Dawn's Light

Chapter 25

Celia stumbled back down the long tunnel to the dungeon, or at least she assumed the dungeon as her destination. Though she was grateful that she did not receive the same treatment as Xan, she still desired to refrain from angering the Ulven any further in case that changed. She took deep, calming breaths under the mask of darkness created by the bag over her head to keep her from further losing her mind to fear.

Her mind raged with uncertainty at what fate held next. She suspected the third lost ray of the sun was here but had no way to get to it. Furthermore, she doubted the Ulven would ever willingly hand it over if their protective and secretive ways offered any clues to their nature.

Celia continued to contain her hyperventilation in calming breaths, just as she had been taught by her mother long ago. The female human missed her family terribly and feared she would never see them again. She would never sleep under the wings of Nami or Chrome or embrace her mother in a hug.

She also wondered what sort of welcome she would receive. Would she be welcomed as a hero, or would she be punished? She left without permission, without training, without guidance. As with the nature of fate, uncertainty wracked her mind and life in both the present and the future.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar snort reach her ears. 'Verbena!' She mentally cheered in the recognition that she would at least be reunited with her draconic friend. Even though she would be thrown into a cell, at Celia sighed in relief that she would be with her friend again.

However, when the Ulven guards removed the bag from over her head, an empty cell stood waiting before her. After the guards removed the chains, one of them roughly shoved her in the back. She stumbled forward, then tripped over her own feet and fell onto her hands an knees and winced as pain spiked through her left knee and stung the palms her hands.

The door closed behind her with a loud clang and the Ulven guards placed a chain to lock the cell and keep it closed.

Celia blinked and looked back to the metal bars, "No!" She called out and staggered to his feet as the Ulven walked away. "This isn't the same one!" She stumbled over to the bars, then grabbed the gently glowing metal in her hands.

An angered growl echoed as the guards passed the cell next to Celia's current containment unit in the curved tunnel. The growl quickly turned into a roar, and something large slammed into the metal bars.

The Ulven guards shouted in unintelligible exclamation, then returned to their stoic silence. Based on the lack of further yells from the Ulven, Celia believed the magic chain remained secure and an angered Verbena was still contained in Celia's original cell. Though magic inhibited the mindlink, between Celia and Verbena, the dragonet did not need to speak for her human rider to understand her anger.

Celia pulled and pushed against the bars in an attempt to force them to budge more than the minuscule amount the chain allowed, but to no avail. Celia emitted a whimper of loneliness, and she desired to be in the comfort of Verbena's presence. She swiftly understood how Xan possibly felt without Irin by his side, and the jealousy he may have had for Celia when she accidentally summoned Verbena to her side.

After a few more moments of panic, Celia remembered how Verbena had gotten into the Ulven tunnels into the first place: the returning ribbon. Celia's heart flared with hope, but she knew she should not teleport Verbena into the cell while the Ulven was possibly within hearing range. They would notice the sudden silence from the still- growling, angry dragonet whom the Ulven had denied the presence of her best friend and rider in the same cell as her.

Celia ignored the pain in her left knee as she paced to pass the time and waited for the footsteps of Ulven to fade out of earshot. The magic in the bars inhibited her mindlink with Verbena, but Celia believed that the returning ribbon still worked despite the magical field.