Draconia Offline vol. 2

76.1. At Peace - Part 1

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to contact you from the outside? Virtually impossible!" Emi's face appears on the screen and she looks annoyed. "For safety reasons, we tossed our phones," she gets to explaining. "They were the only thing that could potentially make us a target. I bet Celestial network is as secured as it can be, but Clawfangs aren't exactly keen on that."

"I'm happy to see you, too," I say cheerfully because not even her foul mood could spoil how happy I am to see that she's okay. We haven't heard from Emi and her pack for two days and even though there were only three missile attacks, I was worried sick.

"I heard about what happened to Werden," Emi becomes serious. "And I watched the peace negotiations, of course."

"You don't think I decided right?" I tilt my head because Emi is visibly grinding her teeth.

"You did decide right," she shakes her head. "I'm glad the decision wasn't up to me because I wouldn't be so forgiving. But that matter is thankfully over. How are Rien and Minoes doing at their jobs?"

"Rien is doing fine, he's just a bit nervous around me ever since I told him about my telepathy," I shrug. "I have yet to meet ambassador Minoes."

"You're meeting her in two hours," Erik announces, checking my itinerary.

"Minoes is as wild as alpha females get, but she's good-hearted and has her way with people," Emi says. "She will make a fine ambassador and deal with European Clawfangs who wouldn't listen to anyone else but another strong alpha."

"When will you return to Europe?" I ask because I'd love to have her back.

"Not anytime soon," she has to disappoint me. "My people aren't like yours, Aefener. They don't obey unless I make them, but that's okay. It's in our nature and I love travelling and meeting new people."

"No problems with local humans?" I worry.

"Nothing serious," she assures me. "Packs pretty much keep to themselves, but we're still very friendly and open. I think humans like us actually."

"They do?" I'm surprised because Clawfangs are known for their wildness and unwillingness to answer to authorities.

"Let's face it, we're just cute and irresistible," Emi grins. "Certainly not as scary as the Dragonkin, not as incomprehensible as the Earthborn and not as unapproachable as Celestials."

"Celestials can be cute, look at our Emperor," Gotrid says jokingly. "His wings are inviting everyone to pet them."

"Except nobody would dare to caress Celestial wings," Emi rolls her eyes and her ears twitch in amusement. "Your race built yourself quite a reputation for being out of this world."

We chat for a few more minutes and Emi updates me on what she's been up to. A tiny part of me envies her—she's free to do whatever she wants and every day feels like an adventure. But I know that Celestials aren't made for that kind of lifestyle. Our bodies are frail, we need to eat a lot and we require comfortable living conditions.

And then even that tiny bit of envy dissolves and I realise that I'm deeply satisfied with my current life. Sure, I'd appreciate being able to fly more frequently and for longer, but I love working for the benefit of my people and I have two amazing partners who support me in everything I do.

When Emi ends the phone call, I decide to contact Twyla and ask her about Werden's condition. I trust that the best Earthborn healers are taking care of him, but I still worry.

"Werden is doing great," Twyla blurts out happily because it's obvious why I'm calling. "We're currently growing new skin cells for his burnt parts and his body is more than willing to accept the transplant. He should make a full recovery."

"That's amazing," I smile, relieved. "What about your ranch? Will you start rebuilding it right away?"

"Nah, forget the ranch, it outlived its usefulness anyway," Twyla waves her hand. "We are going to build ourselves a proper Earthborn habitat in a suitable forest somewhere."

"You plan to build Traevamdra in the real world?" my jaw drops.

"Why not?" Twyla smirks proudly. "It will be much easier and cheaper than building your ambitious flying city."

"Building real-life Assiath is far in future," I sigh.

"Actually, we started preliminary preparations already," Gotrid interrupts us. "Ever since you suggested it, the idea didn't let us sleep. Sure, it will be a slow and lengthy process, but all Celestials are more than eager to contribute."

"What preparations?" I frown because it's the first time I'm hearing it.

"For instance, we're purchasing crystals like crazy so there's already a shortage of them in some countries. And Liana set up a transparent account for donations," Gotrid recounts.

To be honest, I get a bit anxious about that. Yes, I do think that building Assiath in the real world is possible, but it will take decades. I don't want to give my people false hopes that it will be soon. Moreover, I don't even want to think about the fact that once Assiath is finally finished, Erik probably won't be here anymore to witness it.

"We'd better start our preparations as well then," Twyla says. "Good for us, we will mostly use organic materials and let almost everything grow. A small basic settlement should be a matter of just a few months. The real challenge will be to find a suitable place that humans would be willing to give us. Assiath will float somewhere above the sea but still rather close to the land I suppose?"

"Probably," I chew my lip. Frankly, I didn't have any time to think about it.

"I'll keep updating you on Werden's condition," Twyla concludes. "As much as I'd love to see those who did it suffer, you decided right. The Earthborn stand behind you, Aefener."

I'm glad to hear that. I was particularly worried about Twyla's reaction considering her husband was seriously injured and several Earthborn died during the attack. But it seems Twyla's positive spirit wasn't broken, Werden will eventually recover and the Earthborn are happy that I maintained peace.