Chapter 1 #2
Indeed, Daer did not. Hesher was practically running to keep up with Daer's long strides.
He scanned the perimeter and saw dragon fire coming from the high ground, signaling that his soldiers had obeyed and taken their stations.
Greeted by acquaintances and friends, it took some time to reach the platform.
Hesher stopped to ask Tae and Eveline if they felt any adverse warnings coming from the planet and they assured him nothing awful was about to happen unless Eveline went into labor and poor Daer had to leave his own mating ceremony to deliver the twins. He was not amused .
Hesher had difficulty keeping his eyes off the sky, ever the vigilant soldier.
It seemed the less there was to worry about, the more apprehensive he became.
It was the trait he used to keep as many of his men alive in battle as was possible: expect the unexpected.
A perfect day could not end without something to mar its perfection.
Hesher knew that made him a pessimist, but he did not care.
The weight of Talonia and its inhabitants was always on his shoulders, and it was a heavy burden.
Shara left the palace, and all of Talonia was silenced.
To Hesher's eyes, she appeared as an angel.
Her white dress shimmered as it reflected the colors around her, just as her body did when she was in dragon form.
The train on the gown was ten feet long and embroidered with Shara's own weredragon using silver thread.
But, the edges of the entire train sparkled with a different color: violet, in honor of Daer.
Hesher could feel him begin to shake at his side.
He placed a calming hand on Daer's arm, reminding his friend that all would be well.
Shara's smile was brighter than the red sun, and when Daer looked directly into her eyes, his shaking instantly subsided.
Their voices were strong and unwavering as they pledged their lives to each other.
It was the king's mighty voice that held signs of unshed tears as he sealed his daughter to the healer.
Hesher carried the symbols of the sealing and took his turn at placing the necklaces on his friends. To Daer, he whispered, "Childhood dreams can come true. You are more than worthy of a princess. It is your love that frees her."
To Shara, he said, "Patience has brought you a treasure. His love will give you the freedom your beautiful heart desires. Daer saw the gentle heart beneath the chains of duty. May it shine now for all to see."
Once the ceremony ended, Hesher could breathe again. Daer and Shara chose to transform and leave the city to celebrate without them. Their destination in the far outskirts of Talonia was a secret known to none. They took no guards to protect them, making the king furious and Hesher cringe.
As the day progressed, Hesher tired of the music, dancing, and noise of the celebration.
Being lonely in a crowd was too much to bear.
He wandered away, made the decision to transform, and surveyed Talonia as the red weredragon.
Soaring through the sky and rediscovering the beauty of his home set Hesher's soul at peace.
Up here, he felt as one with his world and loneliness was nonexistent.
The first rumble he heard did not disturb his peace.
He assumed it was a restless volcano. The second made the huge dragon sharpen his gaze to seek out the source of the offending sound.
All appeared normal on Talonia's surface.
He felt the third rumble in his powerful chest, suddenly realizing it was coming from the dense cloud bank overhead.
His body tensed, and he sent out a roar that echoed over the land, alerting the weredragons on security duty.
Their answering bellows were heard over the revelry, and the celebration came to a halt.
The giant spaceship dipped below the clouds, shocking Hesher into action.
He was in its direct path, and it was immediately obvious that it was out of control.
It was spinning in circles and yet flipped end over end.
Even as he flew across the sky to evade his own death, he was sending out warnings to all within hearing distance.
At the last minute, the ship turned slightly, veering away from the city and its dense population.
It would crash instead in the wide valley between two volcanoes.
There were a few homes located there, as some Talonians preferred to dwell away from the capital.
But thankfully, they were empty today due to the celebration.
White cloths had popped out of the silver ship, catching on the wind and slowing its trajectory. Hesher saw that all its outer doors were open as well. He supposed the openings were doing the same work as the cloths. It was a desperate bid for survival.
Enemies or not, Hesher wanted the ship's occupants to win the battle. He had great respect for how hard they were fighting. Their leader must be a lot like himself, never giving up no matter how bad the odds were against him.
When the ship hit the ground, tremors went through Talonia, causing the volcanoes to send their fiery blazes high, endangering the entire planet.
But, the fire was met by its nemesis. The tremors had also sent water from the waterfalls flying into the air.
The sizzle as fire met water was a soothing sound to Hesher's ears.
Ashes settled over the downed spaceship, which was tilted on its nose and partially buried in the ground. However, it was all in one piece.