Aurora and the Fire by Jessica Hammatt (philippa perry book .txt) 📖

When Dreka had woken up not long before now, the sight that lay before him was not one he would of expected waking for the first time with his beloved. Aurora seemed to be in the midst of a nightmare as her body shook and vibrated. Her body still lay where it had all night under his protection with one wing lazily sprawled to one side. Not lazily anymore as he beheld her hellish dance between dream and reality, but instead he could see every tendon and hairline throughout the luminescent wing with all its colors, move and jump which caused the wing to drift up and down. She laid still but her face and her body told him volumes about what was really happening to her. When she let out the most heart breaking moan of despair he’d ever heard, it jolted him to rouse her from her horrific slumber.

Now, Aurora was outside. Far out and up in the highest tree that was closest to their tent. Dreka was unsure whether to join her or not. When he had torn her away from her nightmare, she came up with a scream of pain and agony. Then, after a moment of silence passed and she had calmed her breathing, Aurora did not look at him but stood then glided toward the entrance and had what he knew too well, a shaky take off.

High up. That’s all Aurora could think of as she flew best she could into the sky then spotted the tree just ahead of her. Seeing as how her body was ready to fail her at any time. As she let the mighty tree and all it’s energy flow into her and surround her, the dream had replayed itself automatically in her mind over and over. It wasn’t the vision that really hit her but the burst of emotions that came from it. The vision beheld fire. A rain of fire from the heavens and down into her world. During the sight and now, even as it had left her a while ago, a flood of emotions wracked her from within and now, evidently, without as well. Pain and agony punched through her along with great grief and sorrow. She was feeling the sting of the vision all over and inside her. She was about to head back to the tent and lay with her beloved when she heard a sound. It came from off in the distance. Sounds of music filled the air around her. No, can’t be. A Fairy call? Aurora had heard of it of course. The call could reach over a great distance and was solely for fairy ears. How these earth dwellers knew of it or how to perform the ceremony, which wasn’t hard to do, she did not know. What she did know was that it was a call she should answer. She didn’t have to, but knowing history as she does, Aurora knew that answering a call was the more beneficial choice for both parties included.

Just when she was about to take off toward the source of the music, Dreka was suddenly at her side. “Where we going?” He asked as he leaned down and nestled his face into her neck and hair. Aurora allowed herself a moment serenity. With Dreka, she felt that nothing could hurt her, not even her heart for her heart belongs to only him. Neither of them were ready to voice their feelings yet, this she knew just as she should of known he’d keep an eye on her. She was sure that as soon as he felt her heart begin to beat quickly with the sound of the call, he had an eye on her so completely that as soon her wings twitched in anticipation for flight, he knew. Aurora knew this from the inside, the same way she knew of his worry for her. She could feel him. Dreka’s energies flowed so strong that one had to be dull not to feel anything from him. With her it’s different from everyone else that breathes. The two of them share a connection so deep and strong that is held by who they are and makes their bond indestructible. Number one only to each other and one day may finally embrace each other in the mating ritual of her people and be solely as one for eternity. He was already all hers, that had been completed. It was Aurora who was keeping their connection where it was instead of letting their bond go any further. Too many things were happening to be distracted with that, and boy was Dreka ever a distraction!

After he pulled away both slowly and reluctantly, she met his eyes with hers. Wow, how they shone in the light of day. Instead of just dark, red now colored his irises into two bright red beautiful suns that looked deep into her and knew her. She calmed her emotions quickly and replied so quiet Dreka, with his very sharp ears especially with her, almost had to strain to hear. “The earth dwellers have performed a fairy call. I just heard it and was about to go when you appeared suddenly. I should have known you would be somewhere close by.” He slowly gave a grin then nodded, “Always, Aurora. Guess we’d better find out what these people have called on you for. Better be good because this time, I may actually eat them. If they didn’t need to be the ones to heal you, I would still be digesting them.” Again, the grin smeared his face and Aurora, always cool and deliberate, busted out in body shaking laughter. It’s when she tripped herself during the hilarity and Dreka had to catch her from a clumsy fall that she quickly composed herself.
“Now now. These are my neighbors and seeing as how they went to all the trouble and everything… Besides, I’d like some answers for the past day’s actions.” Dreka nodded, forced her to accept his hand and arm just in case she became weak during flight and he needed to bare some or all her weight. He could do so with ease but not if she was going to fight him on it. She gave in finally, more out of frustration with wanting to get going than saving her pride.

During flight, Dreka watched over Aurora peripherally so she wouldn’t notice. When they had almost reached the source of the call, he had already started noticing her energies failing even with what she was able to sap up from the tree. Oh, yea, he thought, there had better be a good reason for some dirt dobbers to be calling on her when she isn’t even well rested and rejuvenated from their own poison. Almost, just past the next couple rows of trees, lay a small clearing filled with earth dwellers and Dreka’s nose picks up the smell of a feast.

Aurora could see it too, just up a ways. The music got the loudest toward there, but not so loud it hurt her, but soothed her rather. How unfortunate the music could not energize her! The thought barely finished forming when her body gave way to the exhaustion that had finally won the battle of consuming her. Dreka’s hold tightened, and they still flew toward the clearing. She felt grateful and embarrassed all at once, but all that faded when their feet touch the ground.

The clearing held it seemed everyone of the earth dwellers, who blanket the ground until stopping and forming a small circle in the center. A fire blazed at the center and food rested at the sides. Behind the fire, is where Eiya and her group of healers stand. Aurora, with Dreka in lead, came to a soft rest in front of the fire. Aurora’s eyes did not move from Eiya’s through the flames. Eiya steps forward and asks her guests to come and eat, with the guests of honor being the couple, going first. Dreka did not hesitate and was quickly at the food devouring everything that his hands grabbed, while at the same time keeping never ending watch over Aurora who still held her gaze through the