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Almost time to have a break and write a little more. Just one more day and then I have a week and a half off!

Please enjoy the update!

He needed those memories, and this would be the easiest way to get them without anyone suspecting anything. But everything had gone wrong that day. Greed, hate, and a few well-placed explosions had nearly ripped Shareik’s opportunity away to learn more about this Saita.

He had abandoned Matta to look for the child, and eventually, he had found her digging into a pile of debris. Her face had been gashed open by flying debris in the initial blast, and some had been lodged in what had once been her right eye. She seemed to be unaware of the damage she had taken and doggedly dug down into the pile to find the man who had promised to become her father.

“Could I be of some assistance?” he asked her.

She turned to view him, rubbing at her left eye in irritation. She didn’t seem to recognise what he was.

“Karesh and Furor are here. I don’t know how to get them out.”

She had then spat blood from her mouth. Shareik didn’t want her to overexert herself. He couldn’t afford to lose those precious memories. This was the one who had harboured the Fell Dragon, tamed it. She was vital.

“Furor was the cause of your brother’s death.” He said, referring to Karesh’s firstborn.

The girl spent a few seconds looking at him in confusion, looking morbid with her destroyed eye and blood dripping from her chin, cutting a red swath through the dirt on her face.

“You look confused.” He continued.

“It is not difficult to confuse me.” She muttered as she returned to her digging.

Shareik couldn’t help but wonder what kind of damage Edzeeker had caused this young one. A twinge of guilt sprang from within him, and he was forced to hide it deep.

“Why save the man who is the cause of today?” He couldn’t be sure whether what he was saying was true, but he wanted to pull the child away from her task and seek medical attention.

“Because.”

He almost snorted, but instead said, “That is not an answer, dear.”

“I know not the past.” She said, slipping on the pile before catching herself. “But he has a life, and it deserves to live. If he is as bad as what people believe him to be, he will be punished.”

The answer shocked Shareik. He had spent so much time moving in the background that he had never bothered to talk to the mortals within his time.

“What if this is his punishment?” He was curious now. This Saita was unlike the one in the farmhouse or the broken queen.

“Who am I to be the judge of that?” She snapped, even though her voice showed her exhaustion. “Now, are you going to help me or not?”

Shareik could see that the pile was about to collapse, so he lunged forward and grabbed the child around her middle. She screamed at him and thrashed, trying to get back to her work. Not only did her screams cause others to head their way, but the pile heaved, and the King and his brother-in-law emerged.

“Saita?” The King was ashen-faced, and Shareik couldn’t help but feel that it was because of Saita’s state.

“Greetings, Great Karesh. Seems the girl here gave you the strength needed to dig your own way out.” Said Shareik, trying to soothe both the king and child, as he released Saita.

“Saita…”

“Viribus likely saved her and Aleux’s lives by throwing them from the stadium, but she took the brunt of the blast between the two of them. Aleux is quite safe; he is with my retainer and is being healed. This one, however, has been digging to find her family.” Said Shareik, having watched everything unfold earlier.

“She is…” stammered the king.

“And she is not aware of it at all, so be careful of what you mention.” Warned Shareik, concerned over Saita’s adrenaline running out too soon.

Karesh then turned to Furor and asked, “Can you move?”

Then Saita started speaking, desperately trying to get her message across despite her injuries. “Everyone has been found. Viribus was bleeding, but we stopped that. Kiai has a couple of broken ribs, but I think she will be okay. Pura was found, but I was with Doran when Kiai left to see him. Myla has been sent to hospital, and why are you looking at me like that?”

Karesh slowly knelt before the girl and tried to smile despite the pain he was in. “I think it is time you rest. You had a late night and an exciting day. If everyone has been found, then we can go.”

Shareik could feel the emotions from the king as he stroked Saita’s dripping, blood-soaked hair. “How do you feel?”

“A little tired and my hands are starting to hurt, and my face is itchy.” Sait started reaching for her face.

Karesh moved faster than Shareik as he grabbed her hand and simply said. “Don’t touch it.”

“Karesh, what the hell is she? How is she still standing?” stammered Furor, his face pale with shock, pain, and fear at what he was seeing.

Shareik was considering whether he should explain, but her was interrupted by the arrival of Kiai and Viribus, Furor’s children, who lifted him into a standing position. “Father!”

“I am fine, nothing but bones, they can regrow. How is your brother?” the older man muttered.

Viribus seemed to grin and pointed to his chest. “He will live, but he may not think so when he wakes. Broken ribs, a collarbone and likely a cracked skull.”

Then Viribus looked over to where Karesh was holding Saita. “Karesh, let go of her.”

The king spun to give a retort, but Kiai came to stand next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We suspect she is running on pure adrenaline at this point. If she stops for even a minute to consider the danger she is in, she will collapse.”

Shareik was bemused that she had seen that much and was curious as to what her innate ability was. He felt that this was the perfect opportunity to step in and move this reunion along.

“Likely true, and it would seem even my capabilities cannot heal her.”

Not a lie. Even when he had had his hands on her, he felt that his ability to heal was marred, but he wasn’t sure why.

“Heavenly…” Viribus acknowledged Shareik with a nod. “Perhaps we should speak elsewhere.”

Saita looked at her hands and flexed them with a grimace. “What is a Heavenly?”

“Why, that would be me, dear.” Said Shareik with a smile.

“Oh, okay.” There was still a lot of confusion on her face.

Saita’s face paled a little. She turned to Karesh and said. “I’m ready for a nap now.”

Shareik wasn’t fast enough to catch her as she collapsed. Her father reached her fist, ensuring that she didn’t fall face-first into the ground with the debris in her face. Still, Shareik was impressed by the hardiness of this Saita. She was stronger, more robust, and infinitely more interesting than those before her. He needed those memories. He needed to know how she was made.

“So, her energy is not infinite.” He said softly. “Well then, I’m glad I came; this was exciting. Always a fun party when you are involved, Karesh.”

I don't recall every saying the Heavenly were the good guys.

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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