FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"It often comes as a surprise to hear that the Third Witch War started very slowly, with no large set-piece battles or military campaigns to speak of other than several daring jailbreaks, like that of Victor of Sercrum by three magi and five gryphons that ignited the final Witchhunts in the first place. In contrast to the short and brutally one-sided affair that is ironically named the First Witch War or the disgraceful months that make up the Second, most of this Third Witch War consisted of coordinated guerrilla strikes and various countermeasures to pin the elusive magi down.

Thanks to his noble upbringing, the very Victor whose interrupted execution had sparked the war in the first place proved to be a great organizer. He was instrumental in the refounding of the Ivory Tower as a means to link up and support the small pockets of existing magical societies, bringing them together to share knowledge and resources. Investigations by the Commission of Reconciliation after the war would show that at this time the magi military efforts were mostly focussed on freeing captured magi facing execution or disrupting military operations launched against them by the Alliance of Light at the time and not any vengeful attacks or even attempts to challenge the authorities of the time.

Things started to change in 2166 [of the First Age] when Elvine of Sercrum risked her life to save a stranger with an open display of healing magic. However, it turned out that this stranger was the heir of the kingdom of Arthulle and in gratitude, the royal family surprisingly enough agreed to keep her secret. Shortly afterwards, she was employed in secret as part of the prince's entourage and served in the capacity of a Court Magus of Arthulle thereon. Though she never betrayed the Ivory Tower and made no secret of her intentions to never do so, she served the Arthulle royal family loyally for two years. Seeing the magus act with such devotion and honour, the king of Arthulle became convinced that there was no innate malice regarding magi and as such Arthulle became the first kingdom to officially withdraw from the Alliance of Light and decriminalize the practice of magic.

Of course, this decision drew the ire of the remaining members of the Alliance of Light and the war turned from a rather cold war into a more traditional, full-scale conflict. However, now with the support of the Ivory Tower Institute, Arthulle managed to push back against the allies and expand its borders all the way south to the ancient city of Yorrol, gaining access to the Southern Ocean for the first time in two hundred years.

With the many magi who swarmed to the safety of Arthulle, it was suggested that the Ivory Tower should be rebuilt as an actual structure again. However, it was rejected initially as only two Mana-wells large enough to house the tower was known at this time: Lorianth Island within sight of the Arthulle capitol was rejected as to not threaten the still fragile alliance between the magi and Arthulle, and the site in the Gherthon Mountains where the Second Ivory Tower stood was rejected because of its association with the Witch King. But after the capture of Yorrol, another third large Mana-well was discovered on Teniele Island and permission was granted by the king of Arthulle to construct a tower for the magi there.

This time, despite a navel siege by Kentereal, the Ivory Tower would not fall again [until The Shattering itself]."

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.

***

The bright red dragon purposefully dribbled a stream of fire oil onto the camp file, the viscous liquid igniting as soon as it touched air. The small fire burnt brighter as a result, lighting up the clearing between the large boulders with a warm, friendly glow. Though he should have known it would happen, the equine with him still yelped in shock as the fire flared up and the rider scurried to pull his fur-lined sleeping roll away from the flames. The action was completely unnecessary though, as the flames were never close enough to do any damage, but the stallion still decided that it was too close for comfort. It may be late spring or early summer, but the darkest hour before sunrise was still very cold this far north and he didn't want to lose his warm bedding if he could help it.

"Egeorn!" Roccan Lance yelped as he checked the outer leather covering for any damage. "Careful not to set my stuff on fire, you big reptile!"

"Then you should be more careful where you put them then!" the red drake grinned unapologetically. He knew better than to let the fire-oil splash carelessly onto the bedrolls arrayed around the fire, but he still found it funny to see his rider scramble a bit.

"Roccan'gon Lance?" the bull with them asked. The bovine was still very young, the curl in his horns just starting to become prominent. He was also one of the very few Bovidae this far up north and only the second in the entire Lúgroccae. "Shouldn't the camp be closer to the river?" He pointed towards the Torren River some hundred yards away in dark. "There will be more flat space there to unfurl the bedrolls on, not to mention it is much easier to get access to the water."

"I am not a Roccan'gon yet, Sal'roccan Benuin," the equine rider smirked as he was rearranging his camping equipment.

"But I thought the Roccan'hir had indicated that you are to become the next squad leaders," Benuin argued, but a soft rumble from the red dragon quieted him down.

"To which squad exactly?" Egeorn asked jokingly. The red dragon only chuckled when the young trainee hung his head shyly.

"We won't become squad leaders just because someone snaps their fingers," Lance smirked, sitting down when he was satisfied his camping gear was safe from his pyromaniac of a friend. Egeorn crouched down comfortably right behind him, acting a little like a windbreak for his rider and without being asked, the other four dragons followed his lead. "Yes, we are up for promotion when you guys graduate, but before we can take up the title of leaders, we need to undergo additional training of our own."

"Such as?" Ernest, another young equine trainee asked curiously. "Have you not graduated already?"

"We have graduated with the basic skills needed for service within the Lúgroccae," Egeorn agreed with a rumble. "But to take command and lead a group such as yourselves requires a whole range of additional skills."

"That is why Roccan Lance and I are taking you out on this bush craft exercise and not the usual trainers," Egeorn added, smiling as the groups of trainees around the fire leaned forward in interest.

"I don't believe it should long before you have your command, sir!" Walter, one of two humans present added excitedly. "I've heard rumours that there has been a sharp increase in queries on what is required to sign up as a trainee rider. For once we might even have a shortage of dragon recruits."

"It is about time the larger Selebore took us seriously!" a lime green drake sitting behind the equine trainee chirped with a puffed-out chest. "It is a good thing that those in the forest brought the Lúgroccae such honour!"

"Everonne!" Chriess, the dark blue draine behind Walter hissed appalled with a nip at the other dragon. "Show respect!"

"I..." Everonne gasped, crest held low in shame.

"I don't know if it is right to phrase it as a good thing," Egeorn sighed, the red taking a moment to look up at the stars in remembrance of the fallen heroes. "But Sal'Lúg Everonne is right: We must not refrain from speaking their names nor hesitating to praise what they have done!" But then the more experienced dragon turned a sharp eye on the younger green just as the drake was puffing up again. "But Sal'Lúg Chriess is also right. We must never speak superficially of their deeds or make light their sacrifice."

"I am sorry," Everonne whined, lowering his head in subjection to the elder red. "I truly meant no disrespect!"

"Was there anyone you know who... died on the Echoren?" a light blue draine called Segria asked a little subdued. An awkward silence befell the little camp at that, making the draine squirm.

"There... were some dear friends..." Lance stated solemnly, as he poked the fire with a stick.

"There was a draine I was considering breeding with," Egeorn sighed, staring into the dancing flames. "But we just never... Now I wish we had just folded our wings and taken the dive..."

"I'm sorry to have caused you distress!" Segria whispered sorrowfully. Egeorn snorted in recognition of her, but he did not speak again. The awkward silence continued until Walter dared to break it with an unsure cough to clear his throat.

"Well, strange how empty the Dirt Tower is ever since the last two squads had left for the south! Kind of eerie, wouldn't you agree?" he suddenly announced. It was a very inept and obvious attempt to change the topic, but everybody eagerly took it gratefully. "Do you think it has even been this empty before?"

"Probably when there were only six dragons in the Lúgroccae!" Benuin grinned in reaction to the stupid question, punching at the human's shoulder playfully. "You know they only started with five pairs, and two of them didn't survive the siege in the north of the Garbanan."

"To be fair, back when we first came to the Amber Tower, it was an empty field!" Lance corrected them, smiling again at the surprised stares he received. "The buildings may look like they have stood there for decades, but I remember the sweat we had to pay to build them!" He smirked up at his dragon, obviously recalling some funny event but the drake was not joining in with the merry mood at the moment. Instead, something seemed to have caught his attention and he was staring out towards the river unsurely.

"You were there?" Ernest asked, awe suddenly alight in the young equine's eyes and completely missing his tutor's worry.

"Everything all right out there?" Lance asked softly, but the red dragon just shook his head.

"Yeah, everything's good!" he announced softly before turning his attention back to the trainees under his care. Though each of the dragons around the fire was over a century old and should have been settled down in a territory of their own in more peaceful times, he couldn't help but think of them as youngsters who had barely flown the nest.

"No, we weren't at the Siege of Corrumwhell," the drake said, smiling when the younger riders couldn't hide their disappointment. "But Roccan'gon Alex and Lúg'gon Aesu were. I'm afraid by the time I arrived, the admin buildings had already been constructed and they were finishing up the last barracks of the first wing. And Lance here only arrived three months after I did."

"Where did they sleep then?" Ernest asked astounded. "I mean if there was nothing there to start with!"

"The same place where you are going to sleep tonight," Egeorn smirked, lifting a red wing for emphasis. "Under our wings!"

"They mostly camped like we are going to, I would imagine," Lance chuckled, grateful for the sombre mood of the conversation being lifted like this. "There is also a lot of sandstone caves in the area, as you well know, so they could have made use of those as temporary shelters as well. Of course, the founders without dragons like Roccan'her Harald took up lodging in the equine village nearby until something was available, but I know most of us didn't have that luxury."

"So why are we not staying in a cave tonight?" the other human asked suddenly. He weighed his water bag to ensure he had enough for the coming night and frowned when it was lighter than he had hoped. "Or closer to the river like Benuin asked earlier for that matter?"

"Because I said so, Sal'roccan Shaun!" Egeorn replied sternly, though the smirk in the red draconic muzzle destroyed any hope of pretending it to be a true reprimand. "But to answer Sal'roccan Benuin's earlier question, camping too close to the water is rarely a good idea."

"Why not?" the more promising of the two humans asked, genuinely interested. "Most towns and cities I know of is directly on the river banks. Even the gates to the Dirt Tower is closer to the river than this."

"Constructing a permanent settlement is different from camping out for the night!" Lance laughed heartily. The human had a valid point, but one which was completely wrong as well.

"We can move to the water's edge if you like," their red-scaled tutor grinned. "That is if you don't mind listening to the singing of mosquitoes the whole night long. And it actually becomes much colder by the river in the dead of night. And for the purpose of this exercise, we will also be too exposed there. Up here amongst the boulders, we are somewhat hidden from direct sight."

"But wouldn't the fire give us away?" Walter countered, feeling a little peeved at not having thought of the negatives associated with camping on the river's edge.

"It will, and reduce our ability to see in the dark," Egeorn smiled, purring in satisfaction. "Well spotted, young one. So, had we been in enemy territory, this camp would not have had a fire, nor would we have taken off our armour. But … that is a lesson for another day, I think, when the summer heat lingers further into the night. Luckily, we are deep into the Arthulle Highlands and the local equines are friendly towards the Lúgroccae, so we can sleep easily tonight."

"But to add to my rider's concern," Chriess added, the dark blue draine looking up worriedly at the cluster of boulders amidst which they had decided to camp. "If we were to be attacked, wouldn't it be easier for us to become trapped here?"

"Again, well spotted!" Egeorn purred satisfied with their best pair of pupils. "To be honest, this was not my first choice for a campsite. I had another location in mind some miles still upriver, but we spent too much time practising your avoidance strategies and sunset caught up with us earlier than expected. So, I had to improvise our camp for the night a bit. I wouldn't worry about it too much though, it happens quite often in the field on even the most carefully laid-out missions. So," he suddenly announced, clearly addressing the four dragons sitting around the edge of the circle. "Now that Sal'Lúg Chriess had indicated a problem with this camp, how would you four respond to it?"

The four trainee dragons looked unsurely at each other.

"Well, since the issue of being trapped was raised..." Walter hazarded a guess, but he was quickly interrupted by the equine in charge.

"Not yet, Sal'roccan," Lance stated a little stricter than he had intended. Still, he whinnied in satisfaction at the bright pair of trainees. He did not doubt that in another decade or so, they would be up for promotion as squad leaders themselves, if not sooner.

"But..." the human tried to argue, but Lance firmly cut him off again.

"The question had been asked to the steeds," the equine stated determinedly. "As they are expected to take the lead out here, it will be their responsibility to select possible campsites like this and be prepared for anything it may throw at them."

"I understand that the riders mostly take the lead when we find ourselves in civilization, while the steeds are in charge in the wilds," Walter agreed quickly. "But I also understood that even then, both members of a pair always have an equal input in the decisions."

"You are not wrong," Lance conceded with a nod of his head, "but only one of the pair can have the authority to make the final decision … that is, if there is time to discuss it with your partner in the first place."

"Admittedly, I was thinking of flying into the dark of night when we didn't reach our original destination in time," Egeorn stated. "But my rider suggested that this would be a good learning experience for you lot about making the most of sub-ideal conditions, and I agree. But ultimately, it was my decision to camp here or press on."

"The teamwork between the Lúg and Roccan is our most powerful tool and one should never overpower..." Lance started to say, but he suddenly stopped when his dragon asked for silence with a quick lift of his forepaw in front of the equine. The red drake was suddenly tense again and it unnerved the group of trainees.

"What is it?" Lance asked worriedly. "And don't tell me it is nothing again!"

"I... don't know!" Egeorn hissed uneasily. "I thought I heard something strange, but I couldn't place what exactly... yes, there it is again!" The red drake quickly got to his feet and turned to face the suddenly ominous darkness.

"What... is that?" Lance whispered, also getting up to stand next to his dragon. Now that they were listening for it, they could hear the soft clicking... of... "Frogs?"

"It sounded more mechanical than organic to me," the experienced dragon insisted when the clicking stopped, rubbing at his eyes for a moment. "Damn the fire-blindness!"

"I smell gryphons..." Chriess warned, but she was cut off with a nip from Everonne.

"We are not that far from the Gerthon Mountains!" the green drake reminded her.

"Walter, Ernest!" Lance ordered, turning around to look at the trainees who were still sitting, unmoving by the campfire. "Kill the fire..."

He had barely given the order when there was the distinctive snap of a crossbow. The next moment, Egeorn screamed in mortal pain as a javelin hit him in the chest. The ballista that shouldn't have been there had barely fired when there was a loud battle cry and some thirty Bovidae and humans charge at the small encampment whilst three gryphons wearing cart tackle descended on them from the dark skies. The two-legs were wearing what had once been white tunics with the flames of the Alliance of Light emblazoned on their chests, but the fabric had been smothered with soot to hide them in better in the dark of night.

"Egeorn!" Lance screamed terrified for his friend as the red collapsed, wheezing for his final breaths. He dove for his sabre, his mind racing with unneeded questions like how the Alliance got a ballista out here... to what they were going this far away from the Belthean River. All questions that had to wait as he barely managed to unsheathe his sword and duck a blow from a bovid with a mean-looking club.

There was a blast of fire as one of the trainee dragons unleashed a defensive wall of flames, but already the distinctive clicking of the ballista being reloaded could be heard between the shouts of the belligerents.

"Chriess! Walter!" Lance called to the most promising pair as he stabbed the bull who had attacked him and twisted away from another attack. "Take the other and go... "

"But..." the blue draine yelped as she was overpowering a dark brown gryphon, not willing to run away and leave their mentors to their fate.

"Don't argue, just go!" Lance snapped as he killed another Alliance member. But it was already too late. There was another snap of the ballista, and another dragon screamed.

***

The Caledonian shrubbery of western Eylendore Forests was a brilliant green as spring moved fully into summer. The rain from the previous night had completely dried out by now, except for a few pools in the deeper, protected hollows beneath tree roots or rocks. The dragons of the Lúgroccae council were sitting outside their quarters on one of the more southern hilltop fortifications that made up the Vedui Tí, lazily enjoying the sun a bit. This was one of the relatively safer positions in the line, but after the beating they took on the Echoren, they didn't complain about being cuddled a bit. Magic did not heal outright, but the month of good rest and the constant check-ups from the Green Magi had done wonders getting them healthy again.

But though there were just about their old selves, they were not quite fighting fit just yet. It felt like the weeks of taking it easy had taken their toll on their skills and the entire council was eager to get some practice in before the relentless press of the horde reached their new line of defence. Merec had even mentioned just that morning he was getting worried about his ability to wield a sword when the horde arrived. Thanks to the quick work by the Greens stationed with them, the bite Ikessa had given the human had not crippled him, but he could not do any heavy work in the month since the disaster and the human was worried about the time lost in not keeping skills fresh.

Logically, he was worried about not being able to assist at all when the horde finally arrived, but it was a needless worry in the dragon's mind. The orcs had wasted a valuable opportunity to strike at them when they had fled from Eydelvise Palace, going instead for the Port of Ghrathelle when they found the castle unoccupied. If they understood Farriha correctly it was not a bad choice though, as the smaller but still intact southern army stationed there could easily have moved up and threatened the horde's supply lines if the orcs tried to push ahead too quickly after the fleeing elves. However, it had been almost three weeks now since the catastrophic withdrawal from Ghrathelle and the horde was taking their time moving up to the Vedui Tí. It seemed that they were not as interested in striking at ill-prepared elves as they were in plundering the elven villages that had been abandoned ahead of their seemingly unstoppable advance.

As such, the horde was only expected to reach the Vedui Tí in mid-autumn at the earliest. Not that it was any comfort for Crown-Prince Aglaras. Determined not to make the same mistake Field-Marshal Veryalas had, he was keeping strict discipline and had the twelve hilltop forts that made up the Vedui Tí remain battle-ready as if the horde was mere days away. Herein, the Lúgroccae and Gryphon-knights played an important role, working together to scout eastward and keep the defenders informed of any approaching enemy units.

Though the members of the Lúgroccae who were still fit for this duty had eagerly taken up the challenge, the monotony of daily life was starting to get to everyone. Especially for the Lúgroccan council, who was beside themselves with worry about what the Claw-of-the-Master was up to this time. Ikessa was again playing one of her tricks, seemingly having evacuated her dragons after the fall of Ghrathelle. But after they had been so thoroughly outmanoeuvred on the Echoren, no one was willing to believe that she had just up and left the forest altogether. So, plans were being made and new tactics developed as they tried to prepare for the inevitable confrontation here in the middle of nowhere.

There were no true rest for the belligerents.

"Pairs, you say?" Gahntuar repeated the suggestion with a frown.

"Yes, sir!" Farriha chirped excitedly. "Our squads consist of four members and a squad leader. We can break up those four pairs into two... er... strike-teams if you will. Each with a more experienced pair as the strike-lead and another as a strike-assist pair."

"Why though?" Jerielle asked intrigued. "Why go more granular than the squads we have?"

"Well," Farriha started to explain confidently, only hesitating to speak of the recent disaster itself. "You see, at... at the Echoren, the Umbrins were always sticking to three-member teams whenever they attacked us, be it a series of those teams in trying to disperse a squad or single teams chasing down an isolated Lúgroccan pair. And therein lies the flaw in our current setup, I think. We send a squad to do a job, but when it comes to fighting itself, we mostly rely only on the Lúg-Roccan teamwork and less so on each other.

"What I want to change," the olive-green draine concluded with a crest quivering in anticipation "is to avoid leaving a pair completely isolated again. If we send one pair to do a job, say chase down an Umbrin dragon or block off an escape route, someone must always fly by their wing!"

"Why then not send a whole squad?" Audenier asked with a grunt, not fully understanding what Farriha was getting at.

"That was the initial idea with the squads," Gahntuar agreed, nodding in approval to the excited draine before smiling patiently at the blue drake. "You will have noticed the gryphon-knights also always work in groups of five. But it proved a bit bulky for our needs, until now. And we don't have the numbers at this time to send a whole squad to chase down one dragon."

"I like Farriha's suggestion," Jerielle stated, though a little hesitantly. "But, what about the squad leader. He, nor the battle-wings commanders will have anyone to act as these wing-mates you want to introduce."

"And even though the two fresh squads that remained at the Camp joined us a few weeks back, we don't have the capacity to increase our squad size at the moment!" Audenier added, suddenly also understanding what Farriha was suggesting.

"I was just..." Farriha started to say, less confidently now as the trouble with supplying the leaders with wing-mates were being raised, when they were interrupted.

"Enjoying the sun, are we?" Aerhin smirked, as their small group of riders exited the barracks to join their dragons in the mellow morning air. He quickly walked up to Jerielle to affectionately scratch the soft scales of her jaw in a parody of a draconic nuzzle, make the large red draine purr with delight.

"It is good to relax, especially after a tough challenge," Charl reminded them again. "But it is long overdue that we get back to training! I know we took a beating a month ago, but we need to get our fighting ability back on track." Alike Merec, the other human was worried about their skills atrophying, but unlike the Roccan'hir he was more vocal about getting back to training. Then again, Merec still needed to be medically cleared by the Greens before he could do anything, but they were confident that it would happen early the next day.

"We haven't been idle!" Jerielle shot back, pulling away from the elf's welcome caress. "We've been discussing important tactical changes to counter the Claw's new strategy!"

"Oh, and that is...?" Merec asked, genuinely interested. Eagerly, Farriha ran her idea of strike leaders and assists by riders again.

"It is a good idea," Gahntuar rumbled, obviously impressed but with enough caution as was expected from his station. "But I'm not so sure if it is a good idea to change our whole structure in a middle of a military campaign. And Jerielle also mentioned that we don't have the numbers to give the squad-leaders and Battlewing-commanders wing mates of their own."

"But not improving outdated strategies may be more disastrous," Charl agreed. "I like the concept though. I agree we will not be able to make changes to our leadership structure but having a second-in-command for them as well might be advantageous in the long run. " The dark human was silent in thoughtful contemplation for a second before he gave the olive-green draine a smirk. "How about this, the elves expect the orcs to take another four months to reach our current line of defences, so why don't we try it out? We can, for instance, have the two wings mock-battle each other to see how it works in practice. We can even ask the gryphon-knights if they want to join in. Our relationship with them has improved significantly and I think it may be good for them to train against real dragons."

"Might be a good idea!" Jerielle agreed with a thoughtful nod, " Though, how about…?" The draine never completed her suggestion as a familiar equine magus interrupted her with a polite cough.

"Master Jonnon!" Merec quickly greeted the newcomer with a smirk. "Checking in on us?"

"Well, someone has to, you know!" Jonnon agreed with a weak attempt at playing along with the joke, but the smile he gave was visibly forced.

"What's happened?" Merec asked, the worry in his voice causing the others to stop their light-hearted argument to listen. "What brought you this way?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid!" Jonnon sighed. He hesitated, considering how to best break the troubling news. "There is no other way to say this, but you are being urgently recalled back to the Amber Tower."

"What?" Gahntuar gasped a little shocked at the announcement. "Why? I thought we were on better terms with the other units these days! What did we do wrong!"

"It is nothing you did wrong," Jonnon quickly said, holding his hands up placatingly "but it is critical that you return. With speed, I might add. I've heard that the Amber Triumvirate has requested that you go to the Nacre Tower and use their portalstone to step through the Veil into the Aether Temple, and from there use the Amber Tower's portalstone to step back home."

"That is serious!" Aerhin gasped worriedly. "One does not cut the veil lightly."

"It is," Jonnon agreed sadly. "But I'm afraid the Aether Temple has denied the request. So you'll have to fly back with speed."

"Pity," Merec sighed. "That would have cut three quarters off our travel time. Still, the Vedui Tí has been properly secured by now so there should be enough time for the Lúgroccae to return home and come back here before the orcs finally arrive, though we do need time to get back into shape..."

"It is not the entire order that needs to return," the magus quickly interrupted him "just the council."

"That cannot be good!" Aerhin repeated, now even more worried.

"What exactly is the problem, master Jonnon?" Merec insisted.

"The Archmagus will inform..." Jonnon started to say but then threw caution to the wind. "Oh, what the hell. It is probably better that you hear about this sooner than later, just be careful with the information if you please." He took a deep breath as if to gather courage before he spoke again. "As you know, the Alliance of Light have been massing their small army on the Kentereal Highlands since the start of spring, building some fortifications on the banks of the Belthean River as a first line of defence against their prophesized rise of Juinkarr this summer."

"Well, we survived the latest attack by the Claw-of-the-Master, so Juinkarr won't be rising this year I think!" Gahntuar announced with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "Sorry to have wasted their time!"

"As it may be," Jonnon continued, giving the dragon a sideways glare, "a small group of your recruits had been out on a bushcraft training exercise when... when they were attacked by a waylaid unit from the Alliance. The training leaders, both Lúg and Roccan had been killed in the skirmish as well as one young draine in training."

"What!" Gahntuar snapped, all mirth now completely gone.

"I thought we made peace with the Alliance!" Audenier hissed in agreement.

"It is not a real peace," Farriha quickly interacted, "just a non-aggression understanding with the local contingent. We all had our doubts that it would be honoured outside the forest."

"Still, where is Colonel Adulsworth?" Gahntuar hissed furiously, puffing a plume of smoke as he looked north as if to see the troublesome human marching up the incline towards them.

"He left for Kerrathiene, remember?" Merec stated quickly, patting the upset dragon's neck in a vain attempt to calm him. "He departed around the time we started settling in here, putting that cervine captain in charge."

"Oh, right," Gahntuar replied, forcing his crest to lie flat again. "I remember now that he mentioned something about seeking guidance at the nearest temple or something."

"Or something," Merec agreed, daring to turn his attention back to Jonnon now that his dragon friend looked less likely to rip the first thing with a white tunic he sees to shreds. "But what bothers me is how did this happen in the first place. Surely, the training group was not stupid enough to go looking for trouble!"

"How the two groups ended up bumping into one another, no one is sure," Jonnon admitted. "Devine intervention? Who can say? The group leader had clear orders not to go east of the Melaren river, an order which he kept to. The alliance platoon they encountered should not have been within a day's flight by a dragon from them. But... that is not the real problem, I'm afraid."

"What could be worse than my dragons being attacked and slain while we are not doing anything wrong?" Gahntuar hissed, still clearly agitated at the news.

"Well... er..." Jonnon hesitated, uncharacteristically uncomfortable with what he was about to tell them. "You see, the survivors decided to take justice into their own hands. They... tracked the band of Alliance members back to a nearby equine village, a little hamlet known as Kantmere... and... I'm sorry to say that they proceeded to burn the entire place to the ground..."

"What!" the entire Lúgroccan council gasped. The news came as such a shock that it dissipated the heat from Gahntuar's righteous anger completely, leaving him cold, stunned and confused. But then, the crest he held up erect like all the other dragons present started to lower in anger and he puffed out another plume of smoke. He kneaded the rocky ground as a murderous fury started to take hold of him.

"Easy Gahntuar," Merec started to calm the dragon down again. In all the years they had been together, he had never seen the dragon this angry before and it had him worried. Luckily the perpetrators were just over eight days' flight from them. Hopefully, it would be enough time to allow the black drake's emotions to cool again. He turned back to the equine magus. "How do we know the information is accurate?"

"They were boasting of their deeds when they returned to the..." Jonnon started to say, but he was interrupted by a draconic curse best left untranslated.

"Where are they now?" the drake hissed, practically stalking the worried magus. There was a dangerous edge to his voice that had everyone there step back a bit, all that is except for Merec who tried to calm the dragon down again with gentle rubs to the fine scales of his throat.

"I'm just informing you," Jonnon started to say, taking a worried step back. But Gahntuar shook Merec's caresses away and stepped right up to the equine.

"Just,... tell me where they are now!" Gahntuar hissed, visibly attempting to reign his anger in.

"Acting Lúg'hir Amaren had them restrained and confined to one of the empty barracks buildings," Jonnon replied quickly. He knew he had nothing to fear from the dragon before him, but the overbearing presence was wearing his confidence thin suddenly. "He immediately informed the Amber Triumvirate on the matter and requested that you return with speed. He knows this is beyond his authority to deal with, and he needs the full council to decide their fate."

"Thank you, Master Jonnon!" Gahntuar hissed, nodding in satisfaction at with answer and turning away from the equine. It was only when the magus unintentionally released a relieved sigh that the dragon suddenly realised how tenuous his control over his emotions had become. Forcing himself a friendlier smile, he turned to the equine again. "Thank you for informing us now, and not letting this news wait until we got back to the Amber Tower!"

"Yes, thank you, Jonnon!" Merec agreed, scratching Gahntuar again to make sure the dragon was truly calmed down again. "I'll go talk to the elvan crown prince and try to explain something of what has happened. I'm sure the council will receive leave to return home and handle this."

"One of my colleagues is busy speaking with him now," Jonnon replied, sounding more relieved that he was still in one piece than he should have been. He really came to like the dragons but honestly, how did the human manage to deal with the dragon constantly? "The Amber Tower is after all responsible for the Lúgroccae, so if this request comes from us, he will have no choice but to let you leave."

"Right then," Gahntuar hissed, suddenly eager to return to the Amber Tower. "Audenier, when is the earliest we can leave?"

"Preparations will be quick, sir, especially since we won't all leave the forest!" the blue drake spoke up.

"Though I'd like to take a small escort with us," his rider added quickly. "We still don't know where Ikessa is laying in wait for us. Two pairs from each Battlewing should suffice, I think. Best not to weaken either of the units more than they already are."

"That is a good idea," Jerielle agreed, giving Gahntuar a worried sideways glance. In the years she had known him, he was usually very level-headed and his sudden outburst of anger just now had her a little worried. "But, which of the two wing-commanders will we put in overall charge then? Lúg'gon Fargamer and Roccan'gon Celine are tactically excellent, but Lúg'gon Ethiene and Roccan'gon Steivan on the other hand has more experience."

"What about Lúg'her Farriha?" Aerhin asked suddenly, looking up at the only dragon in the council who was no longer paired up with a rider. "She is more active in the operational running of the Lúgroccae and I believe she will be better equipped to lead our forces here than deciding what to do with those... impudent..." The elf grunted, betraying his anger at the irresponsible trainees.

"I am honoured that you believe I can take over here," Farriha purred delightedly, daring to give the elf an affectionate nuzzle whilst ignoring the jealous glare Jerielle tried to suppress. "Thank you."

"Aerhin is right!" Merec agreed. "And I believe the crown prince has taken a liking to her, so she shouldn't have too many problems with any political issues that may crop up. So, if everyone agrees..." He looked around at the other members of the council, who quickly nodded their approval of the suggestion. "... then will you, Lúg'her Farriha, accept the position of acting Lúg'hir in Ealyndore?"

"I," Farriha gasped, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed with the trust bestowed on her. With a deep purr of gratitude, she bowed her head, first at Gahntuar then at Merec as well. "Thank you, sir. I will not let you down."

"Right then, with that settled we should start preparing for our journey!" Charl announced, tapping Audenier's shoulder and indicating with a nod of his head for the dragon to follow him. "If we hurry, we can leave in an hour. That will leave us with at about seven hours of daytime left for today."

"Good, please get the preparations ready then!" Merec agreed as the two of them left. "I'll go inform the crown prince then that we will leave Farriha in charge of the majority of our forces here. Aerhin and I should anyway also take our leave of the Vedui Tí more officially than just disappearing and letting the Yellows explain our absence. Then as soon as we are done, we can be on our way."

***

It was mid-morning, a week later when the council finally arrived back at The Camp. It was eerily quiet, their work of the past decade seeming more like a mining camp abandoned for the winter rather than the Lúgroccan headquarters. Still, it was not completely lifeless as a roar of challenge issued from one of the guard towers by the gate as soon as they cleared the final rise and the buildings came into view. Merec couldn't help to smirk in amusement as the challenge quickly morphed into a whoop of greeting as the single guard by the gate recognized them and announced their arrival.

Gahntuar led them low over the buildings, not bothering to land by the gate as he headed directly to the row of administrative buildings. They landed just as a conspicuously anxious Amaren and Shella exited the building, followed closely by the rest of the stand-in council. Gahntuar smiled delightedly when he noticed even Lainah appear with the hatchlings in toe, though the silvery draine came from the quarters he shared with Merec.

"Dad!" the little teal drake shouted excitedly, rushing eagerly down the incline as the council landed in front of the Warroom. He was joined by his clutchmates and they ran with excited chirps to meet their father, nearly stumbling over each other in their eagerness to be reunited again. Gahntuar chuckled happily as he crouched onto his haunches and allowed the little ones to hug his chest, giving them a big hug with his wings curled around the entire clutch.

"Uncle Merec!" an emerald green draine chirped equally excited as Merec climbed out of the awkwardly angled saddle. The hatchlings wiggled from their father's grip and grappled Merec in equal affection just as his feet touched the ground. Luckily for the human, the waist-high hatchlings knew to be careful by now, or they would have knocked him clean off his feet in an attempt to get a hug from him as well. They did tower over him already when they tried to stand on their hind legs after all.

"We heard you got hurt!" a dark young drake whined amidst the clamouring for attention. "Are you okay?" Behind the pile of scales and wings, the rest of their flight chuckled as the other riders also dismounted.

"As you can see, Merec and I are fine," Gahntuar smirked, prying each hatchling away from their relatively sized playmate to nuzzle them in turn. "But, tell me about you... how are things here? I thought you would still be living in the cave... "

"Mom said she thinks it is best to stay here in your built lair while you are away," the last of the hatchlings, an almost white drake stated quickly. "She thinks is it best to be close while she helps uncle Amaren out around here!"

"That is smart," Merec smiled as he is relieved of the last hatchling "but I'm afraid we quickly need to speak to … uncle Amaren about something."

"Aw!" the hatchlings whined for a moment.

"Uncle Merec is right!" the teal drake quickly changed his tune, noticing the look on his father's face. He was the eldest and as such the more dominant of the clutch and the other three looked up to him for guidance. "Come on guys, we'll have dad home all night tonight."

"Yeah!" the other three grinned, already looking forward to a great night together as they finally parted to let the other adults through. Gahntuar purred a little bit louder when his two beloved females came to nuzzle him.

"I am so glad you are back safely!" Laethia whispered in a hushed voice, the black female pressing up against his shoulder.

"And me!" Lainah agreed a little louder, nuzzling firmly against his neck as if to try and outdo the other draine for his affections. "When we heard about what happened on the Echoren..."

"It is okay," Gahntuar hushed them with a joyous croon. "We are safe again, now."

"And I never thought I'd admit it, but I'm happy you are okay as well!" Laethia added, turning to Merec and even going so far as to give him a quick nuzzle. She had always only tolerated the human rider for Gahntuar's sake, but when news had reached them of his grievous wound, she had come to realize that she cared more for the rider than she would have liked to admit.

"Thank you," Merec smiled, rubbing her jaw gently before turning to give Lainah some attention as well just as the silvery draine reached down to nuzzle him.

"I'm so glad you are back, Dad!" Amaren commented when Gahntuar was open, reluctantly pulling away from Tembarah who had been chosen to be part of the escort at the last moment. But he quickly caught himself and with an awkward cough, he corrected himself. "Er, I... I mean, I trust the journey had been uneventful, sir?"

"It has been, thank you!" Gahntuar smiled, nodding with a smile at his eldest son. "We managed to make good time. And yes, we are also glad to be back again."

"How had The Camp managed while we were away?" Merec asked, turning to Amaren's rider as he quickly extricated himself from Gahntuar's two mates.

"Good sir," the female wolf dared to smile. Though she was privy to information that there was more between the dragons and the human, it was still a regular if amusing sight to see the mates of Lúgae take a keen interest in their mate's riders. "We had one incident involving a band of Umbrins from the Ice Mountains shortly after you left, but they had been handled easily enough and they didn't dare to try anything else just yet. Though, with nearly all our forces down in the forest at the moment, I am worried that we will not be able to respond as quickly or effectively as we had then, should they try something new. Lúg'gon Aesu and Roccan'gon Alex have their hands full just keeping this place guarded with the few pairs we have left."

"Ah, yes," Merec smirked at the mention of the two old friends. "I remember you requested that they remain behind to take command of our remaining squad here, as they are the most experienced pair left at the camp." The human's smirk broadened into a devious grin. "And how did they take the promotion? I seem to remember that they usually tried to avoid taking on too many responsibilities."

"Yes, they tried to wriggle themselves out of this one as well, of course!" Amaren chuckled. "Even went as far as to explain how they have not yet been trained to take on the role of squad-leaders. I know they were desperate to join the other two gryphon-pairs going to war, but once they realized there was no getting away from their new duties, they took to their new responsibilities admirably well, surprising as it may seem."

"That is good to hear!" Merec smiled. Though they had a shaky start when the Lúgroccae first began to form, the two was one of the better pairs and their promotion was long overdue.

"What about the incident with Kantmere?" Gahntuar rumbled, unable to avoid releasing a puff of smoke as he finally took on the great storm cloud that was in their flight path and which everyone was trying to avoid. At the mention of the doomed hamlet, the whole group's mood dropped.

"I... I am so sorry for failing you," Amaren whispered, crest flat in shame and head held low, unable to look the Lúg'hir in the eyes anymore.

"Did you mention anything about striking back to them?" Gahntuar asked, softly but sternly.

"Of course not!" Amaren yelped appalled, looking up in astonishment at his father. "I know how important working together with the civil species are to you, and the equines has been the first to widely accept us! The first I heard about any of this was when it was already done. We didn't even know that the training leaders had been slain beforehand!"

"Then why do you think you've failed me?" Gahntuar asked a little more gently. "I'm not blaming you for what has transpired! In fact, I fear this may have happened even if we were here!"

"Thank-thank you, dad... um sir!" Amaren whispered, relieved.

"We should probably inform the Amber Tower of our arrival then!" Merec muttered, the tone in his voice betraying that he was not looking forward to the discussions to come.

"Actually," Laethia interrupted him, hesitating a bit when the arrivals looked at her. "The Amber Triumvirate is already here waiting for you in the Warroom. They have been staying here for the past two days in fact, insisting to speak with you the moment you arrived."

That news caused the tired flight of dragons to groan as the mood amongst the council dropped even lower.

"Let's go greet our guests then and get it over with!" Merec grumbled, stepping determinedly to the largest of the administrative buildings. They entered the meeting hall, finding the space already set up into a makeshift court. The large table was gone and the usual seating for all the council members and witnesses were arranged against the one wall of the room.

And seated right in the centre of the judges' bench was the Amber Triumvirate, patiently waiting for them to arrive.

"Greetings, Roccan'hir, Lúg'hir!" Archmagus Vicia greeted them with a sternness in her voice that made the pair feel like they were the ones on trial here. The she-wolf got up to greet them properly, her usual light demeanour completely gone. "Damn it! This is a mess!"

"Master Jonnon informed us that you have been brought up to speed on what happened?" Master Alund, the Amber Tower's Head Councillor, said with an upset growl to his voice. The equine was a lot more sombre than his usual self and Merec suddenly worried if he had known any of the villagers who had died.

"He's given us a basic overview, yes!" Merec agreed and he accepted the equine's hand in greeting. "But there is still a lot of questions on exactly what happened."

"I hope you are not going to try and find an excuse for their actions!" Alund stated with a dangerous frown.

"On the contrary," Merec insisted firmly, aware of the sudden cold relation between him and the equine he had often thought of as a close friend. "All I know for sure at this moment is someone's understanding of a report he had heard of. If we are to be fair, we need to understand exactly what has happened and why."

"For once, the Roccan'hir speaks wisdom!" Master Hurthor, the Amber Vice Head Councillor grumbled unamused. The bull seemed to be the only one to act as he usually does, but even he was conspicuously tense about the whole situation.

"I... You are right," Alund started to argue when the truth of his colleague's words dawned on him. With ears flat in embarrassment, he turned back to the human he had accused of betraying his trust. "I apologize for my outburst. It is just... this came as a shock to all of us!"

"To us even more so!" Gahntuar growled dangerously. "This goes against all we teach our trainees!"

"When will we be interviewing the guilty parties?" Vicia asked still in her stern voice, though she glanced worriedly at her Head Councillor.

"We have had a long journey of hard flying!" Merec replied with a sigh, allowing the exhaustion to become evident in his voice. "I was expecting to rest for the evening and have some time to review the facts for ourselves. We can deal with the troublemakers first thing tomorrow..."

"That is out of the question, I'm afraid!" Vicia interrupted him with a wave of her hand.

"How so?" Merec asked with a frown of his own, obviously not impressed at being overruled.

"You should have arrived earlier if you wanted time to relax a bit before doing anything!" Hurthor insisted with his gruff voice.

"If you are implying that we wasted time getting here," Audenier hissed out of turn, his crest instantly erected in agitation, "I'd suggest you grow a pair of wings and show us how it is done! I will have you know that we arrived three days ahead of schedule!"

"Easy, Audenier!" Merec stated firmly. The blue dragon backed down slightly at the reprimand from the Roccan'hir, but his crest did not relax. With the drake in control of himself, the human turned to address the bull in a similar stern voice, even though it was Vicia's job to call him to order. "We are all tense and arguing amongst each other will be counterproductive!"

"The problem is that we do not have the time!" Vicia explained, frowning at the human's reaction to Hurthor's accusation but letting it slide. He was right and there were more important matters to address than simple protocol. "The Coral Tower had managed to call an emergency sitting of the Circle of Five to discuss these recent events, and I'm sure you'll be able to guess what they will be pushing for. We've managed to buy some time for you to arrive, but we could not delay the conference beyond tomorrow. So, if we want to do something to get ahead of this disaster, we have to act this evening."

"And with the Amber Tower acting as host for the Lúgroccae, it will be best if we participate in the events!" Alund quickly insisted.

"With all due respect," Merec quickly stated firmly. "If we are to be held accountable for anything, we must have the opportunity to handle this internally. Else, we might as well wait for the Circle of Five to give a verdict and there won't be any reason to hold this hearing in the first place."

"You may have a point there, but..." Hurthor started to say, but Merec was not done yet.

"However, we have always appreciated your guidance and support," Merec continued overly patient. "Something like this has never happened in our history, and we will be happy to hear any input you may have on the matter. But please, allow us the opportunity to defend our integrity first."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, the three magi leaning in towards each other to softly consider the request amongst themselves.

"Very well," the Archmagus suddenly announced, "but if this gets out of hand, we will intervene."

"Understood … and thank you!" Merec replied with a smile, though the emotion did not carry to his eyes. It may have been a small victory, but he did not look forward to the coming trial. "I still want some time to rest and review the facts first, but I also understand the urgency of the matter. Therefore, we will convene again for the hearing this afternoon, an hour before sunset. Will this suffice?"

"I believe it will, Roccan'hir!" the Archmagus agreed after a short pause. "We will be ready."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Gahntuar rumbled with a nod of his head.

"Roccan'hir, Lúg'hir!" Vicia greeted them with a nod of her head as well before she had the rest of the triumvirate took their leave. However, Merec was caught by surprise when he noticed the she-wolf was unable to hide a satisfied smile to herself.

"I didn't think they would have allowed us to judge the accused ourselves!" Aerhin stated surprised when the three magi were gone.

"Nor did I," Merec agreed with a tired sigh. "But at least we can show what we stand for now." The human turned to the assembled council members. "Alright, I suggest we take two hours to rest a bit, then reconvene here just after lunch. Lúg'her Laethia, Lúg'gon Amaren, Roccan'gon Shella? Will you please prepare the facts for us to look at so that we can be ready for the hearing this afternoon?"

Yes, sir!" Laethia quickly replied, smiling proudly. "I have already gathered everything we know together for easy review."

"Thank you!" Merec smiled, watching the others quickly disperse to rest up after the hard flight. When he and Gahntuar were alone again, he sighed and slumped onto a random chair. "This is a mess!"

"That it is!" Gahntuar agreed with a furious hiss, another plume of smoke curling from his nostrils. "Was I a fool for thinking something like this would never happen!"

"If you are, then we all are fools with you!" Merec sighed again, leaning back in his chair again. "Damn it, I wish Harald was still here. I feel so... lost right now."

"As do I!" Gahntuar agreed, nuzzling his rider reassuring. "As do I!"

***

Gahntuar found himself in the Warroom that afternoon, exuding an aura of dangerous authority he was rarely capable of as he sat in the middle of the back wall of the room. Yet, even so, he caught himself anxiously scratching at the same spot on the wooden floorboards repeatedly as he awaited the accused to be led in. His claws had quickly created four parallel furrows in the wood, something he would probably be in trouble for the next day, but to be honest his mind had been elsewhere a moment before. This was ridiculous! He was the Lúg'hir, the Lord-Dragon of the Lúgroccae, and yet he was nervous about meeting dragons and riders who had not yet even earned their spot in the Lúgroccae?

In front of him, Merec was seated on one of the simple chairs the council's riders usually used when they held their meetings, his hands resting on his knees thanks to the lack of the table which normally took up most of the free space in the room. Unlike himself, the human seemed calm and collected, the dragon thought. Though, small twitches of his fingers which made it seem as if he was playing the lute betrayed his nerves at what was about to transpire.

Gahntuar risked a glance to his left. Jerielle sat quietly beside him, also unable to stop a nervous twitching of the ear. Aerhin in front of her was the only one of the Lúgroccae council to seem completely in control of his emotions, but the drake had his doubts. Gharavhan was seated on Jerielle's far side, the dark brown drake trying to lick inconspicuously at a forepaw but failing to deceive his lupine rider who leaned back to hiss some under his breath at the drake. And on the very far side of the room sat the retired members of the council who could be there: Glenn with Lekreh directly behind her and Lainah next to him. Though they would not be participating in the trial and have no say in the final verdict, Merec had wanted them to be present and be seen observing the proceedings.

To Gahntuar's right, Audenier was softly tapping out the rhythm of the 'Call to Battle' while the human in front of him caught himself biting his nails again. Beyond the blue drake, sat Laethia. The draine with only one wing was glancing away from him at the other far side where the Amber delegation was taking their seats. She seemed to be focusing specifically on the three Yellow scribes where they were finalizing setting up their workstations, her frill quivering awkwardly. Gahntuar knew her well enough to hazard a guess as to what was bothering her though: She has always acted as the administrative head of the Lúgroccae, yet it never occurred to her to arrange something to have the proceedings recorded herself.

"Everyone ready?" Merec asked deadpan when the shuffling from the Amber delegation ceased. There were a few sombre mutterings of agreement, so when there were no objections the human decided to get this over with. "Right then, let them come in!"

A lone turquoise drake, one of the guards by the door at the far end of the room snorted in acknowledgement and quickly stepped out of the room to call in the accused. The two dragons by the door were one of the unlucky ones who have returned to The Camp as rider-less Lúgae after the disaster on the Echoren the month before and as such they both failed to hide a contemptuous, though silent snarl as the irresponsible trainees were led in by Amaren and Shella.

One by one, three dragons and four riders stepped into the makeshift courtroom, flanked by the four Lúgroccan pairs in full battle armour who had escorted the council from the forest. The ungraduated members entered the room with their heads held high as they appeared before the council, practically marching in squad formation to stand on trial. They held themselves proudly, presenting themselves as if on parade and though he had known this, Merec still felt his heart drop as their entire training group turned to face the council with precise, well-trained movements. In fact, of their entire reserve of recruits, only the unpaired dragons and the three who had arrived before the Lúgroccae had been summoned to Eylendore were not present.

"Sal'roccan Benuin; Sal'lúg Segria; Sal'roccan Ernest; Sal'lúg Everonne; Sal'roccan Shaun; Sal'lúg Ferhein; Sal'roccan Walter!" Roccan'hir Merec stated firmly, locking gazes with each of the accused in turn, though he reserved a special glare at the last young human who had been so promising. Though he spoke calmly and clearly, there was an almost draconic growl of disapproval to his voice. The group of accused stood at unfaltering attention in front of the council, but though they were showing the expected respect outwardly, there was an undeniable sense of defiance about them.

"You have been charged with the unlawful and unsanctioned attack on the village of Kantmere and the genocide of its residents," Roccan'hir Merec continued sternly. "We have reviewed the evidence against you and have found the accusations to be sound. How do you respond to the accusations brought against you?"

"Unlawful?" Sal'roccan Benuin snapped, completely ignoring the respect he owed the Roccan'hir. He was the only bovid other than Master Hurthor in a hundred-mile radius and but the second to sign up as a rider, yet the young bull was still a very talented rider and there had been high hopes that he could have been an example for his race that they were welcome amidst the dragons. "They attacked us first!"

"You will show respect to your elders, young bull!" Lúg'her Jerielle hissed, a tendril of smoke already escaping from her left nostril. Sal'roccan Benuin flinched slightly at the reprimand but did nothing to withdraw his statement.

"Are you accusing the village of attacking you first?" Roccan'her Aerhin stated in a calm voice, his tranquil demeanour almost scarier than the looming dragons behind them.

"With all due respect to the council," Sal'roccan Walter spoke up softly, "but the band of Dragonslayers who attacked us without cause were tracked back to that village. They were even still there when we arrived, drunk from celebrating their victory and when we demanded the elders of the village to hand them over to face justice, they refused! So, they brought this destruction upon themselves!"

"You are well aware that you were acting way outside your authority!" Roccan'hir Merec stated firmly, casting a withering glare onto the human. He was acutely aware of the absence of the younger human's dragon by his shoulder and he didn't want to think what he would have done had it been Gahntuar who had been slain. Still, the actions taken by these seven individuals could very well jeopardize the future of the whole Lúgroccae and he couldn't allow sentiment to cloud his judgement.

"This should have been handled by acting Roccan'hir Shella and Lúg'hir Amaren," Roccan'hir Merec continued without pause "or even by the Amber Triumvirate, seeing that we are only allowed to stay here in this very Camp by their good graces! The elder was well within his rights to refuse such a demand from mere trainees!"

"They killed Roccan'gon Lance and Lúg'gon Egeorn," Sal'roccan Walter practically shouted, balling his hand into a fist which he intended to shake at the council, only a well-timed hiss from one of the escort dragons reminded him of his place. Instead of venting his anger at the council, he seemed to slump, and he continued with a voice breaking with emotion. "They... they killed my Chriess... How can we just allow them to get away with it?"

"We did not expect you to pretend that it never happened!" Roccan'hir Merec stated, unable to remain stern in the face of such raw emotion. But when he continued, that coldness he had addressed them with earlier with returned in full force. "But your actions are equally vile, and we cannot condemn one and condone the other!"

"We've defended the name of the Lúgroccae!" Sal'lúg Everonne, the lime green drake standing by the equine trainee's shoulder spoke out defiantly. "We should be honoured, not tried like this!"

"SILENCE!" Lúg'hir Gahntuar snarled in the ancient draconic language, the sharp and ugly sounding bark escaping his maw along with a puff of smoke. He held his breath for a second to recompose himself, as well as to allow the smoke of his fury to dissipate somewhat before he switched back to common for the sake of the Amber delegation. "Do not for one moment think that I am proud of the destruction you have wrought! There is a big difference between just anger and simple anarchism! How you cannot see that?"

"With all due respect... how can you not be proud?" the trainee dragon retaliated, appalled that the council could not understand why they had taken the actions they had. "With the rest of the Lúgroccae in Eylendore, we've taken it upon ourselves to track down those merciless killers and bring them and those who chose to defend them to justice!"

There was an angry hiss from one of the dragons who escorted them into the room and his rider unnecessarily reached back to calm the drake. The guard's reaction at the defiant question came as a surprise to all present there and when the three trainee dragons automatically turned to see what the problem was, the look of disgust on the faces of their heroes completely took the wind from their wings. For the first time, the group standing trial realised that their glorious moment may not have been as wonderful as they had initially thought.

"Do you not know what you have done!" Lúg'hir Gahntuar hissed, his haunch quivering behind Merec as he tried to restrain himself from jumping to his feet. The group of accused trainees turned back to face the furious Lúg'hir, the dragons' crests wilting and the riders' stance less sure of themselves. "For ten years, the fifty dragons and their riders here had worked hard, had risked their lives not only to grant the Lumors a time of peace where we could rebuild again but to establish a lasting alliance with the peoples of the plains. And the seven of you decided to just throw our work and sacrifices away like it had meant NOTHING!" The black drake spat the last word out with another puff of smoke. "And for what? Personal pride? Vengeance?"

"We..." Sal'lúg Segria, the light blue draine squeaked, but any argument she may have thought of faltered when the Lúg'hir fixed a steely gaze on her. Could their actions truly have undone everything the Lúgroccae had achieved over the past decade? Seeming to sense that the defiant resolve of the trainees was wavering, Lúg'her Jerielle decided to put into perspective exactly what it was that these foolish creatures had put in jeopardy.

"As Lúg'hir Gahntuar said, we worked hard for ten years to be accepted by the equines," the second-in-command hissed softly, but a growl to her voice promised severe repercussions if her words were not heeded. "Furthermore, we paid thirty-five lives in Ealyndore to be accepted by the other civil species in general! Thirty-five lúgae and roccae who will never again see the light of day or feel the touch of a loved one. Thirty-five lives that may very well be wasted now thanks to your actions!"

"But..." Sal'lúg Everonne whimpered, clearly not as confident of his actions anymore. The apparent ringleader of the group had to swallow a time or two before he could make a last attempt at justifying their actions. "Do... do we not owe it to our mentors to avenge their deaths?"

"Not at the expense of the innocent lives in the village!" Roccan'hir Merec snapped. He caught himself though and with a loud sigh, he forced himself to calm down again. "Most of those who had died in your foolish attack did not deserve death. Did not deserve any kind of punishment! How can you even consider it vengeance when their only crime is to live in the wrong village?"

"May I speak?" Lúg'her Lainah suddenly asked. As the former Terrestrial Combat Instructor who had also been assisting standing Lúg'hir Amaren the past few weeks, she was asked to sit in as a witness to the proceedings. But it was still a bit of a surprise when the silvery draine and Lúg'hir Gahntuar's current mate spoke up.

"You may," Roccan'hir Merec agreed softly and more than a little intrigued. He knew her well enough to know that she would not idly want to speak out now and he wondered what she had to say.

"I have learned through bitter experience that the winds of vengeance lead only to self-destruction!" Lúg'her Lainah stated loudly and confidently as she got up to address the assembly. "When I first met Lúg'hir Gahntuar, my mind was consumed with hatred and the desire for vengeance against the one who had destroyed my previous family. During that time, I did not truly live and when I finally achieved my goal, there was almost nothing left for me. Had Gahntuar not tolerated my rude and dismissive behaviour as he did during those bitter months of my life, and had he not accepted the broken and empty draine who came slinking back to him when all was said and done, I do not know where I would have been now, nor even if I would have been alive at all for that matter. Gahntuar's love was what allowed me to live after my quest for vengeance had consumed my whole being. No, we do not owe it to anyone to seek out vengeance no matter the circumstances. Justice … yes for if we do not oppose those who do wrong, they will only continue to destroy the world around them for their own, selfish interests. But be careful not to confuse justice and vengeance for they are opposites and you will only assist your enemies in destroying the world."

The morale of the accused dropped visibly and the once-proud stance they had assumed when entering the makeshift court degraded into a pitiful slumping of the shoulders and a downcast look as they desperately tried to avoid eye contact with everyone around them.

"So, I ask again," Roccan'hir Merec stated firmly, still obviously angry but at least a little more restrained. "How do you respond to the accusations brought against you? Do you still deny any wrong-doing in the butchering of Kantmere?"

The accused seem to collapse in on themselves at the phrasing of the question. There was nothing left of the proud pre-graduates who had entered the room only minutes before as the true horror of what they have brought upon those they had always looked up to seemed to dawn on them. Merec was about to repeat his question a little more sternly when there were finally a few dejected mutterings of 'No,' from the regretful bunch. Lúg'her Gharavhan hissed in annoyance at the poor military display and he was about to shout at them to call them to order when Roccan'her Edward calmed him down with a gentle pat to the neck even as Roccan'hir Merec raised a hand to stop him.

"If it means anything... I am sorry for what I've done!" Sal'lúg Segria whimpered, sounding as near to tears as was possible without shedding them for real. Her statement was echoed by more dejected mutterings of "Me too" and "Me as well" and "As am I".

Roccan'hir Merec watched the pathetic group of wannabe Dragonriders shuffle awkwardly under the scrutiny of the council. His anger cooled to pity as he wondered what the future was going to have in store for them now? They were such promising pairs, all of them and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed to lead them properly.

"Is there anything else the council wishes to ask the accused?" he asked, failing to hide a tired sigh. The dragons and riders quickly conversed with each other before they acknowledged with clear statements one after the other that there was nothing else to say.

"Then, you are dismissed!" Lúg'hir Gahntuar rumbled and with a disappointed hiss, tossed his snout in the door's direction, the sharp movement releasing yet another puff of smoke. "Lúg'gon Amaren?"

"What is going to happen now?" Sal'roccan Walter asked, his voice cracking with worry.

"Now, the council must go through with the distasteful task of discussing your fate!" Lúg'her Laethia hissed. "We will let you know when we've come to a decision!" The council watched on in oppressive silence as the group of stragglers was lead out of the room, a far cry from the orderly and disciplined squad who first arrived.

"What a mess!" Aerhin sighed as he leaned back in his chair, his facade of calm shattering as soon as the door closed behind the accused.

"At least they seem to finally understand what they had done is wrong!" Jerielle muttered though she did not sound all that relieved.

"Do you want to let them off with only a stern warning then?" Audenier asked, clearly not very confident with the idea but also a little desperate to save a crumbling dream. "They are promising students and it will be a shame to lose them."

"That, I'm afraid will not do!" Jerielle hissed, closing her eyes and turning her head away as she hated her own opinion. "They need to understand that this kind of action has serious consequences, and if they are not sufficiently punished, they or some of our other pairs may be tempted to see how far they can push their luck again."

"And that may be part of the problem!" Merec grumbled, suddenly realizing why he felt so miserable at the trainees' predicament. "We don't have a proper set of rules and regulations to define what is allowed, protocols to follow in a given scenario such as this or what needs to happen should someone go too far. We may have been too idealistic in our approach in creating the Lúgroccae and we've left any punitive decisions sorely lacking."

"Be as it may," Aerhin insisted urgently. "We do not have the time to lament about what we should have done previously. We have a decision to make now, and whatever we decide here will shape the rest of our future."

"You are right, but it is still something that needs urgent attention!" Merec agreed, but without surrendering his opinion. "This is a shortcoming of ours and we need to address it sooner than later." He turned to the one-winged draine on the far side of Audenier. "Laethia, you are well versed with the records and tomes at the Amber Tower's library and have made some close friends there. Will you please start working on a set of constitutional laws and regulations for us?"

"I... " Laethia gasped unsurely, squirming a little as she was suddenly put on the spot.

"I'm not asking for something immediately, or even in the next few months!" Merec smiled reassuringly. "It is already too late for this case, and I understand a project like this is going to take some time to research and develop properly... and the whole high command will have to give input to the final document. But I would like us to have at least some platform to start on and some idea of which direction we need to go. I am only asking you to spearhead this task. If you can at least lay a foundation for us..."

"I will start researching tomorrow!" the black draine chirped, suddenly excited at the prospect of a new project to research now that the pressure of time wasn't an issue.

"But back to the present problem we are sinking our teeth into," Gahntuar reminded them as Merec nodded his thanks to the draine, "what to do with this group of trainees? They have flown too high for their own good and we have to let them and the rest of Selebore know that!"

"I propose that we isolate them and give them an extended period of hard labour!" Audenier quickly stated. "It was the usual punishment for rowdy dragons back in the days we started, and we've still make use of it to discipline graduates to this day! Of course, it will need to be a serious task we give them, one that will take years instead of only a few days, but I still think it is a valid option to consider!"

"But hard labour doing what?" Edward asked from Merec's other side. The wolf threw his one hand in the air in exasperation. "The camp is already larger than what we know to do with."

"I..." the blue drake hesitated at the challenge. "What about rebuilding the village they burnt down... or anything else that the affected equine families who survived may need. As such, they are forced to rebuild what they have destroyed and are taught that unwarranted destruction is not the answer when you are not happy about something."

"I understand what Audenier is trying to get at," Charl quickly agreed with his steed. "We need all the help we can get if we are to destroy... whatever is lurking in Juinkarr. Beggars cannot be choosers, as the saying goes."

"True," Merec drawled his answer a bit, "but we cannot try to save ourselves at the expense of others. How will that make us any better than this 'Master' in the shadows? And where will we stop at finding excuses for the actions of our subordinates? I am afraid we will have to decide now where we are going to draw the line we may not cross and stick to it."

"Still, Audenier's idea might have been worthwhile to consider had it been merely the destruction of property," Edward insisted determinedly. "But people have died, in some cases whole families. Don't think for one moment that there is not someone out there, just itching for a chance at vengeance of their own. I fear it will only be a matter of time before someone decides to attack them, especially as they try to make amends for their wrongdoing... then we are back to where started."

"What are you proposing then?" Jerielle hissed exasperated. "Merec is right: We have to draw a line and make everyone know that they have crossed it."

"The most common punishment for murder in the civil world is execution..." Edward stated bluntly.

"You propose that we kill our own?" Gahntuar hissed, shocked.

"It will show the whole of Selebore that we are serious about justice!" Edward insisted.

"And it will show the squads that we will not tolerate evil deeds," Gharavhan rumbled in agreement with his rider's suggestion.

"That does seem a bit... strong of a punishment at this moment," Gahntuar replied, visibly troubled with the suggestion, but unable to deny the logic.

"I am afraid that it will be the only punishment the authorities of Selebore will accept!" Edward stated firmly.

"But killing dragons for what comes naturally to them will alienate many of the Lumor clan who have come seeking us out!" Gahntuar countered softly, not liking the argument but at odds end to put his feeling to words. The light-grey wolf had a point that couldn't be denied but killing the trainees outright did not seem like justice. Not in this particular case at least.

Of course, the old lupine soldier did not understand what his superior was trying to get to.

"You want to buy the loyalty of the dragons to your cause with the lives of the slain equines?" the wolf asked, a little appalled.

"NO!" Gahntuar snapped with enough of an angry growl to his voice that Gharavhan extended a wing instinctively to shield his rider from a possible threat. The action reminded the Lúg'hir to force himself to calm down a bit before he continued. "Never! I will not tolerate retaliatory actions like this, but simply bowing to another's customs because that is what they want doesn't feel like justice, but merely appeasing others. Buying the loyalty of equines with the lives of dragons as you put it!"

"We must also remember that we don't have any physical laws forbidding actions like this!" Merec quickly stated, understanding his dragon's worry. "It was an oversight on our part, so we are as much to blame for what had happened at Kantmere. Remember that when we all were training, we had each other to help us make decisions. But two weeks ago, the trainees were, by no fault of us or their own, left to their own devices and without guidance as to what exactly those evil deeds Gharavhan spoke of were. They did what they thought was right at the time. If we had those clear laws indicating their rights and responsibilities in place, and if the punishment for disregarding those laws were clearly stipulated, there would have been no discussion about their fate and execution would have been our only option! But as it stands now, I fear their death will only cast oil onto the fire!"

"Also, Bloodlust begets bloodlust!" Lainah quickly added from the side. "There are times when death is the only punishment, but I agree with Gahntuar that this is not the right time. Yes, they had committed a terrible crime, but they have come to understand the wrong of what they had done. Their regret should count for something."

"I am not so sure about their regret, to be honest!" Edward hissed, glaring at the door as if he could see the irresponsible group of trainees through the wooden panelling. "Are they regretful of their actions, or that we did not approve of it as they had thought we would?"

"As Merec said, they did what they thought was right, only to find out they were completely wrong," Aerhin stated calmly as he turned to the lupine. "I do believe they are regretful of their actions, and I believe civil law everywhere allows for mercy when the accused are regretful of their actions, does it not? Had we been sure they would attack anyone again without distinction when given the opportunity, we would have had no choice to execute them. But I doubt they will go through with something like this again, so I believe some mercy is warranted here."

"I... guess you have a point," Edward relented, though he still hesitated a bit before acknowledging the elf's words.

"But that still doesn't help us at this moment!" Jerielle hissed, upset at the circumstances they were forced into. "What do we choose? Have them work off their debt and risk the possibility that they will be mobbed to death or kill them ourselves? Neither option is very appealing."

"Extended confinement is the only other option," Charl quickly suggested. "But we do not have any prison facilities... nor do I believe there is anything on Selebore that will be able to hold three dragons captive against their will."

"So there is something yet to build for this Camp!" Audenier chirped excitedly. "And it is basically the same as my first suggestion, I might add." But his mirth quickly evaporated as the other members of the council glared at him and he quickly bowed his head in apology.

"What about exile?" Gahntuar suddenly asked. "At least until we can find a compromise between the needs of the Lúgroccae, the Seleborians and Lumors alike."

"Excuse me?" Jerielle hissed, frowning at the Lúg'hir as if he had lost his mind.

"To where?" her rider affirmed the glaring flaw in the black drake's suggestion. "Wherever they go, they will be hunted down without mercy. It will be no different than forcing them to rebuild the town, maybe even worse, I think, since there will be no proper agreement to protect them."

"I was considering confining them to the Thirstlands, to be honest," Gahntuar admitted, sharing a meaningful look with Merec.

"That may actually not be such a bad idea!" Merec stated hopefully. "At the very least it is a punishment for us to consider!"

"The Thirstlands!" Audenier gasped appalled. "Are you insane? That will be the same as outright execution, maybe even worse seeing it will be a slow one at that!"

"No one can survive the barren fields of the Thirstlands!" Jerielle agreed vehemently.

"That is not true," Merec quickly interrupted them. "History tells that the Catarii lived mostly in the Thirstlands, and there are several communities of oryx that call the Thirstlands their home even today."

"When Corrumwhell was attacked a decade ago, we were warned of the approaching army by an oryx who travelled across the mountains from the Thirstlands to reach us," Lainah agreed, looking poignantly at Jerielle's rider. "Aerhin will be able to confirm this."

"Gahntuar and I have had some correspondence with him over the years," Merec agreed with a smirk as if revealing a secret. "They live in the abandoned Catarii burrows along the Ghost River and are responsible for most of the myths of the region being haunted."

"Not to mention before I met Merec, I lived in the Thirstlands for about a decade myself!" Gahntuar announced, poignantly looking at the younger blue drake. "So, it is not impossible. It is not fun, I will admit, but it is not dangerously difficult either as long as you keep to the southern regions. They will know they are being punished but not unfairly so, and it could be that middle ground we need which can be satisfactory to all parties involved."

"What were you doing there that long?" Jerielle asked in a hushed voice, taken completely by surprise.

"You remember that I told you I used to live near Eydelvise Palace... and used to visit the elves there before the horde ransacked it the first time?" Gahntuar reminded her equally softly though the reply did carry across the silent room. Though the memory of the destroyed castle still hurt, it was less painful ever since the day he had buried Erendile's toy next to the pavilion.

"You what?" Gharavhan rumbled in surprise, looking at his superior in astonishment. Gahntuar ignored him.

"I exiled myself to the Thirstlands when I believed that I had failed them!" the black drake continued subdued.

"Oh, I... am sorry!" Jerielle replied sombrely, not daring to meet his eyes and instead looked down at a random spot on the floor.

"Still, there is the question about how to keep them there!" Charl quickly interjected worriedly, bringing the topic back on the right track. "We cannot spare the resources to guard them on the other side of the continent!"

"Just like we cannot spare the resources to guard them here either!" Edward pointed out.

"Our oryx contact can keep an eye on them," Merec suggested not in the least phased by the issues being raised, "and we can send out a squad to check up on them at irregular intervals so that they cannot adjust to a set routine. That will have the additional bonus of reminding them that we haven't abandoned them completely. But I believe it will ultimately be their own commitment to the Lúgroccae that will keep them there. We will make it clear to them that, if they want to re-join the Lúgroccae ever again, they will have to accept their punishment and abide by our decision. Else, they will have proved Edward's earlier comment that they are unwilling to learn from their mistakes, and we will have to declare them renegade. Edward's proposal of execution will then be the only result, and everyone will have to stand by it as we made the punishment for disobedience clear beforehand. As such, they will be hunted by all of Selebore, by us, by the entire Shadowlands. They will have no friends, only enemies and that is a fate worse than death, I think."

"I believe you may be right," Aerhin sighed. "The affected equines may view this as too light a punishment, but for true justice to prevail, I cannot see an alternative."

"Their training will suffer greatly as a consequence," Audenier dared to suggest, but he spoke in a meek voice as he knew that was the least of their problems.

"But it may strengthen the bond between them, which I feel is more important to the Lúgroccae way of life than our military skill!" Gahntuar quickly stated, fixing the younger blue dragon with another evil eye.

Another awkward silence befell the assemble and they glanced at each other unsurely.

"Are there any other proposals?" Merec finally asked. When there were only shakes of the head and a few mutterings of 'No', he turned to the Amber delegation for final approval. "Archmagus Vicia, would you like to add anything?"

"To be honest, we did not think you would consider this issue as carefully as you did!" the lupine replied after the delegation conversed with each other in hushed whispers. "Our initial expectations were that you would have them executed as fast as possible to appease the equines and have the populous of the plains back in your good graces. However, both masters Alund and Hurthor on the other hand agreed that you would try to exonerate them in some way, seeing they reacted to an attack on themselves and you are in … well, dire need of recruits after last month's battle."

"To clarify," the bovid Vice Head-Councillor quickly interjected. "I have to admit that I had not been very supportive of this Lúgroccae business from the start, and even this morning I had my doubts if it was a good idea for you to hold this trial. It may be a cultural mistrust of dragons, I don't know. We Bovidae have after all been the target of dragon attacks for generations and unlike most of the equines, we still are. But if anything, this trial had shown me the error of my prejudgements instead of confirmed them as I had initially expected. And maybe, it is time to make my peace and acknowledge your authority as well. True peace and collaboration, after all, cannot come only from one side alone. Both sides must commit to it, or it will be no different to being forcefully subjugated."

"You have clearly developed into a proper organization which, given the opportunity, may be to the benefit of all of Selebore!" Alund agreed a little subdued at being proven wrong. "Yes, as you have identified yourselves, you still have a long way to go. But nothing worthwhile comes without setbacks and after what I saw here now, I believe you are clearly on the right track!"

"We have initially decided to insist that you send them to us for punishment, as we do have the recognized authority to deal with them!" Vicia finally stated. "But we are satisfied with your ability to judge them and will abide by your decision. We can, however, provide confinement arrangements where they could serve out a punitive sentence if you wish to go that route."

"Thank you, Archmagus," the human smiled, nodding in thanks for their vote of confidence before addressing the council again. "Will we put it to the vote then?"

***

Ikessa took a deep breath of fresh air as she exited the cave. For a moment, she stared out over the eastern foothills of the Curndors, glad to be back in the relative quiet of her mother's territory. Though she had nothing against the warmer Caledonian forests of the elves, the year she had spent there in preparation to trap the annoying Shameblood had been taxing and she did not look forward to her inevitable return south. They had been so close to killing him last month, but instead of becoming trapped, her quarry had escaped yet again and with the threat of Ghrathelle at their rear they could not push to catch up with him in time.

The pale-blue draine growled to herself at the thought, her light mood souring despite the serene beauty of the cooler alpine forests around her mother's cave. Thirteen months without seeing her hatchling, all wasted because that fool of an elf did not stick to commonly accepted military doctrines! True, young Seghrien was practically fully grown now and nearly ready to set out on his own if he wanted, but still, she had missed too much of his young life because of this hunt of hers and this last setback was truly grating against her emotions. To be honest, this whole 'Master ' business was starting to overwhelm her.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to her that lifted her mood again. Could she maybe take her only hatchling with her when she had to go back south? He was after all adult enough now to travel long distances from the lair of his hatching. True, that meant she was expected to present him to the Master, but she was confident her hunt for the Shameblood would surmount such traditions and she could avoid it altogether.

The clatter of loose gravel from a careless paw alerted her to the presence of another dragon who followed her outside. Ikessa turned and smiled warmly at young Seghrien as the maroon drake stepped into the light. Yes, he was practically an adult now, even though he still was about an orcish foot lower than her at the shoulder. Though he could, by all means, go on to start his own family now, tradition dictated that he stayed yet another ten or so years with his parents as he helped his sire raise a new clutch before he departed fully on his own life. So maybe it was a great idea to take him along the next time she confronted the Shameblood's forces. Though she didn't intend for him to do any fighting, it will be a valuable learning experience in any case.

Then she burst out laughing as she noticed the look on his face.

"I know that look," she smirked as she turned around to nuzzle the youngster. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing!" Seghrien insisted a little too quickly. "Just-just thinking about what you and Mister Harkor showed me just... now..." He scrunched up his snout as he glanced back to the cave where two more dragons were moving in the shadows before he leaned in to whisper to his dame. "So, you are saying that I started life as... goo?"

"No!" Ikessa gasped, caught off guard by the weird question. "Well, yes... no! That's not the point! You started life as love!"

"Oh, the perception of youth!" an elder draine laughed as she joined her daughter and son-two-generations-along in the sunlight.

"You came from the goo, yes!" Harkor agreed as he followed Orriel outside. "But at that stage, you are not the goo. Remember you are more than that, part your father and part your mother."

"Right..." Seghrien stated unsurely, daring to quickly scent at the hock of his mother's one hindleg where the elder drake's semen had leaked from her. He had known of the strange goo his body oozed during some nights for a long time now, but he never considered it was important in any way. Though Mister Harkor cleaned his seed up properly, the youngster was sure he could still scent the elder drake on his mother's scales and he quickly pulled his snout back, not dare to explore higher up.

"As we said earlier, nothing can come of it alone," Ikessa reiterated, still smirking at the youngster's antics. "It lies on the ground where it dries, flakes and is lost to the wind. But when a drake and draine come together as one like Harkor and I did just now, they can spark new life with each other."

"So..." Seghrien asked thoughtfully, "are you going to be laying another clutch of eggs now?"

"No, my dear," Ikessa laughed. "I wasn't in heat, remember. So nothing will happen this time."

"So, what happens to Mister Harkor's goo... seed now?" Seghrien asked with a frown.

"The same as if I mated another drake," Harkor stated nonchalantly. "It will stay in your mother for a while, trying to find her eggs. But eventually, your mother's body will clean itself again and the seed will be lost."

"Wasn't that a waste then?" Seghrien asked worriedly, looking up at the elder drake before something else occurred to him. "Wait, two drakes can mate with each other as well?"

"Spilled seed is not really a waste, even if there are no eggs to give life to," Harkor stated, sharing a warm smile with Ikessa. "Your body will continuously produce seed, so at some point, you will need to get rid of the old stuff and so it will be expelled anyway. For instance, the wet spots you mentioned finding when you woke up the other day..."

"Right..." Seghrien agreed shyly.

"And dragons mate often," Ikessa quickly added. "And not just to make eggs, but just to be closer to one another. And yes, that means that drakes sometimes mate with each other as well. It helps strengthen bonds like between Harkor and me..."

"So, you've mated with Mister Harkor before?" Seghrien asked surprised, unable to stop the image of the elder drake on top of his dame again.

"Yes, and with Fernel as well," Ikessa replied, giggling when the youngster scrunched his face again.

"Often?" he asked with a grunt. He had also met the iridescent blue drake once before and the brief encounter had not left a good impression. Though he liked Harkor and have come to see him as something akin to his lost sire, the idea of his dame with the other drake made him feel... even more uncomfortable.

"That is not a question you ask of anyone, young drake!" Orriel reprimanded him sternly, but with a playful nip.

"Sorry," Seghrien replied with his crest held flat in submission.

"It is all right, young one," Harkor smirked, walking up to stand next to Ikessa. "I often mate with your mother and would like to continue to do so … and I am not ashamed to admit to it!"

"And mister Fernel?" Seghrien asked worriedly, making it obvious that the particular drake was what worried him.

"Not as much!" Harkor replied, chuckling in delight when the younger drake sighed with relief and giving Ikessa a meaningful smile.

"When will I be able to... mate?" Seghrien asked, daring to sniff at Harkor's lower stomach but quickly pulling away when the elder drake looked back to regard him with a smirk.

"Physically, your body is already ready!" the dark brown drake stated. "Some dragons I know even started a family at your age, but I advise against it. It is not a good idea to take on such a responsibility until you are much older. Usually, it will still be another fifty winters yet before dragons like you settle down and breed in earnest."

"But..." Seghrien started to complain, but his mother interrupted him with a gentle nuzzle.

"That is how it has always been," she smiled fondly at him, acutely aware that she was advising him to do the opposite of what she had done with the previous Claw. "Yes, some dragons did start families at your age and was successful, but for the most part it is better to fly around and learn as much as you can of the world before you are ready for a family."

"But you just said that I am physically ready to mate already!" Seghrien continued to argue. "And that not all matings end up in a clutch! Surely I can..."

"That is true," his dame interrupted him again. "Dragons all over will start to take interest in you as a possible mate, and you shouldn't refuse advances from dragons you fancy. What Harkor and I are trying to say is just to be careful when you do take a mate. Not all matings are for the pleasure of both dragons and accident clutches can easily happen."

"Is that what I am?" Seghrien asked, his mood suddenly dropping sharply. "An accident?"

"What! No!" Ikessa insisted determinedly, shocked at the unexpected turn of the conversation. "Definitely not! Why would you even consider that?" She held her gaze firmly but with a tender smile as her son looked up at her unsurely, ignoring the sudden itch at the back of her mind that she and his father had not been aware that she had entered her heat when they had mated that last time and unknowingly conceived the young drake before her as a result.

"But... if a draine lays a clutch of eggs after a mating... why was I the only egg?" Seghrien asked doubtfully.

"There were... complications when your father and I mated to create your egg!" Ikessa sighed, her own mood dropping as well as she remembered Seghrien senior. "We... didn't have the opportunity to mate properly and as such the other eggs of your clutch didn't get enough seed..."

"I... I'm sorry," Seghrien replied, suddenly feeling bad about his assumptions. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know!" Ikessa smiled bravely, reaching lower to nuzzle him affectionately. "Always know that I love you more than anything, and always had. Even before I lay your egg. I would never want to change that!" Seghrien eagerly returned the nuzzle, crooning as loudly as his dame in delight at the affection.

"Alright, you two!" Harkor suddenly announced, recalling the original reason for his visit and already feeling a little bad at having to break the two up. "Orriel, will you please take young Seghrien inside? There is something else I have to discuss with Ikessa."

"Of course," Orriel stated, immediately understanding that Harkor wanted to talk about the Master's business, and knowing how Ikessa felt about the matter, she didn't argue. "Come Seghrien."

"But..." the youngster suddenly whined, not wanting the family moment to end. But his dame-two-generations-past would have none of it

"I said come along now," Orriel stated more firmly, making it clear she will not be arguing the point.

"Will you be staying a little longer then, Mister Harkor?" Seghrien quickly asked to stall for time.

"No, I doubt I will be able to," Harkor sighed. "I have urgent business to tend to still and have put it off for too long already. Not that I mind," He smirked mischievously at Ikessa, "but I'm afraid I cannot delay any longer."

"Oh, okay then," Seghrien sighed defeatedly as Orriel stepped determinedly up to the youngster. "Bye then, I guess."

"Goodbye," Harkor smirked fondly, reaching lower to nuzzle the youngster affectionately as well when he broke away from his dame-two-generations-past for that very purpose before the youngster allowed himself to be ushered back into the cave by the elder, dark blue-grey draine. "I'm sure I'll see you soon again."

"Mister Harkor?" Seghrien suddenly asked just before they disappeared back into the deep shadows of the cave. "Will you ever... make a clutch with my mother then?"

"I certainly hope to do so one day!" Harkor admitted with a wide smirk, looking meaningfully at Ikessa.

"That is certainly a possibility," Ikessa agreed, smiling back at the elder drake with a delighted croon.

"Come now, Seghrien!" Orriel insisted and nudged the youngster back out of sight, not noticing the annoyed growl from her daughter. "Let's leave these two to do the Master's work."

"So, when do you think you'll be presenting him to the Master?" Harkor asked absentmindedly as he watched the youngster's tail disappear into the shadows. "I understand that since he is now of age, he is ready to make the long trip to the Master's Inner Sanctum."

"Never!" Ikessa hissed determinedly. "Not if I can have my way."

"But he is the previous Claw's only offspring I know of," he stated worriedly. "It is to be expected that he serves the Master as his father had before him, and his father before that. In fact, I heard when your mother told you that the Master has been asking after him already."

"I intend to be the last Claw-of-the-Master!" she stated firmly. "I will kill the Shameblood and restore the glory of Juinkarr. And then, I will take Seghrien and leave this place. He will not grow up in the shadow of the Master as his father had!"

"Do you really think that is wise?" Harkor whispered worriedly, fearful for the draine he loved. "Will the Master ever allow him to go?"

"I'm not going to be asking permission!" the pale-blue draine admitted, growling in annoyance as the vow in her chest flared up slightly. "If I had to do everything exactly as the Master said, none of us would be here today!"

"I hope you know what you are doing," he said softly, quickly giving Ikessa an affectionate nuzzle. "I have come to admire and respect you greatly," and with a devious smirk, he added, "and I meant it when I said I want to sire the next clutch you lay. In fact, I'd be honoured to be allowed the opportunity to be yours for the rest of my days. But I cannot think for one moment that defying the Master outright like that can ever be a good idea. And can it even work? Where can you go that the Master cannot find you?"

"I... don't know," Ikessa admitted doubtfully, biting back a grunt when the vow flared brightly in her chest. "I just know that I'll be damned if I allow the Master to have Seghrien."

"I understand," Harkor whispered with a gentle lick to her snout. "I doubt Fernel ever will, but I do. I'll support you in whatever you decide to do and follow you wherever you may go."

"So that you can have access to my next clutch?" the draine smirked with a playful nip at him.

"It is more than that, and you know it!" the drake reprimanded her, returning the playful nip with one of his own. She nipped at him again, but he pressed his lips firmly to hers for a kiss. They purred in delight as their tongues intertwined and for a blissful moment the world with all its unfair worries was almost forgotten.

Almost.

"Anyway, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Ikessa asked as she pulled away from the kiss reluctantly. Though she would like nothing better than to have Harkor mount her a second time, she knew there was important business that had to be dealt with. But when the dark red-brown drake stared at her blankly, she had to elaborate. "You know, before I pulled you into a mating lesson for Seghrien..."

"Oh, right!" the drake growled in annoyance as he pulled away from the Claw-of-the-Master to a more respectful distance. "I didn't expect to get my dick wet when I came here and got completely blown off course again just now." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I don't know if it is of any real concern but one of the dragon scouts we left in the elvan forest had arrived this morning to report that the entire Dragonrider leadership had departed the forest."

"What?" Ikessa gasped shocked, the joy of the quiet morning with him suddenly forgotten. "Why?"

"We don't know," Harkor admitted. "Maybe the lack of action convinced them that they were not needed in the south anymore? Though it was just the upper command... they left most of their forces with the elves, so I have my doubts about abandoning their commitment to their allies."

"I agree with you," the Claw-of-the-Master growled broodingly as she kneaded the gravel absentmindedly. "Where did they go?"

"North-west," her lieutenant reported quickly. "But the scout did not try to follow them for too long. They took an escort with them and he didn't want to be noticed. But it should be fairly obvious that they have returned to the Amber Tower."

"That was good thinking," Ikessa replied with a satisfied nod. "There aren't enough dragons in the forest to have done anything after we pulled out." Then, with an annoyed puff of smoke, she hissed under her breath. "Damned orcs should have pressed harder when those elves were still out in the open!"

"But what do we do now?" Harkor asked. "With the Shameblood back at the Amber Tower, will we be able to draw him out again? Especially now that we've revealed our intentions and still missed another strike at him and his rider?"

"They stayed in the forest even after their defeat, so we will be able to get another strike at them, I think!" she replied unphased, falling silent in thought as she turned to look up at the mountaintops west of her dame's lair, more or less in the direction of the Amber Tower. During the preparations for the previous month's ambush, she was surprised to learn from the Mistress's contacts that the Dragonriders were not as independent as she had initially thought. For their leadership to have returned north so quickly, something must have happened.

"I wish I knew why they were summoned back to the Amber Tower!" Ikessa added. For a moment she considered trying to reach out to the Mistress's contacts to find out, but the mere memory of that hypersexual creature made her scales rattle with disgust and she dismissed the thought immediately. But then something else occurred to her. "You said that it was just the leadership who left for the Tower?"

"Yes, my lady!" Harkor repeated quickly, smirking as he noticed the light of an idea appear in her eyes. "They had four other dragons as an escort, but the majority of their forces was left behind in the forest."

"So, their encampment should be rather empty at the moment!" Ikessa stated with a dangerous smirk. "I think we might be able to pull off a precision strike. Go in, kill the Shameblood and his rider, and get out before the Amber Tower can even react." As she turned to smirk at her lieutenant, she wondered momentarily if she would be able to reach the silvery draine who had killed her mate as well in the strike. In the ten years she had been the Claw, she had barely seen the true target of her vengeance. Yet, the pale-blue draine knew the silver was still alive, judging by how her vow flared up in her chest at the mere thought of her vengeance.

"We will attack them where they feel safest?" Harkor repeated after her thoughtfully.

"I think this will work," Ikessa agreed, feeling more confident about her fate than she had since the elves abandoned Eydelvise. "They will barely have any immediate support and if we strike right, they will be trapped in their own encampment with nowhere to escape to." She nodded satisfied at Harkor. "Go find the others and bring them here. We have some serious planning to do and we don't have the time to do it."

"Yes, my lady!" Harkor agreed eagerly, grateful to have a direction again. He hesitated a second longer to make sure she didn't have any more instructions for him before he leapt into the air to carry out her orders.

Ikessa watched him as he disappeared around the rise, a little more longingly than she would like to admit. When he was out of sight, she sighed and turn around with a shake of her head to enter the cave again, to think about the upcoming battle. Her thoughts were already flying through various lines of attack, which targets need to be taken out first before they could barge in on the Shameblood's built lair. That was an important thing to consider she realized, and she made a mental note to have the camp scouted out one last time before they decided on a final battle plan. She may have a reasonable idea of what the Dragonrider camp was like, but it was always a good idea to make sure of your facts and not assume anything about... its layout... its defences... its... its...

Where her thoughts on the upcoming encounter had initially been crystal clear, she suddenly found herself unable to concentrate on the matter at hand. Something was terribly wrong, but what she did not know. Only that the abrupt tingling in her loins made her scales rattle with disgust. It took her an unnecessary few seconds of standing still, trying to identify the unwelcome thoughts before Seghrien's voice filtered from deeper in the lair.

"Really?" the young drake asked, sounding excited about some promise being made but at the same time a little dim-witted as if he was still sleepy from waking up.

"Whenever you want to, dearie!"

Ikessa hissed angrily as she recognized that voice. Without hesitation or any sense of self-preservation, she raced forward. She burst into the main lair with a snarl, finding as expected Senna's spectre in the act of caressing Seghrien seductively on the chin. The young, adult drake was already hard as a rock with an expression that suggested he had melted at her touch, leaning like an affectionate dog into his mistress's hand with half-closed eyes as he purred with stupid delight at the attention.

Orriel was not in any position to interfere on the youngster's behalf, crouching respectfully and quivering with fear in the corner. She was mumbling some kind of weak argument to try and convince the succubus to leave the youngster alone, but the elder draine was much too intimidated by the Mistress to make any real impression and she was completely ignored by the other two occupants of the cavern. Ikessa on the other wind was used to dealing with these small-minded creatures who wanted to play gods.

"Senna!" Ikessa snapped furiously, though some sense of caution managed to break through her anger at the last second and she dropped into a quick bow she hoped was good enough to pretend she was being courteous. "Mistress Senna, what-what are you doing here? I have made it clear last year that none are to pay my dept in my stead, and I have already honoured my end of our agreement at the time."

"Oh, good day, Ikessa!" Senna growled, her mood visibly dropping as she turned to address Ikessa and draine knew immediately that she was not in the demoness's good graces. "I just came to visit my favourite dragon!" Senna's voice rose in pitch as she turned back to caress Seghrien again, as if she was addressing a beloved pet. For his part, the youngster grinned even broader and his purring increased in pitch and volume. "I hear you've been teaching him about... the good stuff in life..."

"He is old enough to understand how his body works," Ikessa agreed coldly before she hissed loudly in an unveiled threat to make it clear Senna had gone too far. "BUT … he is not in any way ready for any service! ANY service to the Masters."

"Of course not, what do you think of me!" Senna snapped insulted, uncaring that her lie was blatantly obvious as she stepped away from Seghrien who whined upset at her departure. "I may be ravenous, but even I know where to draw the line. BUT … he IS old enough to be presented before Quattor! And THAT, I will not have!"

"He will not serve Qua... the Master as his Claw!" Ikessa insisted again. "I am the last he will ever need!"

"Dangerous words, little lizard!" Senna hissed dangerously. "Careful that you don't make enemies you cannot afford to have!"

"That was never my intention, mistress!" Ikessa stated honestly, though she had to bite back a growl that suggested Senna was the one making enemies she could not afford. Still, Senna noticed and her face scrunched up in fury at the audacity of the draine.

"You cannot keep from me what I desire!" Senna hissed, her eyes narrowing as she recognized Ikessa's unspoken threat. "I, and not Quattor, will have him!

And with that, Senna's spectre popped out of existence. Ikessa crouched, ready to pounce if that strange tunnel between locations appeared again, but luck was on her side and Senna did not appear in person... yet.

"Crazy bitch!" Ikessa hissed furiously, daring to relax a little.

"Mom?" Seghrien whined in a mixture of fear and desire, looking around confused as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. "Where... Who was that?"

"Don't worry about her, dear," Ikessa crooned worriedly, nuzzling the confused young drake reassuringly.

"Ikessa, what... what have you done?" Orriel whispered fearfully as she finally got up from her crouching position. "Don't-don't you know it is death to defy any of the Masters?"

"They will not have Seghrien!" Ikessa hissed angrily, turning a furious glare at her dame as if she accused her of selling her only hatchling out. "Never!"

"But my dear, you cannot..." Orriel tried to speak reason, but the still angry draine interrupted her with a fierce snap of her jaws.

"I said, NEVER!" she yelled, coughing suddenly as the vow burned brighter than ever before in her chest.

Orriel continued to try and reason with Ikessa, to try and persuade her to see the error of the wind she had just chosen to fly before it was too late. But as Ikessa wheezed out another 'never' in destress, the elder draine hesitated. In Ikessa's determination, she could easily recognize her own protectiveness over her children. Over Ikessa herself.

"What about your vow?" Orriel asked softly when the younger draine seemed to recover from the insistent vow. "Will it even allow you to follow this wind?"

"I've... I've always insisted that Seghrien will not serve them!" Ikessa stated, suddenly much calmer again when the flare of the vow had subsided. "I cannot remember the exact wording anymore, but it seems that taking care of Seghrien has always superseded the vow somehow. I'll... I'll be fine."

"Then … you must go," Orriel insisted, her heart breaking even as she spoke. "Now! There is no more time to lose. Run and... and don't look back. "

"What... what about you?" Ikessa asked worriedly. She had always fixated on her hatchling and completely forgot about how her actions could affect her dame. "You cannot stay here when any of the Masters come back here again."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Orriel said with a smile that didn't carry across the rest of her face. "I am an old draine and I know how to get by."

"No, you... you must go as well!" Ikessa insisted, a sudden absurd feeling of betraying her betters coming over her. "They... they have this way of walking from one side of the continent to the other... and... and I've asked Harkor just now to bring back the other dragons I command here so that we can plan our next move against the Shameblood..."

"Oh … good to know," Orriel growled sarcastically at the disturbing news. She was silent for a bit as she considered what to do. "I think... I can turn to the old territory of my parents then. By the ocean some way south of where the Krosg river flows into the sea. Doubt I know who lives there now, but I should be able to remain unnoticed. If it is a male, I might offer him a clutch for staying …"

"Good luck," Ikessa whined, stepping up to her dame and giving her a quick nuzzle. Was this the last time she would see her dame again? "I will find you when it is safe to do so again."

"You need the luck more than I do, my dear!" Orriel replied, returning the nuzzle as a tear rolled down her cheek. "And I said not to look back. I don't think it will ever be safe again."

"Mom?" Seghrien interrupted the emotional moment. "What is going on?"

"Now go!" Orriel ordered the younger draine as only a mother could. "Every moment you linger is a moment less of a head start!"

Ikessa only nodded meekly, feeling more like a lost hatchling and not at all like the most respected Claw to have ever served the Master.

"Come Seghrien, we must go!" the younger draine stated flatly, like a defeated dragon.

"I don't understand!" Seghrien complained, looking confused between her dame and dame-two-generations-past. "What is going on. Was it because that strange lady was here?"

"I'll explain everything later," his dame insisted with an urgent shove of her muzzle to his rump. "Right now, we need to go!"

Seghrien continued to complain and argue all the way outside, but he allowed himself to be herded forward.

"'Kes?" Orriel asked after she nuzzled the youngster goodbye one last time. "Where will you go?"

"I... I don't know," Ikessa admitted. "But I guess, even if I did, it might be safer if you didn't either."

"That's my smart girl!" Orriel crooned. Ikessa smiled faintly before she turned away. With a soft word to the young drake, they leapt into the sky.

"Gullivarth protect you, young ones!" Orriel whined heartbroken as she watched the two silhouettes disappear into the deeper Curndorns.

And then, they were gone.

***

Gahntuar and Jerielle landed gracefully on the broad road leading up to the Amber Tower, the two additional lúgae who accompanied them as escorts circling twice more overhead to make sure the site was secure before joining them on the ground. Gahntuar waited patiently for the other two dragons to land as well, not sure how he felt about their company. On one wind, he fully understood the need to have protection around him but on the other, he hated the feeling of being guarded like a little hatchling … all the time. The Lúg'hir had tried to have them dismissed as he and Jerielle would only be making the short, ten-minute flight to the Amber Tower, but neither Audenier nor Gharavhan would have any of it. In fact, there was a worrying rumour about that Gharavhan and his rider were considering setting aside a squad or two exclusively to act as escorts for the council when they had to travel beyond The Camp, maybe even at all times even inside it as well.

That was taking it a little too far, Gahntuar thought with an upset grunt as the last of the two escorting dragons landed and with a quick nod indicated that it was clear for them to proceed. Gahntuar returned the nod and without wasting more time, proceeded the last fifty yards down the road to the Amber Tower gate.

"Roccan'hir, Lúg'hir!" the fox guard greeted them warmly.

"Good morning," Merec replied warmly, earning a chuckle from his steed.

"Afternoon!" Gahntuar corrected his rider, turning to smirk at the human over his shoulder. "It has been noon already, remember?"

"Right," Merec replied dryly, glancing up at the sun. "Thanks for pointing it out."

"Welcome to the Amber Tower," the guard continued, professionally trying not to share the chuckle from the red draine and Lúgroccan second in command. "Please proceed to the Archmagus's quarters with speed, she has been expecting you."

"Thank you, Eraled!" Merec replied, tapping Gahntuar's neck as a signal not to delay too long. However, the drake spent a moment longer by the gate to share in Jerielle's mirth before he moved along. The dragons knew the route through the surprisingly narrow alleys to the major buildings of the Tower well by now and the journey to the main dome was uneventful. They reached the quarters of the Amber Council relatively quickly, yet even as the four riders dismounted an equine guard came rushing out to meet them as if they were late.

"Roccan'hir, Lúg'hir!" the guard stated crisply, unable to hide his sense of urgency. "Please follow me. The Archmagus has been expecting you."

"We came as fast as we could," Gahntuar started to say perturbed, pulling his eyes a little narrow at the equine.

"I know, I didn't mean to sound critical!" the guard stated, ears pinned back in apology. "It is just, she urgently needs to speak to you."

"Good news, I hope," Merec stated, but somehow, he knew it was anything but.

"That, I don't know..." the guard replied, though his tone suggested that he shared the Roccan'hir's pessimism.

Gahntuar nodded his thanks to the two guard-pairs who accompanied them, and they settled down to wait as the top members of the Lúgroccae were led inside. They entered one of the four large structures that jutted out like intimidating buttresses from the main dome over the Aetherfontes at the heart of the Amber Tower. They knew these halls well by now, having been summoned to appear before the Amber Council on numerous occasions during their stay here. So, it came as a surprise to them when their escort turned from the main hall to lead them down one of the smaller, private corridors. Especially seeing that the rooms they were led to were clearly not designed with dragons in mind, and though the two large reptiles were able to continue, they had to do so more mindful of not knocking things over accidentally. An endeavour that didn't fully succeed,

"Are we not going to the main council chambers?" Merec asked surprised, but their guide shook his head.

"I think it will be best to let the Archmagus explain," the equine replied a bit hushed, suggesting with a gesture of his hand to let the matter be for a while longer. Shortly afterwards, they were led into the Archmagus's private study, a surprisingly small room barely large enough to fit everyone. The she-wolf was already there, seated by the small desk and bent over an old scroll. But when the group entered, she quickly rolled up her work and got to her feet to greet her guests with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Archmagus!" Merec greeted her warmly. "We came as soon as we received your summons."

"Good afternoon, Roccan'hir! Lúg'hir!" Archmagus Vicia replied, turning to greet the other Lúgroccan pair after dismissing the equine magus guard. "And to you two, Roccan'her Aerhin, Lúg'her Jerielle."

"Where are the rest of the triumvirate?" Jerielle asked after they had exchanged pleasantries. "Aren't they usually supposed to be present whenever you meet with us?"

"They will not be joining us for this meeting," Vicia replied mysteriously, indicating towards two chairs. "I will explain in a bit. Please, have a seat."

"How has the sitting of the Circle of Five gone this morning?" Merec asked as they took their seats. "Sorry to feast on the kill befo-... I mean to barge in with the door like this!" The human shot a reprimanding glare at the chuckling black drake as the reptile crouched down behind him. "I assume that is what you want to talk about, given the urgency of your summons."

"Indeed, it is what we need to discuss," the Archmagus replied, keeping her thoughts of the accidental use of a draconic idiom to herself. "But I'm afraid that the meeting had not gone as we had hoped."

"What happened?" Aerhin asked worriedly, though not that surprised.

"Long story short," Vicia sighed exasperatedly, "the Corel Tower has used the destruction of Kantmere to finally sway the Jet Tower to their side of the argument."

"What?" Merec gasped, shocked. Though he had expected repercussions, the Jet Tower throwing their support fully behind the Coral Tower seemed rather harsh. And he didn't need a phoenix to give him a foresighting of what this turn of events will mean for them.

"The Amber Tower has been ordered to level the... Dirt Tower and to chase all dragons off the premises!" the Archmagus confirmed the Roccan'hir's worries. "Also, the riders who had received even the smallest bit of tuition in magic are to be officially enrolled here as full initiates and as such, remain confined within these walls for a minimum of ten more years, or face persecution by the entire Circle of Five. We are to ensure that," she gave a rude snort which was very unlike her, "this 'Lúgroccan experiment is to be annulled'."

That statement was not received very well by the Lúgroccae. As one, the group of visitors voiced their objections to the order. All that is except Merec who remained silent in contemplation.

"We aren't a mere experiment to simply call a halt to!" Gahntuar growled threateningly

"What about the threat of Juinkarr and the Umbrin dragons?" Aerhin argued visibly upset, his elven stoicism faltering once again. "After their victory last month, they may be more dangerous than ever!"

"You cannot throw us out like this!" Jerielle snapped upset and feeling betrayed.

Vicia had obviously expected the cacophony of objections, as the she-wolf simply held up her hands placatingly as she gently asked them to calm down and allow her to explain.

"This is not the decision of the Amber Tower!" she stressed once the objections calmed down enough for her to speak once more. "It comes from the authority we stand under ourselves. And there is very little we can argue in your favour. Yes, you have dealt with the troublemakers swiftly and decisively by exiling them to the Thirstlands, but those who do not want to accept your presence in the first place will never have been satisfied with any ruling anyone came to. And more to the point, Juinkarr still seems to be completely abandoned with no sign of stirring, even after ten years of us keeping an eye on it. The threat of the Claw-of-the-Master is the only tangible argument we can offer in your defence, which was not enough to sway the Jet or Ivory Tower to your cause I'm afraid."

"I understand you have no choice in the matter," Merec finally spoke up, wiggling the little pewter ring he had thoughtfully before he removed it from his finger altogether. "But as I told you when we first arrived here ten years ago, I will not abandon those who had come to join with us... rider and dragon alike. We are grateful for your support over the years, so we will not stay and put you in an unsustainable position... but we will not be disbanding, the decision of the Circle be damned! We will not stand in the way of any of our members who would prefer to enrol properly into the Amber Tower, but if you have to chase one of us away, then we will all go together!"

Vicia raised her eyebrow questioningly as the Roccan'hir surrendered his Evoceather, the human putting the talisman which gave him the ability to draw Mana to himself gently on a small table next to the Archmagus's chair.

"You can keep that," she finally stated when the human started to get up.

"It is better that I leave it here," the Roccan'hir stated firmly. "If I cannot attract Mana, the Coral Tower's own rules state that they have no say over what I do. I will not stay here while Gahntuar has to..."

"The Circle of Five had ordered us to kick you out, yes!" the Archmagus agreed with a thoughtful nod "but I did not say anything about withdrawing our support."

"I don't understand," Gahntuar rumbled, casting a questioning frown to the other dragon. "Did you not say that we are to be disbanded?"

"I did," Vicia said carefully. "You cannot remain here at the encampment you have built for yourselves, that much is clear. If you do, the entire Circle will come down upon you hard. But the Amber Council do not agree with the view of the Corel Tower. In fact, we believe that this command given to us goes completely against everything the Circle was initially meant to be, why it was created in the First Age. What I was saying earlier, is that our official protection of you may have come to an end, but we will not stop helping you in any way we can. We are supported in this by the Nacre Tower, and I know there are a few individuals in both the Jet and Ivory Tower who share our view, just not enough to make a difference in the vote of the United Councils just yet."

"You... would defy your own Circle?" Merec asked surprised.

"You did make it very clear that you were not going to listen to what the Coral Tower has to say, and we will be damned if we are simply going to allow you to leave on your own like that," Vicia agreed bluntly, but still in a rather hushed voice. "So yes, we are defying the will of the Circle, but sometimes you need to know when to break the rules, I think. And as you've also pointed out when we first met, the Amber Tower has a... tradition of taking certain risks for the common good. Now I'm not saying we will be openly rebelling against the authority placed over us, especially if this Master is out there, but challenging a wrong decision by said authority may have its place from time to time. Mindless loyalty may be more dangerous as absolute anarchy."

"This will be a dangerous path for you to follow," Aerhin cautioned, though he was less tense than a minute ago after receiving the news of their ordered disbandment.

"It is, especially with no proof of this... Master who is hunting you!" Vicia agreed, worried but determined. "But there is no question that there is an evil force bent against you. Yet, even with everything indicating that Juinkarr is still dormant and will remain so for the foreseeable future, despite what you and even the Alliance of Light may claim, I cannot see another way forward for us. Even if the evil we fear is only this Claw-of-the-Master, that draine has proven herself to be a dangerous foe that is not to be taken lightly. Honestly, even after what happened on the Echoren, I don't understand how the Corel Tower fails to recognize this threat."

"To be brutally honest, I think they are intimidated by the Lúgroccae and they fear they will lose their lofty position of authority!" a new, familiar voice suddenly expressed her opinion from the door. "You don't need to have the ability of foresight to know that those short-sighted, self-righteous idiots will one day be the end of the Circle entirely!"

"Ah, Felicity!" Vicia smirked as her four guests turned around to look in surprise at the newcomer. "Kind of you to join us."

"Felicity!" Merec smiled, getting up to greet her properly. "It is good to see you again. It has been very long since we last saw each other."

"It has, hasn't it?" the vixen agreed with a smirk as she shook the human's hand. "Good day, Gahntuar."

"Felicity!" the drake rumbled, returning the greeting with a simple nod of his head.

"So, what brings you here?" Merec asked surprised to see the old acquaintance again.

"Can't I visit an old friend?" Felicity tried to play innocent, but a sly grin betrayed any ignorance she may claim.

"I doubt you'll barge into an official meeting just for a visit," Merec pointed out with a chuckle.

"That's true enough, I guess!" the vixen laughed, waving her hand dismissively about. "But I'll let the Archmagus explain."

"As I said, we cannot assist you officially!" the Archmagus continued when all eyes turned to her questioningly. "But we do not intend to let you go alone. Because of her history with you, we will be sending Felicity with you, as well as two other magi who have gotten along well with the Lúgroccae in the past. They will be our assistance and point of contact with you until we can resolve this issue with the Circle."

"So that is why masters Alund and Hurthor are not present?" Merec guessed.

"Indeed," Vicia agreed in a hushed voice, holding up Merec's Evoceather for him to take. "They do support this decision and assisted in selecting the two additional magi who will be joining you. But the less official we make this defying of the Circle's orders, the less the overall impact on the Tower will be when it inevitably comes out … we hope. To be fair, we cannot afford another Amber Rebellion at this moment, even though we may need one about now."

"That is understandable, I assume!" Jerielle growled, still upset at the turn of events.

"And as I said before, we are not alone in this," Vicia continued. "The Nacre Tower will also be providing you with similar support. I believe you remember Adulf? He and two of his colleagues are to join you as well."

"However, it will take several weeks for them to arrive here and we cannot wait that long!" Felicity suddenly quipped up, snarling a little upset at the situation. "So, they will have to meet up with us wherever we decide to lay low for a bit." The vixen suddenly smirked, a smile Merec had come to learn long ago meant that she was planning something... questionable. "I'm not sure if you have any suggestions, but I do have an idea of where we can easily disappear from the eyes of the Coral Tower and the Claw-of-the-Master alike. Admittedly it is maybe a little bit daring and foolish, even for me as it is deeper into Curndor Mountains. But I can guarantee that it will be the last place anyone will look for us."

"What about the Lúgroccae currently in Ealyndore?" Jerielle suddenly questioned. "Does the Circle expect them to disband as well?"

"That is the case," Vicia agreed.

"The elves will not accept this decision of the Circle!" Aerhin announced vehemently. "It smacks of the political interference that saw the elves abandon the Circle in the first place. I am certain they will be more than willing to assist us against the Circle, especially after our assistance on the Echoren last month! In fact, I'm certain that they will be more than eager to take us in."

"That may be a good option for us to consider," Merec agreed thoughtfully "but I fear that when the Claw-of-the-Master learns of our exile, she will come after us with everything she has. Can the elves afford to fight her again, so soon after the previous disaster? I doubt we will be able to survive another attack like that ourselves. No, we will have to consider our next move a bit more carefully before we make a final decision. But for now though, I think it will be best for the two Battlewings we have in Ealyndore to stay where they are. Not only will we still be able to support the elves in any way we can, but it may be best if we keep the group going into hiding around the central command as small as possible. A smaller group will be harder to track down."

"A good call, I guess," Vicia agreed. "Although, I suggest you go into hiding sooner than later. And be quick about making that final decision where you want to set yourselves up as well... The Corel Tower is already itching for a fight, so it is best not to give them that excuse they want."

***

The dew was still cold and wet upon the grass of the main assembly ground of The Camp. It had been two days since they had received the devastating news of their own exile and Gahntuar could almost taste the sense of worrying urgency on the air as he turned to look one last time over the buildings and defensive works around him. He had been so proud of what he and the dragons and riders with him had achieved here, but now the empty buildings seemed kind of...

Dead.

That despite the pristine condition everything was still in. He guessed that the particular small detail made the sombre, abandoned mood seem even worse. The drake's gaze wandered towards his grove of Yellowwoods where he and those close to him often 'relaxed' after a long day or where he meditated on a particularly difficult decision. Now, he was habitually looking for their resident phoenix who also used to frequent the grove, but the creature was nowhere to be seen. The mysterious firebird had seemed to abandon them shortly after sending them south to Ealyndore.

Gahntuar snorted in irritation and turned away from the somehow morbid sight. The phoenix most likely has been keeping itself scarce as it knew its name had changed to 'Lunch' after sending them towards the disaster on the Echoren. And the recent disaster of Kantmere which had flowed from their absence only solidified the drake's opinion on the matter.

"We will be fine!" Lainah was trying to dissuade Gahntuar's more pressing worry with an affectionate nuzzle. "Just make sure you take good care of yourself and Merec."

"But you've been back only a few days!" the eldest of his little hatchlings was complaining loudly. The little teal drake was hugging close to his dame's legs, glaring up at his sire with a challenging gaze in an attempt to convince the elder dragons that he was not moping like his siblings. "Do you really have to go again?"

"I'm afraid I have to, young one!" Gahntuar smiled sadly as he leaned down again to nuzzle his hatchlings another last time.

"Why?" the darker, less brave drake hatchling whined.

Gahntuar was silent for a moment, looking down exasperatedly upon his family he had to leave behind, unable to give them a good explanation they could understand as to why this had to happen. But that it had to be, he did not doubt. He could not stay, and they could not leave with him. Yes, the little ones were already strong and capable of exploring the whole valley in which The Camp and their dame's lair was situated, but they were not ready for the long flights he was expecting to come, let alone the dangers they were about to face.

"Some... bad things had happened, and we cannot live here anymore!" he finally said, completely at a loss about how to comfort them when he had nothing for himself. "So, uncle Merec and I must go find ourselves a new home! Until then, I want you lot to behave while you stay with aunt Laethia."

"When will you be back?" the little teal drake demanded upset.

"I... I don't know!" Gahntuar had to admit with a sigh. When he looked upon the wide, fearful eyes of his hatchlings, his heart broke and before he could catch himself, he added: "But I'll try to come for a visit as often as I can."

"Promise?" the hatchlings chirped excitedly as one, hope rekindled in their eyes.

"Promise!" Gahntuar smiled, the promise he knew he shouldn't be making tasting bitter on his tongue but the sight of the beaten-down spirit of his hatchlings being revived making the promise he feared he could not keep worth it.

A movement to his right caught his attention and he turned to see Merec motioning to Glenn and Lekreh as he was speaking to Lesley and Claude. Though the drake was not sure of what was being said, he could guess it was about the agreement between them and their old Aerial Combat Instructors. When the news of their ordered dismantlement had reached the old pair, they had been adamant about joining them on this last desperate adventure of theirs. Though he did not admit it aloud, Gahntuar was secretly glad for it and could only guess that Merec felt the same. The human was very unsure of himself again after the death of Harald on the Echoren and in this unsure time, it was good to have old friends and trusted advisors to rely on again.

But as part of their support staff, Claude and Lesley would not be able to join them at this time. Not with all the equipment they needed to perform their crafts. So, the old gryphon-knight pair had offered their house in the nearby town to the two to stay in for the time being, at least until the Lúgroccae council had found a place to settle down where their existence wouldn't stir up a conflict more than they could handle.

The drake smiled to himself as Merec and Lesley shared a kiss before hugging each other goodbye. It would be good to see his human breed and secure his bloodline as well. Though, speaking of which...

"What about the other families who are nesting nearby?" the Lúg'hir asked, turning to his elder sister. "It feels like I'm abandoning them as well..."

"Don't worry about us!" Laethia scoffed, the one-winged draine puffing an irritated plume of smoke south. "The Corel Tower are truly fools if they think they can order free-roaming dragons around. All the dragons with whelps who are still too young to fly long distances are going to remain close by, in the territory which was MINE long before your Lúgroccae came here. Yes, we will be dispersing wider than was initially planned with the Camp still in operation, but my squad and I are still going to continue to visit each nearby nest regularly as we have done the past ten years as if nothing has changed." She smirked deviously as she cast a glance to the side where Amaren and Tembarah were emotionally greeting their nearly grown hatchlings as well. "And I believe Tembarah's clutch is old enough to be able to assist greatly with the younger whelps. It will be a good learning experience for them, I think."

"I've heard that many of our wild scouts who are not directly associated with the Lúgroccae had decided to remain close to the Amber Tower as well," Lainah added quickly. "And those who could have, already dispersed deeper into the Curndors, so don't worry about us. We won't be as easy a target for the Umbrins still holding out in the Ice Mountains as our forbearers were at the start of the Dragonhunts."

"And Archmagus Vicia has promised to give us fair warning should the Coral Tower get it into their heads to come and ask us where you are," Laethia grinned. "We have learnt how to hide properly from dragons over the decades so they are going to find the hunt more difficult than they can imagine if they dare come after us! "

"I really hope so!" Gahntuar hissed unsurely as Merec joined them.

"How are we doing here?" the human asked mutedly.

"You take good care of dad, you hear me!" the eldest of Gahntuar's whelps insisted before any of the adults could reply. The little teal drake bravely sniffed back a tear as he stood up onto his hind legs to give his sire's rider a fierce hug, even employing his wings to pull the human close. Though he was only six, he already towered over Merec when he did this, and the human could do nothing but accept being enveloped by scales and membranes once again. Not wanting to be outdone by their eldest siblings, the rest of the clutch joined in with the hug until that there was nothing visible of the human at all beneath the pile of little dragon whelps.

"Alright, you four!" Gahntuar said quickly, smirking at himself despite his low mood.

"I'll miss you guys!" Merec smiled bravely as he was released, affectionately touching each whelp's nose. He looked up to rub the silvery jaw equally affectionately when Lainah leaned down to him. "And you as well, Lainah!"

"Be safe, and make sure you take care of Gahntuar!" Lainah whispered, her voice finally cracking. She twisted her head and without hesitation, pressed her lips against the human's face, uncaring of who saw.

Laethia raised her eyebrow questioningly as the black draine noticed silver's tongue slip from her maw to press up firmly against the human's lips. The strange relationship between the two different species had been an awkward point between the two draines all the years they knew each other, but the one-winged dragon had to admit that since his near-death on the Echoren, she had come to realise she cared more for the human than she liked to admit. But she was definitely not sure if she would go as far as to... to mate with him... at least she didn't think so... at least, not yet anyway.

Laethia ogled the two for a moment, before realizing she was staring, and she turned her gaze away to where Amaren and Tembarah were leading their hatchlings up to her as well. So, it came as a complete surprise when Merec addressed her as well.

"And the same goes for you as well, Laethia!" the human announced. "I will miss your company as well."

"I..." Laethia gasped in surprise, at a loss for words as she looked down at the human. Merec used the opportunity to rub her jaw as well, as he did for Lainah. The touch was more exhilarating than expected and before she could catch herself, she pressed the bridge of her snout against the human's chest in an uncharacteristically affectionate nuzzle, purring in delight at the affection she received. Whether Merec was caught off guard by the sudden show of affection or not, he did not reveal and only hugged her head tighter, planting a gentle kiss on her brow.

"Lúg'hir, Roccan'hir!" Gharavhan suddenly rumbled, breaking the tender moment. "I'm afraid it is time."

"I guess so," Gahntuar sighed, turning to give another last look at the impressive structures he had come to call home as Merec released Laethia and the awkward draine quickly turned away from him to talk to her first clutch as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened between her and the human. Gahntuar sighed as he considered the empty Camp around them a final time. Again, he was forced to leave the region he had come to call home. Will he ever find a place to settle down once and for all? Will he ever know true peace? With a snort, he dismissed the melancholy and turned to the old drake.

"Right then!" he stated firmly, no longer the unsure drake but the determined Lúg'hir once more. "Call them up."

"Yes sir!" the deep, dark-brown drake rumbled in approval. Then, in a loud voice, he called out the order everyone had been awaiting with fearful anticipation. "Lúgroccae! Saddle up!"

There was no grand speech this time, no words of comfort as the riders mounted their steeds in sombre silence. The three Yellows who were to accompany them into the unknown wilderness climbed unsurely up onto three of the most experienced dragons who had lost riders on the Echoren. Then, when all was ready, Gahntuar called out the simple signal and the small group of remaining dragons took to the sky in silence.

... to be continued.