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"After the first sacking of the Ivory Tower at the end of the poorly named First Witch War, the surviving Magi council rebuilt their secret lives in the shadows of society. They remained largely unnoticed for just over forty years, until a chance goblin attack on a group of travellers in the year 2106 [of the First Age] would spark a renewed interest in the Great Witch Hunts of the previous generation. The series of mob attacks, trials and executions would officially become known as the Second Witch War with the discovery of a new magic tower in the Gherthon Mountains, and the subsequent commitment of the authorities of the Five Kingdoms to annihilate this 'Second Ivory Tower'.

With the commencement of hostilities, the Arch Magus of the tower, called at the time the Witch King, authorized the creation of new creatures to assist with the defence of the Magi Tower, and hopefully the successful proclamation of a new kingdom where all magi would be free to practice their gift of molding Mana without fear of prosecution. These new allies were initially very successful, with what would become known as the Gryphons proving to be especially devastating against the overwhelming army of Kentereal. However, in the end, these manufactured creatures were not the blessing the Witch King had envisioned.

Instead, this cardinal sin of Creovita (the creation of artificial life) would, in the end, prove to be the tower's downfall. The Five Kingdoms, who were up to this point in time suspicious of each other's power, were able to band together in what would become known as the First Alliance of Light, and many flocked to its banner to rid the world of those who would dare to equate themselves to the Great Creator or his assigned Divae. Against the Alliance, the Ivory Tower stood no chance and though the war continued for a further two years, the Second Witch War came to an end with the second sacking of the Ivory Tower and this time, the complete annihilation of the magi counsel.

Though most of the creatures created by the Ivory Tower during the course of the war were hunted to extinction in the following decades, many managed to survive to this day. And following the Bloodstorm Treaty, several actually thrive in the larger society as well. Most famous may be the case of the gryphons, who have taken on the role of protectors, especially of the Magi and following The Shattering, all humans."

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

***

The blaring horns that signalled the start of the fight, were quickly drowned out by a fierce battle cry from more than a few hundred orcs, as the first wave of attackers rushed at the walls.

"Archers, draw!" Sir Harald's voice was calm and collected, despite the tension of the moment. His order was echoed by other senior members of the town guard to ensure that all of the archers that stood waiting just beyond the wall could hear. "Two hundred yards ... Loose!"

There was the snapping of several dozen bowstrings. Most of the arrows that flew over the wall found their mark in the tightly packed formations and many orcs dropped to the ground as the heavy bodkin points punched through the insufficient chainmail. But dozens of projectiles against hundreds of attackers made no real difference, and the wave of shouting orcs continued to advance. Sir Harald swore under his breath when he noticed the speed at which the orcs were coming. Though the people of the town were proficient and deadly accurate with the bow, they just were not capable of shooting at the speed of properly trained military archers.

"Hundred and sixty yards ... Loose!" sir Harald relayed the position of the enemy, and more orcs fell. "Hundred and twenty yards ..."

The wave of attackers advanced steadily, almost heedless of the regular storms of arrows dropping amidst their ranks until they reached the outskirts of the town itself. Crudely made ladders that were carried amongst their front ranks started to rise against the wall.

"Fire at will at Fifty." sir Harald ordered, still calm. "Pikemen, ladders approaching!"

As soon as the first ladders were propped into position, the orcs started to climb even as defenders tried to push the ladders away or pull them to the side with spears and hooks and the odd Halbert or two. A few humans were hit by crossbow bolts as enemy crossbowmen came within direct range, but still, the defenders succeeded in pushing quite a few off balance. But as more orcs climbed onto the ladders, the harder it became to shift away and soon enough the first orcs managed to reach the ramparts. The clanging of metal striking against metal filled the air as the human defenders who were sufficiently skilled in close combat clashed with the invaders.

Sir Harald parried an ax strike to his head and with practiced skill stabbed his assailant. A movement within the town caught his attention and he turned his head to see the black dragon shifting in preparation to leap into the sky. And he was not alone; two of the gryphons had already taken to the wing and the rest was about to follow suit.

"Gryphons! Stay down!" he roared before ducking beneath another ax. This time, another human engaged the orc and he risked turning to the dragon. "That includes you as well, dragon!"

"But, if I can burn the ladders, they won't have anything to climb the wall with!" Gahntuar argued a little annoyed.

"I said stay down." sir Harald repeated, the tone of his voice making it obvious that he was not going to argue about it. "Until we know where the other dragons are, no-one is taking to the wing!"

"So how am I supposed to be helping?" Gahntuar grumbled confused.

"I'm not sure..." his human mate and companion of almost three years replied next to him. Though he had become quite skilled with his blade, Merec had been assigned to a squad of archers.

Yet even as he spoke, they noticed a mountain of an orc with more sturdy armour managed to push his way through the line of defenders on the wall. Gahntuar didn't hesitate. Before Merec could say anything, the drake had leaped into the air, jumping onto the rampart and digging his front claws into the creature's back just as he was about to bury his axe in the chest of another human he had overpowered. The orc's surprised roar was cut short as the dragon bit around the helmed head and yanked it to the side.

"Thanks!" the human he had just saved gasped as he scrambled to his feet again. Gahntuar grinned, dropping the dead orc.

He was about to make some witty remark, but a squeal of pain drew the dragon's attention back to the fighting. Another orc had nearly stabbed him while his back was turned, only to receive a well-placed arrow to the chest. Even as he watched the orc stumble, a second arrow buried itself in the shoulder of another nearby orc.

A movement from the outside drew his attention in yet another direction and the drake turned just in time to see another, heavily armoured orc reach the top of the ladder closest to him. Without wasting more time looking around, Gahntuar swiped at the orc with his tail, sending it screaming back onto the horde below them. Then for good measure, he jumped to where the orc had been and spat slimy gout of flame down the ladder. The orcs near the top screamed as they were engulfed in fire and jumped off themselves in a desperate attempt to get away. The ladder itself didn't hold up much better and the top section that was leaning against the wall quickly burned through, sending the structure crashing to the ground as well.

A sense of deep satisfaction bubbled up within Gahntuar, and he was about to find the next ladder to demolish when there was a sharp, burning sting against his shoulder. He yelped in pain and backed away from the attack, turning to see that it was a goblin spell-caster who had struck him with what looked like whips made of golden fire. Around the goblin lay several dead or dying human defenders, all of them missing various limbs where the whips had struck and burned through leather and flesh. His own scales suffered under the assault, the magical strands actually fracturing the heavy keratin of his natural armour. Another strike on the same spot would cause him serious damage.

The dragon was still off balance and couldn't counterattack, so the goblin pressed his advantage. It attacked again, flinging its whip again at Gahntuar and the dragon had to backtrack again to avoid another, well aimed hit. Only, the ramparts were not built with maneuvering dragons in mind and he ran out of space. His one hind foot slipped and with a very indignant squawk, he fell from the wall and crashed into a narrow alley inside the town.

***

"So how am I supposed to be helping?" Gahntuar grumbled confused after he was pointedly ordered not to take to the sky. The dragon had a point; his wings and fire oil were his best assets in this fight, and he would not be very helpful only sitting here.

"I'm not sure..." Merec started to say when they noticed a heavily armoured orc manage to force his way through the defenders on the wall. He gasped and pointed up to the breach. This could be very dangerous for all of them if any of the attacking forces managed to get through into the town itself.

Apparently, Gahntuar thought the same. Before Merec could even say anything, the dragon had leaped onto the ramparts with a single flap of his wings and tackled the orc from behind as he turned to finish off the human he had just pushed over. Taken by surprise, the burly orc stood no chance against the dragon.

However, Gahntuar's arrival on the wall did not go unnoticed. Even as he bit around the orc's head, several others started to close in on him.

"Oh no, you don't!" Merec growled as if the orcs on the wall could hear him. Moving fast, he nooked an arrow and fired it at the orc closest to his dragon. The sun may have already gone down, but the lingering light that reflected off the high clouds was still more than sufficient to make the shot. The creature squealed as he was hit in the chest.

At the sound, Gahntuar turned to stare in surprise at the orc that had nearly stabbed him in the back. Next to Merec, some of the other archers who were confident enough in their aim also started to target orcs on the wall and three more attackers fell.

Gahntuar seemed to have regained his senses and quickly took out the ladder where the heavily armoured orc had gained entry onto the wall. However, before he could do much more than that, some goblin wielding what looked like ribbons of fire forced the dragon from the wall with an indignant squawk.

Merec had already nocked another arrow and was about to fire it at the goblin, but one of the phoenixes swooped in, screeching and clawing at the goblin's face. The goblin screamed as the phoenix's talons burnt its flesh and it too stumbled back and was lost over the wall.

Ignoring the fighting on the wall for the moment, Merec quickly rushed to the pile of scales and tangled limbs trying to regain his footing.

"Are you okay?" the human asked worriedly.

"Yes," Gahntuar grumbled, finally managing to roll over onto his chest. "My dignity not so much, I think. There is not enough space on the wall for me to be effective." He looked up at the ramparts again, looking for a way back up to the fighting without getting in the way of the other defenders, but he couldn't see any.

"Don't worry about it too much," Merec grinned, though he still pressed his palms hard against his dragon's wing-shoulders in a quick checkup to ensure that the fall hadn't caused any damage. "I'm sure your chance to make a difference will come."

"It better!" Gahntuar growled, feeling the need to do something even stronger now, in order to alleviate the humiliation of his tumble.

"Of course it will. I think you should," Merec started to say, but a clattering of metal drew their attention. They were just in time to see the backs of three orcs disappear down another alley.

"Shit!" Merec cursed, drawing his arrow again but he was too late to fire it off. "Those orcs can cause serious problems if they are not stopped!"

"Leave them to me." Gahntuar grinned, eagerly bounding after his new quarry without waiting for Merec's reply. Merec could only grin as he watched the dragon disappear around the corner in pursuit of the orcs that got through. He hadn't thought he would be able to get something for the dragon to do this quickly. Then again, in this mess, there was always something to do for everyone.

Which reminded him of his own role to play. Glancing one last time in the direction the dragon had disappeared to, Merec returned to his own place amongst the archers to continue picking off any targets on the wall he could.

***

As was expected, the fighting by the Broken Gate seemed particularly intense, even though it was not really the case. But the mere presence of such an obvious weakness in their defences put unnecessary strain on those stationed there.

Adarah wove her hands quickly and with practiced skill and precision, produced great waves of fire one after another that engulfed great swathes of orcs and ladders alike. Some distance away, Adarah's fox companion was equally busy as he zapped the attackers with great arcs of lightning. The two were very effective, holding back scores of assailants and freeing up defenders who could challenge the attackers further along the wall.

A goblin magus managed to reach the top of his ladder, snapping a fire-whip at the lioness as soon as he was able to mold the required shape. The attacking spell was very effective, one she wouldn't mind getting her hands on. Anyone short of sturdy plate armour would be in serious trouble. Indeed, she suspected that even the dragons themselves might have difficulty against such a spell. But Adarah was herself a very skilled magus and she blocked the attack easily with only a simple shield shape.

She was about to kill the impudent creature with a fireball to the face, but a sudden, well-aimed ice dart struck him in the neck. His whips disintegrated as he collapsed, gurgling and clutching at the dart before going completely limp.

"You know that there is no way for us to replenish our Mana here on the peninsula?" Felicity asked as she passed by the lioness.

"I'm aware of it!" Adarah snarled, molding another great wave of fire that killed eight more orcs and burned the ladder they were using to ash.

"Then why be so wasteful with your Mana?" the vixen shot back as she knelt by the goblin she just killed and quickly searched through his possessions.

"Shock and awe," Adarah grumbled, glaring at her once friend. "And I'm not being wasteful, something you would have known if you had received proper tuition in Elemental Magic." The lioness regarded the vixen for a moment during a lull in the fighting. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Goblins lie close to the elves on the Mana Spectrum," Felicity explained. "So for them to be able to cast magic;"

"They must all carry charged cuplaethers!" Adarah completed the thought. "That is a smart move!"

"The other Towers do have their uses!" Felicity commented, apparently finding what she was looking for hanging around the goblin's neck.

"Indeed," Adarah muttered. "Just leave some for me as well."

"There'll be more than enough to go around; I already found three others, " the vixen replied, throwing something at Adarah. The lioness caught it, and quickly cast a critical gaze over the little talisman. It looked like a feral wolf's canine, crudely inlaid in copper. Still, her magical senses confirmed that it was actually a very well crafted receptacle.

"Just be careful not to end up with a bad manaburn, with all that molding you are doing." Felicity continued, motioning to a nearby elf that had focused his Mana use mostly on enchanting his weapons and keeping a few odd wards and charms effective. "That one's got the idea."

"As I said, I'm going for shock and awe," Adarah repeated, though much more patient than only a moment before. "The orcs won't be so willing to attack where I'm defending so visibly. The real secret is that these spells look a lot more expensive than they truly are. I can continue with this for a long time, giving the illusion that I'm either extremely powerful or there are more magi than they had thought."

"That is actually smart as well," Felicity commented, throwing another ice dart down at an important looking target near the barricade. "They've renewed their attempts to break open the blockade in the gate," she warned Adarah as two more quick ice darts found their targets.

Adarah responded by molding yet another wave of fire, but this time adding a bit of weight to her shape. It dropped like burning oil onto the group below, yet the red magus was also able to keep the burning away from wooden obstacles blocking the archway beneath them. The orcs that had gathered by the gate who were not burning, scattered to safety.

"Nice." Felicity gasped, truly impressed. "You've always been a great master with the Elemental spells, much better than I ever was."

"Thanks," Adarah smirked, feeling very flattered by honest praise. The leaders of the orcs below them were still struggling to get the assault back on track, giving the defenders by the gatehouse much-needed lull infighting.

"So, how long have you known that human?" Adarah asked, genuinely interested. Felicity regarded the lioness for a moment. There was no malice in her question, only a curiosity that was so much like the old friend she had once known.

"I met him around the same time you did, I hear," she replied. "He and his dragon friend were passing by the Bloodstorm Memorial."

At the mention of the famous Mana-well, Adarah's scowl returned.

"You cannot be so lenient on him!" she reprimanded her. "We can't have a wild magus running around like this."

"He's hardly a wild magus," Felicity growled in return, the good cheer evaporating.

"And you know this, how?" Adarah asked in a poorly veiled accusation.

"I've worked on him ever since we met, and he is ready to come to the Circle of Five!" Felicity replied, still growling. "That was until you came and messed everything up."

"You haven't been stern enough on him!" Adarah insisted. "I suggest that he must make his decision by this morning, or hand over his charms to those who can really use them."

"Remind me how long did you resist joining the Circle of Five?" Felicity asked, rounding on the lioness. When the lioness flinched, the vixen pressed her advantage. "You should know better than anyone that people from cultures where there is a mistrust of magic tries to avoid becoming apprentices. You've asked me why I never even considered the Coral Tower when we committed to complete our studies elsewhere. That attitude of yours is exactly why: Have you not noticed that we have more pressing issues to deal with, like fighting a war!"

"Speaking of which," Adarah said flatly, but glad to be able to change the topic "here they come again."

"We are not done with this discussion," Felicity growled as the two magi started to prepare for the renewed attack.

***

Merec took aim at some indiscernible spot in the quickly darkening sky and fired off his arrow. There seemed to be some kind of lull in the fighting, and combined with the fact that the light was failing quickly, he had to resume firing indirectly at the attacking army that was hopefully fifty yards away. He found it rather uncomfortable to be shooting at targets he couldn't see; he just hoped the steady stream of arrows he and the other archers were shooting off over the wall actually managed to hit anything.

A movement to his right, near a small fire that has yet to be put out, drew his attention and he risked glancing at it. He grinned when he noticed that it was Gahntuar who had pounced on his latest victims: a group of five orcs. A few horses and a minotaur from the mercenaries stationed by the Gryphon's Roost seemed to have joined the dragon in picking off those who managed to get past the outer defences, and in no time at all, the invading party was dispatched of.

"Where did you come by that dragon?" one of the archers suddenly asked, gesturing towards Gahntuar with a loose arrow. Merec remembered seeing the young man of just over eighteen often before, but could not recall his name.

"I saved his life when I went to the Thirstlands years ago," Merec replied nonchalantly as he fired off another arrow as if saving the life of a dragon was not a big deal.

"Really?" the young archer replied, a little awed. "So he is paying off a life debt?"

"He saved mine in return right after that, so no," Merec admitted after a dismissive snort. "He decided he liked my company and we have simply stayed close ever since."

Merec sighed and regarded his dwindling supply of arrows. All the blacksmiths in town were hard at work trying to keep up the supply of arrows, but the archers were firing them off quicker than they could be replaced. Soon, they would be completely out of arrows...

"Look, I'm sorry for how I've been treating you," the young archer suddenly piped up. "We know you had no easy time living in this town and I'm sorry for it" It was a sentiment that was quickly agreed to by several other archers within hearing distance.

"Sure," Merec acknowledged the apology, but not really in the mood for this discussion right now. But then his mischievous streak struck again and before he could catch himself, he added: "You're just grateful he is on our side now."

"No, I..." the young archer started to argue, but then hung his head in shame. "Yes, I am."

Interestingly enough, the admission made Merec feel much better than the apology, and with a smirk, he laid a comforting hand on the archer's shoulder.

"As am I" he agreed, smirking again when he noticed Gahntuar pounce after yet another group of infiltrates with his new entourage following behind him.

"As am I!"

***

Sir Harald parried yet another ax blow from an angry-faced orc and with a skilled flick of his wrist, cut the attacker's throat. The orc dropped its weapon and, gurgling for breath, stumbled back a step or two before collapsing. Harald's arm dropped a bit in exhaustion and in the short lull in the fighting, he risked a glance at the attacking army. Several hundred were crowded beneath the town wall, still holding small leather buckles up against incoming arrows that themselves were becoming less and less. But in the distance between the trees, many were more held back between the trees in reserve. The retired soldier could see the shapes of shadows against hundreds of campfires that had been lit.

Harald had to admit that it was a good tactic. Common sense would suggest that it is best to commit all of the available forces in order to overwhelm the defenders, but there wasn't a lot of space to launch them all into a full assault. Too many attackers would only crush each other to death before they could even reach the wall. No, the best idea was to drag this out, tire the defenders and commit fresh troops to break through.

The question was exactly when the Shadowspawn leading this attack was planning to do so. The town's defences were already mostly committed, and they couldn't keep up this kind of fighting for very long.

The light of the sun was almost completely gone by now, but in the amber light of a campfire, he barely caught sight of the three dragons. They were still sitting where they had been at the start of this and seemed to just be watching the fighting on the wall. Surely they didn't think that they were not needed? True, the town's defences were at the breaking point, but it was still holding strong. A well-placed attack by even one of them could be disastrous. What were they waiting for? For the two dragons in town to make the first move?

Sir Harald's attention was pulled back to the fighting when a phoenix flew past him to attack an approaching orc he had failed to notice. The orc stumbled back screaming as the Phoenix clawed at his face, but at that moment the phoenix took a crossbow bolt in the chest. It squawked in shock as it fell limp to the rampart.

The dying Phoenix struggled a bit to get to its feet again, fearfully casting one last glance at the human it had saved. To his utter shock, sir Harald recognized it as the very phoenix that had suggested to him that he needed to settle in the north all those years ago.

Had this Phoenix known about this attack even then? Was he called here to ...

"Prepare ... the Roccae ... for war!" the Phoenix gasped one last time before it suddenly began to glow a soft golden light.

"What do you mean?" Sir Harald asked worriedly. Weren't they already busy with the war, or was there more to come? And the Roccae; who was that?

But the Phoenix didn't answer, its time was done. With the last of its strength, it jumped over the wall to fall towards the tightly packed orcs below. As it fell, it started to burst into flames, trailing a ribbon of fire in its wake. The orcs below saw it coming and panic ensued as they tried to get away, but they were unable to escape before the phoenix exploded amidst their ranks in a great fireball, killing several orcs in the process.

"Thank you, fiery one!" sir Harald muttered a quick prayer for the fallen bird as he watched the flames of the phoenix's pyre fade. "May you return with a happier fate!"

He may not have known the bird that just died, but still, he felt a deep sense of loss at its passing. He truly hoped the myth of the phoenixes being reborn in a mana-well near the Amber Tower was true.

But he couldn't mourn the loss of the brave Phoenix for long. All around him, the fighting was still raging. With renewed vigour, he attacked the orc closest to him.

***

Seghrien sat on the ground, idly watching the fighting at the wall. The strange explosion only moments before had drawn his attention fleetingly, but luckily it seemed to have been an isolated incident. More of those, whatever it was, might have broken the resolve of the orcs he had been given command of. They were not very loyal to him, and the dragon guessed that only the fear of the Master kept them in line. But fear only managed to keep control of people for a limited time.

On the other wing, the humans were doing a very impressive job in keeping the orc attackers at bay. In the past forty minutes, he estimated that his forces must have lost nearly three hundred or so already, especially near the southern gate where there were a couple of magi that were doing very well in defending the weakest point in their defences. He assumed that one or more of them were red, considering all that lightning and fire he could almost imagine feeling all the way here.

There was even a moment when he thought he saw Gahntuar on the wall early on in the fight, but the red dragon had lost sight of him and the black drake had been smart enough not to show himself again after that. At least his appearance confirmed that the Shameblood was indeed trapped in the town and had not managed to escape as Seghrien had feared.

"Let us assist with the assault, my lord," Ikessa begged him eagerly. "We can barge through the humans on the wall with ease. It will make a hole in their defences too big for them to close before our forces could enter the town in mass."

"No, not... yet," Seghrien replied, speaking slowly and deliberately as if he was still weighing the options.

"Why not?" Ikessa demanded angrily. "What are we waiting for?"

Ever since he had started mating her with regularity, she had become more confident in herself. Which, of course, Seghrien found more and more attractive. For a moment, he even considered sneaking away that very moment for a quick romp with her like he had promised, but dismissed the strangely powerful desire immediately with a shake of his head. He could not do that, not while the attack was still underway. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

It seemed like she was getting a little ahead of herself again, and he had to reign her in, for her own good. The whole day now, she had moments where she had been antsy and restless, almost over-eager to fight, while other times she seemed lax to act. What she was up to, he was not sure. Maybe she was still trying to prove herself to him, or she was attempting to seduce him so that he would take her as his primary mate. But her inconsistency was starting to be a bother.

Even now, she was sitting pressed up tightly against his side, softly purring when her thoughts seemed to wander. And though her antics were solely directed at him, her behaviour was also starting to affect the other two drakes in their company. Several times now, he had caught them angrily snarling and biting angrily at each other, even though they had no idea what it was that irritated them. Or at times they were leaning over Ikessa in the vain hope of receiving some token of affection. Of course, Seghrien had his suspicions, considering how the two of them strutted to display their strength whenever they caught sight of Ikessa. Obviously, they had noticed the young draine's eagerness and hoped to get a bit of pussy themselves before returning over the mountains.

The thought alone made him jealous, even though he knew Ikessa had only eyes for him. With an irritated huff, he forced his thoughts back to the present.

"Just a little longer, you know we can't have them see us leave," he said to her, risking a moment to nuzzle her reassuringly. The powerful desire to mount her again that day suddenly flared up and he pulled back with a snort. Irritated in his sudden lack of self-control, he turned to the orc chief with a scowl. "Send in your third and fourth squadrons, and pull back the first two," he ordered more curtly than he had meant to. "And keep putting as much pressure on their defences as you can."

"Yes, my lord," the orc chief growled like an unruly child who was not very eager to listen to an elder, but still obedient enough to do so. The chief turned to one of his followers and after a quick conversation, the horn close to them started blaring out the signals Seghrien had ordered.

Seghrien sat a while longer where he was, watching the hordes of orcs executing the ordered manoeuvres much more efficiently than most of the sentient species would ever give them credit for. As he sat there, he was touching his talisman with a stubby wing thumb more out of habit than truly checking its state and Mana levels.

It was already hard to see, now that the last light of the sun had faded into obscurity. Finally satisfied that even the sharpest of eyes on the wall couldn't make them out anymore, the red drake turned to his companions.

"Send the signal to Grelnor to begin his attack. We will be joining them soon."

***

With a snarl, Gahntuar struck at yet another orc that had managed to slip past the defenders on the wall. He hit the unsuspecting creature solidly in the back, sending it sprawling to the cobblestones as its weapon skidded out of reach. One of the equines who had joined him in hunting down any orcs in town, stabbed at another orc as the creature turned to see what had happened to its companion, whilst a bull crushed a third's helmet with a mean looking mace the dragon was glad wasn't directed against him. The orc Gahntuar had attacked squealed as the dragon bit at his neck, falling still after a short struggle. Gahntuar spat the foul tasting creature out and rubbed his tongue against his palate in an attempt to get rid of the taste of disgusting blood in his mouth.

"I never thought I'd see the day I'd thank a dragon," a voice suddenly spoke up in front of Gahntuar. The dragon looked up to see a tiger getting to his feet. Apparently, the orcs had managed to overpower him and his two companions and were about to kill all three when Gahntuar intervened. "But thank you!"

Gahntuar regarded the tiger's dragon-leather armour with distaste. It was made worse by the rows of dragon teeth that adorned the feline's helm, shoulders, and shield.

"You're welcome!" the dragon lied to the obviously successful dragonslayer with a curt nod, before quickly averting his attention back to the defenders on the wall. Behind him, his new party of companions started to put out the fire the latest group of orcs had tried to start.

He paid them little mind, instead focusing his senses on detecting the next group of orcs unlucky enough to break through into town. He was surprised by how this job of cleaning up behind the defenders suited his predatory instinct perfectly. Back when he had thought about what he could have done to save Eydelvise Palace, he had always considered himself at the head of some counterattack, heroically crashing through enemy lines. The truth, it turned out, was much different. Still, he wasn't complaining. He had been thanked often enough in the past hour or so to realize that even now he was making a massive difference already. He didn't need to defeat the army single-clawed to be a saviour to the town.

There was a screech of yet another dying orc and Gahntuar turned to see Lainah snapping the neck of her own victim with a vicious shake of her head. Sure that the creature was dead, the draine dropped it without another thought and quickly strolled back to her self appointed station next to what Merec had said was the Townhall. It was a strange position to guard, he thought, seeing how close it was to the dragonslayers' station on top of the Gryphon's Roost just beyond the Market Square. Then again, she was also sitting nearby the medical station, where Adulf and the town healers were hard at work tending to the wounded. Was she maybe watching over those who could not fight anymore? Or was she keeping an eye on the dragonslayers?

Gahntuar regarded the Gryphon's Roost in the moment of quiet he suddenly had. It was a strange thought that he should be fighting alongside dragonslayers of all things, ones called here to kill him specifically nonetheless. But now he was rather glad to have them around, to act as a kind of shield against Seghrien and his own dragons. Still, it was really quiet on this side of town and even he was questioning the reasoning behind keeping their station fully manned, rather than having them help out on the wall. The defences were at their breaking point already and he was sure a renewed assault on the wall would see it fall.

Even as he was thinking this, he noticed a phoenix leading a group of horses and minotaurs towards the wall, to relieve the northern gate where the fighting had been particularly intense. Still, all seemed quiet inside the town, and he risked walking up to Lainah for a quick chat.

"How are things going here?" he asked in draconic, shocked at how tired he sounded even to himself.

"Quiet, luckily," she replied, giving him a worried glance. "You look like you've had quite a rough time."

"You can say that," he sighed, plopping down next to her for a bit of a rest. "We can really use your help to the north end of town," he added a little hopefully. Though his strange entourage had been helpful, he would prefer to be hunting for orcs along with another dragon.

Lainah did not share his point of view.

"I'm staying here," she snarled a bit more aggressive than intended.

"Why?" he asked, glancing around them with a frown. "The attackers seem to be avoiding the river. They can't get over it, swollen as it is right now."

"The humans have hidden their hatchlings in the bottom of this building, along with only a few adult females to tend to them," Lainah revealed. "I will not leave them unguarded."

"Oh," Gahntuar gasped, suddenly understanding the draine's obsession with her station.

"So if you really think I would..." she started to argue, but he interrupted her tirade.

"No, I understand." he hushed her with a quick nuzzle. "Actually, I think it's a good idea..."

But this time, he was interrupted by a sudden shout from the direction of the dragonslayers' station. Even as the two dragons looked at what was causing the commotion, a ballista on top of the old watchtower was fired off into the dark sky. Gahntuar tracked the projectile with morbid fascination and noticed it narrowly missing the same blue drake that had forced him back to town only a few hours ago.

"Should have known!" he grumbled as he jumped to his feet, then with a loud roar, he called out: "Attack to the east!"

Not waiting for orders this time, Gahntuar leaped into the air, even as a warning bell started to toll from the large blocky building. There were several kaws of gryphons in answer to his roar as they also took to the wing, following right behind him into the sky to confront the dragons that launched their surprise attack across the river.

***

"With me!" Iago called and without looking to confirm that he was indeed followed, he dove at the nearest dragon he could make out in the dark sky. Six other gryphons joined him and together they sped past the great scaly monster, each raking sharp claws across the beast's flank. Their attack did not cause much damage, but the dragon screeched painfully and snapped at them. But the lighter gryphons were more maneuverable in the air and the dragon only caught air between its jaws. Iago smirked when it roared in irritation as another flock of gryphons harassed it further. True, the gryphons in town may not be able to defeat the dragons by themselves, but they were quite able to neutralize their effectiveness in the battle.

As Iago and the other gryphons with him gained altitude for another dive at the dragons, he considered the situation. It was smart of them to attack the town wall alone for so long, forcing the commanders to concentrate their defences there. Then, when all the focus is on the wall, the dragons should attack their rear once darkness had fallen and their movements would be obscured enough. Luckily, they had an experienced soldier in town who did not fall for their diversion. And, he will make sure that this plan of theirs won't work as well as intended.

Once they had gained sufficient altitude, the gryphons turned into another dive to harass the next dragon, this time a pale-blue female. As before, the flock of screeching gryphons swept past the dragon again, but this time the dragon's snapping jaws managed to catch one by the wing. The caught gryphon cried out in pain, but his panicked calls were cut off by the swipe of a deadly forepaw across his chest and belly. The dragon dropped the dying gryphon without another thought and the limp bird plummeted towards the dark river below.

Iago watched in horror as the tawny gryphon fell. But then his already cold chest turned colder still when he noticed a blue dragon had landed between the buildings, close to the broken gate. The attacker was quickly making his way to the blockade, obviously intending to set it on fire. And with the renewed attack on the wall, none of the defenders there would notice the threat until it was too late.

"No!" he screeched and without thinking about it, he dropped onto the drake's back and desperately bit at the scaly neck. But his beak failed to get through the tough keratin before the dragon was able to throw him off.

Iago landed hard on his side and got the wind knocked painfully from him. But he managed to get up and out of the way just in time before a well-aimed tail could strike him. Without hesitation, he jumped at the dragon to attack him again. While he may have had the advantage in the air, on the ground it was the other way around. He knew that his only hope was to keep his opponent on the defensive with as many quick and precise attacks as he could deliver.

The gryphon avoided another strike from a clumsy forepaw and retaliated with a slash of his own across the dragon's snout. This time, the hit earned the gryphon several bloody cuts to his opponent's face and he mentally congratulated himself. But he failed to avoid a slap of a wing. He had never suspected that dragons would use their wings in close combat and was knocked down by the surprisingly sturdy limb. He landed hard once again and this time was too slow to avoid a powerful strike with a paw.

Iago felt the sharp claws dig deep furrows into his side before the strength of the hit sent him flying into a nearby wall. Upon impact, he felt some of his ribs breaking, and he crumpled onto the road. Desperately, he tried to stand, to get away, but it was hard for him to breathe and his strength failed him.

He could only watch as the dragon rushed at him, raising up onto his hind legs to crash his entire weight onto the defenceless gryphon. At that moment, Iago knew he was going to die at the claws of a dragon like his father before him. He had often heard that those about to die saw their lives flash in front of their mind's eye, their hopes and regrets remembered one last time. But for him, his mind only blanked and time seemed to slow down to a crawl. He could only watch with morbid fascination as the blue dragon leaned his full weight into the attack.

Because of this, the blue drake was completely unprepared as something black shoved him aside.

Gahntuar cast the broken gryphon that lay in a puddle of blood against the wall only a sideways glance to make sure that the creature was still alive before pressing his attack on the blue drake, the very same one who had caught up to him when he and Merec had tried to flee the peninsula. The blue had quickly recovered his footing and with lightning fast movements struck at Gahntuar. The black easily avoided the blow, as well as a second, before striking again at an opening. The blue roared in pain as deep gashes were ripped through his scales. He backtracked away from a second blow and in desperation, spat fire at his attacker. The black dragon couldn't use his own fire, least he burn down the town he was trying to defend, but the blue had no such qualms.

Gahntuar narrowly avoided the blast of liquid flame and quickly pressed the attack again in the hopes of keeping the other dragon on the defensive.

"Quickly, put that fire out!" he heard one of the mercenaries that had been following him around town call out in a frantic voice.

"Don't use water, you fools!" another shouted. This second voice was obviously another, successful dragonslayer who has had the run in with dragon fire before. "Use the sand."

"Quickly now, before it spreads!" the first voice encouraged whoever was trying to put the fire out.

Gahntuar couldn't look to see what was happening, but the commotion still behind him proved to be an unwelcome distraction. The blue seized the opportunity and struck back, scoring a painful cut across Gahntuar's snout.

Gahntuar cried out in pain and backtracked to avoid another painful strike. With the black dragon on the defensive, the blue pressed his advantage to keep his opponent on the retreat. Only, this apparently wasn't the result the blue had been hoping for.

"Flee, damn you!" the blue cursed and Gahntuar had to duck quickly in order to avoid another blow to his face.

Gahntuar managed to get a lucky wing strike in against the other dragon's face, and as he prepared to launch another series of attacks, he noticed the blue preparing another gout of fire. Without thinking about it, Gahntuar struck hard and true. Even as the other dragon's lips curled back to expose his fire oil ducts, the black dragon's claws ripped across his mouth, tearing into the gums.

Gahntuar knew that it was a killing strike, but he had always understood that fire oil dripped constantly from a damaged duct that constantly burned and never healed. However, what unfolded in front of his eyes was something completely different. The effects of the damaged duct were immediate: As the blue was in the process of spitting his oil, it exploded with surprising force, covering his entire mouth, most of his face and reaching down a good portion of his neck. A little bit of it even splashed on Gahntuar's paw, though it was not enough to drip between his scales and cause him harm.

The blue screamed in agony and backtrack to get away as his own fire burned into the open duct, tearing it further open and causing more oil to spill onto himself. Frantically, he took to the sky and fled, fire-oil splashing in brilliant streams to the ground as he fled. But he didn't get far. The fire in his throat caused his airway to swell closed and the blue quickly suffocated. He dropped from the sky onto the far bank of the river, his head now fully engulfed in his own flames.

Gahntuar continued to watch the scene unfold, the taste of bile springing up sharply on his tongue. He only managed to tear his gaze away, once the first dragon he had killed lay limp on the far shore of the river, alight in his own fire.

He turned completely away from the river and hung his head low, fighting the strange and overwhelming urge to empty his stomach. The cheers of the defenders who had seen the fight between the two dragons drifted to him, but it only made him feel worse.

Then, a painful squawk brought him back to the present. He turned to the wounded gryphon he had just saved, and to his surprise, he recognized it as the gryphon that had been so determined to deny him and Merec entry into town.

"Oh, it's you." the dragon muttered, feeling drained. "The one who couldn't allow the town to grant us safety?"

For a moment, Iago's heart skipped a beat when he could see in the dragon's eyes that he was thinking of leaving him there.

"Please ... help..." the wounded gryphon gasped, and Gahntuar felt the pathetic begging tug at his emotions. The dragon growled and snapped his tail in irritation.

"You can be glad that I care so much for Merec," he growled. "Hold on, this will hurt."

Iago squawked in pain as Gahntuar worked a wing underneath his broken body and tried to get him onto his back. His unintended complaints drew the attention of some of the nearby defenders, and when they saw what the dragon was trying to do, they stopped fighting the fire the blue had caused to help him. Once Iago was securely on the dragon's back, Gahntuar quickly headed to the medical center.

"Hold on, Jigsaw," he called over his shoulder. "I'll get you to help."

Only, on the way there, he heard the snarling of two more dragons fighting. Cold fear suddenly rushed throughout his chest at the implication.

"Lainah!" he gasped worriedly and rushed forward, ignoring the painful squawks from his back.

***

Lainah struck hard, making the young grey-blue draine squeal as the hit connected. The young thing was supposed to be still with her dame or taking care of her first clutch at the very least. She was definitely too young to be fighting in this madness. But that didn't stop Lainah from taking her frustration out on the youngster. She had seen Seghrien fly overhead as he was being harassed by about five gryphons. But before she could join the fight, this impudent youngster had dropped in and started to spray fire over all of the buildings.

Lainah had to choose: Seek her vengeance or defend the humans' hatchlings. The hatchlings won that argument without any question.

The inexperienced draine tried to attack again, but Lainah twisted easily away from it and counterattacked with a wing to the youngster's face. She staggered and another hit from the silver draine sent her crumbling to the ground. The lessons she had received from Gahntuar were quite handy now.

"Run along , child," Lainah hissed, towering menacingly over the fallen draine, "while you still have time."

There was another, painfilled roar from a drake deeper into town, and for a moment Lainah feared for Gahntuar's safety. But to her relief she saw the black drake come running out of the buildings along the main road, carrying some wounded gryphon upon his back. The other draine used the chance to escape, scrambling quickly away from her and fleeing into the night sky.

Lainah started to relax a bit after the strenuous fighting, but a movement to the side caught her attention. She saw a little boy leaving the building she had been protecting all night. He didn't look even this way or that, instead, he started to run away, crying loudly as he went.

The silver draine's instinct kicked in and without thinking, she quickly jumped after him and with a precise jab of her head, snapped the little boy up in her jaws. Careful to keep her dangerous teeth away from him, she carried him back to where one of the adult human females just appeared as she came running after the terrified boy. The woman's eyes grew wide at the sight of the little legs dangling from the white draine's mouth. But before anything else could happen, Lainah carefully dropped the unharmed boy down in front of the human and shoved the little boy towards her with a gentle snout.

"Back to safety with you, young one!" she said a little crudely. The boy ran to the female's embrace, still crying frightened. Lainah regarded the two humans for a second and just started to turn away from them when suddenly, she realized the mistake she had made. Quickly, she turned back to the humans.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" she apologized, sounding a lot more gentle now. "I forgot..."

But some of the other children had come out to see for themselves what was going on, and now they were surrounding the naughty youngster with awed whispers. To her amusement, she heard stuff like "wow you were inside her mouth" and "that's so cool" and "what was it like?" The attention from his peers seemed to cheer the little boy up a little and he managed to smile, despite being scared.

"I am so sorry," Lainah repeated, addressing the female who was still comforting the child. "For a moment, I completely forgot he's not a young dragon."

"I... think I understand," the human replied, a little shaky but still genuinely thankful. "Thank you for saving him. And for protecting us."

The praise made Lainah's heart soar, and a deep purr of delight escaped her as she watched the female usher the group of children back inside, still clustering around the one she had brought back and demanding every little detail from him. The mood was broken by a sudden chuckle right behind her. She whirled around to glare at the black drake.

"It's not funny!" she tried to hiss at him, but her words didn't carry any hint of agitation. In fact, she found herself unable to stop purring, even to spite him.

Gahntuar didn't reply, only grinned even wider at her.

"Don't you have someone of your own to take care of?" she finally asked, and that seemed to have the desired effect.

"Oh right," the drake gasped, glancing over his shoulder as if to make sure the badly wounded gryphon was still alive. "Come on, Jigsaw, we're almost there." With that, Gahntuar left her, quickly trotting across the Market Square to deliver his cargo to the healers. Lainah crooked her head in surprise at the strange title he had used to address the gryphon, but she was still purring happily at the praise she had received.

It made all of this worth it.

***

It was a bleeding Seghrien that landed harder than he had intended next to Urguss. The orc chief looked on with a raised eyebrow as the Claw-of-the-Master struggled to pick himself up in any dignified manner.

"I take it your plans didn't play out as expected," he muttered dryly when the dragon was sufficiently presentable. Seghrien snarled at him, making the orc only more amused with the dragon's failure. Of course, his face didn't betray any of his inner musings.

"No," Seghrien snapped when he calmed down a bit. "The town was better prepared for us, then we both had anticipated. There are more gryphons living here than we expected. "

He glared again at the orc chief.

"You are sure we don't have a spy in our midst?"

This time it was the chief's turn to growl irritably at the dragon, Claw-of-the-Master or not.

"I am as sure of my clan as you are of your dragons!" the orc snarled at the dragon. "How can you even dare to make such an accusation?"

They glared at each other until Seghrien turned to regard the town again.

"Grelnor and Freya are dead," the red drake finally muttered.

"Dead?" the orc gasped, suddenly feeling awkward about his previous smugness at the dragon's failure. "How...?"

"As I said, the town was better prepared for us than we anticipated," Seghrien growled frustrated. "They even have a group of dragonslayers in town."

"That doesn't make sense," the chief muttered, also regarding the town suspiciously.

"No, it doesn't."

They had been careful when they had chosen the warriors that would be accompanying them, as well as on their trip here. Of course, there were rumours about them, but they made sure that nothing solid was ever known about their movements. Still, he had to wonder what a group of slayers was doing in a town they had considered friendly towards their draconic prey. Could it be that they had read the entire situation wrong? Or was it something else?

With a growl to himself, he dismissed the thought. It was anyway too late to do anything about it now. Best they could do now was to step back and reassess their situation. The dragon looked at the attack on the wall again. It had been going on for a good couple of hours now, and still, they were not making any real progress. True, it was intended only as a diversion and wasn't meant to succeed, but he'd still have felt better had he been able to see some breakthrough.

This was a waste of time.

"Call your warriors back, " he growled. "The diversion is pointless now."

Gratefully, Chief Urguss gave the order to withdraw and the nearby horn sounded the signal. But even as the sound still reverberated across the battlefield, a goblin came rushing up to them.

"Gryphons," the newcomer panted, desperately trying to catch its breath. "Coming from the east! Several dozen of them."

"What, in the dark?" the orc chief roared angrily.

"I told you to keep your people away from the eastern hills!" Seghrien snarled at the orc after cursing out loud in a sharp bark. "We can't have the gryphon aeries there a rally to the town's aid."

"I know!" Chief Urguss snapped. "We did as you asked and made sure that no one managed to escape through our ranks. Did your dragons make sure that none of the gryphons escaped to the east to warn them, or were you too busy searching for that black drake?"

"If that black drake escaped, this whole exercise is for naught," Seghrien growled annoyed. But then he remembered that strange explosion earlier, and something clicked in his mind. "But we didn't check for phoenixes."

He barked a curse as he whirled around. The bloody firebirds were known to self combust violently if not slain outright, and their presence explained much of what was going wrong tonight.

"Ikessa, Heinor. with me!" he called his remaining two dragons, before turning to the orc chief. "Have your goblin spellcasters do what they can to stop as many of these gryphons from getting to the town."

Then, without even waiting for the orc to reply, Seghrien leaped into the air to confront the new threat to the east.

***

The orcs fell back at the sound of three blasts of a horn in the distance.

Adarah breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the invading force fall back.

"That was intense!" Felicity muttered nearby, fighting the urge to lean onto her knees even for a bit.

"I wonder why they didn't just commit fresh forces?" Adarah sighed, peering at the orcs barely visible in the light of the campfires in the distance. She was equally tired, but as determined not to let it show.

"Maybe their plans are not working out as expected?" the vixen hazard a guess.

"Or their attention had been drawn elsewhere," Adarah replied, indicating towards far-off flashes of dragon fire and magical discharges in the distance.

"A relief force?" Felicity asked astounded. "Already?"

"That would be great, " the lioness muttered. "Then we can put this silly invasion behind us, and focus on what is really important."

There was a weak chuckle that almost immediately turned into a ragged cough. Surprised, the two magi turned around to find a goblin laying nearby with a bubbling wound to his chest.

"You... won't win." the goblin coughed when it realized that he had been noticed.

"And how sure are you about that?" Adarah asked aloof, not really wanting to converse with this lowly Shadowspawn. "We kept your friends out well enough."

"You can't ... protect them... against us." the goblin chortled as he coughed up more blood. "We'll have... their hearts... human and ... dragon. We will..."

The goblin coughed one last time before it died, leaving two confused magi behind.

"What was that about?" Adarah snorted dismissively. Felicity, on the other hand, suddenly felt sick as comprehension dawned on her.

"This is worse than we could ever have imagined!" she gasped, feeling the sudden urge to lean against something.

"I don't follow," the red magus replied, turning to the vixen with a raised eyebrow.

"What... enchantment have you ever heard of that requires the hearts of both a human and a dragon?" Felicity asked, hoping her sudden hunch was wrong. Adarah frowned at her for a while longer, then her own eyes widened in shocked realization.

"You can't be saying..." she gasped, also hesitating as if not admitting it might prevent it from happening. But then she did complete the thought: "The Juinkarr Hallows?"

"Unless you have a better explanation?" Felicity replied a little more curtly than she had meant to.

"But, the Bloodhands had all been destroyed and all their knowledge concerning Juinkarr along with them," Adarah argued, still trying to deny the frightful possibility the Yellow Magus was suggesting.

"Yet someone is trying to open the Gates of Barathrum again!" the vixen countered. "It is the only theory I can think of that would also explain why so many orcs would follow a dragon over the Catarrum Mountains."

Adarah leaned back against a merlon on top of the wall. She dropped all pretense of calm dignity, instead of rubbing her muzzle with a shaking hand.

"We will have to kill them, then!" she suddenly decided. "The dragon and the human, I mean. Before they can be... "

"Have you lost your mind?" Felicity snapped, suddenly furious.

"If what you said is right, we cannot allow their beating hearts to fall to this army," the lioness declared determinedly. "Don't let your feelings towards them influence common sense! If we act now..."

"The ultimatum that dragon delivered specified that they don't need to be alive." Felicity hissed, giving a threatening step towards the lioness.

"Do you dare to risk the fate of the whole world for them?" the lioness hissed, not backing down.

"It is for the whole world that I would not risk killing them!" the vixen declared. "As long as they are alive, they can still escape, but kill them and it will only be up to luck whether they are found or not."

Adarah didn't challenge that logic, but nor did she relent to the Yellow Magus's point of view. She just growled in irritation and, giving the battlefield one last glance, turned away to return to town for some much-needed rest.

"You stay away from them, you hear me!" Felicity called after her, but she received no response.

***

"Incoming!" a panicked voice shouted and several of the archers who had not yet collapsed, drew their last nooked arrows.

"Hold your fire!" Sir Harald intervened quickly when he noticed that the profiles of the dark silhouettes did not match those of dragons. And indeed, he had barely given his order when several dozen gryphons landed all over town. A few of them seemed a little roughed up and one had a bad cut along one flank, but most of them looked healthy and ready for a fight.

"Raphael!" a large female called out happily when she caught a glimpse of the town's sheriff.

"Kahey," the sheriff replied equally grateful. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

They hugged each other like old friends, and seemingly sad when they had to part so quickly.

"We came as fast as we could," the gryphon added. "We were hoping that this was just some sick joke, but it looks like we're out of luck. It seems like you had quite the fight here."

"Yes," the sheriff replied with a tired sigh. "Who would have thought it was possible: Shadowspawn, attacking the peninsula via the ancient Catarrii route."

"Not me, that's for sure," she agreed. Then a movement to one side drew her attention, and she regarded the strange human who stood there, watching the two of them. "Who is this?"

"This is my advisor, Sir Harald of Lorthen" he introduced the old soldier. Turning to the man, he added: "This is Kahey, the Lead Huntress of the Baldrock Aery."

"Sir Harald?" Kahey asked. "As in the retired Captain of the Royal Guard?"

"One and the same," Sir Harald admitted with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," the hen agreed. Then it seemed like she couldn't hold her curiosity. "Sorry for asking, but why did you retire? Is it true that you had ..."

"I retired for personal reasons!" the old soldier said sternly. "And no, the relationship between me and Glenn is strictly professional."

"I apologize," Kahey whimpered, ears pulled back in shame.

"How many gryphons did you bring with you?" the sheriff quickly asked, changing the topic before it could get too awkward.

"Almost two hundred capable fighters." Kahey declared proudly.

"That is great news," her old friend said, but then his smile faded somewhat. "Though, I must admit I would have liked it if you were more. We face an army of several thousand strong."

"You and me both!" the gryphon agreed. "Two hundred won't make much of a difference in a direct fight against ten thousand. But we are here only to help you keep the invitation at bay until the aeries can muster a proper force. We can't allow them to gain a proper foothold on the peninsula."

"The fighting seems to be dying down now," the sheriff sighed, relieved. "I can only assume that they are regrouping and preparing a new line of attack."

"What is your plan then?" Sir Harald asked, curious as to what the gryphons were preparing.

"The elders of Baldrock has already sent messengers to all the aeries along the spine," Kahey replied briskly, but her splayed ears betrayed that she was still ashamed of trying to pry into his personal life. "We hope to muster a force of eight thousand gryphons in two days time, to confront the invaders head on. If my group doesn't report back to the aery before the moon has set, they will also send massagers to several of the larger human cities to inform them of what is going on here. The town just needs to hold out for two days... Great Kellia above!"

The humans turned around alarmed to see what had frightened the gryphon so much. However, it was only Gahntuar, who had arrived to see what was going on.

"Don't worry, Kahey." the sheriff replied, almost giggling with relief. "He's with us."

"But ... but ... dragon!" the hen sputtered. "You mean the rumour of the dragon here was real?"

"The dragon was real," the man admitted. "But it seems the rumours not that much."

The gryphon frowned at him and was about to ask what he meant when a familiar dark brown shape pushed past the black dragon.

"Kahey!" Iago chirped happily. "You're here!"

"Iago..." she returned the greeting and was about to hug her brother when she noticed him limping. "You're hurt."

"I'm OK," Iago assured her. The Green Magus had healed the life-threatening injuries but had to leave the less important ones to heal on their own. Either way, his part in this fight was over. When he noticed Kahey's anxiety with Gahntuar, he added: "Don't worry, this dragon saved my life."

"I... he what?" she asked, still lost for words.

"Look," Gahntuar growled, inadvertently shocking the poor hen even more. "I'm not happy to be here either. So once this is all over, I'll be on my way and out of your lives. Until then we just have to get along as best we can."

Iago flinched at his words, but Gahntuar did not notice it, focused on the new gryphon as he was. Kahey on the other hand did. Obviously, there had been some kind of interaction between the two that her brother was regretting greatly.

"He ... you ...?" she stuttered, before with a deep breath to calm herself down, she addressed the dragon. "I'm sorry for my reaction. It is just that I'm surprised to come face to face with a dragon, and be able to live to tell it."

"Sure," Gahntuar grumbled, still upset. He turned to Iago. "As for you, shouldn't you still be at the healers? I know for a fact that they are not healing anyone completely to preserve as much of the Mana we have available as possible."

"I... I was looking for you." Iago muttered, not meeting the dragon's gaze. "I need to talk to you..."

Gahntuar grumbled annoyed as he started to nudge the gryphon back towards the Market Square.

"We can talk on the way back then," he said as the two walked away.

"So, two more days then?" the sheriff commented, nudging the conversation back where it had been before the dragon had accidentally interrupted them. "It is going to be tough... they almost broke our defences this night."

"Don't worry, you have fresh reinforcements now," Kahey smiled. "As you, humans say, 'The night may be dark but dawn is coming.'" She glanced worriedly in the direction the dragon had gone. "But if you'll excuse me for a bit, I need to check up on my brother."

And with that, she quickly rushed off after her brother.

***

It was still early in the morning. Golden light streamed in through great columns onto a hallway that was open to one side, much like a balcony over the ancient port city of Lendor. His Royal Highness, King Loburt XXVIII of Thendor walked down the hall, followed closely by his most loyal and trusted advisors. He stifled an irritated groan as he regarded the High Commissioner of the Light.

Despite his advanced age Lord Achius, the High Commissioner of the Light, was still strong and fit, the envy of many of the younger soldiers and the idol of others. He had been a great soldier in his prime, well on his way to achieving the rank of Captain of the Royal Guards. But then some fifteen years ago, something had convinced him to drop his promising career and to dedicate his life to the reestablishment of the old Alliance of Light. It had been difficult for him in the beginning, as he had been ridiculed by many with positions of true authority. But in the last few years, with ridiculous rumours of dragons settling on the peninsula and now armies of Shadowspawn crossing the Guilmore Plains, people have started to take him seriously. Of course, the king and his advisors suspected that he was behind the rumours, but try as they might they could not prove it.

So now many people, commoners, and trained soldiers alike flocked to his banner. And not just from Thendor; he was even starting to attract attention from all species on Selebore. With the recent oath of support from the Duke of Warren, he had become powerful enough to rival the power of the king himself, something he was well aware of and seemingly determined to capitalize on.

"Is this really that important?" King Loburt asked, trying to keep his annoyance with this early morning audience from his voice. The

king disliked the High Commissioner, but he was held in great regard by the people and it would be most unwise to have him as an opponent.

"With all due respect, my Liege," Lord Achius said, his own voice a little exasperated "but we cannot allow any number of Shadowspawn to roam freely across the Arthulle Lowlands."

"So, they are crossing the Arthulle Lowlands now, are they?" the king asked incredulously. "Last I heard they were invading the bountiful Thirstlands."

The corridor filled with light chuckles at the king's joke.

"This is serious, Sire!" the High Commissioner replied, this time not even trying to hide the fact that he was upset by the king's attitude towards the obvious threat. "The truth of the matter is that we don't know where they are or what they are planning."

"We don't even know how many there are," the king pointed out. "One report suggested that they are only a raiding party of fifty or so, whilst another insist that it is a full army group of at least fifty thousand strong."

"My point exactly," the High Commissioner added, sounding a little hopeful that he might finally be heard out. "We must investigate these rumours properly. All I ask is for the assistance of the Royal Gryphon Knights in this matter."

"Lord Achius," the king sighed. "We've been over this before. We will not be sending any official Thendor forces across the Barthon Gulf without the consent of the proper foreign authorities."

The foreign authorities were the real issue behind this Gordian Knot King Loburt was confronted with. In order to confront any rumours of Shadowspawn on the Guilmore Plains, he had to have some shred of evidence to back his motives up with or be seen as an invader. But to get that evidence, he had to rely solely on the Alliance. And so the people would notice that it was only the Alliance that took any real action against the marauding army, which in turn would erode his popularity and strengthen that of Lord Achius.

For a moment, the High Commissioner locked pleading eyes with a very tall, slender woman who kept herself toward the back of the group and didn't seem to take any interest in the conversation. Of course, none of those present fell for her ruse anymore. She may have been the king's mistress, but she was smart beyond her seemingly young age. And very sly. Though she was not officially one of the king's appointed advisors, he seemed to trust her the most. That despite the fact that she had taken countless to bed in a bid to further her own agenda, though whether it was for the betterment of Thendor or herself remained a mystery. Still, it was a fact that the king seemed to be completely oblivious of, and no one dared to inform him of the matter.

Seductively, she cleared a strand of her long, raven black hair from her elegant face and her dark eyes flashed with determination. A soft smile appeared on her full lips.

"My Liege," she spoke with a soft voice that seemed submissive and yet determined at the same time. "I believe that it will be unwise to ignore this threat, even if it is not directed at us specifically."

"And what would you have me do, my dear?" the king asked, suddenly a lot calmer.

"Why not temporarily assign a small squad of volunteers to High Commissioner Achius's command?" she suggested. "They would officially be part of the Alliance of Light, who after all, is not subject to any of the authorities of Selebore and may investigate these rumours independent of them. This way, the people will see you support the Alliance in a way that the other authorities will not feel threatened by."

King Loburt smiled and turned to his mistress.

"Lady Fucia, you are always wise..." he started to say but was suddenly interrupted by a flapping of wings and a harsh caw from the balcony.

"The north calls for aid!" a parrot-like voice announced. The group of humans turned to regard the bright orange eagle that had barged in on them unannounced.

"And this?" the king asked incredulously.

"It... It is a phoenix, your Highness!" one of his younger advisors spoke up, awe clearly audible in his voice.

"It is always wise to hear what one of these creatures has to say," an old White Magus who had advised the throne of Thendor since the time of the previous king, added quietly.

"Have you ever interacted with one before?" the king asked, a little unsure of how to approach the situation.

"No, my Liege," the mage admitted. "Not I, nor anyone I know. But I do know that they do not speak to most people unless it is of the utmost importance."

King Loburt regarded his magus for a moment, before turning to the phoenix.

"What is it that you need to say to me?" he asked. The bird clacked its beak nervously before replying.

"My Lord, the north calls for aid. Please act swiftly least it be too late."

King Loburt stared incredulously at the Phoenix before turning his attention back to the magus who seemed to be most informed about this creature.

'Do they always speak like that?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"It is said that they often speak in rhymes and riddles," the magus agreed. "Most of my colleagues at the Ivory Tower believe that, since phoenixes have an affinity for foresight, they speak like this to avoid changing the course of history beyond what is allowed by the Great Creator himself."

The king returned his attention back to the strange messenger with a tired sigh. It was definitely too early in the morning for this.

"Please, speak clearly," he told the Phoenix in a slow, monotonous voice. "What is the problem in the north. I cannot act if we don't know what and where to do so."

The phoenix clacked its beak in annoyance but still was quiet for a while as it considered how to respond. Finally, it puffed out its chest and spoke self-assured again.

"Corrumwhell stands alone and may fall before long; Against an army of orcs several thousand strong."

The stunned silence that followed this declaration was so palpable that one could have cut it with a knife. Then, as suddenly as it had come, it was shattered in a cacophony of voices directing questions at the feathery messenger or trying to voice their opinion on the matter.

"Are these the orcs that were said to have marched north of the Gherthon Mountains?" Lord Achius managed to ask.

"Affirmative." the Phoenix confirmed. The High Commissioner swore at that, turning to say something to his personal aid that had accompanied him but remained respectfully in the background until now.

"But... how?" one of the advisors questioned.

"They ... they must have taken the ancient Catarrii Pass?" the magus hazarded a guess. "Corrumwhell is after all in the Provence of Ferrenal, from where the Catarrii was said to have started their mythical trek across the mountains."

"But hasn't that pass been lost for millennia?" the young advisor countered.

"Lost doesn't mean gone!" the High Commissioner snapped angrily, stunning the mad cacophony of panicked voices to silence. "I should have seen this coming! The rumours of a dragon in the north, the army marching to the Thirstlands. Damn it, I was blind. The dragon was obviously a scout for this invasion all along, sent to find an unguarded way onto the peninsula!"

"But why attack us?" the young advisor questioned again. "Why not the Kentereal Highlands? They lie closest to Juinkarr, and capturing some of that land will aid Barathrum's cause to return to our world much better than occupying a little-developed piece of territory on the peninsula. An occupation here will only divide their forces."

"The Peninsula was one of the few places on Selebore that never fell to the armies of Barathrum, and we played an important part in opposing their invasion!" Lord Achius replied dismissively as if the young advisor's objections held no merit. "Tying us down in a war on our home soil will greatly increase the chances of Juinkarr rising again, and maybe even successfully capturing the Highlands as well." He turned to the king and gave a brisk bow. "If you will excuse me, Sire, I need to prepare the Alliance for the coming war."

He and his aid left without waiting for a reply, talking quickly among themselves about how to handle the sudden invasion and where the best places where to make a stand to halt this invasion. King Loburt growled softly to himself at the insolence of the man and glared with narrowed eyes after him. What made matters worse was that he had a good point, and reprimanding him on proper etiquette now would only seem childish.

"This could be a serious problem, Sire, " one of his advisors who had remained quiet up to now, said. "Corrumwhell is about a day's travel north of the major port of Perston. And Perston is built to defend against attacks from the sea or the south. It is completely vulnerable to any attack from the north. If Corrumwhell falls, Person will surely follow."

"But what could an army from the Shadowlands achieve with capturing a port here?" Lady Fucia asked, trying to sound unaffected by the news but failing to hide her own worries. But as she spoke, the phoenix, who had remained silent up to then, suddenly started to freak out.

"Leave foul creature, be gone and away; cease this quest to lead victims astray!"

"Enough!" the king demanded sternly, still upset with the lack of respect the High Commissioner had shown him and desperate to keep some semblance of control on the morning's events. "I will not have anyone come to my court and assault any of my council, be it physically or verbally. If you don't have anything more to add, you may go."

The phoenix regarded the king for a moment, clacking its beak unsurely.

"Beware the seduction, alluring yet so vile;" it finally said, sounding a little hurt. "Astray it will lead you, your fate to fail."

And without another word, the phoenix flew off.

"You were saying, my dear?" the king asked his mistress again, sounding a lot calmer once more.

"I just wanted to point out that for Perston to be of any value to the Shadowspawn, their ships will have to traverse waters governed by Serephal, Naeve, and Tharral." Lady Fucia replied softly, as if unsure of herself. "It will be too difficult to confront the elven, ursidae and leonae navies in succession. No, I doubt this report of an attack in Ferrenal is accurate or that this army is even interested in the peninsula."

"But the phoenix..." one of the advisors started to argue, but she cut him off.

"We all know that phoenixes talk in riddles, rarely saying exactly what needs to be done!" she said vehemently.

"Then how would you explain the army in Ferrenal?" the advisor countered. "About that, the phoenix was very clear."

"We've all heard about that dragon years ago, and yet it never caused any damage that could be verified," she stated with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Maybe, he is a deserter and they have come to bring him back?"

"You make some valid points, my dear," the king said with a smile.

"But Sire," the young advisor started to argue but fell still when the king raised his hand for silence.

"However," the king added in a voice heavy with authority "we cannot ignore even rumours about foreign armies on our soil, nor can we allow such armies to go unchallenged." He had managed to overhear the High Commissioner suggest that they abandon the little town altogether, and rather focus their strength on the banks of the Errin River, which would make sense to stem a full invasion. But if Lady Fucia was right, he should be able to regain some lost influence from the Alliance by coming to the town's aid directly.

Failing to hide his grin, he turned to a balding man, his Minister of War.

"Muster a full contingent of the Gryphon Knights and send them north with speed!" he ordered. "I want to get to the bottom of this and stop any invasion without sacrificing any territory to the shadows."

"As you order, my Liege!" the man answered with a brisk bow and hurried off to do the king's bidding. The rest of the advisors also left to prepare for the departure of the Gryphon Knights as ordered. Soon, it was just him and Lady Fucia that remained.

"Lady Fucia," King Loburt said softly as he turned towards her. "The morning is still young, come let us retire ... is something wrong?"

"No, I... I just feel a bit overwhelmed by all of this," the young woman replied, sounding a bit tired despite it still being too early for even breakfast. "I think it may be best to retire for a bit. I apologize for not joining you as we initially planned."

For a moment, the king's features darkened with suspicion, but then it seemed as if a pleasant thought occurred to him. He smiled and took her hand, placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

"Of course, my dear," he smiled. "Let me know when you are feeling better."

"I will, my lord," she replied with a curtsy, quickly turning around as if to retreat to her room, lest the king caught a glimpse of the furious scowl that she could no longer suppress.

... to be continued