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While The Blazing Coast was currently sweltering in the heat of summer, Pastock Valley was locked in ice. Lililethan's portal had deposited her on a snowy mountain side, far enough away that no mages from the city could sense the rift in space. In the distance she could just make out the straight lines and edges of Pastock, the structures there all indistinct at this range. The valley looked peaceful now, the pristine snow hiding the damage of the battle that had taken place here. Faint trails of smoke drifted into the afternoon sky from various farms and settlements, giving the illusion of tranquility. The temptation was strong for the dragoness to shatter that tranquility. Someone here had helped them plan the attack on her husband. Once upon a time, Lililethan would have responded to the opening of a rift by purifying the entire valley with fire. But that had been a very long time ago; she had tried to leave that person behind before she had ever met John. No, the temptation was there, but she pushed it aside. Lililethan sighed and lay down in the snow, heedless of the cold. This would have to be done with discretion, not violence.

Discretion started with observation. She needed a way to be in the city unnoticed. She wasn't interested in drawing attention, or risking the children she carried. There were a few options available but there was one that she already had in mind. An option that would let her be in two places at once. It was distasteful, even grotesque. In this case it was necessary, and Lililethan was willing to be distasteful things when necessary.

It didn't take her long to gather a few birds and rabbits, drawn to her by implanted promises of food or shelter. She snuffed out their lives with merciful swiftness, gathering their bodies together, and then disassembling them for the parts that she needed. With surgical precision, she picked and pulled the different bits and pieces together, connecting them and merging them quickly before cell death could start to set in. She consumed the remnants, so as not to let them go to waste, before setting her eyes on the simulacrum she had made. A creature that resembled a cat at first glance, though it was anything but. She had built the body for stealth and mobility. It could run and jump and hide as well as any real cat, but also had a pair of raven-like wings tucked into the fur on its back. As a last minute thought, she removed the ability of the body to feel pain. If some starving commoner got lucky with a crossbow, she saw no need to suffer the pain of the wound herself.

All that was left was to protect her actual body. She dug her talons into the snow, reaching down to touch the rock beneath. In her mind's eye she could see the vast webs of bonds that held the chemical components of the rock together into a solid. She severed those bonds in long lines, cutting the hillside into enormous, perfectly smooth blocks. Those slabs of stone rose around her, piling up one atop the other, quickly forming a fortress-like cairn over the dragoness. There were no doors or windows, just enough space left between the blocks to allow air and a trickle of light into the mound. The snow rippled up over her temporary tomb, leaving almost no trace of her presence. Finally she spun spells out around the shelter, wards and traps that would paralyze anyone that ventured too close and alert her of intruders. Satisfied that she would be protected, she reached out for her golem.

With a spell very much like the one that had allowed her and John to swap bodies, Lililethan cast herself into her puppet, taking up its strings.

Pastock was certainly not as peaceful up close as it appeared at a distance. Her first loop over the city revealed the scope of the destruction. Nearly half of the outermost district was damaged or destroyed, along with enormous lengths of the walls. With half of the poorest section of the city destroyed, vast fields of huts and shacks had been erected, makeshift shelters to attempt to hold back the cold. Shivering and starving people huddled around fire pits and open air ovens, where uniformed soldiers handed out food. She had forgotten that the attack had hit at the harvest festival. She wondered how much of the crop had been destroyed.

Lililethan had to admire the industriousness of the people of Pastock. In the dead of winter, working in the slush and ice, they had already started recovery efforts. Crews of men and horses dragged cartloads of stone and timber between the shanties, and construction scaffolding rose towards the sky in great forests. It may yet take years for them to recover entirely from the physical damage, but they were on their way. Unfortunately, it looked like the social damage might take even longer. Lawlessness and violence were common after any disaster or war. After a demon attack, that was exacerbated by paranoia. The fear of conspirators or the possessed drove distrust and hatred among people that may once have been friends. More unscrupulous individuals used this fear to purge enemies or political opponents. Obvious signs of this fear marked the city. Gallows and gibbets were far too common, and many windows were barricaded by freshly installed bars. Bands of men roamed the streets carrying torches and weapons Neighborhood patrols or mobs, she couldn't tell. Copious pamphlets and fliers littered the streets, instructing people to report any suspicious activity to the Magisters, and not take it upon themselves to dispense justice. Despite this plea for sanity there was a general sense of unease among the people out and about.

To her surprise there were more posters nailed to walls and doorways, adorned with colorful images of a stylized red dragon. John was being hailed as a nearly mythical hero. Songs and ballads of his exploits drifted up from street-corner musicians and the windows of bars. It was somewhat comforting, in the midst of their suffering and grief, to hear the people here show gratitude towards her husband. Even if the people were under the belief that he had died in the explosion that had killed the leviathan. It was a bit of good fortune that Lililethan had hoped for, but not counted on. If the people here believed John had died, it was less likely that the demons and their allies would still be searching for him. It had been one of the reasons they had fled to Syrsarun in the first place, instead of simply returning home. Events in the city of dragons did not tend to filter down to human ears. It wouldn't last forever, eventually word of Johnathan's return would eventually filter back here on the lips of merchants and sailors.

She couldn't help but contrast the differences here to how she might imagine her own people would respond to a similar disaster. Yes, in a city of dragons there would be order. Martial law, and curfew. Every dragon would answer to their direct elder, up the complex webs of authority. Every dragon would know exactly where to be every minute of every day. There would be no mob violence, but there would be no songs, or bars, or colorful posters. The committees and councils would spend years or decades deciding what would be rebuilt and what would be replaced. It would be an orderly, peaceful, bureaucratic hell. Because for a creature that lived centuries, a process that took years was of no bother at all.

The flight over the city proved informative, but not particularly useful to her investigation. The building where they had discovered the hellmouth had burned to the ground. Perhaps it had happened in the battle, but she guessed it was someone covering their tracks. It didn't look like there had been fighting in that area. She had spent a small amount of time examining the hellmouth before the battle. The creature was a gateway for human sacrifice, using the consumed victims to power larger constructs. With the evidence burned to ash, there was no way for her to determine how many people it might have devoured, or who had summoned it. The rift itself was no more help either. Four months had been plenty of time for the gaping pit to be filled in, and now it was blanketed in the same thick snow as the rest of the valley. Lililethan was just about to steer her puppet body towards the palace when she spotted something interesting.

Down below, among the workers and scaffolding, she spotted a large contingent of men wearing Falthwain livery. She perched on an intact fragment of building nearby, scanning the men below. It didn't take her long to spot who she was looking for. Hershel, standing among the soldiers and laborers, helping lift and place stones and timber onto a cleared foundation. His cousin Leroy sat nearby on a stool, directing men from a drafting table before him. Occasionally the knight would reach down and rub his leg just below his knee, where a false wooden leg had been strapped. It was a shame they hadn't provided the knight with something more carefully crafted; Maribel had said she owed this man her life. The lord and his cousin, really everyone present, looked tired and haggard. Eyes were bruised from lack of sleep, and nearly everyone's hands were scraped bloody from the cold stones. She sat and watched as the afternoon wore on into evening, until nightfall forced construction to stop. Hershel and Leroy shook hands with some of the men, sending them off to their barracks, before packing away the drafting table and dragging themselves into the seat of a wagon.

Lililethan used the deepening gloom to smuggle her puppet into the bed of the wagon, hiding behind a basket of tools as the horses started moving. It wasn't until they'd passed out of the shanties, heading along less crowded streets towards the palace, that either of the men spoke.

"There have been more bodies this month than the last." Leroy grunted. "If we can't stop people from killing each other we'll lose more people to infighting than we did to the battle."

"I don't know what else to do Leroy. Nearly my entire garrison is here, but with so many of the Magisters and the army lost, we don't have enough men to patrol. We could order a conscription, but that might start the riots all over again. People are cold, starving, and afraid. I'm in control for the moment, but if we do anything to lose their trust that could change violently. They've already hung half of the council." Hershel sounded resigned.

"We could offer more coin. Pay the soldiers better, and we may get more recruits."

"We're nearly bankrupt Leroy. Not just the city either, the whole country. The treasury was running low before the attack, and the amount we'd have to pay to convince people to enlist after they watched half their army slaughtered...we just don't have it."

They continued in silence for a time before Hershel spoke again. "There's been no word from the dragon-queen?"

"No, my Lord. Her merchants have continued to sell shipments of grain and rice on credit, but there's been no sign of her since he arrived to collect Johnathan's remains."

Lililethan felt a pang of guilt. She had directed her treasury to pay back any merchant that sold grain here, so there was a supply of food, but there was certainly more that could be done to assist.

"Damn." Hershel swore. "Our man inside the Wright estate had indicated that she had planned on abdicating the throne to spend more time with her family. I wonder if the loss of her husband has broken her."

The rumble of the wagon's wheels quieted as the left the roughly cobbled streets for the smooth pavers of the palace carriage-way. She had to abandon her hiding spot as servants approached to unload the wagon, and the two Falthwains stepped down. She followed from outside the building as they entered, tracking their path through the windows. Once or twice she lost track of them, only to pick them back up on a higher level or deeper into the palace complex. They eventually stopped, and entered a room. She landed on the window-ledge outside to eavesdrop again. It was a small, cramped study, lit by a hanging lantern and dominated by a large writing desk. The two men sat down, and Hershel retrieved a bottle of dark liquor and two pewter mugs from a drawer.

The two drank, taking a moment to relax from their labors. When Leroy spoke, he was just slightly muffled and distorted by the thick glass pane. "My Lord, when do you plan on sending your family back north? You spoke of the people turning on us, and if that happens, we may not be able to protect them here."

"I know Leroy. But I can't send them away yet. Most of the other nobles haven't been back since the battle. Seeing my children here, and my brothers and cousins working in the streets, it helps them trust that I don't intend to abandon them."

Leroy sighed, but nodded in defeat. He downed the rest of his drink and stood with a groan. "Very well my Lord. Thank you for the drink, but I think I'd best be getting to bed. It'll be another long day tomorrow." The knight bowed, and excused himself.

Lililethan felt just the smallest bit ashamed. Up to this point, Hershel had among her primary suspects. Certainly he had been a generous host, but his keen interest in Johnathan's transformation and the first attack at the banquet had raised too many alarms. His efforts here in the city, and his willingness to risk his family to keep order here, didn't seem like the actions of a person that had released a plague of demons. She couldn't even be surprised or suspicious that he wound up in control: the man was clever, and his lands to the north had been mostly untouched by the effects of the battle. She had originally left him behind in the hopes that he would survive to make his political changes, and it appeared that he had turned the situation to his advantage. As Hershel poured himself another drink and began reading a stack of reports, she contemplated where to look next.

As much as she didn't want to make an appearance, or get involved with the politics here, it would likely be the fastest way to get answers. The dragoness could spend days searching building to building, and room to room, digging through the smallest clues, but it might be possible to move things along more quickly. She could use the investigation itself to try and drive any guilty parties to the surface. By informing the Hershel and the rest of the lords that she was seeking out the source of the demons she could potentially bait the summoner into action. She knew it had to be someone with resources enough to hide the dozens or hundreds of sacrifices, someone that most likely resided here in the palace. And, if her appearance didn't work as bait, she could at least do her best to support the city and calm the paranoia that gripped it. But she still had to take the utmost of precautions. She wasn't willing to take any risks with the two young dragons growing within her. After a moment of thought, she knew what she would have to do. Lililethan guided her puppet body to the roof and severed the connection.

Lililethan had worked through the night on her preparations, flying in just before the first rays of the sun. Even before she had landed on the grand boulevard of the Palace, soldiers were running to meet her. She had made her form small enough that she would be able to maneuver inside the structure, and perhaps less intimidating to boot, judging by the way she was suddenly swarmed with men all trying to speak to her at once. It seemed that Johnathan's name was on all of their lips. A burly man with sergeant's bars on his shoulders pushed to the front of the crowd, silencing the rest of the group before addressing her.

"Queen Lililethan, we've been hoping you would return. I'm Sergeant Harwick. We met briefly at Frostmire." The dragoness had to think a moment to recall the name.

"Ah, I remember. That seems like so long ago now."

"Yes my Lady. It does."

Lililethan nodded up towards the palace, "It is short notice, but I would like an audience with the council if that can be arranged."

"Of course my Lady. Lord Hershel currently heads the council, and he's the only one in the city today," Harwick sounded disgruntled about that fact, "but he's been hoping for a chance to speak with you." The rest of the soldiers parted for them almost reverently as the sergeant led them towards the main entrance to the palace. Men bowed and mumbled as she passed.

"My apologies for the boys back there, my Lady." Harwick said softly, "Many of them were on the walls during the battle. They owe their lives to your husband."

"Thank you." It was hard for Lililethan to keep a straight face. Part of her wanted to smile with the secret knowledge that John was in fact perfectly alive, but part of her wanted to rage and scream at the remembered agony of being powerless to help him. Harwick must have taken her struggle for grief, and remained respectfully silent as he guided her through the corridors that she had followed last night.

"Queen Lililethan!" Hershel nearly collided with them as he rounded a corner, already heading towards the front door. He was dressed in finely tailored, but durable clothes that were obviously meant for work, with a long sword at his hip. "I was not sure you would be returning."

"Neither was I, to be quite honest." Lililethan lied smoothly. She respected Hershel, but she had also overheard him talking about his spies inside the Wright estate. She wasn't about to give him any hints that John was alive quite yet.

Harwick gave Hershel and the queen a brief bow of parting, then turned to shoo away a group of soldiers that had drawn too close in curiosity. Once the last pair of listening ears had left, Hershel continued.

"My condolences for your husband. We had worried that his death might have destroyed any interest in this place for you."

"It did for a time. But this is still Johnathan's home, and some day his family would like to return here. I intend to make sure that the city is safe before then."

"That is an enormous comfort to us." Hershel said with honest relief. "Things have been unstable here, and the citizens are at each other's throats. Your presence here might help stop that. Perhaps we can arrange a public address?"

"Certainly, I will provide whatever aid is needed. I'm certain I can speed up your reconstruction efforts as well, but first I would like to view any reports, interrogations, or investigations from your Magisters leading up to and after the attack. I still intend to find the person that summoned those demons."

Surprise briefly cracked the man's calm mask. "My Lady, surely you can't expect to find them after this long? No sane man would have stayed in the city after causing that. That's if they weren't killed in the battle or the riot afterwards."

She narrowed her eyes at the human lord, letting every drop of her very real anger slip into her lie. "Someone killed my husband, Hershel. I would have let this whole valley burn to save him. I will not rest until I find out who summoned those demons. I don't care if they've fled to the bottom of the deepest ocean. I will make them pay for what they've done."

"I see." He turned away from her, silent for a moment. "I wish you would reconsider. The violence in the city is getting worse. We lost most of our men in the attack, and those we have left aren't able to keep the peace."

"I will help you attend to the well-being of your city Lord Hershel, but first I want to collect those materials. A matter of an hour or two won't make a difference."

He gave a resigned sigh and faced her with a tight smile. "As you wish. The Magisters keep their records locked in the vaults down in the cellar. We can start there if you wish."

"That would be wonderful."

The stonework around them grew older and more worn as they delved into older and older parts of the fortress. Hershel grabbed a lantern as they descended below ground level, the flickering flame providing just enough light to make their way. Patches of moss and lichen grew in patches on the walls, and the smell of mold was thick in the air. The smell rung up a very faint memory: she had first met Johnathan responding to a summons in a room very much like this. Lililethan had spent quite a bit of time scrying on the palace before their visit, and she was fairly certain the human lord had gotten lost, they were moving farther from the vaults.

The device and spell were extremely well hidden, the magic was designed to work to augmented the physical trap. A tiny flicker of magic from Hershel was the only warning she had, giving her a bare heartbeat to react. She started moving instinctively, trying to leap through the kill zone. Not quite fast enough. The array of needle-tipped spikes that had been concealed above her launched with explosive force, piercing through her scales and impaling her legs, hips, and tail to the floor. She was slammed into the ground, a bellowing scream of pain cut short as her chin smashed against the stone flooring, clacking her jaws together with a snap. The impact sent her vision spinning for a moment. When it cleared, Hershel was standing over her with his sword dug into the scales of her throat.

"Damn you, it wasn't supposed to be this way!" His mask had fallen, and his face was twisted in desperate rage.

Blood quickly pooled around her legs and belly, but the pain of the metal spears buried in her body was washed out by fury and betrayal. The man had thoroughly fooled her. He had never shown the barest hint of a spell before, and his face had betrayed no emotion up to the ambush. She clawed at the human, her body instinctively reaching to swipe at him past the sword. Nailed to the floor as she was, she couldn't quite reach. "You rat! Traitorous coward scum!" She coughed on her insults as her movements drew spikes of agony through her.

"You two should have never come here, none of this would have happened if you had stayed away. Everything is falling apart." Hershel ignored her. He looked nearly on the edge of tears.

"Horse shit!" She tasted blood. Had one of the spears pierced her stomach? "Those demons were here before we arrived. It was you! You had them waiting for us."

"No! They weren't meant for you. I was using them to take control of the council. Everything was going to plan, I was almost in a position to make changes here, to make this place better." He shook his head and pressed on the sword, drawing another bead of blood. "But once they found out your damned husband was here, they went berserk. They wanted him captured, wanted to know more about the transformation. There was never supposed to be an attack, not at the banquet and not with a rift, but things got out of control."

"That's what happens when you work with demons, you idiot." She wheezed as her body began to lose strength. It explained his interest in Johnathan. He'd been trying to appease the demons he'd summoned.

"I tried to stop it, tried to keep you in the north, but you wouldn't listen. I didn't intend to harm either of you." Hershel finished softly.

Lililethan glared at him. Good intentions or not, he had still helped feed that hellmouth. He had sacrificed an unknown number of people to a fate worse than death in an attempted takeover. But he still hadn't killed her.

"Don't do this, Hershel. I'm pregnant, my husband's last gift. Our children played together! Johnathan saved your life! You can still turn yourself in, face the consequences and die like a man. Like my husband."

Hershel hesitated, and then straightened up, his face becoming the cold mask once more. "You said you would have let this valley burn to protect him. I am willing to live with your blood on my hands to protect this valley. I'm sorry." He pressed the sword into her neck. Lililethan severed the connection.

There was a brief lurch as Lililethan's consciousness fled from the carefully crafted false clone into her true body, still hidden in the cairn up on the mountainside. The memory of her puppet's pain twisted in her gut for an instant, before it was washed away in cold fury. It was a story that was all too familiar. A mage with all the best intentions and far too much pride, in over his head cavorting with demons. Her own husband had made a similar mistake, to a much lesser degree. But Johnathan had stayed, he had refused to back out of the circle and let someone else pay the price. This coward, this worm, would have killed her and her children to hide his mistakes. It was unlikely his trap would have done much to her real body, but the intent had been there. He had looked her puppet in the eyes and put a sword through its neck, fully believing that it was her. Hershel had managed to convince her that he was not a mage, and had fooled her into believing he was an honorable man. But her bait had worked, and had lured him out. Now he would suffer for his treachery.

Lililethan's cold fury grew quite hot. The cairn exploded, the massive slabs tumbling through the air as her form expanded rapidly. John had learned the trick to shrinking himself, shunting unwanted mass temporarily out of reality. Now she did the opposite. Her body swelled and expanded, twice her normal size, three times. When her tail flicked in agitation, it cut down a row of timber like matchsticks. When she spread her wings and launched herself skywards, the storm of wind cleared the hillside of snow. When she vented her anger in an earsplitting roar, the entire valley shivered from the sound. The force and volume of her voice ripped through the air, compressing it into a cone of fog that streamed behind her as she flew through it. Fire bubbled from her teeth as images of Pastock bathed in flame filled her head. With another furious roar, Lililethan forced herself to let that fantasy fall away. She forced herself to breath, and throttled back her seductive anger. She and the citizens of Pastock had been betrayed by the same man; the dragoness couldn't punish the people for a crime that had harmed then easily as much as it had her.

Instead of descending on the city, she circled over head. All eyes turned skywards as her wings blocked out the morning sun, and her voice was loud to carry to every citizen and soldier. "Hershel Falthwain is the man responsible for the attack on the city and my husband. You have one hour to bring him to me before I come in to get him." Her words echoed over Pastock.

She landed on the main road away from the city, out of range of the guns, and waited. There was still plenty of time left in that hour when a rising clamor reached her from behind the walls. The shouting and screaming of a mob. Soon after people began flooding out of the gates, an angry throng of citizens all chasing after a group of riders. The mob froze just outside the gates as they saw her waiting, the riders continued on. A bloodied Hershel was in the middle, his hands bound, surrounded on all sides by grim looking men. They had to dismount nearly a quarter mile away, the horses refusing to approach the towering dragoness any closer. Hershel's own cousin Leroy was at the vanguard, limping along with the support of Sergeant Harwick. Both men had looks of disgust and anger. They stopped before her, shoving the bound prisoner ahead of them. Hershel stumbled and nearly fell.

"We found him in the catacombs, standing over..." Leroy gestured at the dragoness. "Standing over your body. We thought he'd murdered you. Tried to use spells to get away." The man's voice broke. Tears of anger streamed down his face. Lililethan could commiserate with his sense of betrayal.

"He tried." She snarled. "It was a foolish attempt, but he did try."

Hershel did his best to look defiant. It wasn't very effective, with his face swollen from blows and his once handsome clothing covered in offal. "I did what I had to, to protect my home. Now get it over with dragon; take your revenge."

Lililethan knocked him from his feet with a casual flick of one claw, resting the tip of it on his chest as she leaned down, peering at the man with an eye that was as large as he was. "Revenge is...such a curious thing. A petty emotion, often directed without thought or logic. But sometimes, just sometimes, the desire for revenge is targeted at a truly guilty party. In some cases, revenge and justice are one and the same."

She hooked her claw in the front of his clothing, and hoisted him up with it so that he dangled from the tip of her finger, mere feet from her jaws. Teeth that were as large as he was snapped shut in his face. "You will die today human. But first you will tell me the name and sigil of every demon you summoned."

Hershel rolled his head away from her, his lips sealed tight. She bared her teeth, letting flames lick between them. Just enough heat that she could smell burning hair. "The names, Hershel. Unless you would like me to see how slowly I can roast you alive."

"Damn you, coward! Tell the queen, you owe her that much for what you've done!" Sergeant Harwick's face was red with fury as he shouted up at the fallen lord. Hershel flinched, seeming more pained by the words than the threat of torture.

"On one condition!" Hershel finally broke. "You take my family away from here. They are innocent, they knew nothing about this. They won't be safe here now, not after what I've done."

Lililethan growled, the sound making pebbles jump and dance on the icy road. She very nearly said no. Images of Johnathan laying broken and bloody on the fractured ground filled her head, his limbs twisted and torn. Followed by the memory of Hershel staring coldly down the length of a sword. The dragoness forced herself to take a breath and remember the little girl that had clung, squealing with laughter, to Laurelie's back as the two played. Hershel's family likely was innocent, and she knew that John himself would accept the deal in a heartbeat. "Very well, I will offer asylum to your family."

Hershel sagged, the fight going out of him. "There is a book, in a hidden compartment in the north stables. It contains all my notes. All the sigils and names." He had the good grace to look ashamed. "I am sorry, about your husband. I didn't intend that."

Lililethan knew she shouldn't bother with it, but she couldn't help take some satisfaction. Her jaws split in a feral grin as she purred out the words. "Many people died as a result of your mistakes Hershel. Those sacrificed to the hellmouth, and those lost in the battle. But my husband is not among them. Johnathan is alive and well."

The human stammered, his face blank. She knew that she should offer this man to the local courts, and let their own justice take course. She couldn't help herself as the rest of her fingers curled inwards, nearly crushing her betrayer. Hershel gasped and went red in her grip. Her anger pulsed in her ears as she stared down at the gasping human in her paw, almost willing him to die. Very slowly she became aware of the rest of the humans, backing away with looks of terror on their faces. Her grip loosened, just enough for the fallen lord to draw a breath.

"Send for a judge. We are arranging a trial today. Leroy, I want you specifically to retrieve that book. Do not open it, and do not let anyone else touch it." She managed to speak the words with a relatively calm rumble. The men, still cast under her immense shadow, bowed and hurried to obey, leaving only Hershel to keep her company. He didn't bother to speak. Perhaps for the best, she wasn't sure she could have kept herself from killing him if she'd heard his voice.

It didn't take long for Leroy, Harwick, and the other soldiers to return. Lililethan had retained her enormous size, and her grip on the traitor, but she had moved closer to the city. Soon, a crowd had gathered, out in the snowy fields. The judge and jury arrived, along with Leroy and the book. The trial was obviously unfair with her looming over the proceedings, but it wouldn't have mattered. They had retrieved her broken puppet body from the cellars, Hershel's sword still lodged in its neck. Between the men who had found him standing over the corpse, and Hershel's own admission that the book of summoning rituals was his, there wasn't a court in the worlds that would free him. Even his own wife hadn't shown up to ask for leniency.

Within an hour the jury had found him guilty, and the judge delivered the only sentence he could. Soon there was an order for a hangman. Lililethan felt strangely empty, even as her heart pounded and her eyes narrowed in rage. This was one thing she couldn't allow. Hershel would feel no noose around his neck; she had to be the one to end him. It was a need that she couldn't seem to banish or lock away. She unceremoniously snatched the traitor up once more, and before anyone could protest, tossed him away from the crowd into an empty patch of snow. The dragon-queen opened her mouth, and blew a stream of fire so intense that it boiled the snow and turned the soil to clay in a long line that ended at Hershel. The man was incinerated before he could make a sound. When the stream of fire ended, not even ash remained.

Lily sat down in the snow and released her extra size, her body returning to its smaller, but still immense, natural form. There was a shocked silence from the gathered witnesses. She sagged a little at the sudden emotional drain, before speaking. "I will need to speak to the remaining Lords. The Blazing Coast will be funding the reconstruction of Pastock until you are all back on your feet."

The queen spent two more days in Pastock, doing what she could to put the place at rest. She personally lent her spellwork to rapidly reconstruct sections of housing. She was no architect, but with the guidance of human masons and planners, she had made as least some progress. She'd also extended monetary aid for the hiring of more soldiers and constables, as well as arranged for the arrival or larger, more organized food shipments. As her time frame drew to a close and she wrapped up the last of her tasks in the city, Lily had a couple of errands to make before she left the valley. First she flew briefly to the Wright estate, to estimate the damage. There had apparently been some fighting here, mopping up straggling demons, but it hadn't been too terrible. The house and most of the outbuildings were intact, although the orchard and pastures were wrecked. When she nudged a door open and peered inside the house she was greeted by a gaggle of some dozen terrified squatters.

"Hello." She greeted them politely.

They regarded her blankly, edging towards other rooms.

"This is my husband's childhood home. You are welcome to stay for the winter and keep warm, but I would ask that you treat the house respectfully."

One by one the humans blinked out of their panicked stupor as they recognized her. Men and women looked at one another nervously, and then slowly began to kneel.

"Stop that." She said quickly, startling them, "I'm not here to frighten you off. I'm here to offer you a job. Take care of the estate for the winter, clean up what you can. I have a pouch of gold strapped to my chest right now and another when the Wrights return."

Slowly, one of the men approached carefully. He actually seemed a bit familiar. "Have we met?"

"Horace, my Lady, I was the steward here when you visited last. I uh, brought my family here from the city to keep them safe."

"Well, that's very smart of you. Here," she pulled her head back to nose the pouch strapped to her front, "take this."

Horace tentatively stepped forward to untie the rather hefty pouch.

"There will be larger food shipments coming in next week. You should go down to the city and get stocked up, just in case anything interrupts the supply."

"Of course, thank you my Lady." He gave her a bow fit for a trained steward.

She bobbed her head in return before backing away and taking flight. She still had one more stop to make. Lily couldn't quite say what drove her to fly up to the enormous crater that Johnathan had created. Or why she felt the need to carefully blow the snow away with flurries from her wings. She wasn't even sure what she felt, or expected to feel as she looked down at the spot where Johnathan had fallen. The blood had long since washed away, but shattered fragments of faded red scales still lingered here and there. She just felt that she needed to see it, perhaps to remind her of the reasons behind her actions. Absently lifting one paw up to cradle her belly, she stared at the sight for a while, before heading back to begin arranging the portal home.

Two days had not been nearly enough for Hershel's family to overcome their grief. It was somewhat awkward for her to be around them, having executed the man herself, so she left Leroy to make most of the arrangements for their transport. They would make the portal from the Frostmire, taking as many staff and family as felt like coming. The other residents of the north had already heard of Hershel's fate, and they were in the process of determining who would take ownership of the castle. They had no intentions of waiting for the nobles back in Pastock to choose who their new lord would be. It was one more headache that would need to be sorted, but things would be stable enough for now. With the gate constructed and everyone ready, Lily opened the portal back to Wake, capitol of The Blazing Coast. Hot desert air and cold frozen wind combined into a pool of rippling fog that billowed around the gate. Lily had scheduled their return at night, to give the newcomers a chance to adjust to the heat before the full brunt of the summer sun. The Falthwain family trudged through first, casting longing last glances at their home as they left it, likely forever. The remaining House of Lords had already stripped them of all titles and claims. There was nothing left for them here.

Once the last human was through, Lily stepped through herself, directly into the warm embrace of her husband. Johnathan waited just on the other side of the portal, and she had barely cleared it when he reared back and pulled her to him.

"Lily." He breathed her name in her ear as he squeezed her tightly, his face pressed against her cheek. She closed her eyes and practically melted in his arms, the tension of the trip to Pastock flooding out like water through a drain. Lily knew that she needed to take care of the refugee family, she needed to check with the visiting dragons. But she had to enjoy this, just for a minute. It was Maribel's voice that moved her again. The mage was sharing a firm handshake with Leroy.

"It's good to see you, Leroy. The Queen informed me that you need a visit to an artificer. We have one waiting for you."

Lily reluctantly peeled herself away from Johnathan and stood up to address the family. "Maribel has arranged some housing for you in the guest wing of the palace. It is quiet this time of year. We don't get many visitors in the summer heat so you should all have some privacy. My people can carry your luggage. Take the night to try to relax and adjust. We're on opposite sides of the world, so you'll have trouble sleeping for a few days. Much of the city is active at night during the summer, feel free to ask the guards to explore."

Hildi gave a formal curtsy, and tried to smile gratefully, though her eyes were red and swollen with tears. Lily felt a certain guilt that she had been sitting here embracing her husband in front of the woman that had so recently lost hers to Lily's own hand. The woman led her children away, along with several of Hershel's siblings and extended family that had opted for the safety of asylum. Leroy stayed behind a moment longer, his eyes wide as he looked Johnathan up and down.

"Consort. Queen Lililethan had told me that you had been injured, but I wasn't aware of the extent."

Lily saw John clench his jaw as the one-time knight gave a familiar lamentation for his scars. But her husband listened politely before nodding his head. "Thank you Sir Leroy."

"You may as well just call me Roy, Consort. My knighthood was stripped, I'm no sir and I'm not likely to be with the last name Falthwain."

Lily shrugged, "Change it. The name means nothing here, good or bad. We have no knights, but there are other accolades and positions you can earn. Now, I believe Maribel here feels honor bound to get rid of that wooden leg and fit you with something that won't have you limping."

Leroy smiled faintly, and took the woman's offered arm of support. They talked quietly as they headed away deeper into the city towards the waiting artificer.

A grateful sigh escaped Lily as she was finally left alone with her husband. She couldn't seem to relax around the bereaved family, and it was no mystery why. She didn't regret Hershel's execution, but she wondered if it might have been better to let the hangman do it. Having the fallen lord's blood on her hands had created a terrible thought in her head that she couldn't seem to banish. Johnathan was watching her with concern. "I read the reports that Maribel received. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Maybe." She shook her head at her own indecision. "Not tonight. I just..." She looked up at the bluffs just outside of the city. The faint outlines of their new house were visible against the night sky. Johnathan and the children had moved in while she had been gone. "I just want to see Ban and Laurelie, and try and forget being a queen for one night."

John nodded, and stood. She followed along side him shoulder to shoulder, letting her length rub against his as they made their way quietly out of the plaza and up onto the rocky hillside. Their new home was built of the same red and pink sandstone blocks as most of the rest of the city. Lily's old home consisted of three simple rooms: a entry chamber that opened onto the Plaza, a private sleeping area, and a large bathing pool. It was currently being converted into a public bath. Their new home had private bedrooms to spare, some common areas, and a very comfortably sized master suite. Normally the terrain on top of the rocky cliffs was too rugged and unstable for building, but she had fortified and cleared a large plot specifically for their home. It had the dual benefits of not using land that the rest of the city might need to expand, while also ensuring a fair degree of privacy. Aside from some colorful murals and tile, the inside of the house was not particularly opulent. It was a waste to have expensive furniture or artwork that their children might easily destroy as they grew into their bodies.

There were a few amenities though. Some sturdy sofas and tables for human visitors, and things more tailored to dragons. Large outdoor terraces for soaking in the sun, and several large pits of clean white sand for lounging. The pits were surrounded by buried pipes that could carry hot or cold water, heating or cooling the sand depending on the season. Two of those pits were currently occupied by young, male, red-scaled dragons. Artun and Phyr, the two that had managed to stabilize Johnathan after the battle, and two of the dragons that had responded to her request for guards. They both opened their eyes drowsily, and then quickly stood when they saw her approaching across the large parlor. They bore a passing resemblance to Johnathan, at least before all the scars. Of course, red was among the most common colorations.

"Queen Lililethan." Artun greeted her in a chipper voice as the bent out their fore-legs and lowered their chests to the ground in genuflection.

"Artun, Phyr. I see you are both enjoying yourselves. I take it the children are asleep?"

"They are." Phyr chirped as he straightened back up. "They tried to stay up, but we spent most of the day swimming. Johnathan carried them both to bed nearly an hour ago."

"I see. Where are all the others?" There were supposed to be six guards.

"They are all on the beach." Artun blurted the words in his hurry to speak before Phyr could. "They thought it was disrespectful to enjoy your house before you did."

"I did invite them." John clarified. Like Lily, the two smaller dragons had spent a good deal of time among humans. They were somewhat less enamored of all the social etiquette that other dragons obsessed over.

"Well, if one of you two could go down and invite them up. There is plenty of room here." The two males looked at each other for a moment before scrambling to be the first one out onto the terrace. Phyr was closer, and leapt into the sky before Artun had even made it outside. With a sullen glare, the lone dragon stalked back over to his pit and flopped down.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We're going to go check on the children and then retire for the evening. Please ask the others not to disturb us unless it's something important."

"Okay." Artun grumbled.

The children were fast asleep in their room, adjacent to the master suite. Ban and Laurelie both still smelled of sea-salt, huddled up together on a bed of cushions large enough for them to have room to grow. Lily felt a pang of anxiety; she and John had spent so many years sleeping alongside their children that she almost regretted giving them their own room. It was time though, both young dragons were more than old enough to begin learning the first steps of independence. "They didn't fuss over having to sleep alone?" Lily whispered quietly once they'd shut the door

"No love, they were quite excited. I imagine there may be nights when they still want to cuddle, but I think they were ready."

She smiled sadly, and nodded. It was the way of things. Children grew up, and one day they would spread their wings and go on to live their own lives. At least she and John would have the blessing of many, many more years to share with them. They stepped into the master suite, and Lily took a moment to take in their new quarters. It was a little bit more ornate than the rest of the house, with a partitioned bathing area and its own private balcony looking out over the cliffs. The massive bed of cushions was raised up on a platform, allowing them an unobstructed view of the ocean. Lily climbed gratefully into bed, the first proper one she'd slept in since she left for Pastock. In an instant John was curled up around her, his head resting over her heart and his hand splayed out over her belly. She hummed contentedly, resting her hands on his neck and cheek, her fingers absently tracing the lines of scars that made a patchwork over his face.

"You're starting to show Lily." He mumbled, turning his face to gently nibble on her scales.

She smiled as his tongue and lips tickled over her chest. "More than that. I started to feel them moving this week."

Johnathan looked at her with his eyes wide, and then shifted, curling tighter around her so that he could press one ear to her emerald plated stomach. She waited, holding her breath. After a moment, she felt his lips curl up against her hide.

"I can hear them. Just barely, but I hear them." His voice was reverent and soft. He lay like that for long minutes, his head against her belly and his hands next to it, tenderly caressing the new, slight swell in her middle. She watched his head slightly rise and fall with every breath she took. When he eventually turned to face her, his eyes were practically beaming with adoration. Lily's heart sped up as her husband crept up the bed, his body sliding against hers as he moved to take her face in his hands, pulling her in for a deep kiss. "You are amazing Lily."

She laughed into the kiss, pulling him closer to her, until he was draped along her body and she could wrap her wings around him. "We're amazing John. They're all your children too."

"I know." He kissed her. "I love them all so much." He kissed her again. "I can't wait to meet these two." Lily was panting by the third kiss. No matter how often they were together, Lily never felt like she could get enough of the dragon that was now licking fervently at her throat. The way he praised her, the way he touched her. The way he lapped and nipped at her neck like he was starving to taste her. John was not a pushover. His dedication to coming back to her in the first place showed that. His scars proved that. But he worshiped her, and it drove her wild. He broke away from her grip, squirming backwards under her wings and trailing long, wet strokes of his tongue the whole way. He paused once more to shower affection over her belly. He touched or kissed every inch, his hands stroking down her sides and back around to her hips and thighs.

When his teasing snout finally drifted lower, he looked up, meeting her eyes with a hungry smile. He opened his jaws and panted down over her sex. Lily sighed and lay her head back, giving him permission to take this at whatever pace he wanted. She heard his satisfied rumble as his hot breath washed over her again and again, growing slowly warmer as he drew closer. When his smooth-scaled lips made contact it sent an electric buzz up the dragoness's spine. She squirmed in place as he kissed over her needy vent, slowly flicking his tongue out to clean errant drops of her excitement. Bit by bit he increased the pressure, each touch of his tongue a little bit firmer than the last, until he was pressing it between her folds. Her tail shivered as the slick, hot muscle rolled over her entrance. And then he was inside. She opened around his tongue as the fine tip of it wriggled past her lips and burrowed deeper. Her husband probed with a surgeon's precision and a master's knowledge, already well aware of every favorite spot. She had to bite back a groan as he passed over the firm row of sensitive bumps at the top of her passage.

The dragoness arched her back and spread her wings, every muscle in her body going rigid as he lavished that spot with his undivided attention. She could smell her own arousal in the air, mingled with Johnathan's own excited scent. Every wet slurping slap of his tongue heralded a new spike of pleasure, until her eyes were rolling and her toes curling.

"John!" Her voice was weak with pleasure. "Wait!" She lifted her head as he slowed and stopped. When he pulled away with a questioning look, the white and red patchwork scales of his muzzle were glistening and dripping.

"I want you inside." She practically begged. He smiled proudly, and stood. His rigid shaft was bouncing between his legs, as full as she'd ever seen it.

"I thought you'd never ask love." He carefully crawled over her, stepping over her twitching wings, until they were face to face. Slowly, he lowered himself to her, his lips finding hers and his crown nestling between her folds. He didn't tease her, but he didn't thrust right in either. Instead there was a gentle, comfortable stretch as he sank into her with one long, deliberate motion. She couldn't hold back her moan this time as her body was wedged open, her muscles rippling in welcome, practically pulling John deeper inside. Inch after gloriously hard inch sunk between her legs, each one just a little wider than the last. Lily reveled in the fullness, the intensely pleasurable pressure in her loins. His shaft flexed and pulsed inside of her, every little twitch sending another lovely tingle of pleasure through her limbs. She grabbed him with all four paws, her fingers digging into his shoulders and her toes digging into his haunches. Just holding him there as she clenched around him, enjoying the feeling of being stuffed.

His steely blue eyes were locked on hers, his face crinkled up in amusement as he kissed her. She couldn't resist returning his completely besotted smile, even as his body rolled against her like a slowly cresting wave. The sinuous motion rubbed every inch of their bodies together, ending with a grinding thrust down into her. Every time his hips shoved against hers, his chest lifted just fractionally to start the next plunge. Every time he bottomed out in her sex, it inched her that much closer to her peak. After his oral attentions, she was only inches away already. Her wings flared out once more as her body began to clench in the first throes of her climax. John turned his head to the side, locking his jaws with hers fully, his tongue twisting around hers, still coated in her own arousal. And just like that she was over the edge. She clenched around him, her passage desperately trying to hold him inside. She cried out into his mouth, their breath mingling in desperate little puffs as Lily pulled her mate to her with every orgasm-enhanced fiber of muscle. She was faintly aware of the sudden eruption deep in her belly, the swelling and flaring of the spines and ridges on his crown pressing her walls apart even wider. A thick, delightful burden built in her gut as Johnathan emptied himself into her body. The constant throbbing surges of pressure only served to drive on her peak, and it felt like many long minutes before she finally regained her senses.

Her draconic lover gradually went slack atop her as she sucked deep breaths through her nostrils, still locked in a feral kiss. Only for a moment longer though, before both dragons' need to breathe overcame their passion. Johnathan released her mouth with a gasp, his head falling limp next to hers on the bed. She lovingly wrapped him back up in her wings, the vast verdant webs of skin gleaming in the moonlight that came through their window. Her mate shivered atop her for a few minutes more, and she crooned out her joy to him as he continued to release small trickles of seed. That job was already done, but she still enjoyed the intimate experience. She relished the familiar, comfortable bond with her husband as he eventually calmed, and his tongue once more tickled over the scales of her neck.

"Mmm, you have no idea how I needed this tonight." She murmured.

Johnathan rocked very slightly with a laugh. His reserves finally depleted, he managed to push himself up enough to look into her eyes once more. It would be a while longer before he could fully free himself, but Lily didn't mind keeping part of him prisoner for now.

"I thought your heat was long over Lily." He teased gently.

"It's not that John. I love being with you, in every way. But it's more than that. It's the way you look at me. The way you touch me."

His face softened in concern, and he dropped to his elbows so that he could cup her face. She smirked as he demonstrated exactly what she had just said. "The way I look at you? Are you okay Lily? Did something happen in Pastock?"

She gave him one more quick kiss. "I'm okay. I'm okay with you John." She could say it honestly. "You know I've done things in the past. Things that I regret. I think I've done something else I will regret." He nodded quietly, not interrupting but rubbing the pad of one thumb over her brow.

"I don't want to spoil the night John. I'm honestly happy, together. You just help me remember that even if I wasn't always a good person, I can keep on being one now."

He looked like he wanted to speak, but after a moment he just smiled and nodded. "Okay. Let me know if you ever forget it."

Ban and Laurelie ambushed them the next morning as the first sunlight lit their room. A half dozen amused dragons watched through the open doorway as the two children woke Lily with excited, screaming pounces. She welcomed the attentions, and sat in bed with them awhile as they shared their most recent adventures.

"And then, Artun picked me up! And then he threw me so far!" Ban enthusiastically demonstrated the words by leaping from her back to John's.

"Not too far I hope." She asked meaningfully, looking up at the young red that was still watching from the open door to the common area. Artun had the good manners to quickly look away.

"Maggie was out there! He put me on his back!" Maaglieth, a slightly over-built male dragon with muddy brown scales smiled politely. He didn't seem to mind the nickname.

"Well I was under water." Laurelie sounded victorious, as though her exploits trumped her brother's. "Phyr showed me how to hold my breath a really long time. And then you can use your fly-eyes to see underwater!" Lily's daughter had finally gotten used to voluntarily closing her nictitating lids, but being unable to say nictitating, simply called them fly-eyes.

"Well that sounds very exciting." Lily grinned at Laurelie and blinked her own 'fly-eyes' once. "Did you see any fish?"

"Yeah!" The tiny green dragoness giggled, blinking in return. "I almost ate one!" She snapped her jaws together as though she had a fish right there.

"Speaking of eating," John rumbled, "how would you both like to go have breakfast with your grandparents? I heard Andrea was making some fig pie this morning."

Ban and Laurelie nearly ran out of the room in their excitement. Lily and Johnathan had to hurry to catch up.

"Queen Lililethan, a moment please?" Artun made sure to show proper respects surrounded by at least four other well-mannered dragons. Even a dragon that spent most of his time among humans didn't want to have too bad of a reputation.

"Yes, of course." She paused, her eyes on John dashing to catch up to the children.

"Now that you've returned, are we all free to depart?" Artun and Phyr had agreed to go back to Pastock Valley and continue to assist with security and reconstruction. She figured who better than two red dragons that the average human could easily mistake for John. The others would all return to Syrsarun.

"Oh yes, thank you all for responding to my request for aid. Payment has been arranged for services rendered. Do any of you require assistance in calibrating or empowering the gateway?"

When none of the dragons spoke up she gave a brief bow of her head and shoulders. "Thank you all again your your assistance."

Lily caught up with her family, and the four dragons made their way down to the beach. The Wrights had already set up on the front patio of the bungalow, trying to enjoy the relatively cool morning before the sun started hammering down. There the children discovered to their delight that Andrea had in fact made several pies. Lily's son and daughter proceeded to devour one fig pie each. Ban licked the ceramic plate clean and looked longingly at the rest of the deserts. John's human family gratefully received the news that their home had survived relatively intact, and Albert seemed particularly pleased that Horace had survived.

"Hah, he's a good man. I'm glad he had the sense to go back to the house. I can't imagine having to leave your family in the city with the way you describe it."

Albert and Gregory quickly began comparing notes, deciding how much funding was available to rebuild the damage to the estate. John piped up to inform them that he was sure they could pay for arrangements, but both men overruled that decision. "We might be one of the few families left that can afford to take care of ourselves right now. Any gold you would send to us would be better spent elsewhere in the city."

Lily still felt strange around Johnathan's family. Even after their days spent together, and even with the humans' good-natured acceptance of John's changes. From the day that Johnathan had met her, their son and brother had been condemned for summoning demons, turned into a dragon, and disappeared for years across the world, with only correspondence as their link. Of course Lily had not convinced John to summon a demon, hadn't intended to turn him into a dragon, and had offered him the choice to return whenever he wanted. Despite that the dragoness couldn't help but feel a lingering anxiety around them. She had fortunately managed to hide it from John, but she wondered what his family actually thought of her. At least with her husband and children around her she could manage to push aside that anxiety and join in the lighthearted conversation as it continued.

"Honestly, living among humans all this time it never really occurred to me that dragons would have their own culture and way of life." John was explaining how he had actually enjoyed the company of the other dragons that had guarded him. "I had no idea that Lily's title among dragons was a title of respect, and not authority. Or that dragons have no institutions of marriage. Which I suppose makes sense in a way. It must be a much bigger choice to commit your life to someone, when that life is so very long." He grinned at her like a love-struck dope. Lily returned the smile with hardly a care.

"Did they ever explain why the rest are so much smaller than you two?" Gregory asked curiously, absently shifting his plate to keep Ban from snatching the slice of pie he hadn't finished. "I mean, no offense my Lady, but you and John are almost too big." It was true that the two adults had been forced to sit in the sand out in front of the patio. Lily wanted to avoid changing her shape or size as much as possible at this point in her pregnancy. The chances were low of the spells harming her children, but there was no reason to risk it.

"Well, I'm this large because I am an elder, and from the royal bloodline. I would assume Johnathan is roughly the same size because it was my spell that transformed him."

They continued on this way for a while, until new arrivals on the beach brought an awkward silence with them. Hildi Falthwain and her children made a distant path over the sand to the water's edge, setting up a small canopy and a blanket. The group of them looked downcast, exhausted and limp. They hadn't shown any reservations to switching to the local garb of lightweight cotton or linen, forgoing the many layers they would have worn at home. Perhaps they had grown tired of the heat already, or maybe their pride was so lost that they didn't care about wearing what others might call indecent. Maybe they just wanted to blend in and forget who they were. Whichever reason, they cut a sad contrast to the wrights, still stubbornly wearing their foreign finery. Lily eventually had to tear her eyes away from the family to avoid being rude.

It had taken her days to admit it to herself, but the dragoness knew why she was so bothered by their presence. At their core, Hershel and her were not so different. They had each done terrible things for a cause they felt was worthy. Hershel Falthwain had sacrificed a great many people in a failed attempt to save a city and nation that he thought were dying. In her past, Lililethan had nearly annihilated an entire empire to stomp out the vast demonic corruption that had gripped it. Perhaps her cause had been more pure, but her balance of death and suffering was innumerably higher. And yet she had killed Hershel almost on instinct, where she herself had escaped the revenge of thousands that must surely have wished for her death. Despite what she had told John last night, the presence of the northern family brought her own misdeeds far too close to the surface for comfort. She was nearly about to ask the Wrights if they felt like retiring to their home on the bluffs above when something curious happened.

Laurelie uncoiled herself from beneath Andrea's chair and padded off the patio, out onto the beach. Lily watched her daughter as she approached the Falthwains. The little red-striped dragoness honed in on where Hildi's daughter, Anita, sat alone in the sand, staring numbly out at the sea. Laurelie, still in her normal, panther-sized body, plopped down in the sand a few feet away. Lily couldn't hear what they said over the waves at this distance, but after a moment Anita stood, walked the few steps to Laurelie, and plopped down once more in the sand, leaning against the young dragon's side. Laurelie lay down and shaded the human child with a wing. Lily looked over to meet Hildi's eyes. Neither mother moved to separate the two. After a few moments Banzhrakin noticed his sister's absence and went to join her, his approach drawing out the other Falthwain children.

John and his family watched in silence with her as the group of six children, human and dragon, sat together on the beach, talking quietly to each other and building piles and crude castles in the wet sand.

"Do you think we might offer them some pie and tea?" Andrea asked quietly.

"That would be very kind of you Andrea." Lily murmured to the woman. She was tempted to go down with Andrea as she walked across the beach with a large serving platter and pitcher. But she couldn't bring herself to intrude on Hildi. The woman hadn't been there for her husband's execution; it wouldn't have been safe for her family out in that angry crowd. But she must surely have heard the stories by now. She must know how Hershel had died, and she knew Lily had done it. The northern woman gratefully accepted the offering of food and drink, and passed it out to her children. Ban had the good manners not to attempt to steal any of the human's pie.

The dragoness made her decision, waved down one of the guards and requested he send a runner and assemble a crew. They had two more days before they were due back to meet with the other elders in Syrsarun; she planned on enjoying them if she could. Soon her people arrived on the beach with more pavilions and lightweight wooden tables. Food and drinks were laid out; Lily and the Wrights relocated under the shade of the cloth. Eventually Hildi joined them under the canopy, still keeping a distance, but at least partaking in the food that was laid out. The morning wore into afternoon, and the day became hot. It nearly took an outright order, but Lily finally managed to convince the Wrights to return to the bungalow to change into some of the clothes that had been provided, or at least shed some layers. She would not have her husband's family passing out from heatstroke because they were too stubborn to adapt.

More people arrived. Leroy and Maribel first. The ex-knight walked proudly on his new leg, a clever thing of carefully articulated steel and and copper. Some more of the extended Falthwains as well, with their own children that cautiously approached the gaggle on the beach. More of the mages that had survived the battle of Pastock joined them bearing more drink and food. Lily abstained, she was with child after all, but many others eagerly sipped on chilled fruit-wine. Even John commandeered a keg of it for himself. Soon the gathering was feeling quite cheerful, if not entirely festive. It had been unexpected, but it was a welcome distraction. Before Lily knew it, the afternoon had started fading into evening. Some of the guards and guests departed as the sun fell from the sky, Albert and Victoria included. Albert at least was in good cheer, but obviously overcome from the wine and heat. Victoria was forcing him to drink water as they returned to the bungalow.

Maribel and Leroy gathered the help of some of the other mages to collect driftwood. They started a bonfire so that the gathering could continue into the night, and the gathered humans and dragons slowly formed a wide circle around the light of the fire. Ban and Laurelie, full of food and tired from play, curled up between Johnathan and herself. Hildi's children similarly huddled up with her, on the opposite side of the bonfire. Andrea and Gregory sat near John, the three siblings speaking of memories from home. Lily felt almost comfortable; the mood was light and so far there had been no displays of enmity. At least, she was comfortable until the conversation began to turn to more loaded topic. The majority of those present had been in the fighting, and soon they were swapping bittersweet tales of those lost or left behind.

"No, I swear!" Maribel laughed, leaning heavily on Leroy's shoulder as she sipped from a clay mug. "He came out to the gate as we were arriving, pulled me aside. He gets this big smile and says 'Might want to hold off. The queen and her man are shaggin' back there.'" There was a chorus of laughter from the gathered soldiers and veterans. Lililethan pretended to be offended, even though most of her people were well aware of her proclivities.

"Dad, what's shaggin?" Ban's urgent question broke into the silence. Maribel coughed into her cup and suddenly looked apologetic as Lily glared at her.

"It's a type of carpet, dear." John said firmly. Another round of laughter rippled through the assembly. Even Hildi was faintly smiling. The laughter trailed off slowly. One by one smiles faded as men and women became lost in their own thoughts. The inevitable recollection that the man they spoke about was dead set in, and the mood quickly swung somber.

It was John that spoke next. "I didn't know him as well as I should have." He admitted into the silence. Lily watched him carefully. A keg of wine wouldn't be enough to get him drunk, but it might have been enough to stir up unpleasant memories.

"I wish we could have given more of those men proper funerals." Leroy said sadly. "There were far fewer bodies than there were dead." He didn't have to add that it had been John's fires that had consumed most of the bodies. There was another painful stretch of silence. Once again John was the one to break it.

When Lily heard her husband begin to speak the opening words to a song, she looked at him in surprise. John had hummed and sung playfully for her before, but as his voice rang out deep and rich and haunting, it shocked her. Then, as the humans joined him one by one, and the words sank it, she had to swallow a tightness in her throat. They were singing an elegy. Lily didn't know the words, and could only listen.

"Rest your heads, my weary brothers.

Your souls and sins made pure,

With tears of weeping mothers.

For you no more battles await,

So set aside your broken blades.

Walk firm and without fear,

And step through the open gates.

Our voices will carry you beyond,

To the eternal peaceful glades.

Today we lay you in this earthen hollow.

But you will not lie in shadow,

We carry your name into the dawn.

Guided by our love for you,

Tomorrow we will follow.

When our time is through,

This path we will follow."

They repeated the last line like a chant, before Johnathan's resonant tones faded into the night, leaving only the crackle of the fire and the faint sounds of people choking back their tears. Lily felt her own eyes mist as she absorbed the defiant irony of praising the dead, while admitting their own mortality. It was a distinctly human experience.

Maribel stood and dragged her hand across her eyes before tipping a measure of her drink onto the white sand. The red wine looked far too much like blood in the dark. "For Tobias."

Each human repeated the motion around the circle. Standing and pouring a toast, the name of someone lost on their lips. And then it was Lily's turn. "For Hershel." She mumbled. All eyes turned to her.

The dragoness swallowed, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically awkward. "He may have done evil things, but he wasn't an evil person."

Whatever the man had done, she couldn't believe that he was wholly wicked. If he was, than what did that mean for her? "I think if things had been different, he could have been a great man. I wish things had been different."

The sentiment felt lame, and weak. The dragoness almost wished she hadn't spoken at all. And then she looked up to see Hildi giving her a sad smile. Slowly, the woman tipped her own glass, spilling one more stream of blood-red wine onto the beach. Forgiveness was not an emotion that came easily to dragons. A betrayal, or a murder, might be remembered for centuries. It was something that Lily was not fully prepared for, and as she watched Hildi set down her glass and hug her four children tightly, she somehow felt as though much more than one death had been forgiven.

Lililethan had been wrong. Perhaps it was not revenge that was a great, curious mystery. Instead, it was mercy.