That was the second time in less than an hour that I saw Preston’s eyes black out. While those flecks of sapphire were mesmerizing, Aya moved swiftly to put him down. Every muscle in his body bulged, scales began to replace every inch of open skin, while smoke billowed from his nostrils. The space wasn’t large enough to hold any Scaler, let alone Preston’s. He was larger than most in many ways.

The moment he went down, he reached out to me whispering my name. I tried to get to him before Aya put him to sleep but of course, I wasn’t fast enough.

“How long is he going to be out?” I asked her.

The beautiful enchantress stared at me with a questioning glare. She ignored my question as she spoke, “So how is Lavender?”

“I told you before she’s fine,” I reiterated. I didn’t know why she was so insistent on my mother’s wellbeing. She was fine. Wasn’t she?

“I would pay better attention. You not so good at that,” Aya said with a slight nod.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you can’t see what’s right in front of you,” she motioned toward sleeping Preston, who moaned and groaned. Aya restrained him to a chair, and I had to say that seeing him completely vulnerable intrigued me. He’d never displayed as much rage as he did tonight. A part of it turned me on while another part scared me to see how much he cared about him. I also believed that if it were the other way around, I'd fight for him just as vigorously. I wanted him to wake up. I wanted to be there for him just as he was for me, but I couldn't stay.

“I have to go,” I told her, “How long is he going to be out?”

“You don’t need to rush,” she said. “He will be fine in another hour or so.”

“I’m not sure if I can wait that long. I have to get back to Empyrean,” I huffed with my anxiety climbing. I knew dawn was coming and if I weren’t fast asleep in my bed, there would be hell to pay.

“It’s okay if you leave. Preston Cane will always be there for you. He said so,” Aya told me as if I should have already known that.

I would have loved nothing more than to wait for him as I know he would have done for me. However, my paranoia about getting caught was far higher than my want of understanding.

It didn’t take me long to find my way out. I hurried passed his bike and toward the center of the city. Moving on foot wouldn’t get me anywhere fast enough, so I threw caution to the wind and scaled. My ankle still ached, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when it first twisted, or should I say when Jax twisted it.

The wind under my wings felt magnificent as I flew higher and higher toward Empyrean. Soaring above the mountaintops, I’d forgotten that the sun always rose there first. It was brighter than I expected which made it far more difficult to sneak into the palace than I anticipated. I had a choice to make. Either I try and make it in, or accept whatever fate waited for me if I merely strolled inside like nothing was wrong.

Perhaps the air of confidence if I walked in like nothing was wrong would save me from the lecture. I did just that, landing on the rooftop of the palace. There were several guards there, on duty, and none of them would look me in the eyes. As I neared the gate which led into my wing, I could hear why.

“WHERE IS SHE, DAMMIT!” Dad roared.

I walked in to see a line of guards standing before him, trembling with fear in their eyes. The moment he caught a whiff of my scent, his anger shifted toward me. I took a deep breath and tried my best not to show my limp. The steady thump of my pulse sped up with every step he took closer to me.

“Where have you been, Lorna?” he asked through clenched teeth. “Your mother has been worried sick about you!”

“Mom was worried?” I asked him. “How is she?”

That seemed to throw him. Taking a step back, his anger cooled for the moment, “She’s fine. Just getting up and ready for the day. She went to get you to show you what Mona has been working on and you weren’t in your room. Don’t distract me! I’m furious with you, Lorna! You can’t just leave like that!”

“I’m not a child anymore. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!” I insisted.

“I don’t care how old you are! You’re living here. Black Harbor is such a dangerous place. You have no idea the kind of danger you put yourself in every time you sneak down there!”

“I wasn’t sneaking!”

“Then why didn’t you announce your departure? Why didn’t any of the guards know you were leaving? Why didn’t you say anything to me?!”

“This is why! You lose your mind every time I tell you I want to do something. It’s like you don’t understand fun, Dad. You remember fun right? It’s that thing you do when you let your paranoia fade away just long enough to smile and laugh. You know what happens when you sway side to side while people play musical instruments and sometimes sing songs? Oh yeah, that’s right; DANCING! You want me to stay up here in the clouds because you’re scared of me living life on the ground! You can’t get mad and burn up the city every time I visit. Besides, despite how dangerous you think it is, I’m never alone thanks to you.”

He appeared stumped as if waiting to think of another reason to yell, but instead, he spoke calmly, “I only worry about you because aside from your mother, you’re the most important person in my life. We’ve already been through so much together, and I don’t want anything happening to you to take its toll on her.”

“Is she sick?” I asked him. It would make sense to me why he was so adamant about keeping me home.

“No,” he said with frustration, “I love and care about the both of you. You two are the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m scared of what I might do if I lost either one of you.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

“While I’m appreciative of your remorse, there’s someone who deserves that apology a little bit more than me,” he said motioning down the hall.

With my gaze plastered to the floor, I mumbled, “Okay.”

Memories of my younger years washed over me with every step I took closer to my mother’s chambers. The older I got, the less time we spent together, but I never thought anything of it. It could be that she preferred her Anthro form more than Scaler. It had always been like pulling teeth to get her to fly with me. Now, I couldn’t shake Aya’s words from my head.

The Healer was worried. I hadn’t put much stock into her concerns, but after getting caught this morning, there was something they weren’t telling me. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the large wooden door. I could hear my mother’s slow glide across the floor just before she swung the heavy door open. Her long brown hair held streaks of grey. She pulled a sheer shawl closed, covering the soft scar across her collarbone. I’d asked her about it, but she only told me it was from a long time ago and she didn’t want to talk about it.

“You reek of Onyx Skulls,” she turned her beautifully tired face away from me.

I started to wave my hands away from me as if I could swat the scent away but stopped after I caught my reflection in a large mirror. I looked ridiculous and the only thing that would get rid of last night’s shenanigans would be a steaming hot shower.

“I only came to apologize,” I told her, “Dad told me you were worried when I wasn’t in my room this morning.”

“I was, but I understand,” she sighed, “You want to leave here and do things on your own, but I’m telling you that Black Harbor isn’t the best place to spread your wings, Lorna. Believe me. I lived there without them.”

‘How is that even possible?” I asked her.

“That’s a story for another time. Besides I wanted you to see the sculpture Mona created for the celebration coming up. You will try your best to be there, won’t you? You have a responsibility to the people of Empyrean as our daughter and as a Golden Imperial,” she began.

I knew the speech. I’d heard it before, so I finished it for her, “And as a Golden Imperial it’s important for me to act as rare as we are. But Mom, why are you constantly pushing for this royal life nonsense? None of us want this. You don’t. Dad doesn’t. I sure as hell don’t.”

The subtle discomfort on her face as she moved made me wonder even more about her health. I remember her being this spritely woman, full of power, life, and vigor. The woman before me was tired and in pain. She hid it reasonably well, but it wasn’t until Aya mentioned it that I paid attention.

“You want to come flying with me today?” I asked her.

“Not today, Lorna,” she replied with a sweet smile, “And as to your other question, we live this life and uphold it because we fought for it. The time called for a leader, and your father filled that role perfectly. He had me, and then we had you, and so we just continued seeing fit that everyone in Empyrean should lead a happy life. It’s a far cry from how Anthros and Scalers are living life in Black Harbor today. I remember what that was like, and it wasn’t pretty. We live this life, so we don’t have to go back to living like that. And every year we celebrate the peace our city has been able to maintain. So I expect you to be at this year’s celebration and not to dip out as you’ve done in the past.”

“I’ll be there, Mom. I promise,” I assured her.

Ordinarily, I’d merely placate her, and then once the time came, I’d make my quiet exit. I guess it hadn’t been as smooth as I thought. This year, I’d stay. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed necessary I hang around the palace more. Something was happening with her, and whatever it was, I wanted to be sure I was around to help.