Chapter 33

Thorolos woke early.  He hadn't been able to get any sleep.  Right on queue, his stomach growled loudly.  It was a wonder Nyrimyrinx had been able to sleep through his stomach's groans.  They hadn't been able to find anything on their flight south. Nyrimyrinx swore that she'd been able to hunt, but it had been a long time, and they weren't in the plains of Kal'Kaathan.

Thorolos's throat burned.  He walked back to the cabin, a short hike away.  There, he saw Kaleramek, Aravarys, and Elise sleeping around a blackened stone pit.  Elise was sleeping with her head lying on Kaleramek's, and Aravarys was curled up across the pit from them.  He smiled as he crept around them, hoping that his stomach wouldn't wake them. He drank his fill from the barrels of water around the cabin before creeping back to where they had slept.  He walked into the small clearing. Nyrimyrinx jerked awake.

“Who's there?" she asked groggily, blinking away sleep.

“It's just me," Thorolos said.  Nyrimyrinx stood and stretched.

“Where were you?"

“I was getting water from the cabin.  Everyone else is still asleep."

“Wait, what?  You went there alone?  But they're dangerous!  That red one-"

“Kaleramek."

“Yeah, Kaleramek just attacked without warning!"

“Oh my- Can you just drop that?  You're fine!"

“But he's violent!  His first response was to attack!"

“What was the first thing you did when you saw me?" Thorolos asked.

“… That was different."

“How?"

“Well… uh…"

“It wasn't.  And I'm not holding some stupid grudge because of it.  Kaleramek risked his life to free me, and then I freed you.  You owe your freedom to him. Forgive him.  And do something about his eye."

“Why should I?" Nyrimyrinx said stubbornly.

“You want to see Kal'Kaathan again?  You can't if neither of us can get food.  We can try to figure it out ourselves, and starve to death, or we can ask Kaleramek to help us.  He might actually want to if you fix his eye," Thorolos said. He turned on his heels and strode back to the cabin.

When he got there, Kaleramek and Elise were up.

“Hi!" Elise said.

“Hey."

“Did you sleep alright?  You sound exhausted," she said.

“No.  This whole situation is ridiculous.  Starving isn't helping, either," Thorolos said.

“Hmph.  You're telling me," Kaleramek said.

“You're part of the problem!  You and Nyrimyrinx! Both of you are acting like such hatchlings!  Stop moping and acting like the world owes you something!" Thorolos exploded.  Kaleramek glanced at Elise. She shrugged.

“Told you so," Elise said.

“I do not mope!" Kaleramek said.  Elise only laughed.

“If you stop acting like a hatchling and apologize, Nyrimyrinx might actually fix your eye," Thorolos said.  Elise choked on her laugh and stared at him. Oops.

“What?"

“Told you so!" Kaleramek said, laughing.

“Wait, wait, hold on, what?" Elise said.  “What do you mean by that?"

“Uh… I meant… y'know…" Thorolos stuttered nervously.  Before he could think of a convincing response, Nyrimyrinx dropped out of the sky and landed between them.

“You ready to go?" she asked Kaleramek.  “I'm starving."

“Sure," Kaleramek said.  Aravarys, somehow, was still asleep on the ground.  Kaleramek prodded him with his tail. Aravarys didn't budge.  Kaleramek stomped on his tail.

“Ow!  Why?" he yelped.

“Time to go.  Thorolos, you stay here.  Aravarys, lead the way," Kaleramek said.

“Can I at least-" Aravarys started.

“No.  It's a long flight, and I want to get back before nightfall," Kaleramek said.

Aravarys sighed tiredly.  “Alright," he said. He took off, somewhat awkward in the air, and Nyrimyrinx and Kaleramek shot off after them.

“What the hell did you mean by 'fix his eye'?  She can do that?" Elise asked, stomping up to Thorolos.

“No, no, I meant, like, she could… look at it?" Thorolos said nervously.

Elise rolled her eyes.  “Sure. Just like how she 'looked at' Aravarys?  Whatever." She strode to the cabin and slammed the door.  Thorolos ran up to the window, desperate to explain. As he stuck his head in, a small slab of meat smacked him in the face.  He jerked back in surprise.

“Wait, you have food?" Thorolos asked, holding up the steak.

“Not enough for four dragons.  Hell, not enough for one dragon.  Kaleramek was out hunting when your 'Nyrimyrinx' put an end to that."  She rounded on him, still poking his head through the window. “If she really can heal his eye, and she hasn't yet, that's just cruel," she said, shaking the knife she had been using to chop vegetables at him.

“You don't understand-"

“No, you don't understand!  He's lost enough in his life!  He doesn't need to lose half his sight too!"

“I told Nyrimyrinx to help him, but I don't know if she will.  Her healing isn't… well, it isn't painless. For her."

Elise frowned.  “What do you mean?"

“Well, her body just heals itself.  Don't ask me how, it just does. But… well, she can 'take' others' injuries?  I really don't know how to say it. I was missing all of my claws and my wing joint was wounded too badly to fly.  She grabbed my neck and, well, my injuries healed in seconds, but then she didn't have any claws and her joint was wounded.  She healed quickly, but it looked like it hurt. I… I can understand why she's hesitant to tell anyone about it."

“What?" Elise narrowed her eyes at him.  “That's ridiculous."

“You saw how fast Aravarys healed.  Anyway, I'm not asking you to believe me.  Just… y'know, maybe don't be so hard on Nyrimyrinx?"

Elise was silent.

“Okay, supposing you were telling the truth… that sounds like a curse."

“Yeah.  Doesn't help that my… my great-great-great-great-grandfather, I think, imprisoned her.  Apparently, she's been forced to heal all of the high nobles whenever they get injured for the past two thousand years."

“What changed?" Elise asked.

“Huh?"

“I mean, why did they let her go?"

“Oh.  They, uh… didn't."

“What?"

“I, uh, broke her out."

“What?" Elise asked, barely holding back laughter.  “Why…" Elise trailed off into giggles. “Why would a prince break out this… this invaluable asset to the tribe and run away with her?"

“It's a long story."

“Well, we have a long time until everyone gets back, don't we?"

Chapter 34

Nyrimyrinx flew over unfamiliar lands, with two unfamiliar dragons, to an unfamiliar city.  And she was scared.

She hated that she was scared.  Why should she be? She was strong, invincible, even.  But everything was so uncertain. At least in her cell, everything was constant.  Icy walls. A blue glow. Bad food. Pain. All constant. She never wanted to go back.  Not if she lived another ten thousand years. But… she had never been scared in her cell.

After Thorolos got her curved horn out of the ice, she started to remember things.  Slowly, memories of her old life came back to her. Her homeland. Her parents. Her best friend.  Her lover. The Great War. Her old platoon, and how she was captured. But the memories only made her more scared.

“Hey!  How much further is it?" she called up to Aravarys.  He was struggling through the air, exhausted. But, despite how tired he looked, he never complained once.  He kept flying. Kept pushing himself forward. How is he going to get back after?

“Not much further," Kaleramek said from her side.  The corners of her mouth twitched.

“If you knew where we were going, why did we need to bring the little one along?  He's in pain," she asked.

“I don't know where these… cattle are, and I don't know about you, but I want to spend as little time as possible within sight of this human settlement."

“What, are you scared?" she taunted.  “It can't be that bad. Wooden huts, wooden spears, that's all these humans can make.  Fire can burn it all away. They aren't a threat."

He snorted.  “You must've been under longer than I thought.  It's not going to be that easy to deal with them."

“Maybe for you it won't be."  Humans were the least of her worries.  They were nothing, bad prey, worse hunters.  Her small clan had destroyed plenty of the humans' encampments further south.  Maybe these northern humans were stronger than the ones she had fought.

What happened to her clan?

The question wormed its way into her head.  The question.  She desperately wanted to know the answer.  She never wanted to know the answer. She wanted to ignore it.  She wanted to think on it for days. She had thought on it for days.  Still, she pushed it all aside.  After she fetched some food and relearned how to hunt, she and Thorolos would make their way south.  When they made it to Kal'Kaathan, she could ask around her tribe to see what happened to her clan while she was gone.

“Ah, there it is.  'Wooden huts', huh?" Kaleramek said with a smirk.  On the horizon, she saw a field of stone. What's so special about that?  A rocky outcropping?

No, not a field of stone.  An ocean.

Nyrimyrinx almost fell out of the sky.  That was the human settlement?  That monstrosity?  It kept going and going, rolling over hill after hill.  She couldn't see where it ended. Massive stone walls, huge houses of stone.  A massive obelisk of stone that rose into the clouds. Wait. Three obelisks.  They rose above where the dragons flew, and ended at a point.  Within the ocean of stone, countless humans milled about. A sea of flesh and cloth.  More humans than Nyrimyrinx thought had existed in the whole world.

Aravarys began to spiral down, into the forests beneath.  Kaleramek and Nyrimyrinx followed. Aravarys landed breathlessly in the brush, gasping for air.  Nyrimyrinx opened her mouth to say something, but Kaleramek held up a claw. She could hear dragons stomping about, the chattering of humans, and the clanking of chains.  She peered through the trees, barely making out the form of a dragon being ridden by a human. She looked back at Kaleramek and mouthed a question.

What in all the hells is going on?

Slaves, he mouthed back.

Aravarys regained some measure of composure and motioned for them to follow.  He brought them to the edge of the woods. Beyond the trees, massive golden plains rolled to the horizon and beyond, crisscrossed with dirt channels and roads.  Close to them, within one fenced-off field, grazed hundreds of fat, four legged creatures.

“There they are," Aravarys whispered quietly.

“Mmm," Kaleramek growled, licking his maw.  “Let's grab… like, four of them, and get out of here."

“What if we eat our fill now, and then bring back four, so we have more food for later?" Nyrimyrinx asked.

“I don't thi-"

“Sounds good to me," Kaleramek said.

“Ok, let's grab the two closest on three.  Aravarys, you stay here. You can share with Kaleramek," Nyrimyrinx said.

“I really don't think this is a g-"

“Three," Kaleramek said, darting.  He missed with his claws, but quickly corrected, catching one with his jaws.  He darted back into the brush just as quickly. Nyrimyrinx darted out to grab her own.  It was surprisingly heavy. Maybe they couldn't grab four. Hers started screaming – a strange noise, she thought – and she quickly silenced it.  The other animals began screaming as well, and Nyrimyrinx retreated into the trees.

“See?  That wasn't that bad," Nyrimyrinx said.

“Wasn't that bad?  Wasn't that bad?  I was watching the walls while you two were grabbing a snack, and the guards saw you!  We have to get out of here, now!"

“Calm down, seriously.  Wouldn't we have heard an alarm by now if they had seen us?" Nyrimyrinx said.  She looked over at Kaleramek for backup, but he was just staring at his claws.

“I missed," he muttered quietly to himself.  “I missed."

“Hey, everyone makes mistakes, right?  Except me," Nyrimyrinx said, trying to get a response out of him.  

He looked over at her.  “I don't miss."

These two were starting to freak her out.  She could deal with a bundle-of-nerves Glaciaren hatchling – she had spent the last few days travelling with Thorolos – but Kaleramek was scaring her.  The last thing she needed right now was him having some sort of egotistical breakdown.

“Okay, let's all just calm down a bit, right?  We'll just take the prey we got and get out of here."

“Yes, yes, definitely yes," Aravarys said, shaking out his wings nervously.

Kaleramek looked up at her, blankly.  Behind him, in the trees, something glinted.  An armored guard stabbed out with a spear, sinking it deep into Kaleramek's hind leg.

The pain snapped him out of whatever daze he was in.  He spun around, spear still impaled in his leg, and caught the guard with his spiked tail.  The spines punched through the mail and gambison like they were paper. The guard flew into a tree, where he crumpled and lay still.

Aravarys yelped and darted into the trees.  Kaleramek growled, but said nothing. He quickly scanned the trees for more guards.  He looked straight at Nyrimyrinx.

“Down!" he hissed in perfect Kuuyari.  She dropped to the forest floor as a stream of fire flew over her and hit the guard sneaking up behind her.  Nyrimyrinx was shocked. How does he know Kuuyari?

He spun around yet again, crouching back.  At least four more guards jumped at him. Even with only half of his sight, he made fighting look easy.  Nothing more than an elegant dance. He hopped back nimbly from the guards, swept a line of fire across where they stood.  Three made it behind trees, the fourth lit up like a candle. Two darted from tree to tree, trying to get behind him. Nyrimyrinx sprinted towards the third.  She jumped around the tree she thought he was hiding behind. Nothing. Bright agony blossomed from her chest where the guard's spear pierced her scales. She hissed in pain.  The guard pulled out his spear and lept behind the tree again. Nyrimyrinx felt the wound in her side close, but the pain lingered. She charged around the tree before the guard had time to prepare.  She grabbed him in her jaws. He managed to stab her neck with his spear before she crushed him. The metal hurt her teeth, and the spear hurt her neck even more, but she dropped him, satisfied that he wouldn't be getting up.  She looked over to Kaleramek. One of the guards was dead on the ground, the other close to joining him. He threw one of the animals at her and grabbed one himself.

“Let's go!" he yelled.  Had she imagined him speaking in Kuuyari?  He took off, flying just above the trees. She flew after him.

“Don't we need to find Aravarys?"

“We will," Kaleramek said.  They didn't fly for long before Kaleramek dipped into a lazy spiral.  They landed beside a mossy rock with several pairs of draconic prints around it.  Kaleramek nudged some of the moss aside, and limped into a cave with his prey in tow.  Nyrimyrinx followed.

Inside, Aravarys was cowering in a corner, covering his head with his wings.

“You can stop cowering now," Kaleramek said, but his voice was pained.  He limped towards him and flopped down, favoring his leg.

“I told you!  I told you that it was a bad idea!" Aravarys said, his voice shaking.

“Calm down.  Hells, I thought Thorolos was bad," Nyrimyrinx said.  “We're fine. Mostly. And we still have the meat."

“We should all rest.  We have a long flight ahead of us, and we shouldn't leave before nightfall," Kaleramek said.

“Someone should keep watch," Aravarys said.

“I'll take the first shift," Nyrimyrinx said.  She wasn't tired. Kaleramek glared at her.

“What?" she asked defensively.  He shook his head slightly.

“Nothing."

Nyrimyrinx waited until she knew Aravarys was asleep, then walked over and poked Kaleramek with her tail.

“Already?  I haven't even fallen asleep yet," Kaleramek murmured.

“It's not about that.  Get up."

He groaned quietly, but pushed himself to three legs.  She nodded towards the door.

“I need to talk to you without waking Aravarys."  Kaleramek frowned, but followed her slowly out of the cave.  Nyrimyrinx walked over and laid against a tree. Kaleramek settled down on his side nearby.

“What is it?" Kaleramek asked, letting some irritation into his voice.

“I, uh… wanted to say thanks.  For getting the guard that was sneaking up on me.  I could have taken care of him, of course. But… still, thank you."

“You're welcome," he said.

“Why did he light up like that?  It's like he was covered in tinder," Nyrimyrinx said.

“Because they cover their armor in this flammable oil.  No idea why. I've seen the stuff just light up on its own."

Nyrimyrinx chuckled.  “No matter how big their cities get, they're just as stupid as ever."

Kaleramek shook his head, letting out a small laugh.  “I guess so." They sat in silence for a while, the midday sun shining through the leaves, a stream quietly burbling nearby.

“I'm sorry.  For just attacking you," Kaleramek said.

“It's okay."  Nyrimyrinx chuckled.  “I actually did the same thing, the first time Thorolos appeared in my cell."

“Really?  Why were you getting on my case about it?" Kaleramek asked, but without any of the venom he used to coat his words with.

“I don't know.  It was different, though.  Royals only ever came into my cell to torture me, and I had no idea he was royal when we had spoke previously."

“Dragons normally only head this far north… or south, I guess, depending on where you're from, with bad intentions."

“I said it's okay, you don't need to justify it.  And I thought on it a little more. I want to prove that my amazingness has no bounds," Nyrimyrinx said.  She had thought on it more.  Kaleramek had protected her without a second thought, regardless of whether she needed protecting.  She had healed thousands of her jailer's wounds. She could heal his. Thorolos was right, too. She needed to learn to hunt again before she could find her tribe.

She got up and padded closer to him.  She took the end of his tail in a paw.  It was still covered in blood.

“Whaaat are you doing?" Kaleramek asked curiously.  “My tail is fine."

“I know, I know," she said.  She closed her eyes, steeled herself.  She had never healed an eye injury like this.  Hopefully it worked. Hopefully.

She pressed her claws into his tail, drawing the slightest bit of blood, and willed his wounds to close.  She felt her thigh open first, and she fell. She had forgotten about that one. The pain from her thigh was nothing.  She felt claws being drawn across her face, through her eyelid, into her eye. She screamed.

It was nothing like she had ever felt before.  She almost passed out from pain, and from the sensation.  The terrible, horrible sensation. She let go, and gasped, clutching her face.  To her relief, she could feel her eye closing. It couldn't heal fast enough. When she had finally recovered, she felt something rising in her throat.  She turned to the bushes and heaved.

She turned back to Kaleramek.  He was staring at her, horrified.

“What, never seen a… eugh, a dragon throw up?"

“Did… did you just… did you lose an eye just then?" Kaleramek stuttered.

“Well, to heal yours, I had to."

“I… I had no idea…" Kaleramek started.  “I thought you just, like, magicked injuries away…"

She frowned at him.  “I mean, I sorta did.  What's wrong with you?"

“I'm honored.  I don't think… I don't think I could do that."

“Of course not.  You're lame. And also not magic," Nyrimyrinx joked.  Kaleramek chuckled.

“Sure.  I'll take over the first watch.  Go get some sleep."

Nyrimyrinx wobbled.  Healing did take a lot out of her.  She stumbled back into the cave and was all too happy to fall asleep on the hard stone floor.

Chapter 35

The young scout's feet pounded along the hard stone floor.  Torches ensconced along the walls barely provided enough light to see.  He ran up to the massive oak doors that led to the throne room. Two guards blocked his path.

“State your business," Jacques said in a bored voice.

“Dragon… attack…" Picel said, out of breath.  “Need to… tell… Lord Berric."

“Fine," Jacques said.  “Your funeral."

The guards pushed open the massive doors.  Picel sprinted up to the foot of the hammered copper throne.

“Milord," Picel said, kneeling down, not daring to look him in the face.

“What is it," Lord Berric asked in a rough voice.  He was lounging on his copper throne, made in secret by his house's smiths.  If the Emperor heard of it, good ol' Berric wouldn't last a fortnight. Picel wouldn't tell, though.  Lord Berric was a large man, who loved his drink well, but he was a strong, kind leader. When he wasn't drunk.  Which is to say, never.

“There was a dragon attack, milord.  Right outside the walls. Five dead, two cattle stolen, milord," Picel said, his eyes locked onto the stone beneath his knee.  It was lumpy and dug into his knee uncomfortably, but he dared not move.

“WHAT?" Lord Berric shouted.  “ANOTHER ONE? I thought we had these damn dragons under control!  First, the escape a few months ago, and now this? Get me Gael!"

Picel knew he should leave, but Lord Berric hadn't told him to, and listening closely was what had kept him alive thus far.

“My lord," General Gael said, stepping out humbly from behind the copper throne.

“What is the meaning of this?" Lord Berric asked.  “You said you could handle them!"

“My lord, this wasn't another escape attempt.  I saw these dragons. There was one of the red ones, three times the size of our largest.  The other was purple, larger still than the other. These were wild dragons. As much as I would like to, I cannot hunt down every dragon in the North.  Not with our garrison. As I recommended before, we should send for the Capitol. There were rumors of a new unit, specially equipped to hunt and kill dragons," Gael said calmly, keeping his head politely bowed.

“On and on and on about the Capitol.  Capitol this, capitol that, 'Lord Berric, you're too weak to handle this, send for the damn Capitol,'" Lord Berric mocked.  “Are you saying that I'm weak?  Do I need to show you how 'weak' I am?"

“No, my lord," Gael said, seemingly just as calm.  Picel, though, he knew better. He knew quite a lot about the great General Gael.  He knew that Gael despised Lord Berric. He knew that Gael was strong. He knew that it would be bad news for Berric if Capitol troops came to help.  And he could feel the anger radiating off of the slender man standing beside him.

“What are you still doing here, boy?" Lord Berric asked Picel.

“Nothing, milord.  I'll go, milord."
“No, stay.  What do you think of these damn Capitol troops?  Huh? Do you think we need backup from the Capitol?" Lord Berric asked.  Picel felt his feet grow cold. This was bad. Picel knew that Gael had already sent for the Capitol troops.  Picel knew that the main force would be here, within the city walls, in less than a week. Advance troops had already begun arriving, secretly.  If he said that they needed Capitol troops, would Berric kill him? If he said that they didn't, would Gael kill him when his reinforcements came?

“I… milord, I don't know-"

“Nonsense.  You're part of the garrison, right?  Do we really need these damn Capitol soldiers?" Lord Berric asked harshly.

“...Yes, milord," Picel said.  Berric was trying to insult Gael, by forcing him to say the Great General was wrong.  Gael wouldn't stand for more insults. One more, and he might snap. Picel didn't want that to happen.  Not until he had a few weeks to prepare.

Lord Berric frowned at him.  “What does a dirty scout know anyways?" he spat.  “Begone."

As Picel was leaving, he saw Lord Berric sink his face into his fat hands.  “What am I to do? Even my own soldiers doubt our strength." Gael was silent.  After a moment, Lord Berric said, “Fine. Send for them. Make sure they get here quickly."

That was good.  Maybe good Berric could keep his copper throne for a few more weeks yet.

Chapter 36

It was a painful flight back.  They flew hard, low to the trees, trying to avoid any scouts or prying eyes sent to spot them.  At least he didn't have to carry one of the cows. They flew under the cover of darkness, but even so, Aravarys stood out like a sprained wing against the night sky.  They stopped for a moment at the hotsprings for a break, but Aravarys didn't want to relax in one of the miserable, muggy pools on the plateau. He looked longingly at the snow at the tops of the mountains.

“Kaleramek?" Aravarys said.

“Yeah?"

“Can I… go up to the snow?"

“No.  I don't want you getting lost or seen,"  Kaleramek said.

“I wouldn't be seen!  My scales blend in with the snow way better than they blend into the sky!"

“I said no," Kaleramek said, ending the argument.  Aravarys huffed and flopped down on the edge of the plateau.  Nyrimyrinx watched them curiously. Nyrimyrinx and Kaleramek hadn't been fighting as much.  Kaleramek wasn't injured anymore either. Had Nyrimyrinx really healed him?

They only rested for a few minutes before setting off again.  As they flew, Aravarys fought to get alongside Nyrimyrinx.

“Hey!" he called to Nyrimyrimx.

“Hey there," she said, sounding tired.

“I wanted to say thanks."

“What for?" Nyrimyrinx asked.

“For healing Kaleramek."

“Oh, you're welcome!  It wasn't any trouble," she said, smiling.

They reached the cabin in the middle of the night.  Thorolos was asleep right outside of the cabin. Nyrimyrinx and Kaleramek dropped off both of their cows right outside of the porch.  Kaleramek stuck his head in the window.

“Where were you?!  We've been…" Elise trailed off.  Kaleramek's head was pulled further into the window.

“Mrmph!  No hugging… my… head!" Kaleramek choked out.

“Your eye!  You…"

“Yeah, yeah, I know.  I'm very handsome," Kaleramek said, pulling his head out of reach.  Elise burst into laughter. She ran out of the cabin.

“Thank you!  Thank you so much," Elise said.  She threw herself around Nyrimyrinx's neck.  Nyrimyrinx looked at Kaleramek for help. She mouthed, What do I do?  Kaleramek smiled and threw his wings around the both of them.  

While Thorolos was still waking up and everyone else was distracted, Aravarys melted off into the woods.  He ran a few hundred paces into the trees, then leapt into the air. His wings complained and almost gave out, but Aravarys forced himself to keep going.  He glanced around at the mountains. One, a bit off to his left, wasn't too far away, wasn't too steep, wasn't too tall, and, most importantly, was covered in snow.  He pushed his already exhausted body to climb higher, faster. Excitement grew within him until there wasn't room for any exhaustion, any fear, any pain. He dove toward the mountaintop, pulling up at the last second.  Every wingbeat sent up tiny flurries of fresh, powdery snow.

He touched down gently and flattened himself against the snow.  Instantly, he felt better. No more aches and pains from flight, no more dust from travel.  He wormed deeper into the powder. Soon only his head still stuck out of the white ocean. A cold, soft blanket, more comfortable than the most luxurious furs, enveloped him.  Soothed his scales, energized him. It had been so long, Aravarys had forgotten what snow felt like. It was bliss.

Aravarys didn't know how long he spent lying buried beneath the snow.  He couldn't bear to break himself away, no matter how far the moon dragged down through the night.  The brightening morning sky finally brought Aravarys back to himself. He dug himself out of the snow.  His scales felt new again. Everything felt… different. Fresh. Clean. He took off, scales glinting in the morning light.

All of the dragons were sleeping in a circle around the blackened pit.  He landed just outside of the cabin. The dragons started to wake as Elise strode out onto her porch.

“Nice of you to finally join us," Elise said sarcastically.

“I'm sorry, I lost track of time-"

“Where were you?" Kaleramek demanded.

“I was in the mountains.  I just wanted to spend some ti-"

“Why are you so shiny?" Nyrimyrinx asked sleepily.

“I was in the snow.  There's nothing like-"

“Why did you go without telling me?" Kaleramek asked angrily.
“Had it really been that long since your last polish?" Thorolos asked, inspecting his scales.

“Yeah, you're way shinier than Thorolos now," Nyrimyrinx said, chuckling.

“Hey!" Thorolos protested

“Everyone, one at a time, goodness," Elise said.

As the group argued, several pairs of eyes looked on from above.  From a tree, a scout stood sentinel. Lord Berric had sent him to map this area of the mountains.  He had seen an oddly familiar assortment of dragons flying around, and he had decided it was worth the risk to investigate further.  Information was valuable, after all, and he had stumbled upon quite the nugget. He slid down the tree and crept as quietly as he could to his pony Softstep.  He mounted and rode hard back toward his city. As he rode, he pondered. Who to tell, Berric or Gael?

From a mountaintop, sharp, cold Glaciaren eyes watched them disdainfully.  She grimaced. What a messy group. Memorizing the land around their cabin, the small blue Glaciaren took wing, flying hard towards the main Glaciaren force, several days flight away.  The King would be pleased to find all of his prizes in one place.

Chapter 37

Within the dark cells of a human city, a hatchling was afraid. He cowered back into a corner as best he could. He had woken up in a pitch black stone cell. Whenever he tried to move, agony lit up throughout his body. He didn't know where he was. He wanted to go back to his cave in the snowfields. Heat: agonizing, draining heat, beat from the walls, from the floor, from everywhere.

One of the walls of his cell suddenly made a loud rasping sound.  It slid open, and one of the strange creatures stepped into his cell, carrying a dancing, orange stick.  Even though this one was smaller than the others he had seen, he tried to edge further back. But his body refused to move.

The creature set the orange stick into a slot in a wall, and it lit up the cell.  It held out its hands, palms up, and crept slowly towards the hatchling.

“Ssh, ssh, calm down,” the creature said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The hatchling was taken aback. This one spoke a language he could understand.  It spoke gently, kindly. The hatchling relaxed a hair.

“My name is Amelle,” she said.

“Aamaas,” the hatchling repeated.

“No, no,” Amelle said, chuckling gently. “Amelle. Aa. Mell.”

“Aamaas.”

“Ok, fine, I guess I’m Aamaas.  What’s your name?”

“Aravarys.”

“Ar-a-var-ys,” she said, enunciating every syllable. “I like it. Very… dragon-y.” She continued walking toward him slowly. The hatchling watched her closely. She reached out an arm towards him, and he flinched back fearfully. She jerked her arm away.

“I’ll… get something for you to eat,” she said, slowly backing towards the open wall. It screeched closed, and the hatchling finally calmed. For the first time, he noticed a band of off-white fabric wrapped tightly around his chest. A red blotch marked the cloth across his chest.

His eyes flicked around the cell again. The stick had one of the strange, orange plants on it. He watched it dance, flickering back and forth. It was beautiful. The plant drew him in. Oranges, yellows, smouldering reds swayed back and forth. He tore his eyes away and looked at the now-lit cell. Four plain walls, a plain floor, a plain roof, and a beautiful orange plant. He knew not how long he stared at the stick. His eyes grew heavy watching the plant’s dance. He blinked, and his eyes refused to open.

He jerked awake. Amelle was slouching against the wall across from him. Her head sagged, and her body rose and fell slowly in sleep. In front of him was a chunk of meat, just barely within reach. He ate it. Eating was only a shade below agonizing, but anything was better than the gnawing emptiness in his stomach.

The hatchling looked down at the strips of cloth across his chest. They were a slightly different color, and the red blotch on them had shrunk in size. That was good, right? Maybe he had healed. He tried to get up, but agony shot through his chest at the strain. He fought against it, legs shaking. He felt something pop on his chest, and he collapsed.

Amelle started and glanced around.  The hatchling ignored her and tried to push himself up again.

“No, stop! You need to rest!” Amelle said, running over to him. He hissed as she got close.

“Stop that! I’m trying to help you!” she said, ducking under his head and putting her hand behind his neck. She pushed down gently. “Just lie down. You need to heal.”

His legs were already giving out, and he sank to the stone floor. She began to unwrap the cloth. She inhaled sharply.

“You popped, like… half of the stitches! How did you even do that?”

The hatchling looked at the wound himself. A cut crossed his chest, passing through scales and the skin beneath. Dozens of thick, pale strands of stitches had pulled the two sides together. However, where they had split in the center of the cut, blood welled up and ran down his scales.

Amelle walked over to where she had been lying, and opened a small case the hatchling hadn’t seen. She pulled out more of the thick thread and a needle.

“I have to restitch your chest. It won’t hurt, but try not to pop any more, please,” Amelle said, deftly threading the needle and kneeling by his chest. He felt several sharp, unsettling pricks as she pushed the needle through the skin near the cut.  After a moment, she pulled the thread, and the hatchling dug his claws into the floor of the cell. It was all he could do to keep from screaming. After she was done, she collapsed against his side, and he gave out a low growl.

“Now don’t do… whatever you did to pop all the stitches, and I won’t have to do that again.”

“Where am I?” the hatchling hissed. 

“You’re in one of Carcena’s holding cells. Normally, they’re just for prisoners, but where else are we supposed to keep you? C-”

“Let me go.”

“I can’t. You can barely move, and our Lord paid a pretty penny for you. We rarely see dragons around here, and any we do see are red or brown or orange.”

“Let me go.”

“Look, being stubborn won’t get you anywhere. If you heal, and then let our Lord show you off without too much trouble, I might be able to get you into a better cell. Maybe he’ll even let you have the courtyard, if you’re good.”

The hatchling growled. Amelle sighed. “If you want to kill me, you can. I promise you your next handler won’t be half as kind. If I can’t get you to behave, then I’m dead anyway.” She ran a hand down his neck, and he shied away. She pushed herself up. “I’ll be back. Think on… y’know, not being so hostile, okay? Your stubbornness will just get us both killed. I don’t want to die any more than you do.” She strode out through the sliding wall, taking the orange plant with her, and the wall screeched shut. His cell was cast into darkness once again.