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The moonlight illuminated the countryside below. My body felt the strain of the past hours as Langston glided through the night. I wondered if people down below could spot the silhouette of the dragon moving across the night sky. From my position, I could see a few small villages or towns as we traveled. I struggle to measure the time in the darkness. Despite being so close to my love, I felt very alone. Hundreds of feet up in the air and still far from my friends and family. I tried to formulate a plan for our arrival, but if Ardogan's words were true then things might already be out of control. Would we have to free my father from jail? What would the dragon hunters do to the servants? How many of the townspeople would be subject to a wild hunt for dragons? I wondered how many dragons actually lived so close to my home or if others besides Marie called it home as well. I did not know much of Hessa other than what history I knew of the war, but I knew Robert Locke and his son. Where I could pity the fallen dragon for some misguided loyalty to her mate and race, I held nothing but contempt for Locke and the other conspirators.

We started to descend. I could see lights in the distance as Langston brought us as low as the treetops, but did not slow his speed. In the wake of his wings, the trees bent and leaves swirled in the night air. The tree line broke and we darted over the familiar fields of cotton. Langston kept high enough to not damage the crop. Eventually, I recognized a familiar silhouette up ahead. Annandale grew closer and closer, framed by an aura of orange light. We'd come up the back of the estate, opposite of the town. I assume Langston thought this would allow us to slip in undetected, but the growing lights around Annandale removed that possibility. Langston saw it as well and slowed to a stop, landing easily in the middle of a field. He sat on his haunches and raised his head up to the wind.

"Smoke and a crowd. Can't pick out any individually, but there are many. I could change here and we make the walk up to the house. Find your father and decide what to do then."

"How many is many?"

He growled. "Hundreds, maybe more. Half the town, probably others from Hartfell."

I thought of my father trying to reason with a crowd that size. Locke had brought a lynch mob to Annandale and I saw no reason to be discreet. "If they want a dragon, give them a dragon. Fly us over the house and land in front of them. We'll make our case there."

Langston's serpentine muzzle smiled. "You continue to surprise me, Lady Anna. Very well, hold tight."

His wings shot out again and we were off. The distance closed rapidly as Langston rose above the house. He paused for a moment as he cleared the roof. I could hear the cries before I looked down. Things were worse than I thought. The crowd stretched all the way across the lawn and into the road beyond. Many of them held torches and others had started small bonfires in the yard. Though we held their attention for the moment, the clear spectacle was at the steps of Annandale where a huge guillotine had been erected. Nearby, a large cage held dozens of people, their arms outstretched. Around the grim show, the dragon hunters stood guard. Many more men wore the colors than the foolish boys Langston had dispatched earlier. In horror, I urged Langston to descend. He started to move, but suddenly jerked to the right. I almost fell, but managed to grip him in time. I heard the whiz of an arrow fly by again. Langston set his eyes on their source, a trio of archers near the side of the guillotine. As the third fired, Langston rushed down towards them. He pulled up just as he reached the ground, causing my teeth to jar in my head. Turning, he crashed his tail into the guillotine and scattered the archers and other dragon hunters. The crowd yelled in dismay, but it was drowned out by Langston's roar. In the silence that followed, my voice rang out in the night air. "Who are these men who trespass on my father's land? Where is Lord Ingram?"

Two men strode forth from the crowd. Robert Locke was easily recognized even in the affronting colors of the dragon hunters. The man beside him was older, his face sallow and his gait mangled by age -- Emelius Coren, Duke of Coren and the source of so many hardships. Behind them, two lines of dragon hunters stood with bows at the ready. The old man spoke, "Ingram has been found guilty of sedition and is under house arrest. Our most trusted men are keeping him safe."

"Under whose authority."

"Mine." He spoke through clenched teeth, brazen and defiant while standing so close to a beast that could devour him whole. "Do not worry, 'Lady' Anna. You will join him soon enough. Step back from the beast so we can put an end to this." Pure hate dripped from his every word.

"Perhaps your grandson should have followed that advice. Maybe then he would have his kept his head." I spat. A small cheer drew my attention to the cage. The house servants had been rounded up and locked in a pen like hogs. Elsa stood at the edge of the gate looking up at me with fear in her eyes. "My god, Elsa! What have they done to you?" My voice grew stronger as rage filled me. "Let those people free! What madness has taken all of you?"

Robert Locke shifted uneasily beside the bloated man. Coren laughed, a coughing wheeze of evil mirth. "If you won't move, dragon whore, then you can die with him. Take aim!"

The crowd murmured at his insult. Langston tensed beneath me, ready to lash out and kill any who attempted to harm me. Dozens would die and Langston would likely be among them. My mind raced as I tried to think of a way out of it. In the crowd, I spotted Gretchen and others from the factory and an idea occurred to me. "Do you know who you follow? Dear people, you know me, you know my father! We have brought you safety and prosperity! These men are the traitors. They have lied! I have seen proof of their lies."

"Enough, Locke tell your men to shoot her. Aim for the throat." Coren glared at Locke.

"What proof? You call us traitors? Where is your proof? You sit atop the dragon known as Langston Black, he who murdered my men and maimed my son, and dare to call us liars?" Locke turned his horse to the crowd. "Is this the daughter of a lord you respect? The man I once called my friend has harbored dragons. They have worked against us all this time and when revealed attacked us outright! No more!"

The crowd jeered and roared in response, but many looked on with confusion. I took my chance. "These men plotted for the death of Richard Maxwell. They murdered innocent men and dragons to incite war. The burden of all that destruction lies on them. I have seen proof of this. If you have any love for me or for my father, seize them immediately!"

One of the archers loosed an arrow. Langston shifted and the bolt thudded ineffectively on his chest. His large eyes blinked back at the dragon hunters as smoke curled from the corners of his mouth. The crowd had watched in silence, but new cries of alarm were rising. They shouted "traitor" and "murderer" but not at us. Men started to push their way through the crowd, advancing on the dragon hunters. Coren struggled to turn in his seat, spluttering as he shouted orders at the men. Finally, a single cry rose up from the center of the crowd that made my heart soar. "For Lady Anna! For Lord Ingram!" The dragon hunters broke into a panic. They drew their swords and turned to face the oncoming mob. Locke shouted at them to put down their weapons.

"Coward!" Coren shouted. His old arm pulled loose a dagger and plunged it into the neck of Robert Locke. Robert fell from his horse as the crowd lurched forward and swarmed the dragon hunters.

"Alive! Take him alive!" Langston boomed. The crowd swarmed over the dragon hunters and pulled Coren from his horse. In moments, he reappeared above the crowd, held up by the mob. I tapped Langston's shoulder and he lowered himself so that I could get down. Running over to the cage, I directed Langston's claw to fit easily through the gate door. With little effort the door broke and the servants broke out. Elsa came to me immediately wrapping me in a hug, but the others moved into the mob.

"Do you know where they're keeping father and Aunt Ethel?" I asked Elsa.

"They took them to the library the last I saw. It's Theo that has him. If he saw his father die, he'll kill Arthur." Her arms trembled as she held me. Looking down, I saw her right arm badly bruised and poorly bandaged. She smiled weakly at me, "No one comes into my house without a fight. Broke one of their noses." Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice wavered. "They killed Stewart. Murdered him in cold blood because he wouldn't let them in." She caught her breath and regained her composure. "I'll be fine. You and Langston go find Lord Ingram. I'll see to this mess."

The crowd paraded the Duke around as he roared and spat. Elsa strode forward and her voice rang out above all the din. "Bring his lordship to the cage! Lock him up like the beast he is. Separate the rest of them!" She barked orders as though she were making dinner. I felt some mild relief knowing she was regaining control.

The mob had lined up the other dragon hunters as Coren was carried to the broken cage. Langston pointed a massive paw at one of them, "That one. Bring him here. Strip him naked." The mob happily obeyed if it meant they could humiliate the dragon hunter further. As they stripped the man, Langston shifted again, melting down to his human form. I heard gasps and felt a great deal of pride as some of the women in the crowd saw his naked form. He took the man's clothes and dressed himself. "Let's go get your father. Pray we aren't too late."