Page 34 of Carler

“Most of the population will be from Earth–colonists who have chosen to go there because the overpopulation in the cities caused many to do poorly. Some are ill and are hoping that our medicine will be able to cure them. Some are just poor and can barely feed their families. Many of those going will be families, but there will also be a certain number of single males and females of various ages.”

“Will enough be leaving over time that it will help the planet here heal?”

“I don't know. We have experts on both sides of that fence. Your population has definitely gotten out of control. There was no doubt that the numbers leaving should help at least a little bit. Your government has so many programs that are supposed to help with the energy, the pollution, medicine, and better housing that it's hard to say with all those programs why things aren't getting better.” Carler admitted.

Chapter 11

Preparing the Way

Viv knew what her decision would be. Her dragon was excited about entering a new world with their new mate. She talked about it nonstop. Was she like that as a teenager? She couldn't remember, but she hoped she wasn't.

We will be able to fly anytime we want because everyone there knows that we are dragons. We will swim in the oceans, and there will be forests, large forests, that we can see. It will be so good, so wonderful that you would not be able to believe it.

I am glad that you are happy, and I hope that things will be as good as you think they will be.

They will be. They are already working on the palace. The mining has already begun, and farming communities are still in place. It would not be as rough and primitive as you fear.

Will the food be as good as it is here? Will it be as comfortable? It is better if I expect the worst, and it is not than if I expect it to be like this and it is not.

Fine, be a killjoy, but you will not stop me from being excited and happy.

That is not what I am trying to do. I am just trying to temper your expectations so that you are not terribly disappointed if things are not as wonderful as expected.

No worry about me. I may drag him, but I can live in an empty cave and eat the animals I kill and the fish I manage to catch. I just want to fly free. No worries. If you don't like it just stay in dragon form.

Great! Her dragon would be happy, and she would be miserable. Viv returned to work because they were here to work until they were ready to leave. It was good that all her things had already been moved here and that she had not unpacked most of them. Not that she had a lot, and she had sold all the furniture because she didn't think moving it would be a good idea. It wasn't like she had any family heirlooms except one that had belonged to her grandma. She was afraid to wear it because she thought she might lose it, so it sat in a special box that was hard to open.

She hadn't thought about it for many years, but now that she did, she realized the necklace had a dragon on it. It was so old that she could not even imagine where or when it had come from. There was writing on it that she could also not understand. She had told her it had been in the family for many generations and that she should take good care of it when it passed to her. Viv had done that as best as she could, and it was still safe in her care.

“What are you thinking about?” Carler asked.

“You'll think it's weird.”

“Maybe? But tell me anyway.”

“I was thinking about a family heirloom I've had since my grandma died. It has a dragon on it, and it is very old," Viv admitted.

“Can I see it? You've made me curious about it.”

“It's upstairs in my suite, packed in a box.”

“We have a little time right now. We could look at it, and then go to lunch," Carler offered.

“Okay, if you really want to see it.”

He escorted her to the elevator, and they went up to her floor and then to her apartment. They entered, and she moved away to the box holding it. She supposed it would be called a medallion because it was large and heavy. She rummaged around in the box until she found it and then took it to him.

“We have boxes like this under Draconis from a time long ago. Is this something common in your world?”

“No, I've never seen a box like this, nor have I ever seen a medallion like this," she replied, pulling the medallion with the attached chain out of the box.

Carler’s response was surprising. He looked shocked, and then a look of awe appeared. "I believe I know now where the dragons came from. This is the emblem from one of the lost lines of the royal family.”

“That's good to know. My dragon asked where the blood came from, and I could not tell her.”

“This looks a lot like your dragon, except it is a male, and it is red instead of purple," Carler pointed out.

“I'd not noticed, but you are right. This must be some long-lost ancestor I never knew of before. Will I be able to find out more about them now?”

---