porridge, I wiped my mouth clean. "Are you serious? That sounds barbaric!"

"Look what he did to you!" Ondi replied. "Public humiliation of a noble. That is done around here."

"They are right," Willa walked to our group. "Just a few months ago, he stripped his old Court Speaker of his wings and set him ablaze in front of everyone."

"I don't want to be there for that," I muttered, sipping on the last bit of my food. Sure, I saw myself as stronger, but I didn't want to face that past.

Once the camp was packed, we all stood near the wall. The orcs looked on in wonder as each one of us continued to walk along in a single file line. Their turn came up, they hesitated but continued on. The orcs stood in awe near the wall, looking back and forth at the new land they had never stepped foot in.

"It's different," Valpar spoke, disappointed. "The soil, the trees, it's like another place. How can stone and brick hold back such a difference?" Being in the southern part of the Bergarian, we were closer to Vamparia than of the Light Kingdom. The trees were tall, large, keeping the sunlight away from the ground. Vegetation that hung low to the ground, mostly sticks and leaves, barely hanging on to life. Most of the darkened shrubs bore no fruit or flowers and the entire area was void of life. No bird sang in the sky and no rodent scurried on the ground.

"The rest of Bergarian isn't like this," Orion spoke to the orcs. "Most of it is beautiful, fruitful, and full of growth. Rogues have torn the Vamparia Kingdom apart, chased away the goods, and now it is left desolate, barely able to keep crops to survive."

Biting the inside of my cheek, Creed led me away from the conversation. Warrior dragons were already shifting, and the faes were pulling out their wings for the flight home. "Will you ride with me, my fawn?" Creed eyed me as I kept the blanket held around me. Shaking my head, I pulled it off, handing it to another fae warrior to put it away.

"No, I'm going to fly." Creed's eyes narrowed, standing in front of me with his arms crossed. Was he testing me? I laughed and playfully shoved him. "I'm a big girl. Think I can't handle some flying?" An enormous smile graced his perfect face, his forehead touching mine. "In fact, I'll race you," I chirped.

Creed's playful smile grew. Walking away, his dragon's smoke appeared only to be engulfed in blackness until his new beautiful dragon emerged. Laughing, I walked forward, feeling the purple and silver glitter around me. Pulling the magic inside me, I felt my body transform faster and let out a playful roar, prancing over to Creed.

Rows of dragons lined up, snorting and nudging each other playfully. "Ready?" Creed spoke to me, nipping at my horn. "Ready," I licked his cheek. Three dragons held onto ropes with a large branch tied at either end. Each individual orc sat their butts down on the huge branch. "The dragons are going to hold on to it like a swing so the orcs can travel in the sky with us," tilting my head in confusion, Creed laughed.

"Only mates may ride on a dragon's back. It's considered demeaning, letting anyone else ride."

"Oh," I nudged him. "So you thought I was your mate so long ago?" If Creed was in his skin, his face would be red, I know it.

"You were always mine," he muttered.

Dragons took to the sky, followed by the fae warriors. We weren't far behind, flapping our enormous wings with feathers floating in the wind. As much as I wanted to beat Creed on this flight, he, as well as many others, proved that still wasn't a great flyer.

With all the dragons in the sky, they set up themselves in small groups, taking turns taking the headwind while others rode in their streams. It was fun to watch and see how similar they were to birds flying south for the winter.

Creed flew behind me, nipping at my talons. Laughing, I dipped lower to brush the underside of my belly with the tops of the trees. Creed had always been a serious dragon, but he was certainly growing into a person he should have always been, playful, happy, and full of life. We were rubbing off on each other. I was taking his fierceness a day at a time while he took my playfulness.

We hovered over the landing pad, which was easy to do when there was a platform for my claws to land on. Several others had already flown to the warrior arena that was filled with people of all races. Cheering and excitment form the crowd had my stomach-churning. Orion and Willa, hand in hand, landed beside me as I turned back into my human form.

"This is getting easier," I spoke to no one in particular. Creed immediately ran and pulled me into a hug, playfully bitting my ear.

"You did it," He growled. "I'm so proud of you." Kissing my forehead, he held me close while Orion waited for Ondi and Apollo to gather around us.

"Annan," Orion nodded his head to him. "Make the preparations ready. Make sure there is enough UV light on him so he can be tied to the post without struggle." Annan bowed, flying off to the nearby arena.

"I don't have to be there, do I?" Rubbing my arms up and down, Orion gave a little frown.

"It would be best if you were." Orion cleared his throat. "We are to announce his wrongdoings and to tie it all together. We need your testimony." My head turned to the king. I wanted the Duke gone. I didn't want to see his eyes again. The emptiness, the loneliness, the crazy psychotic vampire he was had ruined my feelings of that entire race. I knew not all vampires were like him, like not all humans were evil, but it can be difficult to separate.

"If she doesn't want to be there, she doesn't." Creed snapped. "She's been through enough. Six months of it!"

"What of those three girls?" Orion snapped back. Three girls, barely able to walk, were being carried into the palace by the fae warriors. One girl's head was buried in the fae warrior's neck. It was intimate, making me think he had found a mate.

"They are too weak to walk, not able to stand to testify of what that vampire did to them. Mortus needs to be publicly humiliated, tortured, receive all the information from him, so we find out who is the head of this rebellion. Then, and only then, will he be put to death" Orion's wings turned dark, his skin color, his hair. Darkness fell into his eyes that reminded me of that of the Duke.

"Please," I said meekly. "Can I testify, then leave?" Orion's eyes softened.

"Odessa," Willa grabbed my hand. "You are strong, remember? You can do this. He can't hurt you, you have Creed and the entire Dragon Tribe and Faes right there with you. Besides, you ripped the throat out of a damn witch, girl." Willa tilted her head and eyed me heavily. "And you are scared? After that ball of light ripping the darkness out of every supernatural while we battled and you fought on your own? GIRL!" Willa rolled her eyes, dramatically throwing her hands in the air. Laughing, I cried too. I did it. I took the darkness and used it to brighten the room and burn the shit out of Mortus. I wasn't sure how I did it... but I did.

"My fawn." Creed turned to me. "I'll make sure King Orion doesn't force you. If you want to leave, we will leave." Creed growled, glaring at Orion. "But... I think you would benefit from it, if you are willing." Sighing heavily, turning to the small crowd in front of me, they awaited my answer.

"Alright, let's do this then." If all else fails, I throw a damn lightning ball at him.