The Hunt for Freedom

Chapter Fifty Seven

After the coroner arrived, they trudged back inside Grandfather's house. They needed to see to the living, mourn the dead, and find a way to celebrate the victory.

The leaders from the different groups gathered, ready to put a plan into action.

It was hard to concentrate on all there was to do when Kaya, her panther, kept screaming about their mate inside her head. She looked over shyly at Dakari. He was looking at her too. The look he was giving her made her insides turn to mush and her mouth go completely dry.

Grandfather came to them both, put his hands on their shoulders. The corners of his mouth turned up in a way that let you know he completely understood what they were feeling. "Why don't you two see to what needs doing, then take a few days off to get to know each other." He actually winked at Katalea as he said it.

When Katalea started to object he simply said, "I think I can handle the Pride for a few days." He chuckled as she blushed. Just wait till he told his wife. Maybe there would be great-grand babies in his lifetime.

Both nodded at his suggestion and Dakari reached for her hand. They stood together as one. Together they addressed those in attendance.

"Let's gather the seriously hurt here, decide what we can handle and send those who need more over to the clinic. Speaking of which...has anyone seen Dalya?"

Befuddlement all around. "I need to go to her as soon as we are done here." Katalea thought.

Turning back to the matters at hand, her face softened. "Put together a list of our fallen heroes, and let's put together a memorial fitting of their sacrifice. Let us make a monument with all their names so no one can forget those who gave their lives so we could live free."

She looked around the room, made eye contact with everyone there. "Today is for mourning, for healing. Tomorrow is for celebrating. We have beaten the threat from the north. The prophecies have been fulfilled and now the ending can be written."

Small smiles could be seen around the room. The magnitude of what they had accomplished was still so new. Most here had heard of the prophecies, but never actually seen them.

Dakari turned to address her and the room. "While I was in the dragon's lair, I learned that there are more prophecies than we have here. From what I could understand, these ancient words affect us, and so many more. I could only catch glimpses, but I fear whatever is in them is what causes the weredragons to want to eradicate us."

"Can we read these prophecies? Where are they?"asked Paulo.

"I don't know, I need to ask more questions, do a little research." He answered, "I'm thinking of going in search of them. If it could affect us, then we need to know."

"There is one more matter to deal with,". Dakari said, his voice turning very serious. "There are still slaves back at the lair. Lainey told stories of rooms of cots for the slaves, but she was never sure how many. She also told stories of rooms full of computers with..."

Katalea was pulled back into her dream, "My dream! Once Essam informed them that the attack was imminent, I forgot all about the other parts." She turned to Dakari now, pulled her hair back stark against her face, and continued nervously.

"I saw the computers, and what was on their screens was horrible. I think they are using them to snatch random girls from all over the world. I think some become slaves, but somehow they are changing them. I think that is how they had so many. And the computers were manned by a robot, a very real looking robot.

Questions came from everywhere. "Changing them, how? Like a vampire bite?" Paulo asked.

"Why do you think it was a robot, and not a person just drugged?" Asked Dakari, "People tend to get a blank stare when the dragons have them under their spell."