Watching Whisper say goodbye to Jasper nearly broke my heart. It reminded me of when my mother left. In that moment, the only memory I had left of her played in my mind. Those midnight blue eyes always stuck with me. Her soft black ringlets tumbled from the top of her head down her back. She kept the sides shaved down and I remember looking at the way my father loved her like their love was the greatest thing in the world … and then she left.

I turned every ounce of sadness into rage and well … everyone knows what happened next. It was a clusterfuck of chaos. But at least Whisper didn't have to endure that.

The tension in the air was palpable. We had to leave. Tapping her on the shoulder, I extended my hand out to Jasper. He actually shook it looking me in the eyes, "You take good care of her. Shouldn't be a problem for you. I've done it this long without wings and fire."

I laughed a little, "I'll do my best, but you know how she is."

"I certainly do," he said kissing her one last time on the head and handing her a sack, "This might come in handy."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Whisper took another few minutes saying goodbye to everyone else before we made our journey through the tunnels and back into the night air. It wasn't until we started walking that I realized I was hurt much worse than I anticipated. The pain increased from a steady burn to a grueling, gnawing, pulsing rhythm of agony.

"We have to get to Aya," I told her as we began making our way through the city.

"How bad is it?" she asked me.

By now, I'd been covering the wound with my forearm, shielding it from dust and debris. But I could barely crouch down when we needed to. I had to get to the docks and quick before we were found.

Whisper moved my hand out of the way as I cringed in pain. She sucked in air slowly as her face twisted up while she looked at it, "There's like this black crust scabbing over it with some blueness around it."

"We have to hurry. It's the venom. He must have dipped his hands before he found us."

"Okay," she nodded.

Hurry we did. It was a lot further on foot, but we made it without being seen. By the time I reached that ladder I practically fell down to the sand below. Whisper helped me to the door where she started banging furiously. Aya opened it with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh yes, I knew it. Skinner left not too long ago. Come, come," she said ushering us inside. She cleared out space on what looked like a dining table. Once I was laying on top, she cut my shirt away with one swipe of her talon. Those gills on her neck waved effortlessly while the room began spinning around me. She moved her hands over me like a wand casting a spell, and suddenly she said, "Sleep."

I didn't remember what happened after that. When I woke up, I was in a comfortable bed with my entire torso bandaged. I was sore, but I could move and felt a whole lot better. The sound of running water made me wonder if we were collapsing into the bay, but it was Whisper. She was showering with the door open. Pain or no pain, it made my cock twitch looking at her inside.

"I see you healthy now," Aya laughed as she stepped into the room. Her eyes glossed over my burgeoning erection making me blush. I don't think anyone's ever made me blush before. I covered myself with the pillows and blankets.

"It's okay," she laughed, "I've seen it all before. You know Goldens have two."

"What?" I eyed her crazily I'm sure.

"Just joking," she laughed. This was the happiest I'd ever seen Aya.

Whisper came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She bowed slightly, "Thank you Aya."

"No thank you," she gleamed. "You two must leave Black Harbor by sunrise. Empyrean will be the best place for you to go."

"Empyrean?" I asked her, forcing myself to sit up, "Where is that?"

"Where?" Whisper scoffed, "What is it?"

"Empyrean is the City of the Heavens, the highest peak of peace and prosperity. Scalers and Anthros live together, united and bound by a code of conduct that protects their sanctity," she told us. "No wings, though. No fire. Only Scalers you will see are the Golden Imperials."

"What's a Gold Imperial?" Whisper wondered.

"Golden Imperial!" she corrected, "Are extremely rare and extremely dangerous. They're the largest of all Scalers and their venom has adaptive components."

"What does that mean?"

"If another Scaler uses venom, it enhances their own healing properties. If Anthro uses their venom, they turn into Scaler."

"What?!" Whisper's face said she was horrified, "How? That's not possible."

"Very much possible. Look at him," Aya motioned toward me.

My eyes darted back and forth between them, "What do you mean? I was born a Scaler."

"Yes, yes, yes," she waved away my objection, "I mean look at you."

She motioned me to remove the bandage from my midsection. I let a talon protrude while holding one of the bandaged layers. A single swipe split them down the middle revealing my washboard abs and abs alone. The only remnants of Skinner's attack were four pin sized marks near the bottom of my abdomen.

"You see, extra dragony," she chuckled. "Speed you up. You healed."

"And if I were to drink that elixir you poured in his wounds, I would become a Scaler?"

Aya and I looked at each other and then to her, probably imagining the same thing … Whisper with wings.

"If you survive the ingestion, then yes. You get wings, scales, and claws. All of it. If you survive. Many Anthros not healthy enough to survive Golden Imperial elixir and at Empyrean it's not allowed. No dragons, no scalers, all Anthros. You must not show your wings or be banned forever."

"Sounds like we're taking a step back to a hundred years ago," I grumbled. I didn't want to go to a place where it was forbidden for me to be me.

Whisper's eyes lit up, "No. Don't think like that. If we're together, in a safe place, there's no reason for you to scale. No danger. No scaling."

"She right," Aya nodded. "No danger, no scaling. You talk it over. I leave food for you. You eat. Leave by sunrise."

I watched her leave the room and close the door behind her. Whisper brought the tray of food over to me.

"You eat first," I told her.

"No, you need your strength," she insisted.

"I'm fine now, I swear," I smiled. We both ate the food with vigor and appreciation. "Is this beef? Again?"

Whisper smiled and giggled as she chewed on the food. She did a little bounce of pure joy as she ate.

"How can we afford all of this? How many scales did this cost me?" I asked her. "Aya's not cheap. A room? Food? Running hot water? BEEF?!"

"It didn't cost you anything you hadn't already given up," she said nonchalantly. "Your battle with Skinner left a few dozen scales from the both of you behind. And she got to keep the blood."

"What?"

"When we got here, you had those nasty gashes from Finch. She had to bleed them out first before pouring that fancy gold stuff in you. I told her she could keep it as payment."

"You shouldn't have done that. Onyx poisoned Black Sapphire blood? That doesn't sound like a concoction needed by anyone looking to do good in the world."

"I think she just wants to study it and use it for her own medicinal treatments. I don't think she'd sell it. She's been pretty steady at keeping her ties to both communities neutral. It if got out that she sold that concoction both sides would have her head."

"I guess," I shrugged. "So we head out in the morning then right?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "Aya also gave me some newer clothes, shoes and things for us to wear and take along the way. And she said the same thing Jasper did."

"What's that?"

"You have to mark me before we leave. It's the only way to keep me safe while we travel, especially since it will only be the two of us."

"Okay," I agreed, "I'll do it. Just let me shower first."