When he told me there were many others like him, homeless, I knew we had to search for them. Frank took us to the place where they lived, in tents and what they called cardboard boxes, so Braxton rented the charter buses for us to bring them with us too. No one left behind.
What was meant to be a short trip to San Francisco turned into a rescue mission, but we excelled at those now.
“You didn’t have to do this for us,” Frank insisted, letting go of me.
Cupping his cheek, I smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? We can help you all. Braxton and I live in a beautiful world called Caelisium. There, you can have your own homes, crops, and cattle to tend to if that is what you wish. Or you can live in our cities with other families.”
“Everything you need will be provided by our kingdom,” Braxton assured them, returning to my side. “We promise.”
“Plus, we have Dragons!” Charlotte added excitedly, helping a woman and her babe.
“Dragons? These people are crazier than Old Charlie,” one of the women huffed, pointing at a man with foil on his head.
“They can be aliens for all I care,” another man interjected. “I just want a warm meal, a hot shower, and a bed.”
“Amen!” the rest shouted, making Braxton and the others laugh.
“You’ll see for yourselves,” I assured, smirking. “Everyone ready?”
“Almost done!” Josh shouted from behind the gathered crowd, pulling out what seemed like the eighth pink suitcase from it. “Are you sure you need all of this, Baby?”
Rebecca stepped down from the bus with a wide brim hat and sunglasses that matched her cute outfit. “Well, I have no idea what you wear for a vacation in a Dragon World. I need to be prepared!” Taking her glasses off, she found me along the multitude and rushed towards me. “My friend!”
I hugged her the moment she reached me; I was so glad to see her too.
“So, do I get my own Dragon?” she asked eagerly, but Braxton shook his head.
“Sorry. You are only visiting, so no. You can’t have your own Dragon. But you can ride in mine.”
Making a sad face she shrugged. “Fine. Does it have a name?”
“He is called Vyper. Just don’t tempt him. He’s a bit of a pranker.”
“Brax. Brax!” A tiny voice shouted, and we turned to find Suzie running towards him. People parted to let her pass before she barreled into them. Her mother, Ms. Reyes, rushed behind her, making sure she didn’t fall.
Braxton scooped Suzie mid-run, lifting her into his arms, and hugging her tightly. “Gods, I missed you so much!” He aimed an attack of kisses at her chubby cheek, causing bubbly laughter to escape out of her.
“Say hi to Mr. Braxton,” she ordered, showing him a pink with blue polka dots stuffed doll that looked just like a Dragon but without the wings.
“Awe, you named your Dinosaur after me?”
“You were gone,” she whispered, pouting, and threw her little arms around his neck.
Braxton glanced at me, fully disarmed by the babe in his arms, and squeezed her. “I’m back now.”
“Thank you for coming back to visit and inviting us for a trip,” Ms. Reyes offered, rubbing her daughter’s back while he held her. “We truly did miss you, Brax. And we are so happy to see you are healed and well.”
“It’s our pleasure,” I assured, hugging her.
Now that the Caelisium was back to its former glory, we were excited to welcome them there.
“Okay, everyone. Follow me!” Asher called out and our guests began to descend the stairs onto the beach below.
“It might not seem like it, but you are now surrounded by Dragons,” Braxton explained to the almost two hundred people gathered on the beach. “Please don’t be scared, they would never hurt you.”
Confusion spread over their faces because all they saw were hills curving along the large cove. Small gasps escaped them when Braxton’s Dragon Eye illuminated bright gold, communicating with our Dragons. The next sun-second, the hills began to move and transform, letting go of their disguise.
Star, Athina, and Vyper stretched before us, causing loud sounds of shock and amazement to reverberate all through the beach.
“Dinosaurs!” Suzie screeched with wide eyes, wiggling in Braxton arms to get down. The moment her feet touched the sand, she ran straight towards Vyper.
“Oh dear.” Braxton chuckled, glancing back at her flabbergasted mother. “Come on, let’s join her.” Placing an arm around Ms. Reyes’ shoulders, he guided her towards Vyper and Suzie.
Star strutted to my side while Asher, Skylar, and the others prepared the Dragons to be mounted by our new friends. Braxton had designed special harnesses for them that contained rows upon rows of what he called “saddle seats”, attaching them to our companions’ backs so the humans could feel more comfortable and secure during our trip back. After all, it was the first time they’d ever be on a Dragon.
Seeing everything ready, I turned around to face Frank and the rest of our guests. “Okay, who wants to ride a Dragon?”
They all lifted their hands.
BRAXTON
“Welcome to Caelisium, the Sky Paradise…”
I glanced back at Ms. Reyes, Josh, Rebecca, and everyone else who sat on Vyper’s back once we came out of the Eye of the World, welcoming them home. The amazement on their faces as they glanced at the majestic mountains that rose all around us, reminded me of the way I’d felt when I first arrived here. Their awed gazes followed the rushing pastures below us, and the lake that extended over as far as their eyes could see.
Unlike the first time I came to Caelisium, tall castles rose from the new seven territories as we flew, their kingdoms rebuilt to their full splendor. New cities, vibrant and full of life spread over each territory, occupied by our kin who migrated back to their origin lands a few months after the battle.
The home their ancestors were forced to leave when Raithian captured them and turned them into slaves.
We took the long way home, just so our new kin could see the true beauty of this world that was now theirs. They gasped and pointed, some even choosing where they wanted to live from the sky as we flew over the kingdoms.
Glimmering sand reached us while we flew over the new Cresting Sun Empire. Once known as the Desertlands, the territory was filled with colorful houses, markets, and homesteads for miles and miles. The scorching heat of its sands was balanced once more by the population that called it home. The tan and gold castle stretched all the way to the sky, with multicolored flags swaying freely in the breeze like they had never fallen.
The sand below us shifted, lines carving a path a moment before Knight burst through the dunes and took to the sky, provoking new shouts of amazement from our guests. Three other Dragons flew out of the sand to join him among the clouds before we swerved towards the next kingdoms.
As our people began to reclaim the lands of their ancestors, each of the kingdoms’ formal name was also reclaimed. The Desertlands officially changed to the Cresting Sun Empire, the Highlands became the Rising Summits Kingdom, and the Woodlands turned into the Prospering Forest Empire. In the same fashion, the Greenlands were the Evergreen Meadows Kingdom, and the Icelands’ very fitting name turned out to be the Crystal Alpes Empire.