《Where Dragons Rule: Shorts》 The Deal

The Deal

Dimitri shielded his eyes from the noon sun then wiped his brow as he shifted his weight in the saddle. Surrounded by rocky walls, there hadn¡¯t been the slightest semblance of a town for days. He made a mental note to never attempt this trip again unless during a cooler season change. He looked at his companion and bodyguard, Marcus beside him. The man wore a scowl on his round face which Dimitri couldn¡¯t tell if it was due to discomfort or just his natural expression. His blond hair clung to his face and neck so probably the former. ¡°They couldn¡¯t¡¯ve picked a better spot for a meeting, could they?¡± Marcus asked. Dimitri pushed his glasses up on his nose. ¡°Dragons can travel further and much easier than humans can thus they live much greater distances. And they require much larger territories.¡± "Whatever you say, doc." He stretched in his saddle. "So, why are we riding through the ass-end of Dragonland anyways?" ¡°I require an audience with the dracaena,¡± Dimitri said stiffly. He had explained this and his reason for hiring the man before they left. At the time, the mercenary had been staring at a particularly large-breasted woman, so his attention was likely focused elsewhere. ¡°Dracaena, huh?¡± He shrugged and plucked a mosquito off his arm. ¡°That¡¯s whatever wyrm the nutjobs are worshiping, ain¡¯t it?¡± Dimitri shot a scolding glare at the man. ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to hear that kind of disrespectful language out of your mouth again.¡± ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s your¡ª¡± ¡°Are we clear?¡± he asked in a firmer tone. ¡°Yeah, doc. But why this one?¡± Dimitri held his gaze for a little while longer before turning away. ¡°To answer your first question: yes, the dracaena is the dragon appointed as the region¡¯s deity. Every ¡®human-controlled¡¯ region has one.¡± He looked around before adding. ¡°I suggest minding what you say. The dracaena is not bound by laws in this region or any region.¡± ¡°So, what about my second question?¡± He had no intention of answering the second one. The man was nothing more than a hired gun; the exact details were not for him to know. He didn¡¯t need to know Dimitri¡¯s sick daughter Amelia was the reason they were halfway around the world and he didn¡¯t need to know Dimitri didn¡¯t have the coin to pay the man should things not go as planned. He just needed to know that he was hired to look after a client as they traveled to plead with a chosen deity for assistance. Getting the highest-ranking dragon in Geolga to assist him was a long shot at best and while never having met her, he had rumors of her obdurateness, especially when angered. His horse tossed its head nervously and he quickly soothed the beast. He then slipped his hand into his pocket where he kept a pocket watch Amelia had given to him for his birthday. It calmed his nerves. ¡°That thing about the laws, it works both ways, don¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t. You do anything the Dracaena finds disrespectful or harmful, and I¡¯ll kill you myself. Not even a clan matriarch may challenge her.¡± "Yeah, yeah, doc. I get it. Man, these people really are bending over backward to kiss some scaly ass, huh?" Dimitri did sigh this time and he could swear the horse did as well. ¡°Let me put it this way: imagine that you report to someone who¡ªon a whim, can kill you at any time and no one is allowed to do a thing about it. How far would you go to avoid inciting that person¡¯s wrath? Now that is not to say the Dracaena is a cruel tyrant, but the local belief is that angering her is not recommended or wise.¡± They rode on in silence which suited Dimitri just fine. Marcus didn¡¯t know how good he had it not fully understanding the extent of the Dracaena¡¯s influence. Even though dragon worship wasn¡¯t widely practiced, even in the Dragonlands, the dracaena held more power than the highest government officials or, more specifically, the matriarchs who ruled over the various dragon clans. With a flick of the tail, she could order an entire clan be wiped out or start a war between humans and dragons. It forced even the various city-states in the Human Territories to acknowledge her status and influence. ¡°Hey, doc, you ever do deals with a dragon?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve designed outfits for them, but even then they were domesticates and I dealt with their masters.¡± ¡°You do know blood is the only thing they accept, right?¡± Dimitri rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the saying. And it¡¯s nothing more than cultural superstition. I¡¯ve met plenty of dragons were open to reason.¡± ¡°Must not know have met many dragons then.¡± The valley opened up into a much wider bowl-like formation. The once dry rocky ground was now covered in grass and trees. At the far end was a temple carved into the rocky wall. ¡°Very impressive, that.¡± Dimitri could only nod in agreement. He had heard stories about the magnificence of the Dracaena''s temple but seeing it was something else entirely. The main entrance opened as they approached the temple. A hooded figure wearing long maroon robes stepped outside. The figure removed their hood revealing a thin tan face with watchful brown eyes. The man regarded them in a strong firm voice, ¡°Hail, travelers! I¡¯m Grand Kobold Lexon.¡± He waved them over as he turned back toward the entrance. ¡°You¡¯re tired from your long pilgrimage. Leave your offering at the door and follow me into the main hall. Don¡¯t worry about your horses. One of the kobolds will see to their needs while you rest.¡± Dimitri and Marcus hopped off their steeds, and Dimitri removed a garment bag from the saddle before they approached the man. ¡°Thank you, Grand Kobold.¡± He offered his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Dimitri Petit and this is my bodyguard Marcus Freeman. I''m afraid we didn''t come here to pray but to seek an audience with the Dracaena.¡± The Grand Kobold smiled though it quickly faded when Dimitri didn¡¯t share in the amusement. ¡°The Dracaena isn¡¯t receiving visitors, however, you are still welcome to rest here before you leave.¡± ¡°Wow, didn¡¯t know you were a mind reader.¡± The Grand Kobold frowned at Marcus. ¡°Please excuse him. We have had a very trying journey.¡± ¡°I understand. The trip is brutal for the under-prepared. Many pilgrims turn back before reaching this place and some who make it are near death.¡± He regarded Marcus with a cold stare. ¡°As Grand Kobold, I speak for the Dracaena and she told me she wishes not to be disturbed this day.¡± ¡°So, what about tomorrow?¡± ¡°Would you mind granting us a tour?¡± Dimitri asked quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about this place, but words clearly do not do it justice.¡± The priest nodded and led them inside. Dimitri half expected a place littered with tacky dragon art and empty spaces lined with candles along with a rough stone floor and uncomfortable seating. All while reeking of dragon. The dragons he had met didn¡¯t care for furnishings or fancy d¨¦cor. Instead, a brightly lit, well-furbished hall greeted them. It felt more like the home of noble than a temple dedicated to a scaled deity. Even his home didn¡¯t feel this comfortable. Multiple well-carved statues stood guard over the place. He assumed they were modeled after the same dragon, but he couldn¡¯t place the species. The shape of the head was wider and more snake-like, the horns extended farther behind the head, and the tail was thicker than usual. As something consistent with all the statues, it had to be more than artistic freedom. The eyes worried him. Even made of stone, they had a piercing, judging gaze. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± the Grand Kobold said. ¡°And yet these statues pale in comparison to her presence.¡± ¡°So, how many dragons fit in this place?¡± The Grand Kobold replied without hesitation. ¡°The Dracaena lives here alone.¡± Dimitri took another look around the room. The only other people around were hooded humans in purple robes who ignored them. He also noticed there was a distinct lack of dragon stench that permeated places where they lived. ¡°A bit of a loner, is she?¡± ¡°Our role isn¡¯t to question. The choice was hers.¡± His hard tone suggested he wasn¡¯t happy about the comment, but Dimitri was grateful the matter ended there. He motioned for the others to follow as he headed for a door at the far end of the hall. "I''ll show you where you can stay." Dimitri cut in front of the man. A flash of indignation crossed the priest¡¯s face which Dimitri ignored. ¡°Please, it¡¯s imperative I speak with her.¡± ¡°I speak for the Dracaena, so speak to me. I¡¯ll repeat your words to her at a later time when she¡¯s agreeable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must insist that I deliver the message in person.¡± ¡°She said she doesn¡¯t wish to be disturbed. I won¡¯t go against the Dracaena¡¯s wishes.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. You¡¯re not serious, are you?¡± ¡°Marcus, please. Let me handle--¡± He stopped when the Grand Kobold opened his mouth to speak and suddenly went rigid. It would have been comical if not for the lifeless gaze and seriousness of the matter. He turned to Marcus who shrugged. The other priests in the room had stopped what they were doing and faced them, their heads bowed. Dimitri contemplated if they should leave when the Grand Kobold cast his gaze at the floor and said apologetically, ¡°The Dracaena will see you. This way.¡± Dimitri still wanted to leave, but he was that much closer to his goal, so he decided not to waste the opportunity. He grabbed the pocket watch in his jacket again. They were led through a wide archway and down a long hall. At the end of the hall was an elevator. Dimitri wiped his sweating palms on his pants leg and stepped onto the elevator which ascended to the upper levels. The elevator opened up to a short hall with a large pair of metal doors at the end. A dragon¡¯s head similar to the statues below had been engraved on the doors. Immediately after stepping off the elevator, two armed guards wearing matching silver shirts approached them. The Grand Kobold raised a hand, signaling Dimitri and Marcus to stop then approached the guards. ¡°The Dracaena has requested these two.¡± The guards turned to them. The taller of the two with a thick goatee said, ¡°Before you go in, you have to leave your weapons here. You¡¯ll get them back if you leave.¡± Dimitri nodded and handed over his pistol. He then shot a warning glare to Marcus not to do or say anything stupid. His bodyguard rolled his eyes and handed over his rifle, pistol, and knife. The tall guard turned to Dimitri. ¡°The bag.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a simple garment bag. You may inspect it if you must, but you said I must leave weapons behind.¡± The guard rolled his eyes but made Dimitri open the bag and inspected its contents. There was only a tailored short dress inside. Dimitri carefully watched the man, daring him to rip or wrinkle it. Afterward, the bearded guard gave a quick nod to the other one. They grabbed the large handles and pulled the doors open just far enough for them to enter one at a time. Dimitri tried to peer inside, but the Grand Kobold quickly pushed him inside. Marcus followed and the doors were pulled shut behind them, closing with an ominous clang that echoed through the room. ¡°Okay, what the hell was that about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important. Just remember not to speak unless instructed, and please, for goodness sake, mind your manners.¡± Marcus snorted and Dimitri wiped his hands on his pants leg again. The light coming through the stained-glass windows reflected off the colorful pillars, painting the domed room in a rainbow of colors. Upon closer inspection, the pillars were lined with real gemstones. He approached the windows. They seemed to tell the story of a dragon surrounded by death but in the end, lead a group of humans to a large structure. ¡°It seems one of the Dracaena of old led her followers here to evade some kind of persecution. Possibly during the Great Rebellion when dragon worship was outlawed. This building must¡¯ve been erected in her honor.¡± Marcus whistled. ¡°Guess being a god pays good, huh?¡± ¡°That would depend on how you define ¡®payment¡¯,¡± a voice said. Dimitri whirled towards the source of the voice. At the far end of the room was a massive cushion. Sitting on it was a dragon that looked just like the statues and the engravings on the door, her scales a dark grey like clouds before a storm. Dimitri wasn¡¯t sure if she just came in or if she had been there the entire time, but he stepped forward and dropped to one knee. ¡°Dracaena.¡± He stole a glance at Marcus and was relieved to see he was doing the same. ¡°You were making quite a fuss below,¡± the dragon said. ¡°This had better be quite a pivotal message.¡± Dimitri tried to raise his head, but upon looking in the dragon¡¯s yellow eyes, he felt vulnerable, like a child under the scrutinizing glare of a stern parent. He looked back down at the floor. ¡°My name is Dimitri Petit." He motioned to the man beside him. ¡°My bodyguard Marcus Freeman. I come with more of a request, your grace. I own a variety of dress shops back at Rubellum, and I would be honored if--¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Dimitri raised his head, focusing his gaze on the dragon¡¯s slender neck instead of her harsh gaze. ¡°Wh...What?¡± ¡°I believe I just declined your request. That is what ¡®refuse¡¯ means, correct?¡± ¡°It...It is, but, your grace--¡± ¡°Allow me. You have traveled here to ask me to sponsor your product. To parade me around as some prize to draw the admiration of your customers and the ire of your rivals.¡± She stood and approached them. Dimitri felt a pang of anxiety but stayed put. He had dealt with enough dragons to know any displays of fear gave them the upper hand. ¡°Well, I decline such an asinine request.¡± ¡°Apologies, but you''re wrong your grace. I didn''t come here to claim you as a prize but as a customer. I ask that you purchase these dresses." He quickly removed the dress from the garment bag. It was a deep blue and had a shorter skirt to avoid hindering the hind legs. On the bodice was an intricate floral pattern in bright green and blue stitching. It was the last dress he made for Amelia redesigned to fit a dragon¡¯s body. The Dracaena regarded him with a curious stare. ¡°It is an exquisitely made dress. I take it that is your offer to me?¡± ¡°No, this is merely a showpiece to show you my skill.¡± That and he couldn¡¯t bear to part with this particular dress. ¡°You approached me with no offering. I am unsure if I should be insulted or impressed. Given that you had the gall to ask a favor of me, I am inclined towards the former.¡± ¡°Please, Dracaena, my offer to you is my dedication and unending service to you. Someone of your magnificence and beauty would deserve and receive nothing less than my best work. Every dress will be designed by me personally.¡± He prayed this gamble paid off. His research had revealed the Dracaena required an offering before one could pray at the temple or curry her favor. But it was also known her mood was mercurial at best, and many gifts were often turned down. The Dracaena stepped closer. Sweat ran down Dimitri¡¯s sides, but he remained rooted to the spot. He did everything possible to maintain eye contact, he looked at the end of her muzzle, her horns, her cheekbones¡ªanywhere that let him avoid her eyes without making obvious. ¡°Cease the unctuous praise. You did not come all this way simply to expand your business.¡± His mind felt as trying to peer through a thick haze. Her words sounded so gentle and soothing like sliding a warm bath. The words began pouring out of him without hesitation. ¡°My daughter requires constant care and her medical bills are expensive. If I can sell to the Dracaena, it would ensure I could care for her.¡± The Dracaena smiled and returned to her cushion. ¡°So your purpose here is to secure a future for your offspring because as your companion so eloquently phrased it, ¡®godhood pays well.¡¯ ¡± Dimitri said nothing but silently cursed Marcus¡¯s words. ¡°Your plight is a regrettable one, but my response remains still the same.¡± Dimitri stood. ¡°But, your grace--¡± ¡°Your ingratiating words may coax some of the lesser Matriarchs to do your bidding, but such tactics are wasted on one such as I. Had you approached me with your true intentions, I might have been more amiable, but instead, you decided to attempt to outsmart me in a quixotic bid to maintain some sense of decency.¡± ¡°Done let godhood go to her head, this one,¡± Marcus whispered. Dimitri stared at the man in horror. He whirled back to the Dracaena and saw the displeasure in her face and shivered. ¡°Please, forgive him! He¡¯s just tired from the long--¡± The Dracaena sent a single look in his direction and he fell silent. She turned back to Marcus and Dimitri could swear he heard a low rumble like distant thunder. He stared at the two, seeing his chances of success growing slimmer. The pocket watch pulled on his clothes, forcing him closer to the floor. Without warning, he leaped onto the man, pummeling every inch of him within reach. He said nothing, the sound of his fist cracking against the man¡¯s face filling the room. Each time a blow landed, he saw himself standing over a small grave, Amelia¡¯s grave. Each time he was reminded how easily his last hope had slipped through his fingers like wet sand. Marcus should have been able to easily overpower him, but it seemed the surprise attack caught him off-guard. Dimitri didn¡¯t ease the assault even as pain surged through his hands. Why? Why couldn¡¯t you listen? How many times have I told you to watch your words? Now she¡¯s dead because of you! I sank the last of my coin into this endeavor and you wasted it! The words roared in his mind but didn''t find their way to his mouth. ¡°Enough.¡± Dimitri scooted across the floor away from him. Intense pain raced through his hands. Marcus continued to lay on his back, his face a mask of blood, his chest heaving. Dimitri looked down at his bloody, trembling hands and his vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. The Dracaena slowly rose and approached Dimitri. He didn''t try to run or defend himself. He welcomed death at this point. At least Amelia would be able to live a little longer with the insurance money. ¡°I change my mind. I accept your offering.¡± ¡°My offering?¡± She motioned to his bruised hands. ¡°The sacrifice you made for my honor. Your augur to provide only your best means little with broken hands. However, I am willing to wait until they heal, and should that day never transpire, I shall accept that as well.¡± Dimitri didn¡¯t know what to say so he bowed and said nothing. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He stole a glance at Marcus who still lay on the floor. I¡¯m sorry. I never intended to sacrifice you, but she comes first. The Dracaena slapped her tail against the floor, the sound filling the room with the crack of thunder. The doors immediately opened. ¡°Take Dimitri to the surgeon and do what you can for him. Then ensure he receives a bath and a proper meal. He shall stay here until his hands have healed. Leave the other one, and tell the cook I shall not require dinner tonight.¡± Two hands seized Dimitri under the arms and gently hauled him to his feet. He stared at the floor as he was led out of the room. Happiness and guilt battled inside him. He never liked Marcus, but this wasn¡¯t the fate he wished upon the man. Dealing with dragons was deadly business after all. Forgiven Where Dragons Rule Forgiven By Sonny Dae ? 2019-2022, Sonny Dae, All Rights Reserved
Windor couldn¡¯t sleep. Had it been weeks, months, since the last time he had a good night¡¯s sleep? He couldn¡¯t tell anymore. The days had long since blurred together and he stopped keeping track. Most nights were spent lying awake because he feared the nightmare that awaited him when he closed his eyes. In the nightmare, there were no distractions, no haven, only the worst parts of his mind free to blossom and manifest how it saw fit. And so he stayed awake, stalling for as long as possible until his body had reached its limit and sleep claimed him whether he wanted it to or not. By then he was too exhausted to dream and only memories of the night before greeted him upon waking. But even when awake there was no safety; the reminders were always there. Every time he looked upon his mud-colored scales and scar-covered body. Every time he moved his head and felt that tightness on the left side of his face where he lost his eye. Every time he was reminded that he was a worthless coward. The only difference being during the day he could distract himself. So he distracted himself. Through constant work to buy enough drink or sweets to dull his senses. But it seemed the divines were not satisfied. Now his punishment was more severe. That was why he was outside in the wilderness with Aeris, the one he hurt. Why he spent every day hiding his withdrawal from the others. At first, it wasn¡¯t hard. They were still in the cities then. He could sneak off at practically any time and get a quick-fix of sweets to tide him over. But not anymore. They crossed the border into the Dragonlands. They were in the middle of the woods and even then no sweet shops existed on this side of the world. The symptoms weren¡¯t bad now, but eventually, there would be no hiding it. Not when he got the dry mouth and the fatigue. The worst would be the hunger pangs. His body would start craving sustenance it didn¡¯t need or want to stifle the urges. That would not be fun. He shuddered at the thought of the dragons who lost themselves. Their teeth cracked and rotten¡ªthe ones left anyway¡ªbecause they resorted to eating rocks and wood they were so hungry. He looked up at the cloudy sky overhead, illuminating a washed-out and dreary world. Counting the days remaining of his sanity was no way to start the morning. He started to stretch then felt something against his side. Aeris slept soundly next to him. Even in the dreary light, the bright blue scales of the dragoness had a shine to them, just like the day they met. A mixture of joy and horror welled up within him. This wasn¡¯t where he laid down to sleep. Either he had gotten up in the night or she did. That wasn¡¯t possible. Aeris had been sleeping for nearly a week now and hadn¡¯t done more than the occasional twitch to remind everyone she was alive. He wanted to move away, but his limbs wouldn¡¯t obey the command. Memories of old times flooded him. When he would awake to her beside him, her eyes bright and full of joy. Without thinking, he leaned forward and nuzzled the side of her face. She stirred and groaned softly but remained asleep. The conflicting feelings intensified. Would that joy still be there or would there be only contempt in her eyes? Part of him didn¡¯t want her to wake up. If she awoke, the answer would be revealed and the dream would end. Even asleep, the change was apparent. She looked older, rougher. The last year apart had changed her. He wanted her to stay like this. Innocent, pure, and curious of the wider world. She wasn¡¯t that way anymore; now she had become withdrawn, fearful, and angry. It hurt to see her that way. He quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind. That life was over. They could never be together again; it was time he accepted that. To distract from the gnawing thoughts of reminiscence, he looked around the small camp. Laying on the other side of Aeris was Janine. For once her youth showed in her freckled face and she wasn¡¯t forced to pretend to be older or bear burdens that should have been his. As if sensing him watching, she shifted, causing her mop of dark hair to hide her face from view. On his left lay the next human-dragon pair. Nesse¡¯s green scales blended well with the surrounding foliage, her side rising and falling in an even rhythm breaking her cover. Leaning against her was her assistant, and chosen so far as Windor was concerned, Brandy. Her contrast to Janine was immediately apparent. Where Janine was young and mature, Brandy was older and had the hyper-activity of a small child. Even the way she slept, with a wide grin on her chubby face like someone who wasn¡¯t on the run. To his right beyond Janine lay Terran and Maxis. It was strange seeing Maxis with a peaceful look on his face. His black scales stood out amongst the scenery as if his size didn¡¯t give him away already. Terran didn¡¯t fare much better. He was one of the largest humans Windor came across in height and width. He supposed that was common among human mercenaries. He realized that everyone here had done something for Aeris. They gave up their lives to travel with her and make sure she was okay, even though they were strangers. Everyone except him who had known her the longest. He needed another distraction. Something that didn¡¯t remind him of his failings. Noticing his penises stood at full attention, he rolled over to better hide himself in case anyone woke up and lumbered into the woods. After relieving himself in the bushes, he continued wandering. There were three dragons back at camp; nothing would bother them. The woods were eerily quiet. It had been ever since they arrived. That was common in the Dragonlands but made him uneasy. This land was more wild and untamed. Instead of bandits on the roads, any wandering dragon looking to pass the time was a threat. And then many wild beasts that roamed the woods. Not many creatures were bold enough to approach three grown dragons, but Windor understood better than most that hunger was a fierce motivator. Still, what was he to do about it? A coward and a weakling was no threat to anything or anyone. He wandered deeper into the woods, wondering if the others had awoken yet and if they would be looking for him if they had. Probably not. Janine would likely care, but Nesse and Brandy were strangers. Terran and Maxis had no real reason to care about him either. And Aeris had made her feelings towards him known a long time ago. Should he go back? Was sticking around the best idea? While he wanted to atone, his presence was nothing but a reminder of a past best left forgotten. If he did leave, where would he go? Going back across the border sounded like the best idea. No dragon clan on this side would accept him. Eventually, he came across a small stream. He took his time drinking to distract from the nagging thoughts. After slaking his thirst, he kept drinking until his stomach felt tight. He then dunked his head under the water and held that position for a few moments before snatching his head out of the stream, flinging cool droplets onto his back. He looked down at his reflection. The dark red dragon stared back at him, its one milky eye showing no emotion, unlike the healthy yellow one that was full of regret and sadness. It went well with the crisscrossing scars on his face and neck and the broken horn. He dug his claws into the muddy banks to stop himself from turning away. Up until now, he couldn¡¯t stand to look at his reflection¡ªthat held true now, but he needed to see it. ¡°Look at you,¡± he said to his reflection. ¡°Just a shadow of your former self.¡± ¡°To be a shadow, you have to first been worth something,¡± his reflection replied. ¡°You were a coward then and you¡¯re a coward now.¡± He slapped the ground with his tail. ¡°I¡¯m not a coward. Not anymore.¡± ¡°Sure you¡¯re not. Look at Windor, the big bad Ravager. He stands up to bullies and fights for his friends!¡± Windor clenched his jaw and growled at the water. The obvious sarcasm of that jab wasn¡¯t lost on him. Even before Aeris, when others, some of them close friends, were being tormented by other dragons he looked the other way. Thoughts of the what-ifs and maybes still haunted him. But it was how things were done. The strong ruled the weak. Obedience bred order. Someone like him, a weak whelp who hated violence, knew the best hope for survival was to keep his head down and his mouth closed. ¡°Wuss. A domesticate has more backbone than you. Really? A dragon raised by humans to be an obedient pet has a bigger pair than a clan-born?¡± ¡°Aeris may be a domesticate but she¡¯s also a Matriarch,¡± he argued. ¡°They can do whatever they want. She is anything but weak.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t a Matriarch back then. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she didn¡¯t know what one was.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the damn point!¡± ¡°And what is the point? That it¡¯s okay for her because she turned out to be a Matriarch in the end? She didn¡¯t care about that. She doesn¡¯t care about it now. Labels mean nothing to her, unlike a certain drake who¡¯s too afraid to stand up for himself.¡± He leaned closer to the water, feeling heat course through his body. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I just know my place.¡± ¡°And what was her place? As a domesticate, she¡¯s beneath you, Matriarch or not. She¡¯s a pet, a plaything, she admitted to letting a human¡ªa human¡ªuse her how he saw fit. And that¡¯s your definition of strong? No wonder you¡¯re so fucked up.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t talk about her that way!¡± ¡°Or what? You won¡¯t do a damn thing. You never do. Even when her life was in danger, even when she begged you to come to her rescue, even when all you had to do was save the eggs YOU helped make, what did you do? Now you want to come to her defense? Please.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different! I¡­I¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t form the words. Just thinking it made his tongue feel too thick and heavy to move. It blocked his throat and made it hard to breathe. ¡°You were what? Scared? Scared of what the dragons would do to you when they found you laid with a domesticate? Funny how that thought never crossed your mind when you were going balls deep¡ª" With a savage snarl, he swiped the water, flinging clumps of dirt onto the banks. Knowing the stream would eventually settle and he¡¯d see his reflection again, he turned away. The sound of breaking branches and birds screeching as their homes were disturbed broke the silence. He spun around just in time to react to a large mass of fur and feathers flying towards him, narrowly dodging the creature. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It had the face of a bird of prey but stood on four limbs. Bleeding lacerations stained the thick brown and white-spotted feathers covering the front half of its body and the black fur on its rear half. It had large talons for forelegs but its rear legs sported wide paws. His admiration of the strange creature before him was cut short as three Ravagers landed on the ground behind him. The creature squawked and tried to stand, but collapsed to the ground. The largest of the three stepped forward and motioned to the creature behind Windor. ¡°That¡¯s our kill. We¡¯ll be taking it back now.¡± ¡°You damn lizards,¡± the creature said. ¡°And here I thought you were creatures of honor!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, bird!¡± the large Ravager cried before turning back to Windor. ¡°You. Move so we can teach that feathered freak a lesson.¡± Windor didn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t. His fascination with the strange creature rooted him to the spot, but also the situation itself. He should walk away. Every part of him screamed to walk away. Three against one were terrible odds and this wasn¡¯t his fight anyway. What did he care what happened to some random stranger? But that kind of thinking is what led to his cowardice. When Janine was being bullied by dragons, he told himself the same thing. But Aeris came to her rescue. And when Aeris needed help, who came to her aid but perfect strangers who had no stake in her well-being? He turned back to the creature, struggling to stand on wobbling limbs. He couldn¡¯t do it. Moving out of the way and leaving this creature its fate felt wrong. Thoughts of Aeris laying there, bleeding and hurt, surrounded by those who wished her harm flooded his thoughts. The visions changed to images of himself. Ignored or looked down upon by sneering faces. He could always hear their voices, their jeers, their insults. Telling the others to ignore him, calling him trash, that he deserves his fate. The ¡°betters¡± have decreed his worth and his only choice was to accept their judgment. A burning rage rose within him. He stepped forward and planted himself between the creature and the dragons. The large Ravager tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯re you doing? Do you want the kill that bad?¡± ¡°No,¡± Windor replied. ¡°I¡¯m just doing something right for once.¡± ¡°If you wanna do something right, move your ass,¡± the second Ravager said. ¡°We need to put that bird in its place.¡± A terse growl escaped him. There it was again. The betters had spoken and needed to make things right in the world. The balance, the hierarchy, needed to be restored and maintained. ¡°Hey, he¡¯s an outcast!¡± the third Ravager cried. Windor swore. He had forgotten he had been marked as an outcast for abandoning Aeris. This was bad. Outcasts ranked just above domesticates in the hierarchy. No proud dragon would be talked down to by one. He should back away and apologize. If he¡¯s lucky, they¡¯ll consider him unworthy of their attention. Maybe he could even get away while they killed the creature. He flexed his claws and inhaled, ready to expel flames at any moment. Are you sure about this, he asked himself. You¡¯re outnumbered and no one knows you¡¯re here. You¡¯ll likely die here. That was fine. He made his choice. At least he would die knowing he did what he could. The largest Ravager stepped forward. Pressure like a heavy blanket fell on him. That familiar feeling of something worming its way into his mind and probing his brain followed. He knew this feeling; it was a Matriarch¡¯s Call, the unique power only select female dragons could use and a symbol of their authority. He swore again. There was no getting out of this now. Matriarch¡¯s stood at the top of the hierarchy. Only they were allowed to rule and command, and no one dared talk down to them. An outcast defying a Matriarch? They would never let him walk away. A fight was inevitable. Get out of the way, the Ravager¡¯s voice commanded. Windor chuckled to himself. This pressure was nothing compared to some of the Matriarch¡¯s he met lately. Even Aeris could do better and she just learned how to use hers. But even so, he had already made up his mind. No longer would he be a coward. The Ravager backed away, her eyes wide with shock. ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t it work on you?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Because you lack resolve,¡± Windor said. He smiled at recalling the words of Aeris¡¯ training. ¡°Your Call doesn¡¯t work if your will is weak.¡± It was bait. He couldn¡¯t get out of a conflict anymore so he saw no point in playing nice. Besides, making her angry might make her sloppy. The Ravager¡¯s eyes blazed with a fierce fury as she charged at him. In the past, that would have phased him, but he had seen worse, faced worse. Those weren¡¯t the eyes of a dangerous dragon; that was the glare of a spoiled whelp who didn¡¯t get her way. Windor planted himself and braced for the charge. They were equal in size so he expected to handle the hit. The blow hurt, but he planted himself and slid just a little. The Ravager reared up, paw raised to strike him down. He reacted immediately, charging forward into the swing and tackling her to the ground. Before she could react, he went for the throat. Something slammed into him from the side, sending him rolling along the ground. The other two Ravagers weren¡¯t going to watch while an outcast killed a Matriarch. He quickly righted himself and flapped his wings as hard as possible. The gust wouldn¡¯t knock them off their feet, but it would give them pause. He felt different. His body felt hot. The smell of burning grass filled his nose. That couldn¡¯t be right. No one had used their flames yet. Or had one of the dragons preemptively set the area on fire to cut off escape? There was no time to wonder about it. The two Ravagers were charging again in a pincer maneuver with the Matriarch coming down the middle. Their movements were synchronized. They had hunted before. His only hope was to throw off their timing and teamwork. So he charged forward rather than try to stay defensive. The heat rushed through his limbs, leaving a tingling feeling in his claws. His senses felt sharper and faster. He sensed the two Ravagers changing direction to meet his assault. They would be too slow. But there would only be moments to take advantage of the opening. He reached the Matriarch, but instead of tackling her head-on, he jumped. She had braced for a frontal assault and couldn¡¯t react in time. He used his momentum to aid his attack, striking her hard across the face. He then spun and threw himself at the other Ravager. With the Matriarch between them, the pincer attack wouldn¡¯t work. The other one would have to go around. Windor faked a high swipe but went low instead with his other claw. The attack slid smoothly across the other Ravager¡¯s belly scales, exposing his innards. Windor spun to meet the remaining attackers but was tackled from behind. Two pairs of claws tore at his body. He spun and tried to fend them off but they were back in sync. It was hard to block one attack without leaving an opening for another. ¡°Why¡¯s his body so hot? It--¡± One of the dragons roared in pain and reared up. Windor knocked away a swipe from the Matriarch aimed at his throat and expelled a spurt of flame. She reared up and he wasted no time kicking his hind legs, tearing her abdomen from her chest down to the base of her tail. Her pained shriek cut through the air. Windor could only stare, his body shaking from the adrenaline. He had defied a Matriarch and even wounded her. And it was no small cut. She would bleed to death if nothing was done¡ªassuming anything could be done. It didn¡¯t feel real. How could he, a lowly drake, defeat a Matriarch? Don¡¯t flatter yourself. She was just weak, his mind chided. You honestly think you¡¯d stand a chance against someone like Cutter or Sareen? You¡¯d be nothing more than a warmup to them. Still, even the lowliest Matriarch stood above him. The Matriarch glared up at him, blood dripping from her snout. ¡°You fucking¡­bastard! How¡­ How¡­¡± She doubled over in a fit of coughing. He continued to stare as she lay in a growing pool of her life force. What had he done? The strange hybrid creature approached the bleeding dragon. Windor, realizing there were still two other dragons about, whirled around. The other two dragons lay still on the ground. He spun back to the creature. Even with those wounds, it was strong enough to kill a dragon? The hybrid kneeled next to the Matriarch. ¡°Shh. It is going to be all right, little one. Your mother is calling you home. Rest.¡± She tried to bite at the creature, but the attempt was pitiful. Even if it had reached, she wouldn¡¯t have done any damage. Her mouth moved, forming words, but only a strangled gurgle and bubbles of blood flowed from her maw. The creature closed his eyes and placed a talon on her head. She didn¡¯t struggle under his touch. He then opened his eyes, took her head in both talons, and twisted her neck. The sickening crack of her bones broke the silence briefly before stillness enveloped them again. The peace didn¡¯t last long as the creature sighed heavily. ¡°Such a waste. May your next life be more pleasant.¡± Now that Windor had a chance to examine the creature, it was an impressive size. They were about equal in height and he was large enough to carry a grown human. He also noticed that most of its wounds were superficial. Even against three dragons, it held its own. The creature swept into a low bow. ¡°My name is Bluen, and I am grateful for your assistance. Hopefully we will see each other again.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Windor cried. ¡°Come with me. You¡¯re hurt. I know people who can treat your wounds.¡± He didn¡¯t actually know that, but it was clear that Bluen was downplaying his injuries. It was in the gryphon¡¯s eyes. He would be passed out by sundown. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I think you have done enough for me.¡± ¡°Technically, you saved my life and I saved yours, so we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°And that is all the more reason not to be in debt to a dragon. Not to be rude, but we have stories back home warning about trusting your kind.¡± It didn¡¯t bother him at all. He understood better than most the cruelty of his kin. ¡°Still, you won¡¯t get far with those cuts. My camp isn¡¯t far.¡± Bluen tilted his head. ¡°Your ¡®camp¡¯?¡± Windor didn¡¯t know how to respond to that so he just shook his head and started to walk away. He took one step before his legs buckled. Bluen managed to catch him before he fell. Everything felt sore as if he had been running for days. Looking down at his paws, his nails were black and cracked. What happened to me? ¡°It seems you need assistance as well,¡± Bluen said. ¡°Oh, what was your name again?¡± ¡°Windor.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Windor. Now which way to your camp?¡± **** ¡°Just how is it you, Aeris, and Janine are always at the center of every damn thing?¡± Nesse asked with a heavy sigh. Windor had just finished recalling the events of his morning ¡°adventure¡±. He and Bluen had used up the last of their bandages and even a few makeshift ones getting treatment. Nesse wasn¡¯t the only one displeased with his side-tracking. It seemed the others had noticed his disappearance and were quite worried about him. Terran and Maxis had been silent the entire time, but their looks said plenty. Janine especially was taking it hard. Ever since he arrived, the young woman had been clinging to him. It made him feel guilty. He had forgotten Janine was in a foreign land, far from home, with no idea if she would see her family again. Their group were the only people she knew and could rely on out here. He silently scolded himself for even considering the possibility of leaving. ¡°We just have a knack for it?¡± Windor said, smiling weakly. ¡°Yeah, I noticed,¡± the dragoness replied. ¡°Seriously, you three were made for each other.¡± ¡°Forget them!¡± Brandy cried. She was the only one who didn¡¯t seem bothered by the events, instead staring at Bluen like a parched woman seeing a glass of water. ¡°How on earth did you find a gryphon?! They¡¯re supposed to be extinct!¡± ¡°Brandy, that¡¯s rude,¡± Nesse said. The woman quickly covered her mouth. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I just¡­well, no one¡¯s seen your kind in, like, forever! We can¡¯t even find records you existed, just vague stories and drawings. And now a real, live gryphon is here! You really have no idea what this means! There¡¯s so much we can learn from you!¡± ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Bluen said slowly. ¡° I do not know what I can tell you, however. We do not know why we never ventured beyond our borders. It is just how things are.¡± ¡°You still left though,¡± Terran said as he finished tying up a bundle of wood. ¡°So something made you leave.¡± The gryphon shrugged. ¡°I am just simply curious. And as a warrior, it is my task to protect the kettle from harm. But there are many stories of dangerous creatures beyond our borders. Terrifying monsters that defy imagination and would kill anything foolish enough to trespass in their territory.¡± Brandy eagerly raised her hand. ¡°Excuse me, but what¡¯s a kettle? It¡¯s just over here, it means a metal pot used for boiling water which I can¡¯t imagine why you would spend your time protecting it. Although if it''s something precious like a family heirloom, I can see why. But is it really that hard to protect? And if so¡ª¡± ¡°Answer the question so she¡¯ll shut up,¡± Maxis said. Brandy fell silent, looking very hurt by the remark. ¡°A kettle is simply what we call multiple gryphons living together,¡± Bluen replied matter-of-factly. ¡°We usually live alone or with loved ones, but collectively, others are nearby.¡± ¡°Oh, so like a collection of families living in the same neighborhood!¡± Brandy exclaimed. She began furiously writing in her notebook. ¡°Dr. Nesse, do you hear this?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard. And it¡¯s very interesting,¡± Nesse said. ¡°So how exactly does a kettle work? How do you govern yourselves if you all live alone?¡± ¡°I am sorry, but that is all I can say. I am grateful for your aid, but I must consider the kettle¡¯s safety above all else and I am unsure just how much I can entrust to you.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Nesse said, shrugging. ¡°But¡ª¡° Brandy began. Nesse quickly cut her off. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to share yet, and we¡¯re not gonna make him. Remember, we have to be respectful.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re done with storytime,¡± Terran said. ¡°Can you help us finish packing up? Windor¡¯s little clash could¡¯ve been heard for miles and I don¡¯t want to be here when someone comes looking.¡± Maxis began grumbling under his breath, no doubt annoyed that he had to carry Aeris again. Nothing had roused her from her sleep. ¡°Is there something wrong with that dragon?¡± Bluen asked. ¡°She has not moved since I arrived.¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Janine said quickly. ¡°She¡­she just needs to sleep.¡± Everyone avoided looking at each other. Windor knew why. It was something he had been avoiding thinking about as well. Aeris had been asleep for days now and nothing woke her. They had even tried a few times, but she wouldn¡¯t even open her eyes. What if she never woke up? How long should they wait? What would they do if that time ever came? He chose not to think about it. She was going to wake up. She had to. Nothing more was said as they finished packing up, getting Aeris onto Maxis¡¯ back and tying her down so she wouldn¡¯t fall off. The remaining supplies were divvied up between everyone except Windor and Bluen. Windor tried to protest but it was pointed out he couldn¡¯t push himself with his injuries. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what you did to yourself,¡± Nesse had said. ¡°Until we figure out the extent of the damage, you need to take it easy. Figure out what happened and we¡¯ll talk.¡± But he didn¡¯t know what happened. He just remembered his body felt very hot which struck him as odd given a dragon¡¯s high heat tolerance. The whole day was strange. He still couldn¡¯t believe he killed a Matriarch. But there was no joy. Defeating a powerful foe was every dragon¡¯s dream. Or at least that was what he was told. His whole life was to be spent getting stronger because he was expected to be powerful. It was why he envied domesticates. They didn¡¯t have to live that way. Their human caretakers didn¡¯t care if they were strong. ¡°Excuse me, but are you available to talk?¡± Bluen asked. Windor started at the gryphon''s seemingly sudden appearance. ¡°Uh, sure. I¡¯m surprised you haven''t left yet.¡± ¡°I gave it some thought and concluded that this land is dangerous,¡± the gryphon replied. ¡°Not quite the monster¡¯s den the legends made it out to be, but still not to be taken lightly. And you are more knowledgeable of this land than I. It would be the smartest move.¡± He added with a small smile. ¡°Also, I am quite curious about dragons and I found one who does not want to kill me.¡± ¡°I can understand that. But why not talk to Nesse? I¡¯m sure she¡¯s dying to ask you a few things herself.¡± Fear briefly flashed in the bird¡¯s brown eyes. ¡°I¡­would rather not. That woman with her would join us and she¡ª¡± ¡°Is a bit much? Yeah, you get used to it. Kinda. So anyway, what do you want to know?¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± He didn¡¯t expect that question. ¡°You are bothered by the kill,¡± Bluen explained to Windor¡¯s stupefied expression. ¡°Because it shouldn¡¯t have worked. I¡¯m¡ªnevermind. You¡¯ll think it¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°I am surprised you became so well-versed in how a gryphon thinks in such a short time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I just¡­¡± Fuck it. It¡¯s not like I can fall any further. ¡°She was a Matriarch and I¡¯m an outcast.¡± ¡°And these ¡®Matriarchs¡¯ are powerful, I take it?¡± ¡°You have no idea. Only Matriarchs are allowed to lead us. They command respect just by existing. They stand above all other dragons.¡± ¡°And who decided this?¡± ¡°They did!¡± Windor cried. ¡°You have no idea what they can do! I watched a single Matriarch take control of an entire city just by thinking it! Everyone bowed to her and did as she said.¡± The gryphon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I see. That is powerful. Admittedly, dragon culture is foreign to me, but it sounds as if much is expected of you.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Nesse said from in front of them. She slowed until she walked alongside them. ¡°Dragons value strength and pride above all else. We¡¯re strong and we have to show it with everything we do. We¡¯re never second best because we are the best. And not even the All-Mother will help you if you hurt our pride in any way.¡± Brandy noticed Nesse had fallen back and her face lit up, but a subtle shake of the head from Nesse made the woman face forward again, pouting. ¡°And what happens to dragons who are not the best?¡± Bluen asked. Nesse jerked her head towards Windor. ¡°You end up like him. Or dead. Usually both in that order.¡± ¡°So if one is marked as an outcast, their fate is sealed?¡± ¡°More or less. There are ways to get it reversed, but it¡¯s pretty rare. Usually, once you¡¯re an outcast you can forget getting anyone to even look at you, let alone take anything you say or do seriously.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as if they didn¡¯t deserve it,¡± Windor said. ¡°Outcasts are kicked out for a reason.¡± ¡°Yeah, because they didn¡¯t follow the rules,¡± Nesse replied stiffly. ¡°You know full well if a dragon breaks the law, we either kill them or exile them. Outcasts are a warning to anyone to doesn¡¯t meet the status quo.¡± Windor fell silent. Her words cut deeper than expected. It was true, his fate had been sealed long before his outcast status. He hated violence and he was never the strongest, never the fastest, never the smartest. It was one of the reasons why he left his clan. If he hadn¡¯t, he would have been marked sooner or later. ¡°Forgive me for saying this, but dragons sound very controlling,¡± Bluen said. ¡°Deciding one¡¯s worth and shunning them for it? That sounds like a very harsh way to live.¡± ¡°We all judge to some extent,¡± Nesse said. ¡°So how do gryphons do it?¡± ¡°We determine your worth by your contribution to the kettle. The young are an exception.¡± ¡°And if you don¡¯t?¡± ¡°If the kettle cannot use you, you do not live with them. And yes, it can be quite cruel since even those with skills can be exiled.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Windor asked. ¡°Because they already have someone who can what you do better,¡± Nesse replied. ¡°Is that right?¡± Bluen nodded, his expression solemn. ¡°So it¡¯s a constant race to stay relevant. Sounds rough.¡± ¡°It is how things are.¡± Windor clenched his jaw. How he hated that sentence. ¡°It was how things were¡± was always the go-to response, the excuse to do whatever they wanted. It had always been that way so no one had the right to question it. He looked back to Aeris. The living proof it was not how things were. Domesticates were not weak and her worth couldn¡¯t be decided by anyone. Thinking back on it. Maybe that was why he was drawn to her. Even when they first met and she was timid, she still had a fearless side that showed when she needed it most. He liked that about her because it was what he wanted to be. He wanted her strength, her confidence, her sureness, her drive. She spat in the face of dragon law without hesitation and regretted nothing. What did he do? The first time things got tough, he ran. He closed his eyes prayed it went away. A feathery wing waving in his face snapped him out of his thoughts. He noticed Nesse had returned to Brandy¡¯s side, leaving him alone with Bluen again. ¡°You never decided your worth did you?¡± the gryphon asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The look in your eyes. You are conflicted, confused, and angry. I know that look because it is the same look my son had.¡± ¡°You have a son?¡± He nodded, his gaze distant. ¡°You remind me of him. He was also unhappy with his place in the world. He wanted to be a warrior like me, but the kettle already had enough strong warriors. They did not need more. What they wanted was more raptors.¡± ¡°Raptors?¡± ¡°They gather food and make sure everyone has what they need.¡± ¡°Oh, so like a hunter then. But don¡¯t warriors hunt?¡± ¡°We do to improve our skills, but it is not our job. Hunting takes time, a lot of time. Warriors never stray far to respond quickly to threats. My son wanted to be a warrior, but the kettle demanded he become a raptor or else he find a new place to live.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh. What happened?¡± ¡°He left. Watching him leave was the hardest thing I have ever done.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t go with him?¡± ¡°No. He said it was his path to walk, not mine. I had my place and he needed to find his.¡± ¡°So what happened? Did he find a place?¡± Bluen was silent for a long time. Windor was about to try changing the subject when the gyphon spoke again. ¡°I do not know. I have not seen him again. That was¡­about 20 years ago.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t keep in touch with other kettles?¡± ¡°We are spread too far apart and do not travel. Perhaps the other raptors meet one another in the wild.¡± He turned back to Windor. ¡°But that is enough about him. He has his path and I have mine. Apparently, it has led to you.¡± ¡°What, like destiny? You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°You do not believe in destiny?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like to believe that there was nothing I could do.¡± ¡°Because it would mean you were destined to be weak and an outcast? Because then your struggles for acceptance would be in vain?¡± Windor dropped his head. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t spare my feelings or anything.¡± The gryphon chuckled. ¡°Forgive me. I have often been told I should choose my words more carefully. I was struck in the beak very often as a youngling, but apparently, the lesson never stuck.¡± It was Windor¡¯s turn to laugh. Imagining a smaller version of the gryphon being repeatedly struck in the mouth for talking too much chased away the dark thoughts plaguing him. When his laughter died down, Bluen spoke again. ¡°I will tell you the same thing I told my son: Do what you will. There is no greater regret than the action not taken.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°What else is there? The only path you have to walk is yours so why should you not chart the course? One day you will understand as he did.¡± ¡°He chose to leave. You¡¯re gonna tell me he doesn¡¯t regret it?¡± ¡°He likely does, but I know he would regret staying even more.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Because he did not come home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to burst your bubble, but there¡¯s a lot of reasons he may not have come home.¡± ¡°I am aware. But do you know for certain which one is the right one?¡± ¡°How could I possibly know that?¡± ¡°Then what makes you believe my choice is wrong?¡± He didn¡¯t have a response for that. Just like that, he understood what the advice meant. Was that it? Was that really all there was to it? All this time, the demons he had been fighting were the ones he created? Without a word, he jogged until he caught up to Maxis and Aeris. It was a bit awkward, but he managed to lean in and nuzzle her face softly. She groaned and leaned into the gesture. He pulled away before the sense of happiness and nostalgia became too strong. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Maxis asked. ¡°Making sure she knows we¡¯re waiting for her.¡± ¡°Do it later. If she shifts and kicks me again, you¡¯ll carry her.¡± Windor chuckled but backed away. Maxis wasn¡¯t the type to make idle threats. Still, he remained close by. This was his choice. No more debating. No more fear of messing up again. No more punishment. So long as she was happy. That was all that mattered. Post-Story Notes: Hopefully you enjoyed this tale that is Windor¡¯s recovery story. The poor guy has really had it rough and the more I write him, the more I like this character and what he represents. This story also means to shine a light on some of the darker aspects of dragon society. What it¡¯s like for the more ¡°common¡± ones who don¡¯t stand a chance of becoming clan leaders and to also talk about something in our society that¡¯s been bothering me for quite some time. But the message doesn¡¯t quite hit the same if I sit down and explain it so I¡¯ll leave it to you to determine its meaning and draw your own conclusions. Also, I should address the obvious inclusion of a new species in the universe! Yes, this is the debut of gryphons in WDR. They were always going to be added, it was just a matter of how. And this feels like the best way; something that isn¡¯t directly tied to the plot and gives a sense of a larger world outside the scope of the story. Hopefully, you enjoyed Bluen because this is not the last we¡¯ll see of him or the gryphons in general. Her Envious Nature Her Envious Nature
Rowen sighed. She enjoyed the attention, the praise, but now she wished was somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn¡¯t a room with no windows or furniture and guarded by mops and brooms. Somewhere that didn¡¯t stink of alcohol and musk. Somewhere that didn¡¯t have a human¡¯s hot breath on the back of her neck, his drunken grunts in her ear, and his sweaty body sticking to her backside. What is his name again? She asked herself. She tried to focus, tried to keep recall the events of what transpired before coming into the increasingly stuffy room with the increasingly stuffy man flailing against her rear. But her thoughts took her back to earlier that night, reminding her of her true place. The reason why she was fucking in a broom closet instead of a lavish bedroom like she usually did. She reached her limit first, giving a low trill mixed with a growl that pushed him over the edge. The noble gave one last loud moan, pulling hard on her fins, his fluids oozing out of him and into her. She grunted from the discomfort of having her fins pulled and hoped he didn¡¯t notice. ¡°That was different from what I expected,¡± the man said. She continued to face the wall and listened to him getting dressed. ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± ¡°Oh, I did. Much better than any whore I¡¯ve been with.¡± She smiled to herself. It was worth that much at least. The door opened and she peered over her shoulder. Her master Colin Stirling stood in the doorway with the noble whose name she couldn¡¯t recall. She craned her neck to clean herself. It was a tight squeeze in the confines of the closet and she was going to receive a bath upon returning home, but keeping clean was important. And she hated waiting while Colin talked business. ¡°So, I trust everything was to your liking?¡± her master asked. ¡°And our agreement?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± She froze. Colin gave a weak chuckle. ¡°Please, don¡¯t treat me like an idiot; I know that phrase is no better than a rejection. We had a deal!¡± ¡°Come on, Colin, you know how these things work. I can get your dragon an invitation, but if you want her to make Grand Wyrm, you¡¯ll have to do that on your own. My vote alone isn¡¯t going to sway everyone.¡± She listened intently, not even bothering to hide her eavesdropping. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need everyone,¡± Colin said. ¡°I just need enough to ensure Rowen¡¯s victory.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to hand out a few more ¡®bribes¡¯ for that. I won¡¯t deny she¡¯s a beautiful specimen but she can¡¯t compete with--¡± ¡°Which is exactly why I¡¯m asking you. Usually Aaron doesn¡¯t take part in this, but this year, he decided to change his mind. I need every edge I can get. You¡¯re not going to tell me no one else is doing the same thing.¡± There was a long pause. Then the noble spoke again. ¡°I can guarantee you two things: protection and an invitation. Like I said, my vote alone won¡¯t guarantee anything, but you also have my support.¡± He patted Colin on the shoulder. ¡°Give me a few days, and I¡¯ll have something lined up.¡± He looked back at Rowen. ¡°Just make sure she knows to keep her mouth shut.¡± She hid her displeasure at the remark. Even knowing it was how the humans were, it always stung when they treated choosing her as a mark of shame. That other dragon wasn¡¯t treated that way. Everyone wore their feelings for her on their sleeve. But whenever she met someone, she was always forced to wear a polite smile and pretend they hadn¡¯t seen each other just the night before. That she didn¡¯t know their touch, smell, and taste better than anyone there. Colin was quick to respond. ¡°If you were that worried about your fetish getting out, maybe you should¡¯ve asked before accepting my offer.¡± ¡°Dragons like to brag about their conquests, especially to other dragons.¡± Rowen rolled her eyes. The only thing dragons bragged about was the frequency of their clients¡¯ visits; no one ever named names. ¡°My dragons are well trained. They know better.¡± The two humans shook hands before the nameless noble departed. Colin watched with a smile on his face. She knew when the human had left his sight because he frowned and turned back to her. ¡°Are you all right? He wasn¡¯t rough with you was he?¡± ¡°He pulled my fins a few times, but that¡¯s about it.¡± He squeezed into the closet and examined the fins on the side of her face. ¡°I don¡¯t see any damage. It doesn¡¯t still hurt, does it?¡± When she shook her head, he added. ¡°Good, good. If he had done any damage, his reputation would definitely be the least of his problems. Come along now. It¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡°Wait, there¡¯s no one else?¡± There were often others. Once, there was a line; that was a good night. But never was there only one. ¡°Not tonight, I¡¯m afraid. Once Lord Strauss arrived, everyone began fawning over his dragon.¡± She frowned and fought to keep her tail from slapping the floor. Little Miss Perfect is here. Of course. What makes her so special? Colin patted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rowen. One day, it will be you they call for. She may be their favorite now, but no one else spends time with her like they do with you. Even with her appearance, they still choose you. Now wait outside while I get your brother.¡± His words made her feel better, but the thought nagged at the back of her mind. She wondered why Aeris wasn¡¯t chosen when everyone talked about her and what would happen if that ever changed. The thoughts plagued her all the way home. She knew exactly what would happen. No one would want her anymore. A large crowd had gathered outside. She feared they were there for her but then she saw they had gathered around something. Curiosity got the better of her and she approached the crowd. Several onlookers noticed her and looked away. Her stomach dropped. ¡°What is it?¡± One of the dragons in the crowd responded. ¡°Rowen, I don¡¯t know how to tell you this--¡± She rushed into the crowd, shoving human and dragon aside. ¡°Get out of my way! MOVE!¡± She reached the center of the mass and stopped. A Short-Snout that strongly resembled her lay on the ground, his neck bent at an odd angle, exposing the wide gash in his neck. The sea-green scales shone red in the lamplight. She couldn¡¯t speak, couldn¡¯t move. Only stare at her brother¡¯s corpse. The crowd parted and Colin rushed through. ¡°No, no, no. Caleo!¡± He spun around to the crowd. ¡°What are you all standing around for? Get help!¡± One of the nobles nearby shook his head. ¡°Colin, he¡¯s dead.¡± He sobbed over the body. Everyone continued standing there and looking uncomfortable. Rowen heard the others whispering behind her. ¡°What do you think happened?¡± ¡°No idea. He was trying to push up on Aeris last I saw him. She didn¡¯t seem to like it too much.¡± ¡°Guess we know what happens to dragons who get on her bad side.¡± She dug her claws into the grass and growled, silencing the onlookers. With no proof, there was nothing she could do about it. I won¡¯t let that bitch win, Caleo. I promise. **** ¡°Hey, Rowen,¡± Giselle said. ¡°Cutter wants you.¡± Rowen tried to hide her fear as she stepped around the large woman. As second in command, Giselle was usually the one who handled the day-to-day. Cutter almost never asked for anyone personally. If she did, it was never good. The stares from the others made her wish she hadn¡¯t bothered to come into work today. While walking down the hall, she racked her mind for all the things she could have done wrong in the past week. Except for her outburst when her brother¡¯s killer showed her face, nothing came to mind. But she had already been properly reprimanded for that. Even if it still grated on her nerves that Cutter didn¡¯t send her away, she accepted it. She did her job and serviced the customers as she always did. No one ever complained and many asked for her personally. Cutter looked the same as ever. A Short-Snout like herself, it was still hard to believe they were the same species. Her body was covered in scars yet she still carried herself with pride and acted as if she owned the world. It was something Rowen was always envious of. ¡°Sit down,¡± Cutter said. She hurried to the nearest cushion. ¡°So, I heard you¡¯ve been fucking people off the books¡ªdon¡¯t bother denying it. Lying to me is only going to piss me off.¡± She had no intention of lying, but she tucked the knowledge away for any future inquiries. Cutter approached and sat in front of her. Rowen did her best not to scoot away. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t let my girls go off on their own for a reason. Humans don¡¯t look at sex the same way we do.¡± Tucking her head, she mumbled. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why would go along with something so fucking stupid? What happens when your caretaker sends you to some asshole?¡± ¡°He would never let anyone hurt me.¡± ¡°That ain¡¯t the same as trusting the wrong person. Colin thinks he¡¯s making moves but all he¡¯s doing is burying himself deeper. No one wants a whore for a Grand Wyrm.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± She regretted the outburst. Cutter sighed and shook her head. ¡°Come on, Rowen. That shit is not a true display of your power. And besides, how many times have you won?¡± ¡°None,¡± she mumbled. ¡°And that was before Snowflake entered the stage. I¡¯m sure you already figured it out. You can¡¯t fuck or blackmail your way into this. If even if you could, is that really how you want to win?¡± ¡°I will be Grand Wyrm. If not this year, then next year. They¡¯re going to be sick of her eventually.¡± she growled and added under her breath. ¡°She¡¯s not even that good-looking.¡± ¡°Rowen, I need you focused.¡± ¡°I am focused.¡± ¡°On that stupid human contest? Yeah. You don¡¯t wanna win that shit anyway. The humans do it to show off. It¡¯s degrading. Is that really what you want?¡± So I¡¯m not worth degrading, is that it? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She knew. Being Grand Wyrm meant no more hiding, no more pretending, no more secrets. People could acknowledge they knew her. For once she would be invited inside instead of being forced to sit outside. For once she would have the privileges that one got without even trying. But she couldn¡¯t say any of this to Cutter. The Matriarch wouldn¡¯t understand. Cutter was a clan-born and she could have whatever she wanted. Cutter watched her for a moment longer before nodding and saying. ¡°All right then. Just remember Snowflake isn¡¯t the problem. I know it wasn¡¯t easy seeing her so soon after your brother died, but she had nothing to do with it.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Except she is. Even you play favorites with her. She murdered my brother and you welcome her like an old friend. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± She nodded. Colin had locked himself away, devoting every minute to finding Caleo¡¯s killer. After a month of searching, he had nothing. She knew who it was and hated that they wouldn¡¯t prove it. Those who knew the truth also knew better than to say anything. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for dragons to die during those events. Rowen left the room. With each step her tail jerked, swinging at the doors, walls, and floor. She took several deep breaths and centered her thoughts, but her mind drifted back to her. The perfect one. Always ahead. Always the favorite. And she did nothing to earn it. When she reached the lobby, her thoughts had run their course and she had her tail under control. Someone asked, ¡°So what about that blue dragon that was here a few days ago?¡± She growled and spun on the man. ¡°What about her? I¡¯m not good enough for you? Look around! There¡¯s plenty of others to choose from!¡± Giselle pushed her away from the man. ¡°Go home.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not done for the day.¡± ¡°You are now. Leave and get your head on straight.¡± Rowen growled and stormed out. She didn¡¯t get far before Kathel called out, ¡°Hold on!¡± She paused briefly then continued walking. It didn¡¯t take long before the Nightstalker appeared at her side. The large black-scaled dragon towered over her. ¡°I¡¯ll walk with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need an escort.¡± ¡°You¡¯re angry so you shouldn¡¯t walk alone.¡± ¡°Unlike you clan-borns, I know better than to do something stupid.¡± The dragoness laughed. ¡°Says the dragon who just growled at a customer. But that¡¯s expected from a domesticate.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You think like humans. You hate that she doesn¡¯t do what you do but still gets attention. A clan-born wouldn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand,¡± Rowen mumbled. ¡°No, I do understand. You¡¯re not like us. We don¡¯t treat you different for being a domesticate, but you don¡¯t think you¡¯re one of us because you have too much human in you. It¡¯s clouding your judgment.¡± ¡°I may be a domesticate, but I¡¯m still a dragon.¡± ¡°A dragon doesn¡¯t measure her worth by what another dragon does.¡± The only way to end the conversation was silence, so she said nothing. Kathel didn¡¯t push further but refused to leave her side until she got home. Before leaving, the larger dragoness added, ¡°Cutter has an assignment for us, so I¡¯ll be by later.¡± Half-listening, she nodded and went inside. She greeted the staff then went to her suite in the basement. After a month, it still felt too big. Colin had designed it for two dragons to stay in. Not long after she flopped onto her bed, Colin came into the room. ¡°Oh, good. You¡¯re home. I need your help with something. I have a lead on Caleo¡¯s killer.¡± She immediately sat up. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to do something you don¡¯t want to do. Just know that I would never ask this of you, but we need this.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m setting up a meeting with Aaron Strauss. You¡¯re to sleep with him so we can blackmail him into giving up his partners.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Partners?¡± Colin sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s no secret how protective he is of his dragon. But Caleo was no threat to him. And, he¡¯s kept her out of the scaled banquets for years. Why now? What changed? Someone is controlling things from behind the scenes, and I¡¯m going to find out who.¡± His bitch of a dragon, that¡¯s who. She acts so innocent and so perfect, but I saw her true face. She holds back so no one suspects her. A chill went through her thinking about her first face-to-face meeting with Aeris. That look in Aeris¡¯ eyes when Reks pushed her just a little too far. The moment she met Aeris in the garden still stood out. Aeris seemed so meek and helpless, but the moment Reks got close enough, she had him on his back with a claw against his throat. Once she lost control, she took it back. Rowen hated how she let that one outburst frighten her. She did nothing when Aeris asserted her dominance; her mind just went numb and all she could do was watch as Reks cowered before her. She turned her thoughts back to the situation at hand and asked, ¡°But what about Cutter? She doesn¡¯t like that I¡¯m doing side jobs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Cutter. What she doesn¡¯t know, won¡¯t hurt her. She isn¡¯t doing anything to avenge Caleo, so it¡¯s up to us.¡± He stroked her snout. ¡°Someone killed your brother and is sabotaging your chances at Grand Wyrm out of jealousy. I will not let that stand. It should be you this year. It will be you this year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± she replied without hesitation. It didn¡¯t matter if he had anything to do with Caleo¡¯s death or not. If she could do this, it would prove she was better than her and that nothing would hold her back. You won¡¯t get your way this time. **** Of all her clients, she had never been this nervous. Not even during her first time. The human wanted her to do all the work. It was awkward and she had no idea what she was doing, but it had been the first time she got to take control. The human did everything she asked no matter how clumsy or mundane. It felt good. She couldn¡¯t get the nagging thoughts to quiet down: Why choose her? Why now? What changed? It made sense if there was trouble in paradise, but it didn¡¯t feel that way. Cutter always said be mindful of the non-regulars for they often had an agenda. Aaron was never a client of hers or anyone that she knew of. It brought back all the warnings Cutter had given her about going off on her own. She pushed the thoughts down when the door opened and the tall human entered the room. It was hard not to smile. Agenda or not, it was still perfect for her. I can¡¯t wait until the time comes that I can rub this in your face. The day you weren¡¯t good enough for him. As she started forward, her feelings of triumph drained. His green eyes locked onto hers as he approached. The other clients always looked anywhere else, at her claws, her horns, her muzzle. They approached slowly, eyes shining with fear and excitement. He closed the gap between them with confident strides, his eyes filled with only hunger. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s just get started.¡± He began to circle her. She stood in place and tracked his movements. ¡°In a moment.¡± ¡°So how do you want to do this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully talkative.¡± ¡°I like to know what my clients want. So what do you want?¡± ¡°I want you to be silent.¡± She clenched her jaw. You probably like her to be quiet. I didn¡¯t agree to this to be her replacement. Rather than say it, she turned around and nuzzled his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t you want something different?¡± He stopped unbuttoning his shirt to frown. ¡°I think you misunderstand your place. Have you forgotten that you¡¯re a whore? Just do as your told.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some thing for you to play with. Don¡¯t try to act all high and mighty now. You still chose me when you could have had anyone else.¡± The look in his eyes made her back away. He was unarmed; she could easily overpower him if he tried something, yet the very idea that he might was frightening. He went back to undressing and spoke. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll do it your way. What do I want? I want you to beg.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. Beg. Promise you¡¯ll be a good dragon and do everything I ask.¡± She swallowed the lump in her throat only for another to replace it. This was the opposite of what the others asked for. They usually asked for her to be more aggressive. To growl or bare her fangs. They liked the danger even if it wasn¡¯t real. But now she felt the roles had been reversed¡ªthe exact kind of situation Cutter warned them about. The knot in her stomach got tighter. ¡°Please? I promise to be a good dragon.¡± ¡°Not good enough. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never roleplayed before? How hard it is to swallow that stubborn pride of yours and behave like a true domesticate?¡± She took a few deep breaths. Everything about this felt wrong. Unlike with the other humans, she wasn¡¯t the center of attention. It wasn¡¯t her he wanted. I won¡¯t be outdone. This is the one place where I will outshine you. She circled him slowly, rubbing her body against his. ¡°I¡¯ll be good. I promise.¡± He sighed and started redressing. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t going to work after all.¡± ¡°What did I do? Was I not convincing enough?¡± ¡°That you even have to ask me that answers your question.¡± She cut in front of him as he tried to leave. ¡°Wait! Let me try one more time. I can get it right. I know I--¡± He sent such a dark look her way, she fell silent. Tucking her head, she stepped out of the way. Just before leaving, he looked over his shoulder one last time and said. ¡°I guess there is no replacing her.¡± She sat there, staring at the wall, unable to accept the recent events. She had never been rejected like this. Not even during her early days at this. ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡± Colin asked from the other room. She turned slightly and saw the door was open. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± ¡°Everything is perfectly fine, but I won¡¯t be requiring her services.¡± ¡°Oh. Did something go--¡± ¡°I would like my money back if you don¡¯t mind.¡± With a snarl, she slapped the bed with her tail and knocked it askew. Colin rushed into the room. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it. You have got to be kidding me! After all that, I wasn¡¯t good enough! And he had the nerve to tell me she was better!¡± ¡°Rowen, it¡¯s going to be all right. We¡¯ll get him another way.¡± She snorted and turned away. It wasn¡¯t even about the failure, the rejection ate at her. I won¡¯t accept this. She doesn¡¯t beat me at this. Not now, not ever. **** ¡°Hey, fix your face,¡± Kathel said. ¡°If you stand there scowling like that, the other dragons will get nervous. Cutter¡¯s trusting us to get this done.¡± Rowen snorted as she straightened up. It was no secret Cutter sent her on this assignment to distract her. Her attempts to outshine Aeris have gone poorly. After the last client wound up with a broken hip because she got too energetic, Cutter had been sending her on menial tasks to keep her away. Her clients were slipping one after another. Half of her regulars didn¡¯t come by last week. No one said it, but she knew it was because of her. Several clients have asked about Aeris and left disappointed after learning she wasn¡¯t there. Even now as they stood in the yard, the other dragons whispered excitedly about Aeris. It was impressive and aggravating at the same time. Never had so many domesticates gathered in one place without their masters. It still surprised her to hear that dragons had been learning to read. There was nothing about human stories she found interesting. But as one of the few domesticates working under Cutter, it made her and Kathel the best choice to look into it. The dragoness always found human stories fascinating, even the childish ones. ¡°You¡¯re still scowling.¡± ¡°So what if I am?¡± Rowen snapped. Several dragons looked her way. The older dragoness sighed and said nothing. A dragon suddenly called out, ¡°Aeris is here!¡± Rowen had to stand on her hind legs to see over the crowd. There stood the source of her torment, covered in light blue scales as if wrapped in the morning sky. Aeris stared fearfully at the large gathering of dragons. Standing next to her was another dragon with silver scales and a spiked tail. Rowen recognized the Silver Horntail immediately. She sank back onto all-fours. ¡°What¡¯s Reks doing here? And why¡¯s he standing with her? He hates her more than I do.¡± Kathel tilted her head. ¡°Do you like him?¡± ¡°What? Where¡¯d that come from?¡± ¡°Why else would you bring it up?¡± ¡°Not like that, I didn¡¯t.¡± She growled and snorted into the grass. ¡°She got him, too. Why does no one see what she is?¡± ¡°And what is she?¡± ¡°A liar. She pretends to be an innocent dragon, but it¡¯s all fake. She just likes the attention.¡± The larger Nighterstalker was silent for a moment. ¡°This was a mistake. You should go home. I¡¯ll handle things here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± This wasn¡¯t something she was going to give up for anything. She knew what Aeris was like; that dragoness was no leader. She wanted to be there to watch her stumble and fall. Even better, this could be used against her. The humans wouldn¡¯t like the dragons reading. Aeris would do anything to keep that secret. The dragons faced the house as Aeris and Aubrey came outside. The Ravager beside her was her exact opposite. Her blood-red scales and larger size dwarfed the smaller, light blue dragon. Rowen growled. Aeris ¡® face was full of fear, but not of Aubrey. The dragonesses addressed the group, not that Rowen listened. How satisfying it would be to watch her squirm. A tap on her side brought her back to reality. Kathel motioned for her to follow the now-moving crowd. They were led around to the backyard and separated into groups and given books to practice with. Kathel was placed in a different group. That was fine as it meant she was finally spared from the lectures and nagging. Her partners were very quiet and didn¡¯t know the first thing about reading so they sat there and stared at each other. It all changed when two human women came outside and things gained momentum. Instead of groups, everyone was taught at the same time. Aeris gained control of the situation and things moved along smoothly. Rowen wanted to sabotage it. She thought of pointless questions and other things she could do to disrupt the lessons. But she couldn¡¯t do it. Seeing how the other dragons hung on to Aeris¡¯ every word proved they would vilify her if she tried. And she hated Aeris for it. Her plan to blackmail Aeris and take her down a few pegs had already failed. Her hopes of avenging her brother¡¯s death had been dashed. The winner had been decided. Soon, Aeris thanked everyone and sent them home. Rowen left quickly to avoid listening to the other dragons gush about how much they enjoyed their lessons and looked forward to the next one. It didn¡¯t take long before Kathel descended next to her. ¡°You did good today.¡± It was bait, she knew it, but she couldn¡¯t hoard her thoughts. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You glared at her all day. But you did good holding back.¡± ¡°I just focused on the task Cutter gave me. She would have tore me in half if I messed up.¡± ¡°True. But there¡¯s more to it than that. You saw what every other dragon sees in her.¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked, feeling a ball form in her stomach. ¡°She¡¯s a Matriarch.¡± Rowen stopped. ¡°No, she isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°She has all the signs.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any signs. She¡¯s weak and helpless and does whatever someone tells her.¡± Kathel tilted her head. ¡°But you said she was manipulative and had your brother killed. Pretty impressive for someone weak and helpless.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not a Matriarch!¡± That one couldn¡¯t be a Matriarch. A Matriarch could only be defeated by another, and she wasn¡¯t one. There would be no competition, no comparison. Her only choice would be to bow and obey for dragons did not challenge their Matriarchs. There was that look again. That look of pity and disappointment. ¡°You have too much human in you. You don¡¯t decide if she is or isn¡¯t. You just decide if you¡¯re willing to follow.¡± Rowen snorted and stomped off. There was no decision. The humans loved Aeris, the domesticates loved Aeris. She wasn¡¯t allowed to think otherwise. A gentle tap on her back made her jump. She whirled around and cursed her foolish reaction to Kathel standing there. ¡°Stop worrying about her.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You follow Cutter, so stop thinking about Aeris. She¡¯s not your concern.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not--¡± ¡°Are you a dragon or not?¡± She snapped her muzzle closed then slowly nodded. ¡°Good. Then start acting like it.¡± There was no more talking for the rest of the walk home. Kathel didn¡¯t leave her side until she reached the front door. It was likely to keep an eye on her so she didn¡¯t do anything stupid, not that she cared. She wasn¡¯t stupid enough to try and harm Aeris. Colin greeted her the moment she went inside. He unsuccessfully smoothed his wrinkled clothes and gently took her head in his hands, bloodshot eyes brimming with excitement. ¡°Rowen, I¡¯ve done it. I¡¯ve figured out how to make you Grand Wyrm.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I already lost.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t talk like that. Everyone just needs a chance to see you¡¯re the better dragon. And I have the perfect way to do that.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°There¡¯s rumors going around that dragons have been learning to read. If we place a few rumors that Aeris is responsible¡­¡± he let the sentence hang, but the tilt of his head finished the statement. Rowen tensed. It was the perfect opportunity, but the other dragons would also suffer for it. Her master treated her well enough, but she heard the rumors. It shouldn¡¯t affect them, right? They¡¯ll just go after Aeris; the other dragons will just run to save themselves. ¡°Actually...it is Aeris, Master. I just came back from one of her reading sessions.¡± Colin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What? She is responsible? Well, that makes this much easier!¡± He pulled her into a tight embrace. ¡°I just need you to go to more lessons and report everything, understand?¡± Rowen knew it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. Her dislike of Aeris was widely known, the other dragons would suspect something if she was too friendly. It would also work in her favor. No one would suspect her of being a spy because it was too obvious. She would never be allowed into the inner circle, but Kathel could handle that for her. But something else nagged at her mind as well. ¡°But what about Cutter?¡± she asked. ¡°She wanted me to look into this.¡± ¡°What Cutter doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt her.¡± Hurt

Hurt

Tony groaned as he opened his eyes. Sharp pain in the back of his head forced him to sit up slowly. It took a moment for him to get into an upright position and regain his senses. The surrounding trees seemed to tower over him. The sun was still in the sky but the area seemed darker than normal. An overturned cart sat in the middle of the road, its wheels smashed, and the pony tasked with pulling it laying beside its gutted remains. It took a moment before everything came back to him. He was transporting some goods for some lazy merchant who they suspected would try to stiff them on their pay. Things never got that far as the ¡°shortcut¡± they had been advised to use turned out to be an ambush. The last thing he remembered was drawing his gun and shouting to the others before everything went black. He spun around, looking for signs of the others. It didn¡¯t take long to find their bodies lined up on the ground, blood pooled around them. He swore and kicked a nearby tree. The bandits likely left him alive because they thought he was dead already. I can¡¯t stay here, he thought. I have to get back to town. The bandits had been thorough and stripped them of everything save for their clothing. He had no supplies and the nearest town was two days away on foot. Then there was the path. He didn¡¯t know this route and even with a map, they had a hard time finding this path. Supposedly, it would shave a day off their travel, and they weren¡¯t getting paid if they were late. He aimed another kick at some loose stones. Fucking bastard played us from the start. First thing was to find the main road. Once he did that, getting back to town would be simple. Then he would track down that shifty merchant and make him pay. He turned to the others one last time. They weren¡¯t friends, just colleagues brought together for a simple escort job, but had gotten to know them a bit over the last two days. They deserved better than being shot in the woods and left to rot or for the wild animals to eat. But there was no time to bury them. ¡°Well, maybe I can least get word to your families,¡± he said to no one. Thankfully, the bandits were more concerned with the supplies and weapons, so their personal effects were still on their person. Mary, the self-proclaimed ¡°token female¡± of the group, had a wedding ring. He remembered how she annoyed them all with the story of her proposal as much as her complaints about being the only woman among them. He searched Niels next. He carried a pocketknife he claimed was lucky. Tony suspected the luck ran out or it passed on to someone else instead. He never did like leaving things to random chance. Danny was searched last. The ¡°leader¡± by seniority but also the most immature of them. He had a pocket watch he wanted to pass on to his soon-to-be son or daughter and a pipe he liked to chew on. He always complained that he hated giving up smoking, but his wife told him he had to before the baby was born. Tony took both and a box of matches. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to get these to where they need to go.¡± Leaving them still left a sickening feeling in his gut, so he piled the bodies on the remains of the cart and set it on fire. It would likely send a signal to the ambushers, but he would be long gone by the time they got there. The trip was just as miserable as expected. The heat was unbearable, his head still hurt, and the mosquitoes never gave him any peace. He kept his guard up, straining his ears for the sound of anything taking notice of him. The ¡°shortcut¡± was close to some area the locals referred to as ¡°Death¡¯s Woods¡±. Supposedly, a portal to the afterlife existed here and it was guarded by the reaper¡¯s pet. A creature of nightmares that hunted down lost spirits and punished the wicked. Thinking on it, that was why the main road took the long way around the woods instead of cutting through. ¡°And we laughed at it for being superstitious nonsense,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Look who¡¯s laughing now.¡± There wasn¡¯t the sound of anyone laughing. He heard nothing at all save his footsteps which was more unnerving. Something in the area had spooked the wildlife. Their first night here, Danny complained about how noisy it was. The trees parted to a clearing. He didn¡¯t recognize this place and there was no sign anyone had camped here in the last few days. He sat on a fallen log to rest and gather his thoughts. A loud thump near the middle of the clearing frightened off several birds and startled him as well. He pulled out the pocketknife and faced the interloper. A body lay on the ground, unmoving. Even from a distance, it was easy to see the large leathery wings and scaled form. A dragon? Where did it¡ªoh shit! He looked up in time to see a large shape descending from the air. He fled into the trees and took cover in some bushes, praying the dragon didn¡¯t see him. The dragon faced the body of the other and let out a roar of despair and rage. Tony covered his ears as the cry rattled his body. He peered out of his hiding place. The dragon standing before him was unlike any he had ever seen before. It had black scales like a Nightstalker, but everything else about it was wrong. It was covered in yellow spots and the shape of its tail reminded him eerily of a scythe. What the fuck is that? Is that a dragon? No wonder the locals say death lives here. He looked down at his four-inch pocketknife and chuckled. No way he stood a chance if that creature came for him. More dragons like it descended. They were different sizes and colors; red, green, brown. But they all had the same yellow spots and wicked-looking tails. The dragons seemed more occupied with the dead one than taking notice of anything else. It was likely the best chance he was getting to put as much distance between him and the creatures, but his body wouldn¡¯t move. All it took was sone misstep. One broken twig or crunch of a leaf and he was a dead man. The trees weren¡¯t dense enough to cover his escape by ground; they would catch him immediately. That couldn¡¯t happen. He promised to return his companions to their families, to make that asshole merchant pay for setting them up. He couldn¡¯t die before then. He sunk lower to the ground and breathed as slowly as possible. Waiting for the dragons to move on was his best chance. A mournful sound like wind whistling through a crack filled the air. Is it¡­crying? The other dragon dragons moved closer. Tony wished he could see or at least hear what was going on. As terrifying as the situation was, he couldn¡¯t deny it was fascinating. This had to be some new species. Then there was why a dragon fell out of the sky. The first dragon to land suddenly lashed out at the others, swinging its deadly tail in a wide arc. The other dragons just managed to get out of range. ¡°How dare you?! He was not weak!¡± Tony shuddered as he watched the tail whip through the air. The angry snarls and curses of the mad dragon shaking the trees. It wasn¡¯t until another dragon flew off that the first one finally calmed down. The other dragons stayed out of range, all of them looking extremely uncomfortable. The first dragon returned to the body on the ground, laying down beside it. One by one, the other dragons departed until the first dragon remained. Tony remained crouched in the bushes, his legs screaming for mercy at maintaining this stance for so long. After what he just witnessed, he didn¡¯t plan on moving until he was sure the beast was gone or at least asleep. The sun soon began to set, and the dragon still hadn¡¯t moved. Tony¡¯s legs had gone numb. His throat was dry, and he hadn¡¯t eaten a thing all day. The idea of traveling the woods at night on an empty stomach didn¡¯t sit well with him, but he hadn¡¯t had any time to look for something to eat. He would have to make his move now. After all this time, the dragon had to be asleep by now. He tried to stand up and collapsed. He had remained crouched for too long and his legs weren¡¯t supporting him. He looked back at the clearing and saw the dragon had raised its head. Panic washed over him as the beast looked around. It doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here, he told himself. So long as I don¡¯t move, it¡¯ll lose interest. He couldn¡¯t move until the blood flow returned to his lower limbs which he figured saved his life or else he would be running. Tony¡¯s stomach growled. The dragon stood. Tony started to cry. His legs weren¡¯t working, and he doubted it would make a difference anyway. He was going to die here all because his stomach couldn¡¯t wait. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I know you¡¯re there,¡± the dragon called. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are or what you want, just leave me in peace.¡± Tony blessed his luck and tried to stand again. His legs once again betrayed him, and he fell to the ground. He heard the heavy footsteps of the approaching beast and began crawling instead. ¡°What are you doing out here, human?¡± He flattened himself on the grass and held his hands over his head. ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me! I just got lost in the woods and was trying to find my way back!¡± The dragon snorted. ¡°Just leave human. I want to be alone.¡± A nervous grin spread across his face. ¡°Um, I can¡¯t. I stood in the bushes for too long and my legs aren¡¯t cooperating right now.¡± He quickly added, ¡°B-But I just a few minutes to rest and then I¡¯ll be gone!¡± Another derisive snort came from the dragon. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable. Instead, he heard the dragon walking away. He rolled over and saw the large reptile returning to the clearing. Tony¡¯s guilt worsened. It felt as if he were trespassing, but his body wasn¡¯t cooperating. The dragon laid down next to the body and took no notice of him. He sat there for several minutes, periodically testing his legs for when he would be good to walk again. Eventually, he was able to stand. A tingling feeling remained, so movement felt awkward. But he was mobile and that was enough for him to get out of there. He played with his hands as he contemplated his next move. He was lost in the woods and the dragon was the best option for directions. Figuring it was better to ask now than to intrude later because he got lost, he approached the dragon. The dragon quickly lifted his head. Tony stopped hoping he was out of striking range. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± The dragon growled at him. ¡°What?¡± He motioned to the body. ¡°That wyrm. I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s someone you know, right?¡± The dragon¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Yes, he was my son.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± An awkward silence fell over them. He wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind that didn¡¯t feel insensitive or awkward. The silence pressed from all sides. There wasn¡¯t even the usual sound of crickets he had grown accustomed to. It also dawned on him that even the mosquitoes had vanished. The area around them felt dead. This thing even killed the mood. Maybe it is the reaper¡¯s pet. He chided himself for thinking up a joke at such a time. The sun was beginning to set. Someone had to break the silence or he would be out there all night, so he cleared his throat to get the dragon¡¯s attention. ¡°My name¡¯s Tony.¡± The dragon grunted before replying, ¡°Rofay.¡± ¡°Rofay, if it¡¯s all right to ask, how did he die?¡± There was no reply. Tony feared he had crossed a line when the wyrm spoke, ¡°He failed the Earning of the Wing.¡± ¡°The Earning of the Wing? I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old tradition. Our young don¡¯t fly at birth. When they reach a certain age, we carry them into the sky to awaken their instincts.¡± Tony¡¯s eyes widened as it dawned on him what the dragon was implying. ¡°Are you saying you drop them from the sky? Why would you do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t expect a human to understand.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t understand. What kind of parent puts their child through that kind of trauma?¡± The dragon snarled and jumped up. Tony scrambled backward, lost his balance, and fell. Rofay stood over him, his jaw set and a deep rumble emanating from his chest. Tony¡¯s breath caught but he saw the pain and anger in the dragon¡¯s yellow eyes and realized he had crossed a line. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t realize. But if you hate it so much why do you go along with it?¡± Rofay held his gaze for a long time before eventually turning away. ¡°Because it¡¯s how things are done. If a dragon is to be accepted, they must complete the ceremony. If they don¡¯t, they¡¯ll be seen as a coward and exiled.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty harsh.¡± ¡°Life is often harsh and unforgiving. It¡¯s better to learn that sooner rather than later. When you hunt it¡¯s do or die. Your prey won¡¯t come back to you for a second attempt. The weak, the slow, and the foolish will fulfill their roles as lessons of what the strong should not repeat.¡± Tony held his tongue, knowing voicing his opinions was the last thing the dragon wanted from him. That sounded rehearsed. He wondered how many years the drake had to hear those words spoken whenever he felt something was unfair or how often he said it himself to wash away guilt or loss. It was probably better not to ask. It still bothered him. The stubbornness of dragons still amazed him that they clung to such ideals. He wanted to help, but seeing how easily Rofay carved through the dirt, he would just be in the way. Sitting there and watching the drake do all the work felt rude, however. It was clear he wasn¡¯t going anywhere, so he spent the last of the daylight gathering loose branches and rocks to make a campfire. Several times, he noticed Rofay looking in his direction, but the drake let him work in peace. He used the last match to start a small fire. The light made the drake look even more sinister. The shadows made his sharp horns and claws stand out even more and his eyes glowed in the distance. He ignored the chilling thoughts going his head and focused on the drake still digging the hole. ¡°So, you, uh, bury your dead? I didn¡¯t know dragons did that. I figured you burn them.¡± ¡°Dragons are hard to burn. And my kind doesn¡¯t breathe fire.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? I never heard of a wyrm who didn¡¯t. So what do you do then?¡± Rofay lifted his head long enough to spit at a fallen log nearby. The wood sizzled and melting within seconds, the stench of burnt rotting eggs filling the air. It was impressive and horrifying. He noticed after the demonstration the drake was still staring at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not afraid?¡± ¡°Afraid of what? I hope you¡¯re not a spitter when you talk, but no, I¡¯m not scared.¡± Rofay seemed shocked by the answer. ¡°Most humans run away screaming at the sight of us.¡± He turned back to digging, his scoops haphazard and aggressive. ¡°Then they call us names like ¡®reaper¡¯ and ¡®deathbringer¡¯. Even other dragons avoid us. The human hatchlings make a game of it. A test of bravery to see who can stand up to death, they call it.¡± He poked his head out of the hole, eyes brimming with anger. ¡°Most of them get lost and die in the woods. The humans blame us for that, too.¡± Tony understood but chose not to say anything. That wicked-looking tail would give anyone pause. The thought also saddened him. When he first saw these dragons, he feared he was a dead man just because of how they looked. That and he heard his fair share of tales of wild dragon clans who hunted humans for sport. Death¡¯s Woods is a fitting name for this place, he thought. ¡°So you don¡¯t like having this place to yourself?¡± he asked. Most dragons he met hated having to share with humans. ¡°I would rather not have others piss themselves at the sight of me,¡± Rofay snapped. ¡°It is not a pleasant feeling.¡± ¡°What about your clan?¡± Tony asked, hoping the change in subject wouldn¡¯t agitate the drake further. ¡°You still have them, right?¡± A derisive snort was the dragon¡¯s reply. ¡°They¡¯ve given up on changing the humans. It¡¯s not worth the time if the humans are weak and give in to their fears. I¡¯m not one to talk. I sent my son to his death because I was too afraid to speak up.¡± ¡°You were afraid to speak up for your son?¡± He regretted the question immediately. It sounded more like an accusation. But the drake never appeared from his hole. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to appear weak. The Earning of the Wing is when they are accepted into the clan.¡± He couldn¡¯t see Rofay¡¯s face, but he suspected a sorrowful expression if the spiritless tone was any indication. ¡°So, it¡¯s like a coming-of-age kind of thing? I didn¡¯t know dragons did that. But is it really that big a deal? What if he got hurt and couldn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°That would be an exception. But he wasn¡¯t hurt so it would look like he was making excuses to cover up his fear.¡± ¡°A little fear isn¡¯t so bad, right? It can keep you alive at times.¡± Rofay growled. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, human. He was a dragon. Dragons don¡¯t give in to fear.¡± ¡°Well, maybe¡ª¡± he immediately fell silent realizing how insensitive his retort would be. Maybe the dragon was right, he didn¡¯t understand. And he didn¡¯t want to. There was no response. The uncomfortable silence returned. Before he could speak up again, the drake spoke. ¡°Why are you here, human?¡± ¡°I want to keep you company.¡± It hadn¡¯t escaped his notice the drake was still digging, and the hole had to be more than deep enough. He couldn¡¯t abandon him now. He also had no idea where the nearest town was but Rofay didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°I meant why did you come into these woods? A lot of humans have been passing through here lately.¡± ¡°Really? What did they look like? When did you last see them? Are they still around?¡± Seeing the drake poke his head out again while wearing a confused expression told Tony he said too much. He swore under his breath and decided to come clean. ¡°Those men are likely the ones who attacked me and my co-workers. They killed them and left me for dead.¡± Rofay climbed out of the hole. ¡°And so you thought you¡¯d get the dragon of death to hunt them down for you?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± The whistling of his tail cutting through the air made Tony flinch. ¡°You begged for your life the moment we met! You¡¯re no different from the others!¡± ¡°If I was like the others, I would¡¯ve turned tail and ran by now!¡± Tony shouted back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here having a conversation with you while you try to bury your emotions!¡± He stood there, pushing back the chiding thoughts of standing up to a creature who could kill him just by stretching. He had to prove he was different. He had to make up for his earlier behavior. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Rofay asked. Tony didn¡¯t reply and instead approached the dead drake. A shiver ran through him realizing that it could anger Rofay further and get him killed. He pushed the thoughts back and knelt beside the body. Upon closer inspection, it was easy to see how much younger this dragon was. The horns and deadly scythe-bone on the tail hadn¡¯t fully grown in. The dragon was bigger than a dog, but he still had the look of a young dragon, rounder features, and blunter claws. Placing a hand on the body, he closed his eyes and mumbled a prayer. He wasn¡¯t one for religion, but it seemed fitting in the situation. Once he was done, he picked up the body and half-dragged it towards the hole. It surprised him that Rofay wasn¡¯t ripping his head off for it as he placed the drake in the hole. It was so deep, he couldn¡¯t see the body in the bottom, but it didn¡¯t matter. He then started scooping dirt back into the hole with his hands. ¡°I never had any children, so I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going through. What I do know is you¡¯re in pain. Dragon or not, you didn¡¯t deserve this.¡± Rofay appeared by his side and helped fill in the hole. The drake could do the task easily, but he was taking slow careful scoops to avoid hurting Tony. Once the hole was filled, Tony dragged himself back to the fire. His arms were sore and his body was drained. Unpleasant as it seemed, he was spending the night outside. Even if he knew where to go and could see anything, he was too tired to make the trip. It surprised him when Rofay laid down behind him, curling his body around him. ¡°Sleep, human. Nothing will bother you tonight. And thank you for being here.¡± Tony fell asleep within seconds. He awoke the next morning to find Rofay still there. He also hadn¡¯t expected to see another dragon. The two spoke in hushed tones. He tried to listen in without being noticed, but the dragon talking to Rofay noticed him staring and glared before taking off into the air. Tony waited until the other dragon vanished from view before approaching Rofay. ¡°What was that about?¡± Tony asked. ¡°I explained to my friend that you weren¡¯t a threat to the clan.¡± ¡°Oh. Thanks for that. It doesn¡¯t look like he believed you though.¡± ¡°I explained to him what you did. He doesn¡¯t like it, but he won¡¯t attack you. Our laws forbid it.¡± ¡°As much I appreciate that, I really don¡¯t like your laws much. You don¡¯t always have to do what¡¯s expected of you.¡± The drake shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t follow them because I have to.¡± Tony wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but he wasn¡¯t about to argue it since the dragon had done him a huge favor. ¡°Well, thanks for looking out for me. Would you mind pointing me in the direction of the nearest town? I¡¯m kinda lost out here.¡± ¡°Actually, I want to travel with you if you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Wait, really? You don¡¯t have to do that. I mean¡ª¡± ¡°You helped me. My pride demands I do the same.¡± ¡°Another part of the dragon law, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t always like it, but it¡¯s what I chose. I will follow it to the end.¡± Tony nodded. Now he understood the dragon¡¯s grief. ¡°Okay.¡± Long Live the Scaled Queen Long Live the Scaled Queen
Maggie examined herself in the mirror. The last few months had aged her horribly. Brown, bloodshot eyes sunken in a thin, tired face stared back at her. She ran a hand through her dry, red hair. It wasn¡¯t falling out¡ªnot that she would¡¯ve cared if it did. I swear if it would change things, I would pull it all out myself, she thought, turning away from the dresser. The window rattled, calling her attention. It¡¯s frost-covered panes rattled again. It¡¯s going to be another bad storm. She thought. She grabbed the ratty old blanket on the bed and pulled it close, inhaling deeply. It still carried the slight scent of dragon. She closed her eyes and thought of a young dragon with celeste scales that wore the blanket every winter despite having no need for it. The dragon would wrap it around her body like a cloak and pretend she was heading to an important event. Once she tried to wear it like a scarf to a dinner party, but anyone could see what it truly was. The look on Aeris'' face when told the "scarf" had to go hurt. Tears streamed down her face at the memory, and she pulled the blanket tighter. There came a light knock at the door before it opened and a dragon stepped inside, her long tail sweeping in time with her movements. Her sea-green scales shimmered the way water reflected off a pond. It made the scars stand out all the more because they didn''t reflect the light. The fan-like fins on the sides of her head moved with each step. "So whaddya want?¡± Her piercing yellow eyes went straight to the blanket in Maggie¡¯s arms. Maggie squeezed the fabric. ¡°Yes, I...wanted to ask you something. It¡¯s just...I realized I have no idea what it is you actually do.¡± Cutter tilted her head. ¡°What does it matter? And shouldn¡¯t you have thought about this before you tracked my ass down?¡± ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t thinking at the time. I just knew I needed to do something to protect Aeris and...rumor has it you¡¯re the dragon to call whenever someone wants something done.¡± ¡°Surprised you didn¡¯t go to a human.¡± She cut a sly smile. ¡°Or Aubrey. She and Snowflake are friends, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°How do you--?¡± ¡°That shit wasn''t a secret. Every domesticate practically bragged about it." She crossed the room and climbed onto the bed. It groaned under their combined weight. ¡°So why didn¡¯t you go to her? Wait, wait, don¡¯t tell me. You don¡¯t want Snowflake to be in her debt.¡± She thanked that her clenched fists were hidden under the blanket. Cutter wasn''t like the other dragons she''d met. The dragoness seemed to delight in toying with others and made no attempts to hide it. It was too dangerous to reveal too much. ¡°I just thought going to her would be too obvious. Lord Strauss would expect it.¡± Cutter smiled and lay on her back, stretching her limbs towards the ceiling. "Right. But are you sure you want her in mine? I know you¡¯ve heard the rumors about what I do.¡± ¡°Yes, I...I heard. You manage a brothel.¡± It wasn¡¯t all she heard. Other rumors claimed the dragon was a mistress of information and the brothel was nothing more than a means of extracting information. She couldn¡¯t deny it was a smart and frightening practice. Not many would dare reveal they were in a whorehouse, especially one run by a dragon. Interspecies intimacy wasn¡¯t a favored subject. ¡°I love how you humans squirm when you talk about fucking something. Yeah, you heard right. But just so you know, all of my girls are there willingly. I don¡¯t force that shit on anybody.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard different.¡± ¡°You hear a lot of things; some of them I put out there myself." ¡°You mean you put out false rumors about yourself? Why?¡± ¡°History is a false promise borne on the lips of the hopeful.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± The dragon¡¯s grin widened. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out one day when you¡¯re older.¡± Maggie huffed. She was already approaching 50. Usually, it would be a good time to mention her maturity, but dragons lived far longer. To Cutter, she was probably no more than a child. ¡°Anyway, I know you ain¡¯t call me here for idle talk. So get to the damn point.¡± "I...I want to kill Aaron Strauss." Cutter raised her head. ¡°That¡¯s a tall order. And why should I do that, exactly?¡± ¡°Because the man is a monster! He manipulated Aeris for years! He took advantage of her simply because he could! He tried to breed her like cattle to sell her eggs to the highest bidder then gunned her down because she refused!¡± She jumped to feet, glaring at the lounging matriarch. "How can you lie there and ask me why? I thought you cared about Aeris?" Cutter continued to lay on her back, giving her a deadpan stare. ¡°Honestly, if I killed every motherfucker that pissed me off, the world would be a lot lonelier. That¡¯s not even the worst thing your kind has done.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°The point is killing him won¡¯t solve a damn thing," Cutter interjected loudly. Maggie''s anger vanished. "Besides, I don¡¯t want him. I want his partners. They¡¯re gonna be looking for Snowflake even if he isn¡¯t.¡± The tightness in Maggie¡¯s chest made her sit back down. It was a slip of the tongue. I heard her wrong. Don¡¯t give me that hope. ¡°Wh¡ªwhat are you talking about?¡± Cutter tilted her head. ¡°C¡¯mon, Mag, you know Snowflake isn¡¯t dead, right?¡± Without thinking, she was on top of the dragon, the questions flooding out of her. "But how? Where is she? Why haven¡¯t you told me? Why are we wasting our time here?¡± ¡°First, calm down. Second, it¡¯s obvious. There¡¯s no body. Aubrey¡¯s been demanding to see it, and he¡¯s blowing her off.¡± I swear if I ever see Aubrey again, I¡¯ll kiss her. ¡°But if Aeris is alive then where--?¡± "Hell if I know." In one smooth motion, she rolled from beneath Maggie and off the bed onto her paws. "But I got a good source we can ask to find out." Maggie wasn¡¯t sure if she was meant to follow, but she did. Walking felt like wading through water. She couldn¡¯t get her thoughts in order. The news that Aeris was alive and well filled her with joy and apprehension. If Aeris wasn¡¯t with Aubrey, it meant she was out there alone. The young dragon didn¡¯t know the first thing about surviving on her own. That meant she was out there somewhere scared and alone; possibly cold, hurt, or hungry. The wind howled and she shuddered despite the warmth indoors. They descended into the basement. The unmistakable sounds of blows striking flesh made her cringe. The stairs led to another hall with a single metal door, twice as wide and tall as a normal door, at the end. Cutter paused just long enough to say, ¡°Wait here¡± before pulling the door open with ease and slipping inside. Maggie could easily slip through the crack in the door, but fear of what waited on the other side kept her in place. ¡°So he say anything different?¡± Cutter asked. ¡°Not really,¡± a female replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting anything else out of him.¡± A brief silence then a third voice. This one belonged to a man and was void of emotion. ¡°We left the dragon and the girl in Strendor.¡± Maggie leaned closer but stayed away from the gap to avoid being seen. ¡°The girl?¡± the female asked. ¡°A girl was with her. She called herself Janine.¡± Another silence then Cutter spoke. ¡°Where¡¯d they go from there?¡± ¡°They wanted to go to Auruem, but we didn¡¯t go that far.¡± Maggie covered her mouth to keep from saying anything. Auruem was the closest city to the dragon border. As a domesticate, Aeris would be in serious danger if she went there. More silence. She crept closer to the door. There came a sickening crack before she heard Cutter¡¯s voice again. ¡°Send word to Auruem. I wanna know the moment she gets there. The snow hopefully slowed her down.¡± Footsteps approached so Maggie backed away and pretended to be occupied with a spot on the wall. ¡°So, you get all that?¡± ¡°I...yes. Why is she going to Auruem of all places?¡± ¡°Probably because she thinks it''s safer there. Her master won''t go there looking for her. But him finding her will be the least of her problems if she gets caught." ¡°So what¡¯s our next move? We¡¯re in Strendor. It¡¯s possible--¡± ¡°For now, get some sleep. We¡¯ll figure it out in the morning.¡± She wouldn''t be able to sleep even if she tried. Not when Aeris was out there with nowhere to go. But with no leads and the snow coming down heavily, she wasn¡¯t going anywhere tonight. Her mind was jumbled with thoughts during the walk back to her. The most nagging question on her mind being why Aeris didn''t seek help from Aubrey or Cutter. It made sense not to see Cutter, it took her weeks to track the dragoness down. But Aubrey was always there. Her thoughts were interrupted by a female voice, ¡°But that¡¯s crazy! She¡¯ll kill us if she finds out.¡± She stopped and listened. The door beside her was ajar. The voice was unfamiliar but it belonged to a dragon. All dragons had a slight rumble and slur in their voice. Domesticates were the only exception. ¡°Keep your voice down.¡± That voice she did recognize. It was Giselle, Cutter¡¯s righthand. Ever since meeting the woman, Maggie had heard her speak twice, but she had a distinctive deep timbre. ¡°Cutter is going to get us all killed with her ¡®pet project¡¯,¡± Giselle said. ¡°Five dead just getting the information on that damn dragon. How many more people is she going to get killed for her bullshit?¡± Maggie checked if anyone was approaching then moved closer to the door. She peered inside and saw the woman, tall and wide, standing with her back to the door. Just visible in front of her was a dragon, a Short-Snout like Cutter. But this one didn¡¯t have any scars and she was larger. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± the dragon said. ¡°If Cutter finds out--¡± ¡°Then she won¡¯t find out.¡± ¡°But she¡¯ll know. She always knows.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t. Just be ready to take charge.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a Matriarch. I can¡¯t¡ªNo, I won¡¯t turn on Cutter. Even if I do hate that bitch Aeris.¡± Maggie inhaled sharply. She had a mind to go inside and tell that dragon what for, but it would reveal her eavesdropping. The door opened and she found herself face-to-chest with Giselle. Wait, how did she--? Her thought was cut off when the woman snatched her into the room by the shirt collar. With a flick of the wrist, she sent Maggie stumbling forward into the dresser. She grunted on impact, the air rushing out of her. A second woman caught her before she sank to the floor; this one looked like a younger version of Giselle, only thinner and with blond hair instead of brown. Her hair covered half of her face, hiding an eye patch. But Maggie saw fear in the exposed half. ¡°Get out,¡± Giselle said. The woman left without hesitation or backward glance, but the dragon remained. It made Maggie uncomfortable the way she stared at her. ¡°Rowen!¡± The dragon blinked and turned to the woman. ¡°Leave.¡± Rown shot one last look in Maggie¡¯s direction before leaving. Giselle closed the door behind the dragoness. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Maggie stayed put by the dresser and contemplated her options. She was no fighter and this woman was near twice her size. In her youth, running would have been an option, but her running days were long done. Shouting for help seemed her best chance. Hopefully, someone would hear before the woman crossed the gap and silenced her. In two quick strides, Giselle and towered over her. "How much did you hear?" She stared at the woman intimidated by her size and speed. Is this it? Am I going to die here before I see Aeris again? This woman can¡¯t let me go, knowing what I know. ¡°I won¡¯t ask again.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± She gave a frightened cry as she was hoisted off her feet with ease. ¡°Try again.¡± She looked the woman in the eye. "What does it matter if I heard anything or not? You''re not letting me leave this room anyway." To her surprise, Giselle smiled and set her down. Maggie stood there with a dumb expression feeling relief and confusion. The woman took the lighter and cigarette off the nightstand. She lit it the cigarette and took a long drag then exhaled a long plume of smoke towards the ceiling. ¡°Stop being dramatic. I¡¯m just vetting the girls.¡± Maggie waved away the smoke then moved by the window. ¡°I...you mean, you¡¯re not planning to betray Cutter?¡± ¡°Never. But some do. My job is to sniff them out.¡± ¡°I thought Cutter trusted those who worked for her.¡± Giselle took another puff of the cigarette. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t last long if she did. Humans and dragons want her dead. If you want to see your dragon again, you¡¯ll help me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have nothing to do with this. I don¡¯t want--¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question. Other people are looking for your dragon. They plan to use Cutter to do it.¡± ¡°So they sent a spy,¡± Maggie said to herself. To Giselle, she asked, ¡°But why are they so fixated on Aeris?¡± The woman shrugged and sent a smoke ring into the air. ¡°Cutter likes her. That makes her a problem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure Cutter doesn¡¯t need Aeris for whatever plans she has.¡± A heavy sigh and another smoke ring was the response. ¡°Think, woman. That dragon has popular with every noble in Rubellum. If she started working for Cutter it would mean bad things for everyone. And before you get any ideas, if Cutter dies, your dragon dies with her.¡± Maggie studied the woman''s face and body language. She had always considered herself a fairly good judge of character, but this woman was impossible to read. The risk is too great. Cutter is my only hope so I must trust in her. ¡°Very well. What do I have to do?¡± Giselle put out her cigarette on the ashtray. ¡°Easy. Start a fight. They¡¯ll come to you.¡± **** Maggie awoke to pitch darkness and a dull throb in her side. A strange odor filled her nose. It was then she realized she lay on something hard and cold. Did I fall out of bed onto the floor? She groaned and tried to stretch only to notice her arms and legs were bound. She rolled over onto her stomach and scooted onto her knees. She then pushed herself around until she found the wall. Her breath came in hard starts as she struggled against her bindings. The door opened and light surged inside. She shut her eyes until she heard the door close again. When she opened them, the light in the room had been turned on. The room reminded her of those torture chambers described in the fiction novels she once read to Aeris. Crude instruments lined the far wall and chains dangled from the center of the ceiling. Hanging from one of the chains by her arms was Giselle. Her chin rested on her chest and her hair blocked most of her face. Maggie would have called out to the woman except the blond-haired woman from before stood by the door. Her hair was tied back in a bun revealing scared half. Without a word, the woman crossed the room. Maggie scooted into the corner. The woman half-dragged her to the chain in the middle of the room, forcing her onto her toes. Maggie groaned at the weight being put on her wrists and arms. The woman silently went to the table behind Maggie and rummaged about. Before long, the woman returned. "Here''s how this is going to go: I ask you questions, you answer them. You answer truthfully and you get out of this without pain. You lie to me"--she waved a small mallet in front of Maggie''s face--"I break your bones. Understood?" Maggie nodded vigorously. ¡°Where¡¯s Cutter?¡± ¡°Hey, I ask the questions. I¡¯ll let you have that one, but don¡¯t do it again.¡± After Maggie nodded again, the woman continued. ¡°Cutter is busy right now. More specifically, she¡¯s unconscious until we¡¯re ready to deal with her. We packed enough dreamwillow into her food to knock out a dragon twice her size. She¡¯ll be sleeping a long time, assuming she wakes up at all.¡± She struck Giselle with a hard backhand. ¡°Wake up. It¡¯s time to pay your debt.¡± Giselle slowly raised her head revealing several bruises and dried blood around her nose and mouth. Looks like they had to knock her out the hard way. ¡°You bitch,¡± Giselle said. ¡°After all I did for you.¡± ¡°After all you did?¡± She grabbed Giselle¡¯s face. ¡°You got me tortured, beaten, and mutilated.¡± She ripped off her eye patch, revealing an empty socket. Maggie turned away. ¡°Cutter forgot to mention this little hazard when she told me the job would be risky.¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of the job.¡± There came a dull thud followed by Giselle coughing. ¡°It¡¯s all part of the job, huh? And what part of the job is being lied to? Or was I not supposed to figure out that you sent me in there as bait?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t bait.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± ¡°It''s true, Addy. No one saw that ambush coming." ¡°But you wasted no time taking advantage of it, did you? So long as Cutter gets what she wants, what does it matter what happens to anyone else?" She appeared in Maggie''s vision. She focused her gaze on the woman''s nose instead of her missing eye. "That includes you. Cutter only bothered to help you because you have something she wants." ¡°Then why am I hanging from the ceiling?" Maggie asked, making no attempt to hide her frustration. "I have nothing to do with any of this!" Addy shrugged and stepped back. "Because Cutter is the last wyrm you should''ve gone to." The door opened again. This time a dragon entered. It was the same female Short-Snout Maggie saw last night. The moment she entered, she gave Maggie that same look of contempt. Giselle spat on the floor. ¡°I fucking knew it, Rowen. I knew you would try something.¡± The dragoness ignored her and went to Maggie. ¡°So, you¡¯re Maggie. I expected someone more...impressive.¡± ¡°Do I know you?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯ve heard of you. That bitch loves you.¡± ¡°Leave her alone,¡± Giselle said. ¡°I¡¯ll get to you.¡± She turned back to Maggie. ¡°But first, I¡¯m gonna do something I¡¯ve been dying to do for a long time.¡± Before Maggie could guess what the dragon meant, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into Maggie''s leg. Slowly, the pressure increased until she howled, fighting the instinct to pull away knowing it would only tear the wound further. Rowen released her. The searing pain reduced to a burning throb, warmth and wetness running from the center of the injury. ¡°Oh, I only wish she were here to hear you scream.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t toy with her too much,¡± Addy said. ¡°The woman has nothing to do with this, so kill her quick and get it over with.¡± ¡°What did I ever do to you?¡± Maggie cried. ¡°I don¡¯t even know Cutter that well!¡± ¡°You? Nothing. It¡¯s that bitch I can¡¯t stand. Little miss perfect. The human¡¯s favorite.¡± She paced and slapped the floor with her tail, her voice dripping with bitterness. ¡°Everyone just loves her and her pretty scales, and her pretty voice, and her pretty manners.¡± Giselle gave a short laugh. ¡°Seriously? You killed yourself because you¡¯re jealous?¡± She spat on the floor and turned to Addy. ¡°And that¡¯s all it took to get her on board?¡± Rowen whirled on the woman who fell silent. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand.¡± Maggie did. She understood perfectly. Having raised Aeris since the dragon hatched, she knew what the domesticates faced: abuse from their masters and prejudice from clan-borns. If domesticates weren¡¯t outright ignored, they were receiving the wrong sort of attention. To anyone else, it would seem Aeris lived the good life. Sought after by the nobles. Praised instead of insulted. Welcome inside instead of waiting outside. She understood but she also knew Rowen had it wrong. Aeris was no one¡¯s favorite. At the end of the day, she was still a dragon. She suffered her own share of abuse and learned the hard way not everyone wanted to be her friend. She didn¡¯t dare say any of it aloud. Telling Rowen she had it wrong would not calm the dragon. ¡°I don¡¯t know who this ¡®Aeris¡¯ is and I don¡¯t really care,¡± Addy said. ¡°But I do know that it¡¯s Cutter¡¯s fault and that¡¯s good enough for me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both idiots.¡± Addy slapped her. ¡°No! You¡¯re the idiot! Cutter sees us¡ªhumans and dragons¡ªas pawns! She would¡¯ve turned on you, too. It was just a matter of time.¡± ¡°That includes you,¡± Rowen said, lightly slapping Maggie¡¯s wounded leg with her tail. She hissed through clenched teeth. "And little miss perfect. Even in Cutter¡¯s eyes, she could do wrong. Everyone thought she was just so innocent. Did you know your precious dragon¡ªlittle miss perfect, killed my brother? She took someone from me, so I¡¯m taking someone from her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Maggie said flatly. ¡°Aeris would never do that.¡± She had only known Aeris to kill once in her life and the poor dragon had been pushed over her limit to do it. If Aeris had killed another dragon, she definitely would have heard about it. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t believe me. Who would ever believe that the perfect dragon would do that?¡± ¡°Rowen, stop talking crazy,¡± Giselle said. ¡°Lyndria killed your brother. She didn¡¯t want him getting close to Aeris.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Lyndria?¡± The door swung open and Cutter shuffled into the room, yawning. Her face and claws tipped in red "Just once I''d like to go a week without killing a motherfucker," she mumbled. The rest of her rant was undiscernible as she stopped and stretched. Rowen and Addy stood there, jaws hanging. Addy trembled, her eyes widening with every second. Even Rowen with blood dripping from her muzzle resembled a frightened hatchling. Cutter stopped stretching and jerked her head towards Maggie and Giselle. ¡°Cut ¡®em down.¡± Addy moved without hesitation, her movements stiff but precise. Maggie groaned as she put weight on her leg and collapsed to the floor. Giselle hurried to her side. ¡°Hey, Giselle, take her upstairs to the others and take care of that leg.¡± ¡°Wait, Cutter. Please don''t--" Maggie began. ¡°Mag, I wasn¡¯t asking. And I won¡¯t say it again.¡± Giselle lifted Maggie and carried her out of the room. The moment they were in the hall, there came screams and roars of pain. Giselle continued without hesitation, moving through the bodies littering the floor. She did all of this while we were in there? I didn¡¯t hear any of it. ¡°Fucking Addy. She convinced so many to join her,¡± Giselle said as she started up the stairs. ¡°Sorry to get you wrapped up in this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got myself wrapped up into this.¡± They entered the hall again. More dead dragons and humans lay on the floor, almost as if sleeping. But the pools of blood gave away the truth. Light poured from the first room ahead of them so Giselle carried Maggie in there. This room was clean and contained two women, a man, and a Nightstalker. Maggie didn''t recognize any of them. They all looked as if they had survived a large brawl. A skinny woman with ebony skin and even darker hair rushed towards them. ¡°Giselle! Thank goodness you¡¯re alive. When I woke up and they were standing over me, I thought--¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She gently placed Maggie on the empty bed. ¡°Is this really all that¡¯s left?¡± ¡°There was no one else with you?¡± the man asked. He had short red hair and a similar beard. He approached Maggie and ripped her bloody pants¡¯ leg. ¡°Excuse me, miss, but we don¡¯t have time to stand on ceremony. The bite doesn¡¯t look too bad. You¡¯re pretty lucky. Most of the time, I have to amputate after a dragon attack.¡± Maggie was still shaken by the carnage and couldn¡¯t speak so she nodded. ¡°Cutter¡¯s leaving only bodies behind,¡± Giselle said. The woman handed Giselle a towel. ¡°Then she¡¯s cleaning house. Again.¡± That broke Maggie¡¯s paralysis. ¡°Wait, she¡¯s done this before? Just slaughtered everyone and started again?¡± ¡°She¡¯s only done it once that I know of. But that was also 60 years ago so the details are known only to her.¡± Asking for those details didn¡¯t sound like a good idea, so Maggie chose to let the matter drop. She hissed when the man began dressing her wound. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll try to be more careful,¡± he said. To distract from the pain, she turned to Giselle. ¡°I never thought they¡¯d spring their trap this soon.¡± Giselle shrugged. ¡°They panicked after you caught us talking. That means they¡¯re not who we¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Looking for?¡± ¡°Other people are looking for your dragon." She picked up a packet of cigarettes on the nightstand and swore after finding it empty. "Cutter figured they would try to use us to do the work for them." Aeris, what have you gotten yourself into? The door opened and everyone whirled around. The Nightstalker growled and jumped to the front. Cutter strode into the room, her front painted red. The Nightstalker immediately lowered his head and backed away. ¡°Well, that was a lovely clusterfuck of a morning," Cutter said. "We''re gonna have to clean up this mess. Pensen, get started dragging the bodies outside so they can be burned. The rest of you get started on cleaning up the blood.¡± She pointed her tail at Maggie. ¡°Not you. I don¡¯t want you walking on that leg.¡± Everyone left the room except the man tending to Maggie''s leg. She had lived among dragons her entire life¡ªeven raised one from a hatchling, but sitting before a blood-soaked Short-Snout put things in perspective. It was strange to see: this creature, dripping with blood, sitting before her wearing a look of remorse. She was reminded of Aeris. That dragon would apologize over everything and loathed the idea of harming others despite her body being designed to do just that. And everyone thinks dragons are nothing more than blood-thirsty beasts ¡°You okay?¡± Cutter asked. "Yes, my leg hurts, but I''ll live." She hissed as the man began bandaging the wound. "Unfortunately, I''m no stranger to pain. For years I was at the whims of an abusive man." ¡°Sorry to hear that. Just like I¡¯m sorry I dragged you into this shit. I knew how Rowen felt and I still assumed she would put that aside.¡± ¡°Did she truly hate Aeris that much?¡± ¡°Dragons are pretty fucking vain, Mag. We don¡¯t like being second best.¡± According to Aeris, being the best isn''t that fun either. "And what about Addy? She said you set her up.¡± Cutter sighed and her fins sagged. ¡°Addy lost too fucking much. She¡¯ll believe anything if it makes her feel better. The plan was never to get her caught.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t rush to her rescue.¡± ¡°I had to get what I needed first.¡± I¡¯m beginning to understand why she turned on you. Cutter stretched and headed for the door. "Anyway, get some rest, Maggie. Once the storm clears up, I want to go looking for Snowflake." **** It took most of the day to get things back in order. Maggie was the only one not exhausted. They gave her a cane to use for the times she did have to move but was told to stay off her leg as much as possible. It was a direct order from Cutter, and after seeing the burning pile of bodies of those who defied her, she didn''t dare disobey. The storm had stopped after two days but left over two feet of snow. Cutter warned not to bother melting it or it would just freeze over into ice. The moment the snow stopped, Cutter ordered people to go and gather information. Visits to the outside were heavily monitored and no one was allowed to leave alone¡ªnot even to shovel the walkway. The tension of waiting was the worst part. There was no one to talk to most of the time. No one said it, but Maggie heard them crying alone in their rooms. Asking around, she learned that many of them had known each other for years. Addy was Giselle''s sister. She couldn''t begin to understand what the woman was going through. She couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. If Cutter hadn¡¯t been so focused on helping her, perhaps things would be different. After a week, Maggie decided to see if any progress had been made in the search for Aeris. She trusted Cutter to keep her word, but her nerves were getting to her. She went to knock on Cutter¡¯s door when she heard voices inside. ¡°Maybe she got out unseen,¡± Giselle said. ¡°Snowflake? In this blizzard?¡± Cutter replied. ¡°Nah, she¡¯s hold up somewhere. No way would she brave this when she¡¯s never left home before. Just make sure not to tell Mag. I don¡¯t want her tearing apart the city.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way to play it. Right now, Snowflake will need to look after herself. Our job is to make sure no one gets in her way while she recovers.¡± There was a long pause before she continued. ¡°Her whole world¡¯s just been shattered. It¡¯s going to take a lot for her to bounce back.¡± ¡°What makes you think she will?¡± ¡°Snowflake doesn¡¯t know it, but she¡¯s awakening her Call. She¡¯ll bounce back. Matriarchs don¡¯t fold that easy. No matter what knocks us down, we always get back up to kick the world in its ass.¡± Giselle chuckled. ¡°You sound confident.¡± ¡°Because a Matriarch is more than just a title. There was a time when humans knew that. Now you¡¯re too fucking high on yourselves to understand.¡± ¡°And dragons are more humble?¡± Cutter laughed. ¡°Not gonna argue with that!¡± Maggie knocked on the door then waited for a reply before going inside. Cutter and Giselle were the only ones inside. Cutter was quick to speak. "So, Mag, about Snowflake. We haven''t gotten word about where she is, but we have another problem." She nodded to Giselle who left the room. Once they were alone, she spoke again. ¡°We need to get other people to call off the search for her. We can¡¯t go looking for her when she¡¯s got other people all over her ass.¡± The words, ¡°Cutter is the last dragon you should¡¯ve gone to.¡± resonated in her mind. I know you¡¯re lying, but for Aeris¡¯ sake, I¡¯ll play along. ¡°What do we need to do?¡± ¡°Something really un-fucking-pleasant. Talk to your old boss.¡± Maggie clenched her jaw. ¡°If we must.¡± ¡°I know you don''t like him; I can''t stand the prick either. But he knows people. People I can''t get close to. Through him, we''ll get to them.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re certain it must be this way?¡± ¡°You really think I¡¯d suggest it if I didn¡¯t?¡± I honestly don¡¯t know. ¡°Of course not.¡± A Dragons Pain The moon was unusually bright tonight. Usually, it sat in the sky, extending its light towards the world but never quite reaching. Tonight, the lonely streets were bathed in its pale glow. The silence and still breeze were calming as if the world held its breath in anticipation of some grand event. Reks always enjoyed nights like these. The moon was better than the sun which always seemed too bright. Not that there was anything he could do about it. He remembered hearing somewhere that Silver Horntails spent most of their life underground and ventured out at sunset. That could explain the light sensitivity. But it didn¡¯t explain why his scales were a silver color, or why he had spikes on his tail, or why he could breathe fire if he lived underground. The humans couldn¡¯t explain a lot of things. But there was nothing he could do about that either. He stood and stretched raising his tail towards the sky and holding that position for several seconds before sitting back down. Guard duty was the worst. Most places wouldn¡¯t dare break into a place with a dragon parked out front which was why he was there, but it wasn¡¯t a full deterrent. Some humans were more than willing to shoot a dragon to get what they wanted. But it wasn¡¯t the danger that bothered him. It was boredom. Sitting in one place for hours with no hope of entertainment, sustenance, or relief. He was stuck there in front of the large warehouse door until morning. If hungry, he went without eating. If thirsty, he had to hope for rain. If he needed to piss, he had to go where he stood. Sleep was not an option. The consequences should anyone learn he left his post were too severe to take a risk. A rat ran past and Reks¡¯s stomach growled. He purposely didn¡¯t eat dinner because then he would want to relieve himself. He learned a long time ago it was better to go hungry than to have to put up the stench of his shit. The sound of claws on the ground brought his attention back to the present. He quickly stood and adopted a threatening stance. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A large dragon, a Highwind Ravager, appeared from behind a stack of crates. Instead of the usual blood-red scales Ravagers were known for, he was a light shade almost pink in color. But the drake¡¯s size was the real problem. He was similar in size to a large horse which made him bigger than Reks. The drake wore a wide grin on its face, fangs glistening in the moonlight. Something about the dragon¡¯s calm demeanor made him feel uneasy. It felt like a calm moment during a storm. From the drake¡¯s posture to the way he hummed to himself felt like a thinly veiled threat. ¡°Oh, hello. Don¡¯t mind me. I was just passing through.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re passing through private property. Keep walking, friend.¡± The drake¡¯s smile fell. ¡°Did you just give me an order, pet?¡± Reks swore. Of all the dragons to bother him, why did it have to be a clan-born? ¡°Listen, I¡¯m in a good mood, so I¡¯ll let that go, but I¡¯ll move on when I¡¯m good and ready to.¡± The drake dropped his rump on the ground and stared at Reks. Reks said nothing and relaxed his stance. Two dragons would give the most ambitious thief pause. So long as he didn¡¯t speak to the drake, nothing bad should come of the encounter. Now he was especially glad he never ate or drank tonight. He didn¡¯t want to think about how this drake would react to seeing him sitting in a puddle of his own urine. He wasn¡¯t sure how long they sat in silence, but the drake never looked away. Most clan-borns couldn¡¯t stand being around a domesticate. ¡°Hey, you,¡± the drake said. ¡°I don¡¯t like pets, but I¡¯ll give you one chance to walk away now.¡± Reks stood up. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Last chance, pet. Walk away and we¡¯ll pretend we never saw you.¡± ¡°We?¡± Reks sensed something approaching him from above. He looked up just in time to see a large dark shape descend on him, pinning him to the ground. The air rushed through him as pain wracked his limbs. ¡°Did you really have to do that?¡± the Ravager asked. ¡°We¡¯re trying to do this quietly.¡± ¡°No, you wanna do this quietly,¡± a female dragon replied. ¡°If we¡¯re fast, no one will even know we¡¯re there.¡± She squeezed Reks¡¯s head until he whined in pain. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t like pets.¡± Reks cursed himself for not seeing the setup sooner. The dragon sitting on his back had to be a Nightstalker. They were known for hunting prowess especially at night when their black scales blended perfectly in the darkness. But more worrying was the dragon herself. She gave off a murderous vibe not caused by the paw gripping his head. Her scent carried only rage whether toward him or all domesticates he didn¡¯t know and did not want to find out. The Ravager sighed and approached Reks. ¡°Well, you were too slow, pet. Now the decision¡¯s made for you. But I guess you¡¯re used to that.¡± He laid on the ground and looked Reks in the eye. ¡°Now are you going to be a good dragon and stay down or do we need to put you down?¡± Reks said nothing. Partly because he was still trying to breathe with the larger dragoness on top of him, but he also knew mouthing off to a clan-born was a dangerous mistake. A sharp pain dug into his back. ¡°He asked you a question, pet,¡± the Nightstalker said. ¡°And why are you asking him anything? We should just kill him now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not here for him,¡± the Ravager said. Then he smiled and Reks¡¯s stomach dropped. ¡°Although, we could make it look like that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. It¡¯s not like the humans will give a damn. There¡¯s plenty more where he came from.¡± Reks racked his mind for ideas. With the dragon on his back, any chances of flight or fighting were off the table. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not a domesticate! I just took this job so I could buy food!¡± The Ravager tilted his head. ¡°Really? Where do you live? I¡¯ve never seen you in the dragon district.¡± ¡°Um, I just came here from Diamus. I haven¡¯t really introduced myself yet.¡± He prayed his lie worked on them. He was dead if it didn¡¯t. The Ravager stood up and left Reks¡¯s field of vision. For several moments, there was nothing. The silence made it worse. Finally, the Ravager spoke. ¡°Let him up. If he¡¯s not with the humans, we don¡¯t need to worry about him. Right?¡± Reks knew that question was aimed at him so he quickly nodded. The Nightstalker climbed off him and he gulped down large helpings of the cool night air. The Ravager stood and headed for the warehouse. ¡°Now you stay right there. We won¡¯t be long.¡± Reks lay on the ground, listening to the two dragons break the door down and unleash their fury on everything inside. He wondered what he should do. There were only two of them and they weren¡¯t around. He could make a run for it. By the time they realized he was gone, he could be long gone or possibly returning with help. But what would his master say? The whole point of him being there was to deter anyone from breaking in or deal with it himself. But two fully grown dragons? Even if it were just the Ravager, he didn¡¯t like his odds. Clan-borns were much more experienced in combat while he had never fought another dragon or human. Still, his master wouldn¡¯t take kindly to knowing he sat there and did nothing. Maybe it would be better if he died fighting. Zachary would kill him anyway. He stood up and spun around. Perhaps he could wound one of the dragons before they ripped his throat out. The two dragons were still inside, the sounds of things shattering echoing into the night. Reks ran into the warehouse. He imagined how a potential scenario would play out as he approached. Most likely, the Nightstalker noticed him first. She would warn the Ravager of his intrusion, but if he moved quickly enough, it wouldn¡¯t matter. All he needed was one tackle to knock the Ravager down. Then Reks could use his tail to keep the Nightstalker at bay while he bit on the Ravager¡¯s neck. With at least one dragon taken down, his odds of surviving the night would be that much better. At least that was the scenario he saw in his head. In a blink, he was on his back and staring up at the angry face of the Nightstalker. ¡°I told you stay put,¡± she said, her growl loud and threatening. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not that good at following orders after all.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry! But I need this job! I haven¡¯t eaten in three days!¡± His stomach growled as if on cue. The Ravager laughed. ¡°So his stomach does his talking for him! Tell you what, in return for pretending you didn¡¯t see anything, I¡¯ll treat you to something nice.¡± Reks already knew he wasn¡¯t getting a say in the matter so he just nodded and hung his head in shame. The two dragons went back inside the warehouse. The sounds of their destruction wracked him with guilt. He had been entrusted with protecting this place. It would make his master look bad and his master would no doubt make him pay for it. But if he tried to stop them, they¡¯d kill him. Being torn apart by angry dragons sounded like the better option. The district went quiet. The two dragons returned. The Nightstalker snorted. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here. I thought you¡¯d go running to your boss.¡± Reks flinched at the venom in her voice. ¡°Leave him alone,¡± the Ravager said. ¡°He just lost his job because of us.¡± He turned to Reks with a friendly smile. ¡°What¡¯s your name anyway?¡± ¡°Uh, Reks.¡± ¡°Hey, Reks. Call me Lolus.¡± He gestured to the Nightstalker who turned away again. ¡°This is Coralin. Don¡¯t mind her.¡± ¡°We¡¯re wasting time,¡± Coralin said. ¡°We need to keep moving.¡± ¡°Yeah, someone will be making rounds soon enough. You should join us, Reks.¡± ¡°I¡­what?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want the humans to blame you, right?¡± Reks nodded slowly. Blame would be placed on him regardless. The dragons spread their wings and took to the air. Reks followed wondering how he was going to get out of this situation. He had nowhere to go until morning. Going home early and taking his punishment was an option, but he preferred to hold off on that for as long as possible. Lolus led them to another warehouse not far away and landed on the roof. ¡°What are we doing?¡± Reks asked. ¡°Teaching the humans a lesson,¡± Lolus said. ¡°They underpay us to guard their stuff then keep us out of the stores where they sell them.¡± He bared his fangs as his claws scraped the roof. ¡°Or they send their pets to do it for free.¡± Reks couldn¡¯t deny that. He wouldn¡¯t see a single coin for sitting outside that warehouse all night. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just burn the warehouses down?¡± Reks asked. Lolus tilted his head. ¡°That would tell the humans a dragon did it. This way is better.¡± ¡°But what about your message?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about the message,¡± Coralin said with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s about watching the stuck-up humans suffer. Now you two go down there and see if there are any guards. When it¡¯s clear, send me the signal.¡± Lolus nodded and leaped off the roof. Reks didn¡¯t want to follow, but he did anyway. He went around the other side of the warehouse, opposite the direction Lolus walked. A question nagged at him as he circled the perimeter. Why wasn¡¯t he making a run for it? This was the opportune moment to break away from the dragons, perhaps even notify the authorities to what they were doing. But instead of walking away, he continued to circle the warehouse. It felt good to walk among the clan-borns without fear. Not to see hatred in their eyes or feel the sting of their venomous words. It felt good and the moment they parted ways, it would be gone. He heard a voice and stopped. The voice came from around the corner of the warehouse. Carefully, he peeked and saw a single Horntail stood outside the back of the warehouse. Reks¡¯s stomach dropped when he saw the red collar around the dragon¡¯s neck. There were no signs of Lolus or Coralin nearby. Reks quietly approached the drake. The Horntail spun around and raised his tail into the air. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Reks stopped walking. ¡°Whoa, calm down. It¡¯s just me.¡± The Horntail maintained his aggressive stance. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. This is private property so you need to leave.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± He inched closer but stopped just outside of striking range. ¡°My name is Reks and I wanted to warn you. A pair of clan-borns are scoping this place. If you want to live, you should run now.¡± ¡°Did¡­did you say¡­clan-borns?¡± the Horntail¡¯s tail fell behind him. ¡°But¡­I can¡¯t abandon this place. My master will kill me.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? These dragons will kill you!¡± ¡°Well, maybe we can take them. You said there¡¯s only two.¡± ¡°We are not taking on clan-borns.¡± ¡°Please?¡± the Horntail dropped into a submissive position. ¡°My master needs this warehouse. If we lose it, he¡¯ll go bankrupt. Please, I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± Reks¡¯s tail slapped against the ground. ¡°If we fight them, we¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! My master saved me from the last human who owned me. I won¡¯t abandon him!¡± Before Reks could argue further, a black blur descended from above and tackled the collared dragon. The two slid for a bit across the ground, the Horntail on the bottom. A chill went through Reks as a dark chuckle cut through the air. ¡°Nice one, Reks. Thanks for distracting him for me.¡± ¡°Help me!¡± Reks could tell Coralin had her guard up and expected him to move to help the domesticate. He shook his head and turned away almost walking into Lolus. The Ravager wore a look of sadness and disgust. ¡°When did you--?¡± Reks began. Lolus turned back towards the warehouse. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°But what about--?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll catch up. Besides, you don¡¯t wanna see what happens next.¡± Reks dropped his head and followed Lolus to the warehouse. A single shoulder charge to the door and the locks gave in, granting them access. The moment they crossed the threshold, a scream of pain and terror broke the silence. Reks froze. The screams intensified into a shrill shriek that made him cringe. Somehow, he managed to hear Lolus swear. ¡°Couldn¡¯t she wait until after we done?¡± The screaming slowly died down to loud groans and whines. Not long after, Coralin trotted into the warehouse the scent of blood wafted from her. Her muzzle and claws glistened in the light shining through the broken door. Reks¡¯s stomach turned. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Lolus asked bitterly. ¡°Thanks to you we might have to make a run for it.¡± ¡°Relax, no one¡¯s gonna come running after hearing that. We have plenty of time.¡± Lolus growled, his tail slapping the floor. ¡°Um, maybe I should go outside and keep watch just in case?¡± Reks offered. Lolus kept his gaze fixed on Coralin. ¡°Yeah, you do that. Tap your tail twice on the roof if you see something.¡± Reks hurried outside. The metallic scent of blood was heavier than he imagined along with the stench of fear. The other Horntail still lay groaning on the ground. He didn¡¯t dare get close to see the damage. He shook his head and flew up the roof. Thankfully, the sound of crates being smash covered up most of the noise of the dragon likely bleeding out on the ground. Reks looked everywhere except the Horntail¡¯s direction. ¡°Anything?¡± Lolus asked. Reks started at the Ravager¡¯s sudden appearance. He quickly composed himself and said. ¡°No. I thought humans would be swarming this place by now.¡± ¡°I guess if they hear a dragon screaming, they stay away.¡± He looked down at the Horntail writhing on the ground. ¡°Poor bastard. He won¡¯t be the same if he survives the night. Coralin likes to tear pieces off pets to make an example of them.¡± Reks stiffened to hide his tail shaking. ¡°Wow, most dragons just kill domesticates and be done with it.¡± Lolus looked around before answering. ¡°You never heard this from me, but Coralin once fell in love with a pet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± Reks said, his eyes wide. ¡°It¡¯s true. Almost had a clutch, too. She didn¡¯t know it, but she¡¯s lucky to have found out when she did.¡± He sighed and a low growl entered his voice. ¡°Some pets are good at hiding what they are. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°So what happened when she found out?¡± Lolus turned away, his expression grim. ¡°What do you think happened?¡± A tense silence hung between them. Reks stared at the sky and hummed to himself. It didn¡¯t drown out the Horntail below still moaning in agony. Eventually, Lolus spoke again. ¡°You¡¯d think he¡¯d shut up by now.¡± ¡°Maybe we should leave before someone comes.¡± ¡°Nah. No one¡¯s coming. Besides, if we leave Coralin without telling her, she¡¯ll skin both of us.¡± ¡°If you two are done talking about me behind my back,¡± Coralin said from behind them. ¡°We can go now.¡± Lolus grinned nervously and followed Coralin into the air. Reks looked down at the domesticate on the ground then spread his wings and followed. They soared higher until the city below dissolved into a blur of distant lights and color. Lolus and Coralin stopped and faced Reks. They wore similar grim looks. ¡°Um, is something wrong?¡± Reks asked. ¡°You think we¡¯re stupid?¡± Lolus asked. ¡°We know you¡¯re a pet, Reks.¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not!¡± ¡°You know what gives it away?¡± Coralin asked, the growl in her voice deepening. ¡°You accuse anyone else of being a pet and you¡¯ll be lucky they don¡¯t rip your throat out.¡± Reks folded his wings and plummeted towards the buildings. He cursed himself for forgetting something so simple. Outrunning a Nightstalker in the open wasn¡¯t possible, but if he landed amongst the buildings, there may be a chance. Something slammed into his back and pinned his wings to his sides. Over the roaring wind, Coralin whispered into his ear. ¡°Going somewhere, pet?¡± Reks swung his tail, hitting what he assumed was his captor. A roar in his ear and the claws releasing his body confirmed his aim. Immediately he flapped his wings, surging towards the ground at greater speed. He just managed to level out before slamming into the roof of the nearest warehouse. A crash followed him, but he didn¡¯t look back and hoped it was one of the dragons. He landed on the ground and continued at a full sprint towards a large stack of crates nearby. Lolus¡¯s rage-filled voice filled the air. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Reks! When I find you, I¡¯m gonna tear you apart!¡± The crates Reks sought for cover had been arranged in a way that provided cover from the air. He crouched low curling into as small of a ball as possible. He held his breath and closed his eyes fearing they would shine in the darkness and give away his position. ¡°You¡¯re real proud of yourself, aren¡¯t you?! You really thought you had pulled one over on us! But you didn¡¯t even hesitate to let that other Horntail take the fall for you! That¡¯s what I hate most about you pets; you¡¯re a bunch of fucking cowards!¡± The sounds of Lolus¡¯s rage drew closer. Reks curled tighter until it hurt. ¡°Would you have joined in if Coralin asked? Would you have helped her? I bet if she offered to lift her tail for you, you would¡¯ve jumped right on that, pet.¡± Reks heard Lolus¡¯s steps approaching. Every few moments, there came a loud crash. He bit his tail to keep from screaming. ¡°So how long did you plan to keep up the lie? How far did you plan to go? Not far enough would you? You would still go running back to your ¡®master¡¯ like a good little slave!¡± Reks snapped his eyes open and stared at the opening of his hiding place. There would only be one shot. If Lolus appeared, he could stun the drake with his fire breath and make a run for it. The swears and threats and the sounds of things shattering moved away. Reks didn¡¯t dare so much as blink until the sounds disappeared. Slowly, he reemerged from his hiding place. It was too dangerous to fly, so he ran back to his master¡¯s mansion. **** ¡°You stupid, spineless lizard!¡± Zachary Bachmann yelled, spittle flying from the human¡¯s mouth. ¡°I gave you one job to do!¡± Reks maintained his submission posture. ¡°But¡­but master, they would¡¯ve killed me if I¡ª¡± A glass object shattered near his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses! How am I supposed to look Mr. Nazaretian in the eye and explain to him that his product is destroyed because my dragon is a coward?¡± Reks stared at the floor and said nothing. His head was pulled backward by the horn and he was forced to look at his master¡¯s wide face that grew progressively redder. His black hair hung wildly as if he just climbed out of bed and he gnashed his teeth together. ¡°You look at me when I speak to you! Do you know how much you¡¯ve just cost me?¡± ¡°N-No, I¡­I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. Why would I expect a dragon to understand the value of anything they can¡¯t shove down their greedy throats?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t,¡± Reks replied meekly, his eyes fixed on the manic fury in Zachary¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I promise I¡¯ll do whatever it takes¡ª¡± Zachary released Reks¡¯s horn, much to Reks¡¯s relief. He immediately scampered away from his master¡¯s reach. ¡°Shut up,¡± Zachary spat. ¡°Just get out. I¡¯ll deal with you in the morning.¡± Reks hurried out of the room. Something shattered near his head again and he doubled the pace. He didn¡¯t stop until he reached the stables. The horses nickered as if in greeting when Reks came inside. After living among them for so long his scent was familiar to them. He went to his stall at the far end and lay on the pile of hay that was his bed. Nightmares of Lolus visiting him plagued his sleep. The sun peeking through the windows was an unwelcome sight knowing it meant Zachary would be coming to scold him more properly. He heard footsteps approaching. He tensed and awaited his punishment. If he were lucky, a verbal lashing would be the worst of it. Instead of Zachary Bachmann, Edward came into view wearing a wide grin. He had always been tall and thin, but the sleeves of his shirt were folded yet still reached his wrists. His brown hair had begun to thin despite being in his late twenties. Dark circles were under his kind brown eyes. Reks would have smiled back if not for the tray of food in the human¡¯s hands. ¡°I figured you would want some breakfast,¡± Edward said. ¡°I know you skipped dinner last night to take that security job.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do that. If Zachary sees you¡ª¡± ¡°If my brother has a problem with me bringing you food, he knows where to find me.¡± He sat the tray down in front of Reks. ¡°I¡¯m not about to let you go hungry.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Just eat. I had the cooks make you something nice. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re sick of eating scraps.¡± Reks¡¯s hunger got the better of him and he devoured the meal. It had been so long since he ate cooked meat instead of gnawing off what little fat remained on the bone and bread crusts. Edward sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him eat. While he was licking the plate clean, Edward said, ¡°I spoke to Zach and convinced him to give you a more creative punishment.¡± Reks froze mid-lick. ¡°You¡­did?¡± ¡°I did. He wanted to whip you, but I convinced him that doing that would mean he had to explain where the marks came from.¡± Reks flinched at the thought. ¡°So what did you convince him to do to me?¡± ¡°Well, since he insists on going on about the money you cost him, I told him you should be able to work it off.¡± He stood and picked up the tray. ¡°You¡¯re going to work with Charlotte to work off your debt.¡± ¡°Oh. Do I have to work for her? She¡¯s so¡­energetic.¡± ¡°Come now, she isn¡¯t so--¡± The tray fell to the floor. Edward quickly turned away but Reks saw the shaking of the human¡¯s hands. ¡°Did you remember to take your medicine?¡± Edward hunched his shoulders. ¡°I was going to after I brought you breakfast.¡± ¡°You know you¡¯re not supposed to¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my nanny,¡± Edward interjected firmly. ¡°I appreciate you worrying about me, but I wouldn¡¯t leave you to the mercy of Zack.¡± ¡°Rose did,¡± Reks mumbled. He cursed himself for the reaction. Edward sighed softly. ¡°Technically, someone else made that choice for her. I promise you she would¡¯ve chosen differently given the option. Just like she would be glad to see you still got out of that terrible situation.¡± ¡°Can we talk about something else? I don¡¯t want to think about that right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s think about more cheerful things. Now I¡¯m going to take this inside and take my medicine before you and Zack force-feed it to me.¡± Reks cut in front of him and took the tray in his jaws. ¡°Come now, Reks, I won¡¯t drop it again.¡± Reks snorted and left the stable with the tray. He wasn¡¯t allowed inside the mansion, but in this case, Edward was with him. Even without the human, he would¡¯ve gladly taken the punishment and came inside anyway. The kitchen was empty, but that worked in their favor. He sat the tray on the nearest counter and accompanied Edward to his bedroom. By the time they reached the stairs, Edward stumbled a lot and had to lean on Reks to stay upright. They made it to the bedroom without incident. Even with the space of Edward¡¯s bedroom, it took some maneuvering to get him to the bed and to get his medicine out of the bottle. Edward swallowed the pill dry and they waited a few minutes for the effects to kick in. ¡°Thank you,¡± Edward said. ¡°I never would have heard the end of it if I had collapsed on the way back.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be pushing yourself so hard.¡± ¡°Says the dragon who skips meals.¡± He rubbed Reks¡¯s snout. ¡°I want you to know that what happened last night was not your fault. Even if Zack won¡¯t say it, he¡¯s glad you are safe. And so am I.¡± Reks remembered the other Horntail and pulled away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡­I¡¯m just tired. I was up half the night.¡± Edward gave him a stern look. ¡°Reks. What is it?¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Zachary asked. Reks immediately bowed low to the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just¡ª¡± ¡°I asked Reks to help me to my room,¡± Edward said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling well and couldn¡¯t get here on my own.¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± Zachary asked, all his anger from before had vanished. ¡°I¡¯m fine thanks to Reks. You should thank him.¡± Reks risked raising his head. Zachary wore a disgusted frown. ¡°Thank you, Reks, for assisting my brother,¡± he said stiffly. ¡°Now, please excuse us, Edward. I must have a word with my dragon.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about his punishment, I already informed him.¡± Zachary clenched his jaw. Reks stared at the floor again. ¡°Very well then. I guess that¡¯s all. Now you.¡± Reks flinched from the bitter infliction in his master¡¯s voice that he knew was aimed at him. ¡°It seems my brother is more than capable of moving on his own so why are you here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here because I asked him to be.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not some puppy to be coddled. Reks, go outside before you break something.¡± ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± Zachary began to turn red in the face. Since he was blocking the only exit, save for the window, Reks curled up near the base of the bed. ¡°Edward, do not contradict me,¡± Zachary said. ¡°With these beasts, you must be--¡± ¡°Beasts?¡± Edward interjected coolly. ¡°Rose would never have allowed you to speak about him that way.¡± ¡°You leave my wife out of this!¡± Edward jumped to his feet. ¡°Every time you mistreat the most precious thing she left behind, you bring her into it!¡± Zachary started forward. Reks took advantage of the opening and hurried out of the room without a word. Zachary shouted behind him, ¡°If you leave any scratches or tracks on the floor, you¡¯ll be licking it clean for the next week!¡± He didn¡¯t stop to look at the floor. The bright sun greeting him brought little comfort. Not when the threat about spending the next week licking the floors clean wasn¡¯t a bluff. He cursed his carelessness. Zachary always made him wipe his paws before coming indoors. The scent of a female dragon caught his attention and he whirled around to see a Green-Crested Genial standing before him. Like the species¡¯ namesake, she was covered in green scales, particularly her horns which were a dark forest green unlike the lighter of her body. Reks snorted. ¡°What are you doing here, Glee?¡± ¡°Wow, someone¡¯s pissy today. Your master giving you a hard time?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Glee looked back at the house before replying, ¡°That your master is an ass like he always is. Anyway, I came to warn you; Not sure if you heard or not, but a clan-born was killed last night. The District Lord is pissed.¡± Reks sat on his tail to keep it from betraying his trepidation. ¡°Are you sure? What kind of dragon was it? Was it a Nightstalker?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Glee replied slowly. She gave him a sideways look. ¡°How do you know that?¡± He thought about lying to her, but she was the only domesticate¡ªor rather only dragon¡ªhe could count on. ¡°I¡­I might have been the one who killed her.¡± ¡°What?! That was you?¡± She circled him, scanning his body like a concerned parent. ¡°But how? You don¡¯t have a mark on you.¡± ¡°She attacked me in the air and hit her with my tail. I might¡¯ve slashed her wing and she fell.¡± ¡°Yep. That¡¯ll do it. I guess you were attacked in the warehouse district, too.¡± ¡°Um, too?¡± Glee sat on the grass, wearing a forlorn expression. ¡°Yeah. You know Argentine?¡± When Reks shook his head, she continued. ¡°Well, he belongs to the Kings. He was also attacked last night. He¡¯ll live, but he won¡¯t be the same.¡± A small whine escaped her. ¡°They gouged his eyes out and carved his body up like a piece of meat.¡± Reks felt weak in the legs. ¡°Anyway, his master will need to get him some special care, so I¡¯m asking if anyone can spare something.¡± ¡°I¡­uh, I can ask, ask Edward if he can spare anything.¡± ¡°Thanks. Sorry to cut this short, but I need to spread the word.¡± She turned and spread her wings, but froze and turned instead of leaving. ¡°Oh, and thanks for killing the dragon responsible. I won¡¯t tell anyone it was you, but I feel better knowing the bastard who did that won¡¯t attack anyone else.¡± Reks lay down on the grass as she flew off. He never felt as low as he did now. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for him.¡± He rolled onto his back and stared at the sky. ¡°You humans like to say you¡¯re watching us when you die. What about you, Rose? Are you watching me? Or are you too angry to look at me? I¡¯m surviving like you told me to, but¡­is this what you wanted?¡± A gentle breeze caressed his body. With a heavy sigh, he rolled onto his side again. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, does it? I kept my promise. I¡¯d do it again if I had to.¡± Forged in Flames Aubrey always hated the smell of burnt flesh. It made her nauseous. Seared meat meant for consumption was one thing, but the smokey stench of heated metal fusing to scale, flesh, and bone was something else entirely. She would never be used to it. She would never like it. The only thing she hated more than the smell was the sounds. The sizzling and the screaming. No creature should make the noises that haunted her sleep. Even prey didn¡¯t suffer this much. The onlookers stamped, cheered, sang, and lashed their tails on the ground while the howls of agony rang through the forge. Somehow they still couldn¡¯t drown it out. Even more amazingly, the drake thrashing on the table hadn¡¯t lost consciousness yet. They usually did around this point, right after they pissed themselves. It disgusted her that this was the highest honor, a rite of passage, the symbol of adulthood. A dragon who had not earned their plate was not a true dragon. The reason for the plate mattered not so long as it was worn proudly. Seeing the green-scaled dragon fighting against his bindings in a puddle of his own making, eyes bulging, drooling uncontrollably, she wondered what he thought of this rite of passage. Would he do it again? Did he feel like a true dragon? Or was he begging for death, for an end to the pain he couldn¡¯t fathom? Perhaps that was why she refused to wear a plate. She was afraid of the pain. Afraid of death. Did that make her a coward? Or was she brave for daring to defy the norm, a ritual she found asinine and unappealing? She turned away from the drake struggling to stay conscious to the other poor souls in line, awaiting their turn at the forge. There were only three this time and she smelled the fear that was written plain on their faces. Their tails and wings were wrapped tightly around their bodies as if hoping to shield them against reality. The first dragon had thrown up twice. The second seemed on the verge of fainting. The last one had already pissed himself.. The veterans, their plates reflecting the glow of the flames, stared into the abyss. They were going through the motions seemingly unaware of the horrors taking place before them. She knew where their minds were. Back to their first time, reliving the nightmare. She wondered if their cheers were signs of happiness that it wasn¡¯t their turn. Aubrey felt sorriest for the young whelps. Most of them covered their faces or cowered behind their parent¡¯s legs. Unlike the others, the younglings wore their abject terror unashamed of how others perceived them. It was a shame that she knew they would purge this day from their memories and in a few years would become just as numb to it as everyone else. Hearing Gandry, the Matriarch of the forge, speak brought Aubrey back to reality. Gandry was a Nighstalker, her black scales marked with silver-colored plating on her legs, shoulders, and tail. Her plates were signed with age, the scars of hard battles over the decades, and symbols telling of her achievements. The glow of the fire on her dark scales made her seem even more intimidating, a feat within itself. ¡°Steel your nerves, whelps,¡± Gandry said proudly as she paced in front of the three ¡°volunteers¡±. Her voice immediately silenced the other dragons in the room save the drake on the table. No amount of threats or promises would quiet him. ¡°We are dragons, and we endure! We fear nothing! Run from nothing! The forge molds us! Here we face the heat, we embrace the pain, and we emerge from the flames stronger than ever!¡± The other candidates straightened up and faced the dragoness, but traces of trepidation still lingered. Gandry didn¡¯t seem to care and turned back to the drake receiving his first plate. The surgeons made up of humans and dragons surrounded him like phantoms circling the dead. They moved with an otherworldy precision, avoiding each other perfectly. If they spoke or made any sound, it was lost in the crowds. Their attention was focused on one thing. She felt a twang of pity watching the humans struggle under their heavy clothing. Dragons weren¡¯t bothered by the heat, but humans didn¡¯t have such a luxury. Aubrey heard a small whine come from her little sister, Maron. The younger Ravager¡¯s trembling made the light shimmer and dance on her red armored scales. Her yellow eyes bulged in fear. She was too young to receive her plate, and for that, Aubrey was grateful. The thought of Maron going through that was too much to think about. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Aubrey said as soothingly as possible. ¡°He¡¯s going to be just fine.¡± She didn¡¯t know that and couldn¡¯t prove it. The ceremony ended in death on more than one occasion. It wasn¡¯t pleasant. But her words seemed to have the desired effect and her younger sibling calmed down. Aubrey shot an annoyed look at their mother, Nagarini, the clan Dracaena. The leader of all. Calming Maron should have been her responsibility. Instead, the older Ravager looked on stoically, still as a fallen branch. If it wasn¡¯t for her occasional blinking, it would be easy to mistake her for a statue. The rings on her horns glowed, adding a fake flaming halo around her crown, a fitting look for their leader. The same with the metal plates adorning their mother¡¯s legs and shoulders which made Aubrey shudder as it impressed her. How anyone could undergo the process more than once baffled her. How much pain did she endure? Was she afraid every time or did it simply become routine? Aubrey¡¯s gaze inevitably drifted to her mother¡¯s tail as it always did. Nearly half of it had been replaced with a metallic replica. No one knew the story of how it happened or if they did know, they were sworn to silence. Turning away before her mother caught her staring, she focused on the oldest of her siblings, Fusciani. She immediately regretted her actions as Fusciani couldn¡¯t even be bothered to pay attention. She examined her nails and looked disinterested in the ceremony. The dragoness wore only one plate on her right flank, but the sight only angered Aubrey more. ¡°Of all the dragons here, you¡¯re the one who should be setting an example,¡± Aubrey said under her breath. Nagarini didn¡¯t move her gaze shifted in Aubrey¡¯s direction. Aubrey turned back to the ceremony. At a time like this, the last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself. His screams had finally died down and he stopped thrashing. The others had stopped their cheering so only his pitiful whines and the crackling of flames could be heard. Gandry stood over the body and inspected it carefully. One of the surgeons acknowledged her presence with a nod. Gandry addressed the crowd. ¡°He has emerged from the flames reborn,¡± Gandry said, her booming voice echoing through the spacious chamber. ¡°Another child of the forge has taken his place among us!¡± The clan cheered in unison, the sound making the walls rattle. Aubrey didn¡¯t so much as smile. Her gaze was fixed on the drake. He barely moved and his breathing was shallow. ¡°Now who¡¯s next?¡± Aubrey watched as the kobolds hurried in and pushed the table away. She imagined the faces under their hoods flushed and drenched in sweat. The kobolds worked quickly, getting the drake out of the way before the next candidate could reach Gandry. The first volunteer, a Nighstalker, shuffled forward. The difference between him and Gandry was laughable. He didn¡¯t share any of her proud presence. His shoulders were hunched, head bowed, and tail tucked where she stood tall and confident with nothing hidden from the flames of the forge. ¡°Do you wish to undertake the rite?¡± Gandry asked in a grave tone. The drake nodded. He couldn¡¯t speak if he wanted to as Aubrey just noticed the plate he carried in his jaws. It was a small thing, something easily hidden. Aubrey sighed heavily, knowing how this would end. ¡°Is that your plate?¡± He nodded again and carefully set his plate down. Gandry didn¡¯t even inspect it and swatted it away. Even the sound of it clattering across the floor sounded pitiful, but the drake flinched as if it were deafening. ¡°You come to me with that piece of scrap?¡± Gandry roared. ¡°Where is your pride? We wear our plates boldly and proudly! We do not shy away from the heat and make tiny sheets to represent our shame!¡± She strode forward. The other two candidates stiffened. The Nightstalker started to back away but suddenly stopped as if time froze around him. Gandry towered over him and spoke in a threatening voice, ¡°Make another one. And the next time you bring me something that pathetic, I¡¯ll make you eat it.¡± The drake nodded furiously and hurried out of the forge. Every dragon in the room watched him disapprovingly. ¡°Hey, look, Aubrey, you might have a friend after all,¡± Fusciani said. Aubrey didn¡¯t respond. It wasn¡¯t even good bait and she knew better than to cause a scene here of all places. Gandry did not take kindly to anyone disrespecting her forge. ¡°Next candidate!¡± Gandry called. The next candidate came forward, this one a Ramscale. His red and gold body matched the glow of the flames perfectly, something he had to be keenly aware of. He picked up his plate, which was noticeably larger than the previous candidate¡¯s, and strutted forward, Aubrey noted the puddle on the floor he left behind. Without waiting to be asked, he set his plate down at Gandry¡¯s feet. The forgemaster looked over the plate and frowned. The drake tilted his head. Without a word, Gandry stomped on it. The forge rang with the sound of crushed metal. ¡°This pathetic piece of shit is your idea of a plate?¡± Gandry asked. She lifted her paw, revealing the bent piece of metal. ¡°Something this easily broken is not worthy of my forge! These plates are a symbol of our will. Are you telling me yours crumbles that easily under pressure?¡± She seemed to have gotten her answer as the drake shrank away and whined. Gandry groaned loudly. ¡°Get out. And don¡¯t show your face until you learn how to work the metal properly.¡± The drake nodded just like the other and hurried out, but still caught a tail lash to the backside as he passed the forgemaster. His pained yelp followed him out of the forge. Gandry approached the final candidate instead of waiting for them to come forward. It seemed the right call as the green dragoness was struggling to lift the plate that was half the length of her body. ¡°Leave it,¡± Gandry commanded. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to inspect it to know it¡¯s too large and heavy for you.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± the Genial began. Gandry continued as if the dragoness hadn¡¯t spoken, ¡°We are proud but not vain. What good is a plate this big? The rite would kill you and if you live, it would do more harm than good. Come back when you learn to temper your hubris like you temper metal.¡± The Genial tucked her head and nodded. She moved to grab her plate but a withering glare from Gandry made her abandon it and commit her walk of shame barren. Gandry sighed and turned to the crowd. ¡°Is there no one else?¡± Aubrey knew that question was meant for her. The others knew it, too. Some of their eyes flited expectantly in her direction before looking elsewhere. She expected nothing less. It was long past the time for her first plating, but she had no intention of doing it. Not now, not ever. ¡°Is there really no one else? Are you that afraid of receiving your plate?¡± ¡°Damn right she is,¡± Fusciani mumbled. Aubrey shot a warning glare at her sister only to see their mother had beaten her to it. Fusciani tucked her head and fell silent. No one else spoke or stepped up. Before Gandry could speak, a kobold ran into the room and kneeled behind her. Gandry whirled around as if ready to tear his head off. Aubrey couldn¡¯t hear what was said, but she had a good guess. Gandry shooed away the kobold and then turned to the crowd. ¡°Our newest edition to the forge died on his way to the cooling pools,¡± she said solemnly. One dragon jumped to their feet, likely a relative judging from the devastated expression and how quickly they rushed out of the forge. ¡°Do not take his death as a warning, but as a lesson. He lived proudly by our code and represented what makes us dragons. The forge is dangerous and it can be unforgiving. Sometimes we lose the mold despite our best efforts. But that is no reason to react with fear and shame. It is the price of progress and one that we gladly pay! Only the strongest materials can be tempered and honed. For we are dragons! Born of the flame, tempered by adversity, and coming through it all stronger than before!¡± She stood there as if waiting for the others to second her words, or maybe it was only to let the message sink in. Regardless, no one dared speak or break the silence. Eventually, Gandry spoke again. ¡°We may have lost someone today, but his spirit will be returned to the forge so that he may help the flames temper the next generation. May your forges never grow cold before their time. That is all.¡± **** Retiring to her den was the best part of the day. No more stares, no more whispers, no more looks. Even if it meant being away from the forge. Away from the intense heat, the cackling flames, the smell of ash and molten metal. But right now, the things that brought her calm and comfort also remind her of what happened today. Right now, the low hiss of steam and pistons, and the grinding of gears from the hall would be enough. If it was dark, she would walk the metallic halls amidst the glow of the lights chasing away the darkness that lived in the little spaces behind the pipes carrying steam and power throughout the clan. Those were the moments when she did the most thinking. The off-beat rhymic clanking of pipes helped center her. But roaming the halls in silence would be short-lived. It happened every year. She would refuse her plate, everyone would pretend it was a big scandal, and then she would get reprimanded in private. No sooner had she lain down did the sound of approaching footsteps signal the end of that peace. ¡°Can I talk to you?¡± Maron asked. The question was so unexpected, that it made Aubrey whirl around in shock. Instead of her younger sister standing confidently and triumphantly as she usually did, she stared at the ground with her tail wrapped around her body. ¡°Of course, you can,¡± Aubrey said, motioning for the whelp to come closer. ¡°What brought this on?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to talk.¡± ¡°Yes, because you and I have such enlightening conversations,¡± Aubrey said. It was no secret the younger dragoness had more things to talk about with whelps her age. If she was talking to Aubrey, it was either to brag or to ask for something. ¡°It¡¯s just us here. Say it plain and we¡¯ll work from there.¡± Maron took a deep breath and stared at the wall. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get a plate? Is it because you¡¯re scared?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not scared. I simply have no intention of marking my body.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m proud of it, and I don¡¯t need anything to remind me that I am a ¡®true¡¯ dragon.¡± ¡°Oh. Why don¡¯t you tell mother that?¡± ¡°What makes you think I haven¡¯t?¡± she asked, her temper rising. ¡°You know how obstinate she can be, and the rest of the clan agrees with her.¡± Silence fell over them. Even hissing from the hall seemed quieter as if not to disturb them. Maron traced a circle in the dirt. Aubrey watched the door like a sentry, occasionally throwing a glance at her sister. She didn¡¯t know what to say or how to react. Eventually, Maron broke the silence. Her voice was so low, Aubrey struggled to hear her. ¡°The other dragons are saying things behind your back. They say you¡¯re a coward.¡± ¡°Let them talk. I will not have my life and my body manipulated by public opinion.¡± Maron shifted closer and fell silent again. Aubrey let her be, knowing that she would speak up when ready. ¡°I don¡¯t want a plate. I¡¯m scared,¡± Maron said, finally. ¡°I know it will hurt. I know I can take it. But¡ª¡± she trembled and let the rest of the sentence hang. Images of dragons thrashing and howling in pain flashed before Aubrey¡¯s mind. She draped a wing over her sister¡¯s side. ¡°I see. The first time I witnessed the ceremony, I fainted. It still haunts me to this day. Whenever I think of receiving my plate, I¡¯m taken back to that place.¡± Maron looked up. ¡°But you said you weren¡¯t scared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. But when I think of that, I ask ¡®Where is the honor in this?¡¯ ¡®Does she feel fulfilled?¡¯ ¡®Is she proud of herself?¡¯ I realized there was no point. I would subject myself to such pain and torment, and for what? So others can see me? Why should I do such a thing?¡± ¡°So you decided you don¡¯t want a plate?¡± ¡°I did. I realized there was no reason to subject myself to such a thing for superficial reasons.¡± She leaned down and nuzzled her. ¡°It is natural to feel fear. All creatures experience it. It¡¯s what keeps us alive.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re dragons. We¡¯re not supposed to feel fear.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not supposed to be conquered by it. Just like when we feel pain and bleed, we do not succumb to it. Much like the metal we forge, we endure to become stronger. That is what makes a true dragon.¡± ¡°So you say and yet here you are, hiding from the world,¡± Nagarini said. Aubrey and Maron jumped up at their mother¡¯s voice. Aubrey cursed herself for not noticing the older Matriarch approach. She had let her guard down. How long had she been standing there? Nagarini strutted towards them. The light shifted with every step, sliding across her blood-red scales and red plates on her sides like water running through a trough. Aubrey struggled to maintain eye contact. Even as a Matriarch herself, a symbol of authority among dragons, she still felt like an ignorant hatchling in her mother¡¯s presence. ¡°You still refuse a plate,¡± Nagarini stated. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You know my reasons. I know you were listening,¡± Aubrey replied, still fighting to look her in the eye. ¡°Is this about your vanity again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not vanity, it¡¯s pride!¡± She motioned to the wall behind her. It was covered with metal plates that she forged and engraved herself. Each one detailed one of her accomplishments. ¡°Is making them not enough? Why must I wear them as well?¡± ¡°This is not about that. It¡¯s about your lack of conviction.¡± ¡°I have conviction! I take great pride in all of my achievements and I won¡¯t have you belittling them!¡± Nagarini stepped forward until they were inches apart. ¡°Watch yourself,¡± she said in a dangerously low voice. ¡°Just because you have awoken your Call does not put you on equal footing with me.¡± Aubrey tried to stand her ground, but the pressure coming from her mother became too much and she turned her gaze to the floor. ¡°As I thought. You openly defy me and spit on our customs, but you lack the conviction to follow through. That is not the spirit of a Matriarch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not spitting on our customs.¡± ¡°Then what do you call it? Or are you so na?ve to think that you can freely decide what parts of our laws you will and will not follow? How do you think it looks to everyone else that you blatantly believe yourself beyond reproach? Do you truly believe that the laws must simply bow to your needs?¡± It had become too much. It took immense effort just to remain standing let alone maintain eye contact. She stared at her mother¡¯s claws instead, fighting to breathe the increasingly constricting air. ¡°Our laws are flawed and you know it.¡± ¡°And yet here you hide away from ridicule and hope for me to come to your rescue. If you¡¯re not going to follow through, go see Gandry. Skip the ceremony if you must, but when I see you again, you will have received your plate.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± She knew the answer. Breaking their laws meant exile or death. ¡°If you do not know the consequences, you have no business defying me,¡± Nagarini said. Aubrey didn¡¯t retort as their mother stormed out. Swearing loudly, she turned around and saw Maron cowering in the corner. Aubrey swore again. ¡°See? She¡¯s really mad at you,¡± Maron said from behind her wing. ¡°Let me worry about our mother. It¡¯s going to be fine.¡± They had this fight after every plating ceremony and Aubrey had become used to it. However, it still made her blood run hot. She went for a walk to cool down. It turned out to be a mistake. She couldn¡¯t go anywhere without the looks and the whispers. She growled and headed for the forge. At least there everyone was too busy to pay attention to gossip and staring like a drunken fool. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Hey, you!¡± Gandry called. Aubrey stopped knowing that was directed at her. Everyone else froze and stared. It made her growl and clench. Enough was enough. She focused her Call on every dragon in the vicinity. Go about your business! The onlookers dropped their heads and resumed walking to their destinations. Gandry smirked as she strolled over. As a Matriarch herself, she was immune to its effects. The smile dropped once she closed the distance between them. ¡°That wasn¡¯t necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sick of them staring,¡± Aubrey spat. ¡°I¡¯m not some roadside attraction here for their amusement!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it out on them because you¡¯re a dumbass. Walk with me.¡± Aubrey growled again but followed. Gandry couldn¡¯t compel her, but she knew better than to try to take on the Forgemaster. Gandry would drag her if she had to. They didn¡¯t get far when the Forgemaster spoke again. ¡°I spoke to Nagarini. And I already know you¡¯re not gonna cave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why she wants me to get my plate so badly,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°I already awakened my Call, what else must I do to prove--?¡± Gandry slammed her tail on the wall. The sound of flesh pounding metal reverberated through the hall, making Aubrey and every passerby stand still. ¡°I always knew you were stubborn, but not stupid,¡± Gandry said. ¡°Is your head that far up your ass?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You heard me. Now answer the question. Do you or do you not understand what¡¯s at stake here? Don¡¯t answer that. Just follow me.¡± Aubrey glared at the back of the Forgemaster¡¯s head as she followed. She had half a mind to wander off, but Gandry would periodically look back, most likely to ensure she didn¡¯t do just that. She led Aubrey to the upper landings where the whelps often hung out. One dragon noticed them and straightened up, starting a chain reaction of the others doing the same until every eye on the landing was fixed on them. ¡°See that?¡± Gandry asked. ¡°This is the effect a Matriarch has. You think it¡¯s just you, but the others are noticing.¡± She turned to the crowd and called out, ¡°You whelps excited to get your first plate?¡± No one spoke but the way they shrank away and looked fearfully at each other said plenty. Gandry didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. ¡°I see a lot of fear here. Are you that afraid of the flames?¡± A small Ravager spoke up in a smaller voice. Aubrey could barely hear their words. ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt.¡± ¡°Yes, life is pain,¡± Gandry said. ¡°But look behind you. It¡¯s gonna hurt if you fall off, right? But has that stopped any of you from playing up here?¡± A slew of little shaking heads was the only response. ¡°I know you¡¯re all scared. When I got my first plate, I was scared, too.¡± She turned to the side, showing off the plate fused to her shoulder. ¡°I made this when I first awakened my Call. I made this¡±¡ªshe pointed her tail at the one below it.¡ª¡°when I lost my clutch. These plates are not just for show. They are our lives. Our milestones for living. We live a long life but our memories aren¡¯t as long lasting. So we mark our plates with the moments we don¡¯t want to forget so that we always know what made us who we are.¡± ¡°But must we wear these plates?¡± Aubrey asked. ¡°Is creating them not enough?¡± Gandry continued to face the whelps as she responded, ¡°Much like our memories, these plates are a part of us. We can¡¯t just cast them aside to gather dust in a corner and be forgotten.¡± Aubrey stepped forward. ¡°I disagree. Just because I don¡¯t wear them in the open doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t care or stopped caring. You can see my plates as proof. I care for them. They do not sit in a corner and rust.¡± To her surprise, Gandry smiled, but it wasn¡¯t a joyous smile. The grief and pain it masked was easily seen. ¡°Then what is your solution?¡± Gandry asked. Aubrey noticed the young dragons and watched them rapt attention. Their faces were full of hope and joy. Aubrey swore under her breath, realizing too late what she had walked into. The worst part of it all was she didn¡¯t have a solution. If these whelps followed her, it would cause problems. She wasn¡¯t the clan Matriarch and if the others started following her rule, it was a direct challenge to Nagarini¡¯s authority. But she couldn¡¯t lie to their faces. To tell them not to follow her and obey the customs she denied. She stared at the curious, expectant faces at a loss. The fires had been lit, the metal was heated and ready to be shaped. There was no backing out now. But her next words would choose the form things took. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know. I always believed in following my path.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a Matriarch,¡± one of the whelps, a small Genial said with a soft whine. ¡°Matriarchs can do whatever they want.¡± ¡°Hey, what did I say about that kind of talk?¡± Gandry asked. ¡°It¡¯s not about what you don¡¯t have¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s about making do with what you do have,¡± the dragonlings concluded in unison. ¡°Crying over not being a Matriarch isn¡¯t going to help you. We are dragons, forged in the fires of life and tempered by our experiences. We wear our plates proudly because they mark the things we have survived that made us who we are. We do not hide them away out of fear or shame. The pain we suffer in fusing our plates to our bodies is the pain of life. It hurts us, even scars us, but we emerge from it stronger than ever.¡± She shot a look over should at Aubrey. ¡°That is the purpose of our ceremony. That is why we are strong. I want you all to remember that the next time you start doubting yourselves.¡± She didn¡¯t say it when she walked away, but Aubrey took it as her cue to follow. But Aubrey didn¡¯t catch up until they were back in the hall, and it was then that Gandry spoke. ¡°You hesitated. When Nagarini said you lacked resolve, I just assumed she was bitter. But you actually haven¡¯t thought this through. Are you that blinded by your own needs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not blinded.¡± ¡°Then why couldn¡¯t you answer my question? Don¡¯t bother. I already know why. You¡¯re selfish. You only care about whether you get your plate or not. You never stopped to think about how that might affect those around you.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Matriarch, damn it! Those whelps look up to you whether you like it or not! The forge produces heat that affects everything around it! But the forge doesn¡¯t think and it has no control! You do, so act like it!¡± Aubrey didn¡¯t have a response. It wasn¡¯t like Gandry to be this angry. The Forgemaster was infamous for her temper, but rarely did she show genuine, fearsome rage. Gandry paced before her, tail lashing the floor. ¡°You were promising. I had such high hopes for you. The way you work the metal is enough to make me jealous, but what have you done with it? First Fusciani and now you. I know Nagarini didn¡¯t raise you to be this selfish.¡± ¡°I am not my sister,¡± Aubrey said with a growl. Gandry crossed the gap between them before Aubrey could react. The larger Nightstalker towered over her, forcing Aubrey to crane her neck. She wished she didn¡¯t. The way Gandry stared at her like a complete stranger was frightening. ¡°A second ago, you couldn¡¯t answer a simple question. Don¡¯t pretend you have a backbone now or I might forget to be nice.¡± There was no hope of winning, but she wasn¡¯t backing down. A Matriarch was above such tactics. Just like the metal didn¡¯t bend to just any hammer, she would not bend to every whim and shout no matter the consequences. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just angry because I¡¯m the Matriarch you wish you could be,¡± Aubrey said, calmly. Raising her voice wouldn¡¯t get her point across. She would not bow to her level. ¡°Those whelps follow me even without being told, but here you are trying to intimidate me into obedience.¡± Gandry grinned and began laughing. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why your mother sometimes wishes she sat on your egg. C¡¯mon, I¡¯m thirsty.¡± The Forgemaster turned away, leaving Aubrey confused yet relieved. The Cauldron, as they called it, was always noisy and today was no different despite only a third of its tables having occupants. Aubrey never liked coming here. It was too noisy which made it hard to hear her thoughts. Gandry seemed to lack any concern as she strolled into the room. The few occupied tables she did pass, bowed silently in acknowledgment but frowned at Aubrey. Once they sat down, a skinny human, face dripping with sweat took their orders, the brand on his cheek clearly marking his status. The sight of it made Aubrey sick. It wasn¡¯t until a table of food sat before them that Gandry spoke again. ¡°You do know this isn¡¯t about you, right?¡± she asked through a mouthful of meat and potato. ¡°Really?¡± Aubrey asked bitterly. ¡°Good to know that berating my lack of a plate isn¡¯t about me.¡± Gandry chased down her meal with a large gulp of ale. ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass. And eat your food.¡± The plate of seared meat and fish was Gandry¡¯s idea. Aubrey didn¡¯t have an appetite, but she also knew better than to waste food, especially in the Forgmaster¡¯s presence. ¡°Now, this isn¡¯t just about you not having a plate,¡± Gandry said. ¡°You said it yourself, they follow you without being told. You¡¯re teaching them to defy their Matriarch.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s a good thing instead of blind obedience,¡± Aubrey said. Gandry grinned then took another chunk out of her roast. ¡°You say that, but you¡¯re not the one in charge.¡± ¡°Maybe I ought to be.¡± Gandry leaned closer, a devious grin crossing her snout. ¡°Oh? And are you prepared for what that would take? Nagarini has been our Dracaena since before even I was hatched. You really think she¡¯s going to just step aside for a pitiful whelp like you?¡± Aubrey fell silent. Her words were spoken out of spite rather than sincerity. Becoming the Dracaena meant overthrowing the current one. Even if it wasn¡¯t her mother, she didn¡¯t want it to come to that any more than fighting Gandry who wasn¡¯t blood. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, it will come to that eventually,¡± Gandry said before turning to the bowl of soup. Despite her snout being buried in broth, her words came through clearly. ¡°They¡¯ll want you to be in charge and put pressure on Nagarini to either step down or put you down. And before you start, ask yourself if your mother is willing to put the life of one dragon head of the clan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just one dragon now?¡± Aubrey asked, nettled. Gandry lifted her head, soup dripping from her chops. ¡°So she¡¯s supposed to subject the clan to your whims because she gave birth to you?¡± ¡°I expected my mother to put more value into her children.¡± ¡°And she expects her child to put more value into their mother,¡± Gandry shot back. ¡°Think, you damned fool. You think this is fun for her? You think she¡¯s going to like snapping your neck to keep order? The fact that you expect her to just step aside and give in to you is proof you aren¡¯t ready to be in charge.¡± ¡° ¡®We do not expect the metal to yield to us, but instead bend it to our will.¡¯ ¡± Gandry smirked and drained the rest of her soup. ¡°At least you were listening. But are you listening now?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Aubrey said truthfully. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll give you until the end of the week to figure out what you want to do.¡± Aubrey left, leaving her plate untouched. There was nothing to figure out. Her mind had been made up. The conversation with Gandry made things clear. **** ¡°So that¡¯s your decision then?¡± Nagarini asked. Aubrey nodded. They were alone in her room which made this easier. Without bystanders, she could speak freely and not worry about the pressure of keeping up appearances. ¡°We both know I¡¯ll never submit and even if I did, would you be happy knowing you forced your child into a lifestyle she didn¡¯t want? And I have no intention of going against my mother. No matter who wins, it would devastate Maron. I won¡¯t put her through that.¡± ¡°And yet you still chose the solution in which she loses a sister.¡± ¡°She will lose me regardless.¡± ¡°And where will you go? You have never set foot outside our borders and you¡¯re a Matriarch. That will make integration into any clan difficult. Even more so if they learn who you are.¡± ¡°And who is going to tell them? We live so closed off from the rest of the world, I would not be surprised if people think our clan is a myth!¡± Nagarini remained stoic. It pissed Aubrey off. There was no one around to impress. Just once, could she behave like a mother instead of a Matriarch? ¡°You understand that if you leave, you can never come back?¡± Nagarini continued. ¡°Are you exiling me?¡± ¡°You exiled yourself. Or do you expect me to believe that you will return and have a change of heart? No, you will return with a head of new ideas of ways to change our culture.¡± ¡°Maybe this clan is due for a change in culture!¡± Aubrey said hotly. ¡°And yet you expect others to bring about that change for you,¡± Nagarini replied coolly. Aubrey lashed the ground with her tail. ¡°And what would you have me do?! Would you rather I tried to kill you? Tear our family apart for a chance to sit on the throne?¡± Her mother remained as stone-faced as before. ¡°I expect you to think for yourself and stop taking the easy way out. I didn¡¯t raise you to be a coward.¡± Aubrey snarled and started forward, but stopped midway. Whether it was bait or not, she wasn¡¯t falling for it. ¡°You are not shaming me into this,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°I¡¯m not shaming you, I¡¯m teaching you a lesson I failed to teach you before. You are a Matriarch. That makes you a leader whether you like it or not. And a true leader knows it¡¯s better to be right than to be popular. So when you wake up to that realization, then you can come back. Go. Learn how the world truly works, and you¡¯ll find that it won¡¯t so easily bow to whims.¡± She turned and left without another word, leaving Aubrey to stare, dumbstruck. It didn¡¯t take long before Aubrey regained her senses and an unquenchable rage rose within her making her body burn as if on fire. She threw her head back and roared until the walls shook. ¡°If you¡¯re the example of what a good leader is supposed to be, then I hope I never become you,¡± she said to no one. Her frustrations draining rapidly, Aubrey shuffled out into the hall. All that was left was to say her goodbyes. She could just leave. Just up and go in the night without a word. But it felt wrong. It felt like admitting that Nagarini was right and avoiding facing her failures. She would prove to her mother that she was not afraid of anything. Gandry was her first stop. As expected, the Forgemaster was in the foundry standing over the dragons who failed the ceremony. The Nightstalker was the first to notice her despite the noises of the forge, and her voice carried just as easily. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the rebel herself. Made up your mind already?¡± Aubrey focused on Gandry and not the other dragons who stopped working to eavesdrop. ¡°I have. I decided to leave.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. And what did Nagarini say?¡± ¡°She called me a coward.¡± Gandry lashed the floor with her tail, making all the bystanders flinch. ¡°Damn it, Naga! I swear, you¡¯d think she was the impatient whelp! Is it that hard for her to just speak plainly?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve known my mother longer than I. You know what she is like.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do. That¡¯s why I know she¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Excuse me?! This was your idea!¡± ¡°No, this was your idea. You didn¡¯t listen when I told you to get your plate, so don¡¯t pretend you hang on to my every word.¡± Aubrey could only stare, her mouth moving like a suffocating fish. ¡°Look, your mother is ass at expressing herself even after all these years. But this is a lesson you have to learn yourself. If I spell it out to you, it¡¯s not the same.¡± Under her breath, she grumbled. ¡°Still could¡¯ve been less of a bitch about it.¡± Aubrey found her voice long enough to ask in a strained voice. ¡°And what lesson is that?¡± ¡°You really do have selective hearing. What did I just say? What have we talked about? Look, You have the potential to be a Dracaena. She sees it, too. That¡¯s why we really hoped you would pull your head out of your ass and see the bigger picture. Think about something besides yourself.¡± Now Aubrey lashed the floor. ¡°Is it that difficult to just say what you want? You leave these vague hints and then get angry with me because I can¡¯t read your mind!¡± Gandry opened her mouth to speak, but Aubrey cut her off. ¡°How is that supposed to make me a better leader? You berate me at every possible opportunity and still think that I¡¯m supposed to meet your standards! Well, I have better things to do than to base my decisions around your approvals! Everyone else may be okay with bowing to your every whim, but I¡¯m not!¡± She stormed out before Gandry could recover from the outburst and she wasn¡¯t in the mood anyway. The time for discussion had clearly passed and there was nothing more to be said. All that remained was one final goodbye and then she could say good riddance to everyone. Finding Maron was easier than expected. Usually, her younger sister was hard to pin down due to her inquisitive nature. But one thing Maron could always be found doing was practicing her flying. Ever since attaining flight, she practiced at least once a day to improve. The goal was to be the best flyer in the clan, a goal Aubrey was sure would be achieved one day. Maron was flying high above the western landing pad as usual. It was the one that received the least amount of traffic so she could practice the more reckless maneuvers without incident or scolding. Her training must have been paying off because she noticed Aubrey despite doing flips mid-air. The young Ravager landed with a worried expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Am I that easy to read?¡± Aubrey asked with a chuckle. ¡°However, nothing is wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I can tell something is wrong. Did Mom yell at you again?¡± ¡°Yes, and no.¡± She crouched and spread her wings, prompting Maron to do the same. They kicked off the ground in unison, shooting into the air away from any potential eavesdroppers. It was only then that Aubrey continued. ¡°I¡¯m leaving the clan.¡± Maron stopped and hovered in place. ¡°What? You¡¯re leaving? But why? Were you exiled?¡± ¡°No, I was not exiled. The choice to leave was mine. As for why, the answer is simple. I cannot live by the clan¡¯s rules and by our laws, if I cannot do that then I cannot live here.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re just going to leave us? But do you have to? Can¡¯t Mom--¡± ¡°Our mother cannot show favoritism, especially to her daughters. It would be a bad look if we were allowed to break the rules but others were punished.¡± Maron¡¯s tail lashed at the air. ¡°But it¡¯s not fair! I don¡¯t want you to go! I don¡¯t want to get my plate! And that means I have to go, too!¡± Aubrey wanted so badly to nuzzle her and comfort her, but it was hard to do that while remaining airborne. She decided to attempt it anyway. The best she could manage was pressing her head against Maron¡¯s, but it would have to do. ¡°I can¡¯t take you with me,¡± Aubrey said, her voice breaking. ¡°I have no idea what awaits beyond our borders. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you and mother would never allow it.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Maron, please. I know this is difficult but you must stay here.¡± Maron tore away from her, the shock and outrage plain on her face. Without a word, she flew back towards the landing pad. Aubrey watched her rush inside, forcing a dragon coming out to leap out of the way. With a heavy sigh, she slowly descended and headed inside. It was hard to tell if word had somehow gotten out about her departure or not, but it seemed like every eye was on her. She did her best to ignore the whispers as she passed. All it would take was one insult and she would do something regretful. Once back in her room, a strong feeling of longing welled up within her. This was the last time she would step foot in here. The last time she would walk the halls. The last time, she would see anyone again. It would be best to say her goodbyes, but it dawned on her that there was no one else to say goodbye to. Even before denying her plate, she had few, if any, friends. After she awakened her Call, they all just drifted apart. Her reflection stared back from every plate on the wall. ¡°A strong leader but I can¡¯t recall anyone I call a trusted friend.¡± There would be no answer, so she started taking the plates off the wall. No sense in leaving them behind. Fusciani would no doubt leap at the opportunity to melt them down. ¡°You requested me, my Matriarch?¡± Aubrey whirled around, surprised at the human intruder. She didn¡¯t remember sending for anyone, and it also wasn¡¯t like the kobolds to go wandering into a dragon¡¯s room without permission. The man kneeling at the entrance was no simple miner or carrier. His clothes were too neat and his exposed hands did not have scars or cracked nails. She fought back the growl building. This human was one of her mother¡¯s kobolds. ¡°I did not send for anyone. Go back and tell the Dracaena I do not require assistance.¡± The man remained kneeling. ¡°Forgive me, but I was told to assist you whether you asked for it or not. Until you remove my head from my body, I am to serve you.¡± Aubrey snarled and slammed her tail into the wall. The man flinched but remained. ¡°My mother really does play a twisted game. Fine. You can assist me by helping me pack.¡± The man nodded and got to work. Despite his obvious muscles he struggled to remove the plates from the wall and put them into the packs suitable for her to carry. As she watched him, something crossed her mind. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The man hesitated before answering. ¡°Orla, my Matriarch.¡± ¡°I am not your Matriarch. My name is Aubrey and I would prefer you use it.¡± ¡°Yes, my¡ªAubrey.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a break? I can tell you¡¯re tired.¡± Orla nodded and sat on the floor. Aubrey tilted her head. Even as a kobold in direct service to the clan Matriarch, he still wore the brand marking him as such. She couldn¡¯t help but look at this human and wonder what went through his head. ¡°Are you afraid of me, Orla?¡± ¡°No,¡± he responded immediately. ¡°Do you despise me?¡± ¡°No,¡± he repeated just as fast. ¡°You answer quickly.¡± ¡°Hesitation implies thought. There is nothing to think about.¡± ¡°So you never think about the way things are? You never wish some things were different? You never question the status quo?¡± Fear flashed across his face. ¡°I would never do such a thing.¡± Aubrey sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Speak freely. The Dracaena isn¡¯t here. Anything said here does not leave this room.¡± His shoulders slumped and his face sunk. The stoic expression was replaced with one of exhaustion. ¡°As you command. I question many things, but I prefer to leave that kind of thing to better minds.¡± Aubrey tilted her head again. ¡°Better minds?¡± Orla stared at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m no leader, Aubrey. It takes a special mind to think about what is good for others especially if you don¡¯t directly benefit from it. I¡¯m not that kind of person. I think of my own comfort and happiness first and foremost.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Is that not the same as leaving things as they are?¡± ¡°To be honest, I like things as they are. I¡¯m fed, I have a safe place to sleep, and my life has purpose.¡± ¡°Servitude to a dragon is your idea of purpose?¡± ¡°Is it not? I hear things are different in the north, but, honestly, I don¡¯t mind my life.¡± He stood up and was once again back in his role. Or perhaps this was his true face and the exhaustion was simply a lack of interest in a subject he had discussed many times over. She couldn¡¯t tell which. ¡°I hear many of the others whisper about rebelling. About escaping. They ask me to help them because I¡¯m so close to the Dracaena.¡± ¡°And do you?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Aubrey was taken aback by the statement. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°As I said, I care about my comfort and safety first and foremost. And I can tell they¡¯re going to fail. The ones who lead them are never worthy.¡± ¡°And you can tell that just by looking at them?¡± ¡°I can tell that because I am service to a very wise and powerful leader. The men and women calling for these changes and inciting rebellion only care about their needs. They don¡¯t think about the people caught in the sparks. The lives it could potentially destroy. They only want the things they care about. And that is why they always fail. With everyone acting in their own interests, infighting is just a matter of time. They destroy themselves and scatter their following. It¡¯s¡­difficult to watch sometimes.¡± ¡°In the meantime, you just sit idly by and watch,¡± Aubrey said more bitterly than intended. ¡°I see no reason to ruin a good thing.¡± ¡°A good thing for you, you mean. But I believe that is enough of that. Thank you for speaking your mind. Now we must get back to work.¡± There was no way he could lift the bags now filled with metal plates, so Aubrey assisted him. With the plates safely nestled on her back, they went to the food stores to grab supplies for the journey. Word must have gotten around about her intentions because a collection of bread and dried meats waited for her. She grumbled under her breath as Orla added the travel packs to the others. The bags felt light but she dragged her feet as if they were tied down. This was her first time leaving home. She had no idea what awaited beyond the borders. There were stories from the hunters but they rarely traveled far. This wasn¡¯t how she wanted her first time leaving home to go. Was this the only way? Was there something she could have done or said differently? Was there no hope for the clan or her family? Was she just thinking about her needs? Her mind was so swarmed with thoughts and imaginings of what life in the north was like, she didn¡¯t notice when they came outside. Now they stood at the edge of the clan, the rest of their territory laid out before them. ¡°This is as far as I¡¯m allowed to accompany you,¡± Orla said, kneeling again. ¡°The Dracaena has one last message for you. She says to follow the river. It will lead you to a place called Rubellum, the closest human settlement to here. She also says to be wary of humans traveling the woods. Many of them carry weapons capable of harming dragons.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fully aware.¡± The weapons were referred to as guns and they were banned in the clan as they had no use for them. Aubrey had never seen one in action but she was taught they were incredibly powerful and impossible to dodge. Her only hope would be to stay mobile and avoid line of sight. ¡°Did my mother have any more words for me?¡± Aubrey asked, hopeful. ¡°That was all.¡± ¡°Oh. I see.¡± She failed to hide the pain and disappointment in the lack of encouraging words or even a goodbye. ¡°Then you may return, Orla. Thank you for keeping me company.¡± She waited for the human to disappear before turning to the road. Taking that first step was much harder than expected. This was the point of no return. Once she started, there was no going back. The clan would be forever closed off to her. Her chest tightened. Here, she stood on the cusp of leaving all alone. No friends, no family to see her off. Not even an enemy to chase her away. With a growl and whine, she dug her feet into the dirt and broke into a run, urging as much speed out of her legs as she could manage. **** Gandry squinted as she stepped outside. The sun always seemed brighter at the highest point in the clan. Or maybe her eyes were finally going because of staring into the flames for so long. It didn¡¯t matter because she had other reasons for being there. Nagarini sat alone at the edge of the landing pad. Her plates shone in the light, coating the Dracaena in an ethereal aura. Gandry approached the edge and looked down. Aubrey could be seen running along the path, her form growing smaller with each second. ¡°You didn¡¯t see her off?¡± Gandry asked. ¡°Neither did you,¡± Nagarini replied, still staring. ¡°And I can¡¯t see off the Matriarch who defied me. It sets a bad precedent.¡± ¡°Fuck protocol. You¡¯re her mother. She really thinks you don¡¯t give a fuck, you know.¡± ¡°Then she truly doesn¡¯t know me. I tolerated her defiance and even let her leave. An uncaring parent would never have let things progress this far.¡± Gandry slapped the ground with her tail. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know you because you never gave her a chance to! Would it kill you to show some shred of affection, just once?¡± Nagarini continued to stare into the distance. Gandry snorted and paced instead. ¡°I know it still hurts, but you can¡¯t keep shutting them out like that. Have you talked to Maron, yet? She¡¯s very upset by the whole thing. And Fusciani will never admit it, but she¡¯s bothered by it, too.¡± ¡°Fusciani only wants to feel superior, Aubrey is too focused on herself, and Maron hasn¡¯t developed her individuality. They need to learn this lesson and I cannot teach it to them. They need to think for themselves and decide what they want out of life and each other. That can only happen if they are not under my shadow.¡± ¡°I get that, but just let them know now and then. Give them some guidance, or do you really want a repeat of Z¡ª¡± She immediately fell silent, knowing she had crossed a line. The way Nagarini stiffened confirmed it. Gandry watched with bated breath. Nagarini rarely turned violent, but when she did, it wasn¡¯t pretty. Nagarini relaxed and continued to watch the speck disappear into the distance. Gandry exhaled but still backed out of striking range. ¡°I understand you only wish to help, but don¡¯t you ever mention that name in my presence again,¡± Nagarini said. ¡°Now what is the status of the ceremony?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the next set of volunteers making it. This whole thing is a relic of the past, Naga. When are you finally going to make it voluntary and stop this nonsense?¡± ¡°It was always voluntary,¡± Nagarini replied simply. Gandry rushed back to her side. ¡°Wait, what? You mean to tell me that any of them could have said no?! Then what was all that bullshit about Aubrey refusing her plate?¡± ¡°This was never about Aubrey refusing her plate. It was about her lack of conviction in following her beliefs. That was because she prided herself on being different from others and used it as a means to look down on them.¡± ¡°You make no damn sense sometimes. If you had just told her that instead of trying to force her into it¡ª¡± ¡°That she never concluded that on her own is exactly why I did it. She didn¡¯t want a compromise, she wanted obedience. She didn¡¯t want to have the law changed, she wanted her choice to be allowed free from consequence. And I showed her exactly what that kind of thinking amounts to.¡± Gandry held her tail stiffly above the ground. ¡°You let your daughter exile herself just to prove a point?¡± ¡°I did it to teach her a lesson. And you¡¯re no better. You never sought a compromise. You expected things to go a single way because that¡¯s how they¡¯ve always been. The rest of the clan is the same. They see everything as a binary. Even though I never enforced it, they see anyone who denies the status quo as a threat, an anomaly that must be purged to maintain the sanctity of their worldview.¡± She paused, unmoving. Gandry remained silent. She had been around Nagarini long enough to know when there was more to be said. ¡°I let Aubrey leave because she is better off. As she is now, she can only see two choices, destroy them or become them. I hope that her experiences in the outside world open her eyes to the true way of things.¡± ¡°And what, may I ask, is the true way of things?¡± Gandry asked through clenched teeth. She hated that she agreed with her while also hating her logic. ¡°That compromise is the way of the world. Just like how we know that to create the shape we want, we must use certain tools and methods. The metal does not bend simply because we allow it. Just as we understand if we push it too far, it will break. So, too, must we accept its limitations despite our feelings on the matter. When Aubrey realizes this then she will finally be ready to rule in my place.¡± Gandry scoffed and went back to pacing to calm down. ¡°Please. Like you¡¯ll ever step down.¡± She froze. For the first time since Nagarini¡¯s eggs hatched, she saw the Dracaena smile. ¡°You never know. Stranger things have happened,¡± Nagarini said. Beyond the Mist Beyond the Mist
¡°She huddled in her bed, listening intently for sounds of approaching footsteps.¡± Aunt Menrir chuckled darkly as she circled the group of young dragons. The single candle illuminating her large form did little to assuage Sirea¡¯s fears. His aunt¡¯s dark grey scales blended too well with the shadows in the dim light. Her serpentine face was a mask of sadistic delight as if she had cornered her prey. Her thick tail undulated behind her like a large worm. The slow click of her claws on the floor sent shivers through his body. He huddled closer to Felick, not because he was scared, but to make his brother feel better. That was his story and he would stick to it to the grave. ¡°Then she heard it,¡± Aunt Menrir continued. ¡°The slow thump of someone coming up the stairs.¡± She stomped slowly as she circled the group, the tense silence growing heavier with each step. ¡°Careena stared at the door, praying to All-Mother that it didn¡¯t open. That Yarwena didn¡¯t find her. ¡°It became silent. But Careena was no fool. She knew the spirit stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for her to make a sound, to give away her position. She held her breath and tucked her limbs closer, forcing herself into a smaller ball. Then she heard it, the gravelly voice of the spirit, ¡®I smell my child,¡¯ she said,¡± A small gasp shuddered through the group at the raspy croak impersonating the wandering spirit. Sirea slid closer to his brother, never taking his eyes off the large Stormborne circling them. Whether it was a trick of the light or purposefully done, Menrir now teetered at the edge of the light. Only the subtle shifting of her scales and a pair of yellow eyes were noticeable. ¡°Careena wanted to close her eyes and wish the nightmare away, but she couldn¡¯t look away from the door,¡± Aunt Menrir said, softly. ¡°It was the only way in or out of her room. But it didn¡¯t take long before she heard it, the slow creak of the door opening.¡± She stopped and made a creaking sound that made Sirea shudder. He wanted to look around, see if his brothers and sisters were just as frightened as he was. To reassure himself with their bravery. But like Careena, he couldn¡¯t look away, his gaze was fixed on the pair of eyes watching from the shadows. From the darkness, Aunt Menrir¡¯s voice carried as easily as if she stood next to him. ¡°Even in the dark room, there was no mistaking the door slowly opening. At first, there was nothing. Then she saw it; the shadowy shapeless form filling her doorway and sliding into the room. A small gasp of fear escaped her. It was no dragon that had come in, but a featureless void that swallowed everything around it. Yarwena paused for just a moment, long enough to say, ¡®I hear my child.¡¯ ¡± Sirea tucked in on himself, no longer caring if anyone saw him displaying his trepidation. This was the only time during the year when he hated his unique blue scales that made him stand out even in the semi-darkness. The others could blend in, but he was always easy to pick out like a lamp in the dead of night. He saw it, the featureless void as described. It encircled them and blocked out everything around them; the door, the windows, even their storyteller. He couldn¡¯t see Aubrey or Aunt Sandra. Aunt Helen and Belkamy had been swallowed by the darkness as well. Only the candle¡¯s light kept the darkness at bay, protecting him and his siblings from what was to come. ¡°Careena couldn¡¯t move,¡± Aunt Menrir continued. ¡°Only watch as the void grew around her, circling her the way a mother circles her hatchling.¡± Sirea could swear he felt something touching him, curling around his body. But he didn¡¯t look or move to confirm it. ¡°The void had her completely surrounded, blocking all hope of escape. Then she heard Yarwena whisper into her ear,¡± Suddenly a ghastly, cold voice whispered behind him, right into his ear just like Careena. ¡° ¡®Now I see my child,¡¯ ¡± At that, the candle went out, plunging them into darkness. The room filled with frightened squeals. Sirea proudly joined them, only the confusion of where the exits were keeping him rooted to his spot. The lights came on, forcing him to briefly close his eyes and adjust to the sudden shift in lighting. All 29 of his siblings surrounded him safe and sound. Aunt Menrir lay on the far side of the room, chuckling at the frightened faces staring at her. ¡°I swear, that story gets creepier every time you tell it,¡± Aunt Sandra said as she stepped away from the light switch. Her pajamas did little to hide the two dragons cowering behind her legs, not that they could hide well behind a human anyway. ¡°I knew it was fake and you still got me.¡± ¡°Well, I totally wasn¡¯t scared,¡± Sirea declared proudly. ¡°I mean, Aunt Menrir tells that story every year. I knew how it was gonna end.¡± ¡°Well, since you¡¯re not scared, can you take your nails out of my side?¡± Felick asked. Sirea hadn¡¯t realized that he had all but crawled on top of the young Ravager. He snatched his paws back and tucked him under his body, staring at the floor in shame. His siblings chuckled, likely at his embarrassment. ¡°I still wasn¡¯t scared,¡± he mumbled. ¡°I was!¡± Valesen cried from underneath Aubrey¡¯s wing. When he moved to their mother¡¯s side was anyone¡¯s guess. Despite being a Ravager like herself, his scales hadn¡¯t fully darkened yet, making him stand out. Aubrey smiled and nuzzled the young drake. ¡°And there is nothing wrong with admitting your fears. It is a natural emotion and response meant to keep us alive.¡± ¡°Did they tell that story when you were young?¡± Asha asked. Sirea thanked his sister for the change in subject. Aubrey answered first. ¡°It is not quite the same. For me, the story was about disobedient whelps who wandered the woods alone.¡± ¡°Or decided to help themselves to cookies without asking,¡± Aunt Helen added, throwing a warning glare over the group. Many of the young dragons shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Speaking of, are you sure we should be telling them these kinds of stories? They always wind up with nightmares.¡± ¡°I recall telling you a similar story when you were a little girl,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°And I also remember running to my parent¡¯s room in the middle of the night because my closet door was open.¡± Felick groaned loudly. ¡°We¡¯re not babies, Aunt Helen. We can take on a few ghosts.¡± ¡°Besides, putting a little fear in them young is better for them,¡± Aunt Menrir said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of dragons find out too late we¡¯re not invincible.¡± She turned to Aunt Sandra and added, ¡°And it¡¯s Ouroboros. Stop being such a killjoy.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have six scared little dragons trying to sleep in your bed,¡± Aunt Helen shot back. ¡°You might¡¯ve forgotten that skin isn¡¯t as tear-resistant as scales.¡± Before Aunt Menrir could retort, Phu spoke up. ¡°Um, if it¡¯s Ouroborous, then why do we have to be afraid of Yarwena? Shouldn¡¯t she pass on?¡± ¡°While it is this time of year that lost spirit can freely pass on to the other side, Yarwena is a special case,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°She refuses to pass on until she is reunited with the three hatchlings she lost so long ago.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t they be grown now?¡± Asha asked. ¡°And what if they passed on already? How will she know?¡± ¡°The short reply is, she wouldn¡¯t,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°Sadly the tale of Yarwena is meant to be taken as a lesson. One about the dangers of clinging too tightly to the past, no matter how painful or tragic it may be. And as a warning to young dragons so that they never suffer the same fate as her children did.¡± ¡°But what did happen to her hatchlings?¡± Sirea asked. ¡°No one knows. That¡¯s what makes it so tragic,¡± Aunt Helen replied. ¡°Do you think our parents wound up the same way?¡± Phu asked. Everyone fell silent. No one looked at each other. Sirea hated admitting to himself that the thought hadn¡¯t crossed his mind. The Story of Yarwena was just a fun tale told around the time of Ouroboros when the veil between the living and spirit worlds was at its thinnest. It was always fun to gather around and Aunt Menrir¡¯s stories. The idea that the spirits of their birth parents could be wandering the woods, looking for the eggs they lost, put a damper on things. It was Felick who finally broke the silence. ¡°Way to kill the mood.¡± ¡°Hey, hey! None of that!¡± Aunt Sandra said. She stepped into the group and patted Phu¡¯s head. ¡°That is a good question, Phu, and I¡¯ll be honest with you. I can¡¯t say for sure, but I like to believe that your parents have already passed on knowing that you¡¯re in good hands. I may not have given birth to you, but I love each and every one of you as if you were my own.¡± ¡°But doesn¡¯t that mean if we get lost in the woods, you¡¯ll wind up like Yarwena?¡± Valesen asked, fearfully. Aubrey gently shushed and nuzzled him. ¡°None of us here will end up like Yarwena. I¡¯m sure you will guide our spirits into the afterlife if that should happen.¡± ¡°But maybe we make a point of making sure it doesn¡¯t by not wandering places you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Aunt Sandra said. ¡°Now it¡¯s time for bed. C¡¯mon my little scaly babies.¡± Everyone groaned at the nickname despite the smiles on their faces. There was no more discussion about tonight¡¯s story. Sirea tried to stop thinking about what Phu said, but it lingered like a dull ache that never fully healed. Sitting in the dark and silence didn¡¯t help matters. Sometimes there was some soft chatter, but they knew that bedtime meant going to sleep instead of talking or playing around. And it seemed this was one of the times that his roommates were more interested in sleeping than discussing tonight¡¯s events. Sleep couldn¡¯t come fast enough but it didn¡¯t last long. Sirea snatched his eyes open thanks to a nightmare about Yarwena sneaking into the house and kidnapping them all. Groaning softly, he slid out of bed. He wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep until he confirmed that the nightmare had been a dream. The dream about Yarwena was a welcome distraction from his usual nightmares. Sometimes he dreamt about a large shadow standing over him. The winds howled around them, whipping shards of ice and snow into an impenetrable wall to cut off the outside. The only discernible feature about it was the large red eyes staring at him. The thought made him shudder. He went about the usual routine of walking the halls to shake off the nerves before heading back to bed. The late-night strolls were actually the most peaceful time he had all day. Things easily became chaotic in the house and with so many brothers and sisters, it was hard to get any alone time. But now, it was just him, his claws on the floor softly breaking the silence and only his thoughts to keep him company. A strange glow out the window he passed caught his eye. He stopped and stared through the portal. The light came from a lantern and illuminated Felick sneaking across the yard. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sirea asked out loud before chasing after his brother. Felick was moving faster than expected. By the time Sirea got outside, the lantern¡¯s light was already disappearing into the surrounding trees. He cursed his inability to fly and broke into a run. His siblings had already begun their flying lessons, but the doctor said his muscles hadn¡¯t developed far enough for that yet. It was humiliating. It took much longer to catch up than expected. The further they went, the darker it became and the more the trees seemed to press in. He considered calling out to him, but that meant potentially attracting unwanted attention. Even if Yarwena was a myth that didn¡¯t mean other dangerous creatures weren¡¯t roaming the woods at night. They were lectured constantly on the dangers of the world. Just because they were dragons didn¡¯t make them untouchable. Felick eventually stopped and raised the lantern hanging on the end of his tail. ¡°I think this is far enough.¡± ¡°Far enough for what?¡± Sirea asked, nettled and slightly out of breath. Felick screamed and nearly dropped the lantern. His shock quickly turned to anger at seeing Sirea. ¡°Dude! Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Me? You¡¯re the one walking through the woods at night! You know we¡¯re not allowed!¡± Felick dropped his head. ¡°I know¡­I just¡­Phu¡¯s question made me think. What if our parents¡¯ spirits are wandering out here, looking for us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they are. It¡¯s like Mom said, they saw we¡¯re being taken care of and moved on.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Felick replied softly. ¡°You don¡¯t know either,¡± Sirea shot back. ¡°And so what if they are lost? It¡¯s their fault for abandoning us!¡± Felick snatched his head up, but Sirea wasn¡¯t done. Any fear of potential predators nearby was drowned out by the frustration filling him. He had been bouncing between guilt and rage all night, and it seemed he finally settled on one. ¡°What did they think would happen leaving a bunch of eggs in the woods?! Wake up! They ditched us! There¡¯s no one looking for us because they don¡¯t care! But that doesn¡¯t matter now because we have a new family and a new mother who loves us!¡± He turned to the trees as if they were bystanders. No one stood there, but he envisioned the ghostly spirits of dragons watching from the darkness. ¡°You hear that? We don¡¯t need you! We have a new family! Aunt Sandra loves us! And Aunt Menrir, and Aunt Helen, and Uncle Sammy, and, and Aunt Belkamy! I¡¯m glad you left us!¡± He stood there, daring for someone to speak back, to contradict him. But not even an echo answered. He growled and lashed the ground with his tail so hard it hurt. An eerie silence fell over them. Normally at this time, the forest was abuzz with noises from wildlife. Finally, Felick broke the silence. ¡°Um, Sirea?¡± ¡°What?¡± he asked more forcibly than intended. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to upset you¡ª¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t upset me. I just¡±¡ªhe sighed and sank to the ground¡ª¡°Phu¡¯s question got to me, too. And I don¡¯t wanna think about my old parents okay? They didn¡¯t care enough to want us so why should we care about them?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­you¡¯re right. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get back.¡± ¡°Where are you going? The way back was this way.¡± Felick tilted his head. ¡°No, I remember we came from this way because of the way the branches are pointing.¡± The branches in question resembled bony fingers pointing in the opposite direction. Sirea shuddered looking at them. ¡°If you say so. Lead the way.¡± They walked in silence, even their footfalls barely cutting through the veil of quiet. With the anger from earlier draining, he became more aware of how creepy the surrounding area was. The lack of wildlife was concerning and a fog had begun to roll in, making it harder to get their bearings. He was grateful for the lantern Felick had brought. They could see without it, but its warm glow made him feel safer. During Ouroboros, it was believed that spirits feared dragonfire so it became customary to carry a lantern or hang one outside the house to keep them at bay. According to Aunt Menrir, hardly anyone followed the practice anymore and there have been no spirit sightings. But Aunt Helen argued that it was because the cities were full of dragons so they stayed away. But being a dragon didn¡¯t make him feel any better. What if the spirits only feared adult dragons? What if they had to breathe fire to keep them at bay? They were expressly forbidden from breathing fire in the house or the woods, and he couldn¡¯t anyway. He breathed ice but the rule still applied. Felick spoke again, drawing Sirea out of his thoughts. ¡°How are we not there yet? I didn¡¯t walk this far in.¡± Sirea stopped. ¡°Are you telling me we¡¯ve been going the wrong way this whole time?¡± ¡°No! We just made a wrong turn somewhere.¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t make any turns.¡± Felick rounded on him, ¡°Look, I know where I¡¯m going, and I¡¯m telling you the branches were pointing¡­¡± He trailed off, his eyes wide as he focused on something behind them. Sirea dreaded turning around to see what his brother was looking at. All kinds of images of massive horrific creatures formed in his mind as he spun around. No slavering predator greeted them, however, just a large rock. ¡°This is where we started,¡± Felick said. ¡°I remember this rock because it looks like a toe.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve been going straight this whole time, we couldn¡¯t have gone in a circle.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m telling you, this is where we started.¡± ¡°Just like you told me that you knew the right way to go? Yeah, I¡¯m going home.¡± He walked off in the direction he pointed out before. They had to get back before sunrise and it was found out they were wandering outside at night. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The fog became thicker, obscuring anything more than a few feet away. It didn¡¯t help that branches and roots seemed to sprout out of nowhere to lash at their faces or impede their steps. Sirea began marking the trees they passed so they wouldn¡¯t get lost again. He lost count of how many times he stubbed his toes. ¡°Sirea, something¡¯s not right,¡± Felick said. ¡°We¡¯ve been walking way too long.¡± ¡°Well, maybe if someone could just fly up and see where the house is, we wouldn¡¯t be lost.¡± The remark was aimed at himself rather than his brother, a mistake he realized too late. ¡°I can¡¯t fly that high yet. And the trees are too thick. I can barely spread my wings.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll climb up and tell you what I see.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t leave me down here!¡± It proved to be a fruitless endeavor. Climbing the trees was easy, unfortunately, they were too heavy to reach the topmost branches. The fog proved too thick to make anything out from their vantage, no matter how many times they flapped their wings to blow it away. Eventually, they gave up and stayed grounded. Sirea flicked his tongue rapidly, trying to catch any hint of their scents. It was embarrassing to admit that they hadn¡¯t thought of this strategy sooner. But he couldn¡¯t catch wind of their scents or any scent. He snatched his head up and looked around in a panic. The forest should be full of strange smells even if he couldn¡¯t pick theirs out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Felick asked. ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just being weird.¡± He lifted his snout and sampled the air, wearing a knowing on his face. The smile quickly faded. ¡°Just being weird?¡± Sirea asked. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s just allergies.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t smell, either!¡± Before he could retort, a branch snapping silenced him. They immediately huddled together under the cover of a nearby tree and watched in the direction the sound came from. Sirea silently cursed the stupid fog. He couldn¡¯t see the closest branch let alone a potential threat sneaking up on them. After several tense moments of staring into the mist, nothing happened. Not a sound broke the silence weighing on them and no creature emerged. Sirea nudged his brother and motioned for him to follow. They crouched low and moved slowly around the tree, taking care to avoid as many of the fallen branches as possible. Sirea didn¡¯t know where they were going and he didn¡¯t care. Anything that led them away from that sound was preferable. Even knowing the fog blocked his view, he couldn¡¯t stop looking back to make sure they weren¡¯t being followed. Suddenly, Felick grabbed him and hissed into his ear. Sirea managed to shake him off, but he quickly learned what startled his brother. They managed to find their way back to the rock again. Felick curled into a ball and tucked his head under his wing. ¡°No, no, no, no! We¡¯re lost! Everyone¡¯s going to go looking for us, and get lost in the woods, and never find us, and they¡¯re gonna turn into spirits and wind up just like Yarwena!¡± Sirea slapped him with his tail. Felick gave a pained cry and slowly emerged from his ¡°sanctuary¡±. ¡°We¡¯re not lost,¡± Sirea said firmly. ¡°We just panicked because of that noise and wound up going back.¡± ¡°But then doesn¡¯t that mean whatever made the noise is blocking the way?¡± ¡°Come on. You really think after all this time, it¡¯s just standing there?¡± He nudged and pushed him to stand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We gotta get back before--¡± ¡°I smell my child.¡± Sirea¡¯s tail wrapped around his body. He stared, wide-eyed, into the void. His body wouldn¡¯t move, not even to avert his gaze. ¡°C-C-C¡¯mon, that¡¯s not funny,¡± Felick said. He couldn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him that he didn¡¯t do that. ¡°Sirea? That was you, right? Tell me that was you?¡± He finally managed to break the paralysis holding him and shook his head. Felick whined and shrank into a ball again. ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± he whispered. ¡°She¡¯s come to take us away!¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s not. Listen, we have to start a fire. Remember Aunt Helen¡¯s lessons? The fire should chase the fog away and the light will scare Yarwena off at the same time.¡± ¡°But¡­But¡­we¡¯re not supposed to. Mom will kill us.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather her than Yarwena. Besides, I can breathe ice, remember? I¡¯ll just put it out.¡± That seemed to bolster Felick¡¯s resolve. But his body trembled fiercely, and he couldn¡¯t expel a single spark let alone a flame. Sirea started hopping in place. Fire was their only hope and they realized too late the lantern had gone missing. They had set it down when they tried to climb the trees. ¡°Look, Felick, if there was ever a time to lock in, it¡¯s now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Felick wailed. ¡°I hear my child.¡± Sirea and Felick snapped to attention. The voice sounded as if it spoke right into their ears. Sirea reacted first. ¡°RUN!¡± The fog seemed to have gotten thicker. Trees appeared seemingly from nowhere. Branches grabbed at their bodies and roots twisted around their legs. They tripped and stumbled constantly, but continued without slowing. Sirea didn¡¯t dare look back. He heard the pounding of Felick¡¯s footsteps but no one else¡¯s. He fought to keep the images of them being dragged away out of his mind. ¡°Sirea, Felick, come to me!¡± Yarwena cried. Sirea urged more speed out of his legs. She knew their names! The stories never mentioned that! How long had she been watching them? They ran until they couldn¡¯t go any further. Sirea fell against a nearby tree. His legs and lungs burned as he gulped down the cold night air. ¡°Do¡­you think¡­we¡­lost¡­her?¡± Felick asked between gasps. Sirea could only shrug, too out of breath to form any sentence. He also didn¡¯t want to think about how far they were from the house now or even which direction to go. At this pace, they were better off finding a place to hide until morning. He would gladly welcome any punishment if it meant seeing his family again. Something grabbed his tail and pulled. He lost his balance and fell. Despite the exhaustion of running, he screamed and clawed at the ground, desperate to grab hold of something. ¡°SIREA!¡± Felick cried. Sirea rolled onto his back and kicked at the dark shape of a dragon holding him. Yarwena grunted in pain and released him. He wasted no time scrambling to his feet and they took off again. They didn¡¯t get far before Yarwena descended on Sirea and pinned him to the ground. He cried and struggled but couldn¡¯t break free. She kept him face down so he couldn¡¯t use his ice to break free. He dug furrows into the dirt, trying to tunnel his way to freedom. ¡°Let go of him!¡± Felick cried. He couldn¡¯t see what happened, but that he remained pinned told him his brother had failed. He whined and went limp. His limbs hurt and the strength evaporated from his body. They were going to be lost forever and it was all his fault. ¡°Are you two done?¡± Aubrey asked. The pressure was released and he could turn around. Even in the dark, there was no mistaking the red scales of their adoptive mother. ¡°Mom!¡± they cried and rushed her. They clung to her side like magnets. Her scent, her body, it was all there. It wasn¡¯t a dream. ¡°We¡¯re so glad you found us!¡± Felick cried. ¡°Yarwena was about to take us away!¡± Sirea added. ¡°That wasn¡¯t Yarwena, that was me,¡± Aubrey said calmly. ¡°I followed the two of you into the woods and decided to teach you a lesson. But you could run much faster than I gave you credit for.¡± Sirea hung his head in shame. ¡°But we lost our scents, and the fog¡ª¡± Felick began. ¡°Is a regular weather occurrence,¡± Aubrey finished. ¡°If you recall, the fog gets especially thick this time of year. As for the scents, fear can do wonders for one¡¯s mind and senses, if only our minds could process it at the time. You overloaded yourselves, otherwise, you would have heard me following you the entire time.¡± ¡°But it was so quiet,¡± Sirea added. ¡°Many creatures hibernate in the winter,¡± Aubrey explained. ¡°And thanks to me, this area is known dragon territory. Very few animals would dare venture too close. That is why we warn you not to go into the forest alone. Any creature bold enough to come close to the estate is desperate for food and won¡¯t think twice about attacking you.¡± Sirea tucked his head again and absently kicked at a stick on the ground. They knew that and it was still quickly forgotten. ¡°Oh. So, do you know the way back?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve lived in this area for nearly a century now. Follow me.¡± His legs were sore from all the running, but he was glad to finally be heading back towards the house. ¡°Um, Mom, how¡¯d you know we were out here?¡± Felick asked. ¡°Sirea tends to wake up in the middle of the night. I¡¯ve become more attuned to when one of you is out of bed because of it. When I tried to find him, I noticed the back door had been left open.¡± She shot an admonishing glare at Sirea who lowered his head. ¡°It didn¡¯t take long to pick up on your scents and track you down. Now what possessed the two of you to go wandering the forest at this time of night?¡± Sirea bit his tongue. He only came out here because of Felick but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to push his brother off the cliff like that. ¡°It was my fault,¡± Felick said to Sirea¡¯s surprise. ¡°I was worried our parents¡¯ spirits were wandering the woods and looking for us.¡± ¡°So you wanted to appease them and send them to the afterlife,¡± Aubrey finished. Her voice sounded heavy, exhausted, and also sad. ¡°Felick, if that was all, you could have simply said so. I would have gladly helped you.¡± Felick stared at the ground. ¡°I was embarrassed. I pretended Phu¡¯s question didn¡¯t bother me, but it did. That¡¯s why I talked Sirea into coming with me.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, I came on my own!¡± ¡°And I applaud your loyalty, but next time I want you to find an adult,¡± Aubrey said. ¡°What you two did was reckless and dangerous. If anything happened to you, we wouldn¡¯t have known until morning.¡± Sirea dropped his head. ¡°Yes, Mom. Sorry.¡± Neither of them spoke during the walk home. The sun had peeked over the horizon and the fog had thinned when the mansion came into view. Sirea was shocked they had been out that long, but thinking about it, he had no idea what time they left in the first place. What he did know was that he couldn¡¯t wait to get to bed. Judging from the quiet when they entered, no one else was awake. It brought little relief knowing that they would be grilled on why they were being punished even if they kept quiet. ¡°I want the two of you to go to bed and get some sleep,¡± Aubrey said firmly. ¡°We will discuss your punishment later.¡± They nodded and headed upstairs without protest. Sirea didn¡¯t realize how exhausted he was until he was back in his room. The moment he lay on the bed his eyes closed and he drifted off. He was gently shaken awake by Aunt Helen. The reddish glow of the sunset lit up the room. For a moment, he panicked thinking it was Yarwena coming to collect him. But Yarwena didn¡¯t have hair or human skin. Thankfully, Aunt Helen quickly stepped out of reach before he could accidentally scratch her. It did little to assuage his guilt. Aunt Helen had some fresh scars from dealing with young dragons, but ever since learning that the most severe ones were due to a horrific attack, he never felt right knowing he had potentially added to it. ¡°You slept for quite a while,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Come. I saved you and Felick breakfast and lunch although both are cold now. You can grab a quick bite to eat before we leave.¡± Sirea sat up and shook off the remnants of sleep and regret. ¡°We¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Aubrey said we were going to go out this evening for a family activity. I already grabbed your cloak. Come. We can¡¯t keep the others waiting.¡± He had no idea what she was talking about or where they were going, but if it meant postponing the punishment, he was all for it. Felick was already awake and waiting by the door, wearing a long blue cloak. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening?¡± Felick whispered. Sirea shrugged. He only knew that he slept well without any nightmares. The rest of their siblings along with Aubrey, Aunt Sandra, Aunt Menrir, and Aunt Belkamy were dressed and waiting outside. Everyone wore long cloaks concealing their bodies. ¡°Took you two long enough!¡± Temos said when they stepped outside. ¡°We almost left you!¡± ¡°Nobody was getting left behind,¡± Aunt Sandra said. ¡°Felick, Sirea, how are you feeling? You two slept pretty long.¡± Sirea immediately became interested in a grasshopper jumping past. ¡°Um, I didn¡¯t really sleep a lot last night.¡± ¡°Oh no. Did you have another nightmare?¡± He was thankfully saved from any more embarrassing questions by Aunt Helen. ¡°Lady Aubrey, that¡¯s everyone. We¡¯re ready to go.¡± ¡°Good. You all know how this works. Follow me, and no wandering off.¡± To avoid any awkward questions, Sirea hung in the back with Aunt Belkamy who he noticed was pulling a cart filled with lanterns. When he asked why they needed so many, her only response was ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± It was all he could get out of her until they reached the town square. Then Aubrey addressed the group again. ¡°Now, I would like you all to split into groups of six, one for each adult,¡± she said. ¡°There will be one small group, but that is fine. Once you have settled into your groups, we will discuss what comes next. Sirea, Felick, you two are with me.¡± Sirea dropped his head and tried to ignore the wave of ¡°Oooo¡± that followed his walk of shame. Felick joined him, also with his head down. Temu rushed to sit beside them, his tail wagging furiously. ¡°You are so telling me what happened,¡± Temu said excitedly. ¡°If you would like to share in their punishment, I would be more than happy to oblige,¡± Aubrey said. Temu immediately dropped his enthusiasm and shrank away. There were no more interruptions as they split into groups. Aubrey wound up with the smallest group, consisting of Sirea, Felick, Temu, Asha, and Valesen. ¡°Now Helen and Sandra are going to start passing around lanterns. You are to carry it on the end of your tails.¡± Everyone sat patiently and quietly received their lantern. Sirea turned to Felick who shrugged in confusion. Even the people passing by stared and whispered which the adults ignored. Once the town square was glowing with the light of over 30 lanterns, Aubrey said, ¡°Now we will undergo an ancient tradition that hasn¡¯t been officially practiced in centuries. Carry your lanterns and follow your group leader. We will meet back here to go once we finish our routes.¡± Sirea¡¯s group followed Aubrey down the street. He noticed that the other groups were going off in different directions. He jogged up alongside Aubrey. ¡°Um, Mom? What are we doing?¡± he asked. ¡°I thought it was obvious by now,¡± she replied. ¡°We are acknowledging Ouroboros by doing what our ancestors did. In the past, it was customary for dragons and kobolds blessed by a Dracaena to carry lanterns through the street to ward off any lingering spirits. We¡¯ve discussed this before.¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t remember,¡± he said sheepishly. Surprisingly, she chuckled. ¡°Yes, I suspect there are many topics you find boring at your age. Admittedly, I also was not very attentive when I was young. I would be scolded fiercely for not taking my duties seriously.¡± ¡°You did this when you were young?¡± ¡°I did. Where I was raised, Ouroboros is taken very seriously. Sadly, I discovered that elsewhere it is not held in such high regard.¡± ¡°But why?¡± She was silent for a moment before answering. ¡°I would suspect that is simply the nature of change. There are many things that are no longer practiced and for good reason. Our knowledge and understanding of the world changes and so do our beliefs.¡± Just as he was about to ask why again, she interrupted with, ¡°And before you ask, the reason we are still celebrating Ouroboros is because you and Felick reminded me that it is more than simply a fun time to share scary stories. It is about remembrance, honoring those we¡¯ve lost, and turning the page to a new future.¡± He had no more questions and so just followed along with the group. Most of the streets they walked were empty, not that Sirea blamed them. It was just the turning of spring, so the weather hadn¡¯t fully caught up yet. The days were nice occasionally, and the nights were always cold. What did surprise him was a man approaching them and asking what they were doing. There was no anger or judgment in his voice, but Sirea felt as if they had broken some unknown law all the same. ¡°I¡¯m teaching the little ones about how Ouroboros was celebrated in the days of old,¡± Aubrey explained in an equally neutral tone. ¡°And also putting some ghosts to rest. It is the perfect time to teach them about accepting loss and moving on.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the man said, his gaze distant as if lost in some deep thought. ¡°In that case, would you mind if I join you? My daughter¡­she loved this holiday. Maybe this will be a good time to put her memory to rest.¡± ¡°By all means, however, I don¡¯t have any spare lanterns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, I have one in the house if you¡¯ll wait just a moment.¡± That was how it went for several blocks, random humans and even a few dragons approaching them and asking about the ever-growing crowd carrying lanterns in the street. And every time the group became just a little bit bigger. A few people seemed content to simply light candles and watch from their windows. The area around them became lit up as if it were midday despite the sun having long dipped behind the buildings. No one spoke, but Sirea felt the calm and sorrow surrounding them. It was oddly comforting and also eerie. At the edge of their collective lights, he could swear he saw ghostly figures watching in the distance. It made him shudder and press closer to Aubrey. Soon, Aubrey began to sing. She started low at first, but her voice quickly picked up in the silence and carried easily through the crowd. Sirea tried to follow along but he couldn¡¯t understand the lyrics, but it sounded like some kind of poem. Whatever it was, it made him feel sad. He thought of his younger years when the world was just a blur of sights, sounds, and smells. When he would curl up with his siblings by the fire and listen to stories read to them without any understanding of their meaning. Of being safe, warm, and cozy inside while outside, the snow and wind raged. But just as easily, he saw himself standing outside, alone and looking for shelter. His strength slowly failed him until he simply lay down to sleep. The snow continued to fall, heedless of his plight until he was swallowed under a blanket of white. When Aubrey finished, Asha was the first to speak, ¡°That was beautiful. What was that?¡± ¡°That was an old prayer used to send the lost spirits on their way,¡± Aubrey explained. ¡°I will teach you the lyrics and their meaning at a later time if you¡¯d like. It is a very long explanation and if I tried now, I would be all night. The short version is it speaks of the necessity of the cycle of life and death. How we must not shy from it or seek to conquer it, but embrace it and accept it whenever it may come.¡± ¡°Seems like a heavy lesson for young ones to learn,¡± a man in the crowd said. Aubrey didn¡¯t hesitate to respond, her voice and posture relaxed. ¡°It is, but one these young dragons are already too familiar with.¡± She turned to the five young dragons encircling her. ¡°You have already lost so much before you were even aware you possessed it. For that I am sorry. I cannot undo the confusion, the anger, and the pain you feel despite my best to shower you with love. I cannot provide you with answers. Whether your parents are still out there or their spirits now linger, I cannot say. The only thing I can do is give you a chance to confront it. To say your goodbyes.¡± Temu tilted his head. ¡°Our goodbyes?¡± ¡°Yes. We are helping the spirits of those you lost move on. If there is anything you wish to say to them, now is the time. You need not say it out loud. They will hear your thoughts just as easily, and it is for them alone.¡± Sirea said nothing. He had nothing to say. What could he say to someone he never met? That he didn¡¯t know? ¡°Is that what they did in the past?¡± Valesen asked. ¡°Sometimes,¡± Aubrey replied. ¡°People would write down their final messages and take them to the Dracaena¡¯s temple to burn them so that their loved ones could receive them.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± Asha asked. ¡°If you wish. Once we return to the town square.¡± Finally, they made it back to the central square and Aubrey announced that it was the end of their trip. ¡°Anyone who wishes to continue is free to do so,¡± she had said, but the humans who joined them seemed to have had their fill of walking. Sirea couldn¡¯t blame them. His legs were tired and he didn¡¯t look forward to the walk home. The latecomers expressed their thanks, said their goodbyes, and expressed an interest in repeating it next year to which Aubrey agreed. But there was still one last thing to take care of. Apparently, one of the humans had overheard their conversation and worked with some of the others to gather as much ink and paper as they could manage since the shops were now closed. The other groups returned as they tore the paper into strips to write their messages and hand them out. They, too, had picked up some extra stragglers who had taken an interest in the activity. ¡°We definitely got some attention,¡± Sandra said as they collected and extinguished the lanterns. ¡°A city watch warden said he wants to petition for a designated route for us to use. Guess we should also get a permit to light a fire in the town square.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t cause any issues now, I hope?¡± ¡°Nah. He said so long as someone is there to supervise it won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Then let us move quickly. It is getting late and we have a long walk home ahead of us I don¡¯t want to lose any of the little ones in the dark.¡± "We''re not babies," Felick cut in. "We wouldn''t get lost.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Aubrey said with a knowing smile. Felick quickly fell silent. Setting up a fire didn¡¯t take long at all. There were multiple lines of people to toss their message into the flames. Sirea struggled a little to write a message with the tip of his claw instead of a pen designed to be used by dragon paws, but he managed. I¡¯ll be fine ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Temu asked, looking over Sirea shoulder. ¡°Leave him alone,¡± Asha warned, ¡°Unless you want everyone to know what you wrote.¡± There were no more discussions. At this point, the night had fully fallen along with the temperature. People quickly deposited their messages and hurried to the warm comfort of their homes. He noticed several people were crying after dropping off their message. When his turn came, he didn¡¯t have as strong of a reaction, but it did feel as if a weight had been lifted. Nothing happened. No dramatic flash of fire or eerie display of spirits. Just the soft crackling of flames. The walk home was very eventful. Everyone talked about their experiences. The others were jealous to learn that there was singing. Sirea kept to himself. He had a lot to think about, first and foremost whether or not his parents had seen his message and if it was enough. Perhaps that no longer mattered. What else was there? He wasn¡¯t sure if the others felt the same way, but he also didn¡¯t want to ask anyone. They seemed content and he didn¡¯t want to spoil the mood. When they finally arrived home, the only thing he had on his mind was going to bed. The others had the same idea as chatter had all but ceased completely. Even the adults looked ready to collapse. ¡°Everyone, I know you¡¯re tired but do not just drop your cloaks on the floor,¡± Aunt Helen said. ¡°Everything has a place and we do not shirk our responsibilities because we don¡¯t feel like it.¡± There were some grumbles and whines, but no one seemed ready to challenge her. ¡°Felick, Sirea, could you two assist me, please?¡± Aubrey asked. Sirea tried to hide his fear and shame, but the side glances from his siblings showed they weren¡¯t buying it. She led them to the empty kitchen, away from prying eyes and inquisitive ears, before facing them. ¡°First, I want to thank you for reminding me of something I had forgotten,¡± she said. ¡°Ouroboros has been an important part of our culture and history, but it has been declining. Thanks to you, it may be seeing a revival.¡± Sirea said nothing, unsure of what to make of it. That wasn¡¯t their plan at all but bringing that up seemed like a bad idea. To his surprise, Felick stepped forward. ¡°Um, do you think our parents moved on?¡± ¡°I would like to think so,¡± Aubrey said with a small smile. ¡°If nothing else, I¡¯m sure they are proud of you.¡± With a tired sigh, she sat down. ¡°Now, is there anything you wish to discuss? I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t know your parents, but I will answer any questions you have as best I can.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any questions,¡± Sirea said. He meant it. He had a family who loved and cared for him. There was no reason to think about the one he never knew. Tonight had taught him that. Much like the past, it was time to move on. ¡°Me neither,¡± Felick added. ¡°Very well. If you ever change your mind, I will always be available. Now, I know you both slept late, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired from today¡¯s events.¡± Sirea and Felick nodded slowly before stepping cautiously away. They shot each other worried glances. Aubrey wasn¡¯t one to forget promises and very little got by her. ¡°Oh, one more thing,¡± Aubrey called behind them. ¡°The two of you will be handling the chores this week by yourselves and you will not be getting dessert either. Good night.¡±