It was the middle of the night when Gerel awoke her. His face was pained and tired.

"We need to move," he said, brushing hair out of his eyes. "A lot of people have already passed us by when they were fleeing the village. I have a small invisibility spell up, but we know how well that worked last time."

Aelwen looked down, noticing all of her cuts and wounds had been covered with goo and bandaged.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Gerel shrugged. "Yea, no problem. Anyway, we really need to move. We've got to get to where my people are camped. It shouldn't be too far away. We'll be safe once we're there. I obviously can't walk right now, so you'll have to carry me."

"Those people in the village..." Aelwen said, "We caused their village to be destroyed. Isn't there anything we can do?"

"They wanted you dead. They were about to kill you. If I hadn't destroyed that guy's staff, you'd be a rotting corpse," Gerel muttered.

"I know, but... Even with all the cruelties they did, they really didn't know it was me," Aelwen stammered. "They've gone through hell. Their families have died, their homes burned down, everything they had taken from them. It's understandable why they wanted revenge."

"They tried to sacrifice you to Cainen. That magician had you possessed by a demon of rage!" Gerel spat.

"He did!?" Aelwen was taken aback. Her memory of the whole ordeal after her mind had been dimmed was hazy.

"Yea. You were lucky I was able to get it out. Thankfully it was only a minor demon," Gerel said, securing his backpack to his back.

"What? How is that even possible? He is a follower of Cainen, not Auria. He cannot use her demonic creatures to possess others," Aelwen shook her head in wonder.

Gerel looked downward. His hands were shaking. "Aelwen..." he hesitated. "Have you ever wondered if maybe Cainen isn't who you think he is?"

"Never! He has lead my mother to many victories and kept our kingdom safe from harm-" She stopped. "Well, you know what I mean. He's very powerful, and is the reason humans can use magic. He created the world, for goodness' sake. What are you talking about, Gerel?"

Gerel talked slowly and softly. "Aelwen, have you ever communed with him?"

Aelwen blinked. "Well, no. Mother does--did--every day. But she said I wouldn't be ready until I was a bit older. He's too powerful for one as young as myself to connect with."

"Bullcrap." Gerel spit.

"Excuse me!?" Aelwen cried.

"You should never have to be a certain age to commune with a god," he said. "A god should be able to communicate with any creature of any age."

"Gerel, are you implying my mother was a heretic!?"

"I'm saying Cainen is not a god."

Aelwen froze. "You can't be serious."

"I am, that's why I'm helping you. You need to know the truth, and you need help figuring everything out." Gerel pursed his lips, holding out a trembling hand. A small lick of red flame burst to life directly over his outstretched palm. It was vibrant and beautiful, the soft light dancing across the two young one's faces. Gerel gave a ghost of a smile.

"How are you doing magic without a wand?" Aelwen said, staring at the fire in wonder.

"Humans were never meant to rely on their own channeled energy to use magic. Wands are just ways to limit us and suck away our life force." Gerel flicked his fingers, the fire disappearing and a ball of ice replacing it.

"My mother wasn't the heretic. You are," Aelwen said, face darkening and nostrils flaring. "You're using some kind of dark magic from Auria."

Gerel didn't say anything.

"We're going to go directly to Cerubia. No detours," Aelwen stated, turning her head away from him. "Mother's talked about her before. They were good friends a long time ago. She lives in Ceruby City to the east. Let's go."

"W-what!? No! She's a witch! We absolutely cannot trust her!"

"Oh, really? Because I certainly don't trust you right now!" Aelwen huffed.

Gerel's face swelled with anger. "I fed you, sheltered you, patched you up, and saved you from death! Are you that much of an ungrateful, spoiled princess that you would tell me you don't trust me at all!?"

"No, I... I just-- my mother was not wrong! Cainen is a god, and the one I will serve when the time comes," Aelwen shook her head. "I... everything has changed so much... my kingdom needs me and I can't do anything."

"So do you trust me or not? Are we going to my people? I swear to you we can help make things right much better than Cerubia can."

Aelwen shifted nervously. "I'm sorry. We must go to Ceruby. My mother is always right, Gerel."

"You can't-!" Gerel almost lept to his feet, but stopped midway and cried out in pain. He smashed back down into the pond and grasped his leg. He was starting to panic, his voice laced with fear. Both he and Aelwen knew that he had to go with Aelwen wherever she chose. After all, she was the only one who could walk.

"Y-you know what? My name isn't even Gerel. There, I said it. It's actually Kotuya. A name that means, guess what? 'Blessed by Auria.' So yea. I guess you have a reason to not trust me, huh? I am a follower of who your people consider the devil, right!? But please, just let me show you why we believe what we do! You can learn magic now instead of later!

"You lied to me?" Aelwen cried between glinting fangs. "Do you understand the concept of trust? Not to mention--" her eyes widened in realization. "You are a follower of Auria! The goddess that works for the destruction of Cainen and my kingdom! Why would you ever think- how could- why would-" Aelwen growled, stamping a foot in anger. "You might as well be aligned with the dragons!" She snapped her jaws, eyes narrowing to slits. "We are going to Ceruby City!"

Aelwen could swear she saw tears gathering in Gerel's brown eyes. "Aelwen, please! We can't go to Cerubia! She'll kill me!" He was almost in a frenzy now, hands clawing at her scaled neck.

The sound of snapping twigs and yelling caused Aelwen and Gerel to whip their heads around. The fast-moving shadows of fleeing villagers pounded through the crunching leaves of the forest.

"Get on," Aelwen said, voice stern and face hardened. Gerel complied immediately, biting his tongue to keep himself from shrieking as he slung his leg over the side of her back.

She took off, galloping through the woods towards the land beyond.

...

There was a certain deathly serenity to the abandoned farming town. A gentle breeze brushed past haphazardly placed hoes and rakes. The rotting corpses of severely seared cattle lay half-buried in sown fields. Many of the buildings were burned completely to the ground, while others stood mostly untouched to partially destroyed.

All was quiet save for the sounds of Aelwen's padded footsteps and her labored exhales mixing with the breath of the wind.

She carried a sleeping Gerel (she refused to refer to him by his real name) on her back and a map in her front paw. She checked it occasionally, using the sun and stars to guide her path. She had taken the map from Gerel's bag after he had passed out from exhaustion. He likely wouldn't have let her take it otherwise.

... I hope these people made it out all right.

Aelwen strode into the most intact building, laying herself down near the fireplace. She had walked the rest of the night and the day, past fields and the remains of villages. She had avoided roads and refugee camps, keeping an eye to the horizon for billowing smoke rising to the stars. Tens if not over a hundred dragons had flown over her, scaring her half to death until she remembered that they would take no notice of her while in her dragon form... At least, that's what she told herself to keep her calm.

Gerel had continued protesting most of the way, trying to convince her why her plan was a horrible idea as well as gasping whenever his leg was disturbed by a bump in the road. She tuned him out until he fell asleep.

The small red dragon let Gerel down gently, rolling him softly off of her back. Good thing he's a heavy sleeper, she thought. Next she turned to the fireplace, placing a few pieces of wood and dried leaves she had found outside the house into it.

She took a deep breath. For the past day, she had felt a sense of heat boiling through her veins and swelling into her chest. She had avoided releasing it, as she had a feeling she knew what it was.

She gazed at Gerel, who lay shivering on the cold floor. His teeth chattered loudly.

Aelwen's ears flicked upward. The soft sound of a Phoenix caw echoed through the night. A lone feather, glowing red and orange, drifted downward after entering a hole in the ceiling. It twirled and spun in the soft air, landing gently on Gerel's chest. Aelwen's eyes misted over as she closed them. She pointed her snout to the fireplace.

Tongues of flame burned and flicked within her chest, begging to be released. She obliged.

A steady stream of pure white fire spew from her mouth, pouring into the fireplace and setting the wood a lite. The dancing swaths of flame were quiet and beautiful. Aelwen gave a small smile.

Perhaps there were advantages to being a dragon.

...

The rest of the night was uneventful. Aelwen kept watch until dawn, not feeling like sleeping. Thoughts of the burning village mixed with the sounds of the people's screams rang prominently through her mind. She would fix everything, somehow. She would save her people, no matter the cost. The problem was that she didn't know how.

Protect me Cainen. Give me strength. The thought was emotionally charged, but ultimately felt hollow.

She picked at the scales on her arm. Their shine reflected the white fire only slightly, as most were covered in a sheen of mud and grime from the journey. A few little leaves were stuck between rows of them. She carefully cleaned them out.

Once I am human, what am I to do then? I have no special powers, my magic is pathetically untrained. I will have to attempt to rally my people into forming some kind of rebellion. Her stomach churned. I could organize an army, I think. But I will definitely have to find some kind of general or sorcerer to lead the battle strategy in my stead. It will not be easy, but...

Her mind drifted to the feeling of her mother, her soft smell of lavender and her favorite purple gown brushing against Aelwen's skin. Her father's hearty laugh and hand patting her back in congratulation when she beat him in fencing, and his rough stubble he never wanted to shave scratching her when he kissed her forehead.

I must do it for them. She looked to the bright stars. They will be avenged.

...

Gerel was surprised when he woke up and saw white flames blazing in the fireplace. He didn't say anything though, as he now had decided to give Aelwen the silent treatment. Either that, or his throat was sore from protesting all of yesterday.

When Aelwen got up and told him it was time to leave, he simply refused to move. Aelwen clasped the back of his shirt with her jaws and swung him onto her back, causing him to scream. Aelwen gave a sly grin to herself.

They unceremoniously left the town. Aelwen studied the map and continued her path. According to her calculations, by sunset they would arrive at the city, and she would finally be human.

Unless the dragons already overtook the city.

Aelwen felt a pit form in her stomach. She bit her tongue. Cerubia is extremely powerful. Surely she protected the city excellently.

Though Mother was the most powerful sorceress in the land... And, yet...

A roar broke the silence. Between the thick trunks of a few pines was a clearing filled to the brim with dragons. Aelwen stopped dead in her tracks.

At least a dozen of the gargantuan beasts were gathered around a young human man. He was tied up with thick black rope, in stark contrast to his shock of dirty blonde hair. A purple tattoo marked his hand.

It's Yaro... Aelwen crouched low, blue-green eyes peering through the bushes like a cat on the hunt.

"Tell us how to get into the city," the biggest dragon of the group boomed, smoke streaming from his nostrils. His yellow tail whipped back and forth.

Yaro trembled, unintelligible noises coming from his mouth. A grey dragon shoved him to the ground, pressing down dangerously on his tattooed arm.

Yaro gave a cry and squirmed under the pressure. "I don't know anything!" he screamed. "I don't live in Ceruby City! I only performed there once!"

Gerel tapped Aelwen's neck, motioning her to move her head near his mouth. He whispered almost inaudibly into her ear.

"We need to move around the clearing edge. We don't want them to find us," he said.

"Can't you cast an invisibility spell around us?"

"I can't cast a moving invisibility ward, that's... kinda beyond my skill."

"Oh. Greaaat," Aelwen sighed.

"You'll have to be really quiet. Dragons can hear very well."

"Yea, I've noticed."

Aelwen crept slowly around the clearing, avoiding stepping on crunchy leaves or twigs. Her feet padded through soft dirt. A shivering Gerel clung to her back like an infant to its mother.

A sickening crack came from Yaro's arm. Aelwen's stomach leapt into her throat as she heard his frenzied howl. "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! LET ME GO LET ME GO LET ME GO! GAAAAHHHH!" A steady stream of blubbered curses streamed from his mouth.

Aelwen felt Gerel dig his fingernails between her scales. She glanced back at his grimacing face.

A maroon dragon descended from the sky, landing next to the large yellow dragon. "We've identified the sorcerer who is defending the city. She is the Great Witch Cerubia. Sources indicate she is the leader of the town, and, as proven already, extremely powerful," she said.

"We will need reinforcements. Send a messenger to Empress Kaleign and inform her of our predicament. I want this city overrun by tomorrow's dawn," the yellow dragon declared.

Is the city being shielded? How am I going to get in looking like this...? Aelwen thought.

The maroon dragon nodded and took off. The yellow dragon turned his attention to Yaro, continuing the thus far fruitless interrogation.

Aelwen had made it around the clearing. As she prepared to continue toward the city, she gave a look back at Yaro, who writhed on the ground in pain, surrounded by uncaring beasts who would no doubt dispose of him...

She closed her eyes.

"Gerel, do you and your people side with the dragons?"

Gerel's voice lowered. "No. We want these dragons defeated as much as you do."

"Good."

Aelwen journeyed on.