Chapter 22: Lost and Found

The trip to Strendor took five days, and Aeris felt worn out. Never had she walked so far in her life. Although it seemed unlikely their traveling companions would try anything, Aeris and Janine slept in shifts. More than a few times, Dennis tried to probe them for information, but they made a point of staying tight-lipped. His constant badgering worried Aeris, so she made a point of not talking to him at all. It wasn’t until she threatened to charge him for asking questions that he finally stopped.

But the hardest part for Aeris was keeping up with the others. At first, it was easy to hide her fatigue, but there was no hiding it after the third day. By then every step caused her paws to ache and she fell more than once.

But Aeris refused to slow down or give up. Aaron was looking for her—that was certain. She needed to get as much of a head start as possible.

 Strendor was far different from what Aeris expected. The buildings seemed more tightly packed together making the formation resembled a clenched fist. The scents were also different. Something about the way the scents of human and dragon mixed that gave it it's own unique feel. It was Aeris' first time there, and she would've loved a chance to explore, but now was not the time.

 When the time came for them to go their separate ways. Cecil told them where they could find someone willing to escort them to Auruem. There was a tavern on the far side of the city where many travelers went to rest. They were often hired to take smuggled goods to other places, so it was a good place to go for those who didn't want questions asked.

But first, Aeris wanted to find a place with a bed and get her strength back. A hotel was her first choice, but Janine pointed out Aaron would be able to track them that way especially since there weren’t many hotels for dragons.

 Unfortunately, that meant their only option was to sleep on the street or in abandoned buildings. It wasn't ideal, but they had little choice. Janine pointed out there were places where they could rent out a room, but they didn't have the coin.

 They counted their money, and while Janine had added a little extra when she swapped the coins back in Rubelan, they needed to carefully ration what they had between eating and paying for an escort to Auruem. That meant they were forced to buy the cheapest thing they could find and split it between them. Aeris's stomach grumbled constantly, but she chose to ignore it.

 After the second day of "resting," they went to the place Cecil mentioned to find someone willing to escort them further west. They found a traveling merchant who didn't seem shady or at least hadn't tried to rip them off, but he wasn't leaving for another three days.

Waiting three days worried Aeris. There was no telling how close Aaron was to catching up and the sky had been covered in clouds since they arrived. She suspected it would snow soon. If it came down too heavily and blocked the roads, they would be stuck there even longer. The only consolation was any pursuers would have a hard time catching up until the snow melted.

 So while they waited for three days, they found an abandoned house and chose to stay there. Aeris especially wanted to rest as much as she could before it came time to leave. With nothing else to do, they talked about everything they could think of: Hopes, dreams, fears, likes, dislikes, favorite memories. Aeris would've forgotten all about her troubles if it weren't for the crumbling walls around them and the smell of urine.

Eventually, Aeris asked a question that had been nagging at her. "Janine, I've been meaning to ask: Why are we going to Auruem?"

“It’s pretty far out west,” Janine replied. “I figured your master wouldn’t look for you there. Also, it’s right on the border between human and dragon land.”

“I’m a domesticate. Isn’t that dangerous?”

Janine leaned back where she sat, placing her hands behind her head. “Probably, yeah. But it’s the last place anyone will think to look for you.”

Aeris nodded. It was risky, but if it was still in human lands maybe she could keep a low profile and avoid detection. “We just need to figure out what we’ll do when we get there. The first thing we’ll need is coin. Then we can buy a place to stay.”

“I got plenty of experience helpin Pa run the family restaurant. Findin work shouldn’t be too hard. I just hope your eggs don’t hatch before we get there.”

 That thought crossed Aeris's mind as well. Sometimes she felt the satchel move, so the eggs were definitely getting closer to hatching. She tried to avoid thinking about it too much. She didn't know the first thing about raising a baby dragon on top of having no coin, no place to live, and being chased by her former master.

Thinking about the future made Aeris feel lightheaded, so she stood and headed for the exit. “I’m going to take a walk for a bit.”

“You want me to come with you?”

“That’s okay. I’m not going far. We still have two days before it’s time to go, and I don’t want to wear myself out.”

 Aeris also just wanted to be alone for a minute. She would never tell Janine, but she hated that the young woman uprooted her life to travel with her. And Janine had a family; she couldn't even write a letter to her father and tell him she was okay because Aaron may trace it back to her. She wondered if she should send Janine away. Split the remaining coin between them so she could get home safely. Janine had done more than enough.

“Aeris?”

Aeris jumped at the sudden mention of her name. She started to run, but it dawned on her that this human mentioned her by name. She turned around to see a blond-haired man standing near the opening of an alley. His clothes were worn and weathered. His long, blond hair blocked most of his face and was also dirty and tangled.

Her first instinct was to ignore the man and move on, but this human knew her by name. And judging from his appearance, Aaron would want nothing to do with this man.

“How do you know my name? Did Maggie send you?” she asked cautiously.

“Uh, yeah, she did,” the man replied slowly, “Maggie talks about you all the time. That’s how I recognized you. She’s worried sick about you. I can take you to her if you want.”

Aeris’ heart skipped a beat. She had wondered how she would track Maggie down once she was safe. “Okay, please take me to her.”

“All right, do you know where the old factory is just off Watson street?”

Aeris shook her head.

"It's a large building, full of boarded-up windows near the warehouse district. You can't miss it. Meet me there tomorrow morning."

“Tomorrow? Why can’t I see Maggie now?”

The man started wringing his hands. “Maggie’s not here. She went to run some errands and won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“Well, can I just meet her where she lives?”

“No, no. You see, she’s worried that her place is being watched by Aaron. So she doesn’t want you going to her house and getting caught.”

Aeris nodded in agreement. “So I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”

“Yeah, just remember: the old warehouse on Watson, don’t forget,” the man said just before disappearing into the crowd.

Aeris immediately ran back to the abandoned house to tell Janine the good news. She could barely keep her voice down as she ran to the second floor where the young woman waited. “Janine! Janine, I found Maggie!”

“You did?” Janine beamed and looked around. “Where is she?”

“She’s out running errands, but she wants me to meet her in the warehouse district tomorrow morning.”

Janine’s smile faded. “The warehouse district? Aeris, I don’t like the sound of that. Why would she tell you to meet her there?”

“Oh, she didn’t. A friend of hers did.”

“A friend?” Janine asked, raising a brow. “How do you know it’s not a setup?”

“Because he said he knew Maggie,” Aeris replied. “If he worked for Aaron, he would’ve tried to lead me somewhere and capture me on the spot.”

Janine rubbed her chin, her expression showing she was contemplating Aeris’ logic. Eventually, she said, “Can’t argue that. They wouldn’t risk you getting suspicious and not showing up.” She stood and grabbed her bag. “But to be safe, I want to check this place out now. They won’t expect us to get there early. If they’re still setting up an ambush, we’ll know.”

Aeris nodded in agreement and they headed for Watson Street. Aeris could barely contain her excitement. The man said tomorrow morning, but she had nowhere else to go anyway. Might as well get a head start. And being nearby will ensure that she didn’t miss him.

Like the man said, the warehouse was easily visible the moment they stepped onto Watson Street; the large warehouse took up most of the area. As they drew closer, she could see the building was falling apart. The windows were boarded up and there were large holes in several places in the walls.

“This is the place she wanted to meet?” Janine asked.

Aeris nodded and circled the building. There were no signs of anyone else around which she took as a good sign. There was a large hole in the side of the building on the first floor. She stuck her head inside and sniffed the air, grimacing in disgust. The whole place stank of urine, feces, vomit, and alcohol.

She entered the building anyway, calling out, “Hello? Anyone here?” There was no answer. She smiled and turned to Janine. “Looks like we’re the first ones here. Maybe we should stay the night here, instead of going back to the house.”

“Maybe, but we can try to go to one of the upper floors?” Janine asked, her voice muffled from her hand being covered. “It stinks down here.”

The stairs leading to the upper levels were easy to find and thankfully, not blocked. The upper floor also didn't stink nearly as much as the lower one did. After checking that was clear of any occupants as well, Aeris picked a corner next to the only unbroken window and curled up there. Through the boards, she saw snow falling outside. 

“Oh, no. It’s snowing,” she said.

Janine peered through the boards. “It’s just a light flurry. No big deal.”

Aeris nodded and curled around the satchel. She hoped the snow wouldn't become a problem for Maggie to get to the warehouse. It was still early, the sun was only starting to set, but she wanted to get an early start tomorrow. "Okay. I'm going to try to get some sleep. I can't wait to see Maggie again." 

Janine sat next to Aeris. “She really means a lot to you, huh?”

Aeris nodded vigorously. “Uh-huh. She was always nice to me and she always looked after me. I owe her so much.” She laid her head on the floor and fell asleep, thinking about how great it would be when she saw Maggie again.

***

Aeris opened her eyes, feeling somewhat refreshed. While she missed her mattress, the night spent in the warehouse was the best night’s sleep she’s had in the last few days, even with the bad smell. She contributed it to the idea she was going to see Maggie today.  The first thing she did was open the satchel and check on her eggs. All three eggs remained safely tucked away. She pressed her ear against them, listening for signs of movement. They were quiet today, but that was fine.

Janine was still asleep, her body pressed between Aeris and the wall for warmth. Aeris wasn’t as bothered by the cold, so she often gave the young woman her cloak to keep warm. As eager as Aeris was to see Maggie again, she decided to let Janine rest a little longer.

Aeris' next order of business was to look outside and make sure it was safe to leave. Looking through the boards covering her window, her heart sank. The snowfall had picked up and continued through the night. From the window, it looked as if a quarter-meter or more of snow covered the ground. Worse still, more flakes were falling in a steady flurry. They still had another day before they could leave for Auruem. If the snow continued at its current rate, they wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

She gently nudged Janine awake. The young woman looked around sleepily, a slight smile on her face that quickly faded when she took in her surroundings. “Ugh. I can’t wait until I can sleep in a bed again.” She looked out the window and groaned. “Looks like that’ll take even longer.”

“Don’t worry. We can stay with Maggie until the snow clears,” Aeris offered. They quickly made their way outside. A set of footprints leading further into the warehouse district. Hoping they were Maggie’s, they followed them.

They moved slowly through the snow, part because of how deep it was and part to be cautious. Aeris had a slightly easier time because her paws kept her from sinking in the snow as much.  While she was excited to see Maggie again, she kept her guard up, listening for the slightest sounds of anything nearby. The haze of snow made it difficult to see anything ahead of her and the freezing air made her nose burn. Other than the crunching sound of her claws and Janine’s boots in the snow, there was nothing.

She glanced up at the frost-covered windows. The snow made it impossible to see anything inside without pressing her face against the glass. She hoped it was the same for anyone who might be inside the buildings as well.

The alley eventually opened up into a wider space, giving Aeris more freedom to move.

“Aeris, is that you?” said a voice.

Aeris’ heart soared. She recognized the voice as the human she met the other day. “Yes, it’s me. Is Maggie with you?”

“No. The snow slowed her down, but she sent me ahead to tell you that she’s on her way. Anyway, are the eggs safe? Do you have them with you?”

“Oh, they’re—” She froze. She never told the human about the eggs and it occurred to her that it didn’t seem likely Maggie knew about them either. Maggie had already been sent away before she knew she was even pregnant.

Her feeling of joy was quickly replaced with fear. Her heart sank into her stomach. She began to back up the way she came. “Janine, r—” Aeris spun around and noticed the young woman was missing. There weren’t even tracks in the snow indicating she had come down the alley.

“I guess your silence means you figured it out,” the human said.

Several figures emerged from the nearby buildings, surrounding her. Each person held a rifle in their hands and pointed it at her.

Aeris spread her wings and prepared to take flight. She cried out as she felt a sharp pain in her wing followed by the deafening boom of a rifle. She snapped her wings against her body and felt something warm trickle down her side.

“Hold your fire! Hold your fire! I need her alive,” came Aaron’s voice.

Aeris cringed at the sound of her former master’s voice. Her heartbeat hastened with every step she heard as he drew closer.

He appeared from the fog, wearing a heavy winter coat and a large grin on his face which was red from the cold winds. “Hello, Aeris. I missed you.”

“You missed my eggs, you mean,” Aeris shot back.

Aaron clutched at his chest and he wore a shocked expression on his face. “My dear dragon, you wound me. I really was worried about you. After all, with you gone, I can’t get more eggs.”

The men surrounding Aeris chuckled. She growled at all of them. “I’m never making another egg again. Especially for you.”

"If I recall, you didn't do it for me the first time. You did it all your own," Aaron said tauntingly, "No matter. You think I can't get another dragon to impregnate you? Those filthy beasts can't control themselves when they smell a female in heat. If it comes to it, I'll have you tied down and let a group of drakes have their way with you. One of them is bound to succeed." He smiled wickedly at her as he said this and some of the men chuckled. Then his expression changed to a look of concern. "But I don't want it to come to that. We've been through so much together; I'd hate to see you being ravaged by some dragon you don't know. Just come with me, Aeris. I'll even let you choose the next drake and make sure he treats you right. How's that sound?"

Aeris looked around at the men surrounding her. They had all the exits blocked and most of them had their guns trained on her. Escape did not seem possible. But she had no intention of going back, not when she knew what her fate would be. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said flatly.

“Aeris, don’t say that, please.” There wasn’t a hint of concern or remorse in his voice. “These men will take you by force if they have to. We grew up together; I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Then why are you doing this?!” she cried, “Did all those years we spent together mean nothing to you? I thought you loved me! Is this all you wanted for me this entire time?”

The expression on Aaron's face soured. "You know there was a time where you mattered to me, Aeris. But honestly, Aeris, I take care of you: I feed you, I clothe you, I bathe you. I put a roof over your head and food in your stomach—and not once have I ever asked for anything in return." His anger crept back into his voice and his face transformed into the monster she had come to fear. "This one time—this one time that I ask you to contribute, to do something for me to show your appreciation and this is how you react?”

Anger took over Aeris’ fear. She felt the same way she did during the party with the Everfields and those dragons who made fun of her. She didn’t care if she was surrounded by men with guns. “What about those human parties you dragged me to where you showed me off like some cheap trophy?” Aeris asked, her voice climbing with every word. “I endured stares and insults from humans and dragons alike because I didn’t want to cause you trouble. I never told anyone about how disgusting it felt to have you touch me because I felt I had to allow it. You cut me off from the outside world so I would be dependent on you, and I accepted it. I did everything you asked me to and never once complained. I defended you while everyone else called me a fool! I hid my feelings because I didn’t want to cause you trouble and now you…you dare to call me ungrateful!?” Aeris stepped towards Aaron, feeling her anger give her strength.

Another rifle shot rang out and Aeris felt a pain in her side and collapsed in the snow. All of her anger and courage drained out of her replaced by searing pain.

“Who fired that shot!?” Aaron yelled, “What part of ‘I want her alive’ do you people not understand?”

“Relax,” replied one of the men, “I merely grazed her. The wound ain’t fatal.”

Aaron whirled on the mercenary, his face as red as the blood staining the snow. “You shoot her again without me ordering it, and I’ll have you shot instead, understand?”

The man didn’t respond, but it was clear in his expression he understood.

Aaron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But back to you my stubborn dragon. If you won’t listen to reason, I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way then.” He snapped his fingers. A man appeared by Aaron’s side, struggling to hold something, a person.

It was Janine.

Aeris jumped to her feet, the pain in her side forgotten. She was about to rush to the young woman’s aid when the man holding Janine held a knife to her throat.

“I wouldn’t move, Aeris,” Aaron said, smiling evilly. “Now, you give up the eggs, and I’ll let your friend live.”

“Don’t listen to him, Aeris!” Janine cried. “Just take the eggs and—” The man holding her pressed the knife against her throat and she fell silent.

Aeris growled, her muscles tensing. “How do I know you won’t kill her anyway?”

"Aeris, you know me. I'm a businessman. I always keep my word."

Aeris didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to watch Janine die, but she couldn’t give up her eggs. There was no guarantee Aaron would let Janine live anyway.

But she still couldn’t do it. After all Janine had done for her, all that she had given up, throwing the young woman’s life away seemed the worst kind of betrayal. “Okay! You can”—She swallowed the bile building in her throat—“You can have the—”

“NO!” Janine thrust her elbow into the stomach of the man holding her. He grunted in pain and she broke free and rushed down the alley. Several men fired shots at her, but she turned the corner and vanished. A few men started to run after her.

“Forget her. We already have Aeris,” Aaron said.

Aeris looked around at the group. Most of them were looking at Aaron and the circle surrounding her had been broken.

She rushed towards the one section that only had one mercenary guarding it. The man's face showed pure horror and he cried out, throwing his arms in front of his face. Aeris jumped over the man's head, clipping his face with her hind leg, and fled deeper into the warehouse district.

“Don’t let her get away!” Aaron yelled after her. “Use force if you have to, but I want those eggs!”