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"Controversy exists if Time itself can be classified a class within the School of Elemental Magic. On one hand, it is undeniable that there exist spells and talisman-shapes that can have some influence over the hard to describe reality which is Time. For example, a strange ability that allows a caster to experience time either faster or slower than the norm has been described in ancient literature, although this 'Timebending' seems to have been very unreliable and if successfully cast, could only affect the user for a few seconds at a time and the shape couldn't be moulded in quick succession. Still, many scholars have suggested that these shapes should rather be combined with Spirit, a class which itself is a dangerous, barely understood collection of shapes and for which research has been strictly forbidden outright ever since the dawn of the Golden Age.

Manashapes such as these which affect Time seems to be surprisingly weak and is notoriously unreliable when intentionally cast. In fact, the most stable results appear to come only from inborn gifts over which the caster has very little control. The more famous of these abilities are of course Hindsight [the ability to see exactly what had transpired in the history of an object/location, unobstructed by individual perception or bias] and Foresight [the ability to see what may still transpire]. The only stable shape known to the Circle at the time of writing is a strange middle ground, referred to as 'Telesight' which allows the caster to see what is transpiring in a completely different location and which is an important aspect of Magic Mirrors.

Yet on the other hand, though the effects of these spells are widely accepted as fact, it is important to note that controversy exists over their usefulness, even when the spell does succeed. Hindsight has been proven to become less clear and understandable the further away the caster views an event, both in the geographical distance as well as actual time. Foresight also has questions regarding its accuracy, as several examples exist of prophecies never coming true. Though the question remains if the telling of the prophecy in the first place may have led to events playing out differently than the caster had foreseen."

• Extract from "Introduction to Magic", often given to aspiring apprentices starting their tuition in magic at one of the towers of the Circle of Five.

***

The room was dark except for the slender light cast by one small candle which itself was set in an unadorned, flat stander of simple brass. The unmoving air was dry, dusty even and terribly stale as it had barely been disturbed in the time since the heavy iron door had closed behind him some five days ago... or was that six days? Or four? He wasn't sure anymore, to be honest. Not that it mattered at this moment. The only thing that was truly important to him right now was that he knew, deep down in his soul, his time to leave the room has not yet come.

"Divina Lux illuminat tenebras, benedixitque gratiam dei. Protegas mihi ab inlecebra, sapientiam tuam dirigendos meos pedes in via iustitiae. Da mihi consolationem in opus ad justitiam tuam splendide docuerunt."

A deep silence fell across the tiny, cold room again as he sat on the too-thin bedroll, contemplating the deeper meaning of his prayer and the guidance he sought. This was how he was expected to spend his week of fasting: In absolute silence meant to assist with the meditation upon a single prayer which was repeated constantly. Normally it was on an expected topic as ordained by the priests of the Light and according to the doctrine of the Alliance. Though, it was not unheard of for one of the devotees to arrive with a burning question for which only the Devine guidance of the Light could answer.

As was the case with Colonel John Adulsworth. As a high-ranking military officer in the Alliance, he had to meditate a week on the balance of strength and honour in the glory of the Light, but instead, he arrived at the Grand Temple of the Light in Kerrathiene desperate to know what path the Light intended him to take next. But what exactly that important life choice he had to make was, he kept to himself as he prayed for guidance.

"Divina lux illuminat tenebras, benedixitque..."

He was suddenly interrupted by the toll of a distant bell, the bright ringing sound breaking the oppressive silence as well as his concentration. Adulsworth looked up at the heavy iron door to his room in surprise before he glanced to the side where the little candle was still burning to confirm the passage of the time. Very few other sounds were permitted during the meditations, and despite himself, he held his breath as he tried to listen to the soft footsteps as padded feet approached his door. Usually, the progress of the acolyte who brought him his two-hourly meal could be followed by the various soft tapping against the cast iron doors that had been locked shut behind the fasting devotees. However, the only other occupant of the Meditation Halls had ended his prayer two or three days before and as such there was no one else in here other than himself.

It was probably the first time since the inauguration of the Temple in Kerrathiene that this was the case, Adulsworth suddenly thought to himself. As the capital of the old Kentereal kingdom, this Temple was the most sacred of the Alliance's structures, even more so than the one in Thendor where the latest revival of the Alliance had started. For this was where the very first Alliance of Light was announced, back in the days of the Second Witch War. Though, it was probably not that surprising that there was no one else here, to be honest, seeing how much resources the defences on the...

The expected, soft tap against his door that signalled to him that his meal had arrived, startled him more than it should have. Stifling an annoyed grunt at his sudden lack of mental discipline, the human twisted in his seated position to reach over to the door and tap a knuckle against the door only a single time in reply.

Yes, he was still alive.

No, he was not yet ready to bring his meditation to an end yet.

The grating of a slot from the outside sounded terribly loud in the thick silence. A small flap that was cut into the door at ground level was opened and a light wooden tray was pushed into his room. Adulsworth quickly retrieved the objects brought to him: A small bowl of stew, a fresh unlit candle and a replacement toiletry bucket. He replaced them with the bowl and bucket from the previous round and after another singular tap to the door, the tray was pulled back outside. There was another loud clanging as the bolt was closed again by a novice initiate judging by the lack of care to remain silent and the footsteps retreated quickly, leaving the human alone with his thoughts again.

Adulsworth considered the objects brought to him for a moment, letting the burning question that had brought him here in the first place fade into the background noise of his mind. It was the fifth meal of the day… or was it the fourth. Or was the day already standing towards its end? He was suddenly not sure. This time he failed to suppress a grunt of annoyance at his lack of attention, but there was no one to hear so did it matter? Annoyed with his lack of awareness of the time, he lifted the bowl to his lips and drank a few sips. He pulled a face in disgust at the weak taste but forced himself to drink more of the liquid. Calling the watery, vegetable broth a meal was a stretch though, as it was neither filling nor tasty. And it was not nearly enough.

Then again, he knew from experience that the meditation he had to undergo was not meant to be fun, but it was designed as an ordeal to show his commitment to the Light. The food was mostly meant to keep him hydrated during his period of fasting and nothing more. And as an officer of sufficient rank in the Alliance, it was expected of him to meditate like this for at least one week every season.

Of course, if he had any hope of earning a promotion, he had to endure this routine for six whole months, from mid-autumn to mid-spring to prove his devotion to the cause. Though the meals brought to such devotees had much more body to them, it was still a feat only the strongest of wills could endure. True, he had heard of people pushing themselves too hard and dying in the Meditation Chambers as a result, but he was confident in his will and devotion to the Light that he would not suffer that fate. The people who died in meditation usually were the people who sought glory beyond their destiny. But then again, it was rare for people to go into meditation seeking answers to unsolvable questions from the Light. Had he not maybe overextended his worth by challenging the Light to resolve a question that seemed not to have any logical answer? Might he be one of those unworthy fools who ended up never leaving these sacred halls?

The thought was troubling and he shuddered as he finished the last of the broth. 'No!' he decided as he put the empty bowl down next to him. He was wholly devoted to the glory of the Light and the darkness would not overwhelm him! He was here to ask the Light for guidance, not to challenge the Light's wisdom. But then again, what if he didn't recognize the direction in the Light pointed him to follow... or didn't want to accept the given answer...

He sighed, forcing his mind away from the macabre thoughts as he picked up the little unlit candle. It was supposed to replace his current candle and meant to provide light for another two hours until the next meal would be delivered, along with another fresh candle. But he knew that these candles burn for longer than the supposed two hours and he made a habit of saving them as long as possible. Those little snippets of time added up, thus allowing him an additional few hours of the day to put in more time in meditation. His current candle still had three-quarters of an hour's worth of light, so he decided to put the new one aside for the time being. He will light it when the other started to burn low.

To be fair, it was a risk he took for part of his duty during his meditations was to constantly be aware of the lit candle and make sure the light it provided didn't go out. But it was a waste in his mind to burn two candles at the same time for fear of the flickering flame going out. Of course, at end of the day, he had to allow it to go out completely, affording him the time to rest and sleep, as is ordained by the Light in the natural order of things. For even in nature, the Light has its reign and dark its own. The following morning, along with the breakfast broth and a fresh linen undergarment for the day, he would be provided with a new candle to keep lit throughout the day.

Adulsworth sighed to calm his rebellious thoughts once more and with determined devotion, he turned thoughts towards his prayers again.

"Divina lux illuminat tenebras, benedixitque gratiam dei. Protegas me ab inlecebra, sapientiam tuam dirigendos meos pedes in via iustitiae. Da mihi consolationem in opus ad justitiam tuam splendide docuerunt."

The human was silent again, thinking about the question he struggled with, considering it from all the angles he knew of and weighing the worth of each point of interest. About the prayer he repeated, over and over again into the stale air, its deeper meaning in the broad scale of the creation.

"Divina lux illuminat tenebras, benedixitque gratiam dei. Protegas mihi ab inlecebra, sapientiam tuam dirigendos meos pedes..."

'Dirigendos meos pedes' indeed! What is he doing here? He should be on the field, taking an active part in preparing the defences on the banks of the Belthean River and not locked away in a little closet muttering something in a dead language over and over again! The Belthean Valley was the only place where he could really serve the Light at this moment in time! Everyone knew it was the most direct route between Juinkarr and the Kentereal Highlands, and any Shadowspawn army that would issue forth from the Black Fortress will be foolish not to take it. Then, once the Alliance had halted their progress through the divine power of the Light, the lesser authorities of Selebore will understand the urgency of the situation and they will be forced to...

Adulsworth clenched his hands into fists and held his breath for a few seconds, forcing his attention away from the Belthean defensive works before he relaxed with an irritated sight. He shouldn't be thinking of the threat of Juinkarr, he was here to fast and meditate. To find the answer to a question he had not realized he was avoiding for far too. A troubling question, for which he desperately needed an answer, one he had to discover for himself. And somehow, he had the feeling that there was much more hinging on him finding that answer than he could ever imagine.

But that also meant that he was the only military officer of the Alliance he knew of to be stupid enough to have gone into fasting at this critical time when the Alliance was expected to stand up against the darkness that threatened to swallow the whole of Selebore. Of course, he was aware of rumours that he was trying to avoid the conflict that is around the corner, but luckily for him, he was already too many compulsory week-long meditations behind. The priests here could not deny his request to meditate to the will of the Light. If he missed another session, which would have been inevitable had he travelled to the Belthean, he would automatically have been demoted back to major.

Not that his lack of devotion was entirely his fault. He had in fact, applied for a promotion to Brigadier, which would have seen him at the head of a whole company of soldiers in time for the rise of Juinkarr. Everything was planned carefully, and he had already prepared for his winter of fasting when that unholy alliance between orc and dragon started their push into the Ealyndore forests. So instead of achieving the promotion that would have seen him in a position to win glory for the Light against the forces of Barathrum, he had an unfortunate promise to a dying Cervid friend he had to keep.

Adulsworth growled in annoyance at the thought. That stupid war not only caused him to miss out on his destiny but forced him to neglect his duty to the Light and to be absent for three of his scheduled meditation weeks in succession as he had to stay in the forest. That damned forest where all this started!

That thought brought him back again and Adulsworth grunted again in annoyance at himself, and his sudden lack of mental discipline. What had gotten over him? He did not have this much trouble concentrating on his meditation ever before, so why was his mind running away with him now?

He sighed and wrestled his mind back to his meditation.

"Divina lux illuminat tenebras, benedixitque gratiam dei. Protegas me ab inlecebra..."

Then again, was his mandatory week of meditation not already over yet? Surely, he had been in here for longer than seven days already, or at the very least he was quickly approaching the completion of the week. He should stop wasting time, finishing up this farce and answer the summons to the Kentereal Highlands along with the rest of Alliance. The Light needed him out there! In here, he was of no use to anyone and could not achieve any glory in the name of the Light. The longer he stayed in here, chasing impossible answers, the more likely it would be that he would miss the grand battle for Selebore.

For all he knew, Juinkarr had woken up already and was spewing forth monsters from the nether realm of Barathrum even as he was sitting here, asking for guidance. He would not know, for once he entered the Meditation Hall of any of the Temples of the Light, none was allowed to communicate with one another other than the basic taps against his door. It had been ordained to be like this ever since the First Age, that he was to be left isolated with only the presence of the Light to guide him. It had not been meant to keep him safe whilst Juinkarr awakens...

He swallowed a curse at himself as Juinkarr somehow managed to spoil his concentration yet again. Maybe, it was later in the day than he had thought, and he was overextending himself? It wouldn't be the first time either. Maybe he should calm his thoughts by meditating on nothing but his breathing for a bit. Juinkarr, his mandatory week of fasting, everything about the Alliance was mere distractions from the true reason he had come here to meditate. He was here not for safety, nor propriety, but true guidance from the Light. Guidance, it had to be said, he was yet to receive.

Putting word to action, he cleared his mind of all thoughts and worries, merely focusing on the steady rhythm of his breathing. In and out. In and out. Slowly he found the calmness of mind he needed again from all the distractions that were plaguing him suddenly, as well as the resolve to continue his fast until he was sure of his answer.

"Divina lux illuminat tenebras..."

The deep urgency to go to Juinkarr suddenly sprung up in his mind again. The Alliance needed all the resources they can get if they were to halt the approach of the next Dark Age! It was an uncomfortable fact that they were not as strong as they had hoped to be for this day. The war between the orcs and the elves were proving to be a troublesome annoyance that stretched their resources too thin, while the war between the humans and the canid alliance only added unwelcome strain to their most loyal followers from both sides. Then there were the lesser authorities of Selebore who actively resisted the path of righteousness, trying to hem in the influence of the Alliance or countering the formations of the needed Temples within their larger cities.

But all that were mere thorns in their sides. No, the thing that was truly syphoning their strength away was the unnecessary tension between them and the Circle of Five. He was not sure what had bewitched the High Commissioner all those years ago to start alienating all the magic users, seeing how large sections of their forces had initially come from species who had inborn skills with Mana. Yes, he had overseen the unfortunate execution of the leonae all those years ago that first lead the Alliance down this path, but surely as custodians of the Glory on the Light on Selebore, they had no business getting involved in the age-old squabble between the felines of Caravien and the lizards of Tithen over the validity of magic-use!

Granted, the original roots of the Alliance had been to bring an end to all the practitioners of moulding, but in his opinion, they needed all help they could get in the fight against a much stronger Juinkarr. And seeing how the Alliance of the First Age ultimately failed to destroy the use of magic, who were they to claim that the use of Mana cannot be in the service of the glorious Light? Who were they to dictate to the Light what was righteous and what was not? Obviously, the Banzinen Incident had not been righteous to the will of the Light, for their strength had only waned afterwards instead of increase to the point where they could mass an army strong enough to march on Juinkarr itself, attacking it when the fortress was lifting its evil barriers and it woke up from its centauries long slumber.

Why could they not attack Juinkarr when it was at its weakest and levelling it to the ground once and for all. Why did the events have to conspire against the Alliance like this? Why could the High-command not be able to be more decisive and assertive when dealing with...

Adulsworth blinked in surprise at that last thought, the hot anger at their frustratingly difficult situation evaporating in the cool, stale air. How could he have lost so much of his mental discipline as to question the commitment and decisions of his superiors? His place was not to question his superiors but to follow their lead in the service to the greater good.

Or … was that the answer to the dilemma he now faced? He was not expected to question decisions in the first place, but to obey his orders and leave the important decision making to those who had the authority as given to them by the Light! Should he therefore not fall back to the age-old wisdom of their doctrine and let go of this personal quest of his? Somehow, that did not sit right with him. Yes, he served the Light through his service to his superiors, but was it not everyone's duty to uphold the glory of the Light in everything they did? Then surely, he could ask questions when he was not sure of the way forward! In fact, it was his duty, was it not?

But that only brought him back to the start again. He sighed and tried again to clear his tired mind.

"Divina lux..."

This time, the first syllable of a curse did leave his lips, but he managed to swallow it before the offensive phrase fully formed in the hallowed halls. He looked down in shock at where the lit candle was meant to be, but in the sudden, absolute darkness he could not even see beyond his eyelids. This was a disaster, any devotee's worst fear. His obsession with Juinkarr had not only caused him to lose his concentration but to fail in one of the easiest and most basic of duties during his fasting. He had failed to prove his commitment to the Light and now it had gone out, leaving him to sit alone in the dark.

Worriedly, he felt around for the various object in the room with him as if he could somehow manage to restore his only hope. In his scrambling, he touched the unlit candle he was supposed to light with the old one before he started to meditate again, and he grabbed hold of it as if it was the key to the salvation of his soul. But of course, it would not help him now and without any source of flame, the Light would not return to him.

He had to fight against his quickly rising anxiety, taking three deep breaths before he tried to assess the situation. There was no need for panic, the last candle of the day usually died like this, signalling the time for sleep so why this fearful response from him all of a sudden? His grip around the unlit candle tightened as he tried to convince himself that this was nothing out of the ordinary. He had received several 'meals' that day already, surely it was near evening already.

Yes, that made sense. His mental ability had started to fray the past few minutes and an early night would do him good. Then, in the morning he would receive a new lit candle, and no one would know of his intercession. The only other option he had was to leave his Meditation Cell and admit his failure. But he did not dare to face the resulting mess that would leave him with. Not tending the Light during any meditation was great humiliation indeed, one he would not be able to live down until he had at least completed his next winter-long meditation successfully. But more troubling than the humiliation was the standard practice that he will not be admitted to the Meditation Hall for another three months. And with at least one more day to go before his minimum week was done, he was sure to be demoted for this intercession.

But even more urgent than that for him personally, he had not yet received the answer to his question. Then again, was this not maybe the answer to his question? Was he not so obsessed with finding an answer which suited him that he lost track of his commitment to the Light?

"Oh, Divine Light that illuminates the darkness through the blessed grace of the Great Creator!" he muttered to himself, letting go of the ancient language as he desperately gripped the unlit candle tightly.

Then, he blinked in surprise at himself as a third option presented itself; he could just continue his meditation and prayers without the presence of a lit candle! In the morning he would be given a new candle, and none would be the wiser. He suddenly wondered if there were not more devotees who tried to push themselves too hard as he had, and also ended up allowing their candles to go out. But instead of admitting failure, they chose to hide the truth and continue their meditation as if nothing had happened. But... but it was blasphemous to pray to the Light in the dark. Wasn't it? That was a scary thought, to be sure. To what would they turn when all other lights go out? Surely the Light will not abandon them in the darkest hour, in the time of their greatest need?

"Protect me from temptation, let your wisdom guide me unto the just way!"

'The Light will never go out completely, even in all-encompassing darkness of the Eternal Night' the comforting thought came to him unbidden. 'Like Thendor which valiantly held onto the Grace of the Light during the horrid years of the Dark Age.' It was an easy, convenient answer to a difficult question, so typical of the younger priests of the Light, yet it did give hope. And judging by what was coming for them, they needed all the hope they could get!

But for him, sitting now in the dark and clutching onto a source of light that will never be lit for him, it didn't bring much relief. For him, there were no easy answers. And yet, he was running out of the time he needed to find them. Surely the Light will understand if he continued his meditation in the dark.

"Give me the courage I need to face the justice you clearly teach..."

That last phrase suddenly hit him like a club-wielding troll. How could he pretend to say one thing and do another where none could see? No, the Light will not look kindly on him for trying to be false about his commitments. The Light was truth and he had to remain faithful to it, even with these temptations that had come over his path. How else could he prove to the Light that he was devoted to its cause?

Uncalled for, the memory of the dragon coughing up precious blood as its life ebbed away sprung up in his mind. A life that had been given as a sacrifice to fight Juinkarr. A life that undoubtedly served the Light more devoutly than most Seleborians he knew. A Shadowspawn... that serves the Light. An impossibility, for the Light and the shadow cannot mix! Damn those Lúgroccae. They are the whole reason he was here in the first place, to find an answer to a riddle that twisted in on itself with no loose ends to pry at.

With a sigh, he admitted defeat for the day. His concentration was in tatters again and he just knew it would be hopeless to remedy the situation. Best to go to sleep early and be fresh for the next day. Hopefully, his prayer and meditation will go better in the morrow. With a tired sigh, he felt around for the thin blanket to cover himself with for the night. He could after all not truly hope to be able to pray in the dark. Everyone knew it was...

'And how is sleeping while pretending to meditate less blasphemous than praying in the dark?' the thought accused him suddenly. It left him feeling cold and empty as if he was knowingly betraying the trust of a loved one. No, he was not pretending to be doing anything but serve the Light! It was late in the evening and he was expected to meditate until the last candle died. And that was exactly what he did, wasn't it?

"Oh, Divine Light that illuminates the darkness..." he started to whisper again, suddenly at a loss as to what to do now as he clutched at the candle with one hand and the strangely comforting weight of the woollen blanket in the other. But again, he was interrupted by an unexpected tolling of a distant bell. He looked up in surprise at the sound, shocked that the next meal had arrived.

The soft sounds of the approaching acolyte's footsteps sounded absurdly like the approach of doom to the human and despite himself, he yelped in shock when the expected knock on his door echoed through the cell. He hesitated momentarily, before giving his reply.

One tap. Yes, he was still alive. No, he was not yet ready to bring his meditation to an end yet.

As expected, the flap in his door was opened and the tray with a fresh bowl of thin soup was delivered to him. But with the flap open like this, a slither of golden light filtered through into his cell. Of course, there was no way for the acolyte to know that there was no light in the cell, but in that slither of lamplight, Adulsworth could see the fresh, unlit candle waiting for him.

In a daze, he picked up the second, unlit candle and something in him snapped. Unbidden, the memory of the dying dragon returned to him. The life of a Shadowspawn sacrificed to save his own. A Shadowspawn that serves the Light more devotedly than he was proving to do now. That thought, that memory broke his resolve and with a breaking heart, he admitted defeat, reaching for the door again to tap against it three more times.

He could lie to the priests, the acolytes, to the whole upper command, the soldiers under his command. But he could not lie to the Light itself. He was done.

There was a surprised hesitation from the other side of the door before the acolyte who had brought him his meal acknowledged the message with three more taps and the footsteps retreated hurriedly back from whence it came. Mere moments later, it returned with the needed aid and the large latches to his cell was undone with a deafening clank. When the door creaked open, light from the lantern the young acolyte was holding up flooded the dark room and Adulsworth was never more relieved to be able to see again.

The first acolyte to join him in the Meditation cell, who had presumably been the one responsible to bring him his supplies, was a slender female bovid. She entered the room with her head bowed and with reverent silence, stepped up to him as if nothing was amiss. Her companion, a slightly older bull who appeared strikingly similar to the young cow, released an accidental snort of surprise when he glanced into the room over her shoulder, only to find the room dark and the candle dead. However, he recovered himself quickly and like his fellow bovid, stepped into the room to assist the occupant of the cell outside.

Both of the acolytes were still very young, the curve of their horns just starting to form, and the gender-specific bulk or curves of their bodies were just starting to become prominent. Yet they were deceptively strong and with relative ease, they assisted Adulsworth onto his feet again and silently led him back outside. Though he had not been in the Meditation Cell for long enough to have lost significant muscle strength, it was still expected of them to support him as he returned to the Main Halls of the Temple again, where his health would be assessed by a proper herbalist and his first real meal in several days awaited him.

"What news of the Lúgroccae?" Adulsworth croaked as if parched as soon as they left the silent Meditation Hall behind. The two acolytes stared at him in surprise for a moment, before they turned towards each other to share a wordless look.

"I hope you received that answer you were looking for before you allowed your Light to fade!" the bull and Adulsworth guessed the eldest of the two sneered disrespectfully, obviously not in the least interested to give any heed to the question the human had uttered.

"What news of the Lúgroccae?" Adulsworth repeated, trying to ignore the bull's remark even though it stabbed at his sense of honour. He did not understand why, but there was a burning need to hear what the Lúgroccae was up to in the Ealyndore Forests. But why the Dragonriders though? Was it not the threat of Juinkarr that had distracted him to point of failure? Or was it that last memory regarding the dying dragon that still haunted him?

"How could you possibly have known?" the younger acolyte suddenly asked, a little awed. "Did the Light reveal something to you during...?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the elder snapped angrily as if he was the one humiliated by the human's failure. "The Light won't bless those who do not have the basic fortitude to tend it in the first place!"

"But the first question those who leave their Meditation Cell always asks first is how long had they been meditating!" the younger retaliated. "Not something this important..."

"He still allowed his Light to go out!" the bull snapped irritated. "We don't owe him..."

"What news of the Lúgroccae?" Adulsworth insisted, surprised at the reaction of the two young acolytes and now even more than intrigued as to what was going on.

"What's going on here?" another voice asked, the deep booming quality of it suggesting an authority behind it which simply expected it to be obeyed without question. The three turned surprised to see the Grand Priest of the Light himself walking down the last upper steps of the stairs heading down into the Meditation Hall, obviously intending to join them. He was an imposing bovid, with wide sweeping horns and an intimidating muscular physique that belied his old age. Rounding off the look of dangerous power was a mean-looking scar across his snout which, rumour has it, he received in his younger days when he had been a Hunt-leader amongst the Dragonslayers. Whatever the story behind the battle wound might be, it was undoubtedly clear that he was a dangerous bull before he found his true calling in the service of the Light.

"Colonel Adulsworth has finished his week of ordained meditation!" the young cow quickly spoke up, sounding a little awed at something the human had achieved, "and he immediately asked about the news we received concerning the Lúgroccae only hours ago!"

"He let his light go out!" the younger bull snarled defiantly, but he was silenced with a raised finger from the Grand Priest.

"What presses you to inquire about the Lúgroccae of all things?" the priest asked, sounding neither intrigued at the strange question nor disgusted at the human's inability to tend to his Light. Instead, he took the human by the arm and assisted the two acolytes in guiding him up the final stairs and into the Main Hall of the Light.

"I... don't know," Adulsworth admitted, hanging his head in shame as he recognized the midday sun shining into the great stained windows of the temple. It was nowhere near the end of the day as he had assumed. "My... my meditation had gone smoothly until the previous meal was brought to me. Then... my concentration just failed me. I cannot explain what happened, only that it was clear my time in the Meditation Hall was meant to be over."

"The Light can speak through the darkness as well!" the youngest acolyte gasped, staring at the human as if he had just turned her entire world upside down.

"What foolishness is that!" the elder acolyte snapped.

"How else can you explain..." the younger acolyte started to argue when the Grand Priest called their discussion to a halt with an annoyed clearing of the throat.

"Enough!" he snapped when they looked up at him. "Do the two of you not have duties to attend to?" The two acolytes quickly acknowledged the priest's comment with a respectful bow and without another word, turned to leave. They were however only silent until they had disappeared around the corner, whereupon they immediately started arguing again about the timing of Adulsworth's indiscretion. Shaking his head, the Grand Priest turned to Adulsworth.

"Usually, the first order of business is to hand you over to a healer for examination," the bull stated, motioning for Adulsworth to sit down upon a small bench that stood nearby against a wall. "And provide you with a descend meal. But since you've only completed the week meditation and not the full length one, I think we can talk for a bit first. You are, to my knowledge one of only three devotees in all the Temples to be present for your meditation at this time and I did after all want to have a quick chat with you regarding the... strange timing of your request for fasting."

"I can assure you that there was no ill will in my decision to meditate now," Adulsworth replied, his ability to speak loudly again starting to come to him easier. "I merely needed guidance from the Light about a decision I have to make before we come to stand against the armies of Barathrum."

"Something regarding the Lúgroccae?" the priest asked astounded, raising an eyebrow in surprise when the human merely nodded his head. "As it may be," he suddenly announced, "it seems that the Light did speak to you in some way, for the timing is strange indeed. You see, about the time your previous meal was brought to you, news arrived here that the Lúgroccae had been kicked out of the Circle of Five!"

"What?" Adulsworth gasped, looking up at the priest as if he had just made a very inappropriate joke. "Why? That doesn't make sense!"

"The why is completely plausible when you hear what had happened!" the priest smirked like he knew a secret which he was dying to share. "You see, they finally revealed what truly goes on in their twisted hearts when they attacked a small village of innocent equines and burnt it to the ground, sparing neither traveller nor foal."

"What?" Adulsworth gasped, feeling as if he had been punched in the gut hard. "That doesn't make sense either! Are we sure they were not framed?"

"Why would you ask something like that?" the bull retorted surprised.

"I... don't know," Adulsworth admitted, falling silent for a moment as he tried to judge his motives. "Had I heard that six weeks ago, I would have accepted it without question. But now, I feel there is something about it that we don't know."

"Don't let your experience in the Ealyndore forests cloud your judgement!" the bull warned him sternly, putting a hand on the human's shoulder as if trying to be reassuring. "They may seem to have done the elves a great service, but remember they are born Shadowspawn and can never be of the Light. We've already sent what squads we can across all Selebore to flush them out of whatever hole they had crawled into. Although, I regret to admit that we could only spare mere Temple Guards for this job and only a handful at that. But we must do something! When Juinkarr rises, we cannot have them roaming as they like at our backs."

"Still, we are all equal before the Great Creator," Adulsworth suddenly said, the phrase from the Sanctum Illud popping up unbidden in his mind. "As such, we will all be judged with the same measure. How can we truly know that they just decided one day to burn down a village? Why that one? Why now? Why just the one?"

"How should we know how the servants of the dark think?" the priest scoffed. "If it is any prove to you that this had truly happened, the Lúgroccae council banished those responsible to the Thirstlands."

"Wait, they did what?" Adulsworth snapped, feeling lost and confused by the twisting facts of this discussion. "If they have acted against the ones responsible, then how can we say that they are working for the shadow? How can shadow oppose shadow?"

"That is impossible!" the priest continued in a condescending tone. "I cannot say I know what their final aim is, but evil cannot undo evil. The Sanctum Illud of Epangelia is crystal clear on this!" The bull held up a finger as he quoted effortlessly from the holy text of Nixoruma. "On the topic of evil opposing evil, it says 'a kingdom cannot be at war with itself and remain standing'!"

"So, we know who stands for the Light by what they do and how they act!" Adulsworth commented.

"Exactly," the priest smiled as if he had won the argument. "We are all defined by the actions we take when no one is looking. We are not what we think of ourselves or what others say about us. The Sanctum Illud does say 'People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Great Creator examines their motives.' But also, be careful: Do not be deceived by good actions with ulterior motives. The Sanctum Illud also says 'Not everyone that calls unto me, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of the Great Creator.'"

"But, how will we know when actions are pure of heart or meant to deceive?" Adulsworth asked carefully, coming to the burning question that had chased him into the Meditation Halls in the first place. "It is mentioned in the Annuals of the Light 'Be wary of those who had betrayed their calling and instead decided to serve the shadow. They may be highly regarded by the world, but their hearts are filled with wickedness. Do not associate with them least their corruption spreads.'"

"That… is difficult to determine!" the priest agreed a little subdued. "Men often hide their true motives from everyone. But remember they will not be able to deceive everyone all the time. Always remain vigilant and be especially weary of those who claim one thing but does not hold true to their word. I think it may be wisest to ask, who benefits in the end."

"Those who do not hold true to their word," Adulsworth commented thoughtfully. "Then what about, the actions of the Lúgroccae council in banishing the ones guilty for attacking that village? That should prove the truth of their character as a whole more than the actions of a few."

"Remember not to take anything they do at face value..." the priest started to say with a disappointed sigh, but Adulsworth cut him off.

"If their council punished them for their evil actions, then how can we still claim that they are nothing but false?" the human argued.

"Punishing unwarranted murder with a mere banishment?" the bull grumbled with an unamused snort as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the disrespectful human. "Do you really believe that is true to the Light?"

"I feel something is missing about this whole affair!" Adulsworth sighed, trying to give voice to the doubt he had about the rumour. "As for the punishment you complained about, it may be more severe than you realize, to be honest. I mean, can a single dragon even survive in the Thirstlands at all, let alone a group?"

That question took the wind out to the priest's sails completely and he stared astounded at the human for a long, awkward moment.

"I haven't thought about it like that!" the bull admitted carefully, turning away from the human to stare up at the bright colours of the stained windows. "But the bottom line remains that you can never trust any servants of evil."

"But are they servants of evil?" Adulsworth challenged the priest again, a little more firmly this time. "That is the very question I had come here to meditate on, and I still feel confused about it: Can Shadowspawn ever serve the Light?"

"No, that is absurd!" the priest shouted as he turned back to the human, appalled at the very thought. "They were created for dark purposes and as such, their very existence revolves exclusively around opposing anything that is of the Light. How can they ever not be servants of evil?"

"But the Annuals of the Light specifically states that 'There is no greater proof of devotion to the Light than laying down one's very life to protect its brilliance'." Adulsworth pressed.

"That has nothing to do with Shadowspawn serving the Light!" the priest snapped with a dismissive snort. "Have you ever seen one of those monsters lay down its life in service of the Light?"

"Have you not heard what happened on the Echoren?" the human asked, equally appalled. "How many of them died to save the elves?"

"I do not trust mere hearsay when it comes to..." the bull snapped angrily, but again the human interrupted him.

"Except when it is convenient?" Adulsworth found himself challenging the priest before he could catch himself. "Did you not speak of their action in Ealyndore only moments ago? What was that you said about keeping true to your word?"

"How dare you!" the priest hissed furiously as he started to get to his feet, but the human wasn't done.

"You are willing to believe they killed an entire village for fun, simply because someone said so!" Adulsworth continued in a raised voice, "but completely unwilling to believe they died to protect the elves from the shadow! So now hear this: I was in Ealyndore, at the Battle of the Echoren, so it is no longer hearsay! I saw one of them die to protect the armies of the Light against the horde! One, in particular, died to protect me personally! Am I therefore of the shadow... and then by association, are you as well?"

"What? I..." the priest started to say, but words failed him. Shaken, he slumped back unto the bench next to the human, the words directed at him seeming to have struck a nerve. "But... they are Shadowspawn by nature..." the bull argued weakly, trying to hold onto a deeply rooted ideology.

"But can't they refute their nature by any chance?" Adulsworth asked softly, suddenly feeling ashamed for his outburst even though he now had the priest's understanding of the complexity of his dilemma.

"Impossible," the priest replied with a shake of his head, but he did not sound as determined to prove his point as he had been before. "One cannot change one's destiny..."

"And yet, we know of Shadowfriends!" Adulsworth pointed out mutedly. "We were created to honour and rejoice in the Light. But instead, some of us choose for whatever reason to turn their worship instead to the shadow."

"That… is true... they turn from the Light to hide their evil deeds in the dark where they think no one can bring justice unto them" the priest admitted equally mutedly before a thought gave him renewed hope in his view of the world. "But our own High Commissioner's work says that 'a Light can go out and be lost forever, but one cannot come forth where there has never been any'!"

"But how are we to know that there can be no Light where none has been seen before?" Adulsworth found himself challenging the status quo again. "An unlit candle," he added, handing the priest one of the two unlit candles he was still holding onto, "is not worthless because it has never had any Light to share. So, who are we to judge something's potential by what has gone before?" The human was quiet for a bit as he suddenly considered his own words. He did not know where they had come from, but the weight of their meaning was undeniable. "The same goes for a candle that had been blown out, I guess. Surely there must be hope for redemption?"

"But... Shadowspawn cannot be trusted!" the bull insisted weakly. "We all know that... just... look at them!"

"But doesn't the Sanctum Illud also state that one cannot be judged by external appearances?" Adulsworth insisted. "'Men judge by what only their eyes see, but the Great Creator judges by what men feel in their hearts.' I know it is usually held as a warning against pretenders claiming to serve the Divine One but who are instead only interested in self-glory. But surely it also holds for physical appearances as well, for just before that phrase it is written 'Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For I do not look upon men as men do.'"

"That… is true," the bull was forced to admit again, "but... but surely it does not hold for Shadowspawn..."

"Why not?" Adulsworth asked, a ball of nerves forming in his chest as he started to realize that he was busy sharing the answer he was seeking so desperately. He was just unwilling to accept it, for it proved that he had been living with wrong views of the world for most of his life. "What holds for one must hold for another. The Universal Truth cannot be altered to fit one's needs!"

The priest was silent for a long time, looking up in contemplation at the coloured light that fell into the Temple through the gloriously decorated windows.

"You make valid points!" the bull finally admitted with a tired sounding sigh. "The Sanctum Illud does say 'For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, the visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: All things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him, all things consist.' We all answer to the Great Creator, Seleborians and Shadowspawn alike... I just... never heard of Shadowspawn ever opposing the shadow..."

"What about Lunintur?" Adulsworth asked suddenly.

"'The Brighter of Light'?" the bull asked with a frown. "Are you referring to a... person?"

"A dragon," Adulsworth admitted carefully. "To be fair, he gave himself that name, but he still attacked Juinkarr at the end of the Dark Age, clearing the way for the Alliance of Light at the time to recapture continental Selebore."

"I have never heard of this before," the priest said, looking hard at the human.

"I am not surprised," Adulsworth sighed. "When I returned from Ealyndore, I had tried to find any reference to these events, to confirm or denounce rumours I was told in the forests with hard facts. But it was not hard to find clear mention of it in Bovidae Royal Library, by various scholars of all species of Selebore. Yet, I am sad to admit that there was absolutely nothing about it in the library of the Alliance. I know with all my heart that we are not evil, but how can we judge right from wrong if we do not have all the facts? I fear our most dedicated and celebrated actions these past years may have served the shadow more than the Light. I fear we must look carefully at ourselves before we can hope to judge others."

Again, an awkward silence befell them as the priest weighed his words.

"'Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye'," the priest finally quoted the Sanctum Illud again, subdued and beaten down. "You make... disturbing points. Ones I fear I am not in the position to comment on at this time. I... I may have to meditate on them myself, to be honest."

"Then I believe I may have the answer I came here for," Adulsworth said, clutching the other unlit candle he still held onto, "and I know what I must do! It is just... I don't think it will be very pleasant. I don't think most of the Alliance will not accept this revelation either."

"I understand," the priest agreed, looking unseeing down at a patch of multi-coloured light on the temple floor. "It seems that after this I may have a path to walk in the silence as well." He finally turned to face the human with an unsure smile. "But doing what is right is more often than not doing what is unpopular. Just remember, 'If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them'. Yet, fear not and trust in the Light. It will guide your way when you need it."

"Thank you, sir," Adulsworth dared to smile faintly, though his heart was not in it. He was not looking forward to the inevitable confrontations that were in front of him. "The Light has shown me the way I must take, incomprehensible as it may seem. Many will not like it as well, but I feel it has to be done."

***

"Are we there yet?" Audenier grumbled, the joke he had been making the past two days now becoming a real complaint. They knew the road ahead of them to find a place to lay low for a bit would be long and hard. If it wasn't, their hiding spot would not be worth anything. But none of them, not even Merec had envisioned the road that awaited them.

As expected, Felicity had them fly vaguely southeast from the Amber Tower for two days, to make up distance as fast as possible. However, from the third day on, they continued their tedious journey exclusively on foot. A difficult thing to ask of any creature with wings and though Gharavhan insisted he would have suggested the same at one stage or another, the instruction was not received with very much grace by the majority of the lúgae. It was a narrow canyon where they had spent that night and it took most of the morning to find a way up and out of it into the adjacent valley. It was a wide valley with a large river winding lazily down to the west, but after the claustrophobic encasement of the canyon, they felt open and exposed in this serene tranquillity. Especially with the hint of smoke rising from a large, unseen village around the bend of the river.

Gahntuar frowned as he watched the smoke from the settlement rise lazily into the air. He knew of no settlements around the position he thought they were, but that was undoubtedly the cooking fires and forges from a settlement he smelled. A large on at that as well, so where were they exactly? How had he gotten turned around so easily? The vixen who was leading them who-knows-where remained elusive of their final destination, only insisting that they keep out of sight of the people around the bend where the smoke originated from. Instead, she had them turn southeast to follow the river upstream, deeper into the Curndors as she had insisted she wanted to do from the start.

They followed this river for another three days, their journey on foot going slowly as they had to navigate rocky outcroppings and ford smaller streams that joined the larger river from time to time, all the while conscious that they had to remain as unnoticed as possible. This was dangerous countryside, so they mostly tried to keep as much as possible to the Yellowwood groves that grew thickest in the sheltered bends. But the large trees with their thick canopies grew more and more sparsely as they continued on their journey higher up into the mountains and inevitably what little shelter they had was denied to them. By now the large river had dwindled in size to a fast-flowing stream and the wide valley it had carved in the mountainside grew narrower and more difficult to traverse to the point where the dragons had to walk in single file more often than not. By lunch of the second day, when the heading of their path had turned completely east, the large trees ceased to grow at all and the vegetation gave way to fast open grasslands with long tough leaves. Only a few isolated clumps of hardy Sugarbushes with narrow, crooked trunks grew between the scattered rocks, but the wide windswept canopies didn't offer much in the form of shelter from sun nor wind nor prying eyes.

That night, when they still had not reached any proper place where they could hide, Gahntuar had questioned the Yellow magus's wisdom in leading them here. Yes, they were by now completely out of touch with most of Selebore and any civil creature who could have been on their trail would be easily spotted, but the same could be said of them. This was especially true of any dragon who may just happen to be passing by. Had they been further north it would not have been a problem, but they were well beyond the southernmost boundary of the Lumors and any wings in the sky would be hostile to them. However, there was not any scent of dragon nor civil life for the past few months at least, so any objections he tried to raise was like beating back a thunderstorm with his wings. Had they not come to where no one would be able to find them? So Felicity's determination won out and the next day they pressed on, pushing on to this ultimate shelter the vixen claimed she had in mind.

It was now early on their third day on foot, and they finally turned away from the little trickle of water to climb up a narrow, badly eroded gully that lead out of the now claustrophobic valley. They were out of breath, gasping for the thin air around them when they reached a narrow ridge at the top where even the tough vegetation from the past few days ceased to exist. Only a few hardy clumps of long thin grass and spiky scrubs with equally spiky flowers could be found here in sheltered patches between the large rocks.

"I don't like this," Gahntuar grumbled yet again as he turned to look down the hazy valley up which they had been climbing. "How far do you intend to take us?"

"Not far now," Felicity replied, still mysteriously. "We should arrive at our destination early evening."

"We still have a whole day's worth of scrambling up rocks?" Audenier complained, huffing as he collapsed where he stood.

"The most difficult climbing is done," the vixen said, a tired sigh betraying that she too was exhausted. "From here, we take that pass up there over the spine of the mountains, so we will be travelling mostly along the contours of the mountains now before a quick descend into the adjacent valley."

"You intend to lead us even further east?" Aerhin asked with a frown. "I know you are highly regarded by the Archmagus as well as the Roccan'hir, but do you think it is wise to go this deep into the Curndors? We are practically on the edge of the Shadowlands itself!"

"Well, she is right about one thing," Jerielle stated cheerfully, trying to lift the oppressive mood of the past few days. "No one will ever think to look for us here!"

"Still, if we are caught even by accident, we will be trapped!" Gahntuar grumbled, turning to look at the imposing higher mountain tops around them where any dragon knew the air was too thin to breathe, let alone fly. They seemed awkwardly near to their current position, and yet still completely out of reach.

"And you say that Adulf agreed to meet us here?" Merec asked as he turned to the vixen. He knew her long enough to know she was hiding something, but that she ultimately had their best interest in mind.

"Concerning meeting us here, 'agreed' may be a strong word," Felicity admitted, having the decency to at least pull her ears back awkwardly. "But yes, he will meet us there as soon as his group can catch up with us. And though he wasn't thrilled about our final rendezvous, he did agree that this might be the best place for us to hide on such short notice."

"I hope there is a proper shelter at least," one of the other two Yellows commented as the young, female wolf looked up unsurely at a bank of clouds in the east. "It looks like there are some serious clouds are blowing in."

"Tonight might be cold with a little drizzle at most, but I doubt we need to worry about a storm!" Gharavhan stated thoughtfully after a short consideration of the mentioned weather. "But it will be good to have some decent shelter to sleep under. I did not think I would miss the fallible shelter the Yellowwood groves offered two days ago, but last night was not very pleasant in the least!"

"There is shelter though it is a bit worn but good enough to serve our immediate needs!" Felicity agreed. "For a few days at least until we can decide on our next move. We cannot stay there for any extended period and I definitely do not want to tarry here longer than is absolutely needed."

"But at this rate, we are going to need a day just to recover from our journey," Charl commented.

"Then we need to get going soon again!" Edward agreed. "The faster we get to our destination, the sooner we can focus on what is important!"

And with that, the group of travellers continued their difficult journey. At least Felicity was right and after a last push to the top, they finally found a relatively level pass to follow. Though the terrain was easier and their progress faster now, there was still barely enough space for two dragons to walk abreast of each other. At least the taller mountaintops enclosed them, the cool shadows of the imposing spires offering some cover from unfriendly eyes that may pass overhead.

It was some time after they had stopped for lunch when they approached water again. They rounded a sharp corner to find a surprisingly strong waterfall crashing down from a dizzying height lower down into the narrow S-shaped valley they found themselves in, before the river rush further east at a dangerous speed to disappear around the corner over yet another waterfall. Gahntuar stopped in surprise at the sight, his halt so sudden that Jerielle who was right behind him bumped into him with enough force to nearly knock him over onto Merec who was walking in front of his dragon.

"Hey, don't stop without warning like that!" she hissed annoyed, but the drake paid her no mind.

"Felicity?" he called forward as softly as he could to the vixen who was already a few steps ahead. "Is that the shelter you had in mind?"

"Yes, that is our destination," Felicity confirmed softly as she glanced forward and down a slight incline to where their path passed beyond the surprisingly strong waterfall.

"Finally!" Audenier chirped excited, but to everyone's surprise, the vixen at the head of their expedition quickly hushed the young drake.

"This may be where we are going to be staying for a few days," she hissed under her breath. "But this is still extremely dangerous here and it is best if we remain as unnoticed as possible!"

"Where exactly are we?" Merec asked, squinting ahead and finally noticing the structure in the distance. It was a building of some kind that stood against the cliff, looking like it had been moulded directly from the dark basalt. But it was designed with an architecture he didn't recognize. Though obviously a tower that had been cast down and broken apart, the two stories that still stood had a squat, dangerous appearance with spiky machicolations that stood out like the spikes on a girdled lizard's neck around the second level.

"What is that?" Charl asked surprised when he also noticed the imposing building. "Who would build something way out here?"

"It could be a remnant of the Golden Age?" Aerhin hazarded a guess, though he didn't sound very impressed. "Ruins like that are still scattered all over the place. But such places are always dangerous to visit, even if they may look benign. You are sure we will be safe there?"

"That tower there is safe to approach," Felicity admitted. "I've spent nights there myself the past few years. But we shouldn't dare to go east of it at all."

"But what is it?" Charl insisted, absentmindedly reaching up to scratch Audenier's throat as much to calm himself as the dragon who hissed softly to himself. "Surely there must be some kind of record about something this deep into the mountain passes."

"Best to see for yourself, I think," Felicity stated awkwardly, still trying to appease their worries without much success.

With an unsure hiss, Gahntuar resumed the hike, keeping a watchful eye on the ominous building in their path as if he suspected something dangerous to leap from it at any moment. To their surprise, however, the mystery of the place Felicity intended to lay low only grew as another building appeared as they drew near. Another, similarly designed and shattered tower slowly came into view, though this structure seemed more intact. It had an additional two stories to its height which were still in relatively good condition. The lower of these two stories seemed to still have a balcony, complete with a parapet around it and a protected walkway to something akin to a broken bridge that stretched partway over the lower waterfall. The shattered remains of a thick, heavy gate were still attached to the bridge and when Merec dared to look over the edge next to them, he noticed more pieces of the shattered gate jutting out of the torrent below them.

"These were guard towers?" he asked Gahntuar as the drake looked over his shoulder to see what interested his human so much.

"Looks like it," the drake commented softly. "But guard towers to what? I don't think I've ever seen defences as strong as these."

"Not sitting randomly in the open wilderness at least," Aerhin agreed as he and Jerielle joined them. "It is only the greater cities that can boast with defences like this!"

"But I don't think I have ever heard of a city around here," the draine commented, pointing a snout down the weak trail to where more shattered buildings could be seen behind the gate house on their side of the river. "And yet, here it is! Is it possible that it was a powerful settlement that has merely been forgotten during The Shattering?"

"Of this size, no!" Aerhin insisted vehemently, casting their guide a suspicious glance. "There is only one thing I know of that fits the description around these parts! Do you think...?" The elf remained silent for a bit, not daring to give voice to his fears but letting what he was suggesting sink in.

"No!" Merec insisted, watching the three Yellows approach the tower where the vixen intended to stay cautiously, not having noticed their companions had fallen behind slightly. "She may be daring at times when she thinks it is necessary to take a risk, but she is no traitor!"

"Still, I don't like this," Gahntuar added with a growl as they continued again, hurrying to catch up with the vixen. "Not one bit. I do trust her, but she does sometimes try to be too clever for her own good!"

"That is true," Merec admitted with a smirk as they approached the broken gate. "But she won't take any big risk without a good reason and a real expectation of success!" But though the human was speaking in the vixen's defence, he couldn't help but wonder at her latest plan. He doubted she would be that daring, however so there had to be a good explanation for the ruined structures they were seeing. But one thing was sure: Whatever this place once was, it was huge and seemed to have been very prosperous at the height of its power.

"At least there is no clear sensation of..." Merec started to say when they reached the building and the unmistakable flow of Mana touched their senses.

“Were you going to say ' Mana'?" Aerhin questioned him with a knowing frown.

"Can't be!" Gahntuar hissed as he suddenly stopped again, whirling to glare at Felicity where she was busy checking for magical traps at the door of the broken tower.

"What...?" Jerielle started to argue, but then she felt the same flow of Mana as well.

"Everyone, wait here!" Gahntuar suddenly snapped aloud, the straggling dragons with them looking up in surprise. "Merec, let's go!"

"Wait!" Felicity gasped as the two turned to head deeper into the large ruins. "We shouldn't venture even an inch east than this point!"

"Wait, Lúg'hir!" Gharavhan snapped urgently, drowning out any further objections the vixen could utter. "Where are you going?"

"I need to see what is beyond this pass!" Gahntuar stated with a dangerous growl which suggested that he would not be standing down on this. Then, with an equally withering glare at Felicity, he added, "And I hope that I am wrong!"

"Don't be rash, sir!" Gharavhan growled even as Felicity tried to argue against it.

"I'd advise against it as well, sir!" Audenier agreed quickly. "We should send someone else to scout the place out first!"

"We should stay out of the main ruins," Felicity snapped, but again she was overruled, this time by Gahntuar who snapped his jaws at the three of them.

"No," he insisted, a dangerous edge to his voice. "I... need to see it! For myself!"

"Y-yes, sir," Audenier conceded, feeling more intimidated than he usually did around the Lúg'hir.

"But sir," Gharavhan insisted, looking to Jerielle for assistance when Audenier backed down so easily.

"You can't go on alone, sir!" the red draine insisted, smiling momentarily at the elder drake. "We're coming with you!"

"What?" both Felicity and Gharavhan yelped, but Gahntuar seemed to have expected his second's reaction.

"No!" the dark drake insisted, turning his withering glare on the draine this time. "I will not risk our entire command structure on this venture. Only Merec and I must see this through, so you will do as I say and stay here!"

Normally, a direct order like that would have taken the fight out of any spirited objection. But Jerielle remained as firm in her opinion to come along. Maybe it was because she knew him the longest of all the dragons present there, maybe it was because she had come to know a part of him he rarely shared with others during the times they had mated in the forest, but the draine knew she could push him just a little further at that moment.

"I'm not asking!" she hissed back at him. "If we are right about this, someone needs to watch your back in there!"

Gahntuar glared for a moment at her, before he relented. "Fine then," he growled as he turned around, "Jerielle, with me! The rest, stay put!"

"You shouldn't pass through this gate!" Felicity objected, coming to stand in front of the drake.

"You are not in a position to stop us!" Gahntuar growled, buffing her gently out of the way with a wing. "You are the one who brought us here in the first place!"

"Only up to the old guardhouse!" the vixen insisted, watching defeated as the two dragons passed by her. "I never intended to go further than this!"

"I'm right behind you, sir!" Jerielle quipped, ignoring the protesting vixen.

"Alright, fine!" Felicity snapped, though she still tried to remain quiet. "If you are bent on this course of action... just, hear me out in this: Whatever you do, don't venture off this track! Don't enter any of the buildings and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! The old road is safe for a little way into the ruins, but neither the buildings nor any fountain or edifice had been cleared of all their traps yet. AND DON'T go further than the first sculptures you come across! In fact, don't even go near them!"

Gahntuar stared hard at the vixen for a moment, before he acknowledged her warning with a simple nod. Then, the four of them continued deeper into the ominous ruins. As they passed beyond the gate, they were surprised to find that the dangerous architecture of the guard towers was not shared by the buildings behind the gate. Their squat boxy shape gave Merec the sense of warehouses though... or barracks buildings like the ones they had built themselves at the Dirt Tower and were forced to abandon.

The only strange aspect the buildings deeper into the ruins shared with the gates on the outside was the fact that they seemed to have been moulded from the cliff itself. That, and the absolute shattered state they were in. In several cases, the front walls had collapsed to reveal an equally devastated interior, that was if the roof hadn't collapsed and covered everything in sharp-edged rubble. Merec noticed one smaller building was undoubtedly a forge or metal workshop, but it too would take some serious work to fix it up into a functional workspace again.

Beyond the gate, the narrow dirt path they had been following the entire day widened into a broad paved road that wouldn't have looked out of place in any of the great cities of Selebore. Only, like the buildings to their side, the street had also been destroyed with many of the cobblestones being torn up and scattered haphazardly. Though the buildings seemed normal at first glance, the overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere of the ruins only increased as they pressed forward... along with the powerful sensation of flowing Mana.

"This is no mere Aetherecista," Merec commented in a hushed voice, looking around worriedly as they walked along the road, stepping carefully as if they were in a field thick with devilthorns.

"Are you sure the vixen hadn't led us here to be ambushed?" Aerhin whispered equally anxiously, the elf's stoicism failing him completely.

"Not on purpose," Merec stated firmly, though even he was also worried about the Yellow's motives. "I am sure that she brought us here because she thinks this is truly the best course of action. But she has some serious explaining to do!"

"It actually does make sense in some strange way," Jerielle commented, looking in surprise at a fountain that seemed to be still completely intact and in working order. But it was decorated with a few eerie statues in various states of weathering of several species that even included a young dragon in the act of scooping up water for a drink, making it obvious what the fountain was intended for. When Gahntuar snorted at her comment, she turned around to growl indignantly back at him. "But I don't think it was smart coming here either."

"I guess that is the sculptures we are supposed to avoid?" Aerhin suddenly asked, indicating to more of the eerily life-like statues in the road ahead of them. The statues were carved from what looked like a fine-grained, yellowish sandstone, and depicted a strange interaction between two Equidae and three other civil species.

"What the...?" Merec gasped, intending to step up to the strange group that stood in the middle of the road, but he remembered Felicity's warning just as Aerhin reached out to stop him. "Strange place for a sculpture though, don't you think? And it seems rather... I don't know... "

"I have a bad feeling those aren't sculptures..." the elf stated worriedly, stepping a bit around the five statues to try and get a better look at them. Despite being sandstone, they were of exquisite detail.

The two Equidae, who were merely walking down the road hand-in-hand, were dressed in what he recognised were the robe armour he had often seen the magi wear into battle. The cloth was so carefully crafted that the human could see the various seems in the fabric even as it supposedly blew in a strong wind. The mare had a look of awe on her face, her mouth a little agape in obvious admiration of something around the corner. The stallion, who was a pace or so ahead of her had twisted around to smirk victoriously at her.

However, the three other individuals seemed to not fit in with the serene event depicted between the two equine lovers. They were dressed in light leather armour with weapons drawn in readiness to fight. The figure closest to the mare was a young human, who was approaching them like a thug ready to mug them. On the far side of the equines was a bear whose face was twisted in absolute shock at what his companion was up to while behind him, his lion friend was throwing up his arms in terror as if to stop what was happening.

Gahntuar spared the strange scene little thought, slinking past the statues to look down the road.

"Gahntuar!" Merec hissed, worried at what his friend was doing. But the drake hissed worriedly and took a slight step back, his crest flat in fear. As he did so, he noticed as well what had scared the drake.

In front of them, the road descended sharply into a wide valley that opened up quickly towards the east, allowing them an expansive, unobstructed view over the shadowlands beyond the mountains. The ruins continued further on into the next valley, covering the deeper, narrow part of it completely like a devastated city. Most of the buildings were in as bad a state as the ones they had passed just now, with several consisting only of a few broken walls while others were collapsed completely into a worthless pile of debris. In a few places, they could see long lines of fire raging, though what was burning they could not tell.

The whole city was overgrown with tall trees and creeper vines, their roots crawling like greedy fingers over the piles of stone and cracked walls alike, threatening to push the walls that hadn't yet toppled over onto their side. A variety of lush thorny shrub-like vegetation grew everywhere, from the narrow streets to the inner rooms of the buildings now exposed to the outside, even on some of the few roofs that were still intact. It was a lush forest within the confines of the city, regardless of how high into mountains they were and that nothing grew in the wider part of the valley outside the city limits. But while many of the plants didn't deserve another glance, some seemed to sway by themselves in an irregular rhythm as if searching for things that moved within their domain. And more worrying was the bright red flowers that appeared from time to time as they opened and closed like hungry maws, waiting for an unsuspecting passer-by to snap up.

The ruined, overgrown city in itself was a sight to behold, but the broken buildings were arraigned by design in a roughly circular pattern around the edifice that truly deserved most of their attention. At fifteen stories high, even with its higher levels completely broken open and the top clearly missing, the highest tower any of them had ever seen stood imposingly on the far side of the fast-flowing river. It shared the same ominous architecture as the guard towers where the rest of their group was waiting for them, but it stood prominent on a precipice about a third up the sheer cliff from which it was moulded. A ramp, broad enough to allow ten men to walk abreast across it, had once been constructed to connect it and a few unimportant buildings at its base to this side of the river, but a large section of it had long since collapsed into the river, pieces of the old walkway still visible through the rapids below.

"That stupid, irresponsible..." Gahntuar started to growl, but a warning hiss from Jerielle quieted the drake immediately. When they turned to her, she indicated with a flick of her snout to the easternmost section of the city below them. There, amidst the rubble, they barely manage to notice large, dark shapes stalking something through the reasonless maze of broken buildings.

Gahntuar hissed in a slight panic and took an instinctive step back before he crouched and nudged Merec unto his shoulders with urgent prodding of his snout.

"What is going..." Merec started to ask, but the drake silenced him with a reprimanding nip as if he was a naughty hatchling.

"We need to leave, now!" was all he said, glancing at where Jerielle was practically picking up her rider between her jaws. Not waiting for another moment, not even to allow their riders to strap in properly, the two dragons scrambled back from where they had come, not worrying in the least to take the care they had on their journey in.

"What... were those things?" Merec gasped, turning around to try and catch another glimpse of the shadows that seemed to have no discernible shape from this distance.

"Kuhiuns!" Gahntuar barked with an accompanying draconic curse. "If they catch our scent... "

He did not dare to complete that thought.

The two dragons raced back as fast as they could to where the rest of their group was obediently waiting for them. Even in his rush, Gahntuar quickly picked out Felicity and with an angry growl, he rushed up to her and practically shoved her against the watchtower wall.

"You stupid vixen!" the drake snarled, having to fight for self-control not to roar at full volume into her face. "What were you thinking?"

"I know what I am doing!" the vixen retaliated, obviously a little worried but still insistent. She had however expected this reaction the moment they arrived, so she was not panicking in the least, despite having the snout of a furious dragon pressing her up hard against the wall. "This is the last place anyone is going to be looking for us!"

"Of course, no one will look here!" Gahntuar snapped, "and with good reason!"

"What is going on?" Edward asked stunned at the Lúg'hir's suddenly violent display.

"She's brought us to Juinkarr itself!"

***

"If we stay here on the outskirts, we will be okay!" Felicity insisted once again as she led them into the largest room on the second floor of the guard tower. The interior of the guardhouse may not have been designed with dragons in mind, but it offered enough space to accommodate cave-trolls in comfort, so the dragons did not find the rooms and halls cramped in the least. "I can guarantee it!"

The sudden challenge from the Lúg'hir, as well as the contents of his accusation, had unsurprisingly caused a bit of panic amidst the group of refugees. Most of them, including Gahntuar and Merec themselves, had wanted to take off and leave right away while others were too scared to show themselves in the open sky. One or two even suggested they should kill the traitor before they do anything else. It was Gharavhan who finally suggested that they should all calm down before doing anything rash and suggested that they take shelter within the building, away from any possible prying eyes. Gahntuar quickly recognized the wisdom of the old drake suggestion and agreed that they should decide on what to do only once they had composed themselves again and the vixen had the opportunity to explain herself.

Which is why they found themselves now filing into a room at the top of the Guardhouse.

"Really?" Edward snapped upset as the council followed the vixen into the room where they could talk in private. "It seems like an awfully unnecessary risk to take."

"Was that why you were always so vague whenever we asked for more details on this shelter of yours?" Charl joined in with the lupine.

"Because I know you wouldn't have followed my lead if I had told you where exactly we are going!" Felicity snapped back.

"With good reason!" Gahntuar growled dangerously, still fuming a puff of smoke as he stalked into the room right behind Merec. The human remained ominously silent, slinking towards where one of the arrowslits had been broken out to form something like a wider window, from where he could look nervously back at the paved road that disappeared around the corner.

Amaren's raised voice filtered up to them from below for a moment as Gahntuar's son called for calm and order. There were a few arguments they could not make out from the rest of their party, who remained below on the ground level, but a sharp bark from Amaren quieted them down again.

"There is no mistake that this place is dangerous and should not be taken lightly," Felicity admitted quickly when an awkward silence fell, "but I would bet my life on it that this building is safe... as long as we keep ourselves unnoticed. In fact, I have bet my life on it before on several occasions!"

"Coast seems clear," Merec commented softly from his window. "I don't think we were followed."

"Of course not!" Felicity hissed indignantly. "Loath as I am to agree with anything the Corel Tower tries to tell everyone, I have to admit they were right when they said that this tower is completely abandoned. The evil that seeks to destroy you does not dwell here, of that I am certain."

"How sure can you be of that?" Audenier rumbled upset.

"The Circle from the previous age had failed to discover the Bloodhands who hid here," Charl agreed with his dragon.

"Look," Felicity growled exasperated, narrowing her eyes at the hard-headed Lúgroccae council who had gathered here on the upper level to hear her out. "This building is safe to stay in, I know that for a fact. I've spent months going over every inch and clearing out any traps within these walls. So, as long as we keep our heads low and stay out of sight, the orc patrols who venture near here from time to time won't find us. They rarely enter very deep into the ruins and have never ventured up to the higher districts."

"Does that hold for the Kuhiuns as well?" Gahntuar hissed with a snap of his teeth.

"Kuhiuns?" Audenier yelped in a sudden panic, crouching low in preparation to bolt as he glanced back at in the direction of the stairs as if he expected the mentioned monsters to appear right there and then. "There-there are Kuhiuns here?"

"We're past the watershed line of the Curndors!" Jerielle scolded the youngest dragon of the council as if he was making an inappropriate joke. "Of course, there are Kuhiuns here!"

"The... what?" Felicity asked with a frown. Though to her credit, the riders also seemed to have blank looks at the unknown term. All except Merec and Aerhin who had been unfortunate enough to have spotted the dangerous feral Shadowspawn in the ruins earlier.

"Kuhiuns!" Gharavhan stated calmly, stepping up to Merec and Gahntuar to look out the hole in the wall himself. "Um, I believe they were referred to by the Alliance of old as... um, hellhounds!"

"Hellhounds!" Felicity gasped, suddenly less sure of herself as she glanced to the window as well. "They still exist?"

"They most definitely exist, I should know!" Audenier whimpered, fighting desperately to regain control of himself even as a trickle of wetness started to run from beneath his tail towards a crack in the wall. "Did you know their favourite food is dragon?"

"I don't think they noticed us," Jerielle commented softly, nuzzling the terrified drake to calm him down again.

"They would have been here by now if they had!" Gharavhan agreed, raising a questioning eyebrow at the younger drake's reaction before he turned to Felicity with a scowl to equal Gahntuar's. "And I can assure you any Kuhiun won't be keeping out of the higher districts if they catch our scent!"

"But surely the stories about them had been exaggerated," Felicity replied, still shocked at the reaction of the blue drake who she knew from experience was no coward.

"I don't know what stories you heard, vixen!" Gharavhan rumbled. "But I doubt they were exaggerated. Dragons," he cast Audenier a glance, "knows to stay well clear of them. They are expert dragon hunters and not only of young whelps but fully grown adults as well."

"They killed most of my family when I was barely learning to fly," Audenier admitted softly, finally regaining control of his emotions. "If my sister from a previous clutch hadn't flown off with me, I... "

"I..." Felicity stammered before hanging her head in shame. "I am sorry, I... there was nothing like that whenever I was here! I didn't know..."

"You were here before?" Edward asked in surprise. "When... why?"

"Of course, haven't you been listening to what I said?" the vixen snapped indignantly again. "I was trying to find evidence of that Master who is hunting Gahntuar and Merec here! When every lead I could follow up on various Shadowfriends and rumours of occult gatherings led to nothing, I was forced to come here to have a look at this place myself. It took months just to make sure this building was clear of traps. At least I am confident in my work here, and with the orc patrols staying away from the main ruins in the throat of the valley, I know nothing from the east will find us here by accident. At least," she added awkwardly, pulling her ears back in shame as she glanced at Gahntuar, "as long as those Hellhounds don't find us, I guess."

"You guess?" Gahntuar hissed with an indignant snort.

"I'm sorry, okay!" Felicity insisted, throwing her hands exasperatedly into the air. "But all I have to go on is my own experiences here! I've stayed in this tower for weeks at a time the past two years and the only things I needed to be wary of that I've encountered were just usual orc and goblin patrols, and once a pair of scavenging trolls. Other than that, there are a few Bloodbats which has taken roots somewhere closer to the citadel itself... and I... know of at least one tentacle monster somewhere in the upper reaches of the ruins."

"A what?" Jerielle gasped this time with a startled yelp, snapping her tail tightly between her legs and sitting down so quickly that she nearly knocked her rider over.

"Now that looks like there is an interesting story behind it!" Gharavhan smirked, laughing when he received a furious hiss from the red draine.

"Oh, shut up!" Jerielle hissed indignantly.

"Look, I can guarantee that this building is clear of traps," Felicity reiterated quickly, bringing the topic back on track though she did give the deep-brown drake a withering glare that rivalled the draine. "I scanned it myself and cleared out everything I had found. So, we can safely remain here and figure out our next move properly. We should just, stay out of the main ruins. We only need a few days, I believe."

"This thing is not going to blow over in a few days!" Merec commented, finally abandoning his watch by the window

"I know!" the vixen sighed. "The Corel Tower and the Alliance alike will hunt you wherever you go. And I doubt they will ever stop their pursuit until this order of yours is destroyed. But you do have friends other than the Amber and Nacre Towers. I know you've made a really good impression with the southern species and even the gryphon-knights, who had once been one of your fiercest denouncers."

"To be honest, it may be best to stay here and keep our heads low, for tonight at least!" Jerielle suddenly stated, forcing herself to stand up though she held her tail still tucked safely between her legs. "It is getting late and the trek up here had been arduous, and I wouldn't like to do that again right now. Not to mention we didn't pass any descend place where we can overnight that is within reach. And taking flight, even to get away as soon as possible is also not a good idea. We may not have scented another dragon, but it is not to say that we won't be spotted if we try to leave via the sky. And with those Kuhiuns about, I wouldn't risk showing ourselves either."

"Will those... Kuhiuns really be a threat to a dragon on the wing?" Felicity asked surprised.

"Directly, no!" Gharavhan rumbled thoughtfully. "But they have been known to track dragons for days at a time and striking at them when they least expect it. Here in the high mountains, our ability to fly will be of great advantage in the short run, but Kuhiun usually enjoy the longer hunts and they won't easily give up."

"After my sire and dame died, they harassed me and my sister for two weeks!" Audenier whispered, his scales clicking as he recalled the traumatic event. "We only escaped when we fled deep into the Bovidae territory... where the dragonslayers..."

Audenier's scales rattled violently and Charl was quick to try and comfort his dragon again.

"Let's just say we'd all prefer that they are not aware of our presence at all!" Gharavhan growled, looking thoughtfully at Audenier before he finally also gave the younger drake a quick, comforting nuzzle.

"Fine then!" Gahntuar relented with a sigh, though he still spared the vixen an annoyed growl. "We'll hold here for the night, but come morning, I'm going back as fast as is safe. I'm not staying anywhere near this cursed place."

"Understood," Felicity conceded, biting back a disappointed sigh but failing to hide her feelings about the subject.

"We can put a watch out on the roof to make sure that we don't get any unwanted visitors from the ruins below," Merec decided, turning to Felicity with an exasperated sigh. "Are there anything else we need to be wary of?"

"Up here, not really," she stated quickly. "Which is why I'm confident that we will be able to hide here for a bit. But the main ruins are a death trap. There is a reason all the Corel Tower's expeditions to secure the ruins of Juinkarr always fail."

"The sculptures we saw in the street," Aerhin started to ask, recalling that the two equines were dressed like magi. When the vixen frowned at him, he had to elaborate "Of the two Equidae who were mugged?"

"Marvin and Arya!" Felicity quickly said. "Two red magi I knew and of the few from that Tower who was pleasant to get along with. Arya nearly convinced me to join them, to be honest. But as you saw, they came here with the previous expedition the Coral Tower sent here to find Juinkarr's Aetherfontes, and well... apparently, they set off a triggerrune that petrified them. The others with them appeared early last year... I think they were Alliance members sent up to scout Juinkarr."

"A triggerrune?" Audenier asked, worried.

"It is a magical trap that ignites a remoulded Manashape when something living touches it," Gahntuar explained quickly.

"Exactly!" Felicity dared to smile as she enveloped herself again in her love of explaining something to an interested party. "A triggerrune can set off any spell, from protective wards to curses. But most Triggerrunes can ignite their Mana only once, however these... I've never even heard of Triggerrunes that is not exhausted once it has been ignited!

"Other than the usual Triggerrunes, I've also encountered Manaseals," Felicity continued when Merec coughed conspicuously. "Those are traps that ignite only if a mage moulds Mana near it, so you find it by setting it off. Then I've also noticed several time-delay spells that are only active at certain times and completely unresponsive and undetectable otherwise. Those spells are usually just flame barriers to block off various routes and cause confusion, but I've found Triggerrunes like that as well. Then finally, I have heard also of a few active spells that physically hunt for victims, but the various Red magi expeditions took care of most of them over the decades. Still, I wouldn't bet that they are all eliminated.

"Those are ONLY the magical traps I'm aware of," the vixen added determinedly. "The non-magical dangers I know of are the Bloodbats I mentioned, as well as the tentacle monster..." Jerielle hissed upset at the mention of the unwelcome creature, making Gharavhan grin at her again only to earn a swat to the snout from the draine and an incredulous 'stop that' from his rider.

"But those creatures will mostly ignore you if you stay out of their way," the vixen continued, glaring for a moment at the old drake. "The orc patrols from the nearby clan come by once every four to eight days, but as I said they rarely enter the ruins and if they do, they stay well clear of these upper districts. And finally, there are some giant Droseraceae to be wary of and as well as a decent infestation of Writhing Creepers. The plants may have trouble overpowering the dragons, but the rest of us are easy prey so best to stay away from the foliage."

"Oh, yes!" she added quickly as an afterthought. "I've seen Goliath spider webs in the darker corners of the ruins, but they looked old and long abandoned, so I doubt there are any of the creepy crawlies presently here. But best to remain vigilant anyway."

"And you still thought coming here was a good idea?" Gahntuar growled incredulously.

"How many times do I have to say that this?" the vixen growled exasperatedly in return. "This specific structure is safe for us, but only if we stay out of the actual ruins!"

"Well, we are here now, and it is getting late!" Audenier announced, seeming to have gotten over the worst of his fright. "Best to make use of what we have, don't you agree, Lúg'hir? Roccan'hir?"

"We don't have much of a choice, now do we?" Merec sighed, looking at the others thoughtfully. "All right, we stay for the night. Edward, Gharavhan! See to it that we barricade the lower entrances as tightly as we can and Charl, Audenier, I want a constant lookout on the upper floor to watch the approach from the city. No one is to go beyond this structure without approval from both Gahntuar and myself. And absolutely NO FIRES! We remain as unnoticed as possible. At first light, we leave. By foot, if the coast is not clear, else we take to the wing." He turned to Felicity as he held up a finger. "No arguments, understood?"

"Yes sir."

***

There was no sign of the Kuhiuns early the next morning. Nor had there been problems with the Bloodbats, which the guards on duty only caught a glimpse of shortly after sunset. There was a patrol of five orcs and three goblins spotted approaching to within a mile of the ruins shortly after sunrise though, delaying the escape Gahntuar had hoped for with an hour or so. But the refugees remained unnoticed, so after they left the Lúgroccae were in the clear to make a clean getaway with no other scent or sight of enemy Shadowspawn. Yet, the moment to rest their tired legs and enjoy a little bit of peace, even if it was only on the surface, proved too tempting to pass up. As such, the tired refugees found reasons to delay their descend from the mountains back to the equally dubious safety of the western plains for just a little bit longer.

Even Gahntuar found himself lax to enter the claustrophobic valley they had traversed the previous day, and before they knew it, the sun was already sinking towards the peaks to the west of them. So they spent another, albeit less tense night in their little sanctuary. By the second morning most of the initial fright and awe at their current situation had dissipated, so much so that by midday, even Gahntuar had to begrudgingly admit that Felicity might have had a good idea to hide here.

"Do you think there will be anything of serious value in those ruins?" Merec asked as he looked once more towards the ruins from out of his broken arrowslit. It was early afternoon, and everyone was enough at ease with their surroundings that they decided to give their next move the attention it so sorely lacked.

"Why would you want to go deeper?" Aerhin asked, looking at his human friend as if he had lost his mind.

"I wasn't seriously considering it!" Merec quickly stated, turning to look determinedly at the Lúgroccean council and their advisors seated around the room. It was the same, large room where Felicity had to defend her decision to lead them here. "I was just... thinking allowed."

"That is usually where your bad ideas start," Gahntuar commented with a playful grin before he became serious again. "Still, why did that thought cross your mind in the first place?"

"It's nothing, it's just..." Merec hesitated, glancing to the door for a moment. He had no reason to be cautious about revealing his intentions though. There was no chance of anyone eavesdropping on their discussion, Felicity had made sure of that with a few, well-placed Manashapes. And anyway, except for guards on the open level that served as their roof and the two pairs and a scout who had travelled westward to try and hunt for them, the rest of their group was still in the level below and out of earshot.

"I was thinking of the creditors in Thendor, okay!" Merec admitted. "Roccan'her Harald may no longer be with us, but the debt he took for us remains. And it will follow us wherever we intend to go."

"How deep are we?" Glenn asked softly, nodding in understanding at their predicament.

"Not so dangerously deep as we've been a few years back, but too deep to ignore!" Merec admitted worriedly. "We've managed to pay our instalments regularly in recent years, so it had not gotten away from us. But now that we are practically on the run it will become a serious issue again. Maybe even worse than it had ever been before!"

"Seriously," Gahntuar growled as he released a puff of light smoke, "why do you civil species have to make things difficult?"

"I wouldn't risk going in there for treasure," Felicity insisted vehemently, "even if it was the last option open to you. There are most definitely powerful and rare relics within the ruins, but all of them would have been created for some dark purpose or another. Not to mention the best pieces will be protected by some kind of curse or another on them. So, unless you intend to sell it to Shadowfriends in the underground, no one will be interested in buying it. That is if you can keep it away from the Circle of Five. Mundane magical objects, like your ring, for instance, are no problem. But to be in possession of cursed objects or objects specifically meant for evil intent, like Seghrien's earring, are strictly forbidden and will be confiscated without question." The vixen was silent as she thought of the ruins. "The only thing worthwhile in there would be the Aether in the Aetherfontes. It had not been harvested for over four centuries now at least, so the Aether pool itself should be full. If you could mine a few litres of it, it will be worth more than a king's ransom, though I suspect the Corel Tower will be more than eager to take that off your hands without so much as a thank you."

"You can mine Mana?" Jerielle asked surprised.

"Not Mana specifically," the magus quickly corrected the draine. "I'm talking about Aether. To be fair, it... it is Mana but condensed into a liquid or crystal form. But it is extremely rare as such concentrations are only found around the seven Aetherfontes, so it is one of the most precious commodities you can find."

"But what use would a solid chunk of magic be to those who cannot use it?" Charl asked, the dark human not ever trying to hide his irritation that he was not able to touch the strange substance.

"It has amazing regenerative and healing properties, even if you cannot do anything with Mana!" Felicity stated, sounding a little awed about Aether's properties. "So, it was highly sought after by the rich and powerful ever since it was first described in surviving records, even since the time of the Great Witchhunts as a matter of fact. But you are also right that it is incredibly important to all magi as well. You see, Aether can be kept in reserve longer than normal Mana, making it useful for travelling magi who have difficulty retaining their natural reserves. But the problem you have in mining this location is that no one has ever managed to survive long enough in Juinkarr's citadel to have discovered where it exactly is. It is here, we all can feel it..." She glanced awkwardly at Charl for a moment. "... at least, those with the ability to attract Mana. But pinpointing its exact location has proved to be impossible up to now."

"Best not risk it then," Merec stated the obvious. "I will not accept to lose another of my charges, even if it is to save the Lúgroccae as an organization."

"Maybe we will be able to land higher-paying jobs once we find a new home?" Aerhin suggested optimistically, trying to dissuade worry concerning the additional problem they are facing. "Even with the pressure from the Coral Tower, I doubt everyone will view us with contempt after Kantmere. And with a little luck, we will hopefully be able to rid ourselves of this debt once and for all."

"Or wherever we end up can help us with it?" Lekreh added hopefully.

"I won't accept someone else taking over our dept!" Merec stated quickly. "We will just be shifting the obligations from one place to another, only this time without the agreements Roccan'her Harald managed to secure for us."

"Agreements like what?" Jerielle asked with a frown. "After a decade in the field, we are still having trouble getting rid of those promises!"

"Stuff like the dragons with us should not be committed to something we may not approve of," Merec stated.

"Like fighting the Lupines for nothing but the glory of the humans," Gahntuar grumbled.

"The point I'm trying to make is that when we secured those deals initially, we could get away with pushing through some arrangements that suited us," Merec added. "Remember, the Lúgroccae were just hearsay back then. But it is not the case anymore and we can very well find ourselves tied to contracts that serve interests we may not approve of if we are not careful."

"Okay, I understand," Jerielle relented with a grumble, glancing out the broken arrowslit in the direction of the ruins.

"On that note, we need to come back to our original question though," Edward stated firmly, the wolf idly inspecting his sabre as he spoke. "Whereto from here? If there is one thing we all agree on is that we cannot stay here."

"We can always return to the elven forests," Aerhin raised the suggestion for the utmost time. "After the Echoren, I know we will be most welcome."

"That is true of most of the authorities of southwestern Selebore, to be honest!" Felicity suddenly stated, unable to hide a grin. "Archmagus Vicia informed me via magic mirror this morning that many of them had been asking after you, offering housing and training facilities. Thendor in particular went as far as to issue an order you to return 'home' as well."

"And return to the service of the mad king?" Charl snapped disrespectfully. "No thank you."

"That despite the significant presence the Alliance has on the peninsula, as well as the recent animosity between you and the Circle!" Felicity continued, shooting the human in the corner a dirty glance. "I doubt it would have been something he wouldn't have considered carefully, even when his recent... erratic behaviour is taken into consideration. "

"I don't really like the idea of being taken in by any of the authorities," Merec admitted.

"Why not?" Glenn asked stunned. "We have to throw our lot in with someone! As great as it may seem, we cannot remain disconnected from anyone with power. "

"It is not just that I'm worried about what may be expected from us if we were to take anyone up on their offer," Merec explained patiently. "I also fear that it may cause further conflict between the various species by appearing to choose a single group over everyone else." He directed his attention at Aerhin for a moment. "And I'm afraid that includes the elves. Our presence may complicate the relationships between whoever takes us in, and both the Alliance on the one hand and the Circle of Five on the other. To be fair, on this issue the elves may be the only logical decision as there is already friction between those factions, but I still don't want to aggravate things for anyone. Especially after the blow they received on the Echoren last month."

"And don't forget that the threat from Juinkarr's Master is still directed against us," Edward agreed with the human. "Add to that the Alliance's prophecy that this dark tower behind us will wake up at any moment..."

"You've seen the place," Felicity growled with a rude snort. "There is no way this thing is just going to wake up and start spewing out an unstoppable wave of Shadowspawn that will engulf all of Selebore! In fact, I've never seen a newly arrived Shadowspawn scurry out of the citadel!"

"Except if this Master manages to get his hand on our dear Lúg'hir and Roccan'hir's hearts..." Gharavhan commented dryly.

"You're not helping!" the vixen hissed, glaring daggers at the old brown drake.

"Just pointing out facts," the eldest of their group pointed out patiently, not in the least perturbed by the magus. "We have to remember that we are in a dangerous situation, one that the Claw-of-the-Master can easily use to her advantage!"

"Still, Merec has an important point we must consider before we make our next move!" the elf reminded them with a tired sigh. "Wherever we go, we will change the political dynamic of the region and not always for the better."

"So why not stay here then?" Audenier suddenly quipped up with a smirk. But when everyone glared at him, he quickly added, "It was a joke, okay? I may be a fan of comic relief, but I'm not stupid!"

"To clear it up once and for all," Felicity sighed exasperatedly, "the old Demonslords of Juinkarr locked this place up tightly with traps and spells that the Circle of Five cannot clear out. The local orc tribe regularly inspects these ruins for trespassers and with the wide-open Gurroc Gap they have easy access for a massed army to reach the outer limits if they had to clear out anyone. And with the unharvested Aetherfontes here, the overabundance of Mana seems to have attracted all kinds of dangerous Shadowspawn, plants and as you pointed out the other day, some monsters that hadn't been seen west of the Curndors since the height of the Dark Age."

"Technically, we are east of..." Gharavhan started to say, be he was interrupted with an indignant growl from the vixen.

"Oh, shut up!" she hissed not in the least amused.

"But, had it not been impossible for any pioneer Shadowspawn to cross over into Epangelia since the veil reknitted again!" Merec commented as Edward also berated his dragon with a soft reprimand. "Where are these dangers coming from then."

"The Aetherfontes has been shut as far as we know," Aerhin stated thoughtfully, "but no one was here to monitor what the Aetherfontes did after all. Felicity can claim what she wants, but she had not been here the entire time so it is entirely possible in my mind that something can still come through. Maybe not something as large and powerful as dragons, but might it not still be open enough to let lesser Shadowspawn through?"

"I may not have been here all the time, but still believe I was here long enough to have seen something escape from the citadel had it been possible!" the magus insisted. "The Shadowspawn we've encountered... I think they merely come from the Shadowlands beyond the ruins. They can after all pass through the Gurroc Gap easily enough, without suffering the trouble we had to endure on our way up here."

"And yet, you brought us here to hide from the west!" Gahntuar hissed still annoyed, both that they had not been let in on her plans and that they had not insisted that she tell them.

"That again?" Felicity grunted, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Yes, I brought you to this guardhouse, not Juinkarr itself! But back to the real topic: Only one of the original demons can clear out this place again and make it usable. That or else you will need the assistance of one of the Divines!"

"Then, what else is it that you are not telling us?" Gahntuar insisted, lowering his snout to stare determinedly at the vixen.

"What-what makes you think I'm hiding something?" Felicity asked, awkwardly looking to the others around the room who turned their interested gazes upon her after staring in surprised shock at the Lúg'hir.

"I've known you for years now," the black drake commented with a smirk, "and I have come to know what that ear flick of yours means. Yes, that one."

"Gahntuar does have a point, you know," Merec agreed, casting a knowing gaze at his dragon. "We've talked about it last night and we are sure you have another motive for bringing us here."

"We doubt it is malicious," the drake added softly, "but I will not be blindsided like this again!"

"It... it is nothing really," the vixen admitted awkwardly, looking determinedly out the hole in the wall. "It is just... something that has been bugging me ever since the Siege of Corrumwhell. I don't trust that it is true, but I can't stop thinking about it either."

"And what would that be then?" Merec insisted, forcing the magus to release a tired sigh.

"The Closing of the Circle..." she finally admitted in a soft voice after hesitating for another few seconds.

"You're kidding me, right?" Merec asked appalled as Aerhin choked on the water he was drinking from a canteen. "You brought us here, knowing full well the dangers of this place and you go out of your way to inform us of them at every chance you get. Yet, you are thinking of Closing the Circle?"

"What is this closing of the circle?" Gahntuar asked, sharing a look of confusion with the rest of the dragons. "Do you mean the Circle of Five?"

"Yes, and no!" Felicity agreed, not looking at any of them. "It is a concept that was developed during the Dark Age wherein Epangelia or Barathrum gains control over all seven Aetherfontes, thereby locking the other out of gaining access to a main source of power."

"Rather, let's look it like this," Merec started to explain when the confused dragons only frowned deeper at the vixen. "The 'Circle' of the Circle of Five doesn't just refer to a kind of closed-off companionship, but an actual circle as well. If you were to put markers on a map to point out the various Towers, you'll notice that they are all evenly spaced in a circle around the Aether Temple, which itself is in the centre of the continent. Even Juinkarr has its place in that circle."

"So... the Circle of Five we know is actually a broken circle," Jerielle hazarded a guess as she suddenly understood that she shouldn't be looking at the statement too deeply, "but adding Juinkarr to it will complete it?"

"Exactly!" Felicity stated excitedly. "It will 'Close' it if you will. Now we know that during the Dark Age, the Barathrum tried to build their own fortresses on top of the Aetherfontes where the original magi towers stood. It is believed that, had they succeeded in doing so for all seven Aetherfontes, the power of the Demonlords of Juinkarr would have been at its greatest, with them being converted into unobstructed gateways to Barathrum Proper. Also, Epangelia would have been denied any access to the fountains and as such, unable to resist the might of Barathrum to any proper extend."

"But we don't know for sure what will happen if that ever comes to pass," Merec quickly insisted. "During the Dark Age, Barathrum came close to achieving this 'Closing of the Circle' against Epangelia. Only the Ivory Tower's Aetherfontes remained outside of their direct control, because of its proximity of Thendor which they could not conquer. And now, we face the same issue: We control all the Aetherfontes, except the one below Juinkarr because of its proximity to the Shadowlands which we cannot conquer."

"And... you thought that we as dragons would be able to Close this Circle of yours?" Gharavhan stated thoughtfully, though an annoyed puff of smoke betrayed that he was not impressed with the revelation.

"No!" Felicity quickly stated, but when the old drake only frowned at her, she had to elaborate. "It is a little more complicated than that. During the past decade, I kept on hearing references about the imminent Closing of the Circle from various sources, even if only vaguely. For instance," she added with a wave of her hand at Aerhin, "there is an Elven proverb that states that 'It will only be possible for the Circle to close once the Lúgroccae takes to the skies'."

"Seriously?" Aerhin snapped exasperatedly, recalling the moment he had told the vixen about it during the siege. He had not wanted to voice it to outsiders for this very reason as it could create unattainable expectations. "That is a proverb, not a prophecy! And one used only by the elves of the lower classes, I might add! The term 'Lúgroccae' was originally an oxymoron, and the reference to the Closing of the Circle is to reiterate the concept of impossibility. You said yourself that Juinkarr is completely locked up with spells and patrolling Shadowspawn, so how are we going to clear it out and take possession of it if we cannot defend ourselves?"

"That is true," the vixen admitted with a nod. "But there were other things as well which just keeps nagging at me. The sudden interest this 'Master' has with Gahntuar here, the prophecy of the Alliance..." She snorted rudely at herself even as she admitted giving any credence to something stated by the Alliance "Then there was a phoenix at the siege that stated the fate of Juinkarr is to be decided by the Lúgroccae... that before the world as a whole even knew the term!"

"Phoenixes!" Gahntuar huffed iterated as a tendril of smoke escaped him. "Best be careful what they have to say!"

"Would you have gone to Ealyndore had the phoenix told you precisely what would happen on the Echoren?" Gharavhan suddenly rumbled, giving the Lúg'hir a knowing glare.

"Of course not!" Gahntuar insisted.

"And where would we have been then?" Gharavhan stated, allowing himself to smile a little victoriously. "Kicked out of the Amber Tower, with no friends to call upon and enemies all around!"

"Fine, you have a point, I guess!" Gahntuar growled. "I still don't like it, but you have a point." He turned his attention back to Felicity with a dangerous glare. "But tell me, how exactly are we supposed to take control of Juinkarr?"

"I don't know!" Felicity admitted, throwing her hands up in defeat. "If it was even possible, the Lúgroccae needs to be much stronger than they are now... and have the full, undivided support of the entire Circle of Five... and even then, it is not certain if we will be able to Close the Circle. It is just a thought that wouldn't go away. Maybe," She hesitated again, turning a hopeful eye to Gahntuar, "seeing how you are a direct descended of..."

"No!" Gahntuar snapped, killing the conversation before his heritage was revealed. "Don't get any ideas!"

"What do you mean?" Audenier asked, sharing in the confusion of the rest of the council as to what exactly just happened.

"Enough! I will not discuss it further!" Gahntuar snapped determinedly, making it clear that this was the end of this line of discussion.

"People, we are talking in circles here!" Jerielle quipped up, knowing exactly what the Lúg'hir was hiding and cringing as she remembered her own reaction to his secret. Though, when the young blue drake started to giggle, she hissed annoyed at him. "No, pun, intended!" she insisted with a snap of her jaws before turning to the rest of the group. "Look, we agree that Juinkarr is dangerous and off-limits so let's leave it at that, shall we? Our first and foremost question should be whereto from here! Regardless of who thinks what, I don't want to be anywhere near this place should the Alliance's prophecy just happen to turn out accurate."

"You are right," Merec nodded to the draine, silently thanking her for drawing the attention away from the drake. Turning to Felicity, he asked, "When is Adulf expected to arrive here?"

"Another three or four days, maybe?" the magus said with a shrug. "He let me know late last afternoon that they are only just coming up to the main Alliance camp at the top of the Belthean Valley. It took us three days of hard hiking to get from there to here, so we shouldn't expect them before that."

"Right, so we have three days to make a decision!" Merec announced. "Now, let's look at all the possibilities we have from all angles. If we were to return to Thendor, what will be the pros and cons?

***

"Found anything?" the light blue draine shouted to her one companion, a dark red drake as he rose on an air current up to level off next to her.

"Other than rocks, grass and those ridiculous gnarly trees?" the drake hissed frustrated.

"Hakriel meant to say 'no'!" the drake's rider, a scrawny wolf shouted against the wind, patting the dragon's neck affectionately where the crinet stopped.

"How about you?" the draine turned her attention to another drake. The riderless dragon beat his wings twice to gain enough altitude to reach her level before he replied.

"We are still too high up into the mountains to find anything of interest, I think!" the golden drake called back. "There is food for grazers, yes, but barely enough cover!"

"But dare we go any further from the others?" the equine shouted back. "Remember that we need to remain out of sight of Juinkarr when we get back, so that means at least another thirty minutes trek on foot when we return!"

"Talking of which, I think we need to be getting back," the draine quickly shouted, "before they send out someone to come fetch us! We've tried our best and the next group can search for a better hunting spot lower down the slopes!"

"This is the worst hunting duty ever!" Hakriel complained, glancing over his shoulder for a moment to glare accusingly at his lupine rider as the three dragons banked into a lazy turn back to the narrow pass leading to Juinkarr. "Tell me, Marcius, how is it that you bipeds have to eat so much? What is wrong with one hearty meal a week?"

"Don't give me that!" the lupine shot back. "We still have some dry rations we can rely on, you know! Roccan'her Edward just wants to make sure we keep what we have for emergencies! And before you complain about us eating so much, I heard some of the other dragons complain about wanting a proper meal after the arduous climb two days ago!"

"Still, this was a waste of time!" the red drake complained. "And how are we supposed to hunt effectively with our armour on?"

"I don't know," the draine sighed, "but I think Lúg'her Gharavhan has a point… I don't want to be this close to Juinkarr without it. And anyway, it still beats guard duty by far!"

"Is guard duty really that bad, Lúg Eshore?" the golden drake whined worriedly, glancing to the more experienced dragon.

"Worse!" Eshore's equine rider laughed. "Hours upon hours of boredom which you are not allowed to alleviate with anything interesting. And then there is always the constant worry about being the unlucky guard on duty when something does happen!"

"Perta is right, but you will come to learn the 'joys' of guarding duty first-clawed when you graduate yourself, Sal'lúg Velron," Eshore agreed with her rider, the blue draine giving the younger golden drake an evil smirk.

"R-right!" Velron whined.

"Don't worry too much about it, young dragon!" the lupine rider laughed as the trainee looked away nervously. "It is not fun, but these three make it seem worse than it is!"

"And why would we do that!" Petra shot back, the equine feigning annoyance.

"Because you are upset that, as Roccan'gon Shella and Lúg'gon Amaren's squad, we didn't get to go south to join the rest of the Lúgroccae in the forest!" Marcius shot back. "I'm also upset about it, we are the only squad not to have had any actual combat exper..."

"What was that?" Velron suddenly called out, swiping a claw down at the slope below them.

"What?" Eshore asked surprised, snapping her head down at the slope but seeing nothing.

"Where?" Hakriel echoed his wingmate.

"There!" the golden drake replied excited, swiping a claw down again at a cluster of Oldwood trees that had managed to find enough shelter in a narrow gully to grow this high up. "I thought I saw movement!"

"We didn't see anything!" Petra stated, leaning over to look down at the indicated spot.

"Do you think it is worth taking a closer look?" Marcius asked, his own lupine predator instincts suddenly kicking in. "We haven't had any sighting of good prey yet."

"I doubt it was prey," his dragon grumbled, following the dragon in training into a tight bank over the spot. "If it was, it will have bolted by now. Then we would have been able to see it running still."

"It might be still trying to hide though," Eshore suggested. "The cover there does seem good enough to use as a hideaway. And if it is still hiding, we can send the roccae in to chase it out for us."

"Sounds like a plan!" Velron grinned, bowing into steep dive before the other two dragons could react. With an annoyed bark, the others followed, reaching him just as he landed by the grove of stunted trees with narrow, crooked trunks that seemed cracked and splintered with age.

"Hey, it is another dragon!" the golden trainee shouted in surprise.

"Velron, get back!" Hakriel snapped urgently, suddenly very much alert. "Who goes there? Show yourself."

The two Lúgae immediately flanked the inexperienced drake, making sure to stand between him and the suddenly ominous foliage. On their backs, the two riders levelled the spears they had with them like small lances at the grove. Yet, nothing moved for a moment.

"We know you are in there!" Eshore called out, but still, there was no movement from within the clump of scrubs. A little unsure, but willing to try anything, she shot a glance at her rider. "Stand down slightly, we might be scaring it." When the two riders turned their spear tips away, the blue draine continued in a less threatening tone. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We just need to talk to you. Are you going to come out or do we have to come in and get you?"

"Okay, okay!" a young draine called out from between the leaves. "I'll come out."

There was the rustle of leaves and a greyish-blue draine scurried from the cover. She was dirty, covered in sand and the little jagged leaves of the Oldwoods, suggesting she had been staying in this clump of scrubs for a while now. And she was young... very young. Maybe not so young as to still be staying near her dame's territory, but definitely not yet old enough to settle down in a territory of her own yet.

"What... what do you want?" she asked trying to sound brave but unable to meet the gazes of the dragons twice her age.

"We just... want to know who you are," Eshore said softly, crouching down comfortably to try and seem a little less fighting.

"I... I'm Esseal..." the young straggler admitted, still looking away down the slope of the mountain.

"What are you doing here this high up the mountains?" Hakriel asked softly, following his wingmate's example to crouch down into a friendlier posture as well. On their backs, the two riders lifted their spears completely out of the way and the youngster seemed to become more at ease with them.

"I..." Esseal hesitated before admitting with her head hung in shame, "I'm hiding from the other dragons..."

"Here?" Hakriel asked, surprised. "Do you know where you are?"

"I can ask you the same!" Esseal snapped back, momentarily revealing a stronger character to the timid draine. But the stranger flinched at her own audacity and quickly crouched down submissively. "I... I mean I know where we are. It is just... well..."

"Mom?" an even younger, purplish drake asked worriedly, peaking a snout from between the thick leaves. "Who... who is that? Are they also bad dragons?"

"Go back inside, darling!" Esseal yelped startled, momentarily turning to her back on the Lúgroccae who was interrogating her to shoo the youngster back undercover. "Everything is fine."

"You have a hatchling?" Eshore asked surprised. "At your age?"

"She's old enough to have laid a clutch already," Velron commented from behind them, meeping a wordless apology as the two draines glared at him. "I... I didn't mean it like that..."

"He is my... brother, from a later clutch!" Esseal explained quickly. "O-our parents had been... killed shortly after he had hatched and... and we've been on the run ever since. I've been trying to raise him as my own…"

"I'm so sorry to hear," Petra gasped, shocked.

"I understand," Eshore replied, stepping closer to give the scared youngster a quick nuzzle. But the stranger pulled back and the blue draine decided not to push. "We've all had rough whelphoods, some worse than others. But we all know what you are going through. But you are not alone anymore." When Esseal snorted disbelievingly, the elder draine continued a little more forcefully, "Still, it is dangerous here. Especially with a hatchling."

"If you must know, we usually come here when in a pinch exactly because it is dangerous!" Esseal admitted, looking up the slope towards Juinkarr. "No sane dragon will come near this place... well, at least until now!" The youngster suddenly looked directly at them with an inquisitive gaze. "So, what brings you here though?"

"Honestly, we are asking the same thing!" Marcius grinned.

"We were, kind of kicked out of our old home the other day," Hakriel admitted awkwardly, "and those in charge of the group we are part of thought it would be a good idea to lay low here for a bit until we can figure out our next move."

"So, we are kind of doing exactly what you are doing now, I guess!" the lupine on his back agreed and the two males smirked at one another.

"I guess," Esseal relented a little unsurely, but then a thought occurred to her. "Wait, you mean that the rumour of Lunintur Reborn was true?"

"Yes!" Hakriel chirped excitedly. "But, just don't call the Lúg'hir that. He hates it."

"You should make your way to the Amber Tower though," Petra quickly said, giving the two males a meaningful glare. "You and your hatchling will be safe there."

"But... if you were kicked out, how can it be safe for us there?" Esseal whined worriedly.

"The dragons with riders had to leave, yes," the equine rider admitted awkwardly, "but most of the Lumor dragons still lives in the area. They will be able to protect you."

"The Lúg'hir's mate is still there," Eshore stated quickly in the hopes of alleviating any worries the young draine might have. "She and his four hatchlings!"

"Really?" Esseal gasped, looking suddenly a lot more interested off to the north-west, towards where the Amber Tower was supposed to be. "The Amber Tower you say?"

"Actually, not the Tower itself," Eshore quickly added, her crest flat in embarrassment, "The Lumors live in the mountains directly to the east of it."

"Thank you so much!" Esseal smiled, the spark of hope rekindled in her eyes. "You have been of immeasurable help."

"You are welcome!" Eshore smirked, beaming with joy at having been able to help a dragon in such need.

"If you want to repay us," Hakriel added with a devious smirk of his own, "do you maybe know where the best hunting is to be found around here?"

"Well," Esseal considered the question for a moment, looking a little south of their current position. "This high up, the largest thing you'll find is Grey Rheboks. They are enough for a dragon, but not for several who are together, I'm afraid. And they are quite difficult to spot even from the wing. I'd advise you to go to the next valley southwest of here and search a bit lower down the slope. It is maybe two hours' flight..."

She was interrupted by the sudden flap of wings and another Lúgroccan pair landed nearby. The three dragons turned to see Tembarah folding her wings and quickly climbing down the steep slope towards them.

"There you guys are!" the bright green draine chirped excited at having found them. "You were gone so long without an update that Amaren and Shella were starting to..."

"Seize her!" Kerron shouted angrily, the human riding on the green's back drawing his sabre even as he gave the strange order.

"Wha..." Eshore gasped in complete confusion, but the peaceful mood had been shattered completely.

Esseal reacted immediately, striking at the red drake even as he turned to look at the two new arrivals to make sure he had heard correctly. Her claws struck true enough, scraping across the metal of the crinet's upper segment before she found the kink between the crinet and the helm. Hakriel roared in pain and pulled away as Esseal 's claws cut deep furrows through the soft neck scales of his throat. Luckily for him, the crinet he had been complaining about only minutes before about did its job, deflecting the strike with enough inches for Esseal 's strike to miss the vital artery she had aimed for. Though her initial target was still alive and dangerous, Esseal whirled around in a flash to strike at Eshore, but the equine rider on her back had recovered enough from the shock to stab at the attacking draine with her spear. Esseal roared in pain this time as the blade struck true, but the wound was merely a light nick and only deterred the draine for a moment.

"Mom! No!" the small hatchling, who had been hiding obediently underneath the trees shouted in alarm. The sudden fight was too much, and he rushed out to try and help, but Velron quickly pounced to intercept the small dragon.

"No, get back!" Esseal yelped fearfully. But her fear turned to rage when she turned to see the leather-clad golden drake already subduing her younger brother and with a blood-curdling roar, she abandoned the more dangerous dragons she was fighting to rip him to shreds. But she did not get far, as Tembarah suddenly rammed into her side.

Esseal got back onto her feet with surprising grace and speed, before the green draine could even hope to pin her down. She hissed defiantly at the three Lúgroccan pairs as they surrounded her, the three armoured dragons circling the youngster ominously as they looked for an opening to overpower her. Hakriel was the first to pounce, but Esseal proved to be an excellent fighter and despite her age, she managed to hold her own against the three older dragons and their riders.

But as good as she was, her skills were clearly self-taught. She moved just a little bit more hesitantly than her opponents and her movements were not quite as fluent as theirs. Added to her troubles that she was completely outnumbered, and she did not stand a chance. A minute or so after the fight started, she was pinned to the ground. Yet even in defeat, she was defiant, wriggling so much that it took all three dragons to hold her in place and it was only when she felt the cold touch of a spearhead against her throat that she finally became still.

"Okay, what is going on?" Hakriel growled annoyed, still dribbling blood onto the chest of the young draine they had caught.

"Do you not know who this is!" Tembarah hissed angrily, very much unlike her usual calm and easy-going self.

"She said her name was Esseal," Petra stated quickly.

"No!" Kerron growled with an intensity that equalled his dragon's. "We fought her in Ealyndore!"

Esseal, or whoever gave them one last, defying hiss as if threatening them to remain silent. But of course, it was an empty threat as Tembarah leaned her weight a little harder against the pale blue draine's neck to silence her.

"This is Ikessa!" Tembarah announced. "The Claw-of-the-Master!"

... to be continued.