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"The Bloodstorm Treaty did much to alleviate the tension between magi and contramagi after the painful clashes of the Great Witchhunts. However, despite the clear roles and rights stipulated therein, it failed to properly define how magi and contramagi were to interact with one another. Initially, this was of little concern as the two groups preferred to keep to themselves. But as the orcish raids from the Curndor Mountains increased in strength and organization, this would become a source of conflict within the ranks of the magi themselves. Since the Bloodstorm Treaty specifically allowed contramagi to buy goods from magi and vice versa, many agreed that this should also include services rendered. However, the council of the Ivory Tower feared that contravening Section 2.c of the treaty would spark a renewal of the Witchhunts from a century before and acted harshly against any who used magic directly in the service of contramagi. [Added note: Section 2.c specifically prohibit contramagi from standing in a position of authority over magi, with specific mention of the role of employer.]

In 2276 [90 of the Golden Age], Leslie Smith was sentenced to 6 months of isolated confinement for a perceived violation of the aforementioned section when she actively used magic to aid her village against a party of raiding orcs. This sparked heated debates within the upper management of the Ivory Tower as to whether it was the duty of the Tower to intervene in the Orc Raids or not. After several years of debating, the council finally decided that it was completely within the power of the existing contramagi authorities to deal with the orcish threats and thus all magi had no business getting involved with the fighting unless the Tower or its sphere of influence was directly under threat.

This decision was not received well by a large portion of the younger magi. Late in 2282 [105 of the Golden Age], a group of rebellious magi attempted to overthrow the Archmagus and force the Tower to intervene in the worsening Orc Raids. This coup ultimately failed and the magi in favour of intervention were forced to flee or face sequestration. They fled north and eventually set themselves up in the Gherthon Mountains on the ruins of the second Ivory Tower, which were left untouched since the end of the Second Witch War. This new tower was called the Amber Tower, after a material known to assist weaker magi in attracting Mana.

Eventually, this magi civil war would become known as 'The Amber Rebellion' and result in not only a renegotiation of the Bloodstorm Treaty but the inauguration of the magi 'United Councils of Elders', a magi governing body that would eventually become 'The Circle of Five'."

Surviving extract from "Turmoil of Mana: A Complete History of the Circle of Five from The First Witch War to the Amber Rebellion" by Arthur Brightheart, renowned historian of the Golden Age.

***

It was still very early in the morning, but already the black drake was restless. Gahntuar raised his head to consider the breaking day for a moment, before lifting a wing to nuzzle Merec awake with firm presses of his snout. Though mostly obscured by a low mountain ridge, the eastern horizon was only just starting to turn silver as sunrise was approaching. But he didn't want the day to catch the group of five dragons and two gryphons still huddling together in the small overhang where they had to spend the night.

"I'm up!" Merec grumbled, pushing the insistent snout away and rose up into a sitting position.

"Did you sleep poorly as well?" Gahntuar asked with a soft rumble. "I noticed you fidgeted a lot last night."

"Guilty as charged!" Merec admitted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Couldn't stop worrying about what we are doing." He glanced up at the dragon next to him. "Are we doing the right thing?"

Even though the dragon couldn't see enough to see the human's expression, he could hear the uncertainty in his voice. An uncertainty that was gnawing at his own emotions as well.

"I don't know!" he admitted with a defeated sigh. "But we have pointed our snouts in a direction and must let the wind carry us where it may."

"You two are up early!" Jerielle complained from one side, though she did not stir from her position.

"Yes!" Gahntuar replied, this time not trying to be quiet. "I think it is best to get going as early as possible. We are still too close to the human lands for my liking."

Putting word to action, Gahntuar stirred to get up himself, bumping against Lainah who was pressed up tightly to his other side. She awoke with a comical snort, one that Merec would have commented on had the circumstances been not so oppressive.

"Morning already?" she grumbled, and Merec could imagine her rubbing sleep from her eyes with a wingthumb as he had often seen Gahntuar do.

"Sadly!" Merec admitted, also getting up with a grunt. He felt around a bit for his boots and quickly started to put them on. Last night had been so hectic that he and the riders had gone to bed with their travelling clothes still on, having only removed their boots and riding harnesses for a little better comfort.

"The sun is not yet up, but I want to be on the move as soon as there is enough light to see by!" Gahntuar explained, stretching in the dark with a tired yawn. "Will you please help me get them up?"

As Lainah started to nuzzle each dragon awake, Gahntuar recalled the many times he had accompanied Merec on one quest or another. With the moon already set, there was barely enough light for them to see by. So the bipeds, who had to prepare for the day ahead, would be practically blind now. Thinking quickly, the drake scratched a light furrow in the dirt to clear away any pine needles and other plant material before he started to dribble a small stream of fire oil into it. The action was very similar to firing nesting stones, and though it had been decades since he had done it, the procedure came surprisingly easy to him.

There were several upset grumbles from dragon and rider alike as they were woken up, especially with the appearance of a sudden fire for them to see by properly.

"But the sun has not even risen yet!" Amaren complained in a particularly loud voice. The complaint from his son seemed to irk Gahntuar slightly and he gave a sharp bark to get the attention of the entire group.

"Get up everyone!" he snapped a little louder than he had intended. "I want to be on the move well before the sun shows itself!"

"What is the rush?" Alex mumbled, wiggling himself a little tighter into a ball of blanket and fox against Jerielle's side.

"We are still close enough to Corrumwhell for the gryphon-knights to find us!" Merec agreed with Gahntuar, as he started to help Lainah wake the riders up. "If we want to avoid a direct confrontation with them, we need to get to the Thirstlands as quickly as possible!"

"Then we should have pushed further north last night ..." Alex grumbled, finally giving up on getting a little more shuteye when Merec started to nudge him awake with the tip of his boot.

"I am the one who decided to camp here!" Gahntuar said with an indignant growl. "Do you question my judgment?"

For a moment, Merec was worried the young fox was going to start arguing with the dragon, but luckily Alex only grumbled as he started to prepare for the day's journey.

"Enough of that!" Merec grumbled at the fox in return but then sighed to calm himself. "We made camp because the Thirstlands is too far away for us to reach in one day and dragons cannot sustain long flights in the cool air of the night. Last night's flight was merely to get a head start on any pursuers who will be coming after us."

"Why can't the dragons fly at night?" Shella asked with genuine interest as she quickly packed up her things. She jumped slightly as Lainah followed Gahntuar's lead and quickly relight the impromptu campfire he created.

"It is not a question of can't ..." Merec started to say while he was busy putting Gahntuar's saddle on.

"During the heat of the day, the air becomes hot and then it rises high up into the sky," Gahntuar interrupted his human. "Dragons are very heavy for flying creatures, so to save strength we fly from one of these columns of rising air to the next."

"Really?" the female wolf replied, but her tone suggested that she wasn't very convinced by the story of rising air being able to lift a dragon into the sky.

"The common name for those columns of rising air is thermals," Lekreh suddenly confirmed from one side. He and Glenn were already set to leave and was assisting the other riders to get ready as soon as possible. "We gryphons do much the same, and many of the larger bird species as well. You'll be learning more of it and other flying techniques when we start our lessons."

"We'll be learning about that as well?" Merec questioned interested as he completed his final checks.

"Yes," Glenn confirmed. "In order to understand why your steeds make certain decisions, the riders must understand the theory of flying as well. Things like how air behaves, what the wings and tail actually do and how they do it … stuff like that. Terribly confusing if you don't have those limbs yourselves, but once you grasp the concepts, things are a lot clearer."

"At least that is something we don't have to postpone until you all get proper saddles!" Lekreh commented with an annoyed click of his beak. "Though these harnesses are good enough to use for breaking in the riders."

"Why couldn't that leathersmith who is making the saddles join us?" Glenn added, acting on her steed's comment before Merec could say anything to the golden gryphon. "Lesley, if I remember correctly."

"We did not have the time to wait for her to close up shop and prepare for the trip," Merec muttered, sounding rather upset at the thought. Gahntuar gave him a teasing nuzzle and Merec pushed the playful snout away with a huff. "Anyway, we don't have any proper carrying harnesses, so all her gear she would have needed to work with would have weighed us down. She insisted though that she'll be making her own way to the Amber Tower, so we can expect her to join us again early next month."

For the next few minutes, the group worked mostly in silence as each biped either packed up the last of their travelling gear or was busy with the final buckles to strap the simple harnesses onto their respective dragons. The few already done unwrapped their travel rations for a quick bite of breakfast, although they were most likely to be eating it on the wing. Lainah allowed sir Harald to put Gahntuar's old harness on her rather than tend to the dying fire again. It was light enough by now for the group to work by, despite the fact that the sun was still well below the horizon even had they been on the plains. The light most likely originated from the numerous strips of thin clouds that caught the bright red light and reflected it so that they appeared more like glowing iron in a blacksmith's forge.

"How does that sit?" Merec asked as he packed the last of his gear away into the saddle. Although both gryphons had saddles, Gahntuar was the only dragon with one and thus had to carry much of the additional equipment as well. "Is everything comfortable?"

"All is good," Gahntuar rumbled after a quick check himself.

"And what about the flying last night?" the human asked. "I remember you had changes made to your saddle since the last time we flew."

"The changes worked wonders!" the dragon chirped happily. "But I'll get a better idea of how it sits after this long haul, I think."

"Of course," the human agreed. Then he glanced at a large, bowl-shaped piece of metal that was still laying to one side. "And what about your helmet?"

At that, Gahntuar growled irritably.

"I don't like it!" he complained. "It sits fine enough if I'm just standing around, but it presses awkwardly against the back of my neck when we are flying!"

"I'll pack it away then," Merec smirked, turning to pick it up.

"Can't we leave it here?" Gahntuar whined softly. "We can claim we lost it along the way."

"That young apprentice has worked hard to make it especially for you!" Merec playfully scolded the dragon as he packed it away along with the camping gear. "Anyway, it will be better to make changes to it if we still have it around, rather than to start afresh!"

"If you say so!" Gahntuar grumbled with a sigh. "But I still don't think I'll ever use it!"

In the next three minutes or so, everyone managed to mostly finish up just in time to see the distant ocean turn various shades of red as they caught the direct light of the rising sun. Gahntuar gave the group making the final checks a critical glance over, before nodding to himself in approval. As if to indicate the finality of their camp, he swiped his tail across the ground to cover the last remaining fire-oil with a thick covering of dirt, stomping down on the spot with a back paw for good measure. Without air, the oil will continue to smoulder for another hour or so, but it should be safe enough to leave as is.

"Everyone good?" Gahntuar announced. When he received a series of nods and a few grumbles of approval, he nodded in satisfaction again. "Right then, let's be off!"

And with that, the fledgeling Lúgroccae mounted up and took off in silence. They continued their course of yesterday, heading slightly east of southeast as the sun rose red directly in front of their heading. The group of dragons stuck mostly to the coast, but after a few silent hours that seems to ... well ... fly by, the coast turned sharply away from their heading and they continued deeper into the sharp, almost angular mountains.

"This is amazing!" Eric called from behind Merec. He, of course, had no steed of his own and had to get a lift on Gahntuar. Likewise, sir Harald and Adulf flew close by on Lainah as she had no rider to carry. Other than that, the trainees stuck mostly to the partners they had been given the day before when Eric started to train them. Although, Jerielle and Alex didn't seem to get along together very well and Merec was considering switching the young fox for another of the rider trainees. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, as he wasn't sure who the unlucky dragon he will have to saddle the young fox up with would be.

"If I had known about this," Eric continued, seemingly oblivious to Merec's thoughts and unwilling to suppress the sudden exhilaration he was feeling "I'd have given up my family trade and gotten myself a dragon friend long ago."

Gahntuar growled at the comment but allowed to let it slide. He clearly recalled Merec's own fascination with flying after they had barely met and the various attempts the human had tried to get the dragon to carry him somewhere. Must be a land-walker thing, the dragon guessed.

Merec on the other hand only laughed at the statement.

"Spectacular isn't it!" he smirked around at his fellow passenger.

"And fast!" the equine gasped astounded as he watched the ocean finally disappear. Only some large, billowing clouds he could barely make out over the rise of the mountains betrayed where the large expanse was. "At this speed, we'll reach the Amber Tower in only a few days. Though, shouldn't we be travelling more north to reach it?"

"Over the greater Thirstlands?" Gahntuar snapped a little incredulously.

"I ... didn't think of that!" the stallion admitted, folding his ears back as if reprimanded.

"I do know the locations of a few Catarri wells, but they are all in the Sand River where I used to live!" Gahntuar explained, feeling a little bad about his quick reaction. "So, the plan now is to fly to the Sand River and follow it to the lusher Gulmore Plains. If we don't, we won't last long without water in the greater desert! One we passed Thornsire, we can take a more direct line to the Amber Tower!"

"You used to live in the Thirstlands?" Eric suddenly asked, astounded.

"Yes," Merec agreed quickly. "That was where I first met him, you know."

"So it is you who Garath went after?" the old dragonslayer replied, a little taken aback. "The last anyone heard of him, he had travelled to the Thirstlands to hunt rumours of a lone black dragon in the region!"

"Yes, that was me!" Gahntuar growled, sneering as he remembered the overconfident yet extremely dangerous human he had briefly encountered. "We met briefly, but I managed to escape with Merec's help!"

"Is that what happened?" Eric whinnied interested. "I'd really like to hear that story, you know!"

"We didn't defeat him if that is what you are thinking!" Merec quickly interrupted anything the dragon might have said. "The Thirstlands is a dangerous place and anyone who is not careful will remain there indefinitely. At least Gahntuar knows what he is doing."

"If you say so," Eric replied, a little sad not to be hearing the story of how the two met. Silence fell for a few minutes again as they continued their travelling.

"Do you see that?" Lainah suddenly growled in dragonic, making Gahntuar yelp and shake with fright, nearly dropping the horse on his back. The black drake glared back at where she had glided up beside him. Unapologetically, she only pointed her snout at the billowing clouds on the southern horizon, where Gahntuar's full attention had been anyway before she had spoken.

"Yeah," Gahntuar hissed back uncomfortably. "I've kept my eye on it for a while now!"

"Is something wrong?" Merec called to his steed, using the common language instead of the dragonic the two dragons had been conversing in.

"It looks like a storm is brewing!" Gahntuar replied, also using common for the sake of the other passengers on his and Lainah's back.

"This early in the season?" Merec questioned surprised.

"I don't think it will be a severe storm," Gahntuar admitted, still obviously worried. "It might even be nothing at all other than a bit of wind. But I don't like it either way. We should still land and find shelter, but I don't know of any place's to do so among these peaks though."

"I can tell the other dragons to split off so we can search ..." Lainah started to suggest, but Gahntuar interrupted her with a quick nip.

"None of us knows this region," he told her. "Best not to get separated from one another, without a specific location to return to. I think we should land first, then we can send out those scouting parties." He grinned as he turned his attention to Merec. "Then you and the other riders can get a bite to eat as well."

"Sounds like a good plan!" Merec agreed. At that, Gahntuar roared out an order in dragonic and the cluster of dragons started to descend.

"Why are we landing?" Kerron asked as he descended from Tembarah's shoulders. Though he tried to sound annoyed, as if worried that their pursuers might be able to find them, the satisfying grunt he gave at being able to stretch indicated that he was very happy to put his feet on the ground again.

"Lunch!" Gahntuar quickly stated, "I know you two-leggers like to eat regularly."

"Ah! Good!" the young fox grinned, quickly hopping off the red draine. "I'm starving!"

As everyone else dismounted, Gahntuar looked over the other dragons as they also rolled their shoulders to relieve cramps. He could easily recall the few times he had carried Merec and how his own shoulders would cramp up. True, he could still feel the effect of his passengers' weight but it was nowhere near annoying yet. He really should have gotten himself a saddle long ago! In quick order, the riders and the two gryphons had gotten something out to eat.

"Shouldn't the dragons also eat something?" Aerhin asked, the elf indicating to where Gahntuar had called the dragons together to tell them something seemingly important.

"Not really," Merec admitted, inspecting the bread-like biscuit with nuts, dates and honey he was eating. "They won't mind munching on something lite once a day, but they usually only have to get a proper meal once a week."

There was the snap of wings and the other four dragons took to the sky. Gahntuar remained behind, frowning as he watched them depart in groups of two, each going in a different direction.

"Taking your responsibilities seriously?" Merec smirked as he came to stand next to his dragon.

"Didn't you say yourself that we will need to accept those responsibilities sooner than later?" Gahntuar commented, turning to regard his human. "You should try it yourself a bit!"

"I know," Merec grumbled.

"Where are they going?" Alex asked with a mouth still full of food.

"To find shelter," Merec commented over his shoulder.

"But it is barely afternoon!" the young foxed gasped surprised. "Didn't you say we need to get to the Thirstlands as quickly as possible since it is our best shot at giving the gryphon-knights behind us the slip?"

"I did," Merec commented with an internal sigh. "But it looks like we'll be camping a little earlier today."

"Why?" the youngster challenged the decision. "I mean, shouldn't we rest when we know we are safe?"

"Enough, young fox!" sir Harald suddenly snapped, the authority in his voice making even Merec flinch slightly. "The Roccan'hir is leading this expedition and you will do as you are told!"

"Is he in charge here?" the young fox continued his rant, seemingly unaware that he was on thin ice. "Or is it that lazy dragon of his?"

A sudden, deathly silence fell at that comment and for the first time, Alex realised that he may have gone too far. His ears splayed flat in fear when Gahntuar immediately turned to growl threateningly at him. With his crest raised high in anger, he started to advance on the disrespectful youngster, but Merec stopped him with a simple, gentle touch to his chest.

"I'll handle this," he said softly to the dragon, but his voice was tight in anger and even the emotion seemed to carry clearly around the small clearing where they had landed. He turned to regard the fox and the fury that flashed in his eyes seemed to reflect that of the dragon perfectly. A dragon, who had sat down but still kept himself low as if ready to pounce on his next meal.

"Firstly," Merec stated in an icy voice that clearly indicated that he has had enough of the attitude of the youngster "you will NEVER insult my dragon like that again, understand? Not him, nor anyone who wishes to follow us, biped or tetrapod alike! Secondly, he is the one in charge now!"

There were surprised gasps from all riders assembled there and they looked up at their Roccan'hir as if he had lost his mind. Even sir Harald and Eric next to him choked back a bite of lunch in surprise. Unphased by their reaction, Merec continued his speech. Even though he talked directly at Alex, what he said next was meant for all of them. "Tell me, who of you can survive out here without any form of gear or assistance? Who knows how the winds behave at different times of the day?" When the group before him shifted a little unsurely at the challenge, Merec pressed his point home. "When we are in civilization, the dragons will be expected to follow the lead of their riders. But on the wing, they are in charge. We will be passing over Thornsire tomorrow, so anyone who doesn't like it can catch a barge downstream from there."

"The Roccan'hir is right!" Glenn suddenly spoke up, dispelling the awkward atmosphere. "Even amongst the Gryphon-knights of Thendor, the steeds are in charge of all decisions regarding flight. It was something we were worried about conveying to you, but it seems that the Roccan'hir and Lúg'hir has realised the importance of each other's strengths and experiences already."

With the confirmation of one of the other mentors as well, Alex had to back down. He flinched conspicuously and with ears pulled back even further in shame, he offered his apology to the dragon. "I ... I am sorry. To you and ... and the L-Lúg'hir!"

Gahntuar visibly relaxed at the apology, and the whole mood of the gathering seemed to lift again.

"I know we are trying to avoid anyone who may be pursuing us from Corrumwhell," Merec added with a sigh to calm himself again. "But we think there is a storm brewing." He indicated quickly to the clouds, now much more clearly over the jagged horizon. "The Lúg'hir had sent the other dragons to look for a shelter large enough to fit all of us. In the meantime, use the time to get something to eat."

"The dragon ... Lúg'hir is right"! Lekreh suddenly piped up as well in support of Gahntuar. "It looks like a storm is brewing. Glen and I were actually talking about suggesting to find shelter ourselves, but he beat us to it."

"So, if the Lúg'hir says we find shelter, we will find shelter!" Glenn added firmly, killing off any objections that may still have been voiced. Merec nodded to them in thanks. As the party awkwardly settled down again to continue their lunch, sir Harald approach Merec.

"You did good," the old captain commented as he sat down next to where Merec had seated himself again. "But you should have been firmer on him before. Alex is still very young and will continue to push his luck."

"I don't want to bully them about!" Merec admitted, before turning to his dragon. "Though we should have been more open to why we were acting as we did."

"I guess," Gahntuar grumbled, looking out to where Lainah and Jerielle had disappeared to. "I just didn't want to worry them unnecessarily."

"There is a difference between bullying and being firm," sir Harald commented in a serious tone. "The former is simply being selfish, while the latter is being responsible. Being more clear about what you decide will help with being firm, but there are also times you shouldn't express everything you think."

"I don't quite understand what you mean," Merec replied looking at his mentor.

"Remember that you are responsible for their actions and safety," sir Harald stated after chewing his food in thought for a bit. "If one threatens the unity of the group they all will suffer because of it, so it is important to be firm with them before things get out of hand. Also, if they understand why you are making a certain decision, they will be more willing to respect you for it. But that doesn't mean that they need to know everything!" Sir Harald took another bite as he considered what he was trying to say.

"So I shouldn't be their friend?" Merec wondered with a scowl.

"I wouldn't say that!" sir Harald replied thoughtfully. "You may be friendly with them, in fact, I'd encourage that. But always remember they are your subordinates and your responsibility."

"I didn't ask for this!" Merec grumbled, suddenly not in the mood to finish his meal.

"But it has been handed to you nonetheless!" sir Harald stated firmly, putting a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. "History will judge you not for what you wanted, but how you now react to it."

The comment was so close to what the green magus in their midst had said that it made Merec smile.

"Yes, sir!" he replied. "I'll do my best."

***

"What do you mean 'they are gone'?" King Loburt roared, the assembled court flinching at the strength of his voice as if they were the ones being scolded.

"The Dragonriders have disappeared, my liege!" The messenger replied a little worried for his own safety. Even before he was able to respond, the whispering amongst the ministers and counsellors conveyed their shock at the news. Not only has the king apparently summoned them to appear before him, but they had defied the royal order.

"How dare they to defy me?" the king snapped in a rather uncharacteristic fury.

"Sire," the messenger stuttered, trying to quickly come up with a satisfactory excuse for their failure. "The ... the captain you sent north claims that they have identified the Lord-Rider as a certain Merec, a resident of the town. But procedure demands that they were to first check-in with the local gryphon-headquarters in Perston before they were able to approach them. Then, with all the rebuilding of the town, they were unable to make contact them before they suddenly just, disappeared."

That didn't seem to improve the king's opinion on the matter and the messenger quickly added: "There...there are rumours that it was supporters of the Alliance of Light who had finally driven them off..."

"That bastard! I'll have his head for this!" the king roared, finally turning away from the messenger, much to the young man's relief. As such, he addressed the first guard he locked eyes with. "Fetch me High Commissioner Achius ..."

"Wait, my liege..." Lady Fucia suddenly spoke up.

"What?" the king snarled at her, but he seemed to calm down as soon as he saw her. He sighed and repeated his question in a gentler manner, though the tightness in his voice still indicated how upset he was at the betrayal of the Dragonriders. "What is it, my dear?"

"There is no proof that the Alliance had anything to do with the Dragonriders abandoning their responsibilities," she stated worriedly. "As the messenger said, it is only rumoured. Remember that the High Commissioner already has a lot of political allies, and if you move against him without hard evidence, he will only become stronger whereas you will lose credibility."

"You are wise, as always!" the king sighed, finally calming down. He wasn't sure where these recent mood-swings of his had come from, but if it wasn't for his mistress's levelheadedness, he would have done something he would have regretted a long time ago. He quickly dismissed the order to the confused guard before returning his attention to the terrified messenger "Do we know where the dragons are heading?"

"T-there were reports of them heading to the spine at sunset," the messenger started a little hesitantly "but the captain figured they would be trying to leave the Peninsula altogether. He managed to follow them east and found where they had camped for the night on a precipice a little deeper into the Shipwreck Coast, but he lost them completely when a storm blew in from over the ocean."

"Are they heading to Lamthorre?" the king hissed, the calm he had managed to cultivate suddenly failing again.

"Their line of travel is a bit too much to the north, but it is not impossible..." the messenger had to admit.

The king swore at that, startling the messenger, the few guards and his court alike. Something was happening to the monarch, something none of them liked. But without any idea of what it was, there was nothing they could do other than to remain loyal and trust that their beloved king knew what he was doing.

"I want them found and brought before me with haste!" King Loburt insisted, pointing an accusing finger at the messenger. "Even if it means that we send a squadron of gryphons to the edge of the Vulpine territory, I don't care! Under no circumstances must they be allowed to make contact with the Vulpinae or Lupinae! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, my lord!" the messenger gulped.

"Good, you may go!" As the messenger scurried to get away, the king turned to his council as well. "That goes for you as well!" he snapped, and the assembled council followed the messenger outside, the topic of the conversation completely forgotten.

The king regarded them as they left before, with a frustrated sigh, he turned to his mistress again.

"I am sorry for my outburst, my dear," he whispered, a little ashamed that he had allowed his temper to get the better of him. "It is unbecoming of me."

"You are right to be furious," lady Fucia smiled as she approached the king with a seductive gait. "Any order of the king should never be disobeyed! But be careful not to overreact to things that do not go according to how you wanted them. The Alliance is your strongest ally, so please don't alienate them. And as for the Dragonriders, it is still good that you have them escorted here, but be gentle about it. If you come at them too hard, you'll only scare them off even more."

"It's just," he sighed frustrated. "I had such grand plans for them. With their aid, we could easily have taken our rightful control of Lamthorre again. But now that they have betrayed me ..."

"We are strong enough not to need their help," lady Fucia whispered softly as she reached him and he embraced her in a tired hug. "And there is no evidence that they have gone to join the Vulpinae or the Lupinae for that matter. In truth, there is nothing to suggest that they even knew of your plans for them. Now, rest a bit before you get another one of your infamous headaches."

Lady Fucia reached a hand up to caress the silvering strands of hair on his temple, but the king quickly grabbed it and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

"Don't worry about me, my dear," he smirked, feeling much better again. "I'll control my temper while you are with your sister. How is she by the way."

"My what?" lady Fucia frowned for a moment, having completely forgotten what the king was talking about. Then she recalled what she had told him earlier that morning. It was a cover story she had used to explain her need to leave the court regularly that went all the way back to when they had first met. "Oh, she is doing fine last I heard. But she is eager to see me again."

"You should get her to come to visit you here at court," the king replied as he stepped away from her again. "I would like to meet her sometime."

"I'll mention it," lady Fucia smiled, but with a disappointed sigh. "But as I've said before she has a severe case of Agoraphobia. She doesn't leave her house and I have to check in on her regularly."

"Of course," the king sighed a little disappointed. He had wondered if this unknown sister would be as interesting as his mistress and at times considered going to her himself. But with the unknown woman being terrified of unknown places and people, he didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize the relationship he had with lady Fucia now. "Will you be all right, though?"

"Of course," lady Fucia smiled. "We've been through this before, remember?"

"I know," the king complained. "I just, still worry whenever you have to leave the capital."

"I'll be fine, as will you," lady Fucia insisted with a confident smile that even eased the king's own worry. "But if I want to leave today still, I need to go prepare for the journey."

"Of course," the king agreed. Then a little hopefully, he added: "Will I at least see you before you go?"

"Of course!" lady Fucia smiled seductively as she left the king.

The king's mistress hastened to her own suite, checking the Mana reserves in her necklace as she walked. The result did not impress her and she scowled as she closed the door behind her. Remembering the week before, she quickly placed a few Mana-shapes around the room to silence it on the outside, before focusing and casting her consciousness out.

It was easy to find Quattor. His presence was like a foul odour she could smell even on the other side of the continent where he had holed himself up inside his 'Inner Sanctum'. As soon as she touched his own consciousness, he allowed her the connection she did not look forward to.

"What do you want?" he snapped at her.

"Just thought you should know that your prey has left the Peninsula!" lady Fucia stated bluntly.

"What?" Quattor roared, his anger flaring immediately.

"Are you deaf?" lady Fucia commented annoyed, refusing to be influenced by his outburst. "The dragon and his mate are out of my reach!"

"How did you let this happen?" Quattor snapped and momentarily she was glad that they were only speaking over a telecommunication spell. Otherwise, he might have tried to strike at her. Not that he would have succeeded though, she was as strong as he was.

"You think I allowed this?" she sneered. "I had my most trusted people after them!"

"You were not very keen on obeying me when I first ordered you to get me their hearts!" Quattor growled threateningly as if he suspected that she had a hand in their escape.

"That was because I had better use for them than to simply harvest them for reagents!" she snapped in return. For a moment, she wondered if he might actually travel here through a portal to get his hands on her, but she dismissed the sudden worry. One does not cut the veil without good reason, and it is even rarer to do so without the focus of a portal stone, such as those between the Magi Towers and the Aether Temple. And Quattor had considered himself safe inside his cave, so she doubted he would ever leave it.

"You will track them down yourself ..." Quattor started to say, pointing an accusing finger at her. But she dismissed his order with a casual wave of her hand before he could even complete it.

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped. "I have other duties to attend to and you know that!"

"Do you defy me?" Quattor growled dangerously.

"Yes I do!" lady Fucia snapped again, calling the other demon's bluff. This time, she could go over his head and call on the authority of Divus Procellerus Himself. "The ball is already rolling here and I cannot leave my post if we want to destabilize the entire Barthon Gulf like we already did with the Ealyndore Forest. I must travel to Tharral today still to finalize the alliance between the Lupinae and the Leonea before the human king can follow the instructions I've planted in his mind! If I don't, it won't be long before my meddling is discovered and then it will take another generation in the least to reset this plan. You know how crucial the Garbanan is! This is where we lost the last war, we cannot allow it to be secure when Barathrum returns! Unless you don't mind to wait another few centuries before the conditions are ready to open the Gate of Hell again?"

"Can you not do both at once?" the red demon asked, a little subdued and sounding more like a naughty kid who had his candy taken from him.

"No," she stated bluntly, not at all concerned that his grand plans have failed yet again. In fact, it made her a little smug to see him having to bow to her designs for a change. "Last I heard they were heading for Lamthorre. And anyway, my Mana is critically low. I barely have enough left to maintain my form until we are well out to sea where no one will be able to see who I really am."

That last part was a lie. The Mana in her remaining Cuplaether was enough to supply her for about two weeks, that was if she didn't use any other magic. Still, she was a rather heavy user of Mana on normal days and she had procedures in place to supply her regularly with recharged cuplaethers. But the past month, things had been hectic, to say the least, and her latest shipment had to be brought forward out of schedule, to reach her in time. But that caused a holdup somewhere and they were running late, and she doubted they would reach her in time.

"How long before you can get back on their trail?" Quattor hissed.

"Too long," lady Fucia replied, still uninterested. "The Five is also interested in them now."

"What?" Quattor roared, his barely contained anger flaring again. "How could you allow them to ..."

"I have no direct control over the Five and you know it!" she snapped. "If you want them, you'll have to go after them yourself! They'll be picked up by the Five long before I can get to them. Even if I use portals, for which I don't have enough Mana by the way!"

"I will not allow them to fulfil the prophecy ..."

"You practically did!" she snapped at him, his anger finally starting to affect her as well.

"I did not ..." the red demon started to argue, but she interrupted him again.

"If you had not interfered, they would have been stuck here on the Peninsula, in the service of a maddening king, fighting a war without end!" she hissed. "Instead you had me revert my plans after I had put them in motion." There was a flicker in the stream of Mana from her cuplaethers and she knew her time was running out. "If you have any other cards to play, I suggest you do so now. This one didn't pan out!" There was another warning flicker, strong enough this time for even Quattor to have noticed. "I have to go, my Mana is almost ..." the connection broke completely before she could finish her sentence " ... out!"

Senna sat there by the dresser, looking for a moment blankly at the baby blue demoness she could see in the mirror. With a scowl at herself, she removed the depleted cuplaether around her neck and reached below her dressing table to replace it with the last of her reserves. Idly, she hoped that moron did not try to reach out to her again. He was smart enough to make his hiding spot on a small Aetherecista and wouldn't have the trouble with a Mana supply as she did. He could re-establish contact and continue to argue until she had to give in to his way.

And she was most definitely not in the mood for that! How many times had she allowed him to ruin her plans in favour for his own half considered ones? It was about time she broke away from him completely. It would be safer for her as well, given to how close this little dragon has already come to fulfil the dark prophecy. That was after all how she survived the collapse of Barathrum itself. Calling Quinque away from his fortress on the ruins of the old Jet Tower, then sacrificing the gluttonous demonic blacksmith to the advancing forces of the true Alliance of Light. This distraction allowed her to escape into the ranks of the elves who were besieging her own fortress at the time.

With a sigh, she removed a small ring with a jet inlay she used as a backup Cuplaether and dropped it along with her current necklace amongst the depleted charms. Her hands shook slightly with nerves of being discovered as she retrieved her last charged necklace, and sighed with relief as the sense of Mana returned to her. Luckily, Quattor also stayed away and she allowed herself a satisfied smile. Now wasn't the time to abandon Quattor, but it might be worthwhile to start with preparations. Quickly, before her luck ran out, she cast a simple illusion spell to restore her human shape. It was quicker to cast and lasted longer than a true shape-shifting, but passionate roaming hands in bed would be able to feel the little horns and wings she had. It will do for now, but if she was going to keep her promise to the king, she will have to change properly again.

But now, it was time to prepare for her journey. There was, after all, work to be done.

***

Orriel appeared in the cavernous entry to her lair. Unceremoniously, the dark blue-grey draine dumped the enormous boar she had just caught in a corner. With a silent snarl, she looked over at the only other occupant of the cave. The pale blue draine there still lay curled protectively around the nest of smooth stones she had insisted on gathering herself. There was no indication that she had even moved from her position since the older draine had woken up that morning.

"I've brought food," the older female spoke curtly to her, but she received no response.

Orriel grumbled annoyed and step closer, thinking the younger draine had finally fallen asleep. Yet when she was only a few steps away, she was surprised to find her awake, staring at the nest with red, sunken eyes. The darker female snarled to herself at the state of the younger draine, but would she listen? Of course not. Though she had returned to this lair to lay, she insisted on doing everything herself. Ever since that unfortunate comment ...

More out of instinct than true parental duty, the older draine started to check the heat of the nesting stones. That finally got the younger draine to move, though it was only a defeated sounding sigh.

"I've already shifted the stones about, mother!" She complained in a very dead voice, though there was at least a little annoyance colouring her voice. The bright personality she always had was still there somewhere, annoyed at being considered unable to take care of her clutch ... or rather egg.

"You will not take that tone with me, Ikessa!" Orriel growled, though secretly relieved to see some reaction from her daughter. "Not as long as you want to live in my territory, which will be a long time still if you really intend to give that ..." she gave the lone egg a furious glare "... egg the best chance of surviving! You are still much too young for raising hatchlings, let alone on your own like this!"

"Yes, mom," Ikessa replied emotionlessly, flicking an ear in acknowledgement. But other than that, there was nothing else.

Orriel sighed as she regarded her daughter. There was a time the young draine would have tried to find an excuse for her decisions, but the usually energetic youngster seemed to have lost most of herself. The single egg infuriated her, but it was the broken state Ikessa was in that truly broke Orriel's heart most. The dark steely draine sighed and sat down to regard her daughter. She had been furious when her daughter returned from her foolhardy adventure, pregnant and without a supportive mate. She had warned her not to trust that Claw of the Master. Though the red drake with one eye had to be respected, he was definitely not the kind to be trusted. Nothing good can come from spending that much time under the scrutiny of ... the Master. She shivered at the thought of the entity that ruled her entire being yet remained so vague. Yet, not even the red demon's influence was an excuse for behaving like an adolescent horny drake.

She suppressed another growl, imagining herself ripping that red bastard to shreds. It didn't matter who he was, any drake should be more responsible than this! But his power seems to have gone to his head, using and abusing it for his own pleasures. And now look at the consequences! Ever since he had abandoned his young mate, she seemed to have died inside. She barely showed any emotions anymore, not even when the older draine had yelled at her for getting knocked up by an untrustworthy male when she had first returned, heavy with egg.

Yet, for some strange reason, she was very dedicated to that single egg. One or two eggs usually indicated a very poor mating, one maybe two physical copulations early on in the draine's heat as if attempting not to conceive. Still, though she may have tried not to conceive, it appeared as if that egg was the only thing still keeping her alive. In fact, she was slightly obsessed with it, spending all her time and energy protecting it from any harm. That, of course, caused her to not eat well and not sleep well, as she never left the side of the nest.

Orriel may not be impressed with the situation, but now she was downright worried about her daughter's health.

"Look, Ikessa, you cannot continue like this!" the older draine sighed again, allowing her worry to bleed through in her tone. Arguing did not help, berating her did not help. Maybe showing a little compassion would help? "If you want the hatchling to survive, you have to take better care of yourself as well. Why don't you go eat some of the pig I brought and rest a bit. I'll take nest-duty over until you can return."

She was not really eager to take care of the little irritation, but at this moment she was willing to try anything to help the struggling draine.

"You're going to smash it as soon as I'm not looking!" Ikessa replied with a resentful growl, obviously regretting coming back to her dame's lair for aid with the egg.

Orriel hesitated at that. The only times Ikessa showed any emotion was when Orriel spoke ill of the infuriating sire ... and the unfortunate event when she had threatened the egg. It was just a fact of life that a single egg was not worth the effort of looking after, but when Orriel suggested they abandon it Ikessa had actually become violent. Of course, the young draine had attempted to find a lair of her own, but the egg had already been lain and it took a strong-worded warning from Orriel that the egg won't survive to stop her from running off again. After that, she had allowed herself to wither away as she protected the egg from her own mother.

"You cannot do this on your own"! Orriel repeated once again, and once again the comment fell on death ears. "There is a reason drakes and draines stay together after conceiving ... " She hesitated, realizing that she had tried this line of conversation before without success. "Who is going to be looking after the egg if you die of starvation?" she suddenly asked a little exasperated. However, that comment finally reached the younger draine and she raised her head to look at her mother, her crest erect in shock. "I promise to the divines I won't cause any harm to the egg. Just ... think of yourself as well. You are no good to the hatchling if you are too weak to take care of it."

"I ... I guess ..." Ikessa finally gave in. Reluctantly she stood up, stumbling a bit in her weakened state before she finally was standing on her feet again. Giving the egg a last forlorn look, she turned towards the boar in the corner. But as she started to approach the first proper meal in two weeks, she froze in her tracks.

"Ikessa, please!" Orriel whined when she noticed her daughter wasn't moving. "Do you want me to beg ... " she started to ask, but her comment died when she saw what had stopped Ikessa. She let out a shriek of terror when she recognized Quattor's spectre, and scrambled to assume the expected respectful posture dragons had to take when being addressed by the Master: crouched as low as their bodies allowed, with snout pressed firmly against the dusty floor. She had only heard tales of this spectre appearing to the very fortunate, or rather unfortunate in her opinion. But never in all her years had she ever expected to see the spectre of the Master herself.

Then, terror turned to horror when she noticed Ikessa still didn't move.

"Ikessa!" she hissed sharply. The young draine suddenly remembered herself and collapsed to the floor as well.

"Ikessa, is it?" the Master asked intrigued. He spoke in a whisper, but it had a horrible quality to it that seemed to grate ominously against the ears of the two dragons. It also seemed to echo in the cavern where Orriel was staying, filled with a malicious promise of destruction. "I take it you are Segrien's apprentice?"

"I ... I was his mate," Ikessa dared to correct him with a terrified squeak, though she dared not lift her gaze from the patch of dusty cavern-floor right in front of her.

"Ah, right!" Quattor replied, suddenly noticing the nest of smooth stones and the single egg amongst them. "Is that his offspring?"

"Y-yes," Ikessa whimpered, praying to Procellerus Himself that the Master would not be interested in the egg.

"Only one? Pity." the Master commented disappointedly to himself. Then his terrible gaze fell on the darker draine slightly behind Ikessa. "And the elder draine to help you take care of his heir in his absence?"

"My-my mother," Ikessa stuttered.

"Good," he smiled, seemingly pleased with that. Then he addressed Orriel in a direct, authoritative voice that had both females cringing. "You will help her take care of it to the utmost best of your abilities, understood?"

"Y-yes, my lord!" Orriel whimpered, trying to shrink in on herself beneath the terrifying gaze of the Master.

"If I may ask, why are you here, my lord?" Ikessa asked, desperate to get that terrible attention away from her mother and her egg. "I am not worthy of your presence ..."

"As Segrien's mate and protégé, you will come to me and officially assume his role as My Claw ..." the demon started to say, but to his surprise and Orriel's horror, Ikessa interrupted him.

"With all due respect, I cannot abandon my charge now ..." she begged, desperate to remain with her egg at this crucial stage.

"You dare to defy me?" the Master hissed, raising his voice in anger. Though the full concussive quality of his vocalization did not really affect the dragons, they could almost imagine the dust beneath their feet begin to stir as if fleeing the terrible wrath.

"I can not abandon my egg!" Ikessa begged, jumping up in desperation but still of sound enough mind not to raise her gaze to meet his own. "It is all I have left of my mate and I can not risk it for anything!"

"You insolent ..." Quattor started to rage, but yet again the impossible draine interrupted him.

"I vow to you, with the Great Creator Himself as a witness, that the one responsible for Segrien's death will curse the day I was hatched!" she shouted back at the Master. "Nothing but my hatchling will be able to stop me from seeking my vengeance!"

Her emotions ran so high that without realizing what was happening, she felt her own reserves of Mana ignite. Then followed the sensation of a stab like cold steel into her chest as the binding vow took hold.

Quattor was suddenly absolutely silent. His rage was completely gone and instead, he regarded her with calm interest.

"Your vow is much more binding than anything I could have done," he finally commented. "Be it so. Now hear this: Those responsible for his death have left their sanctuary on the Peninsula. They are travelling to the Arthulle lowlands and may be heading to one of the towers of the magi. They must not be allowed to reach their destination!"

"I cannot..." she started to say, but there was a sharp, hot pang of pain in her chest.

"Remember your vow!" the demon smirked as the draine gasped, shocked at the painful sensation. She doubted the pain would be able to kill her, but if she tried to ignore it, it would most definitely drive her mad.

"I ... I will do as you command," she conceded, bowing respectfully to him again.

"Also, as my Claw, you will complete Segrien's work I had given him before his death and bring me their hearts!" the Master reminded her.

"I ... I will do as you command," Ikessa repeated a little defeated.

Seemingly satisfied, the red demon suddenly disappeared without another word. With her Master gone, Ikessa collapsed to the ground, her remaining strength now utterly spent. Orriel quickly rushed to her side and draped a comforting wing over her daughter.

"I ... I am so sorry!" she whimpered as Ikessa finally burst into tears. "Why didn't you tell me that he also died with chief Urguss on the Peninsula. I thought he just left you behind when he realised you were pregnant."

Ikessa was not in a state of mind to answer, however. She wailed, finally grieving for her lost mate in the open.

"Why did he have to die?" she screamed, burying her snout into the crook of Orriel's wingarm. "We couldn't even mate properly!" There she continued to cry until it seemed she had nothing more to give, her body completely exhausted.

"Come, rest now!" Orriel purred reassuringly. "And eat."

"I must ..." Ikessa muttered, trying to escape her mother's wing in order to get up again. "I must obey..."

"Don't be foolish!" Orriel snapped sternly, keeping the weak draine firmly beneath her wing. "You will not get very far in your condition, let alone be able to keep that foolish vow of yours. First, you must rest and eat. Then you can go. And don't worry about your egg ... I will guard it like my own!"

With the final piece of the puzzle in place, Orriel could properly understand Ikessa's motives and why the egg was so precious. Indeed she felt ashamed of her own impressions of the ... previous Claw of the Master. The older draine did not have to force herself to care about the lone egg anymore, it was her own offspring two generations past.

Somehow, Ikessa picked up on her mother's shift in mood and a calming relief washed over her. Somehow, she found the strength to start crying again until the first proper sleep in two weeks claimed her consciousness.

***

The Lúgroccae landed smoothly on the low, grassy hill. They were grateful for the long journey they had undertaken to be finally over, the tetrapods flexing tired wings a little and the riders shifting about, eager to get off their steeds for a bit. Though the flying together had been exhilarating, few of them had proper saddles and it showed.

The five dragons and two gryphons quickly stepped into a straight line right on the rise of the hill to look down into the valley. There, nestled slightly over the river was the Amber Tower. Only, it wasn't a tower at all. Instead, they saw a large, perfectly circular wall of amber enclosing a large cluster of various buildings. Most appeared to be living quarters, while others looked like buildings for the official maintaining and administration of the Tower. Still others seemed like they could be classrooms or maybe training facilities. Then there was the large, perfectly spherical dome right in the middle of the whole spectacle that none of them could even hazard a guess what it was for.

"It looks like the university town of Erldon!" sir Harald commented surprised.

"Is that it?" Shella asked, almost a little disappointed that her imagination had been a more grandeurs thing.

"This is where that mare said it should be!" Lekreh commented, not sure if he should be disappointed or not. Either way, he never expected to visit the location where his species was created so he didn't really have an expectation for the place to live up to.

"But ... I thought it is a ... well ... a tower!" Alex commented, still a little subdued after the verbal lashing he had received back in the Catarrum Mountains.

"Me too!" Kerron agreed, making the young fox smile a bit.

"You'll find that none of the Magi Towers is an actual tower anymore," Adulf commented, the mirth in his voice rather conspicuous. "It hasn't been since they were rebuilt at the start of the Second Age, to be honest."

"Why not?" Alex asked, genuinely interested. "Why call them Towers in the first place, then?"

There were a few murmurs of approval at the question, making the green magus chuckle.

"I don't really know the answer to the second question!" he admitted. "Tradition, I guess. But as for the first, the answer is actually very obvious. You see, during the Golden Age, they were true towers as one would expect. That is because the magi back then tried to build as much of the structure within the confines of the Aetherfountains. Then, during the Mana flashback at the start of the Shattering, the entire thing was vaporized with everything and everyone inside along with it. So now, nothing may be built on top of the physical Aetherfountains, except for that dome you can see there. And even then, nothing and no one of importance may enter it and those that do, may not stay for very long.

Only the Grand Council Hall of the Aether Temple itself still sits directly over the fountain, but even that is only used once in two years. Overcautious, I guess but safer than sorry when it comes to Mana I think."

"Is that real amber?" Merec commented, astounded at the scale of the whole thing.

"Heck, no!" Adulf corrected him with a delighted laugh. "That is normal stonework like any other wall you will encounter. It is partly to assist in the proper defence of the Tower, but also partly there to indicate the border at the outer reach of the flow of Mana from the fountain. But even since the Golden Age, it is something of a silly tradition to cast an illusion spell over it so that it appears to be of the tower's namesake semi-precious stone."

"Doesn't that use up a lot of Mana?" Kerron asked, remembering the magi during the siege and how the battle shifted when their Mana supply ran out.

"It does," the male wolf admitted a little sheepishly. "But unlike the peninsula, here there is too much of it. And what is not used, gets absorbed into the fauna and flora within reach. So use it or lose it."

"Right then," Gahntuar suddenly decided, taking a step forward. "Let's introduce ourselves then!" He took a sharp inhale to let out the characteristic greeting roar of the dragons, but Adulf quickly stopped him before he could utter a sound.

"Dragons may be more common here, but I doubt they get a lot of dragonic visitors!" the green magus explained. "The Nacre Tower is also close to the dragons' range, and I don't think I've ever seen one there myself. I think it will be best to walk down the road and introduce ourselves by the gate like any civilians."

"But that is no fun!" Amaren commented, but his grin suggested that he was only teasing.

"Still, first impressions are important though!" Lainah reprimanded him with a knowing glare that made the drake's crest wilt in shame.

"I think you are right!" Merec agreed with Adulf. "Right then, let's get this over with!" He started to unbuckle his harness, but then sir Harald stop him this time.

"We come as the Lúgroccae," he stated. "It may be best to present ourselves as such."

"I ... guess," Merec hesitated, not sure about riding into the Tower on dragon back as if Gahntuar was a horse. But then again there was some kind of logic to the statement he couldn't really deny. And with the other trainees watching him intently, he knew he had to make a decision now. With a sigh, he tapped gently against the scaly neck in front of him. "Come Gahntuar, let's get this over with. It has been a long trip and I'm sure we all would like to get settled in somewhere and relax a bit."

"Right!" the dragon growled, following his rider's lead. He carefully started to walk along the grassy plain towards the nearby road, the other dragons following him in turn.

They reached the cobbled road fairly quickly and as nonchalantly as possible, started to follow it towards the great amber wall in the distance. As it were, they encountered very little traffic. However, they did encounter a group of horse merchants coming from the direction of the tower. To Merec's dismay, the equines started pointing excitedly in their direction as soon as they were noticed. Gahntuar also seemed to have noticed and to Merec's shock, he held his head higher and moved his paws with a little more exaggerated movements. It was very near to a courting display he had heard Gahntuar explain to him, and he was about to ask what had gotten into the drake when the small caravan reacted to his display and pulled off the road to allow the important visitors to the Tower space to pass. As they walked by, Merec tried to ignore the awed stares and excited whispers coming from the merchants.

"I told you they were real!" one rather young stallion grinned.

"They don't look that highly trained to me though..." an older mare commented, earning a soft reprimanding slap from the younger stallion.

Merec glanced back at the horses to see them still staring after the Lúgroccae. Then to his shock, he noticed that all the dragons and even the gryphons had followed Gahntuar 's example and were prancing down the road towards the gate.

"Is your evoceather on?" Adulf called just as Merec was about to ask Gahntuar if he intended to keep this up the whole way to the gate.

"Of course," Merec replied, holding up his hand with the little pewter ring on his finger. "I put it on when you mentioned it this morning. But the wand is packed away deeply I'm afraid. Should I get it out?"

"It will gather Mana better if it is in the open," the green magus admitted. "But I think it might be best to keep that one somewhere unnoticed for now ... Also, I think I should warn you that I doubt they will have space for all of us inside the Tower itself."

"I didn't expect it either," Merec agreed, turning back around and was surprised to see how close they already were to the Amber Tower's gate. "I was thinking we could stay in that town we passed about a minute before we landed. Maybe the gryphons can join us there as well, but for the dragons, I was hoping for some ideas."

"The cliffs over there look like sandstone," Gahntuar commented. "I doubt we'll have difficulty finding something that will suit our immediate needs within a ten minutes flight. But if we are going to grow more in numbers, we'll need something better."

"The trainees can build something around here for us to use, that is if the archmagus will agree with it!" Eric suddenly commented from behind Merec. "It will be a good physical exercise for them as well ... kill two birds with one stone I say."

"That is a good idea," Merec smiled, giving the equine a quick glance over his shoulder. "Will you handle it then?"

"Of course, Roccan'hir!" the old dragonslayer accepted. "I just need some time to plan a suitable layout, maybe share some ideas with sir Harald and lady Glenn as well about it. And I need to hear what the dragons would need as well."

"Unlike you two-legs, we don't need much!" Gahntuar rumbled and Merec didn't need to see his muzzle to know he was grinning. "We would just like enough space to stretch out completely and something to keep the wind and rain off our scales."

He chirped at himself in amusement when he thought of that hay he had received in town. "Some bedding will be nice two," he added, earning a confused look from Lainah "but it is not really important. Although ... the nesting draines will need somewhere fireproof to lay ..."

"I don't think it will be a good idea to raise hatchlings in an academy though" Merec commented, but his comment was overruled by the old dragonslayer.

"You bathe your eggs in a fire?" the equine gasped.

"Of course not!" Gahntuar snapped, his prancing movements faltering a bit.

"They need lots of heat," Lainah started to explain, the mirth in her voice evident. "So for that, we use nesting stones. And those are bathed in fire regularly."

"I think we will have some time to work that out!" Merec silenced the discussion. "But first, we need to introduce ourselves."

The Roccan'hir indicated forward at the gatehouse where two magi guards, a wolf and a horse, appeared from a surprisingly small gatehouse in the amber wall. They were dressed in what appeared to be a ceremonial robe, though Merec suspected that the seemingly flimsy cloth could stop a sword as effective as any traditional armour he was used to. The wolf held up his paw, indicating for them to stop. Gahntuar continued on, stopping only once he reached the wolf who took a little intimidated step back again.

"Good morning! I am ... Roccan'hir Merec of the Lúgroccae," Merec announced himself, the official titles he had tried to avoid now coming awkwardly from his own lips. "And this ... this is my dragon, Lúg'hir Gahntuar."

"Good morning!" Gahntuar rumbled politely as well. For their part, the two guards did not flinch in any way when the dragon spoke, though they did ogle the group of riders behind the leading two.

"We would like to request a ... an audience with the archmagus ... or a representative if it pleases the Tower!" Merec continued when there was no reply from the two guards. Though he tried to appear regal, the image of a leader was properly shattered by the halting, unsure way he spoke.

"Ah, yes. Good morning to you two!" the lupine guard suddenly spoke up, realising awkwardly that he was staring. "The triumvirate of the tower has already been informed of your arrival and will be here shortly!"

"We've been eagerly expecting you," the equine guard added, still glancing worriedly at the other dragons. "Though not so soon yet ... and we were told there was only one dragon, not ... five. And two gryphons ..."

"Do you really need such a large entourage?" the wolf guard asked again before Merec could ask what the horse meant. The wolf sounded a little incredulous as he spoke, stepping forward again to get a proper look at Lainah, who was just behind Gahntuar.

"Yes!" Gahntuar growled in a tone that suggested he will not be arguing about it further. When the wolf stepped back quickly again, he turned a questioning glance to Merec. "Entourage?"

"It's a group of people following an important person around, like guards and servants and the like!" Merec explained, failing to smile amused at the dragon's protective instinct over the other trainees ... and the wolf's reaction.

"What?" Gahntuar gasped, turning a suddenly irritated glare at the wolf. "They're not my entourage!"

Still smiling to himself, Merec calmed the dragon with the usual pat to his neck before he turned to the horse guard. The stallion seemed to be more helpful than his colleague and he was physically closer in any case. "These are Lúgroccae in training," he explained "...as well as their mentors. We could not leave them behind, as I will explain to the archmagus."

"Where is Felicity?" the wolf asked a little incredulous as if hoping to take the knock to his pride out on her. "She has some serious explaining to do!"

"Felicity?" Merec asked completely taken aback.

"We have had very little contact with her over the past month," Adulf explained patiently. "The last we heard of her, she was summoned to the Aether Temple."

"And you are?" the wolf guard growled annoyed at the other wolf on the silvery draine's back.

"Adulf, of the Nacre Tower. At your service," Adulf introduced himself crisply with a slight bow of his head. "I accompanied the Lúgroccae from Corrumwhell to here on Felicity's request."

"Wait, so you are telling me that you don't know?" the horse guard gasped, interrupting yet another unneeded comment from the wolf guard.

"Know what?" Adulf asked, also confused.

Gahntuar started to fidget worriedly, almost prying a cobblestone lose in the process. Merec could feel the firm muscles beneath him tense in preparation to jump into the air and to flee. He touched Gahntuar 's neck in assurance, worrying that the drake might actually take to the wing. But then again, he didn't like where this conversation was heading and his mind was already racing to think of somewhere else to hide from Thendor, the Alliance and now the Circle of Five alike.

Behind them, the other dragons had picked up on Gahntuar 's mood as well and they too started to get nervous, even though they didn't understand the conversation. Merec could hear the hushed whispers of riders trying to soothe their steeds.

"You were supposed to ..." the wolf started, annoyed and completely oblivious to the tension he was causing.

"Enough, Zerrath!" the equine guard finally reigned in his colleague. He turned to look directly at Gahntuar as he addressed the nervous dragon. "You are not in any trouble, so you can relax." Then he raised his attention up to where Merec was sitting. "I think it may be best if we let the archmagus explain the situation. The triumvirate should be here shortly. In the meantime, I bid thee welcome to the Amber Tower."

With a meaningful glare from the horse, the wolf stepped aside to let their visitors through. The horse quickly spoke to yet another wolf who took up his position by the gate as the horse started to lead them through the gate. As soon as they passed the wall, Merec gasped startled when he felt the sudden flow of Mana from the still distant Aether fountain. It had been months since he last felt Mana, though unlike before, this time the energy seemed to concentrate around his ring. The guard who was accompanying them, whinnied surprised as he also immediately noticed Merec's ring. Yet, he had the tact not to comment on it and instead focused on leading his charges to a small grassy clearing a little way into the Tower itself.

As expected by now, Merec groaned to himself when he noticed that even here their arrival had caused a bit of a stirring from the residents of the Tower. Though most of the yellow magi were staring at them in curiosity, others were discussing the strange scene amongst themselves in hushed voices. There was even a group standing to one side, eagerly pointing at the dragons and talking excitedly to one another. They were around Alex's age and dressed in plain grey linens, making Merec guess that they were novices of the Tower. Suddenly, he hoped that they were not going to be expecting him to wear that all day.

When they reached the little lawn, Merec quickly dismounted Gahntuar who sat down comfortably on his haunches as he tried to ignore the sudden urge to roll his shoulders. Behind them, the Lúgroccae eagerly followed their example, though most of the other recruits were not quite as tactful as the two leaders. Merec could hear a few grunts of satisfaction to be finally off their steeds and a rumble as a dragon stretched something.

"So, they say you found the wand of Dahrthen," the horse suddenly said, obviously trying to break the uneasy silence. "Is there any chance that I can ... see it?"

"I'm afraid it is packed away at the moment," Merec replied, much to the guard's disappointment. "Anyway, we drained it completely during the Siege of Corrumwhell and we haven't been able to recharge it after leaving the Peninsula."

"So it is true then?" the equine whinnied worriedly. "Orcs attacking the Peninsula ... it is hard to imagine. Do you really think Juinkarr is stirring again?"

"I don't know," Merec admitted. "Felicity thinks so, but there is little doubt that something is hunting us."

"Something killed off most of my family!" Gahntuar growled upset.

"Really?" the equine gasped, shocked. Then he pulled his ears flat in embarrassment. "I meant no disrespect ... and I am sorry to hear. There were rumours that there is a civil war raging between the dragon clans, but without any concrete facts there is very little we could do about it."

Gahntuar huffed annoyed but accepted the guard's apology with a quick nod. The silence that followed was a little awkward and heavy until the horse finally had the opportunity to break it with a relieved sigh.

"Ah, here they are!" he indicated to the side with a relieved sigh. Merec turned to see a rather diminutive, dark-grey she-wolf approach them. She seemed even smaller than she truly was since she was being flanked by a large chestnut stallion on one side and an even larger reddish bull on the other. All three of them were dressed in ceremonial garbs of a more regal design than that of the horse guard next to them.

"I am archmagus Vicia," the wolf introduced herself when she reached them. "And this is my head councillor, master Alund " she indicated towards the horse " and vice head councillor, master Hurthor. "

"Master Vicia," the horse greeted her with a quick bow, making Merec wonder if he was also expected to bow to her. Adulf had said nothing on the matter, but before he could make a decision, the guard straightened up again and continued to announce them to the triumvirate. "May I introduce ... um, Roccan-..-hir Merec and this is his dragon ... Lúg'hir Gahntuar!"

Merec suppressed a sudden smile, feeling vindicated about his own stuttering when the horse fell over the unfamiliar words as well. Still, he had to talk to this archmagus, something he was still dreading a bit.

"I am ... honoured to meet you, my lady," he spoke, his nerves returning in full force when the sharp gaze of the archmagus settled on him. "May ... I also introduce our mentors ..." One by one, Merec introduced their four mentors as well as the other trainees.

"And this is Adulf, from the Nacre Tower," Merec concluded the introductions. "He accompanied us from the Peninsula and saw us safely here."

"Ah, thank you, Adulf!" archmagus Vicia smiled. "We appreciate your dedication in bringing the ... Lúgroccae to us. Now, I believe you'll be eager to return to your own Tower then?"

"In truth, I would still like to remain with the Lúgroccae for a while longer, if the Tower won't mind," Adulf replied with a respectful bow.

"Of course," the she-wolf smiled. "You are welcome to stay here. But may I ask, where is Felicity? I was expecting her to be with you."

"We have not yet heard from her since she was summoned to the Aether Temple," Adulf admitted. "I am eager to let her know we have arrived safely here as soon as possible."

"They have come here on their own accord to speak with you, master Vicia!" the horse guard quickly interjected.

"I ... see," archmagus Vicia replied obviously surprised by the turn of events. "Thank you, Errul is it? We will take it from here."

"Masters!" the horse guard bowed crisply and quickly left them again to return to his station.

"Your guard mentioned that ... er ... there is some kind of situation you will be informing us on?" Merec quickly spoke up as the guard left them. Though he tried to sound confident, he was unable to keep the worry completely from his voice.

"Ah, yes! We have much to talk about!" the archmagus agreed. "But first, please tell me what it is that you wanted to talk to me about." She motioned with a wave of her hand to the side as an invitation to walk a bit away from the others assembled there. Merec hesitated for a moment, shooting a quick, nervous glance at sir Harald. The older man only nodded at him and Merec accepted her invitation. Gahntuar stood up to follow, but the archmagus held up a hand to stop him.

"Your steed can stay with the others," she stated firmly.

"With all due respect," Merec replied, surprising himself at the same firmness in his voice. "He is not just a steed, but my partner. We lead the Lúgroccae together, and I will be telling him everything that transpires here anyway."

"I ... see," the she-wolf frowned as she glanced over her shoulder at the dragon. Then, with a quick nod, she accepted the dragon's presence and the five walked a bit away from prying ears. "Now, what is it that you have come to the Tower for?"

"Yes, well ... er ... we ... we've come to seek sanctuary here," Merec started, the speech he had been preparing since the previous night suddenly failing him. Then he suddenly remembered Adulf's advice and added quickly: "I... I mean if the tower is willing to accept us."

"That didn't come out as you had practised, had it?" archmagus Vicia asked with a patient smile.

"No, it didn't," Merec admitted, hanging his head a little. Gahntuar's chuckle, of course, didn't help in the slightest.

"Forgive my rudeness, but you seem very young to be the one leading this ... group," the archmagus suddenly said, looking back at the ragtag group clustered together on the lawn like children about to be scolded. "The Lúgroccae you say?"

"We are a very young group," Merec replied a little sheepishly. "I mean, the first time I even heard of the term Lúgroccae was only a month ago."

"I am the first dragon of the Lúgroccae," Gahntuar quickly added, sensing Merec was struggling to get his thoughts in order. "And yet, I realized there is nothing wrong with wearing a saddle only a month ago. Like all dragons, I had considered a saddle as a symbol of subjection before then."

"We are still trying to discover exactly who and what we are supposed to be," Merec explained, not sure if it was a good thing to admit but guessing that it would be best to be completely open with the archmagus questioning him.

"Ah, that does explain much, I guess!" the archmagus nodded in understanding. "No need to be formal then. Let us just talk like normal people, and not like Archmagus and Roccan'hir. So, it is a sanctuary you seek? From whom are you hiding then?"

"Everybody, pretty much," Merec grumbled. "The Alliance of Light think of us as shadow-friends and want us destroyed. The throne of Thendor seems to be unaware of this and apparently wants to draft us into the army with the hope of expanding its influence, which in turn will put us within easy reach of the Alliance. The red magus we met at the siege last month thinks the world will be a better place without us. And someone in Juinkarr also wants us dead!"

"Are you sure of Juinkarr?" the wolf asked with a frown.

"Yes," Merec answered firmly, frowning as well at the fact that she chose to single that one out specifically. "The drake who led the orcs to the Peninsula specifically spoke of 'his lord' and 'serving Juinkarr'."

"That is worrisome," the archmagus commented as if something she had been worried about was finally confirmed to her. But she seemed to shrug off whatever it was that bothered her and instead, looked back at the small group of Dragonriders. "And what about the rest of the Lúgroccae? I noticed that they don't even have saddles yet, so surely they are not in any trouble and can return home without worry."

"You may be right about the riders," Merec admitted as he also considered the group. "But I doubt they would be willing to leave this behind. As for the dragons, I don't think they have anywhere to go. You see, they are being hunted down by their own kin and have come to us for a chance to survive. They all have placed their trust in me and Gahntuar, and we will not abandon them. Whether we wanted this responsibility or not."

"So, you chose to bring everyone you are responsible for to the Amber Tower," she commented, a slight flick of an ear the only hint that she was impressed with his dedication to the others. "Why us, if I may ask? Why not the Ivory Tower. Or the Jet Tower for that matter ... both are closer to the Peninsula after all."

"That was Felicity's influence, I suppose," Merec admitted a little sheepishly again. "She had been adamant about us coming to the Amber Tower with her ever since we first met her. And concerning what I know of the various Towers, the Amber Tower is the one whose ... mission, may I call it that? Whose mission resonates the most with Gahntuar and me. Otherwise, we can probably try the Nacre Tower if that will be more acceptable?"

"That won't be necessary," Vicia quickly responded before clearing her throat a little awkwardly. Still, Merec either didn't notice or chose not to respond to her slip-up. "Then, why didn't you come to us when Felicity first suggested it?" she asked instead, putting the focus back on the young Roccan'hir.

"Personal reasons and responsibilities," Merec stated without missing a beat, having expected the question at some stage or another. His answer was probably a little too quickly, but the archmagus seemed to have accepted it. Then a little tired of the interrogation, he shifted the conversation to what he considered to be important. "Excuse me, but before we continue with these questions, I must know if we will be allowed to stay. We have had a long journey as you can understand, and we are eager to get some rest. Also, our mentors would like to start devising a training schedule as soon as possible."

"Ah, yes, of course!" archmagus Vicia smiled at Merec's shift of topic, but then she frowned as she considered the request. "I do not know if it will be for the best to let you settle and train here at the Amber Tower. It may give the impression that we are behind the development of your group, which may be a problem. The Bloodstorm treaty, after all, forbids Magi from being in positions of authority over contramagi."

"We have considered that you might not be able to give us accommodation on your premises itself or the use of your facilities," Merec replied, not as disappointed as he had thought he might be if the talks developed like in this way. "We only ask to be allowed to stay and train nearby. We were considering building our own facility within easy reach of the Tower as it were. That is if the Tower will allow it."

"You wish to stay at the Amber Tower but also remain as a Lúgroccae?" the archmagus asked incredulously, properly taken aback for the first time during their conversation.

"We feel that coming to you is our best approach to stand up against whoever is in control of Juinkarr," Merec replied calmly.

"Which brings us to the other matter at hand we need to discuss," the wolf said, suddenly very serious. "Because of the matter at Juinkarr, the Circle of Five has convened at the Aether Temple. It has been decided that the two of you must be brought into the Circle immediately and without exception or delay. Felicity was tasked with bringing you in, dragging you by the tail so to speak if she had to. The bottom line is that now that you are here, I cannot allow you to leave."

There was a warning growl from Gahntuar, but Merec soothed him out of habit. To their credit, neither of the triumvirate backed off from the threatening dragon, though both the horse and bull did flinch somewhat.

"And what about those who came with me?" Merec asked, his voice a little colder than he had intended. "I am responsible for them, and as such I will not abandon them!"

"I am sure you'll understand that we cannot allow sanctuary to everyone who feels persecuted and comes knocking on our doors," the archmagus insisted, turning to face the slightly taller human.

"But that is the one matter I cannot stand back on," Merec stated more firmly than anything he had said so far to her.

"So that brings us at an impasse then," the wolf sighed as she considered the human. He was obviously young, unsure of himself and completely out of his depth. And yet, he was still willing to stand up for those he considered his charges. Maybe, he was not such a poor choice for this ... Roccan'hir?

"It shouldn't really," Merec continued to try and find some common ground for them to negotiate on. "We are not asking you to carry us, only to allow us to develop ourselves. We will, of course, remain here, close by so that you can keep an eye on us as was demanded by the Circle of Five. As I see it, we should be fighting together against Juinkarr and not each other."

"That may be true, but understand that..." archmagus Vicia started to comment when she was interrupted by the horse slightly behind her. He whispered something into her ear, at which she replied in kind. After another explanation by him also in a hushed voice, she nodded in approval.

"You have a valid point, master Alund," she agreed, turning to the Lúgroccae who stood there huddled together as if expecting to be ambushed at any moment. "Do you have any idea how magically inclined your trainees are?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Merec replied with a confused frown.

"Master Alund pointed out that there are an elf, a lupine and a vulpine amongst your group of trainees," the archmagus explained. "All three species are known to be quite magically adept. The other human, however, remains a question."

"He doesn't have any magical abilities to my knowledge," Merec said. "But why would that matter?"

"If they were to receive training in the magical arts, they would be initiates of the tower and not ...refugees, if you understand what I'm saying."

"I can talk to them," Merec agreed as he suddenly understood the back-door the archmagus was leaving open for him, yet was it wide enough open for what he needed in return? "I'm not sure what the elf's answer will be though. I understand they are very proud of their independence. However, I will not be turning away anyone who is unable to cast magic ... unless you have spare attractors ... um, evocaethers we can buy?"

"I don't think the elf will have that much of a problem," Vicia said a little dismissively. "There are several elves within the Circle of Five, even here at the Amber Tower. However," and she became very serious again "the distribution of Manamorphosis charms are strictly regulated. Cuplaethers maybe not so much as it should be, but for the other charms that are most definitely the case. So I'm afraid that the second option will be out of the question, even if we had any to spare."

"Well, there is still many evocaethers out there leftover from the Golden Age," Merec commented to himself "so I guess it should not be impossible for us to maybe obtain more." But then he shook his head unsatisfied. "Still, I will not be abandoning anyone simply because they were born into a species that is magically inept," Merec remained firm.

"But the Bloodstorm Treaty forbids contramagi and magi from ordering each other around!" the archmagus insisted. "It was specifically done to avoid another Bloodstorm by preventing the Five Kingdoms of old from employing magi in their armies."

"So you are saying that I should leave this here with you?" Merec commented, twisting the ring on his finger around for emphasis. "I will be free to leave because I will also be magically inept then. As per that Bloodstorm Treaty, it will not matter what had been decided by the Circle of Five, they can do nothing to order me about."

"You wouldn't!" Vicia gasped, realizing that he had a point. "Not with Juinkarr after you ..."

"I'd prefer those I know I can trust at my side than those who claim they know best!" Merec said, a determined flash in his eyes indicating that he was completely serious about his threat. Of course, she didn't need to know he had another evocaether as an option to him. But then he was the first to flinch, breaking eye contact with her as he sighed tiredly. "Look, I did not come here looking for trouble. I would most definitely prefer you as a friend and ally rather than just another I feel who wants to yoke our supposed strength. But I will not be abandoning anyone who has chosen to rely on us, as I'm sure you should understand."

"Why do you say so?" Vicia asked, taking the bait without realizing it.

"Why was the Amber Tower founded in the first place?" Merec asked, failing to hide a smirk.

Archmagus Vicia blinked at him in surprise, before she started laughing.

"Well played, human!" she managed to gasp through a fit of giggles. "You drive a hard bargain, and I think you will make a fine Roccan'hir. Very well, we do not have a problem with you setting up some kind of facility nearby. In fact, I believe there is a perfect site upstream from here which should suit your needs nicely. However," and her mirth suddenly dried up like a puddle of rainwater in the midday sun "in addition to your normal training, those who are able to do so must train in magic alongside yourself and as the Lúgroccae, you will have to defer to the authority of the Amber Tower."

Merec glanced quickly at Gahntuar who only shrugged.

"Very well," Merec accepted, though he sounded a little unsure if he was doing the right thing. "We can accept those terms."

"I am glad to hear that," the archmagus smiled, accepting the human's outstretched hand. "In that case, welcome to the Amber Tower."

"Thank you, Archmagus!" Merec replied with a little awkward bow. "I will go tell the others then."

"There is one more thing archmagus Vicia forgot to mention," the dark bull on the she-wolf's other side quickly spoke up. "I doubt it will be trouble, but there is a black draine who has taken a lair not too far from here. So if I understand correctly, your dragons will have to negotiate with her on accommodation and hunting rights within her territory."

"You could have told us that earlier!" Gahntuar growled, glaring at the triumvirate with narrowed eyes.

"It slipped my mind ..." the archmagus replied, equally unimpressed with the dragon.

"It's okay, Gahntuar!" Merec quickly hushed the upset dragon. "We'll just have to handle it as well." He turned to the bull with another slightly awkward bow. "Thank you for notifying us."

"Who is she?" Gahntuar asked, a little calmer.

"I don't truly know," the vice head councillor admitted with a shrug. "She is another refugee Felicity brought here one day and probably the reason why we don't really want to give you refugee status here. She rarely comes here though and when she does, she barely speaks to anyone outside the library. She does seem kind to the few friends she has, but overall she is rather rude and curt to everyone else. However, she is definitely a Lumor dragon though, so I doubt you'll have too much trouble negotiating with her, given your background."

***

The long green grass fluttered wildly about as the group of five dragons landed on the meadow next to the river. They were slightly to the north of the Amber Tower, close enough to actually still make out the great dome over the Aetherfontes. Yet they were far enough away for them to feel as if they were about to forge their own destiny. The location where the archmagus had indicated they could try to set up their own accommodation and training facilities looked welcoming enough for the old dragonslayer to whiney excitedly as he looked about.

"This looks promising!" he grinned like a child with a new toy as he hastily dismounted Gahntuar. "Good space to develop, enough nearby building resources to harvest. I think we can set up comfortably here!"

"Don't start building just yet," Gahntuar smirked at the equine's excitement. "We still have to negotiate for accommodation with that black draine."

"Yes, sir," Eric sighed, his mood a little dampened. "I'm only surveying the sight while you are busy with the negotiations, as sir Harald asked me to do. But if I understand correctly, it is only a formality since we have no choice but to stay here."

It was still strange for him to talk to the iridescent dragon as a superior after a lifetime of hunting dragons. But then again, he will have a little revenge when it was time to train again. Though the dragon did have a point, the Lúg'hir was still in training after all.

"Is that why you didn't go with the others to check-in at the town's inn?" Merec asked, fidgeting with the clips of his harness as he wondered if he should be dismounting as well.

"We need to get accommodations set up as soon as possible," Eric admitted, sounding a little worried. "With the loss of the grant from Corrumwhell's town council, our budget is stretched rather thin. The resources we won't be able to acquire ourselves is going to require more capital than we have already, so I don't want to be paying for lodgings longer than we absolutely have to."

"I've been worried about that as well," Merec admitted with a heavy sigh. "I guess the dragons can help with the hunting for meat and leather, while the riders can cut timber and help with the building. But we are still dangerously short on funds. But there was always some other issues we had to deal with first, so I haven't had time to consider the implications yet."

"Right you are, sir," the equine agreed. "Will all the dragons be joining you to the black draine's lair for the negotiations?"

"Truthfully, I have no idea how to even approach this!" Gahntuar spoke up before Merec could reply, obviously not looking forward to the negotiations. But was after all his responsibility. "Usually, it is one or at most two dragons who request access to a territory, not five at once and with the distinct possibility of more coming in the near future!" He was silent as he watched the distant cliffs where the draine was said to reside. "For now, I think Lainah and I should go to the negotiations alone. Best not to scare her off with so many dragons at once before we had the time to explain the situation."

"Of course," Eric replied, a little unsure of himself. He turned to look at the rest of the dragons where they were standing huddled together, discussing something or another he had no hope of following. The language barrier between them was still very much an issue. "What will the other dragons be doing then?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell them not to get in your way!" Lainah replied as she started to make her way towards them. "The truth is I wanted them to get a feel of the region as well. Where to stay, where to hunt."

"Thanks," Eric replied rather unconvinced. "But what should I do if I need something from them?" However, she had already started to speak to the other dragons about mapping the immediate region for various resources both rider and dragon may require. The equine only huffed a little annoyed and started to make his own way to the river.

"You want me to stay as well?" Merec asked Gahntuar as he watched the equine depart.

"No, I think it will be good if you join us!" Gahntuar admitted, nodding to Lainah as she returned from the other dragons. "Anyway, you allowed me to be part of the negotiations with that archmagus, so I think it is only right that you join us."

"Are we off then?" Lainah asked, a sudden squeak in her voice betraying her own nerves.

"Yes, let this be done then!" Gahntuar rumbled firmly.

And with that, the two quickly took to the wing again, turning immediately to the north-eastern cliffs where the Vice Head Councillor had explained the nameless black draine had made her lair. And sure enough, they had barely flown two minutes when they were able to pick up the scent of a dragon. It was very weak, but still present for them to know that another dragon visited here recently. With the final confirmation of her territory, the two dragons hastily landed on a hill between several large, broken boulders.

"I'm guessing she uses this as a route to and from the Amber Tower?" Gahntuar hazarded a guess, sniffing interestedly at a patch of scent against the bare stone.

"The ... that bull did say she visits the Tower's library often," Merec replied, a little ashamed to have forgotten the Vice Head Councillor's name already.

"She can read?" Lainah asked surprised.

"Apparently," Merec replied with a shrug. "At least, that is what we've been told."

"Gahntuar ?" Lainah suddenly asked, turning around when there was no answer from him. "Are you going to announce us or not?"

"What?" Gahntuar asked with a surprised snort, lifting his head sharply from the rockface he had practically been licking.

"Is something wrong?" the silvery draine asked worriedly. "She's not in heat, is she?" For some strange reason, that one thought caused Lainah to worry more than the rumours that she was a stubborn creature who was difficult to converse with.

"No-no!" Gahntuar quickly added, picking up on his mate's worries. "It is just ... something seems ... familiar about her scent." He lowered his snout for another sniff, but then thought better of it. "But the mark was very weak to start with and is too old by now to tell for sure."

"That is not so strange," Lainah commented. "Remember Lumors cannot declare a territory too openly, so scent marking is not done as properly as it should be."

"Hopefully, the fact that you may know her is good news," Merec replied optimistically. "Nixoruma knows, we could use more friends about now!"

"Hopefully!" Gahntuar agreed, still a little haunted by the scent that was just too weak to recognize. Then, with a deep inhale, Gahntuar roared out the traditional long, drawn-out howl to request an audience with the territory owner.

Nothing happened.

"Do you think she heard?" Merec whispered hesitantly as if speaking too loud would bring down an angry draine on them.

"Should have," Gahntuar commented, confused at the lack of response. Shrugging to himself, he repeated his roar again.

"Maybe we should travel a bit closer to ..." Lainah started to suggest when she was finally interrupted by a guttural scream that sounded ugly even to Merec's ears.

"Not good news?" Merec asked, more to break the sudden awkward silence than to really be answered. He may have not heard of that particular long-distance vocalization, but the fact that both dragons' frills were raised in agitation could only suggest nothing good.

"That was a very ... rude way of telling us we are not welcome," Lainah growled with an angry hiss to her voice.

"Oh, dear!" Merec whimpered. "What now?"

"Now, we are expected to move on or challenge her for ownership of the territory!" Gahntuar growled, equally angry. "But considering what the archmagus had said, we have no choice but to at least try and speak with her!"

Ignoring tradition, Gahntuar repeated his request again, but this time with a bit of whoop at the end. Merec wasn't sure if it was a means of begging or trying to impress the idea of urgency upon the uncivil draine, but before he could ask they received that same, ugly denial again.

"That just won't do!" Gahntuar snapped furious, spreading his wings in preparation to take flight.

"If we continue east without her approval, it will be seen as a challenge!" Lainah warned, but a hiss to her voice suggested that she was eager to follow Gahntuar right to the draine's lair.

"Then so be it!" Gahntuar hissed with an angry snap of his jaws. "We've been courteous and we have been assertive. So if she doesn't want to hear us out at least, we'll have to make her listen! Challenge her even if it has to come to that!"

"Then at least issue a formal challenge," Lainah replied a little harshly. "Let's keep this traditional."

Gahntuar complied without hesitation, screaming out an equally dangerous sounding, guttural roar, one that Lainah echoed immediately afterwards. Without another hesitation, they took flight again, the drake leading the way directly to where he thought the answer had come from. It wasn't even a minute later when they noticed the low cave at the base of a deep yellow cliff. Gahntuar landed a little harder than he had intended making Merec hiccup with the impact, and he roared his challenge again at full volume.

"You have some nerve, don't you!" the angry draine hissed from inside her den just as Lainah landed behind Gahntuar. Her voice was scratchy even for dragon standards and it had a hoarse quality to it as if she has been parched the whole day. "Disrespectful whelps! To invade the territory of a cripple and interrupting my solitude like this!"

"Disrespectful?" Lainah hissed furiously. "We have followed tradition and requested an audience peacefully. It was you who refused to hear what we had to say!"

A shadow moved in the darkness of the cave as the dark draine shifted around to look at the silvery draine.

"I have no obligation to grand you anything!" the black draine hissed at her.

"Now see here!" the silvery draine snapped, a thin trail of smoke starting to curl from one nostril. "We have no other choice than to talk to you! We have been through tough times and we will not ..."

"Tough times?" the black draine, the act of raising her voice making it sound as if she was coughing. "You have no idea what tough times really are! I have no need nor intention to ..."

"ENOUGH!" Gahntuar roared, shocking both females into a stunned silence. He stepped directly into the view of the mysterious black female within the cavern, his own nostrils leaking a stream of smoke by now. It had been a very long time since Merec had seen his dragon this angry and he nervously hoped that this would not come to a fight between the dragons.

"We did not come here to fight!" Gahntuar snapped in a voice that clearly showed he was not going to be backing down. "Circumstances are forcing us to stay here, so we are not leaving until we come to some kind of understanding. Now, if you want us to challenge you for the right to the territory, we can do that! Or you can remain here to waddle in your own misery and we will not bother you. But I would prefer to settle on a mutually benefi - beneficial ... agreement."

The strength and anger of his voice faded to shocked silence as the black draine stepped hesitantly from her cave. She was indeed a cripple, one who should not have survived long on her own. Her one horn was sliced off midway as if with a blade, and the wing on the same side was also completely missing, with only about a foot of wingarm and a little flap of membrane remaining as a mocking reminder of what had been. Her chest and sides were horribly scratched up, causing the scales to grow about scattered and a series of deep scars down her neck looks like it should have been lethal. Yet, her eyes still sparkled brightly with life, though they were now wide in shock.

The shock of seeing her was too much for Gahntuar and his back legs gave out. He sat down on his haunches with an undignified thump.

"Gahnty?" the black female croaked, almost fearful that she may be imagining things.

"L-Laeth?" Gahntuar replied, his own voice cracking with emotions. "You ... you're ..."

Gahntuar was unable to properly start his sentence before the black draine pounced. She moved with the grace and power of a predator who had to rely on running her prey down. Lainah barely had a chance to utter a shocked bark before she was on top of the drake. But instead of attacking him, she grabbed him in a fierce hug, wrapping her remaining wing over his one shoulder and nearly swatting Merec through the face.

"You're alive!" she purred deeply, a sound that seemed to have become foreign to her. "I ... I thought ... Oh, I am so happy to see you!"

"I heard that you ... that ... I thought ..." Gahntuar purred in kind, also unable to get his thoughts into any form of order.

For a moment, Lainah and Merec shared a very confused look. It was obvious that, as Gahntuar had guessed earlier, the two knew each other intimately. So much so, in fact, that all thoughts of the negotiations and challenges for the territory had been forgotten it seemed. Even Lainah and Merec seem to have faded into obscurity for them, as the two dark dragons hugged each other, purring delightedly with eyes closed and snouts pressed against each other's necks. Then, there was a slight shift and the black draine's wing slipped a little lower down Gahntuar's back. This time, Merec received an atrophied flightfinger to the face and the moment between the reunited dragons was broken.

The black draine jerked with surprise at the sudden, unexpected contact. Her snout snapped up over Gahntuar's shoulder and she stared dumbstruck at Merec as if failing for a moment to recognize what she was looking at.

"Um ..." Merec started to say, suddenly feeling very awkward as he was inspected. He raised a hand in what he hoped the draine would recognize as a friendly greeting but immediately felt stupid as he attempted the ritualistic dragonic greeting. "We come to thee in peace and hope to find thee strong and ... healthy?"

That last part was especially awkward, and Merec couldn't help but shift his gaze momentarily over her scars and the amputated wing. For her part, the black draine did not even notice the momentary rudeness of the human. The fact that he was even there, sitting in a saddle Gahntuar was wearing, was completely mind-shattering to the draine. With a startled yelp, she released Gahntuar as if he had bitten her and scrambled away from him in surprise.

"What in Gullivarth's ...?" she gasped, her questioning gaze flicking from human to drake and back again.

"Oh, right!" Gahntuar chirped, still as excited as a young hatchling who has made his first kill. "This is my human companion, Merec." He quickly stepped up next to Lainah to introduce her as well. "And this is my promised mate, Lainah. Merec, Lainah, this is my clutchmate and sister, Laethia!"

... to be continued