Greetings everyone!
I hope your Friday has been nothing but relaxing or at least leading up to a relaxing weekend. I know my current updates are shorter than normal, but there are a few pieces coming up that will be longer reads.
On the work front, I have completed an outline and am in talks to rewrite an entire cookbook, yikes. Other than that, the pets and wild rodents are all doing well.
So, for now, enjoy this update of Fell Dragon! Get some tissues ready.
Jethron had allowed the Human queen to sit with Saita as the girl slept. And that is what she was doing now. The only drugs in her system were those that kept her pain at bay. She was sleeping deeply for the first time in years since she had returned. Jethron had allowed for dreamless sleep, but that was where his manipulation had ended. He had spent some time talking to Myla outside of the hospital room before letting her in to see Saita. The woman had no idea what he was trying to tell her, so he oversimplified it by saying. “A Dekai did this to her, and as the King of the Dekai, I am trying to make it right. The System inside of her is still repairing, and though it isn’t draining her energy as much as it did before, she is exhausted and needs to rest. Please don’t seek to wake her yet. She will wake when she is ready.”
Once inside the room, Myla’s tears flowed once more. Saita’s left leg was still in traction though it looked more like a torture device. Her right upper arm seemed to have been bound to her chest tightly while her lower arm was hidden under the blankets. Bruises littered every part of her skin Myla could see. All the marks were gone.
“She is healing but likely a lot slower than what she had in the past.” Said Sash. “It looks bad, but there is healing.”
Myla sat down heavily on the left side of her daughter and gently lay a hand on Saita’s bandaged left hand. She didn’t say anything, just sat there and held her hand. Jethron and Sash allowed her the privacy she needed.
“I’m sorry.” Whispered Myla. “For the words I used against you when you fought your father. I am sorry if I made it sound like you were at fault for your son’s existence. I wanted you to have a reason to live, to work through your trauma. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I should have tried harder to reconcile you and your father. I should have… I should have… fought harder for you to heal and not pushed you to fight an impossible and unwinnable war. Saita…”
The Queen took a deep breath. “Bolx told me how you tried to have your life ended but how you weren’t able to. We contributed to that. Us! Our family. You needed time, and no one was willing to give it to you, and now once more, you are being thrown into a fight where you have no say. Please Saita, take the time to heal. You can stay if you want. You don’t have to come home with us. Just…please…please don’t think that we never loved you. Read your father’s letter and when you are stronger and ready, come home.”
The Queen then sat in silence for a few minutes and just squeezed Saita’s hand. There was nothing more to say in the one-sided conversation. Only time would tell when the girl eventually would wake. Pura watched from outside the room and sighed heavily. He should have taken more time to talk to Saita before throwing his decision at her. The attack had hardly been his fault but had her mind not been clouded with emotions maybe she would have seen the danger. He shook his head. No, even with that was a lie he was telling himself. She wasn’t ready. Even when she had fought her father, she had only won by surprising him. She had strength but had no idea how to use it, and he had no idea how to deal with her abilities.
“Doran, we need to talk.” He said as he sat down in a chair at the door.
Doran, who had been chatting with the Dekai, turned to his king. The usual look of distrust of the King was now filled with concern.
“She needs to stay here.” Sighed Pura heavily. “And so do you.”
“Are you banishing me too now?” growled the soldier.
“No, but you know her. Out of all of us, you know her best. What she can and can’t do. She needs to learn to fight with discipline and an understanding of her skills. I think she could make use of the guidance of the Saith and you.”
“But my family…?”
“Hardly a problem.” Said Jethron as he leaned against the wall. “Species allied to the Saith get to share in their technology. One of those types of technologies was designed by Queen Shannon. A teleporting pad. It works on base genetics, so someone who hasn’t undergone any augmentation can easily make use of it.”
“But not Saita.” Said Doran sadly.
“She may be a human, but I doubt anyone except Edzeeker will truly know what else may be in her body at this point.” Jethron turned to Doran. “She may have lost hope in herself, but she never lost her hope in you. You have long been seen as a saviour to her.”
That comment hurt Pura, but he didn’t let it show. Doran seemed to think this over before saying. “Is this something the Queen would allow?”
“My mother is hardly a purest.” Said Jethron with a smile. “Although the Guard may not want a political move placing Saita with them if her skills are such that she can prove herself, she is entitled to join. Mother would welcome a fighter but,”
He turned to look down at Pura. “She is yours to command Lord Pura.”
“We just saw what my commands can do.”
“The Wolven were hardly your fault. They are agents of the Great Serpent, and they are harvesting energy. The Serpent is getting ready to make a move, and they are trying to remove lead players. They went directly for Saita. Allowing her to wander the universe is something we cannot allow now. She needs to be…” Jethron paused to stop himself from saying the final word.
“Leashed.” Finished Doran with a grim look on his face.
“I was trying to find a different word for it, but there really isn’t any other.” He sighed.
“I can help, but she is severely injured, who knows how long she will need to heal.”
“Eight weeks.” Said Sash as she walked from the room. “Faster if you bring her child.”
“Oh? Revealing a bit much, aren’t you, little niece?” asked Jethron. “I thought you were trying to hide the fact that you were a Truth Seeker.”
“There is no time to hide abilities that can help for the coming war. I can do as much good as a doctor as being a Truth Seeker, even more, if I combine the two. She hasn’t seen her child in two years…”
“Not while Edzeeker is alive.” Growled Doran.
“He no longer can do anything to the boy.” Said Jethron. “His abilities are sealed, and I have taken all the parts of the machine from him. I would personally stake my life on the boy remaining safe.”
“Will justice ever be served?” asked Pura after the silence grew.
“If you want Saita to learn how to fight with what was forced on her, then there is only one person who can teach her, and no person alive except for Edzeeker can do that. Saita did not learn to grow those marks herself.”
“What are you saying?” demanded Doran.
“I’m saying that Edzeeker had far more to do with Saita and her development than just what was done to her body. I am not by any means condoning what was done to her, but I am saying there was a development that he was instrumental in. At this point, can we truly turn our noses up at a resource as old as him?”
“My head says no, but my heart,” started Doran. “Aches knowing that Saita may have to continue dealing with him.”
Will Sait get the justice she deserves? As much as I would love to tell you all that, spoilers :)
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here and the start of Book 3 here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 7>>You are Here>>Part 9
