# Rite of Passage: Call of Destiny

Author: Icurthus
Tags: Death, Dragon, Dragoness, Fox, Horse, Human, Orc, Wolf, politics, storyline

Things are moving too fast for the Lúgroccae and a scary destiny is looming dangerously close on the horizon. And to make their situation even worse, their actions while hiding on the outskirts of Juinkarr may inadvertently cause the prophecy of the Alliance to come true, waking the Dark Fortress up from its long slumber!  
  
Hi again to all my readers. Here is the last part of this crazy long chapter which I’ve had to split out into a chapter of its own. I hope you enjoy it.  
  
And of course, again a big shout of thanks to Vurumal for his support and reviews of my story.

"The Shadowspawn are a group of species now considered native to Selebore, but who had spiritually originated from the chaotic dimension known as Barathrum Proper. They are called Shadowspawn because of one erroneous rumour during the Great Witchhunts of the First Age that magi grew or shaped these creatures with twisted visages from the very shadows.

To better understand the Shadowspawn [or Barathrum Entities in some academic circles], it is important to understand something of the dimension known as Barathrum Proper. What can be surmised from a few first-hand experiences as recorded in interviews with some captured pioneer Shadowspawn, is that Barathrum Proper is a realm consisting purely of energy. Today, it is known that some of this energy seeps through the Veil into Epangelia and exists for a short time as Mana or in a tangible form as Aether. However, despite there is no matter within Barathrum Proper, a form of life does exist within Barathrum Proper, sentient energies continuously hunting and absorbing most of each other's life force and consciousness to grow stronger and more potent themselves.

We also know now that, from the first recorded discovery of magic to the Shattering itself, the veil had slowly become weaker over time. As such, it soon was possible for these entities to be able to pass through into Epangelia as well, and in ever-increasing potency. However, as they couldn't continue to exist as intangible entities in Epangelia, a corporeal body akin to the local life was forced upon them. Although there are indications that a pioneering entity had some choice regarding their final form, these bodies at first only took on the forms of the local wildlife [compare Kuhiuns to Wolves]. Only when the more potent entities could pass through the veil did they evolve to take on the shapes of the sentient species of this plane [compare orcs to humans].

Interestingly enough, the first entities to enter Epangelia had trouble adjusting to the environment and material makeup of this world, despite their new corporeal forms. This manifest itself as allergic reactions to things like fresh water (which used to cause a painful rash) or direct sunshine (which in turn usually proved fatal). But generations of living and breeding in Epangelia granted the Shadowspawn the ability to not only adjust to the Epangelia universe but thrive here as well. It is for instance said that the Dragons fell so much in love with warm sunshine that some of them rebelled against Barathrum itself for it.

After the end of the Dark Age, the Shadowspawn who survived the fall of the Dark Kingdom settled on the narrow, unpopulated plains north of the Curndor Mountains. Even though it is a recorded fact that Mana could still filter unrestrained through the reknitted veil, it appears that no more life forms were able to enter Epangelia after the Second Fall of Juinkarr."

Extract from "Anthrope and Theranthrope societies of the Second Age" by Elaine Longhorn, a scolar of Anthropolicy,  Theranthropology and Tetrapology of the Second Age.

\*\*\*

Gahntuar sat motionlessly on the third floor of the Guard tower which now served as their roof, staring unblinkingly at the eastern sky. Waiting in the temporary council chamber for Gharavhan and Audenier to show up was not an option for the iridescent dragon, so it came as no surprise to Merec and the others when he decided to take over guarding duty on top of their little hideout until the others returned. Of course, Merec was not going to leave his dragon's side, so he was standing next to him on guard, leaning against the chest-high remains of the outer wall careful not to push over any more of the crumbling masonry. Off to the side, Jerielle and Aerhin were also present, watching the road into Juinkarr.

"It is getting late," Gahntuar growled once more, his claws flexing in anxiety. "How long has it been?"

"An hour or so," Aerhin replied quickly, turning to watch the sun start to sink towards the edge of the mountain.

"We should go!" the black drake hissed, opening his wings but closing them again after a moment's thought.

"They will not be happy if we turn up in the ruins after they insisted we should not go," Merec tried to smirk, but the tone of his voice also revealed his worry for his friends.

"What if they got themselves into trouble?" Gahntuar insisted turning to glare at his human even though he knew his friend meant well. "We have to know!"

"Give them a little more time," Aerhin suggested, coming to stand next to Merec to look up at the sky as well. "I think we give them till the end of this hour, then we can decide on how to proceed."

"I'll give them until the sun touches the mountain!" Gahntuar hissed, turning to look westward for only a moment before he returned his attention to the east again.

Luckily for them, it was barely ten minutes later before Gahntuar spotted two dragons approaching from the direction of the ruins. He chirped like an excited hatchling as he sat up, alerting the others to the returning group. However, as they neared the Gatehouse, the overall mood started to drop when they realized it was only the pair in training being escorted back to their hideout.

"What news from Juinkarr?" Gahntuar hissed anxiously as soon as the two dragons landed on the roof next to the Lúg'hir. "Where are Gharavhan and Audenier? Did you find the other trainees?"

"Yes... sir," the azure Lúg replied, hesitating to look the intimidating black dragon in the eyes. "Lúg'herae Gharavhan and Audenier and their riders are okay... but the trainees..."

"How are they?" Merec asked worriedly when the messenger's speech failed. He glared at where the golden drake and the equine rider, who had returned from their unauthorized scouting missing, was trying to become invisible without appearing to be hiding behind a low wall on the roof.

"Beyond any help, I'm afraid!" the Lúg whined, lowering his head as if he was the one being scolded.

"There is more though," the lupine Roccan quickly added, obviously eager to get delivering this news over with. "Roccan'her Edward insists that you join him."

"Aren't we supposed to remain clear of the ruins?" Gahntuar asked with an upset growl. Though it was meant to be rhetorical, the Lúg still flinched at the statement.

"The Yellow magi had cleared a section for us as best they could!" the azure drake quickly insisted. "It is marked out... But there is something you REALLY need to see."

"Sal'Roccan Cornelia, Sal'Lúg Velron!" Merec snapped, turning to the cowering pair. "Go down and fetch Roccae Tanya and Marcius, have them come to take over from us!"

"This doesn't mean you are free of this!" Gahntuar growled when they turned to eagerly comply with his human's command. "We will be dealing with you when we return!"

"Yes, sir!" the equine squeaked before the golden drake scurried away, grateful to be out of their presence even if only for a bit.

They did not waste another moment, Merec and Aerhin climbing into their saddles and strapping in as they waited to be relieved. The left as soon as the two new pairs arrived on the roof to take over guarding duty, following the pair who had come to fetch them back towards Juinkarr. Despite trusting that the three Yellows had done their job, Gahntuar still growled nervously as they rounded the bend and the imposing black spire of the Juinkarr Citadel came into view. It may be abandoned and dead, but the aura of evil it radiated was still oppressive and the two dragons had to resist the urge to turn tail and flee.

"What were they thinking?" Aerhin shouted appalled when the three dragons headed straight for the Citadel itself but before anyone could hazard a guess, their lead veered off to the right, heading to a cluster of nondescript structures just east of the main tower's entrance. As they started to descend into a relatively intact part of the piazza on the far side of the river, they noticed Felicity, Audenier and Charl waiting for them in a circle of shimmering stones that were arranged outside what appeared to be some kind of storage building. Though this section of the ruins was the most overgrown with large trees and thick undergrowth, the building they arrived at seemed to be one of the most intact of the entire complex.

"We must stay within the area marked out with the shimmering stones!" the azure Lúg called out as he neared the ground. They landed quickly, Gahntuar's knees nearly buckling in his haste to get down.

"Where are they?" the Lúg'hir growled dangerously as he crouched to let Merec off.

"It is too late for them," Felicity started to say, but the Lúg'hir silenced her with a furious snarl.

"Where are they?" he repeated insistently, a puff of smoke escaping him again.

"Inside," Audenier stated solemnly, turning around and with a nod of his head, he indicated for them to follow him.

"Please stay within the marked area," Felicity quickly warned them again, indicating to the shimmering pebbles as they walked. "We are relatively confident that this area is safe, but we have not looked at anything beyond the indicated perimeter."

Gahntuar twisted his head to snap reprimanding at the vixen, but he caught himself before he followed through. She was trying her best and though it had been her idea to come here in the first place, they had all decided to remain here to this moment. So, she was not the only one to blame for what had happened.

"Thank you," Gahntuar growled curtly instead, returning his attention to the building they were entering.

"How sure are we that this area is safe?" Merec asked, eyeing the perimeter of stones.

"Not very, I'm afraid!" the magus replied with a defeated sigh. "It will take at least a week of dedicated work to be sure the one small space we've marked out has been cleared out properly. We have already found five Triggerrunes in the marked out section inside the building alone, and two more in the cavern beyond. But we don't know if there are more that we missed... and the thought of those on time-delays we haven't detected yet terrifies me! For now, though, it should be safe enough, but I advise that we make this as quick as possible. And again, stay away from the statues! The Manashape there is still active, and we cannot get close to it to deactivate it!"

"Then why did you call us here after you've demanded we stay behind so spectacularly?" Gahntuar growled as the Lúggae who had carried the three Yellows here snapped to attention when the Lúg'hir entered the room. They were standing guard just inside the room by the door and Gahntuar quickly nodded to them in acknowledgement.

But then he stopped dead in his tracks in shock as he saw what was inside the room.

"You'll understand when you see it!" Charl insisted as he followed them inside, becoming respectfully silent as the new arrivals stared at the scene in shock.

"Great Gullivarth!" Jerielle gasped in horror as she recognised the group of sandstone statues.

At the centre of the group was a young drake, still clad in his training harness. He was in the process of heading for the exit when something on the floor caught his attention. As such, he stood there, frozen in stone as he looked down in surprise at his one forepaw that was planted firmly on the floor. Directly in front of him was his assigned training partner. The young female lupine hadn't seen her doom approach as she was frozen in the act of talking as she smiled excitedly, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder at a crack in the far wall.

The other two, however, did see it coming. They were caught trying to scramble away from where the young drake who had ignited the Triggerrune, their faces scrunched up in absolute terror. The young draine, also still wearing her harness tried to shield the young wolf she was paired up with, with an outstretched wing. But it was no use.

"Is... there anything to be done?" Merec asked in a hushed voice as Gahntuar hissed upset at the scene.

"No, I'm afraid not!" Felicity admitted solemnly. "They were dead even before their friends found them like this."

"Why did we have to see this?" Gahntuar hissed, his frustration rising quickly.

"It is not this you needed to see," Audenier stated with an equally upset growl, walking past them and following the narrow path of shimmering stones to the crack in the wall the four seemingly had come from. "This way please, Lúg'hir, Roccan'hir."

The four High Command members glances questioningly at each other as the two yellow magi, who had been on their hands and knees looking for any more traces of Mana to dispel, quickly got up and moved out of the way for them. With a sigh, Merec started to follow Charl as the other human lit a torch with his dragon's breath before he led the blue drake into the crack. Upon closer investigation, they found it to be a fake wall covering a deep tunnel at the back of the room. The hidden doorway had collapsed some time ago to create the illusion of a crack.

"Come on," Felicity urged them on when they hesitated by the hidden entrance deeper into the mountain itself. "Although it is something to see, I do not want to waste too much time around here!"

Merec grunted and stepped into the tunnel, finding Charl and Audenier waiting for them patiently. They continued in oppressive silence down the twisting tunnel that descended at a slight slope into the mountain's roots, Aerhin lighting up a pale-blue ball of light in his hand even though the light from Charl's torch was enough to see by.

"What is that blue light?" Merec suddenly asked in surprise after about a minute's walk.

"Isn't it Aerhin's Wisp-light?" Gahntuar grunted uninterested, still fuming at the loss of more of his dragons and riders.

"No, I don't think it is," Merec insisted, pointing to where the tunnel disappeared around a sharp left turn. "It is coming from up ahead."

Aerhin dispelled his little light and sure enough, the blue glow remained, though now they realized that it seemed to have a shimmering quality to it.

"What is that?" Merec repeated worriedly, turning around towards Felicity who was still following closely behind them. "It's like... " he started to say, but then hesitated, not wanting to mention the glowing mushrooms from the Cave of Wonders where he and Gahntuar first met.

"Best to let you see yourself," Felicity replied, unable not to smirk in anticipation despite the tragedy that had occurred.

They continued on and as they rounded the final bend, they were unable to suppress a gasp of wonder at the sight which greeted them. The last Lúgroccan pair who had escorted the expedition to save the doomed trainees stood on guard by the entrance, snapping to attention as they entered. But the guards' crisp military discipline was not noticed as the view that greeted the Lúgroccan High Command demanded their full attention.

"What in Nixoruma's name..." Merec stuttered in awe, stepping into the large cave as if in a daze. It was an enormous cavern, the size of a small town's central square with the ceiling disappearing into the gloom beyond the reach of the eerie light that shimmered around it. Stalagmites were all around, and they could make out a few impressive stalactites dropping from the roof at the very edges of the cave where the ceiling lowered into view.

But it was the source of the light that took everyone's breath away. Slightly towards the back of the cave was a shimmering pool of water about six meters in diameter. It appeared perfectly round, although the large crystals that grew around the circumference made it difficult to determine its exact shape. The entire display, water and crystals alike, seemed to shine with a mesmerizingly beautiful, inner light of their own that ripples slowly like waves on a pond. As such, it was no wonder that Gharavhan was standing by the pool, staring as if transfixed into the depths of the pool which they saw seemed to go down forever as the group stepped closer.

"Is... that..." Aerhin stammered, the elf for once completely unable to form a proper sentence.

"Yes, that is the Aetherfontes of Juinkarr!" Felicity announced with a smirk, though when Merec stepped up to it she quickly added with a worried gasp, "Just, remember to stay between the marking-stones!"

"Does it usually look like this?" Gahntuar growled, also strongly reminded of the glowing mushrooms in the Cave of Wonders. "I mean, does it normally glow like that?"

"I honestly don't know," Felicity admitted, allowing herself to sound awed again. "Aether does shine like this, but the light is usually much less pronounced, and the luminescence is constant. As for the Aetherfontes itself, I've never seen one myself until now. But I doubt it is usually this full and... big! Remember it had not been harvested in over four hundred years at least... I didn't even know crystalline Aether can get that big."

"How deep is it?" Merec asked, gingerly stepping in between two crystals as large as himself to get a better view.

"It looks like it goes down forever, doesn't it!" Edward suddenly smirked, appearing from behind another large crystal on the far side of the pool. "But it is barely deeper than my calf."

"You tried to swim in it?" Aerhin asked the wolf astounded. The lupine only smiled and shrugging, as he made a noncommitted grunt in reply.

"This is still a great find!" Felicity whispered excitedly. "No wonder the Coral Tower's expeditionary forces had always failed to find the thing! The Aetherfontes was always thought to be in the main tower of Juinkarr itself, not in a small adjacent building next to it."

"I'd prefer the lives of the four trainees, to be honest!" Merec grumbled as he crouched to dip a hand into the shimmering pool. To his surprise, his had disappeared as soon as it entered the opaque Aether, even though the liquid in the pool looked perfectly translucent.

"That is true!" Charl insisted quickly, "but we cannot ignore the discovery because of what happened. It will not only be irresponsible, but dishonourable to the four trainees who had died."

"You're right, I guess!" Merec replied, pulling his hand back again and watching in fascination as the liquid was absorbed into his hand instead of dripping down his fingers.

"You said that Aether is highly sought after," Edward suddenly spoke up as he walked around the pool to join his dragon, who was still staring at the pool in a daze. "How much would this be worth though? I mean, will this be enough to pay off our debts?"

"Enough, and then some!" Felicity admitted. "One of these larger crystals is worth the entire turnover of a small kingdom, for a whole year."

"We should harvest some of this at least," Charl suggested a little hesitantly. "You know, to get the debtors properly off our backs. And maybe we can use some of what is left to build ourselves up again."

"But how?" Aerhin cautioned. "As soon as we remove the Aether from the cave, it will start to evaporate into normal Mana... even the crystals. Without the proper containers, they won't last long."

"I've got a container like that," Merec suddenly recalled, "on the wand of Declan. But it is only large enough to hold a thumb-sized bit of crystal, not nearly large enough for our needs."

"How long will they last?" Gharavhan suddenly asked, revealing he hadn't phased out as much as he had appeared to be.

"Depends on the size we take," Felicity replied with a shrug. "The liquid doesn't last as long as the crystals, but even the larger ones may take a year or so to disappear completely."

"That should be enough time to sell it, I think!" Charl smirked.

"And who is going to carry it out?" Audenier grumbled, bumping his riders head with his snout.

"Audenier is right," Aerhin announced. "Until we are sure of what our next step will be, they will be more of a nuisance than anything else. I'd advise to leave it here for the time being."

"And come back for it later?" Gharavhan gasped worriedly, finally turning away from the pool to glare at the elf. "You really think it is smart to come back into Juinkarr?"

"I agree with Aerhin!" Merec stated determinedly as he stood up and retreated from between the crystals altogether. "We cannot afford to be carrying a lump of Aether around with us now. Still, it should be a good idea to have someone stationed here as well."

"Really?" Edward growled exasperated.

"What happened to trusting one another?" his dragon agreed, sounding more upset than he should have been.

"It is not that I do not trust any of us here," Merec quickly stated, "or even the two yellows still at the entrance who we have barely met. But this is an important find as Felicity said. Best not to tempt our last survivors too much into doing something stupid as well, even if it is for the sake of the Lúgroccae as a whole."

"I was more worried about anything coming through it from Barathrum!" Gahntuar grumbled, staring into the seemingly endless depths of the pool like Gharavhan had only moments before. "There is something about it… I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this thing!"

"Really?" Felicity growled. "I told you before that nothing..."

"That was on my mind as well, to be honest," Merec admitted quickly, cutting the vixen's tirade off before it could get started. "I know you said it had been sealed since the end of the Dark Age, but you also admitted that no one was here to keep an eye on it! I still prefer not to risk it. Though, admittedly some new Shadowspawn coming through the Aetherfontes is not as pressing a danger now as discouraging our members from harvesting something for a rainy day."

"I have to admit you may have a point there, sir!" Gharavhan growled.

"Now, I think it is best if we return to our corner of Juinkarr," Jerielle finally spoke up, "before we run into trouble ourselves."

"Agreed!" Gahntuar hissed, turning to the two Lúggae who had escorted Gharavhan and Audenier here in the first place. "Can you keep watch over this until we send someone to relieve you?"

"Yes, sir!" the one dragon snapped quickly.

"Good," Gahntuar nodded in approval, turning back to look worriedly at the Aetherfontes one last time before following the rest outside.

They all left in silence, keeping their thought to themselves while Charl and Audenier stayed behind to talk to the two guards for a moment and organise the new guarding station. The oppressive silence continued until they entered the storage building that acted as an entrance hall to the Aetherfontes Cavern. Gahntuar stopped again as they exited the tunnel, looking sadly at the group of petrified trainees.

"We should hold a vigil for them tonight," he whispered with a sad whine to his voice.

"Good idea," Jerielle replied equally upset. "I'll arrange it."

"Thank you," Merec said with a fake smile, forcing himself to continue walking.

"How many trainees do we have left?" Aerhin dared to ask. "I know we did not have that many to start with, but they are our future after all."

"Excluding the seven in the Thirstlands?" Edward grumbled annoyed before he gave a defeated sigh. "One rider and two dragons."

Gahntuar hissed upset, halting for a momentary show of respect when he neared the statues before he rushed out of the building completely as fast as he could.

"What do you intend to do with the pair who managed to return?" Aerhin asked as they followed the upset black dragon.

"After a serious scolding... nothing, I think!" Merec commented, looking back one last time at the petrified foursome. "They will carry the death of their friends for the rest of their lives. No need to add to that kind of punishment."

They exited the building in silence, joining Gahntuar where he sat at the edge of the built-up riverbank, staring at the rushing water in silence. Merec sighed sadly to see his friend in this state, remembering how the drake loved to sit by the stream in the Yellowwood grove at the back of The Camp after a traumatic event like this. He joined him there in silence, wordlessly stroking the soft scales of the dragon's throat in a comforting gesture.

"So, how do we plan to protect the guards we station there?" Edward was saying as the council joined the two on the riverbank.

"The other two Yellows offered to clear this building out completely, so I wouldn't be too worried about anything unexpected happening," Felicity commented, though she didn't sound quite as convinced of her statement. "But I'm more worried about any orc and goblins finding them on one of their irregular patrols. I'd appreciate it if you can have someone watch over them as well while they work."

"I thought they didn't come into the ruins at all!" Edward commented, turning to look questioningly at the vixen.

"They usually only skirt the outside, but I have seen them venture a little into the ruins from time to time. It is the higher districts they strictly avoid, remember?" Felicity reminded them with a scoff. "I'm just worried that any obvious activity might lead them to investigate around here," She indicated to the east where the Shadowlands lay vast and completely open to their view. "The canyon opens up fairly quickly towards the east from here and there are no defensive structures that way. No walls nor towers. The only thing stopping them from coming here in large numbers is a bit of a steep climb and the defences the old demons put in place to ward the place, but that is it."

"We are running thin on manpower!" Edward growled. "The group we plan on stationing at the fountain itself will have to suffice."

"Still, this is an impossible situation," Aerhin stated, looking off over the dangerous Shadowlands. "No wonder neither the Alliance of old nor the Circle of Five had ever been able to hold this place. Still, there was no sign of the orcs coming in this far and the river here should provide some protection for our people inside. But it will still be best to remain as unnoticed as possible."

"The meagre forces we have are being stretched quite thin!" Audenier shouted suddenly from the building in exact contrast to what the elf proposed just now as he, his human and the draine who had carried Felicity here, exited the building. "I mean, two pairs on our roof, two in here with the Yellows, two more to keep Ikessa company and yet another for the whelp..."

"Don't shout like that!" Gharavhan shouted back, rushing up to the younger drake to cuff him on the ear. "The stones have ears!"

"There is no one here and you know it!" the younger drake hissed in annoyance at being reprimanded as if he was still a trainee. "I'm just saying we need to do something, about all the points we are guarding! We have, what... two pairs left on standby to rest at any given point? True, we still have eight loose dragons and one rider who returned after the Echoren, but we haven't even started looking at other duties like hunting or basic chores around our camp!"

"He is right," Jerielle agreed with Audenier as the two arguing dragons joined them. "We cannot continue like this for any extended period. "

"No, we cannot!" Gahntuar agreed, but then he suddenly snapped at Gharavhan. "As were you just now! We don't know if we are alone so will you two quit it? We are not in the safety of The Camp anymore! Seriously, I thought you stopped your rivalry!"

"He was gone most of the time," Gharavhan hissed as Audenier huffed and sat down without another word.

"Remind me how long it is until Adulf can join up with us?" Merec sighed, turning to Felicity.

"At least another three days," she stated quickly.

"The council will just have to pitch in with guard duty and basic chores then!" Gahntuar announced as he crouched for Merec to climb on again.

"What?" Audenier yelped, quickly getting to his feet again. "You're kidding, right? Tell me he is kidding!"

"I agree with Gahntuar!" Merec stated, locking his flight harness to the saddle. "As things stand now, we cannot spare anyone else."

"What about putting the whelp in with his mother?" Aerhin suggested, also linking himself in. "I think she may have earned a bit of mercy!" When a few of the drakes growled at the suggestion, the elf quickly added, "I am just saying she may be more willing to cooperate even more if she knows he is safe."

"Or she will be more willing to remain obedient if we keep her whelp hostage," Edward countered as he climbed onto his dragon's shoulders. "She seems to have accepted her fate for the time being. Now it is possible that she is only biding her time, so if she has him with her all the time, she may try to escape more easily."

"As much as I, being a draine, loath the idea of keeping her offspring hostage, I have to admit that may be our best course of action!" Jerielle sighed upset at what she was proposing.

"We don't plan on staying here long either way," Charl reminded them, finally getting up into the saddle when Audenier crouched for him. "Why not let her go. You said it yourself she cannot return to the Umbrins as she will not risk the Master getting her hatchling!"

"I have no care what we do with the spawn of Seghrien!" Gahntuar growled dangerously. "And after ten years of being harassed by her, I don't feel very merciful. "

"I doubt any who had lost partners to her will be," Merec agreed as he signalled to his dragon that he was ready. "But allowing her to see her offspring from time to time may be beneficial in building her trust."

"I kind of wish that vow story of hers was real!" Gahntuar growled angrily as he got to his feet. "It would have saved us a lot of trouble!"

"Either way, we will just have to take turns at guarding duty and basic chores as well!" Merec brought the topic back on track.

"Very well, but may I suggest we attend those duties in the evening!" Aerhin quickly stated as Jerielle also got to her feet. "That will leave us time open to discuss our next move in the morning when we are at our freshest."

"Agreed," Merec replied determinedly. "Still, these are going to be a tough few days for all of us."

"Guard duty! Great!" Audenier whined as he finally got to his feet. "Thought we left that behind when we became Squad Leaders back in the day"

"Sorry, my friend, but you're going to have to get used to it quickly," Gahntuar grinned. "Starting tonight!"

"What?" Audenier yelped. "Wait a bit..."

But the Lúg'hir didn't wait a bit. Laughing to himself, Gahntuar took off, the others quickly following their leader as he returned to their safe little haven in this hellish ruined city.

As they flew off, they failed to notice the rustle of leaves and the shifting of small pebbles as a goblin scampered out of his hiding spot in a pile of building rubble on the far side of the river. The little green creature hurried along, trying to remain as much unseen as possible before he ducked into another building that was in a slightly better state. He skidded to a halt in a room which was largely intact, joining two more who were anxiously waiting for him.

"Did you hear anything else?" one of the other goblins hissed, looking out a window to where the dragons disappeared into the sunset.

"No, they did not speak any language I could recognize!" the first hissed upset. "But I'm certain that blue one mentioned Ikessa!"

"I'm sure of that as well!" the third agreed.

"So, this is where the old Claw went to," the first one to speak said thoughtfully, "I would never have thought she would go to the Dragonriders... We need to tell the chief about this."

\*\*\*

His eyes scanned critically across the neat rows of pitched bell-tents as he walked down the central corridor. It was an impressive sight, that he could not deny. Some eighteen thousand men standing at the ready to ward off the first attack from Juinkarr, with five of the twenty-three or so gryphons they had been able to recruit flying a patrol overhead. Of course, he had no illusions that the force gathered here was not nearly enough to overcome the full might of the Shadowlands that would be at the disposal of the dark fortress when it awoke from its centuries-long sleep. But if they could hold the line long enough for the lesser authorities of Selebore to realise they have to unite under the banner of the Light, it would be a victory in his books.

'But that is where the problem lies,' he thought to himself as he stopped to look up at the defensive works being erected some four hundred yards east of the encampment. True, Juinkarr would need time to gather some strength when it rose from its ashes any day now, if it hadn't done so already. But after what he had seen happen on the banks of the Echoren, he wasn't sure if what had been prepared here would be enough.

The location the High Command of the Light had chosen to defend with limited numbers was not bad, per se. They had decided on a section of the valley that was slightly more pinched with impressive rock formations giving protection on either side, yet it was wide enough to allow for some intelligent manoeuvring if the situation called for it. For the field of battle itself, the engineers had mostly relied on various lines of earthen defensive works that stretched from cliff to cliff. On the crest of the last mound, they were busy with the final touches to a basic palisade wall with a descent rampart for the defenders of the Light to fight from. The structure looked impressive and sturdy, only being broken by the Belthean River. Yet even there, sufficient protection was added in the form of large, heavy caltrops that were placed in the river to rip open any craft trying to float downstream. And interspersed at regular intervals along the line were heavy towers to extend the line of fire for the archers.

There was still work that could be done on the fortifications, but they were already in a functional state and the casual observer could be forgiven to think that the force here could block any ground assault Juinkarr can send their way. Yet, give the horde only a fraction of the dragons who were in the forest and they would burn several massive holes in the field fortifications with the defenders unable to stop them. Yes, he could see ballistae set up on various towers, but they were set up to handle singular dragons at a time. None of the anti-dragon stations would be a match for a concentrated attack of several dragons at once, like those he had seen mere weeks ago.

"Your tent is this way, sir!" the orderly who had been assigned to him said quickly. He was a young lion, the mane around his ears and shoulders just starting to gain some better volume than the average human.

"Yes, thank you!" Commander Adulsworth stated, looking up at the distant high mountains once again as the last of the afternoon sunlight turned them a golden colour. He turned and quietly followed the lieutenant. "What news is there?"

"Regarding what, sir?" the orderly asked without stopping or turning around.

"Anything, really," Adulsworth stated with a shrug. "Other than a quick report that the Lúgroccae was forced to leave the Amber Tower, I've not been able to find out much about the current affairs on my travels here after my mandatory week in meditative isolation."

"Nothing much, sir." the orderly replied crisply. "You've timed it perfectly in my opinion. The fortifications are nearly completed... well, as best as we will be able to make them with the resources that we have."

"How do we know Juinkarr will come this way?" Adulsworth asked, looking for a moment back to the palisade. "I mean what is to stop the horde from trying to go around us and hit us from behind?"

"When the High Command realized that we are never going to recruit the numbers we needed to stop Juinkarr's army at its source, the General sent out scouts to survey the area," the orderly stated dismissively. "The region around the Dark fortress itself is extremely rugged and difficult to navigate, especially for a large army. Their only path onto the highlands is through this pass. I guess small scout parties might be able to bypass us here, but nothing that will be able to do any significant damage. We will be keeping a division in reserve to handle anything trying to outflank us, but I think it will be more likely that any Shadowspawn who climbs out of the valley will be more likely to try and raid the countryside. In my opinion, that might just be what we need to get the other authorities to wake up to the danger we are facing! Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering why we are not splitting out some of our forces to form smaller units that can harass the horde as they come out of Juinkarr," Adulsworth commented. "Use the terrain to our advantage."

"There was some consideration given to besieging Juinkarr," the orderly agreed, "but evil is deeply rooted in the mountains around the Black Fortress itself. None of those sent to scout the area has returned and we cannot risk more men.

"I have heard rumours that we intend to fight them after they had suffered a gruelling descend from the mountains, rather than we waste what little strength we have to go up and meet them," the younger lion added. "But it is mere hearsay. I do understand that Lady Fucia herself first suggested this location and it had satisfied the top brass well enough. As you know these plans have been worked on for over eighteen months now, so I'm sure the High Command had considered every possible action we can take already."

"I guess you are right," Adulsworth sighed, knowing better than to question what Lady Fucia had to say. He may have never met her face to face as he was not considered important enough, though the rumours of her intelligence and cunning preceded her. He had looked forward to the privilege of being presented to her when he had made the rank of Brigadier this year, but alas, Ealyndore had to happen! "Do we plan on constructing more defences?"

"Sir?" the orderly asked confused. "Do you not think what we have is enough?"

"I'm thinking of additional ballistae to handle more dragons," Adulsworth commented. "And palisades! It seems a little irresponsible to through everything we have into one sturdy defensive line. I'd have preferred to set up several lines of defence, where we can fall back when needed."

"You plan on surrendering ground to the shadow, sir?" the orderly asked stunned, staring appalled at the human.

"I'd rather sacrifice ground that can be recovered later than lives which cannot!" Adulsworth insisted. "Also, if some of the Shadowspawn manages to break through one line of many, it will not be such a disaster as when some of them break through our only line."

"The Light is on our side, sir!" the lion growled determinedly. "If we trust enough in the Glory of the Light, nothing will be able to break us!"

Adulsworth opened his mouth to explain to the fanatical young lion the various levels of stupid recklessness that statement contained, but then thought better of questioning his absolute faith in the Light. The common soldiers needed to believe the Light will be on their side and assist them throughout this ordeal, even in their foolishness if they were to stand any chance of standing firm against the coming onslaught. In the end, he had to settle for a kind of compromise.

"If we left everything to the Light like that, the Light would have no need of us!" Adulsworth stated solemnly. "Think of the Alliance during the Dark Age and how they had to fall back all the way to Thendor!"

"I... guess you are right, sir!" the orderly replied thoughtfully, finally sounding worried about the coming battle. "Would you like me to request a meeting with your direct Brigadier to discuss contingency plans, sir? I believe most of the forces are already assigned to various tasks, but it wouldn't hurt to at least have something in place should your worry prove accurate."

"Please do," Adulsworth agreed with a nod of his head as they reached the tent assigned to him. "There is something else I need to urgently discuss with him as well."

"I'll arrange a meeting, sir!" the orderly stated quickly as Adulsworth ducked into his tent.

"Oh yes," the human suddenly recalled turning around to face the lion again. "Any more recent news on the Lúgroccae?"

"No sir!" the orderly stated, his professionalism unable to stop him from scowling in disgust. "Except for the large presence they still have in Ealyndore, their core has completely disappeared. The High Commissioner of the Light has demanded that the elves bring them to justice with immediate effect, or at the very least hand them over to us so that we may deal with them effectively, but those pointy-eared bastards would have none of it. Still, as you should know by now, we are trying everything we can to locate their Ringleaders. We have our all informants on the lookout across Selebore, so we will know if they pass anywhere near any kind of settlement. I know that some units of the Temple Guards have also been sent out to search the countryside around their stations, but to date, I haven't heard of anyone striking it lucky. There are some rumours of Dragonriders being spotted fleeing into the Thirstlands while other witnesses are sure that they decided to hide deep in the Curndors. We are trying to follow up on both leads, but these are both rugged terrains to navigate and it is difficult to verify either story."

"Good," Adulsworth said with a satisfied nod. "I feel we need to find them sooner than later. It may become a priority in fact. Although, I would not give too much credence to the group who had gone to the Thirstlands..."

"Do you also believe they will have returned to Juinkarr to regroup?" the orderly asked worriedly. "You would not be alone in that. There had been speculation that the Riders plan to hit us from the side when Juinkarr's main army is to arrive. We have hired several squadrons of Dragonslayers from Kerrathiene and posted them higher along the ridges north and south of us, so should they..."

"No," Adulsworth interrupted the excited ranting of the lion. "I... have a feeling that won't be necessary."

"Sir?" the orderly asked, frowning at his superior. "Did you not just say that we need to plan for every..."

"It is not that I don't think Dragonslayers are not necessary," Adulsworth quickly stated with a wave of his hand. He hesitated for a moment, not sure how or if he should say what he meant as he fingered something in his pocket. But then with a sigh, he decided to share his thoughts nonetheless. "During my meditation, the Light has chosen to reveal to me that the Lúgroccae may play an important role yet in the fight to come... in service of the Light."

"In… service?" the lion gasped appalled. "Sir! You cannot honestly believe that the Light can make use of... of... Shadowspawn! The High Command still has a standing order to return the hearts of their two leaders to the Temple of Light in Lendor and to deny their direct order would mean sequestration from the Light! Surely the Light cannot possibly shine kindly on creatures such as..."

"And yet, we have recruited thieves and various petty criminals to our ranks with the promise of absolution should they fight for the Light in this battle to come!" Adulsworth insisted quickly before the lion managed to work himself up too much. "If the Light can make use of those who had denied Its Glory in their lives before, then surely it can use Shadowspawn who is willing to accept Its Radiance into their lives as well!"

"But we have never recruited murderers, sir!" the lion insisted equally determinedly. "There is a point of no return when it comes to defying the Light's Glory in one's life!"

"You really think we never have?" the human asked dubiously. "It takes very little for most highwaymen, of which we have many, to progress to murder you know. And though we do not have officially 'convicted' murderers within our ranks, the Light has shown me that these particular Shadowspawn are on our side... somehow..."

"Somehow?" the lion growled, equally dubiously. "After burning an innocent village to the ground for no reason whatsoever? Sir, that makes no sense! I know it is said that the work of the Light cannot be understood by mere mortals, but this is stretching the saying too far!"

"I know for a fact they oppose the shadow!" Adulsworth insisted. "And are all those who oppose the shadow, not our allies?"

"What about the Circle of Five!" the lion challenged. "They oppose the shadow but is not of the Light! They should be..."

"The Grand Priest of the Light in Garrowull has condemned that train of thought years ago!" Adulsworth reminded him. "And the Grand Priest in Kerrathiene has agreed with him not long after. Do you claim to know better than either of them?"

"N-no sir!" the lion stammered, looking a little pale at the accusation even through the golden fur.

"Directly after my meditation, when I had asked him on the possibility of the Light using the Dragonriders as servants for Its Glory, the Grand Priest of Kerrathiene could not find anything to disprove the argument!" Adulsworth insisted a little victoriously. "In fact, I believe you have heard that he had entered the Meditation Halls himself right after I completed my time in isolation, even though he did not need to do so. I believe it is to confirm my suggestion for himself in the presence of the Light."

"But sir," the lion growled nervously. "Making such statements can be dangerous..."

"Thank you for your concerns, lieutenant!" Adulsworth stated firmly, having had enough of debating the will of the Light with the subordinate. "But the Light had led me to do this. And as you very well know, I must see what the Light wishes through to its conclusion. Now, if you will please go speak to the Brigadier?"

"Y-yes, sir," the orderly stammered nervously, watching in apprehension as the human disappeared back into his tent.

\*\*\*

"But that is exactly our problem, the one we keep on coming back to!" Merec snapped exasperatedly, throwing his hands into the air. "No place lives in isolation. We had managed to grow at the Amber Tower thanks to that section of the Bloodstorm that forced the Circle to remain separate from the authorities, even though the Amber Tower did not officially enrol us into its ranks. As much as we may despise the Bloodstorm Treaty, we owe it that much!"

It was already late in the morning and after a long session of heavy debating, they were still nowhere closer to deciding what to do. At least they still had some time before their Green Magi contacts were to arrive, so the discussions were not desperate at the moment. But they were all too aware that they had not made any significant progress and it was starting to get on their nerves again. At least their meeting was nearly at an end, as it would soon be time for them to join in the efforts of keeping their hiding spot safe and running.

"Well, we could always go settle in Cliffhanger Cove if you want to get away from current authorities!" Edward smirked, earning more than a few snorts of surprise from the group around him.

"We are looking for real solutions..." Aerhin grunted, unamused.

"Be as it may, if we want to matter in the world at large, there is no way to avoid leaving a wind wake behind us!" Gharavhan stated solemnly.

"True," Gahntuar agreed, nodding to the elder drake. "So, if we cannot avoid causing trouble, where can we go that will cause the least trouble?"

"Same place we end up every time," Merec stated quickly. "The elves!"

"Most of our forces are already stationed and settled in Ealyndore," Charl stated softly. "I believe that may be our best option. Especially considering the multinational response to assist the elves' war effort."

"I'm just worried the elves will lose that support if the Alliance forces the other authorities to withdraw it!" Merec sighed. "But I think we cannot deny the obvious any longer. As soon as our Green magi allies arrive, we'll pack up what we can and head to the forests again." He turned to Felicity. "Can you arrange your White magi contact to meet us there, I don't want to spend a moment too long in the shadow of..." He didn't finish the sentence, only waving an awkward hand in the direction of Juinkarr's Citadel.

"Of course," Felicity nodded, but then held up a finger. "Although, there is another issue we need to discuss: Ikessa!"

"What about her?" Gahntuar hissed with an angry growl.

"What do we do with her?" Felicity stated bluntly.

"That is a good question!" Gharavhan rumbled, though he didn't sound very eager to talk about it. "We can force her to walk in a direction, but not to fly. And I'm not walking out of here again!"

"We cannot maybe send her to the Amber Tower by any chance?" Charl suggested. "Let them keep her locked up with those 'confinement arrangements' they had mentioned before until we can do something about her ourselves."

"No," Merec quickly insisted. "We don't have the time to walk all the way back there, not to mention as long as the Coral Tower wants us disbanded, we cannot show our faces anywhere near our old Camp again without making life unbearable for our remaining allies amongst the Circle." The human suddenly frowned and looked at Felicity. "Unless you can open one of those portals you've mentioned before?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the magus scoffed exasperated. "These days, you need a set of Portalstones to focus the open ends of a portal for you. And even if you did know how to open one without the predefined shapes in the stones, specifying an exact destination would be... would be... the knowledge and skill needed to be precise are beyond comprehension!"

"So, if we cannot take her with us, what other options do we have?" Edwards stated softly. "Execute her, or let her go?"

"We cannot let her just go!" Aerhin gasped appalled. "She is much too dangerous to be let loose again! Look what she already did..."

"I'm just putting options out there!" Edward insisted quickly, holding up his hands in defence.

"I am for executing her!" Jerielle insisted determinedly. "She would not have hesitated to do likewise had the roles been reversed!"

"I agree with Jerielle!" Gahntuar growled with a puff of smoke. "Remember, no mercy was shown to those who were beaten down at the Echoren!"

"Hear, hear!" Gharavhan hissed. "We were lucky to corner her this time, we should not let this opportunity go to waste!"

"But we did give her our word that nothing would happen to that whelp of hers!" Audenier cautioned them. "And she did cooperate with us in the end. Would it be right to go through with this?"

"I only said that I will not cause any harm to the young one, I said nothing about her!" Gahntuar growled irritably.

"Then, what how do we intend to deal with the young one?" Merec asked, trying to soothe his dragon with tender caresses. "Make no mistake, the world is better off without an Umbrin like her. But I don't want to be breaking a promise I made, even to her. So, can the whelp survive on his own? We have agreed that the youngster may disappear into the Lumor clan, but we hardly keep our word if we execute her and the whelp dies of exposure... and I don't want us to be taking care of him until he can head off on his own!"

"Do we care?" Gahntuar hissed, pulling away from his human's petting. "His father's minions had left countless whelps younger than that age without parents to take care of them… that is if they were allowed to go their own way in the first place!"

"He is hardly a youngster anymore!" Gharavhan agreed with a snap of his jaws. "Yes, most dragons that age remain with their parents, learning basic skills and helping raise the next clutch. But some have been known to go off on their own already. He is fully capable of starting his own family even, though the skills he will need to do so successfully is still rather lacking."

"Not to mention, I survived on my own at that age, so it can be done!" Audenier agreed.

"But most that age do not get far on their own!" Jerielle sighed disappointedly. "I'm afraid the Roccan'hir is right."

"But Audenier also had a point to consider!" Aerhin stated quickly. "She cooperated willingly. One good turn deserves another, does it not."

"I wish that vow of hers was real and had done what she said it would!" Gahntuar hissed again to himself with an angry growl, though the statement did carry through the room. But then, with a defeated sigh, he had to relent. "But no, the little one still needs her. As much as I loathe her, and as much as I would like to see the blood of my enemy wiped from this world... I will not satisfy my thirst for vengeance. So what other options do we have? Ikessa and her whelp are free to go as soon as we leave this place!"

"But sir!" Jerielle yelped, getting to her feet with an upset flick of her crest.

"Bloodlust begets bloodlust, vengeance spawns vengeance!" The Lúg'hir reminded her. "It must stop somewhere!"

"Changes are that she will be without haven anyway," Merec stated softly to calm the upset dragons. "She obviously has no friends here. And she has betrayed the ones she did have. I doubt she will be able to be a threat to us again."

"What about taking her to the Nacre Tower?" Charl suddenly suggested. "Yes, it is a little out of our way when we go down to the elves, but not so much that..."

He was interrupted by a sudden, urgent knocking on the door.

"What is it this time?" Gahntuar growled worriedly. "I swear, if it is another Juinkarr claiming another one of our pairs, I'm leaving now and meeting up with Adulf on the side of the mountain!"

"Enter!" Merec called, trying not to sound anxious about more bad news.

"I am sorry to disturb, my lords!" one of the Roccae stated as he looked inside, the lupine pulling his ears back nervously. "But we have a situation that needs your urgent attention!"

Merec frowned in worry as he realized it was one of the riders stationed along with the Yellow magi at Juinkarr's Aetherfontes at that moment.

"What is the matter?" Charl asked quickly before anyone could react.

"Orcs, sir!" the lupine admitted. "And a good number of them."

That got the entire council quickly onto their feet.

"How many?" Aerhin hissed, already grabbing for his sheathed sabre.

"Twenty or so!" the lupine stated. "But..."

"Damn it!" Merec cursed worriedly. He had not been able to take the time to refresh his skills as he had wanted to, and now they were going to pay for it. "Do they know we are here?"

"Yes, they do!" the guard confirmed their worst fears. "Some of them approached the Yellow magi who went out to the Aetherfontes this morning..."

"What?" Felicity gasped worriedly. "Are they all right? Did they manage to escape?"

"Yes, they are completely safe... but..." the poor wolf tried to speak but he was cut off again by a worried snort from Gahntuar.

"Are Amaren and Shella still at the Aetherfontes building?" he asked, his crest erect with worry.

"No, they had gone to meet the orcs..."

"Gharavhan, we need to get the guards at the Aetherfontes out of there!" Gahntuar hissed, whirling on the elder drake. "I don't care about that thing as much as..."

"The times I've seen any orcs around here, they usually didn't number more than five!" Felicity shouted over the sudden chaos as the council started to file towards the door. "Be careful of what they intend..."

"Leave this to us, Lúg'hir!" Edward was saying, an urgency to his voice. "If this goes bad you need to be able to still escape and join up with the rest of our force with the elves!"

"MY LORDS, IF I MAY!" the wolf who had come to inform them shouted, immediately cringing when all eyes turned to him. "They, they are not hostile..."

"Come again?" Merec asked in the stunned silence, frowning at the guard as if the wolf had lost his mind.

"They have approached us under a flag of truce, sir!" the lupine roccan stated, a little unsure of himself at delivering this unrealistic news. "I didn't even know they knew of the concept. And they request an audience with the Lúg'hir and Roccan'hir in particular, sir!"

"They, what?" Charl gasped, looking astounded from Merec to the guard and back.

"Sir, this is obviously a trap!" Edward hissed. "We should send someone else in your stead..."

"With all respect, that will not work, I'm afraid!" the guard interjected quickly. "The orc chief is well aware that the Lúg'hir is black, and Lúg'gon Amaren is the only other dragon who we can pass off as you. And they have already encountered each other on Juinkarr's central plaza."

"Wait, did you say the orc CHIEF?" Merec asked worriedly, his mind spinning out of control at the possible implications.

"That might be as well, though," Felicity suddenly cautioned them. "You say it is the chief himself who has come to see Merec and Gahntuar? I do not know orcish costumes, but he might take this as a great insult if you are not to meet him personally. He is taking a big risk in coming here with only a handful of soldiers so the least we can do is to hear him out."

"I don't like this." Edward hissed, glaring at the vixen magus.

"Nor do I," Felicity agreed, "but we have little other choices."

"Then we will go hear what this chief has to say," Merec decided, glancing covertly to Gahntuar for support. When the drake only nodded unsurely, he sighed. "Right then, let's get this over with!"

With them hiding in the dangerous ruins of Juinkarr, they were always on constant alert and as such dressed permanently in their battle attire. So, the preparations to meet this orcish delegation was quick and in barely a few minutes, the entire council along with the two pairs guarding the roof and three riderless lúggae took off to go to this strange meeting. The flight was short and within moments, they noticed the gathering on the large central plain where the three largest roads through the ruined city met. The two groups were arraigned as if in a standoff on opposite sides of a large fountain, with statues of creatures from various species from humans to goblins drinking from it.

Gahntuar eyed the statues warily as he landed next to Amaren, Shella on his back relaxing the lance she had held at the ready when she was no longer the only roccan there. The two dragons who had carried the Yellows to the Aetherfontes that morning was flanked on either side of Amaren and dared to relax a little when the Lúgroccae support arrived, while the magi on either side of the trio of dragons also relaxed, but they still held their Manashapes at the ready.

"How are things?" Merec asked as he eyed the orcish line on the opposite side of the plain. There were about eighteen lightly armoured orcs present there, with six goblins as a magical backup. They seemed relaxed at first, but they visibly tensed when the Lúgroccae flew overhead and the chief, judging by the headdress of stag horns he wore, had to bark a sharp order for them to lower their spears and axes.

"Well enough, sir!" Shella hissed tensely under her breath. "Better now that you are here as well, I must admit!"

"Have they tried to do anything?" Gahntuar asked, eyeing the orcs as the chief and an entourage of six burly, axe-wielding orcs broke away from the group to walk around the fountain, giving it a wide berth.

"Other than just standing there, not really, dad!" Amaren replied. "Though that goblin there on the far right did come straight up to the two yellows with that white rag they have on a stick!"

"We need to go meet them!" Gharavhan quickly insisted.

"Right!" Gahntuar grumbled and nodding to his council, they carefully approached the orcish chief. For a moment he thought of ordering the lúg who was carrying Felicity to remain behind, but everything was already in motion and sending someone back might give the impression of weak leadership.

"You remain quiet, understood vixen?" he growled, making it clear that for this meeting he was not to be disobeyed. "We can't have you stir up a hornets' nest. Not with Juinkarr behind us and the orcs at our doorstep!"

The atmosphere was tense, and the two groups stopped when they were within five yards of each other. For a moment, everything was silent as they eyed each other suspiciously. Finally, it was the orc who broke the silence, announcing something in their harsh, sharp language. Gahntuar quickly replied in kind, speaking Sindarin as some of the elvan survivors on the Echoren reported that some of the orcs were capable of communicating in the language. These orcs, however, were not from the southern reaches of the Shadowlands and as such, they only gaped in surprise at the dragon. Again, the chief stated something in his language and still received no response from the Lúgroccae.

"Well, this is going nowhere fast!" Merec hissed softly under his breath, turning to Aerhin who sat quietly on Jerielle next to them. "I hate to suggest this, but do you think we need to send for Ikes..."

"Do you speak common... common trade language from... um, west plains?" the orc suddenly asked in an accent that made his broken speech a little difficult to follow as he glanced first up to Felicity who sat quietly on her drake before turning around to look back at his group of goblins. "Or maybe magic users translate"

"That would not be necessary!" Merec replied quickly, trying to hide a sigh of relief that they didn't have to go fetch Ikessa so that she could translate for them. "We can speak it!"

"It true? You... er, Lumor?" the orc stated more than asked. "Well, because you no speak Ziurum, I see."

"That should be fairly obvious by the company we keep," Gahntuar replied flatly, raising an eyebrow at the strange statement from the orc chief. Even Merec was taken aback by the awkward mannerisms of the creature as he fiddled with a large sword he carried in a crude belt.

"Yes,... I guess you right," the chief muttered, looking unsurely away from them at the Citadel of Juinkarr.

Then it suddenly hit Merec: This chief was not very experienced in leading his people. Just like the human a decade ago when they first arrived at the Amber Tower, he seemed unsure of himself and nervous of the great responsibilities that now weighed heavily on his shoulders. In fact, now that he was looking at the situation differently, he realised that the chief was the youngest of all the orcs present there.

"Your grasp of the common language is better than I would have expected, to be honest!" Merec complimented him, following the archmagus's lead from their first meeting to try and get the young orc more at ease. "Considering how far away you live and the little contact you have with the west."

"I part of chieftain family of Gurroc clan!" the young orc stated a little pride leaking into his voice. "It smart speaking language we might find on road."

"A wise view to hold to," Merec agreed, glancing briefly at Aerhin and shaking his head when the elf frowned back at him. The human turned his attention back to the chief with an encouraging smile. "At least we finally got to understand one another. So, what is it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

"I wanting know is you Lúg'hir and Roccan'hir I hear much of?" the orc stated.

"That we are!" Gahntuar rumbled poignantly. "I understand that you wish to speak with us?"

"You allowed speaking, dragon?" the chief asked genuinely surprised after he had gawked at Gahntuar for a bit. "I hear dragons pets of westfolk!"

There was an annoyed hiss from all the dragons within earshot and Gahntuar silenced them with a quick bark.

"I am as much the human's pet as he is mine!" Gahntuar insisted.

"We lead these dragons and riders as equals!" Merec agreed quickly, patting his dragon on the neck affectionately.

"I sorry, I wrong then!" the chief replied, but he turned in surprise to one of the orcs escorting him as the burly create hissed an angry remark at him. "Kergze! I... I mean, of course!" he stated with a little more authority, trying and failing to appear more in control of the situation. One of the other orc guards huffed something in annoyance under his breath.

"Forgive my ignorance," Merec quickly said, pulling the attention away from the young orc's awkwardness, "but you said that you are of the chieftain's family, but I understood that the headdress and the sword at your hip signify you as chieftain. Were you sent as an envoy to us?"

"En-voy...?" the young orc asked with a frown.

"Um, someone who may speak for the true chief as if he was here himself!" Merec quickly explained.

"I is chief of Gurroc Clan!" the young orc insisted with an angry growl. "I speak for me!"

"We are only trying to get the facts straight, sir!" Gahntuar stated quickly, turning to glare at his human.

"I apologize for insulting your ability to lead," Merec quickly added, with a respectful bow of his head. "You just seem rather... young to be in a leadership role already."

"You say I not lead clan because I too young?" the young chief hissed a little frustrated, obviously having heard this argument several times before.

"On the contrary," Gahntuar replied with a grin. "My rider was barely older than you when the same command was just given to him. In fact, it may make you one of the best chiefs one day!"

"Sorry," the chief apologized again, snapping up from a slump position when his advisor hissed something at him again. "I-I mean, of course!"

"But not being constrained by the expectations of our elders does allow us to think of solutions where others had failed to find a way," Merec added, trying not to smirk at the young leader being reprimanded by his advisors. When the orc blinked in confusion at him, he continued. "I mean to say that we often make things work where others had failed because we can look at the problem differently."

"My grandfather, chief Urguss, was greatest chief northern tok ro avhe ukavrong when he lived!" the young orc stated proudly, puffing up his chest for good measure. But then he seemed to wilt under some memory. "Then our tribe is given to Claw-of-Master years ago. He took them to death in human lands. Urguss die there, and my uncle. My sire took over command, but he never made ready for it. Then, Master throw us to scavengers! We, who always loyal get nothing when we in need!" The orc punched his palm angrily with his fist. "My sire... er, ambushed by other clan wanting our home! Our good position in horde. Is orc way. My sire and all brothers die. Now, I wear chieftain Reknoz!"

"I... am truly sorry," Merec replied solemnly. "I had lost my father as well at a young age... and was never prepared for the responsibilities of leadership before it was handed to me."

"My clan honour protecting Gurroc Gap! Other clans want honour!" the orc continued, snorting in disgust at the mentioned honour. "I care not for honour. We hold land if we want to survive! Is orc way. We lose land, we disappear."

"What is it that you have come to ask of us then?" Merec asked, trying not to squirm uneasily in his saddle but failing to hide his worry from the elf next to him. It would definitely not be a good idea to admit to the group of orcs that they were in no position to offer assistance to anyone. And on the other hand, it would not be a good idea to assist orcs of all things while they were planning on moving to the elves after all.

"You not understand?" the chief asked incredulously. "We must keep westfolk out of Juinkarr until Master come back! For honour, we must fight you. But we not have strength to fight you and other clans."

"Are you suggesting an alliance then?" Gahntuar growled, finally voicing Merec's concern. But though his human had been thinking the same thing, the question caught both dragons and orcs completely off guard.

"We do not have the strength to become involved in yet another war!" Merec whispered urgently to Gahntuar even as the chief turned to discuss the suggestion with his advisors. "Not to mention, most of our people are still with the elves. What do you think the reaction will be if we ally here with the orcs of all things?"

"Best not to let them know our strength though," Aerhin quickly cautioned.

"We just need another two days before the Green magi arrive!" Jerielle reminded them. "Three at most. If it will keep them off our backs for that time, it might be worth telling them what they want to hear."

"I am not going to be making promises I don't intend to keep!" Gahntuar hissed annoyed, clearing his throat as a warning when the chief's own little discussion came to an end.

"No, not alliance!" the orc stated firmly, making the dragons sigh with relief even though they tried to hide their worry. "Fighting other clans with westfolk aid will not work. No, I want small agreement we not fight! You not venture out further than this onto Tokukavrong... er, Shadowlands you call it! We leave you broken city!"

"You know what you are saying?" Gahntuar gasped astounded before he could catch himself. "There are prophecies from your own lands that foretells a dragon from... my bloodline will one day capture Juinkarr! Are you sure you want to be surrendering Juinkarr to me?"

"Why did you have to tell him that?" Jerielle hissed at him when the group of orcs clustered around one another in a quick conference.

"Seemed like the right thing at the time?" Gahntuar admitted with a shrug, not sure what to say. "I'd rather have a proper agreement than one fated to fold once this chief realizes who I am and that we intend to stay."

"Since when did we think of staying here?" Edward gasped, throwing a hand out to the ruins around them. "Juinkarr is no place to live!"

"Not at the moment," Gahntuar agreed, keeping a close eye on the orcs discussing the unexpected turn of events. "But if we were free to return here one day with more support..."

"Has Felicity gotten to you?" Merec grumbled annoyed. "You've seen this is beyond us. We cannot make any kind of lasting agreement with them. Especially if one day, we are to close this Circle everyone is so keen on!"

"I know," Gahntuar growled back at Merec, "but I can't explain this feeling. Things are moving too obviously in this direction... just, trust me on this?"

"The great Claw-of-Master is with you, yes?" the chief suddenly asked, interrupting the Lúgroccae discussion. "Ikessa?"

"We... have her with us, that is true!" Merec replied hesitantly, not willing to admit that the draine was not staying with them out of her own will.

"Then not possible fighting destiny!" the chief announced, looking meaningfully back at one of the eldest of the orcs with him. "She is greatest and wisest of Claws. If she defy, others can follow. My people more important than wishes of master who tossed us away like broken shield when saves wielder's life. We not useless trash! If westfolk leave Tokukavrong for us, blood of Lunintur take Juinkarr!"

"And as long as you leave Juinkarr and everything southwest of the mountains in peace, we will not attack your people!" Gahntuar stated, giving Felicity an evil eye as the vixen was practically quivering with excitement. "But this agreement does not include the current war in the elvan territories. We have agreed to assist the elves with the orcs in the south, and we do not go back on our word!"

The chief nodded in understanding, seemingly impressed with the black drake's resolve as he turn to his advisors one more time.

"Thing of Edrein Orcs, not our concern!" the chief stated, the orcs around him nodding in confirmation. "The agreement satisfies! I have shamans make Agreement Stones! Will yours assist?"

"What are Agreement Stones?" Merec asked curiously, looking over to Felicity. The vixen, however, only shook her head in confusion.

"You not know?" the orc asked astounded. "How you make sure important agreements is honoured?"

"We trust the word of others!" Gahntuar growled, not caring what the orc thought of that.

The chief looked at the dragons as if seeing them for the first time, before shaking his head to regain his composure even as his one advisor started to hiss again.

"They simple balls," the chief explained. "They break in pieces if agreement not honoured! Gives fair warning of betraying." One of the goblins stated something quickly and the chief translated. "Not powerful like Unbreakable Vow, but that too difficult for us!"

"As is it beyond our ability," Felicity finally stated, ignoring the sudden glare from Gahntuar. "Though, I would like to learn more about these Agreement Stones! I have never encountered something like it before and will be grateful to learn."

"Then, be it so!" the chief announced, nodding to the eldest advisor again. The greying orc called forth two shamans, each with a simple sphere of carved pale soapstone. Upon the advisement of the orc chief, the roccae all dismount, placing their hands upon the round stones along with the entire delegation of orcs. There was a flash of Mana as the pact was reaffirmed and the terms of agreement spoken again. Then, with another flash of Mana, the deal was done.

"Thank you Lúg'hir, Roccan'hir!" the orc chief stated, sighing with obvious relief as the one goblin handed Felicity one of the stones which had now taken on a dark colour. "It good not worrying of Juinkarr!"

"Likewise," Merec agreed. When the orc looked questioningly at him, he elaborated. "I mean, it is a relief not to be worried about attacks from the east anymore... Juinkarr is dangerous enough."

"That true," the orc smirked, glad he no longer had to send patrols into danger. "I greet you, Lúg'hir, Roccan'hir!"

"Until we meet again," Merec agreed as the orc delegation turned around to depart Juinkarr for good. As they walked away, the Lúgroccae watched them leave with mixed feelings.

"Can someone explain to me exactly what just happened?" Audenier suddenly quipped as Gahntuar crouched to let Merec up again. "Does this mean we closed that circle as the vixen had said?"

"No," Felicity growled annoyed with the blue drake. "Juinkarr is still completely out of bounds, but this has changed your relationship with the Circle of Five completely. As long as you are part of any delegation to Juinkarr, these orcs will not harass us anymore. It might just be enough to get the Coral Tower off our backs for good!"

"So, we have to wait and see what happens now before we continue to the elves," Jerielle stated annoyed. "Thanks for complicating things even more, Lúg'hir! What were you thinking?"

"Not sure," he admitted as he turned around to return to their hiding spot. He didn't know what had come over him to negotiate the surrender of Juinkarr, but somehow it made him feel lighter. He looked up at the broken Citadel of Juinkarr, the imposing building still giving him the chills before he shrugged it off and started to walk away as well.

\*\*\*

"Why do you think this stuff is so precious?" the fox rider asked, carefully stepping closer to the large crystals to peer into the pool of Aether. "I mean, I can see it shines with its own light, but we still need real fire to give enough light for the two magi with us!" She indicated to one of the two braziers they had retrieved from the storage building at the mouth of the cave. The large brass cauldrons were currently light with burning dragon fire-oil, giving off a golden colour that mixed eerily with the light blue of the Aetherfontes.

"You are aware that it is physical magic, right?" the one Yellow magus in the room asked. The female wolf got up onto her knees and with a flick of her wrist, she commanded about a quarter of a cup of the aether to herself. "It is normal Mana, only so concentrated that it presents as a liquid and not something akin to a vapour," the magus continued, drawing the floating ball of liquid into a funnel before twisting the narrow end into a complicated knot, all without even touching the now visible Manashape.

"You're not going to ignite that thing, are you?" the other magus asked worriedly, the stallion also getting up from the patch of cave floor he had been investigating for signs of fixed Mana. An impossible task, to say the least with the sheer amount of the stuff radiating from the fountain behind him.

"Of course not!" the wolf scoffed, returning the Aether quickly to the pool with another flick of her wrist.

"I guess, but still!" the vixen roccan continued to complain. "If the Circle of Five hogged it for themselves because it is tangible magic, I could understand. But then we would have had to surrender it the magi instead of having the opportunity to sell it."

"Aether is power, young Tanya!" Aesu stated dreamily, sounding as if he had too much ale to drink. Somehow, he must have realized how he sounded for he forced himself to stop staring at the shimmering of the Aether and with a shake of his head to clear it, he addressed the rider he was assisting in guarding the magi. "I mean Aether itself has been known as a powerful medicine for centuries!" he stated more firmly, fixating on the female fox as she stepped back to join her dragon, a reddish-brown drake. "Manuscripts from even the early Witchhunts describe it as highly sought after for it can revitalize exhausted muscles, clear tired minds, and cure all kinds of ailments if ingested, even by those who has no ability with magic."

"It has also been proven to cause longevity!" the equine smirked. "Up to twice the normal lifespan even. So, the rich and mighty often flaunt their wealth by serving it to guests."

"Right," the vixen replied, glancing thoughtfully at the pool of liquid.

"Strange to think that our ancestors crawled from this pool of shimmering water!" the drake stated absentmindedly, also fighting a powerful draw to stare into the shimmering depths.

"Yours, maybe!" Aesu smirked, clacking his beak jovially at the drake. "Mine didn't!"

"Yeah, that's because the Witchking of old got a lion to impregnate an eagle... somehow..." the dragon retorted with a broad smirk, laughing when the gryphon clacked his beak again at the dragon in mock annoyance. But it was all light-hearted and they all laughed at the gryphon's expense, even the two Yellows who had returned to their job of cleaning out the cavern of magical traps.

"Still, Jerache has a point!" Tanya suddenly stated, pointing a finger at the pool. "What is the chance that something will come crawling out of that hole in the universe any time now?"

"All three of our resident Yellow magi agree that it is impossible!" Alex smirked with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Everyone stationed here asks the same and they all get the same reply: Don't worry about it!"

"I'm more worried about the Shadowspawn to the east!" Aesu admitted thoughtfully. "Do you really think this agreement the Lúg'hir made with that chief only an hour ago will last long?"

"Well, it only needs to last for three more days at most," Alex replied confidently. "And we do have those Agreement Stone of theirs. I understand it will give us fair warning if they decide to betray us."

"Yeah," Aesu whined, sounding not very convinced with the stone Merec received from the orcs. "But can we trust those stones? I mean, from what I've heard of magic, it would be a perfect way to listen in on our meetings or considering the story of Portalstones, they can maybe even smuggle a spy into our midst! Or an assassin!"

"We checked and all three of us agree that there is no malevolent magic in the stone given to us!" the equine magus replied, moving one of the marker stones further out as he crawled forward a pace or so.

"It is definitely not a Portalstone, so there is no way to open a doorway into our fortification!" his colleague agreed, sitting up to look at the four guarding them. "We could also not find any Vibration related shapes, so it will also not recreate any sound or image in another location."

"But how can you be certain?" Aesu asked, still dubious.

"Manashapes of a given nature has a distinct Mana signature," the wolf replied patiently. "We did find a powerful Spirit shape, so we can tell that the two stones are linked. There is also another shape that that is Spirit-related, but we couldn't quite identify what it is for. As far as we can tell, the stones will do as we were told."

"I know several magi who will be more than eager to study that particular shape," the equine magus grinned.

"So, ours will shatter if they even just plan to break their agreement?" Tanya asked.

"And the same goes for their stone, yes!" Alex agreed. "It is not perfect in any way, but it does help us to be a little forewarned, at least."

"But I'm just not sure about having an alliance with them in the first place," Tanya admitted worriedly. "I'm not trying to find fault in what the council is doing. But what I've heard from those who had returned from Ealyndore, people tried to find reasons to despise us rather than accept our aid. And now, with us being kicked out of the Amber Tower like this, I fear those old suspicions against us might return. I know the Lúg'hir and Roccan'hir means good, but I worry that this will just be added oil to the fire."

"It isn't an alliance, is a non... non-aggression agree-" The gryphon suddenly hesitated again, glancing around the cavern before shaking his head to clear his thoughts again. "I mean it is a non-aggression agreement. We don't owe them anything. Likewise, they don't even need to warn us if another orc clan decide to attack us. They just cannot offer them any assistance."

"Something wrong?" Alex asked worriedly. "You seem a little, distracted."

"It is just... something seems off," Aesu admitted, allowing his gaze to wander lazily all over the cavern again without really seeing anything. Somehow, his gaze was drawn back to the Aetherfontes and for a moment he stared at it as if lost in wonder again.

"Is it not maybe the pool itself?" Tanya asked. "I find it is a little disorientating to be in such proximity to it, and I know this is your first time here. I know you said that Aether revitalizes tired minds, but the Aetherfontes itself seems a little… off…"

"I guess you are right, it is nothing!" Aesu smiled after shaking his head again.

"But... it is not supposed to do that, is it?" Jerache suddenly asked, pointing a snout at the Aetherfontes. The strange comment had them all stop what they were doing and look carefully at the pool of Aether. For a while, nothing out of the ordinary registered to any of them. It was so quiet that the drake eventually started to fold his crest down in embarrassment at having scared everyone for nothing.

"I don't see any-" the equine started to say, but then it happened again.

"What in Thelma's name?" Alex gasped as the light from the pool grew a little brighter, before fading again to its normal luminescence.

"Yes, that!" the drake squeaked worriedly, his crest erected in alarm again. "Why is it doing that?"

"I don't know," the equine magus said, getting to his feet as a small Manashape started to form between his fingers. Here in the cavern, the Mana was so thick that the usually invisible process took on a wispy appearance, like heat over a campfire. He yelped and ignited a poorly formed fireball that snapped between his fingers as the pool's radiance intensified unexpectedly.

"Is it me or is that pulsing getting quicker?" the lupine magus hissed worriedly, stepping away from where she was working to stand by her colleague.

"All right, you four! The next shift has arri-..." Audenier's jovial voice broke the oppressive silence, making the six in the cave yelp with fright. The equine released another fireball, this time better formed, and it exploded against the wall near the blue dragon's head. "Gullivarth's prick! What do you think your..."

Again, the dragon was cut off, but this time by a soft touch from his rider.

"Is that pool supposed to do... that?" Charl asked worried, pointing to the Aetherfontes that was now pulsing brighter and dimmer like a beating heart.

"I've never heard of the like!" the lupine magus hissed worriedly.

"Do you think... something is trying to come through?" Tanya whimpered worriedly, gripping her lance tightly.

"It can't..." Alex started to argue, but the tranquil pool of Aether suddenly erupted. First with a rippling and splashing of liquid, like thousands of fish trapped in a too-small pool of water. But the shaking of the water became worse and worse until liquid Aether was flung throughout the cavern, some splashing as far as the group looking on in horror as the surface of the pool started to bulge out in a smooth blob.

"Hakriel," Audenier snapped, turning to the dark red drake who had arrived to stand guard with him. "Go warn the council!"

Only, Hakriel did not move. Both he and his wolf rider were staring transfixed in terror as the Aether continued to bulge out, rising a foot or two from the original surface of the Aetherfontes and taking on the unmistakable shape of a snout. Then, as if to confirm their worst fears, there was the massive whoosh of air as two nostrils cleared out the liquid Aether in a great burst of breath.

"Marcius!" Charl snapped urgently, the steel of his blade hissing from its sheath as he drew his weapon. "GO!"

This time Hakriel reacted, turning tail and dashing out of the cavern as fast as his legs could carry him.

At the Aetherfontes, the monstrous muzzle pushed a little more through the Aether before splitting along a wide mouth that eagerly gasped for its first breath. The monster halted for a moment, gasping for breath as if gathering its strength again. As it did so, it revealed long, sharp canines that were at least the length of Audenier's horns.

"Shit!" Audenier squealed in a full-blown panic, fighting the urge to run himself as the monster started to push itself into this world again. "What IS that?"

There was a flash of Mana and the lupine magus threw a fireball of her own at the thing coming through from Barathrum Proper. She scored a solid hit against the skull just as the shape of an eyebrow started to form, or would have had the fire not fizzled out into nothing on contact with the mass of Aether. As such the creature didn't even seem to notice the attack on itself and instead continued its arduous movements, seeming to struggle against the Aether as if it was trying to escape from a pool of molasses. The second magus then tried to cast a spell, cooling the Aether in the hopes of freezing the monster in. But that plan worked even less.

"Looks like we will have to wait until that thing is completely through before we can do anything!" Aesu chirped terrified, watching with wide eyes as the monster's cheeks and jaws passed through without trouble.

"Roccae, mount up!" Charl suddenly snapped. "Aesu, Jerache, take up flanking positions next to me! You two, behind us!"

The defenders of Selebore rushed to get into the ordered formations as the head continued to push through unobstructed. First, a great brow appeared that confirmed this thing to be bigger than any living thing they had ever seen. Then as it continued to rise from the Aetherfontes, two great sweeping horns and a large crest revealed it to be very draconic in nature. Only, it was ridiculously large. Gharavhan, who was the largest of all the dragons in the Lúgroccae would seem like an adolescent youngster next to this thing.

With the head now free of the Aetherfontes, the monster's long neck followed easily. When about a foot of it was through, the Aether head turned to look this way and that, but the glowing eyes did not seem to register anything for it did not react to the cluster of guards waiting for the coming battle, lances and sword and spells at the ready against it. It huffed as if in annoyance at having to pull itself through the tiny hole in the universe and with another deep breath, it continued its journey into the cave. There was another great splash of Aether and one mean looking forepaw broke free of the confining fountain. Long, wickedly curved talons gripped around one of the ancient Aether crystals that had excited Felicity so, breaking it cleanly off and fragmenting it as if it was made of fragile glass. The destruction of the crystal caused the monster to stagger, but it regained its footing on the pool of the Aetherfontes itself, pushing up from the liquid as if the surface it was escaping from was suddenly as solid as rock.

The equine magus's nerves failed him yet again and he cast another spell, throwing a snaring bolus at the great muzzle. But like the previous attempts to attack the monster with spells, this shape also disintegrated as soon as it touched Aether. The great creature, on the other hand, continued unopposed and uncaring, freeing its other forepaw with a large splash of Aether.

"Hold your attacks!" Charl snapped at the two magi, not daring to take his eyes off the terrifying display in front of him.

"We must do something!" the equine yelped terrified, staring in disbelief as the monster continued to pull itself free of the Aetherfontes, still unaffected by its audience.

"Yeah, but what?" Audenier agreed, crouching a little in preparation to pounce in any direction as the broad sweep of the creature's chest oozed free of the Aether's surface.

"Something that actually works!" Charl snapped. "As long as that thing is covered in Aether, we cannot touch it! So, we have to wait..." Even as he spoke, the Aether started to withdraw from the very tip of the snout, revealing iridescent black scales underneath. The Aether withdrew from the monster's head, much quicker than the thing had been able to gain entry into Selebore and in no time enough of the head was clear of the shiny stuff to reveal a jagged pink scar running across the breadth of the snout.

With most of the head clear of protective Aether, the equine magus tried throwing his Snaring Bolus at the snout again. But this time, the monster reacted to them, snapping his head towards them with surprising speed and with one look from those Aether-covered eyes, the shape dissolved completely in the equine's hand completely against his will before he could even ignite it.

Then, the Aether retreated completely from the head to reveal golden eyes that seemed almost to shine with their own light as the monster looked down at the small group of Dragonriders. There was a deep, dangerous intelligence in that gaze, and yet it did not seem to have a hint of malevolent desire.

"C-can't... be!" Audenier whimpered, somehow sounding even more terrified than he had ever been. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, crouching as if in a deep respect for the creature that was still stuck halfway between Epangelia and Barathrum itself. A yelp from Tanya as she was also shaken in her saddle revealed that Jerache had also collapsed into a respectful crouch.

"What is going on?" Aesu hissed, making the mistake of glancing wearily at his dragon friends for a moment. But before anyone could offer a suggestion, there was a terrible commotion from the tunnel behind them.

"... hold the tunnel!" Merec was shouting. "If we cannot push it back, collapse it!"

"But sir!" a voice they could not recognize immediately out tried to argue, but she was interrupted by a furious snarl from Gahntuar.

"No buts!" the drake snapped. "We need to send this monster back to the abyss or stop it here!"

Said monster looked up at the tunnel when the Lúg'hir spoke and actually smiled, even before the group of dragons burst into the cavern. Gahntuar snarled angrily as he led all the Lúgroccae he could muster into the Aetherfontes cave. It was only the two dragons guarding Ikessa and the remaining recruits who were not present as they fanned out on either side of their Lúg'hir, ready to fight with tooth and blade against whatever had come for them. Only, as soon as all the dragons saw the monster for themselves, they collapsed as well into a low crouch in front of this being.

And still, the monster did not make a move. Instead, he remained motionless for the moment, sitting patiently with his body halfway through the Aetherfontes as he was and the Aether now pulling away from his chest, as he looked over his new minions. He nodded in approval as if satisfied with what he was seeing.

"What the hell are you all doing?" Lekreh shouted, backing up worriedly with his tail between his legs as it dawned on him that he and Aesu may have to fight this creature in the Aetherfontes on their own. The monster, on the other hand, spared him only a brief glance and a courteous nod before continuing to inspect each dragon in turn with a fond smile. That smile broadened into a delighted grin when he locked gazes with the only dragon who had not collapsed at the sight of him. But Gahntuar only stood there, frozen to the spot in shock with his crest twitching uncontrollably in anxiety.

"I come to thee in peace, offspring of mine three-generations-along, and hope to find thee strong and healthy!" the monster suddenly spoke smoothly. His voice was loud and clear, and though he was speaking in the language of the dragons, it seemed to echo in a thousand more languages, each distinguishable in its own right. As he spoke, the strange trance the dragons had fallen into seemed to lift and they started to get up nervously again.

Gahntuar opened his mount to speak, painfully conscious of the ritualistic greeting he had to complete. Yet his mouth was dry, and he had to swallow twice or so to get any sound out. His nerves were not helped along when he noticed the wide-eyed stares the lower-ranked lúggae was giving him and his crest wilted again in worry.

"I," Gahntuar replied in a shaky, unsure voice. Was he really expected to speak the ancient lines reserved for territory owners alone? To this creature of all things? In Juinkarr of all places? "I receive thee in peace, sire of mine three-generations-prior, and hope that the winds hath been favourable!" Gahntuar stuttered a moment unsure of himself before he completed the ritual. "Thee art… er, welcome to-to enter our territory! "

Though Gahntuar's reply was rather pathetic for his station, the great draconic creature in the Aetherfontes nodded his head in approval before, with a great splash of Aether, he started to pull his wings through the Aetherforntes as well.

"Did... did he say..." Merec started to stutter, his voice also cracking in awe at the implications.

"Yes, Merec!" Gahntuar replied, finally speaking a little easier. "May I introduce you to my great-grandfather... Gullivarth. The eternal king of all dragons!"

The great dragon stopped pulling his rump undignified through the Aetherfontes when he heard his name, turning to nod at Merec in greeting.

"It is good to be back again!" Gullivarth rumbled with a joyous smile as he looked around the cavern.

After an absence of over four hundred years, Gullivarth, the god of dragons has finally returned to Juinkarr.

    ... to be continued.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/k1VaBNnl
Part of the series Tales from Selebore: War of Shadows
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