Tae reported for his job with Kelan. He would continue to work with the weapons until that privilege was revoked. He was certain this would be part of his punishment for rebelling against Hesher's orders and a Talonian soldier's protocol. His rank could not be lowered since he was already just a foot soldier. So, they would send him back to digging for a pittance.

"You made it home alive, I see," Kelan said as a greeting. "Others did not fare as well. We will not be working this evening. We are shutting down for the death ceremony to honor our fallen warriors. The men have been taken from the mines to build the pyres anyway. I expect you to be there to show your respect."

"Yes, sir. I want to see how Eveline is faring; then I will change into my uniform. I am supposed to be one of the fallen's body bearers," Tae replied.

"Daer informed us of the newest refugee. Michelle has gone to see her. She took her some broth and hopes to bond with her. If it works, she will ask the king to allow her to question the woman in his stead. He would be present, of course, but not as intimidating. Michelle remembers how worried and stressed she was to face our leader. She does not wish that upon another tortured innocent," Kelan explained.

"I was going to beg for that duty. She has spoken little, but I think she may trust me."

Kelan answered, "It may still be necessary to have you there. It is a possibility she may hate humans. We do not know yet if she was stolen or given in trade."

"Do the Savra trade with Earth? How could they allow a child to be traded as a slave? It is barbaric!" Tae shouted.

"Neither Michelle or I believe they know the Savra exist. It is just a theory of the kings to explain her presence on their planet. I think it more likely that they kidnapped her. How they managed to be on Earth unseen is a mystery. The king hopes the woman can shed some light on the subject," Kelan stated.

"Her name is Eveline. Please, stop referring to her as 'the woman.' It makes her sound unwanted."

Kelan smiled and replied, "You are very protective of Eveline. She has crept into your mind and possibly your heart very quickly. Be careful, my friend. We do not know anything about her. The Savra may have brainwashed her in hopes of her being rescued and brought here. There may be evil in her soul. She may be a weapon of the enemy."

"No, she cannot be. She has endured far too much. You do not believe that of her either. Otherwise, you would not have allowed Michelle to go near her," Tae argued.

"You are very perceptive for a young man. You are right. I do not think she is evil, but it is better to be safe. A mistake could prove deadly. Now go and see her. The ceremony will begin soon. If you are late, it would be another mark against you, and the king already has reason to be angry with you," Kelan divulged.

"Will he take away my job with you? Can he remove me from the military? I am the main support of my family. They would starve."

"The king is not cruel, but he cannot allow insubordination in the ranks. If he lets you get away with this rebellion without punishment, others will follow your lead. Our military would be in chaos. Stop worrying. No one will let your family starve. I do not expect the king to take away either of your jobs. With myself, Michelle, Hesher, and Daer speaking up for you, the punishment will likely be minimal," Kelan replied.

"The commander would risk speaking on my behalf? Why? It would only put the spotlight on his aid," Tae questioned.

"He stands behind every soldier regardless of their mistakes. He sees potential in you, and I do not think he wished to leave Eveline behind. You gave him the excuse he needed in order to save her."

Tae walked away with his mind whirling. Was it true? Had Hesher been looking for a way to save Eveline without breaking protocol? It was a new concept to consider. Tae hastened his steps. He would be on time for the ceremony. He would not disgrace his complex commander any further.

Eveline was sitting up, her hair brushed, the grime gone, and eating. She was covered in bandages, and there was a splint on her leg. But, there was a pink blush to her cheeks and a small smile on her lips. She was beautiful. Underneath the grime and tangles, there had been soft waves of chestnut hair that fell to her waist. Her skin was alabaster and unblemished except for the cuts and bruises. There was life behind her green eyes, though the sadness had not completely disappeared. That would take time, and Tae could be patient as long as she was getting better.

"You look different. Daer must be taking good care of you. Is there a need that I can take care of? I have time to fetch you clothes or more food if you require it," Tae offered.

"No. You have done enough," Eveline softly replied.

"I hear you had a visitor. Michelle is kind. I work for her mate. They have become friends. They can be yours too if you allow it."

Eveline looked unsure and turned her head away. Her smile was gone.

"You do not say much. I have a feeling the Savra did not allow you to express yourself. Speaking again will come easier as you grow to know us. I am willing to listen to anything you wish to say. When you are ready, I would like to know your whole story. If it helps, I will tell you mine," Tae said.

Eveline bowed her head and blushed. Tae did not understand. Was she shy or had he said something wrong?

"If I upset you, I am sorry. I want us to be friends. I thought telling you my story would help. Would you prefer that I leave?"

"No, continue," Eveline whispered.

"Alright. I am a weredragon. This planet is called Talonia. It is our home, and we have kept our existence a secret. Only two humans have seen our true form: you and Michelle. Please, do not give us away. I am just a foot soldier. That is the lowest ranking in our military. I hate war, but I need the money a soldier earns to care for my family. My father was crippled, and his pension is not enough. I also helped make the weapons we used in the battle. That job I like. I would like to learn all I can from my mentor. He is Michelle's mate and a high-ranking officer. That is my story. It is not much. I plan to be important someday though." Tae was embarrassed. He had rattled off all those words in mere seconds. He must sound like a fool.

"Thank you for sharing," Eveline answered.

That was enough for Tae. She did not think him a fool. He hoped his ramblings would get her to tell her story soon. Now, he had a solemn duty to perform.

There were twenty pyres at the base of the waterfall. Twenty soldiers had given their lives on Savra. Their families stood by the pyres, waiting to light the fires that would send their loved ones on. Powdered minerals of each weredragon's color had been sprinkled on the wood beneath their designated pyre. The smoke would rise in the beautiful hues to honor the dead.

Tae lifted his end of the soldier's lifter This weredragon was almost as young as Tae. His color had been yellow. He was to be mated soon. Now his intended stood by his pyre with his family. Tae took a deep breath to stop his tears from falling. He owed it to the soldier to carry him with dignity.

Once the all the soldiers had been placed on the pyres, the king spoke. "It is with sadness and honor we meet here today. War is not what we desired. We tolerated the torment of the Savra for years, but then they began to harm our world. If they were allowed to continue, their behavior would have escalated to more disastrous weaponry. I am sorry that it became necessary to send our soldiers to their planet in order to spare Talonia and its population. These valiant weredragons gave their lives to save yours. Send them off with your heartfelt love and honor. Do not hold back your tears, for they are a symbol of your grief and love. We will never forget those who burn here today. Their ashes will be spread either in the waterfalls or the volcanoes. Each family will choose. They will eternally be a part of Talonia. You may light the fires."

Entire families transformed into dragons. Their combined dragon fire lit the wood. Bright colors of red, blue, green, and yellow filled the sky. All of Talonia waited until the last ember went out before leaving the families to scatter the ashes according to their loved one's wishes.

Tae did not want to go home. He would find more sadness there. He was relieved when Michelle and Keshel found him in the crowd. The little boy held out his arms for Tae. His childish giggle was refreshing in the midst of all the grief.

"You've made a friend, or maybe a playmate. Keshel likes you. He is getting heavy. Perhaps, I can impose upon you to carry him to our home for me. Kelan has been called to a meeting with the king. When he comes home, we are going to have a rare treat. I have a small amount of popcorn left from my stash of Earth food. Would you like to join us?" Michelle asked.

Tae knew Michelle had seen that he needed a friend. She had given him a helping hand while still preserving his dignity. He liked her all the more for it. "I would be pleased to carry this young man. His laughter soothes my soul. A child to play with is exactly what I need. What, may I ask, is popcorn?"

Michelle started laughing. "It is impossible to describe. It contains no nutrition whatsoever, but we ate it by the bucketful on Earth. Keshel may even share his hot chocolate with you. That treat is not only special, but addictive."

"I get the impression that humans eat a lot."

"You have no idea how much. We eat to celebrate. We eat when we're sad. We eat to fill loneliness. Food isn't just nutrition for us. It represents love. Some humans carry it to extremes and grow very fat. I must say, I would have eventually become one of them. I do love to eat, especially junk food," Michelle replied.

"Junk food?"

"Worthless food is the best way to describe it. There's a whole list. I'll tell you all about them. Kelan learned to like them too," Michelle explained. "Liked is actually the wrong word. He was obsessed with some of them. You'll see."

Tae did enjoy the evening, as well as the food. The salty popcorn made the hot chocolate taste sweeter. He was growing comfortable with Kelan and Michelle, almost like he had a second family. He had sat on the floor building towers with the blocks of wood Kelan had cut for Keshel and laughing when the boy took such glee out of knocking them down.

After Keshel went to bed, the mood changed a little. Michelle broached the subject of Eveline. "She is so quiet and reserved. I can't imagine what she has had done to her. I was brutally abused, but I was an adult, and I lived on my own planet among my own species. Eveline was a child among reptilian aliens. Tae, what shape was she in when you found her?'

Tae replied, "I first saw her as a Savra soldier dragged her across the battlefield. She was covered in grime and blood. Her body was bruised, and the skin scraped. Her hair was a mass of tangles, dirt, and blood. A metal collar was around her neck and connected to a chain. As I got closer, it became clear that the collar had become too small and was cutting into her neck. The chain was wrapped around a pole. I cut it loose and tried to get her to stand. She screamed and fell. That is when I saw that her leg was broken and untreated. It was swelling; so was her neck. Dragging her by the collar had deepened the cuts. It needed to be removed before she was strangled. The leg was losing circulation."

Michelle flinched and began to choke on her tears. Memories of her beatings by Jackson's hands had come flooding back, adding to her dismay over Tae's description of Eveline. Kelan wrapped his strong arms around his wife and said, "She is safe now. She will heal just as you did. No one will ever treat either of you like that again. You know I would give my life to protect you."

"I do know that. Please, can we take care of her? Would you ask the king to let her stay here? I need to help her. It would empower me as nothing else could," Michelle begged.

"If that is your desire, I will gladly grant it. Tae, ask Eveline if she is willing to stay with us. If she says yes, then I will go to the king and request it," Kelan answered.

"I will go to her immediately. Knowing she has somewhere to live will take some of her fear away. Keshel's sweet laughter will relax her and aid in her healing. A safe haven and kindness may get her to talk. I think she fears talking about her experience," Tae replied.

"I can promise you she does. It hurts to repeat the things you went through almost as much as when it was happening. I'll tell her about Jackson. She will open up."

"No, my love. It would hurt you too much to relive that all over again. You have had to repeat it so many times: to the police, me, the king, Daer, and then all of Talonia." Kelan could not stand for her to go through more agony.

"The more I say the words, the easier it becomes. The pain seems to be absorbed by the air as the words leave my mouth. I'll be fine. Eveline needs to know she isn't alone in her pain. Let me do what I can."

"So be it," Kelan answered.

"May I take her the rest of my hot chocolate? Surely, she has missed the Earth treat," Tae asked.

"Let me make her a fresh cup. Keshel can spare some more. Finish yours, and by that time Eveline's will be ready."