FSE

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Chapter Thirty-Five

Belief

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I awoke slowly, with visions of shining stars and echoes of dream-song still lingering in my mind. I yawned and stretched my forelegs, my front paws splayed. As I blinked sleep from bleary eyes, I sought to recall the previous evening. To my dismay, I found it difficult to discern reality from fragmented dreams.

The room was silent. I pushed up onto my haunches, glancing around. A light stone in the corner illuminated everything in pale blue shades. My companions were gone, and our traveling supplies vanished with them. Only my own cargo pouches remained, now meticulously organized. The books and documents we discovered here were stacked in orderly rows. Melakar’s journal with his farewell letter protruded from one of my packs.

I moved towards my belongings, thinking it must have been Nesh who had recovered the book and placed it with the rest of my things. His thoughtfulness made me smile. But my smile quickly gave way to a hiss when something stung my paw pad. It lifted it for inspection, and discovered a small, pink line now edged my gray pad. With the tiny wound came memories anew. Images of stars, sand, and Melakar swirled in my head. An urd’thin pup danced around me, conducting the symphony of creation.

In my mind, Melakar broke away from the dream, humming to himself. He padded towards the exit, flicking his tail in beckoning gesture as if asking me to follow. I blinked a few times, and though the visions crumbled around me, Melakar remained. He vanished into the adjoining hallway, softly singing. His voice echoed off stone walls, reverberating back to me.

The melody was achingly familiar now. Music within a dream was almost always lost upon waking, but Melakar’s song was crystallized in my mind. And that was what it would always be, now. I might have sworn myself to the stars and their supposed wisdom, but to me, their cosmic hymn would always be Melakar’s.

I followed the sound back to the room where I had offered my blood to the stars upon the stone. For I believed now that was exactly what the carvings were. Stars. Much of their mystery yet remained. Why were some drawn as circles, and others given depth? What did all the lines connecting them mean?

Melakar sat on his haunches, gazing at the inscribed wall as if contemplating the same questions. He hummed the star-song to himself, tracing a claw tip down the path of my blood, where it ran across carved stars and patterned lines. I stared at him, wondering if I was still dreaming. I dared not speak his name aloud, lest I wake and shatter the illusion. Instead, I only sang along with him.

When the music reached its inevitable conclusion, Melakar sighed as though he too, wished this impossible moment could last forever. He set his paw down, and turned his head towards me. He stared at me, as if only now realizing I was here, with him. A wistful smile crossed his muzzle, and he mouthed my name. Then, in a breath, he dissolved away into sand, and stardust, and glimmering light that all too soon was gone.

I hung my head, waiting to wake.

But wake I did not. I took a few breaths, shifted my weight. I glanced at the walls, and saw dried blood adorning the carvings. Uncertainly, I raised my forepaw, then prodded the little wound sharply. The burst of pain that resulted was all too real. I grit my teeth, realizing at last that I was already awake. I supposed it was not the first time I had imagined glimpsing Melakar in my waking hours, but never so substantially.

The faint scent of roasted meat brought a pained rumble to my stomach. Despite all I had to think about, my belly suddenly seemed determined to make hunger my biggest concern. I cast a last glance at the blood-stained engravings, and then followed the smell of food. It led me out of the fortress, and into the frigid courtyard. Blue Jay and Sparrow were seated around a small fire built upon the flagstone. The gryphons were doing their best to roast portions of a goat, squabbling about where to place the meat and when it should be turned.

“Good morning, Ella!” Blue Jay offered a cheery warble. “There’s food, if you’d like.”

“Morning, birds.” I settled near the fire’s warmth and helped myself to their half-roasted kill. The fur was charred off, but the outside of the flesh was blackened ash while the inside was still raw. Not that I minded. “Thank you for breakfast.”

Sparrow tore a bit off, thoughtfully tasting it. “Kraas wanted to try cooking, just for fun. But as you can tell, his attempts were-”

“I’ve never cooked anything before!” Blue Jay glared at her, grinding his beak.

“And it shows.” Sparrow shrugged her wings, then offered me a smile. “Feeling better, I hope?”

“I am, actually.”

I gave them the basics of Melakar’s letter while I ate. Neither seemed surprised to hear Melakar had feared traitors amongst Nesh’s people. Sparrow reminded me that fearing them did not make them real, but she also conceded the possibility existed. I kept Melakar’s confession of undying love private. Given that I’d cried myself to sleep the night before, I doubted I needed to tell them, anyway.

“Might I ask,” Sparrow said, gesturing at the little wound on my forepaw. “About that?”

I clenched my jaw. The scent of blood was surely unmissable to creatures with powerful senses. There was no way they could have missed my addition to the wall carvings, but I wasn’t sure how to explain it just yet. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

Blue Jay swished his tail. “We thought it might be a dragon mourning ritual. A blood-offering to something Melakar cared about.”

“Not exactly.” I licked my muzzle clean, rising to my paws. “But I’d rather talk to Nesh about it, first.”

“Certainly.” Sparrow flicked a wing open, pointing it towards the fortress’s upper battlements. “Last I saw him, he was trying to find his way up there.” She gently touched my paw with hers. “You don’t have to explain anything you don’t want to, Ella.”

“I appreciate that.” I bowed my head. “I’ll return in a little while.”

After bidding them farewell, I went to find Nesh. A few quick wingbeats carried me far above the fortress’s many walls and towers. I circled until I spotted Nesh wandering along the upper ramparts. He looked up and offered me an awkward wave with the kettle he carried in one hand. In the other, he held his tea mug.

I soon alighted alongside a rooftop parapet and shook myself, settling my wings against my back. Icy winds swept across the fortress, whistling through the crenelated spaces in the battlements. After the warmth of the fire and the sheltered nature of the courtyard, the morning chill was a rude awakening that left my wings aching.

“Good morning, Ella!” Nesh gestured with his teacup at the stony fortifications all around us. “Beautiful, isn’t it? I’m surer now than ever that it was Mennanar who first built this place. There’s also evidence of some restoration work done by a later-era power, but I’m not quite sure who that might be.” He turned a slow circle, his gaze sweeping across everything. “Still, gorgeous. Entire tomes could be written about this place. Scholars could learn so much about Mennanar’s construction methods, their empire’s relationship with the dragons, the fact they were building major trade routes this far out into the wilds…” He chuckled, pouring fresh tea into his mug. “Sorry, I’m rambling. I’d offer you tea, but I’ve only brought the one cup.”

“Ramble all you like.” I settled onto my haunches atop the cold stone, curling my tail around my paws. “Was this Mennanar the only nation to ally itself with dragons? I know my clan held trade agreements with various peoples, long before my elders were conceived. Perhaps those people were from Mennanar.”

Nesh set his kettle down. “I get the feeling that the history of your clan significantly predates most modern historical knowledge available in Diandrios.” He blew steam away coils of steam wafting from his mug. “But in recent history…” He glanced up. “Our recent history, that is. Our continent has not known any significant, national-level alliances with dragons other than…” Nesh waved his hand at the fortress beneath it. “Mennanar, and we’re only guessing about that. Now, on other continents…”

When Nesh trailed off, I tilted my head. “Other continents?”

He arched a brow. “There are continents, Ella.”

I flattened my ears. “I’m aware. So, what of them? Have dragons allied with humans in other parts of the world?”

“Not often, but…” Nesh’s expression darkened. “Modern history does know one notable example, on one of the far continents. The Empire of the Black Star. They field dragons amongst their military. Quite actively, in fact.”

I arched my neck. Something about the way Nesh phrased that left me ill-at-ease, my frills tingling. “Field them? Like weapons?”

“Now, Ella…” Nesh held his hand up. “I need to be clear that my knowledge is-”

“Are they slaves, Nesh?” A low, rumbling snarl crept up my throat. “They would not be the first dragons your people offered a choice between servitude, or death.”

“They’re not my people.” The abrupt, fiery sharpness in Nesh’s voice caught me off guard.

“N-no, of course not.” I lowered my head in respectful bow. “I did not mean it that way.” When Nesh did not reply, I kept my gaze averted. “Nor would I begrudge anyone who valued their life, over their honor.”

“I know, Ella.” Nesh patted my muzzle, his voice softening. “I also know that wouldn’t be you.”

I swallowed, pinning my ears. “No, Nesh. It would not. I would choose death, and take as many of them with me as possible.” Then I slowly lifted my head, a realization dawning on me. I already had faced such a choice. After Melakar died, I asked myself if I would die for my values, or flee with my life. Only Nesh stopped me from making my decision. “You know, Nesh…” I sighed, the proud curve of my neck drooping. “If I had never met you? I would have thrown myself against your army until they ended the era of dragons in our valley.”

Nesh hugged my neck, stroking my scales with his free hand. “Let’s just both be glad it didn’t come to that.”

“I am, Nesh.” I lifted a foreleg to gently embrace him. “I am.” As we shared comfort, something else he said tickled at my mind. For someone so happy to ramble on about history, Nesh seemed strangely hesitant to offer details about an empire with dragons in their army. I eased back, then bumped his cheek with my nose. “Tell me more about this Empire of the…What was it?”

“The Black Star.” Nesh rubbed my nose, scowling at my request. “They’re the primary power of their continent. They’ve an imperial system of governance, as the name would suggest. Rulership is determined by line of succession, and…” He blinked, furrowing his brow. “Oh, you’re only interested in the dragons, right?”

“No, Nesh, I’m enthralled by their political system.” I tossed my head. “Yes, the dragons. How long have they been enslaving them?”

Nesh sighed, then drained the rest of his tea in a long gulp. “They don’t.”

I blinked, tilting my head. “They don’t what?”

“Enslave them.” Nesh poured himself more tea. “The dragons serve their military freely. Historically speaking, it’s known the Empire of the Black Star wielded quite the army of non-human peoples.” His voice went flat. “Including dragons. It’s believed that in return for military service, any so-called monster, if you’ll forgive the term…” When Nesh paused, I nodded. “Is made a citizen of the Empire.” He took a slow breath. “At the expense of the peasantry forced to toil to feed said monsters.”

I sucked in a breath, lifting my head. “They make dragons citizens?”

“Such is the rumor.” Nesh sipped his tea. “Some historians even say dragons were once granted titles, complete with lands to rule. Baronies, if you will.”

I sucked in a breath, excitement tightening my chest. “Why wouldn’t you tell me this, Nesh?” I thumped my tail, arching my neck. “If the world already knows a coalition between our species, we could follow their lead, and-”

“No, Ella.” Nesh’s voice hardened. “They are not an example to follow. And I didn’t tell you because, firstly…” He set his cup down, waggling a finger at me. “It didn’t come up, and secondly, because the Empire of the Black Star is exceedingly poorly thought of back home.”

I tossed my head, snorting. “Why not? Let me guess, is it because your people dislike that this Empire is willing to give demons a home?”

“No.” Nesh glared at me, deadly serious. “It’s because they used their dragons to wage the bloodiest conquest in modern history. They rule most of their continent with a cold, cruel fist, and they took every inch of it in blood, and suffering, and death.”

I pulled my head back, flattening my ears. My heart, so recently buoyed, sank into the pit of belly. “So the only known alliance of dragons and humans was used for a war the rest of the world condemns?” When Nesh nodded, I whimpered, hanging my head. “I am sorry to make light of it, then.”

Nesh sighed, and all the anger rushed tight back out of him. “It’s alright, Ella. You had no way of knowing. That war was generations ago, but it was catastrophic enough that history lectures are still given about it. In truth…” Nesh stared into his tea, deep in thought. “Our historical knowledge of other continents is shaky at best. There are vast, dangerous oceans separating us, and the information that filters across though is not always reliable. But what I’ve told you is commonly taught history in my homeland. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Understood, Nesh.” I nosed at him, then pulled my head back. “However murky your knowledge is, you still know more about this Empire and its dragons than I do.” I traced a little circle on the stone with a single claw. “I’ve never even heard of them. I scarcely even know why lies beyond the ocean.”

“Oceans, plural.” Nesh took a sip. “To be fair Ella, you barely knew what existed beyond your valley, let alone the rest of the world.” He smiled. “Tell you what. While we’re in Tivos, I’ll spend some time in their library and see if I can find anything about The Black Star’s dragons for you.”

“I’d appreciate that.” I licked my muzzle, flattening back my frills. “Enough of that for now, then. I came up here because I needed to talk to you about something.” I lifted my paw, glancing at the little wound.

Nesh waggled his cup at my scarred pad. “I hope you didn’t cut yourself too deeply.” He furrowed his eye ridges. “You had me a little worried. That seemed an awful lot of blood, even if rationally speaking, it’s not much for a dragon.”

“I’m fine.” I set my paw down. “But something very strange happened after you left.” I shifted my weight, suddenly unable to find a comfortable position against the cold stone. “It started with another dream about Melakar. Only, I’m not sure it was a dream, this time.”

Nesh’s expression softened into a smile. “Go on.” He sipped his tea, patient as ever.

“Something was different, this time.” I lifted my head, gazing out across the half-frozen lake beyond the island. Morning sunlight glowed on white snow, and glittered upon cracked ice. “Or maybe the dreams have always been different, and my mind’s just been too closed off. But now I cannot help but wonder if Blue Jay’s people are right, and spirits do visit us. Because…” I hesitated, unable to force the words out. While I did not fear Nesh’s judgement, the prospect of admitting there may be more to life and death than I’d ever rationally imagined was terrifying. “I think it was him, Nesh. I think it was really Melakar.”

Nesh’s eyes widened. He took a slow breath, and another equally slow sip of tea. “What makes you think that?”

I did not even know where to begin answering that question. I opened and closed my muzzle several times, silently conceiving and rejecting several explanations. Nothing I could say would make sense. Finally, I sighed and spoke the truth. “He sang to me.”

Nesh chuckled, blowing on his still-hot tea. “I take it that’s something he did often when you were together?”

“No.” I shook my head. “After you left, I stared at the stars. Melakar’s letter said he heard them singing, in his dreams. So, I imagined Melakar out there, singing back to them. Then I spoke to the stars, Nesh. I dared them, begged them to sing to me, just to prove Melakar right. To show me that maybe he really was still out there. In that moment, I wanted so desperately to hear their voices, to know the Singers were right! I wanted a reason to believe, to genuinely believe that Melakar’s spirit persisted.” I took a trembling breath. “So, I challenged them. If the stars would only sing to me, I would pledge myself to them forever, on my own blood.”

Slowly, Nesh lowered his teacup, sucking in a low breath. His eyes drifted to my wounded forepaw. “They didn’t. Did they?”

“Not at first.” I licked my muzzle, my wings trembling. “At first, there was only silence. I gave up, convinced it was just another grand delusion. But when I turned around to go inside…” I lifted my paw and cupped it as if cradling another dragon’s cheek. “There was Melakar. As real in that moment as he ever was in life. Flesh and blood, warmth and breath. And song.” I turned my eyes to the sky, imagining all the myriad stars hidden away behind daylight’s blue veil. “Melakar held me in his paws, and sang to me in the infinite voices of the stars.”

“Gods, Ella,” Nesh said. He rubbed his forehead, then drained the tea from his shaking cup. As he waited for me to continue, he poured himself more.

I steadied myself with a few slow, deep breaths, and went on. “Dream, reality, earth, cosmos, it was all one and the same. It dissolved me away, and there was only song, and star. Melakar bid me to find my melody, and find it I did. I sang it to the stars. And they grew and grew, brighter and brighter! Their impossible song pulsed louder and louder; their music was everything. And then…” I trailed off, uncertain. Speaking the finer details of the vision aloud seemed almost taboo. “And then there was sand, as far as I could see.”

Nesh went completely still.

That sent a scale-clicking shiver through me. I tilted my head, suddenly nervous. Had I said something that rattled him? When he only waited in patient silence, I pressed ahead. “Melakar was there, in the desert. With…”

In my head, I saw him. The tiny, gray-furred urd’thin pup, all big ears, small horns, and happy smile. He danced across the sand, conducting the symphony of creation itself. Worlds sprang into being in his wake. They rose and fell in his footsteps, cosmic lifetimes spent in an instant. All the while, Nesh stared at me with strange intent. There was tension in his gaze now, and I wished to diffuse it.

“If I said I met your god, Nesh, would you accuse me of blasphemy?”

“No.” Nesh shook his head.

I forced a smile to my muzzle. “You might think otherwise, if I told you what he looked like.”

Nesh only stared at me, his cup trembling ever so slightly. “Tell me.”

For a moment, a single, foolish moment, I feared I had angered him. That I had uttered some hidden blasphemy I couldn’t possibly have known about. But there was no anger in Nesh’s gaze, only a hopeful sort of awe. He was waiting for me to speak the impossible. My words had struck something in him, but it was not blasphemy I had uttered. I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.

“Your god-child…” Nesh’s nervous anticipation left the words stuck in my throat. I dredged them up and forced them across my tongue. “He’s an urd’thin pup.”

Nesh dropped his teacup. It bounced across the stone, its wooden clatter the only thing that broke the sudden, smothering silence. Nesh stumbled back, bumping up against the stony battlements. “You…” He gaped at me. “You couldn’t possibly know that! I never…” Nesh put a hand over his mouth, muffling his voice. “I never told you…”

The last thing I expected was for Nesh to believe me. I expected him to deny it, to call it blasphemy to even suggest that their Creator Child could be a lowly urd’thin. Instead, it was as though I’d stumbled onto some forbidden truth those outside his faith were never meant to know. Nesh turned away, staring across the icy lake. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

That my vision had hewn him to his core frightened me in ways I could not put into words. But Nesh needed comfort now, and I would offer all I could. I gently curled a foreleg around his middle, and pulled him up against my chest. Nesh let out a strange, whimpering sigh and collapsed against me. He hugged my leg, stroking my scutes. Nesh leaned his head against my chest, staring up at me, his eyes sharp and shining.

“Ella, do you remember when you first took me into your home?” Nesh’s whispered voice was a lonely vessel adrift on an ocean of uncertainty. “And you broke down crying over Melakar?”

“Of course.” The memory was a cold claw in my heart. “You told me later, that was when you first thought the gods put you there for a reason.”

Nesh rubbed my foreleg, his eyes fixed upon me. “And I still do. I genuinely believe the gods put me in your path, to save you from yourself.” He took a shaking breath. “Yet never would I have believed the gods would come to you.”

I shuddered at the thought. That idea was already skulking around in my mind like an unwanted worry. Never in all my life had I truly believed in the Stars That Sing, or the Sky That Shelters, or any gods at all. But Nesh had worshiped them all his life, and it seemed I’d just offered him evidence of his own faith.

“I cannot help but wonder, Ella.” Nesh lifted his head from my chest. “If the gods intended for me to save you? What do they intend for you to accomplish?”

I swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. “Please don’t put something so momentous upon me, Nesh.”

Nesh gently pulled away and turned to take my forepaw between his hands. “Ellamyriss, my dear friend, you’ve alread_y put it upon yourself. You swore to your dead lover’s soul that you would build an empire, and save your people.” His grip tightened, and his voice sharpened. “You challenged the stars to sing to you, and prove that they were real. And so they _did. They brought you Melakar. And Melakar brought you a god. Ella, like it or not?” Nesh patted my paw. “You’ve bound to yourself to something bigger than either of us. And I think, somewhere in that great big dragon heart?” He offered me a strangely wistful smile. “You already believe it. You’ve pledged your blood to your deities, and you’ve sang their star-song to mine.”

I hung my head, wishing Nesh was wrong. But he wasn’t. Whatever that dream was, it had shaken me. The vision changed something in me, in the way I saw the world, and the things I believed in. I longed for the lost simplicity of my cold, rational reality, but it would never be the same again. It both terrified and shamed me to think that all the old myths and beliefs I discounted as nonsense might somehow be true.

But it also gave me hope. If the dream was real, then that meant Melakar was real. That somewhere out there, he persisted. It meant when I saw him in my dreams, when he cradled me in his paws? It was real. When he sang to me, and the stars shone only for us…

It was real.

But did that mean, e_verything_ was real?

“I…I saw him again this morning, Nesh.” I stared at the little wound on my paw pad. “Tracing his fingers over the blood, I’d left upon the stone. I thought it a dream, at first, but…I was already awake.”

Nesh lifted his brows. “You’re sure you were awake?”

I snorted, curling my tail. “Unless I am still dreaming now, yes.”

He rubbed his forehead, scowling in thought. “I’m afraid I don’t really what to say about that, Ella. Perhaps he’s watching over you, and the more you believe in it, the more you’re able to glimpse him when he’s here.”

“Perhaps.” I scratched my neck with a wing tip. “I should so dearly like to believe it. And yet the more I do believe it, the more I fear my mind will play tricks on me.”

“That, admittedly…” Nesh held a hand up. “Is also possible. If the god-child truly did visit your dreams, there’s no telling what manner of lingering after effects it may have. But that wasn’t the first time you’ve seen him while you were awake, was it?”

I shook my head. “No. I have imagined him at my side, before. But I always thought it was just that, my imagination. My heart, longing for what it could no longer have.”

Nesh gently rubbed my jaw. “If Melakar’s visiting you now, Ella, maybe he always has been. Did you see anything else in your dreams that might be of importance?”

“My empire to be, rising from the sands.” I looked around, imagining structures springing up everywhere. “I sang it into being, and the little god brought it to life all around me. He danced, conducting the music. Every note was another part of a city. Houses, towers, buildings, roads, people. Dragons everywhere, but gryphons, too. And humans, urd’thin, gnolls, va’chaak, kobolds, everyone.”

Nesh gently cupped my chin in trembling fingers. “Then we know what The Child wants you to do.”

I pushed my muzzle into his palm, closing my eyes. “If your god wanted us to succeed that badly, he should have saved Melakar.”

Nesh squeezed my chin, his voice quiet but firm. “Don’t blaspheme, Ella.”

I only grunted. “Or what? He won’t disturb my slumber anymore? What a shame.”

“Or he won’t let Melakar visit you.” Nesh released my jaw to shake a finger at me, mirth returning to his voice. “You’re going to have to watch what you say, now that the gods are listening.”

“Oh, please.” I tossed my head, snorting. “If your gods are coming to me, then clearly they don’t give a gryphon’s balls about blasphemy.” I laughed to myself, even if Nesh didn’t share my amusement. I tilted my head, speaking with a more somber tone. “So, your people really believe your god-child is an urd’thin? I was sure you’d think him human.”

Nesh chortled, running a hand back over his messy hair. “Well, he’s not really a human or an urd’thin. Or anything we can comprehend. He’s a god, Ella. We refer to him as a child, but in truth he’s a being of cosmic power we can’t possibly fathom, with the ability to create life from nothing. As one Scripture tells it, ‘He had no name, for he was The First.’ In other words, he’s defined himself with identities we mortals can understand. With that said, the majority of people do believe him to appear as a human child.”

I arched my neck, flattening my frills. “What about the rest? You reacted as if seeing him as an urd’thin pup was some great revelation.”

“It is.” Nesh held his hands up to ward off my coming army of questions. “The specifics are complicated, and we haven’t the time I’d need for an in-depth explanation. But at the most basic level, some branches do believe the Creator Child appears as an urd’thin pup.” He dropped his hands, then raised a single finger. “My mother does, for example. It’s thanks to her I found my own faith. Mother had a storybook version of the Scriptures, from her childhood. It summed things up, thusly.” Nesh took a breath, and cleared his throat. “He gazed across the vastness of creation, and looked upon the urd’thin. Smallest of His people, ever trod upon, ever cruelly mistreated. And lo, an urd’thin He became, for if they were to suffer for what they were, then He would suffer with them. Thus as an urd’thin He would appear to all others. If they would not accept wisdom from one so lowly, then wisdom they did not deserve.”

“So, it’s a test.” I licked my muzzle, perking my ears. “Of empathy and kindness.”

“Something like that.” Nesh folded his arms. “Of course, given how poorly the urd’thin people have been regarded, historically speaking, that didn’t sit well with many branches of the faith. It’s the kind of thing religious wars get fought over.” He ground his teeth in distaste. “One of the major churches disavowed that entire section from the sacred texts. In most people’s minds, the creator-child is a human. The fact many of us believe he’d appear as an urd’thin is sort of a state secret. It’s something we wouldn’t tell outsiders, or bring up around those who believe otherwise.”

“Like a dragon,” I said, flicking my tail tip.

Nesh waved his hand. “Exactly. Or say, someone from the Church of the Golden Union. Their beliefs are, in general, quite similar. But suggest that one of their gods is an urd’thin, and you’re liable to get punched.” He clucked his tongue, sighing. “But as soon as you mentioned it? I knew it had to be the Creator Child you saw. There are simply too many things you couldn’t have known otherwise.”

I idly scratched at the stone. “The desert? You went quite still when I mentioned it.”

“Yes, precisely.” Nesh steepled his fingers, smiling. “We believe that the first world began as a great, empty desert.” Nesh swept his hand across the horizon, and I imagined him painting the frozen landscape into a sunbaked desert. “At the time, the Creator Child was still coming to terms with his own powers. He had to find the right balance within the rules of life and death, set by the Mother and the Father. So, he began by building creatures who could survive the harshness of the unforgiving sands. Eventually he moved on, and set the rest of the world’s life in motion. But the Child always had a soft spot for the desert. Whenever he builds new worlds, that’s always where he begins. With a desert.” A smile played across his face. “In every tale about the creator child appearing to someone in a vision, there’s always a desert.” Nesh shook his head, still in disbelief. “And there’s no way you could have known that, unless you’d met him yourself.”

I rumbled, cocking my head. “And here I was, thinking you’d be horribly offended if dared call your god an urd’thin.”

Nesh rubbed the back of his head, laughing. “Well, it’s not exactly commonly discussed. If you hadn’t spoken of him, I’d have never told you. And to that end…” He waggled a finger at me. “When we reach the city, please don’t discuss what I’ve told you in public.”

I chuckled, flexing my wings. “Who am I going to tell? Ayrah? We’ll be lucky just to find her. Even if we do, there’s far more important things to discuss than your people’s secret urd’thin worship.” I waited until Nesh opened his mouth to retort, then cut him off. “I am going to tell the birds, though.”

Nesh rolled his eyes. “At least they know when to keep their beaks shut. Before we go, would you tell me about The Child?”

“I saw him in a dream, Nesh.” I pushed myself up off my haunches, stretching out my hind limbs. “I didn’t exactly have time for an extensive chat.”

Nesh shot me a withering glare. “You know what I mean.”

“He was young.” I padded to the edge of the fortress roof, peering over the battlements. Down below us, the gryphons were busy putting out their fire. “I’m hardly an expert on urd’thin, but he looked little more than a pup. Not much taller than the adorable, wide-eyed fluffballs that stare at me from behind their parents when I trade with their villages.”

Nesh leaned up against the crenellated stone, working his jaw in thought. “He is supposed to a child, after all.”

I traced a claw tip around an old scratch mark. “He seemed very joyful. All through the dream, he was dancing.” I rumbled amusement. “And not particularly well, either. The way a child might dance, without care for how silly he looked. Yet, his movements were always in time to the song. It was as if the song gave him life, instead of the other way around. And I could see…” I gestured at the horizon with a wing. “Entire worlds in his footsteps. Histories painted by the sands he stirred, born and replaced by another in an instant.” I licked my nose and peered down at Nesh. “Is that why you said he built other worlds, too?”

“There is a theory,” Nesh said, sounding a little hesitant. “That we are but one world among many. I should emphasize that it’s only a theory, but one that’s agreed upon by some scholars both religious and scientific.” Nesh pointed towards the sun. “Advances in looking glasses and telescopes have made it quite clear to astronomers that there are other celestial bodies out there, orbiting the same sun. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re inhabited.” He wrung his hands, grimacing. “And some would call the idea of other inhabited worlds blasphemous. But think about it. If you give a human child paint and brushes, you could never limit them to a single painting. They’d paint more, and more, until they were out of paint. But a god-child, with a limitless imagination?” Nesh gazed up at the sky, smiling. “They’d never run out of paint.”

“So…” I licked my nose, not entirely certain I wanted to follow this stray thread back to its weave. “You think I saw actual other worlds?”

Nesh held his hands up. “I’ve no idea what you may have seen, Ella. I’m only saying it’s possible.”

“These other worlds.” An idea tickled at the edges of my consciousness, like an itch I could not quite scratch. “Would they be completely different? Different lifeforms, different people?”

“I’d assume so, Ella, but honestly I’ve no idea.” Nesh folded his arms, turning towards me. “Why? I can tell you’ve something else on your mind now.”

I shifted my weight, pinning back my ears. “What if instead of painting something new every time, the child kept refining the same painting?” I tilted my head. “Or painting the same thing, but with people in different places, and other elements swapped around? Painting a world anew, until he was satisfied with it.”

Nesh scowled, nudging his boot against the stones beneath us. “There’s theories, to that extent. Let’s just say they’re not generally accepted dogma. That’s the sort of thing that might get a scholar’s writings banned. Doesn’t stop philosophers of religion and science from debating it after a few too many drinks, though. Why?”

“His eyes,” I said, considering the god-child’s gaze. What seemed simple in the dream now seemed impossible to describe in the waking world. “The pup’s eyes were everything. All the cosmos, every star in the skies, all staring at me together. When I looked into his eyes, it was as if I peered into infinity itself. I could see…” I faltered, uncertain how best to explain it. “Existence. And it was endless. Infinite versions, of infinite worlds.” I ground my teeth, flaring my spines in frustration. “It made sense in the dream, but it was gone so quickly.”

Nesh put his hand upon my foreleg, gently stroking my scales. “Dreams are like that. But in a dream brought to you by a god, we can only speculate.” I only grunted, and Nesh’s hand stilled upon my scales. “Was there more?”

“Perceptive as always.” I turned my head towards him. “Melakar was there.”

“Singing to you, right?”

“Yes, but later, it was different.” I took a deep breath and held it till my lungs ached. “It was when I saw the city. Melakar was there. Not…” I licked my muzzle, swallowing. “Not as a vision, but alive. I didn’t pay it much attention at the time. We kept singing, and everything dissolved. But thinking back on it, now that I’m awake? It felt real, like glimpsing an Empire we’d built together. Now I cannot help but wonder if in some other world…” My throat clenched, hot and angry. “Some world where they never took him from me. Where together we…” I trailed off, whimpering. In the end, it didn’t matter. Melakar was still dead, and gone. “Nevermind.”

Nesh gently hugged as much of me as he could. “I know, Ella. You want to believe he’s still out there, somewhere.” He offered me a comforting smile. “Do you want my opinion, or just my comfort? I’m happy to provide either.”

“Share your thoughts, Nesh.” I returned his hug with my wing.

Nesh took a slow, steadying breath. “Firstly, I think it’s important you understand that Melakar is gone. You will never again truly hold him. Do not hope for what cannot be. But secondly…” He tapped my scales for emphasis. “I do believe Melakar’s spirit persists. I do believe you saw the Creator Child. And I do believe he’s guided Melakar’s soul back to you, to help you accomplish something wonderful.” Nesh patted my chest. “Maybe other worlds like ours do exist. Maybe some version of Melakar does still draw breath.” Nesh stared into my eyes. “But he isn’t your Melakar, Ella.”

I sighed, hanging my head. “I know.”

“And I will say it again, anyway. Please don’t wrap your heart around something you can never have.” Nesh reached up and cradled my muzzle. “Your Melakar is dead. He can only visit you in your dreams, now. This glimpse of your Empire was not meant to leave you longing for what will never be. It was meant to show you what you can accomplish.” Iron strength filled Nesh’s voice. “What you will accomplish. And you will have my help, every step of the way. If the gods will it, then it must be done. It shall be done. We’ll build your empire, together.”

“Thank you, Nesh,” I said, bumping my muzzle against his face. “Your support means more than you’ll ever know. For now, I shall take comfort in the hope that Melakar really is watching over me. If his spirit persists, then perhaps I’ll see him again someday, when my time ends.”

Nesh hugged my muzzle for long, quiet moments. When he finally pulled away, he rubbed the soft area between my nostrils with a smile. “I believe you will. But not until after you’ve built an empire for your people, secured their future, and lived a long, peaceful life afterwards.”

“I’ll settle for the first two.” I gave his palms a tender lick before lifting my head. “We’d better go find the birds.”

“Very well.” Nesh fetched his kettle and cup. “Care to give me a lift?”

“Certainly,” I said, gently scooping him up with a front leg.

“Before we leave,” Nesh said, settling into my grasp. “You should tell the gryphons about your dream. It won’t hurt for them to know why you bled all over the wall.”

“I suppose you’re right.” I smirked at him. “Shall I also tell them you secretly worship an urd’thin child?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve heard worse.” Nesh clutched his lukewarm kettle under an arm, hooking the other around my foreleg, cup still in his fingers. “Ready when you are.”

I hopped over the battlements, flaring out my wings to catch the air. I banked, gliding around in a wide circle. As I approached the courtyard, I extended my hind legs. I touched down on my back paws, hopped a few times, then deposited Nesh onto the plaza before dropping onto all fours. As the two of us walked back towards the birds, something else occurred to me. If Melakar’s spirit really was visiting me in my dreams, then it meant some of the gryphons’ spiritual beliefs were accurate.

“Nesh,” I said, glancing down at him. “I’m going to have to do something painful.”

“What’s that?”

I snorted, tossing my head. “I’m going to have to tell Blue Jay he was right.”

*****

Chapter Thirty-Six

Travel

*****

I told the gryphons about the dream while we made our preparations to leave. They listened intently, and their subdued nature made it clear they understood its significance. Blue Jay believed, as Nesh did, that it was Melakar visiting me. He was less certain about the god. Sparrow listened and considered it all without comment. When she thought I wasn’t watching, she sighed and shook her head. Whether that was an expression of disbelief or begrudging acceptance, I did not know. For now, I made it clear to the gryphons I did not wish to spend the rest of the day discussing it. We needed to get underway, and I thought it best to proceed as if nothing had changed.

In truth, nothing practical had changed. Although I had pledged myself to the stars and their divine wisdom, what was I to do? Build them a temple? If they helped me forge my empire, I’d have a hundred damn temples built. Until then, the stars would have to be content with an offering of blood, and a dragon who was receptive to their song for the very first time. If they had wisdom to bless me with, I was happy to receive it, but for now I had to continue my own plans. We still had a city to visit, and allies to make.

When everyone was prepared, we took to the skies. As we ascended, I found my thoughts drifting to the other two gryphons who were part of Sparrow’s flight. I hated the idea of leaving Pidgeon and Cardinal unsupervised in Melakar’s lair, let alone alongside humans. With enough effort, the blockades I constructed between the main chamber and Melakar’s personal rooms could be removed. All I could do was hope that if the injured birds broke their word, they would not destroy all the evidence Melakar had gathered.

We followed the lake shore in a vaguely southern direction. The further we flew, the more the lake expanded towards the southwest. Along the way, I pointed out landmarks. A few more forts dotted other rocky islands. A shipwreck jutted from the shallows. Villages filled with various species littered the shoreline and the lands beyond.

One of the largest such villages was built in a former logging encampment, alongside a river fed by warm springs. The humans who built the place were long gone, but their old sawmills remained. After the humans retreated, the lizard-like va’chaak moved into to seize it as a fishery. Groups of nomadic urd’thin merchants settled there next, using it as a base of operations. There were also wolfish gnolls, from a clan allied with the va’chaak. They kept their warriors present to help defend the shared village.

Thick mist rose from the warm waters into the still air, drifting over the village in gauzy layers. Myriad bright colors stood out through the haze where strings of vibrant banners hung between trees. Beads of frozen fog on spindly boughs glittered in the sunlight. Smoke rose from chimneys in stone-wrought buildings. Several dozen va’chaak waded through waist deep water with fishing nets, their ghostly forms disturbing the white miasma otherwise smothering the river.

I twisted my head around to gaze back at Nesh. “Once we have your supplies, the settlement below us is one of the first we’ll visit.”

Nesh gazed down, scowling. “I hope I’m up to the task. The basics of the medicinal practice should be the same across species, but the fine details may be vastly different. While we’re in Tivos, I’ll seek out information and knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the various exotics…” He trailed off, amending himself. “Of the other peoples of the world.”

“Good! I’ll be taking you around to at least a half-dozen such settlements.” I gestured back at the village. “I used to go there with Melakar. Fascinating little place. But, that was about as far as I ever came, in this direction.” I tucked my paws up against my chest plates. “Which means I am at the end of my navigational knowledge.” I slowed my wing beats to give the gryphons a chance to take the lead. “From here on out, I shall defer to your guidance, Sparrow.”

“Very well!” Sparrow banked, turning to follow the winding path of the nearby waterway. “We’ll follow the river west, for now! After lunch I’ll study our maps, to make sure I know which way to go.”

“You don’t know where we’re going?” I dipped a wing, adjusting my course to follow her. “Glad to know we’re in capable hands!”

“Oh, shut your snout, Dragon!” Sparrow snapped her beak. “I know our destination. But considering I’ve not been in this region before, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

I saw no need to argue. After all, I was flying into unknown territory too. Each wingbeat took me closer to the land of my ancestral enemies. It embarrassed me to realize these two gryphons had seen far more of the world than I ever had. They crisscrossed nations and territories on secretive missions. So had Melakar, it seemed. Even Nesh had seen far more of the world than I had. He had traveled from his home to a vast city, and into dangerous foreign lands in service to a great army.

But what had I seen, in my all my long years?

Our Valley, and only our valley.

The sudden realization shamed me. It sat cold and hard in my belly, like undigestible food. I was fluent in several languages, yet never had I set eyes upon the lands of those who spoke them. The wider world had simply never interested me the way it did Melakar. Besides, I thought, the duties of guardianship allowed me few chances to fly beyond dragon territory anyway.

I suddenly wondered where my son was, these days. Before Vevorek left he told us he planned to fly north. Whether he settled there, I had no way of knowing. I wondered if Melakar had been in contact with him. Part of me hoped he had. Someday, I hoped to find and visit Vevorek myself, if he would have me.

If he was still alive.

I shivered at the thought. Of course, Vevarek was still alive, I told myself. If not for Nesh riding upon my back, I’d have shaken myself in disgust to even think otherwise. One day, I would see him again, I promised myself. Until then, I’d content myself to follow in Melakar’s wing beats, seeing the world as he saw it, and picking up the shattered pieces of his great dream.

When we landed to rest and eat, Sparrow sent Blue Jay to hunt. Nesh built a fire to keep the chill at bay while we waited. Sparrow fetched a map to study. I joined her, and asked her to teach me about the lands her charts displayed. It was long past time I learn about the realms beyond my home.

“This is your valley, here, and the mountains beyond it.” Sparrow traced her tan-furred paw across the eastern region of the map. Then she brushed her pads over an expansive northern area. “This is Shevar. They border your valley, as does Diandrios.” She swept her paw southward. “Who occupy all of this land.”

“That’s about as much as I already knew, thanks to Nesh.” I glanced up at Sparrow. “Where is our destination?”

“Right here.” Sparrow tapped it. “Tivos is the provincial capital, and the largest city in the region. It’s also become a major trade hub.”

I licked my nose. “That would be enticing to Melakar. What about your people? Where are the ancestral gryphon lands?”

“Here.” Sparrow circled a claw tip around the southwest portion of the map. “Ages ago, it was divided among different clans. One clan held this plain here, while another dwelled in the marshy lands.” Sparrow tapped the map. “Kraas’s people are from these craggy highlands and forests. And mine originally lived here.” She drew an invisible line over to a long, narrow swath of mountains, in what was now listed as part of Diandrios.

“Where Nesh’s people live?” I clicked my teeth, guessing the answer to my own question. “So, you ceded your lands to solidify your alliance.”

Sparrow ground her beak. “Not exactly how I’d put it.” She spent a few moments irritably rearranging a wing’s feathers before sighing. “But you’re not exactly wrong. The humans wanted to carve resources and trade routes alike out of mountains. And there were more of them than my clan could ever slay. It was wiser to offer them an alliance than be crushed beneath their boots.”

“An alliance in which they stole your lands.”

“They did not steal them!” Sparrow ruffled herself, then tapped the map. “There’s a city here. A gryphon city. A city the humans the humans helped us build with their knowledge, and their machinery.”

“In exchange for plundering your…” I trailed off when I realized how hostile I sounded. I wanted knowledge, not an argument.

Sparrow sighed, rubbing her beak. “You’re exasperating, Dragon.”

I shifted my weight, curling my tail around my paws. “I apologize. Please continue.”

Sparrow canted her head, crown feathers raised. “You’re apologizing to me? That’s different.” She narrowed her eyes. “What am I missing?”

I took a deep breath, glancing down at Nesh as he approached carrying a drinking bowl filled with hot tea. “Nothing. I did not mean to imply…” I waved my paw. “Whatever I’ve implied. Any concessions were clearly worth it. Your people are thriving within the human empire. I did not wish to argue with you, it’s just…” I pinned my ears, looking away.

“Ella’s pride tends to take control of her mouth.” Nesh set the bowl in front of me. Hot coils of steam wafted from it. “And her heart.” He patted my chest. “It’s been difficult enough for her just to come to terms with the fact that dying for her honor won’t keep us out of the valley.”

Sparrow dipped her head. “Understandable. Pride…” She waggled her half-unsheathed claws in the air. “Is a trait gryphons also struggle with.”

I lifted my frills. “I’ve noticed.”

“I’m sure you have.” Sparrow set her paw back down. “My ancestors faced a decision much like yours, Dragon. Many of them would have rather fought to the death than allowed humans to seize control of our homeland. But…” She shrugged her wings. “They’d have wiped us out and taken it, anyway. And then some rival clan would have allied themselves with humans in our stead.” She tapped a claw tip against my chest. “Which, I suspect, is exactly what your mate realized. If you dragons want to survive, you’re going to have to make peace with humans, one way or another. It’s better to be their allies, than their pets.”

I ground my jaws, wishing I could incinerate the very concept of being some human’s pet. My fire glands tingled at the idea. The bitter taste of unspent fire bile lingered upon my tongue. “I’ve realized that. That is why I require an empire, to force them to make an alliance.”

“I doubt you’ll force them to do anything, but I know what you mean.” Sparrow took a bowl of tea from Nesh, and thanked him. “Most former gryphon lands are now shared with humans, though not all. Kraas’s homeland, for example, remains fiercely independent.”

“What about the gryphons Melakar made his blood truce with?” I tilted my head, staring down at the map. “Where do they dwell?”

Sparrow gave a little chirp. “I think they’re here.” She set her bowl down and pointed out a rugged area of land, far to the southwest. “I’d have to study his notes, and find the clan names to be certain, but…” She ground her beak. “I have a nagging suspicion it might be the Wind Weavers.”

I lifted my heard, perking my ears. The name was vaguely familiar. “Wind Weavers? That might explain why they had the Mantle.” I glanced down at Nesh. “We used to fight with the Wind Weaver clan.”

Sparrow hissed. “So did we.”

“We?” Nesh sipped his tea, glancing at Sparrow. “We as in, your clan? Or Diandrios?”

Sparrow fluffed herself up, sulking. “Both. Though I suspect the fiercest of their hatred is reserved for my people.” She held a paw up. “And before anyone asks, I don’t want to talk about why right now. Besides, I don’t know for sure it’s them. It’s just a guess.”

Nesh set his tea down before smoothing Sparrow’s feathers. “If it’s a painful topic, I’ll not pry. But…” He paused to shake a finger at her. “If it becomes important-”

“Yes, yes, I know.” Sparrow huffed, then pushed her head into his hand. “More petting.”

Nesh laughed and gently stroked her ears. “Well, this is new. I didn’t know you had an affectionate side.”

Sparrow clicked her beak. “I don’t. I’m trying to change the subject.”

“Very well.” Nesh scratched Sparrow’s neck. “Whoever these gryphons turn out to be, I should hope they’re better behaved than Blue Jay.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” I joined Nesh in petting Sparrow. She shot me a dirty look, but did not pull away. “Blue Jay’s lived in the city for years. If anything, wild gryphons will worse.”

“Well…” Nesh arched a brow. “You’ll fit right in, then.”

I stroked Sparrow’s wings. “Aww, Nesh. Your aggression is getting slightly less passive. I’m so proud of you.” When Nesh ignored me, I turned my attention to the female gryphon. “If you’re willing, I should like your help in learning…” I swept my paw over the map. “All this.”

“I’ll do my best, when there’s time.” Sparrow slipped out from under my paws, then shook her wings. “That’s enough affection for now, thank you.” She glanced back at us. “Not that I wasn’t enjoying it. But if Kraas sees you petting me, I’ll never live it down.” She returned to studying her chart. “What are you most interested in learning? Regional geography, or politics? Alliances, rivalries, populations?”

“All of the above.” I picked up my tea bowl, and drained the warm contents in a long gulp. “I need to know everything.”

Blue Jay soon returned with food for everyone. While we ate, Sparrow plotted a course to Tivos. She estimated it would only take a few more days flight. I was glad to hear that, as I did not want to leave unsupervised military personnel in Melakar’s lair any longer than necessary.

When we returned to the skies, Sparrow called out to me. “If I’m leading, my instinct is to fly ahead! But I don’t know what dragon culture dictates. I do not wish to seem rude.”

“Fly out ahead, that’s fine!” I pumped my wings in steady rhythm, matching her speed. “You are more maneuverable than I, so you may as well give me some room to match your course adjustments. Besides.” I flashed her a wicked, frills-up smile. “From behind, you do not present an unpleasant view.”

Sparrow warbled musical laughter. “Thank you.” As Sparrow passed in front of me, she flicked her tail, brushing its feathers across my nose. “I shall take that as a compliment, even coming from a demoness!”

I nipped at her feathers just before they were out of reach. “As you well should!”

“Wait a second!” Blue Jay dipped a wing, flying up alongside me as Sparrow moved away. “You get to tell her she’s got a nice ass, but if should do the same, I get yelled at?”

Sparrow’s voice drifted back to us on the wind. “If you put it the way Ella did, people might not yell at you so often!”

“She has a point, bird.” I snapped my teeth at Blue Jay before glancing back at Nesh. “I hope you’re taking notes on how to talk to a female.”

Nesh leaned against my neck, adjusting his flight goggles. “Actually, I don’t think human women would appreciate being told either of those things.”

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. By the time the sun was setting, the lands beneath us were increasingly flat. Only a few vague, rounded hills broke the vast monotony of snowy plains and barren, slumbering forests. The snow base was thinning out, proof that winters here were a little less harsh.

Since there were no caves or ruins to avail ourselves of, we spent the night atop a small hill. Nesh and I cleared away snow from the frozen earth while Sparrow hunted, and Blue Jay gathered firewood. We met the encroaching darkness with fire, and the gathering cold with warmth. We chatted around the flames until the day’s fatigue caught up with us. As the fire died, we spread the gryphons’ enormous white blanket out across the ground, where the flames had chased off the worst of the chill.

I held up one corner of the blanket, waving for Blue Jay to crawl under it. “You first, Pillow.”

“Oh, no.” Blue Jay glared at me. “We’re not going back to that Pillow nonsense. Blue Jay’s bad enough.”

I tossed my head. “Just get in there, Pillow. You go in first, and then I’ll lay against you. You have fur and feathers to insulate us from the cold earth.”

“So does Avalek!” Blue Jay stomped a forepaw, wallowing in his own obstinance.

“Yes, but she’s half your size. I’d squish her.” I lowered my head to bump his beak with my nose. “But I can lay just fine on you.”

Sparrow hissed at him. “Just get inside, Kraas. It’s cold out here without the fire!” Her feathers were all puffed up against the cold.

I smirked at Blue Jay. “You heard her, Pillow.”

“Oh, very well.” Blue Jay heaved an exaggerated sigh. He wriggled in under the blanket, muttering. “But keep calling me Pillow, and I’ll nip you in your sleep.”

“You do, and I’m going to squeeze something exceedingly tender in your sleep.” Once Blue Jay was laid down, I followed him under the blanket, and flopped halfway across his back. “Besides, isn’t cuddling for warmth the gryphon way of doing things?”

Blue Jay squirmed under me. “We cuddle against one another, not atop each other!”

“Close enough.” Once I was comfortable against the warm gryphon, I lifted my wing for Sparrow to come and settle herself beneath it. “Your turn, Sparrow. Nesh, you’re after her.”

Sparrow crawled in and flopped against my side. Her weight was not uncomfortable, and her warmth was quite welcome. Aside from inconveniencing Blue Jay, I had a more selfish reason for this arrangement. Being snuggled between two gryphons was the warmest way to spend a cold night. Now that I trusted them, I may as well make use of all those feathers.

I lifted a foreleg, purring my words. “I’m ready for you, Concubine.”

“That makes one of us, then.” Nesh dragged his bedroll in. He clambered into it and settled near my chest, under the protection of my foreleg. “If anyone has to get up during the night, please don’t step on me.”

“Speak for yourself.” Blue Jay gave an irritable chirrup. “I can’t get up, even if I need to. At least not until this exceedingly heavy dragon gets off me.”

“Now, now.” Nesh patted the back of my paw. “That’s hardly the way to earn her affections.”

“You’re the concubine,” Blue Jay said. “Maybe I ought to be trying to earn your affections.”

“There’s a sight I’d find awfully amusing.” I curled my tail, brushing it over Sparrow’s. “Then again, I’d also find it amusing to see Nesh kick you right in the-”

“If it’s all the same to both of you,” Nesh said, cutting me off. “I’d rather go to sleep then do either of those things.”

“As you wish.” I curled my neck, and bumped my nose against Blue Jay, Sparrow, and Nesh, all in turn. “Good night.”

The next day we were back in the sky shortly after dawn. The closer we drew to Tivos, the more anxiety’s cold fingers twisted my belly. Never in all my life had I dared venture to any sizable human settlement. Now here I was, flying towards a city surely prepared to blast dragons from the skies. I hoped that Melakar’s former visits had proven to their soldiers that our species could be trusted. Yet hope did little to soothe my gnawing worry.

For the time being, I distracted myself with idle conversation. We spoke of human foods the gryphons enjoyed, of the weather, and of the climate in Tivos. Then we discussed what leisurely activities we’d enjoy when the baking summer heat returned. The gryphons and I were both surprised to discover the other enjoyed swimming. Nesh, meanwhile, preferred to sit alongside the water with a book.

Nesh and Melakar would have made fast friends, I was certain.

When conversation faded, I studied the great herds of prey browsing a frozen plain in the distance. There were deer and elk, but also antelope larger than those of the mountains. I saw unfamiliar species too, immense beasts with shaggy brown fur, and small horns. Some looked even bigger than Sparrow.

As morning progressed into afternoon, the snow cover faded. At first, the thinning of the snowpack was visible only as bits of brush and dead grass peeking through. Soon blotches of dark ground emerged amidst the ocean of white. They grew larger and larger until only scattered snow cover mottled the brown earth in uneven patchwork.

By the time we landed for the evening, the snow was completely gone. We made camp out in the open again, with a fire to keep the chill away and warm the ground. Nesh shared the last of his tea with us, under pretense that he could buy plenty more in Tivos. I told Nesh he was allowed to purchase anything he wished. Tea, treats, clothing, books, hell, even weaponry. While I doubted Nesh would buy armaments, I trusted him enough to allow it.

Early the next morning, Sparrow gathered us around her map. “From here on out, everyone needs to exercise extreme caution.” She stared at me in a way that made it clear her remarks were mostly for my benefit. “We are about to pass through very contested lands.” She traced a claw tip across a snaking blue line. “This river demarcates the official borders between Diandrios, and Shevar. However…” She circled a portion of the chart. “Both nations claim this region for themselves.”

Nesh folded his arms, glancing up at me. “It’s a frontier, Ella. Beyond the official edges of Shevar, and Diandrios. The residents claim ancestry from both nations. They usually get along just fine, but suffice it to say, our militaries do not.”

“So, so your rulers squabble over the land, while ignoring it’s residents?” I scratched my neck with a wing tip talon. “Why am I not surprised?”

Sparrow clicked her beak. “Save your comments on the world’s many ills for another time.” When I quieted, she went on. “Historically speaking, this frontier has been governed by a truce limiting military presence.”

“I take it there is no such treaty for the lands outside my valley.” I flared my spines, looking between the gryphons. “Considering the size of your army camped there.”

Blue Jay gave a solemn nod. “Correct. Had you flown far enough north, you’d likely have seen a similar encampment of Shevar’s troops. Until recently, such a build up was forbidden in the border areas near Tivos.”

“Technically, it still is.” Sparrow stretched a wing, nervously preening it. “But the truce has been increasingly violated. Shevar’s relocated troops and weaponry to the frontier recently, and Diandrios is trying to match them. Which is why both sides are going to be on high alert. Hence…” She folded her wing back, bumping me with her beak. “Extreme caution. We don’t want to be shot at by jumpy riflemen or anti-air artillery on either side.”

“No.” I flattened my ears. “We do not.”

Blue Jay lifted his crown feathers. “With the local truce fraying, we’re also at risk of test provocations, and retaliatory actions.”

“Test provocations?” I licked my nose, glancing around.

Sparrow ruffled herself up. “If you want to send a message without starting a full-scale war, do you fire on a single squad of soldiers who accidentally crossed your border? Or do you engage an entire regiment? Your choice may determine whether retaliation is a single sky-crawler gunship lobbing a few shells into farmland, or a fleet of them bombarding a military camp.”

“I see what you mean.” I arched my neck. “In our history, feuding clans often sent small flights of designated warriors to battle each other, to prevent a much bloodier conflict.”

“Exactly.” Sparrow clicked her beak. “Diandrios and Shevar are both willing to accept limited skirmishes with controlled losses in place of open warfare.”

Nesh’s face twisted into a scowl. Disgust dripped from his voice. “I hate those terms. Tell the mother who lost her son in a ten-minute firefight that it was a ‘limited skirmish’. Or tell the boy who lost his father to some…” He waved his hand, spitting. “Retaliatory shelling, that it was ‘controlled loss’. The whole idea makes me sick.” Nesh folded his arms, his jaw clenched. “I worked some of those, you know. Had to amputate some poor villager’s legs! You think he was happy to give them up just so our militaries can continue their ‘limited’ skirmishes?” He sighed, shaking his head. “Futility. It’s all futility.”

I pulled Nesh against me in a hug. “At least you were there to save him. Better to lose his limbs than his life.”

Nesh hugged my foreleg. “I know, but…” He hung his head. “Sorry. I went off on a tangent, I realize.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Blue Jay set his paw on Nesh’s shoulder. “But the dragon’s right. Without people like you, the losses would be even greater.”

Nesh offered the gryphon a grateful smile, patting his forepaw.

I contemplated Nesh’s quiet strength as I held him. I knew what he did for his army, that he closed wounds, and saved lives. But it was rare for him to speak of something so specific and visceral. Suddenly, I imagined Nesh soaked in blood, sawing off some poor, screaming human’s ruined legs just to save his life. I cringed, my frills flattened. That image struck too close to my heart, reminding me of the final breaths of dragons I had seen slain in my youth.

Of Melakar’s last moments.

It worried me that Nesh gave his failures more weight than his successes. Before we first met, he failed to save the lives of those who died in battle with me. Nesh understood why I’d killed them, just as I understood why they were trying to kill me. Yet their deaths haunted his dreams, just the same. I wondered if he ever dreamed of those he saved.

If I were in Nesh’s place, would I be so strong? Could I remove another dragon’s mangled limbs if it meant saving their life? I had never faced a decision so horrific. What if I later realized there had been another way? Did Nesh ever fear he’d taken that man’s legs mistakenly? If he ever wished to talk of such things, I would happily listen.

For now, I simply hugged him. “You’re a good person, Nesh. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I, ah…well.” Nesh returned my hug best he could, clearing his throat a few times. “Thank you, Ella.”

After our hug ended, Sparrow gestured at her map. “You’ve got the idea, right Dragon?”

I nodded. “Dangerous lands, lots of weapons.”

Sparrow chirruped. “Close enough! From now on, I want us to fly close together. We should be safer if we’re clearly in formation.” She held her paws up, pads towards me. “I don’t genuinely expect to be fired upon, but I’d rather be cautious the same.”

“Agreed.” I inspected Sparrow’s chart. “Show me our route, please?”

Sparrow traced a claw tip across the map. “We’ll pass a few frontier towns, so I’ll give them a wide berth. Tonight, we’ll stop here.” She tapped the parchment. “The land’s a bit more rugged there, so we should find some shelter. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how to get you into Tivos. But for now, I think we’re ready to move on. Agreed?”

I grimaced at the way Sparrow brushed aside our upcoming challenge, but so no reason to debate it now. “Very well. Ready when you are.”

*****

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Locomotive

*****

We returned to the skies so close together I could nearly bite Sparrow’s tail. Conversation was light. We focused on our surroundings, watching for anything suspicious. Every time I gazed across the horizon, I imagined cannon emplacements sighting on us. The idea made me shiver hard enough to rattle Nesh upon my back. The tight formation Sparrow enforced told me she was nervous, too.

The uniform flatness of the vast plains was gradually replaced by sloping hills, and rocky, snaking ridgelines. This time of year, the hills were smothered in winter-dead grass broken only by an occasional umber boulder. Further away they were capped with crests of gray-black stone, like dozens of great serpents crawling between earthen dunes.

It reminded me of the lands just beyond our valley, and all at once, I missed my home. I longed to return to my lair, to bathe in my springs, and sleep upon my own bedding. But that would all have to wait. I sighed, and turned my attention to the horizon.

Strange, pale lines stretched across the distant ground. They were lighter hued than the earth, like a layer of pale sediment exposed by too many paws striding the same trails. I’d never seen ground markings quite like that. I wondered if they were cut to demarcate human territories.

“Nesh,” I said. “What are those?”

“Sorry?” Nesh gave me a confused look. “What are what?”

“Those!” I lifted a foreleg so he could see it around my body, then pointed. “Down there.”

“The ridges?” Nesh leaned over, staring down. “I’m afraid I don’t know the actual geologic term for them.”

“Not those.” I snorted, drawing an invisible line through the air with an unsheathed claw. “The pale lines.”

Nesh furrowed his eye ridges. “What, the roads?”

“Oh.” I flattened my ears, embarrassment heating my frills. “Nevermind.”

Gods, I sounded like a fool. I’d never even seen human roads, before.

Signs of human habitation increased throughout the day. Patchwork farmland in the distance surrounded clusters of wooden homes. Stonework walls divided up plots of land. Freshly tilled earth filled some, while others held skeletal remnants of last year’s crops. Long lines of fencing hemmed pastures and pens with livestock.

Villages dotted the landscape. Sparrow recited the names of those she memorized as landmarks. We remained quite far from them, but our altitude allowed me to observe the settlements. Despite the anxiety gnawing at my belly, the towns fascinated me. This was as close as I’d ever been to human civilization. Most towns we saw were located around crossroads, with centralized stone buildings. Black smoke sometimes poured from immense chimneys.

A different kind of road linked some of the villages. It was narrow, with metal rails beset by seemingly endless smaller beams. Nesh told me they were rail lines, upon which their great locomotives transited. Despite Melakar’s notes, I had little idea of what a locomotive was. Nesh explained it best he could. It sounded terrifying, and yet I found myself hoping to see one.

Later in the day, we happened upon another of the strange machines described in Melakar’s writings. Built of wood and metal, it resembled a long pole balanced horizontally upon a tripod. It see-sawed constantly, plunging a rod into the earth over and over. Just as Melakar described it, it looked as if it was mating with the earth. A cluster of large, barrel-like tanks were located nearby. Towering fences surrounded it all.

I thought to question Nesh about its function, but a great plume of smoke rising above a rail line drew my attention, instead. “Nesh!” I pointed towards it. “Is that smoke coming from what I think it is?”

“A locomotive?” Nesh patted my neck. “Probably!”

I gauged our distance from the machine. At our current speed, we would be long past its tracks by the time it arrived. Part of me wanted to push on, but the rest of me wanted to see the damn thing. The rest of me wished I’d been closer with Melakar, in his final years. He would have loved to share all his crazy discoveries with me. I knew, in my heart, that Melakar would have wanted me to-

Go see it! Melakar’s voice sounded in my head so loudly it startled me. All at once, he was flying alongside me, bronze scales shining in the sunlight. He smiled at me, wonder sparkling in his eyes. Go see it, Ella! It’s amazing what they’ve built.

He looked so real. It was just like the morning after my dream. I could almost smell his familiar scent in the air. I drifted closer, breaking formation. In my head, Melakar and I were gliding together, so close I could feel the spiraling currents off his wing tips.

“Melakar…” I reached out, desperate just to touch him.

“Ella!” Blue Jay snapped his beak. “Watch where you’re flying! Your tail nearly took my beak off!”

I blinked, and Melakar was gone. “Sorry, Blue Jay.” I flattened my ears. “It won’t happen again!”

“Ella?” Nesh leaned forward against the back of my neck. “Are you alright? You said his name.”

“I’m fine, Nesh.” I checked my spacing with the gryphons, and eased back into position between them. “I’m embarrassed to say I was lost in imagination like a daydreaming hatchling!”

Nesh sharpened his voice. “Ella, are you sure?”

“I said I’m fine, Nesh!”

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure of that. This was twice now in a matter of days that Melakar had appeared to me in my waking hours. And where before he only smiled, and sang, now he spoke to me. Were my dreams bleeding into my reality, or was something else entirely happening? Either way, I did not wish to worry Nesh, nor leave bitter feelings lingering.

I turned my head to offer him a smile. “Melakar would have wanted me to see this contraption, that’s all.”

Nesh returned the smile, but his furrowed brows made his concern clear. “If you say so, Ella.”

“Sparrow!” I swept a paw at the tracks. “Is it safe for us to see the traveling machine?”

Sparrow warbled laughter. “Traveling machine? I suppose that’s technically correct.” She studied the ground. “It’s safe if it’s civilian. Hold position here while Kraas and I scout ahead.”

The gryphons peeled away, accelerating westward till they shank in my vision. While I waited, I flew a few lazy circles. Gradually, I became aware of an odd, rhythmic, rushing noise. Far down the rail line, something dark and metallic spewed black smoke. Sparrow and Blue Jay flew out ahead of it. The metal monster behind them let out a series of high-pitched whistles that made me flatten my ears. Obnoxiously loud as it was, I could not look away.

“Someone’s a curious dragon!” Nesh laughed, patting my neck.

I glared back at him. “What?”

“You want to see a train!” He stroked my scales, grinning. “You’re suddenly like a curious hatchling, that’s all. It’s adorable.”

“Oh, get mounted, Nesh.” I snorted, turning my attention back to the oncoming machine.

Sparrow called out when she neared me. “It’s civilian! Passengers, and cargo.” She circled alongside me. “It should be safe to approach, as long as you don’t get close enough to scare the guards. They’re only there to prevent robberies.”

I wasn’t planning on getting close to the machine to begin with, let alone to any jumpy guards with rifles. I looped around again, bleeding off altitude. When I was low enough, I flew parallel to the track. Then I pumped my wings just enough to maintain flight. I wanted to let the contraction pass by to see entire bizarre thing.

“Do you want me to tell you about it?” Nesh leaned over my side, looking down.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“This machine is commonly called a train, or a locomotive.” Nesh pointed down at it. “However, locomotive technically refers to the engine car up front. It moves the entire train.”

The engine car was an immense cylinder of ebony-hued metal, easily as long as I was from nose to tail tip. Tangles of copper piping ran down either side. Billowing clouds of smoke poured from short chimneys. Bursts of hissing steam erupted from random places. Great rods pumping in rapid pace turned gargantuan, red-painted wheels. The machine carried with it a noise like a furious storm, as if it caged the wind itself. The sound was angry and rushing, yet even and rhythmically pulsing at the same time. I’d never heard anything like it.

“Your people built that steel serpent?” I twisted my head around to stare at Nesh with wide eyes. The sheer ingenuity his species possessed was both impressive, and terrifying. The gryphons tried to warn me about my lack of understanding of human progress, but only now was I truly starting to comprehend what they meant. “How long have you had these things?”

Nesh smiled at me, then shrugged. “Longer than I’ve been alive.”

I sped up, flying alongside the smoke-breathing monstrosity. “How does it work?”

“Firstly, I’d like to point out I am not a mechanical engineer!” Nesh held his hands up. “My expertise is in biological, anatomical, and medicinal sciences. If you want a detailed explanation, you’ll have to find someone more knowledgeable. I know the basics, though. There’s a great boiler inside that burns fuel, often coal. The heat boils water in immense tanks to create steam. That steam is used to move pistons back and forth, and those pistons push the driving axels and rods that turn the wheels.”

“I thought said you weren’t a mechanical engineer!” Blue Jay warbled laughter, keeping pace with us.

“I’m not!” Nesh adjusted his flight goggles. “That’s standard knowledge.”

I snorted, watching everything move. It was mesmerizing. “You say that, and yet I only understood half the words you used.”

Blue Jay chirped his agreement, his black-barred flight feathers rippling in the wind. “The last human I asked about something like this?” He waved a paw at the engine car. “Just told me steam powers it and left it at that!”

“Are there humans controlling it?” I assumed there were, but could not see where they were hiding.

“Yes!” Nesh pointed at a small set of windows near the back of the engine. “In there! That’s where the controls and brakes are. It’s also where they feed the engine. If you fly lower, you could probably see the engineers and tenders inside, but you might give the poor fellows a panic attack.” Nesh swept his hand towards the next segment. “The second car is usually filled with fuel. Whenever they stop in town, they’ll refill their supplies. Any village that gets a rail line depot also has fuel and water storage.”

“Melakar must have been enthralled by these things!” I glided and let the engine pull ahead. The next set of cars were built of wood and painted vibrant crimson. Bright gold outlined their many rectangular windows. “What’s this part?”

“That’s a passenger car.” Nesh leaned over my body. “There’s usually rows of seats or benches inside. Some have little beds for people to sleep in, on long journeys.”

“People sleep in there?” I curled my lips in a distasteful sneer, and swept across the train to fly on the other side of it. “How can you sleep with that horrific noise?”

“I suppose you get used to it! I actually have more trouble with the motion. All the rocking kept jarring me awake last time I tried to sleep on one.” Nesh watched the thing slide by beneath us. “These cars look new. They’ve probably just started running passenger service out here recently. These lines were probably installed for cargo transport, originally.”

Further down the train, the cars were less brightly colored and lacked windows. Most were little more than dark brown boxes on wheels. Towards the end, one of them was reinforced with metal. I adjusted my course to fly closer to it.

“What about that metal one? It looks-”

“Ella!” Sparrow’s sharp tone sliced through my words. She beckoned me away from the train with a paw. “You’re getting too close!”

I banked steeply, beating my wings hard to pull away from the train. “Why? Is that one where the guards stay?”

“That’s an armored car, and they usually hold valuables, secrets, or both!” Sparrow positioned herself between the train and me. “Since it’s a civilian train, it’s probably money for a bank. But guards protecting armored cars are usually trained to shoot first and ask questions later.”

Nesh scooted up against the back of my neck. “Assuming they ever ask questions. It’s just safer not to go near train cars that look like that.”

“Very well.” I ascended, flying away from the train. “My ears cannot take much more of your machinery’s deafening cries, anyway.”

We returned to our southward course. Strangely, having witnessed the human’s monstrous, smoke-breathing serpent helped to put some of my fears at ease. While I was still anxious about setting foot in a human city, I felt I’d already faced down a great challenge. Surely, if I could calmly observe the locomotive, I could do the same for anything I’d see inside Tivos.

I suddenly wondered if that was why Melakar had appeared to me. To convince me to go and see the train, knowing I’d feel better prepared afterwards. The thought made me smile, as ludicrous as it was. Then again, if Nesh was right and Melakar’s spirit did still linger, was it truly so absurd a thought? I decided to thank Melakar in my mind, just in case.

You were right, Melakar. It is amazing what the humans have built. I wish you were here to see it with me. Thank you for nudging me in the right direction.

There was no answer. It should not have disappointed me, and yet it did. I yearned to hear his voice again, to see him at my side as more than a fleeting vision or a fading dream. I longed to know he was truly still out there. But I never would. It did me no good to torture myself with desperate hopes for the impossible. I sighed and flew on.

As sunset neared, I spotted a great river in the distance. The sinking sun left the water glowing like a channel of molten gold, burning through the earth. Villages marked it on either side. Imposing watchtowers jutted up amidst the homes. Further upstream, clusters of stone buildings and turrets housed fortified cannon emplacements. Smoke drifting above them told me soldiers were cooking dinner. It seemed strange that two armies prepared for war would eat their meals in sight of one another. At least it made it easy to keep watch on each other.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” I knew I did not need to point. “Your borders with your enemy.”

“That’s the river, yes.” Sparrow banked away from it, towards a series of bluffs in the distance. “The frontier is poorly demarcated, but the river? Cross that, and they’ll shoot you down.”

“Only if you’re a fool who flies right over their border posts!” Blue Jay squawked laughter. “There’s a half dozen places we could cross that river without being seen, all within a day’s flight. In fact…” He trailed off, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. “Avalek!” Tension suddenly edged his voice. “Northwest horizon!”

Sparrow looked that way, scanning the sunset and the smudges of distant hills. Suddenly, she flared up her crown feathers, hissing. “Shit!”

“What is it, Birds?” I tried to follow their eyes, but I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.

“I count six.” Blue Jay glanced over at Sparrow. “Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Sparrow ground her beak. “We need to report them as soon as possible.”

Blue Jay gave a low a growl. “I rather doubt they’ve gone unnoticed.”

“What are you looking at?” Nesh shaded his eyes, squinting. “I don’t see anything.”

“Birds,” I said, sharpening my tone. “What am I looking for?”

“Sky-crawlers.” Blue Jay pointed, directing my gaze. “On the horizon, right there.”

Nesh went still. “Whose?”

“Shevar’s. Or at least…” Sparrow made a nervous chirrup. “They’re on Shevar’s side of the river.”

Following Blue Jay’s indication, I finally saw them. A collection of bloated shapes drifted across the distant, dusk-painted sky. From so far away, they looked like macabre insects, with stubby legs bristling beneath armored, bulbous bodies. They reminded me of something I’d seen once before, above the army encampment Nesh came from.

“Sky-crawlers, you said?” I glanced between the gryphons. “What the hell are they?”

“It’s a slang term for airships.” Nesh continued squinting. “I can’t see them, but gryphons have better eyes for distance than we do.”

I twisted my head around, gaping at Nesh. “You have flying ships?”

“We do.” Nesh grimaced. “But Shevar has more of them.”

Blue Jay waggled his fingers at them. “The big part contains bags filled with gases that make them float. The bulk of the ship is underneath, with engines to drive propellers. Those ones are gunships, loaded with artillery. And they sure as hell shouldn’t be there.”

“Oh.” I did not understand Blue Jay’s entire explanation, but I understood his concern. Heavily armed vessels so near the river had to be a violation of their truce. “Do you think they’ve come to make war?”

“I don’t know.” The worry in Sparrow’s voice told me more than enough. “But I doubt Diandrios has any gunships within striking range.”

“Neither do I,” Nesh said. “Shevar has twice as many-”

“Triple, at least.” Blue Jay glanced our way, his ears flat. “Your numbers are outdated. Ella, Diandrios has a larger army overall, but Shevar compensates by outnumbering us in terms of airships and mechanized weaponry. Most of our air fleet is centralized to protect the interior homeland. The frontier is usually on its own.”

I gazed into the distance, staring at the odd, floating contractions. “Which was fine, while the truce held strong.”

Sparrow drifted back alongside me. “Exactly. But if Shevar’s fielding ships here, Diandrios will need to consider doing the same.”

“Which would leave you fewer ships with which to guard the rest of your lands.” I grunted, tossing my head. “You must admit, Nesh, your enemies are savvy.”

“Too damn savvy.” Nesh crossed his arms. “Hopefully, they’re just posturing.”

“Avalek.” Blue Jay’s voice was flat, his gaze fixed on the airships. “Can you see them well enough to count the guns? I think those are Hammerwings.”

I glanced between the birds. “Hammerwings?”

“New ships, with longer range guns.” Blue Jay said. “Rumor says Shevar was planning to field them in locations Diandrios does not have any gunships of their own deployed. But they weren’t supposed to be ready yet. Sparrow?”

She snarled under her breath. “Agreed. Hammerwings.” Sparrow beat her wings swiftly, accelerating ahead of us. “Let’s just move on, for now. We’ll learn more when we reach Tivos.”

As Sparrow hurried ahead, Nesh leaned over towards Blue Jay. “Is this as bad as it sounds?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Blue Jay ground his beak for a moment. “But if war broke out, bombarding a major border city would be a hell of a field test. Come on.” He gestured for me to pick up my pace to follow Sparrow. “We’ll make camp at those cliffs ahead.”

Blue Jay fell back into formation behind me, silent. I knew Nesh and the birds were worried, but I also knew there was nothing we could do about the airships for now. Questioning the gryphons further would only aggravate their fears. If we were to trust each other, sometimes we had to know when to keep our mouths shut. I flew on and kept my thoughts to myself.

Nesh patted my neck as if I were the one who needed reassurances. “Shevar loves saber-rattling, Ella. I’m sure that’s all it is.”

I looked back at him, offering a smile, but kept my thoughts to myself.

Soon, we reached a line of deep gray bluffs jutted up from the earth. Bits of wood and iron rails littered the earth all around them. The battered shells of wooden buildings were strewn about amidst tangles of overgrown brush, dormant for winter. Broken sections of sloped troughs protruded from the slumbering overgrowth. Yawning chasms in the stone led into dark recesses.

“Nesh, is that an abandoned village?” I flew lower for a better look.

“Looks like an old mining encampment.” Nesh leaned over my side. “The mines must not have worked out. Or they may have encountered toxic gas.” He patted my scales. “You’d better not go in there, just in case.”

I followed Sparrow towards a flat plateau topping the bluffs. “Why the hell would I wander into some old human mine?”

“How should I know,” Nesh said, bracing himself against my neck. “Because dragons like caves, I assume!”

Sparrow landed ahead of me and quickly moved aside. I touched down on my back paws, hopping a few steps. Then I dropped onto my front feet and trotted to a stop. I glanced back at Nesh with narrowed eyes and flattened frills. “I assure you that I have no interest in your people’s toxic gas mines.”

“We’re not mining the gas.” Nesh undid his safety straps as I settled onto my belly. He swung his leg over my back and jumped to the ground. Dry grass crunched beneath his boots. “We just encounter it from time to time.”

Blue Jay landed alongside me while Nesh removed all the safety gear and cargo strapped around my body. The gryphon shook himself, then padded past me to help Sparrow out of her harness. Blue Jay glanced my way. “Stay out of those old mines, Dragon. They could be filled with-”

“Toxic gas, I heard!” I snapped my jaws, grumbling. “I should like it to be known that dragons don’t just wander into every random cave we come across!”

We were soon all divested of our travel gear, and sent Blue Jay out to hunt. He returned with a tawny furred antelope. It was delicious, fattier and more succulent than the leaner mountain antelope. Without a winter-long snowpack, local herds must have had much more food during winter. Given our proximity to human military units, we decided against a fire, so Nesh settled for his remaining hard biscuits and other rations. How a species could be so successful despite growing deathly ill merely by eating raw flesh, I’d never know.

The cold set in swiftly after dark, beneath the clear, star-filled sky. With no fire to warm us, we all crawled under the great snow blanket. We held casual conversation, relaxing a bit before sleep. The gryphons lapsed into slumber first, and Nesh fell asleep not long after. For me, sleep proved harder to come by. My thoughts roiled and churned like a muddy current, carrying my waking mind along.

I slipped my head out from under the blankets, staring at the sky. Tomorrow, I would set foot inside a human city for the very first time. Terror’s cold fingers gripped me deep inside at the very idea. I tried to tell myself that if Melakar could do it, so could I. Yet the truth was, Melakar had always longed to visit human cities, to see their great nations and their mechanical wonders. But for me, human civilization had only ever been my enemy.

Individual humans were reasonable creatures who made for loyal friends. Nesh was fine proof of that, as were my vassals before him. But I’d always been taught that as a civilization, humanity was an army always looking for new ways to slay dragons. And yet, the life Melakar lived before his murder might prove otherwise. He had visited this city often, maybe even as a friend. Perhaps, while I slavishly attended my guardianship, Melakar had already forged friendship between dragons, and humankind.

Or maybe they’d blast me out of the sky.

Tomorrow, I would find out, one way or another.

Tonight, I watched the stars.

In my mind, Melakar watched them with me.

*****

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Tivos

*****

The next morning I paced the plateau, waiting for Sparrow. She had left before dawn to inform the authorities in Tivos that the Gryphon Legion was escorting a dragon to their city. Sparrow planned to tell them I sought trade negotiations, but keep other details as sparse as possible. Once she had secured permission to guide me to the city, Sparrow would return.

“You’re wearing a rut in the soil, Dragon.” Blue Jay sat nearby, preening his wings. “You should try and relax.”

“What do I care about a damn rut?” I lashed my tail, scything through a few stands of tall, winter-dry grass. “How long has she been gone, Nesh?”

Nesh shrugged. He was seated near Blue Jay and leaning back onto his hands. “I’ve no idea. I could never tell time without a pocket watch. Oh!” He straightened up. “I should buy one in Tivos! A pocket watch, I mean.”

Blue Jay glanced towards the sky. “She’s been gone about three hours.” He bumped Nesh with an outstretched wing. “You should learn to read the sun.”

“And burn holes in my retinas?” Nesh shook his head, scowling. “I think not.”

“You don’t look at it directly,” Blue Jay said, chirping. “You just estimate its position.”

Nesh rolled his eyes. “That sounds accurate.”

“And what was your best guess?” The gryphon clacked his beak. “Oh, that’s right, you didn’t have one.”

I resumed my pacing while they argued the finer points of telling time. All morning, stifling anxiety had clamped my belly, refusing to release me. My fire glands tingled, overproducing fire bile. All my spiny frills were locked into nervous threat display. My heart battered my chest. I clenched my jaw, digging my claws into the earth.

Try taking deep breaths.

Melakar’s voice drifted through my mind, unbidden but ever so welcome. This time, I was less startled to see him pacing alongside me. He smiled at me, and that alone brought me a measure of peace. Melakar took a slow, deep breath, and then let it out gradually before repeating it. I forced myself to follow his example until my racing heart slowed. Bit by bit, the ice compressing my belly melted away. My agitated pacing eased into a leisurely walk.

There. See? Melakar stretched his wing across my back, gently cradling me. His loving touch was achingly real. It was all I could do not to lean into him. You’ll be fine, Ella. And you’ll get to see Ayrah again! I promise, everything will be fine. Melakar licked my neck. The warmth of his tongue made me shudder. And then you’ll have custard! You’ll like custard.

I shook my head, laughing. “You and the damn custard!”

“Excuse me?” Nesh gave me a quizzical look, his furry eye ridges furrowed.

“Oh, nothing.” I snorted and tossed my head. “Melakar just…” I trailed off, looking around. Though I knew he was never truly there, his sudden absence disappointed me just the same. “I imagined him trying to soothe me. Told me we’d have custard.”

Nesh rose to his feet and approached me, laughing. “If his notes referenced custard that often, the old boy must have had a serious addiction.” He gently stroked my scales. “Why don’t you sit down, Ella? Fretting and worrying won’t pass the time any faster.”

“I suppose not.” While Blue Jay was busy rearranging his feathers, I padded over to him. “Shove over, Bird! I require a pillow.”

I put my forepaws against the gryphon and pushed him over onto the ground. He squawked as he toppled over, flapping his wings. I flopped down against him, resting my upper body on his warm feathers. Blue Jay heaved a resigned sigh, then wriggled into a more comfortable position beneath me.

“There.” I licked one of his ears. “That’s a good pillow.”

Blue Jay muttered something obscene in gryphon.

I understood enough words to get the gist of it. “I’m not sure I like you enough to do that. Although, just imagine the look on Nesh’s face if I did!”

Sparrow finally returned several hours later. On her way back, she purchased a roasted pig for us in some human village. I was unfamiliar with the odd-looking animal, but found it delicious. The skin was crispy in most places, charred in a few others, with a layer of succulent fat just beneath it that melted away the moment it reached my tongue. Woodsmoke added both sweetness and smoky, savory notes, while the meat itself was juicy and rich.

“So, there’s good news,” Sparrow said as we finished eating. “And bad news.”

I growled, tapping my claws on the ground. “Cut to the heart of it, Sparrow.”

“Very well.” Sparrow nodded, picking a bone clean. “The good news first. It wasn’t easy, but I have secured permission for you to enter the city.”

“Excellent!” I smiled at her, but it faded when I saw the hesitancy in her eyes. “What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is, they may…” Sparrow swallowed. “Think I’m bringing Melakar.”

“Excuse me?” I narrowed my eyes, hissing.

“I was as light on details as possible!” Sparrow held her paws up. “But the way they questioned me made it clear that Melakar’s been to Tivos far more often than we realized. And I doubt the army’s exactly been clear on which dragon they shot down. So, when I suggested the dragon I was escorting came to negotiate trade agreements, they…” She shrugged her wings. “May have jumped to a conclusion, or two.”

I lowered my head, my frills rising. “And you did not think to correct them?”

Sparrow lifted her crown feathers to match. “I got the distinct impression Melakar was the only dragon they would let in right now.”

“So you told them you were bringing him?” I tossed my head. “Won’t they be surprised!”

“I never even spoke his name!” Sparrow clacked her beak. “Nor did they, for that matter. But before I knew it, they were sending word to their governor that ‘The Dragon’ was returning.”

“The governor?” I thumped my tail against the ground. “So even their ruler will be expecting Melakar? Well, if only we had some bronze paint, perhaps we could fool them!”

“Give it a rest, Ella.” Sparrow flattened her ears. “You wanted me to get you into the city, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Nesh crossed his arms, his face drawn. “Sparrow, do you genuinely believe this is the best way to get Ella inside Tivos?”

“It’s the only way.” She bristled up her feathers. “In truth, they flatly denied me permission to bring a dragon within sight until I mentioned the trade agreements. Then one of the commanders told me he would request special permission from the governor. It was almost like I’d spoke a code phrase.” She tilted her head, ears swiveled in thought. “At any rate, by the time I realized our miscommunication, I feared straightening it out would only result in your being denied entry. So, I let them believe what they wished. Even then, they only granted me provisional clearance to fly you into the city.”

Blue Jay grimaced. “Even though they expect Melakar? I don’t like that at all.”

I flicked my tail tip. “Why? What does that mean?”

“It means, Dragon,” Sparrow said. “That we must fly a designated route to a specific location. They’re securing a locomotive depot in advance. The local commander will meet us there with his guard, before taking us to see the governor.”

I growled at her, shaking my head. “Absolutely not! As soon as they realize I’m not Melakar, they’ll point every gun they have at me!”

“Only if you give them cause!” Sparrow’s words were sharper than her talons. “If you just land and lay on your belly-”

“Lay on my belly?” I snarled at her. “Like a coward? No, I will meet them as a monarch! They will see my claws and teeth-”

“Oh, perfect!” Sparrow waved a paw. “Give the agitated soldiers reason to feel threatened!”

“What if I feel threatened?” I arched my neck, snarling. I slapped my paw against the ground. “I refuse to-”

“Enough!” Sparrow jumped to her paws, hissing her words. “The city’s on edge, Ella! The truce that protects them is crumbling, and there are gunships on their borders! This is not the time to give into pride, and petulance. And have you even considered the rest of us?” She gestured at the others. “Because if things go badly, you won’t be the only one they fire upon.” She advanced on me, growling. “I made the best decision I could. Yes, this will be difficult for all of us, but acting like a child isn’t going to help. So tell me, Ella.” She thumped a finger against my nose. “Do you want to throw a tantrum and start a war? Or would you rather act like an adult, and make peace?”

Sparrow’s outburst set me aback. Silence settled over our group. I knew in my heart that Sparrow was right. In my anger, I’d almost forgotten that their lives were at stake, too. My selfishness shamed me. I lowered my head and bumped my nose against Sparrow’s forepaws.

“I apologize,” I said. “You are completely correct.”

Sparrow stared down at me, her aggressive posture gradually relaxing. “Apology accepted.” She patted my muzzle, and then settled back on her haunches. “Take a moment and clear your head.”

“Very well.” I moved my head towards hers. “I may seem ungrateful, but I truly do appreciate your friendship, and your efforts. So…” I stretched my neck, and licked her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Alright, alright,” Sparrow said, shoving my muzzle away with a soft laugh. “You’re welcome, Ella.” She stretched her wings. “Now, if everyone’s ready? I’d just as soon get this over with.”

We returned to the skies with Sparrow and Blue Jay in formal escort formation around me. All too soon there were roads and rails everywhere. A locomotive chugged across the distant horizon. Uneven lines of pumps rose and fell against the earth, surrounded by storage tanks. Carriages and heavy carts pulled by horses and yaks left trails of dust behind them. Stone walls and wooden fences divided patchwork lands between farms. Unfamiliar livestock grazed on bales of hay. Freshly tilled earth awaited spring’s warmth and the planting of crops. Villages crowded around every crossroad.

For the first time in all my life, I was deep in human lands, now.

Smoke smudged the distant sky. At first it was just a faint haze, but the closer we drew, the thicker it became until a gray pall smothered the horizon. The outlines of immense buildings loomed within it. Worry tingled at the base of my frill spines. I had never seen so much smoke without a great fire roaring beneath it.

“Sparrow! Is the city on fire?”

“What?” Sparrow glanced around, red-flecked crown feathers rising in alarm. “Where do you see fire?”

“Look at all that smoke!” I pointed towards our destination. “Is Tivos burning?”

A grin slowly parted Sparrow’s beak. “No, Ella! Nesh, tell her so I don’t have to shout over the wind!”

“You say that like I don’t have to shout!” Nesh scooted up against the back of my neck to speak closer to my ear. “That smoke’s normal for big cities. It comes from factories, locomotives, refuse incinerators, and so on. It’s nothing to worry about, Ella.”

I found that hard to believe, but lapsed back into silence. We remained at a high altitude as we continued towards the city. The closer we drew to Tivos, the more densely packed the villages and farms around it became. A network of roads linked the little settlements, like nodes on a spider’s web. A strange, ungainly thing with great wheels ambled down a lane, belching smoke. Another followed it, pulling a wide, blue-painted wagon. Other thoroughfares were filled with humans walking on foot, riding animals, and driving carriages and wagons. Around the settlements there were more of the bizarre, wheeled machines.

“Oh, look at all those!” Nesh pointed out some of the noisy, lumbering monstrosities. “I didn’t think they’d have so many road locomotives this far outside the city.”

I searched the ground for its track but saw only hard-packed earth. “Does it not require rails?”

“Different kind of locomotive, Ella!” Nesh stroked my scales. “Road locomotives and tractors-”

“Nevermind!” I banked and descended quickly, following Sparrow as she bled off altitude. “Your explanation must wait for a better time!”

Nesh chuckled, patting me. “Of course!”

Soon enough, the city’s staggering details came into focus. It was ringed by the largest, most imposing stone walls I’d ever imagined. Haphazard lines of wooden shacks, flimsy tents, and colorful tarpaulins surrounded the towering barrier. Muddy lanes ran everywhere amidst them. Larger, sturdier buildings lined the streets leading towards the entry gates. Colorful signs hung above doorways and from poles. The skeletal framework of half-finished buildings littered the area.

A whole line of vehicles and conveyances waited outside the main gates. Men in military coats examined each one inside and out before admitting it. Nearby cannon emplacements guarding the road ensured compliance. Many more cannons and artillery batteries dotted the top of the monolithic wall, with others protruding from evenly spaced holes in the stone. Soldiers walked the battlements and kept watch from turrets and towers.

Beyond the great walls sprawled an impossible labyrinth of streets, houses, shops, storefronts, churches, government ministries, and more I could not identify. Some were built of wood, painted red and white. Many more were hewn of stone, with stories stacked upon stories and slate tile roofs. Even the streets were paved in flat rock. The entire city was drowning in an ocean of humanity. The roads pulsed, as if the inhabitants were but blood flowing through Tivos’s veins.

My heart dropped into my stomach, and my paws went cold. Never had I fathomed so many humans in one place. There were more of them in this city alone than our great Valley ever had dragons. That this was far from their largest city was almost inconceivable. Melakar was right. Humanity was countless beyond measure, and we had long since been left behind.

Every instinct I had screamed at me to turn away from this place. I was flying directly into the den of my ancestral enemies. Our two species had slain each other for generations. If I entered their city, why would the humans ever let me leave with my life? No, I told myself. If Melakar could do this, I could do this. I imagined him alongside me, and the thought steadied my nerves.

Sparrow banked sharply, leading us away from the gate. We followed the snaking wall that surrounded the city. Some sections of it looked old, while others appeared newly fortified. Soldiers sprang into action around weaponry mounted on mobile platforms with gears and cranks. As men turned heavy wheels, immense gun barrels rose and pivoted, tracking us across the sky. My heart skipped a beat. Fear and anger left my fire glands tingling, ready to incinerate anyone who would dare aim at a dragon.

“They’re aiming at us!” I snapped my jaws at Sparrow’s tail.

“I noticed!” Sparrow’s voice was far too taut.

Nesh leaned forward, an arm around my neck. “Dare I ask why? Is this about Melakar?”

“I don’t know!” Sparrow glanced back, nervous anger flashing in her eyes. “That shouldn’t be cause to take aim on their own gryphons! Just stay close!”

I did as Sparrow asked, even as more and more cannons tracked our flight. Commanders shouted orders and coordinates. Entire gunnery platforms rotated towards us. Their movement was methodical, reliant on groups of men to turn the cranks that adjusted their position. I could outmaneuver them in open combat, but flying a predictable route made me an easy target. Suddenly, I wondered if these were the same kind of weapons used to shoot down Melakar.

“Sparrow!” Urgency tightened my voice. “They assigned you this route while expecting Melakar, right? What if it’s because they wanted to make him an easy target?”

Blue Jay broke formation and flew up alongside me. “If they’ve set a trap for a dragon, they might well spring it on whoever takes the bait! I think we should abandon this route, and-Avalek!” Sudden urgency transformed Blue Jay’s words into a warning. “Count and cover, count and cover! Ella, dive!”

“Down, down, down!” Sparrow roared like I’d rarely heard her, a fiery, commanding scream.

She tucked her wings and dove, and instinct drove me to the do the same. Nesh clung to my neck. Blue Jay plummeted at my side, matching my descent as if to shield me. As I hurtled from the sky, I saw gunners covering their ears. Another signaled a countdown that ended just as I realized what the term ‘count and cover’ meant. Orange flame and a deafening blast erupted from their cannon. Something shrieked overhead, cracking through the air.

Sparrow pulled up just in time to avoid smashing into the ground. Unable to maneuver like her, I extended my wings gradually to slow my dive before leveling off. I quickly checked on the others. Nesh gripped me tightly. His face was pallid and drawn, but he was unharmed. The birds were angry and bristled up, but equally unhurt. Together we swept over shacks, tents, and panicked humans. Everything happened so swiftly it took me another breath to realize the obvious.

“They fired at us!” Blood boiled in my veins. My fire glands throbbed, demanding retaliation. “We must counterattack!”

“I agree!” Blue Jay snarled, every feather bristled. “I will not tolerate-”

“It was a warning shot!” Sparrow’s venomous tone and unsheathed claws told me her fury matched ours, despite her composure. “If they wanted us dead, they’d have used flak!”

I fought back a roar. The very idea of a warning shot was infuriating. “You do not use cannons to warn someone! We did nothing wrong, and they fired upon us! I will not fly this route any longer!”

Sparrow balled up her forepaws, growling. “For once, Dragon? I agree! I didn’t acquiesce to their mandated route just so they could lob warning shots over our head! We’re not playing this game anymore! We’ll cross their damn wall here!”

“In that case…” Blue Jay banked away, looping back towards the now-smoking artillery battery. “Permission to give them a warning, Flight Captain?”

“Permission granted!” Sparrow dipped a wing, following him. “They’re going to court martial us anyway, so we may as well give them a good reason!”

“And I shall happily testify that they fired first!” Nesh adjusted his safety straps. “Right after I lodge a v_ery_ formal complaint!”

I swooped after the gryphons, all my claws unsheathed. “We’re retaliating? About damn time!”

“We’re flying into the city, Dragon!” Sparrow glanced back. “We’re just sending them a very loud message on the way! So don’t kill anyone!”

“Yes, remember these are still my countrymen,” Nesh said. “So please try not to hurt anyone…” He cinched another strap tighter. “Too badly, anyway.”

As much as pride demanded blood, I knew Nesh was right. “Very well! Birds! You get the humans, I’ll get the cannon!”

“Agreed, Ella!” Sparrow beat her wings in swift, powerful motions. “But be quick about it, before we start taking sidearms and rifle fire!”

Nesh slapped my neck for emphasis. “And no flames near the explosives this time!”

We ascended sharply and together we crested the great wall with roars and keening cries. Startled soldiers scurried everywhere as we alighted upon the sprawling artillery platform. For a few seconds, confusion reigned amongst them. None had even drawn their personal weapons, yet. It seemed the last thing they expected was for us to turn around and attack them directly. Then a commander called out orders, and the birds sprang into action.

Sparrow called out in an odd, staccato gryphon dialect, and Blue Jay answered in the same. They split apart, heading for opposite groups of soldiers. Blue Jay went for the commander, and as the man drew his pistol, Blue Jay slapped it out of his hand. Other humans shouldered rifles as Blue Jay hoisted their commander off his feet. Then he threw the human as easily as a child might throw a doll, sending him crashing into his own men. Several loud reports went off as the whole group toppled together, but the bullets cracked through the air well wide of us.

At the same time, Sparrow hurtled into a cluster of cannoneers fleeing their posts. She sent one tumbling across the stony ground, and another flying through the air. Several drew weapons, but Sparrow spun and twisted amidst them in a feathery blur. She swatted a pistol out of one man’s hand before sweeping his legs out from under him. Another she kicked in the chest with a hind paw, sending him sprawling. She snatched a rifle in her beak, and with a sharp twist of her neck, tossed it off the wall.

With their posts abandoned, I went for the cannon. I was larger than any I had seen, with a barrel longer than my tail. Crates of ammunition and other supplies were stacked neatly nearby. Heavy cogs and support structures surrounded the thing, along with the oversized wheels and knobs used for turning it. A gunner’s seat was attached near the back. Sighting equipment ran along one side of it, marked with numbers.

“Don’t touch the barrel!” Nesh pointed to smoke still drifting from it. “The rest should be safe!”

I fell upon the thing with righteous fury, ripping and tearing. I wrenched the gunner’s seat free, and hurled it at the soldiers scrapping with Sparrow. I tore off sighting equipment and smashed it against the ground. I tossed control levers over the side of the wall. Then I grasped the largest, most important looking cog I could see.

“Ella, wait,” Nesh said. “Maybe don’t do anything that can’t be-”

I ripped the massive gear free with an agonized, metallic shriek. Metal and wood cracked, another gear exploded, showering me with fragments. With a horrifying groan, the whole immense weapon lurched to one side. I scrambled back, still clutching my prize, as the gigantic barrel’s supports shattered, sending it crashing down onto the wall. Were my ears not still ringing from the cannon’s report, the cacophony of metal collapsing onto stone would have been deafening. I reared onto my hind legs, and threw the cog into the air like a disc, hurling it as far away from the city as I could.

Nesh sagged. “Repaired.”

I pivoted, calling to the battered humans. “I came here to make peace with your city, and you fire upon me?” I lashed my tail through debris. “Then consider this my warning shot!”

“Yes, you incompetent shits, we’re on your side!” Blue Jay hissed at the soldiers. “Next time, I won’t be so gentle!”

“Time to go!” Sparrow bound to the interior edge of the wall, spreading her wings. “Stay as low as you can over the city!”

Further down the wall, other cannons had rotated to take aim at us once more. Soldiers shouldered rifles. I doubted they would fire on us while their companions’ lives were at stake, but we had pressed our luck far enough already. Sparrow leapt off the edge, diving towards the city below. I followed her as quickly as I could. Several distant gunshots rang out, and a bullet chipped stone far too close for comfort. Nesh pressed himself against me. Blue Jay followed at my side, and together we hurtled towards slate tile roofs and pointed eaves.

Sparrow threw her wings open so late a steeple nearly tickled her belly fur as she leveled off. I flared my wings to bleed momentum, waiting as long as I dared to break my dive. When I pulled up, my tail caught a brick chimney, sending a burst of pain from its tip to my haunches. I grit my teeth to hold in my cry as shattered bricks spilled across rooftops and down onto the streets below. Blue Jay joined me, cackling.

“That was fun, Ella!” His warble sounded distinctly like approval. “Did you take out that chimney on purpose?”

“Of course!” I kept my eyes fixed on Sparrow in hopes he wouldn’t see my eyes watering.

“Nice!” Blue Jay beat his wings, still laughing. “That was fun, Ella!”

“Gods!” Nesh sat up a little straighter. “You really are a damn raider!”

Sparrow let out a sharp keen, silencing us. “Stay alert, and stay close! I don’t think they’ll fire down into the city, but the soldiers in the streets can sure as hell fire up!”

I followed Sparrow across the city, so low we swooped directly over rooftops and storefronts. People yelled and ran for shelter in buildings. Others dove under carts and wagons. Animals reared and struggled to break free of yokes and harnesses. Some soldiers called for order, others for armaments. Whenever we saw weapons being aimed, we took evasive action, using the structures of the city to shield us.

“What’s your plan, Bird?” My stomach was ice water and tangled knots.

“To try and salvage this mission!” Sparrow hissed her reply, rising quickly to crest the soot-crusted chimneys of a red stone building. “So I’m going to need you to trust me!”

I followed her over the building and back down. “Dare I ask what that means?”

“We land at our original destination!” Sparrow darted across a street, forcing Blue Jay and I to keep up with her. “If I’m right, and that cannon fire was a warning shot? Then we can still resolve this peacefully! But you’re going to help deescalate things by laying on your belly, and letting me do the talking!”

I shuddered at the idea of acting so submissive before my enemies. “And if you’re wrong?”

Sparrow banked sharply to avoid a belltower. “Then we’re flying into a trap! And I’ll damn sure help you fight your way out of it!”

“We both will!” Blue Jay swept around the other side of the tower. “And then you’ll be stuck with us, because we’ll be fugitives.”

I swallowed hard. Though Blue Jay made light of it, the gryphons were putting not just their careers, but their lives on the line for me. For Melakar’s great dream. Surely, that dream now hung in the balance, but I refused to let it die. Melakar believed me worthy to wear the Mantle. The Stars believed me worthy of their Song. It was long past time I acted as though I believed it, too.

“Avalek!” I called Sparrow by her real name, for the first time in memory. To a dragon, names had power, and meaning. I used hers because I truly meant what I was about to say. “I trust you! And I ask you, humbly. Help me make peace!”

Sparrow cast me a strange look across her wings, somewhere between joy and befuddlement. “I shall do my very best, Ellamyriss!” She turned her eyes forward, gesturing with a paw. “Do you see those arches, just up ahead?” She gestured at a series of towering iron arches, spanned with a decorative, emerald-green awning. “That’s the locomotive station we’re landing at! As soon as we touch down, drop to your belly so they know you’re not a threat!”

“Understood!”

Wooden barricades blocked the roads near our destination. Lines of men in black soldiers’ coats stood beyond them, holding rifles. Another man walked behind them, shouting orders. Sparrow sped ahead of us, swooping over the humans. She called out loud reminders that I was an authorized visitor, escorted by the Gryphon Legion. I could not tell if they were listening.

After flying over the barricades, I passed long, red-brick buildings with tall glass windows, and vaunted skylights. Immense iron arches loomed ahead of me. Sprawling green awnings spanned platforms with wooden benches alongside a multitude of rail tracks. Sparrow circled the plaza once, then dropped to the ground and signaled for me to do the same. I touched down harder and faster than usual, jarring Nesh. I trotted to bleed off speed as Blue Jay landed behind me.

All around the plaza, armed humans pointed their firearms at me. My belly lurched. Trickles of ice dribbled down my spine, and into my limbs. It was all I could do to resist the urge to incinerate the threats before they could open fire. The thought left bitter fire bile coating my tongue. I pivoted, staring them all down, searching for the strength to submit to my enemies.

“Now, Ella!” Sparrow slapped the ground. “Lie down!”

“It’s alright, Ella.” Nesh’s words were soft, and meant for me alone. “You’ve already shown them a dragon’s strength. Now show them a Queen’s restraint.”

As he so often did, Nesh found just the right words to help. I told myself I was not submitting; I was showing Queenly restraint. I lowered myself onto my belly, stretching my forelegs ahead of me. Nesh undid his straps and hopped off my back, hurrying around in front of me. He stretched his arms as if to shield me from their fire. Somewhere, deep in my heart, I knew that if they hurt Nesh, I would burn their army to the ground.

“Alright, alright, you can lower your rifles now!” Nesh gestured with his outstretched hands. “As you can plainly see, she’s not a threat to you! She’s here with peaceful intent. We’ve simply had a grave misunderstanding, thanks to your jumpy cannoneers!”

I took a breath, reminding myself who I was now. I was Queen Ellamyriss, and needed to act the part. “My Ambassador is correct!” As I called out across the plaza, I kept my voice as calm as I could. “I am not here to fight you! However, I felt compelled to defend my companions and myself when you fired upon us. For that, I apologize. I wish your city no harm.” Then, I lowered my head and rested it upon the stony ground near Nesh’s boots. “Now what, Sparrow?”

“Now, I raise some hell.” Sparrow glanced at me. “Things may get worse before they get better, but you need to let Blue Jay and I handle it.” A smile parted her beak, and perked her ears. “That was good, by the way. Remember that for when I introduce you.” Then she swept her wing towards me. “Remove her majesty’s gear, Ambassador. Just in case she needs her mobility.”

“Ambassador, hmm?” Nesh hurried around me, chuckling to himself. “Quite a promotion from vassal, I should think.”

Sparrow’s smile was gone as quickly as it arrived, replaced with a snarl. Her ears pinned back. Despite all the rifles pointed at us, Sparrow strode towards the lines of soldiers with the swaggering confidence of a lion cornering a mouse. Some of the riflemen even took a few steps back, gun barrels shaking. She glowered down at them, a low, rumbling growl emanating from deep within her.

“Where is your commanding officer?” Sparrow’s voice was rolling thunder, a scarcely contained storm. “Because he’s the first one I’m about to have jailed!”

“Right here, Gryphon!” A new voice called out from behind the crowd.

Soldiers parted, and I caught glimpses of dark metal and large, iron-clad wheels further back. “Nesh,” I said, my voice a whisper. “They have cannons here, too.”

“I know, Ella.” Nesh worked quickly, undoing straps and removing packs from my body.

The local commander stormed through the crowd, anger darkening his complexion. Lines creased his face, and hints of gray streaked his hair. Golden sigils marked the shoulders of his coat. A rifle was slung over his shoulder. He came to a stop just before Sparrow, fire glimmering in his eyes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He jabbed his finger at her beak like a tiny spear. “I should have-”

“You fired on us!” Sparrow snapped her wings forward, her muscles tensed. “We followed your directives, flew your route, and you repay us with artillery fire? I’ll have you in a cell by sundown!”

The commander thumped his finger into Sparrow’s beak. “It was a damn warning shot! But you? You attacked us!”

Sparrow smacked his hand away, hard enough to stagger him. “Only because your damn cannoneer nearly took our heads off! Everything that happened after that is on you!”

“Listen here, you cocky bird!” The commander immediately jabbed her beak again. “You’re damn lucky you weren’t all shot down for attacking Imperial forces!”

In a flash, Sparrow snatched him by his coat, claws digging into the thick fabric. She hoisted him up off his feet, her crown feathers flared. “We are Imperial forces, you arrogant little shit-worm! I should stuff you into one of those cannons, and see how far beyond that wall I can blast you!”

Several soldiers rushed forward to aid their commander. One of them aimed a shaking rifle at Sparrow’s head. “Release the commander! Now!”

Blue Jay surged forward, snatching the man’s rifle away in an indigo blur. “The next person to point a rifle at her is going to eat it!” He tossed the weapon aside, growling. “Point one at me, and you’ll lose your damn arms!”

“Let me be perfectly clear!” Sparrow threw the commander to the ground, hard enough to rattle his bones. Then she turned, tapping the insignia on her harness. “These golden wings mean I outrank all of you!” Her sonorous voice rang out across the plaza. “And aiming your service weapon at a superior officer is grounds for immediate court martial!”

“Punishable by a minimum of ten years imprisonment!” Blue Jay shoved one of the soldiers so hard the man toppled over, crying out. “Furthermore, pursuant to regulation Four Four Seven, Section Five, Article Two, you are all accomplices to the attempted murder of Gryphon Legion officers, the penalty for which is life sentence!”

This was a side of the birds I had never seen. Whether they spoke the truth or not, it was working. Confusion washed over the soldiers. Some of the glanced at one another, lowering their weapons. Others came forward to assist the commander, this time without raising their guns.

He stumbled to his feet, grinding his jaw. “Be careful, Bird. Because you don’t outrank me.” He took a moment to dust off his coat, but when he spoke again, his voice was slightly more measured than before. “This is not the dragon we expected. Our orders-”

“Who you expected is not my concern!” Sparrow stretched her wings to their full extent, hissing. “I am escorting this dragon to start official trade negotiations, under Imperial Special Authorization Act Seventeen! Which means, I have carte blanche authority to ensure those negotiations happen!” She lifted her crown feathers, stepping forward so her beak was inches from the commander’s face. “I fact I made perfectly clear to you this morning, before you promised me safe passage.” She folded her wings in a quick, curt gesture. “I should have you all exiled to a coal mine in a tundra for the rest of your careers!”

I had to admit, I liked seeing Sparrow’s fiery side directed at someone else. When the commander furrowed his brow, uncertain, I cleared my throat. Sparrow glanced back at me. I used a wing tip to point to myself, and Sparrow nodded once. It was time to tell them who I really was.

“For those unfamiliar,” Sparrow said, sounding like a fed-up parent lecturing her misbehaving children. “Imperial Special Authorization Act Seventeen governs the escort and protection of visiting diplomats and monarchs! And this dragon?” She swept her wing in a grand gesture. “Is royalty!” Sparrow pivoted towards me, then mantled her wings and bowed her head.

I pushed myself to my paws in a slow, dramatic rise. As I stood, I called out in the same, calm, regal voice I used earlier. “I am Queen Ellamyriss! Ruler of the Valley of Gods Blood and Earth Flame!”

“Queen Ellamyriss!” Sparrow repeated my title so venomously she sounded insulted I was not recognized. “Ruler of the great Valley of Dragons. Her Majesty visits your city with peaceful intent, as an official guest of the Gryphon Legion. She was invited for negotiations, yet you dare aim your weapons at her? You fire at her?” She snatched a feather from her wing and spat it on the ground, a very insulting gryphon gesture. “Is this truly how your city welcomes royalty?”

“So, it’s Queen now, is it?” A woman’s voice sounded across the plaza, strong and clear. Its familiarity haunted me. “Lower your damn weapons! This royal dragon is my invited guest!”

All around us, soldiers murmured in confusion, lowering and holstering weapons. Men quickly bustled about, forming up into official ranks. They parted, forming a lane for the new arrival. A woman in a long, fur-lined coat strode through them, stopping only when the commander barred her way.

“Governor, I cannot advise against this any more strongly!” The man held up his hands. “You must remain in a safe location until we can verify-”

“Oh, shut up the hell, Nemos.” The governor gave her commander an irritable shove. “I know this damn dragon! Move aside!”

My jaw dropped. It couldn’t be.

The governor slipped past Nemos. She offered the gryphons a quick salute, and then strode right up to me as if she’d known me for half her life.

Because she had.

“Hello, Ella.” She reached up, and when I lowered my head, she hugged me in front of all her soldiers. “It’s been a very long time.”

“H-Hello, Ayrah…” Suddenly, I could scarcely find my voice.

I returned Ayrah’s hug with a gentle paw upon her back. Her laughter echoed in my head, and I saw her in a thousand memories, all at once. Riding on Melakar’s back, cackling like mad. Hiding behind me as I shielded her from a flurry of snowballs. Stretched out on Melakar’s bedding, reading one of his old tomes. Regaling us with tales of bravery and thievery. And I saw her fast asleep in Melakar’s arms.

They were so close, once. And now I had to tell her…

“_That’_s Ayrah?” Nesh gaped at her. “The Governor?”

Ayrah released my head, easing back. “I see my reputation proceeds me.”

Sparrow glanced between the soldiers, and my former vassal. “You’re Ayrah? We thought we’d have to search you out. You…” She splayed her ears. “You run the whole province?”

“That’s generally what a governor does, yes.” Ayrah chuckled, smirking at the gryphons. “Speaking of which. At ease, legionnaires.” The birds shared a confused look before settling onto their haunches. Ayrah turned back towards me, smiling. “It’s good to see you, Ella.”

“You…” I sat down as well. “You too, Ayrah.”

Rarely did I find myself so speechless. How a thief on the run came to rule an entire province, I had no idea. She looked much the same as ever, aside from a decade’s worth of aging. Her curly, copper hair was browner now, and tinted with streaks of gray. More lines etched her face. Despite that, a familiar mischief still danced in her eyes. She wore a body-length black coat trimmed in gold, and lined with gray fur.

“Never thought I’d see you leave that valley.” Ayrah shook her head, smiling to herself. “At least, not…” She hesitated, and set a trembling hand upon my chest. “Not without…”

Ayrah looked up, searching the sky. Hope flickered in her eyes. I knew who she was so desperately longing to see, and it broke my heart all over again. Ayrah knew me all too well. Under any other circumstances, I never would have left the valley. Moment by moment, her smile crumbled. The hope in her died as the empty sky spoke the awful truth.

I was only here because Melakar was dead.

“I…” I bowed my head, my voice a trembling whisper. “I’m sorry, Ayrah. He’s…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it any more than she could bring herself to ask.

Ayrah collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders quaked as she broke down sobbing. Her grief woke something in me, a great and overwhelming ocean of anguish. It erupted as a tide of cold sorrow pouring from my heart into every fiber of my being. My jaws ached, my throat clenched, and tears ran down my muzzle. I had mourned him, in my way. But the rituals were not completed, the grief within me not truly addressed. I knew he was gone, but faced with another life Melakar had touched so deeply, his death was a fresh wound upon my mending soul.

“I know.” Heedless of those around us, I wrapped my forelegs around Ayrah. I pulled her close, and she buried her face against my chest. “I know, Ayrah. I know.”

I stretched my wings and curled them around Ayrah, shielding her from the world and the uncaring sky. Ayrah sobbed against me, and I cried into my wings.

Together, we grieved for someone we both loved.

*****

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ayrah

*****

Sorrow was my essence, and memory my only vision. I clutched Ayrah to my chest as my life with Melakar played out across my mind. As hatchlings, we tumbled over mountain meadows. We chased each other through the clouds as soon as we could fly. Our first mating was all fumbling passion, our first fight was nothing but foolish anger. A declaration of undying love echoed through my head. I sobbed against Melakar as our son hatched, and together we celebrated the best moments of Vevarek’s life. When our son was gone, bitterness and spite consumed me. I took it out on Melakar time and again until I had wounded his soul too deeply.

Eventually, my tears were spent, but my pain was not so easily expended. I lifted my head, struggling to blink the bleariness from my eyes. Nesh was busy freeing the gryphons of their gear and piling it nearby. The bird’s wings were outstretched, offering us a curtain of feathered privacy while we grieved. The soldiers were all at ease now. Rifles were slung over shoulders and pistols holstered. The artillery was turned away. Even the commander looked chastised. He stood with his arms folded and refused to meet my gaze. Some of the men murmured, gesturing at us. Others stood still and tried not to stare.

I kept Ayrah cradled within my embrace. She was welcome to my sheltering comfort for as long as she wished it. When I felt her stir, I glanced down. She lifted her tear-streaked face to offer me a thankful smile. I curled my neck down, and ever so gently, bumped my nose against her face. Ayrah cradled my muzzle, pressing her forehead to me. She held me that way for long moments, before pulling away from my grasp. As I eased back my wings, she took a few moments to collect herself. Ayrah rubbed her eyes, then wiped her face with her sleeve. She took a few slow, deep breaths before she stood.

Ayrah smoothed out her coat, lifting her voice. “I will say this once, and only once.” She whirled on her men, her words suddenly sharp and deadly serious. “This dragon is my guest! You will treat her and her companions like the gods-damned Imperial Family! Anyone who so much as points a weapon in their general direction again will find themselves in a jail cell! Is that perfectly clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” The soldiers spoke in a unified voice, scrambling into formation.

Ayrah beckoned forth the commander. He approached in quick, even steps, then saluted. Ayrah waved at him. “Ella, this is Nemos. I hope you’ll forgive his poor social skills, and his terrible welcome.” She held up a finger. “But the entire province is on edge, and Nemos is responsible for our defenses. I cannot fault him for taking that duty seriously.”

“I understand.” I bowed my head. There were many unpleasant things I wished to say to Nemos, but none of them would foster peace. “I shall forgive you.”

Sparrow growled under her breath. “I’ll think about it.”

Ayrah glanced at Sparrow. “Good enough.” She gestured at me. “Nemos, this is Ellamyriss. She was…” Ayrah swallowed, her voice shaking. “Melakar’s former mate.”

Nemos’ steely exterior softened, and he sighed. “I gathered.” He glanced around at everyone. “I apologize for our actions. However, we…” Nemos trailed off when Ayrah put a hand on his shoulder.

“We received word that dragons have attacked our people, and killed a lot of soldiers.” Ayrah pursed her lips, her face hardening. “And that one was shot down, but another escaped…” Her eyes drifted to Nesh. “Possibly with a hostage. The capital thinks they might be working for Shevar, so orders came down to remain on highest alert for hostile dragons.” She took a slow breath. “I think I always knew it was one of you two they killed, but…” Ayrah sniffed, and wiped her eyes. “I tried to deny it.”

Nemos picked up for her. “We were already worried about an attack, so when she deceived us…” He thrust his finger at Sparrow. “We had to assume the worst.”

“You assumed you knew which dragon I was bringing!” Sparrow hissed at him, fluffing up. “You gave me no reason to specify.”

“And it shouldn’t have mattered,” Blue Jay said, waving a wing. “Given her Gryphon Legion escort! Or do you always fire on your own people?”

Nemos clenched his jaw. “How the hell could we know if you were really from the Legion?” He jerked his thumb at their discarded equipment. “That harness is so cobbled together it looks like it’s been in a fight with a dragon! For all we knew, you might have been a raider who stole it off a dead legionnaire!”

“That’s enough, Nemos.” Ayrah set her hand upon his arm, quieting him. She turned her attention to the gryphons, her voice cold, but even. “We both escalated things too far. Agreed?”

Sparrow nodded once. “Agreed.” She brushed a wing across Blue Jay, keeping him silence. “I apologize for the misunderstanding that put us in this situation.” Sparrow bowed her head, splaying her front legs. When her bow ended, she sharpened her tone. “But I will not apologize for protecting my companions.” She glanced at Nemos. “Nor do I expect you to apologize for protecting yourself.”

“Good.” Nemos folded his arms. “Because I won’t.”

Ayrah pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let’s call that progress.” She turned, staring up at the distant wall where we’d attacked the cannon emplacement. “Was anyone hurt?”

Nemos grimaced. “I haven’t been briefed yet. But if they were-”

“No one was harmed,” Blue Jay said, splaying his ears. “Not seriously, anyway.”

Sparrow slapped her paw against the ground. “They’ll be bruised and sore, but we were careful. They’re still our people.”

“Then can you all agree to move forward under more peaceful terms?” Ayrah stared at the two gryphons. “If Ella can find forgiveness, surely you two can.”

Sparrow puffed herself up. “Firstly, I should like to make it clear that I have never been fired on by my own people. Secondly, I wish to lodge a formal complaint about Commander Nemos on behalf of myself, my companions, and the Gryphon Legion.” Just as Nemos began to protest, Sparrow cut him off. “Thirdly, given the nature of my current mission, I am willing to lodge that complaint solely with the local Governor, and escalate it no further.” She looked at Blue Jay. “Acceptable?”

Blue Jay clacked his beak. “For now. Your governorship?”

Ayrah gave a curt nod. “Acceptable. Commander Nemos…” Ayrah pivoted on her heel. “Consider yourself reprimanded.”

Nemos saluted. “Yes, Ma’am. However, I also wish to-”

“I know, I know.” Ayrah waved him off, whirling back towards Sparrow. “Flight Captain…” She waggled her fingers at Sparrow. “Whatever your name is. Consider yourself and your second reprimanded, as well.”

Sparrow lowered her head again. “Yes, Governor.” Then she stepped towards Nemos. “On that note, I am willing to move forward if you are.”

“Very well.” Nemos held his hand out towards her.

Sparrow delicately clasped his hand in her paw, and shook it in an odd human ritual.

I glanced over at Nesh, my voice soft. “What the hell is happening?”

Nesh merely shrugged. “Stroking pride and saving face, mostly.”

Blue Jay stepped forward next, and also gently shook the human’s hand. He flattened his ears, his voice dangerously flat. “Don’t shoot at us again.”

Nemos smiled, matching his tone. “If I do, it won’t be a warning shot.”

“Then we have an understanding.” Blue Jay released his hand, and settled onto his haunches. “I can work with this one.”

“You’d damn well better,” Ayrah said. “Because you’re going to need his permission if you plan to stay in my city.” She turned towards me, a playful smile on her face. “But Ella, you can stay as long as you want. Now, why don’t you introduce your mouthy friends?”

Sparrow brushed her tail against me. “Keep to the nicknames, for now.”

“Very well.” I used a wingtip to indicate my companions. “The gryphons are Sparrow, and Blue Jay. They serve your military, just as they claim. As does my newest vassal.” I curled a foreleg around Nesh, pulling close. “This one is called Concu-”

“Nesh will suffice.” He patted my paw. “I’m damn sure not going to be called that.” Nesh leaned over my limb to present his hand to Ayrah. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Governor.”

Ayrah accepted his paw-shaking ritual, eying his coat’s markings. “Yours as well, Medic.” When she returned her attention to me, a hint of mischief had joined the sorrow lingering in her eyes. “So, calling yourself queen these days, are you?”

“That is correct.” I arched my neck and flared my wings. “Queen Ellamyriss, of the Valley of Gods’ Blood and Earth Flame.”

Ayrah stared at me, incredulous. She shook her head, muttering to herself. “Gods damn it, Melakar, you actually talked her into it.” She swallowed, patting my foreleg. “I didn’t think he could.”

“Something like that.” I was not about to discuss the specifics in front of strangers. “Suffice it to say, I have chosen to take up the Queen’s Mantle.” I curled my tail around a hind paw, wondering just how much Ayrah knew of Melakar’s plans. “We have much to discuss.”

Ayrah rubbed her chin. “That we do. I’ve a place you can all stay, with room and privacy aplenty. We’ll talk there.”

I ground my teeth. The idea of sleeping within a human city left my frills tingling and my spines flared. “I would prefer to sleep somewhere safer-”

“Oh, quit bristling your head-spikes.” Ayrah slapped my shoulder. “I promise you’ll be safe here. Besides, I built it for Melakar.” She trailed off, sighing. “We both know he’d want you to stay there and experience the city.”

I gave an irritable grunt and hung my head. Melakar would have wanted that. “Oh, very well.” Then I snorted. “But don’t call my frills head-spikes. And stop swatting me! I’m not your hatchling.”

“We both know I shall swat you whenever and wherever I wish.” Ayrah scratched me just under my chin. “And they’re spikes. On your head. Head-spikes.”

Before I could stop myself, I leaned into her affection. “They are called frills, and frill spines. You will address them as such.”

“I’ll call your sticky-outty skull ornaments whatever I like.” Ayrah lifted her other hand to scratch both sides of my jaw at once. “And you’ll be purring like a kitten for me all the while.”

The way her fingers danced had me fighting back just such a purr. I’d forgotten Ayrah knew all the best and most delightful ways to pet and scratch a dragon. Much as I wished to snarl something offensive, her touch was just too damn relaxing.

Blue Jay nudged Nesh. “I hope you’re taking notes, Concubine.”

Nesh ignored the jibe, staring at Ayrah. “I’m just baffled she got away with threatening to swat Ella anywhere.”

Ayrah gave Nesh a wicked smile. “I spent more years living with dragons than you spent in medical school. They’re really just overgrown cats with dirty minds.”

Nesh jerked his thumb at Blue Jay. “So are gryphons.” He folded his arms. “I might have to start using that bit about skull ornaments.”

Ayrah finished her pleasant ministrations and turned towards the others. “Dare I ask why that gryphon calls you concubine?”

“Ugh.” Nesh dragged a hand down his face. “It’s an inside joke between Ella and I that grows considerably less inside by the day.”

“Shame.” Ayrah adjusted her coat sleeves. “There’s very good money in being a dragon’s concubine.” She spared Blue Jay a glance. “Much less so in being a gryphon’s concubine, considering the Legion’s wages.”

“Well then, he’s in luck!” Blue Jay curled a wing around Nesh. “When Sparrow and I borrow coin from Ella to bribe our way out of a court martial, we’ll borrow enough to pay for Nesh’s services, too.”

Nesh made a grand show of looking the gryphon over, clucking his tongue a few times. Then he shook his head. “You couldn’t afford me.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ayrah punched Nesh on the shoulder hard enough to send him stumbling against the gryphon. “Know your worth!”

Nesh grimaced and rubbed his arm. “I can see why you get along so well with Ella.”

Nemos clasped his hands behind his back, the corners of his mouth upturned. “Probably the same reason she fits in so well with the pub crowd.”

“Pubs, you say?” Blue Jay stepped closer. “Perhaps you could make up for firing upon us by…” He titled his head, white-tipped crown feathers raised. “Treating us to a night at your favorite drinking establishment?”

Sparrow shot him a devious look, her ears splayed. “I’d warn you not to earn another demotion, but I’m starting to doubt it’s going to matter.”

Ayrah laughed, turning to the gryphons. “You get caught drinking on duty?” She patted his head. “Good bird.”

Blue Jay blinked at her sudden touch, and then warbled. “Yes, but what really got me in trouble was the lovely bar wench I met once I was drunk. She was ever so curious about gryphons, and…” He shook himself, laughing. “As it turns out, backrooms are not as private as they sound.”

Sparrow snapped her beak. “Especially not when the damn tavern’s still open!”

Nemos cleared his throat. Just as I wondered if we were making him uncomfortable, he pivoted towards Ayrah. “That sounds more like you than I suspect you’d care to admit, Ma’am.”

Ayrah only smiled. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, Nemos.”

The grin Nemos struggled to hold back finally arrived. “Only because you were too drunk to remember.”

Ayrah clasped his shoulder. “Exactly so.” She took a deep breath, and turned back towards me. “Now, then. Ella. To business. There are a few things we need to discuss, officially, before I let you into the city. And I notice that while you’re calling yourself Queen, you’re not wearing the Mantle.”

I tilted my head, my ears flat. “You know about that?” Suddenly, I wondered if I should have worn the damn thing, after all. “How much do you know about what Melakar sought to accomplish?”

Ayrah’s lips drew together, and her face hardened. “Everything.”

That set me aback. Silence settled over us. I glanced at the others, and was met only with blank stares, and shrugs. I licked my muzzle. “I see.”

Ayrah folded her arms, her voice soft. “You don’t know, then? Where he’s been, what he’s done?” Her expression fell, and her shoulders slumped. “He never made it back to you, then. He was almost ready to bring you the mantle, and tell you everything.” Ayrah sighed. “When I saw you, alone, I hoped at least he’d done so, but…”

“He…he left me a letter.” I shifted my weight, suddenly uncomfortable in my own hide. “I think perhaps he meant to come to me, when his business with your army was concluded. But instead, they murdered him.” Fresh anger boiled up inside me, and my words twisted into a hiss. “They murdered him, Ayrah. Your people killed him in cold blood, and-”

“Not here.” Ayrah’s steely eyes met mine. “Not in public.”

I ground my teeth and flexed my forepaws, digging clawtips into cobblestone. I knew she was right, but the sudden hot rush of fury was not easily swallowed back. I took a deep breath, and held it until my emotions had abated. “Of course.” I stared down at my paws, ashamed to admit just how little I truly knew. “The painful truth is that I came here hoping for answers. I have pieced together Melakar’s journeys, and aspirations through his notes, and maps. I know he made peace with…” I trailed off when Ayrah set her hand on my muzzle. She shook her head in a slight, barely perceptible motion, but the message was clear. ever so gently shook her head. I lifted my head, gazing across the plaza. An ocean of soldiers still lingered, watching us from nearby. I amended myself. “I am here to take up Melakar’s cause. Whatever he accomplished her, with your people? I seek to further it.” I arched my neck. “I am Queen of the Valley now, and I seek an alliance with your people.”

Nemos turned towards Ayrah. “This one’s a lot blunter than the last one. Took him ages of dancing around the subject to finally just come out and propose an alliance.”

I sucked in a breath. “Had you already forged an alliance with Melakar? I assure you, I will honor it, if you have.”

Ayrah rubbed her hands, scowling. “It’s complicated. The short version is, we were working in secret to hammer out…” She turned towards Sparrow. “Wait, I was told you mentioned trade agreements? Was that just a ruse, or are you actually here to negotiate them?”

“Truthfully, Ayrah?” I curled my tail around my paws. “Our goals have been evolving since the moment we left the valley.” I bowed my head to her. “But I would absolutely be in your debt if you were able to help me forge my first real alliance.”

“If I may, Your Majesty,” Nesh said, straightening his coat. “I think I can help.” He cleared his throat. “May I speak officially, as your ambassador?”

I cocked my head, then waved him forward. “Please do.”

Nesh approached Ayrah, and offered a very formal bow. When he rose, he swept a hand towards me. “Her Majesty seeks to build a lasting alliance with the Empire of Diandrios. To that end, she has expressed a willingness to offer exclusive access rights to the Valley’s many resources. In return, she expects treaties of trade, mutual defense, and of course, an assurance of continued sovereignty.” He paused, clicking his heels. “Now, Her Majesty is pragmatic enough to understand such an alliance will take a great deal of time, and effort. And regrettably, the Queen’s time in Tivos is short.”

As he spoke, Nesh paced back and forth. “You see, Queen Ellamyriss is hosting several injured gryphon legionnaires. Our foray here was in part to purchase medical supplies for their treatment. As such, Her Majesty will not have time for lengthy, formal negotiations just yet.” He clasped his hands behind his back, looking like a lecturing professor. “However, if Queen Ellamyriss returns home with, say, the framework of a local trade agreement? She will surely consider that an important step in the right direction. As well should Tivos, given the vast, vast wealth at Her Majesty’s disposal.”

When Nesh stepped back, it was all I could do not to gape at him in awe. He rarely flexed his diplomatic muscles, but each time was more impressive than the last. I had not expected to hold any sort of meaningful talks whilst I was here. But neither had I expected to find Ayrah serving as Governor. I would not let the opportunity slip through my claws.

I sat up straighter, stretching my wings. “My ambassador is correct. If you and I can form an alliance, surely it will prove an important steppingstone for both our empires.”

“Agreed.” Ayrah beckoned Nemos closer, lowering her voice. “We might still be able to Melakar’s trade agreement work.”

“Melakar’s?” Sparrow squawked, her crown feathers. “No wonder that phrase got your attention. You already drafted one with him, didn’t you?”

The commander offered her an odd, lopsided smile. “Most of one.”

“It’ll have to do.” Ayrah grasped Nemos’s arm. “When we’re done here, have preparations started immediately, just in case.”

Nemos saluted. “Yes, Ma’am.”

I licked my muzzle. “Preparations for what?” Cold anxiety twisted in my belly. Just how much had Melakar already accomplished? “I suppose that’s something else we must discuss in private.”

“Unfortunately.” Ayrah pivoted back towards me. “For now, let’s make your visit official.” She bowed stiffly, an arm across her waist. “On behalf of my entire province, I offer Her Majesty the warmest of welcomes to Tivos.”

“Thank you.” I lowered my head, brushing my muzzle against the cobblestone. I stretched my wings across the ground, offering the most gracious gesture a dragon could manage. “Your hospitality is greatly appreciated.” I glanced at Nemos as I pushed myself back up. “Yours leaves something to be desired.”

The warrior in me was still angry about the warning shot. Nemos was lucky I didn’t haul him off his feet and shake him until he apologized. Or until his bones snapped, whichever came first. But as a Queen, I had to content myself with the apologies and forgiveness already offered.

“Well Ella, with that out of the way…” Ayrah turned, waving her hand in a sweeping motion. She’d always been fond of grand gestures. “Shall we tour the city?”

“No.” There was little I wanted less than to wander narrow, cramped lanes surrounded by gawking humans who might harbor grudges and hidden weaponry. “But refusal would be counterproductive.” I curled a foreleg around Nesh, holding him against my chest. “Nor would my ambassador permit me to spend my entire visit in isolation.”

Blue Jay strode up alongside me. “And if you did, I’d never let you live it down.”

I snorted at him. “Who cares what you think, though?”

The gryphon gave a wounded coo, hanging his head.

“Oh, don’t sulk, bird.” I flicked my tail against his, ruffling its feathers.

Nesh patted my paw. “You were quite taken by that locomotive, right? Aren’t you curious to see what else humans have created?”

“I admit to nothing of the sort.” I ground my teeth, ears pinned, even as I stole a look at the nearby train tracks. “But…Melakar would have wanted me to see the city, so I am willing to tour it in his memory.”

Ayrah’s face lit up. “Yes! That’s a wonderful idea.” She hugged my muzzle. “We’ll tour the city, and have a feast in his honor.” Ayrah eased back, flashing me a playful smile. “Of course, to really honor his memory, we’d have to go to the library.”

“Oh, yes please,” Nesh said. “Could we make that our first destination?”

“Ugh.” I rubbed my head between my horns. “Must we? I can only take so many books before I get a headache.”

“I’m afraid the library isn’t really designed for dragons.” Ayrah laughed, wistful. “Drove poor Melakar mad. Drove me mad too, cause I had to search the shelves on his behalf. At least until I started asking Lir. Then she was stuck with all his book requests whenever he visited.”

“You hunted books for him?” I splayed my ears. “No wonder he kept visiting.”

Nesh slipped away from my grasp, approaching Ayrah. “Just how often was the old boy in town?”

“Several times a year, at least.” Ayrah sighed, her shoulders slumping. “At first, I had special authorizations granted, and soldiers escorted him around. Eventually, the city grew accustomed to him, and he stopped causing a panic every time he flew in.”

“That often?” I stared down at my own forepaws. Sudden, cold guilt dug a pit deep in my stomach. “Then in his last years, you knew him better than I.”

Ayrah stared into the distance, her eyes wet. “He missed you, you know.” She smiled. “Every day.”

I took a shaking breath. Nesh stroked my neck, and I arched into his gentle touch. “I know.”

“Let’s talk about something else, before we both end up crying again.” Ayrah blinked away unshed tears. “There’ll be plenty of time to talk about him later.” She fiddled with the buttons of her coat. “How long will you be staying?”

“At least several days.” I glanced towards the gryphons for confirmation. They both nodded. “We had only planned to remain long enough to purchase supplies, and perhaps negotiate with…” I waggled a wing. “You, I suppose.” I rumbled, lifting my frills. “You know, when I saw your portrait in Melakar’s notes, I hoped to find you here. But I certainly did not expect you to be ruling the province.”

“I’m full of surprises, aren’t I?” Ayrah laughed, gentle and tension-breaking. She turned towards the wall of soldiers standing at attention nearby, waving her hands. “Make room for our guests!” Then she snatched Nemos’ sleeve. “Set up a detachment to provide escort for us. Send another to clear some streets and provide security. Get word passed throughout the city that the dragon is our guest.” Ayrah pointed towards all our shed gear. “And have their things taken to their quarters.” She lowered her voice, leaning in. “Start the other preparations, as well.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Nemos snapped his heels together, saluting. “I’ll meet you with the escort shortly.”

As Nemos hurried off, Ayrah turned back towards us. “I need to find my assistant Lir. Nemos left us waiting in the terminal building till I decided to come handle things myself.” She glanced towards the place in question. “Once I find her, I’ll put Lir your disposal.” Ayrah rubbed my nose. “I’m glad you’re here, Ella.” She sniffled, pressing her forehead to my muzzle. “I wish it were under better circumstances, but it really is good to see you again. It’s been too damn long.”

“Yes,” I said, returning her affection with a gentle lick. “It has.” Then I nudged her away. “Now go find your friend while I still have the nerve to walk through your city.”

*****

Chapter Forty

Tour

*****

As Ayrah vanished into a large, red-brick building, Nemos shouted orders at his men. They scrambled into new formations. Captains yelled their own orders, and each set of soldiers marched off in unison. Cannoneers with mobile artillery disengaged levers and bolts and unloaded ammunition. Supplies were packed, and the cannons carted away. Soon all the soldiers were gone save our escort. They took up evenly spaced positions around us, eerily silent.

Once it was quiet, I noticed a strange hissing noise coming from nearby lamps. Flames flickered in glass enclosures atop iron poles. Many such lights surrounded the plaza, each hissing the same way. I moved closer to one, peering inside. The flame danced and flickered inside a brightly glowing mesh. But I saw no oil to fuel the fire.

“Nesh.” I waved him over. “Why do these lamps sound angry? And where is the oil kept?”

Nesh chuckled. “Those aren’t oil lamps, Ella. They’re gas.”

I scrunched my muzzle, flattening my ears. “What does that mean?”

“These burn a special kind of gas, Ella.” Nesh patted the lamppost. “It’s distilled from coal I think, though...” He scratched his stubbly chin fur. “That sort of thing is far from my area of expertise.”

“Where is the gas kept, then?” I sniffed at the shielded flame. The scent was quite different from burning oil.

“Usually in big storage tanks, often in buildings like that.” Nesh pointed to another sizable brick structure. “The gas is transported through pipes laid in the ground.” He nudged the cobblestone with his toe. “Seems awfully wasteful to light lamps during the day, though.” He peered up at the glowing flame. “But perhaps that’s normal for a busy hub like this.” He scratched his chin again. “Must have a hell of a gasworks industry here.”

I stared at Nesh, only slightly less confused. “And your people have many such lamps?”

“Yes, we do.” Nesh turned a circle, gazing around. “They line the streets, they’re in houses, shops, taverns, and so on. Mind you, they’re still a bit rare in smaller towns. My village just had a whopping four gas lamps installed in the square, right before I shipped off. They threw a big festival and everything. Of course, back home, we didn’t even have our own rail station until recently. A city like Tivos, though? Why, they must have dozens of locomotives in and out every day.”

“Dozens of those things?” I stared across the lines of tracks behind us. “How many of those machines do your people have?”

Nesh shrugged. “Several hundred, I should think.”

“Several hundred?” I tried to wrap my mind around that. Nesh’s nation had more smoke-blenching monstrosities streaking across its landscape than my clan had dragons, even when my parents were young. I dropped onto my haunches, struggling to find words. “That’s…”

Sparrow gently laid her wing across my back. “I tried to tell you. But I know you can’t understand it, until you’ve seen human progress for yourself. And this?” She swept her paw towards the city. “This is nothing. The capital is ten times this size.”

“That is difficult to even imagine.” I gazed down at Sparrow, lifting my ears. “You know the world better than I. Do any of these great cities have dragons living in them?”

Sparrow clicked her beak in thought. “Not in Diandrios.” She drummed her claws against the cobblestone. “But things may be different, on other continents.”

“Nesh mentioned that an Empire…” I glanced towards him for confirmation.

“The Empire of the Black Star.” Nesh steepled his fingers in thought. “Their army has dragons, anyway. Whether the rumors about citizenship are true or not, I certainly can’t say. I haven’t been there. Have you, Sparrow?”

“Have I been across the sea?” Sparrow chirped, ruffling herself. “Of course not. Intel indicates, however, that they do give dragons citizenship in return for military service. A few of them are even given swaths of land.” She patted my forepaw. “Before you get too excited, Ella, you should know the Black Star is considered to be a very oppressive regime, who use their dragons to enforce their rule.”

I flattened back my spines. “Of course, they do. It would have been much to ask for a nation to form an alliance with dragons that doesn’t make us look like…” I glanced at Sparrow. “Demons.”

Nesh held up a hand. “In the interest of fairness…” He gave Sparrow a hard look. “I should point out that the average citizen of Shevar probably thinks we’re an oppressive regime, who use our gryphons to enforce an iron grip upon our own people.”

I tilted my head, a smile creeping across my muzzle. “Sparrow, are you sure your people aren’t demons, too?”

Sparrow tossed her head. “Your point is valid.”

Nesh ignored us, carrying on. “Historically speaking, the Black Star’s great conquest was a truly terrible thing. But in the modern times, the line between truth and rumor is often blurred. For all we know, the Black Star’s dragons might now be cherished figures.”

Sparrow fluffed her wings. “I don’t think that’s the case, but I understand your argument. In any case, Ella, travel across the sea is rare, and accurate information is hard to come by. But no nation of consequence on our continent has any sort of official diplomatic relations with dragons.”

Nesh patted my shoulder. “That just means you’ll have to be the first.”

I appreciated the sentiment. “Perhaps so, Nesh.” I nuzzled his head fur, then returned my attention to Sparrow. “Your clan was the first to formally ally yourself with humans, correct?”

She nodded. “That I know of, yes.”

“Then speak honestly.” I stared down at her, spines raised. “Do you feel more like their friend, or their pet?”

Sparrow ruffled up her red-speckled crown feathers. “Friend.” Then she glanced away, her beak set. “Usually. But there are times when some humans treat you like a loyal hound, or just some beast to be tolerated. There is still work to be done, to be sure.” She puffed out her chest. “But I would take living amongst humans to being swept aside by them every time.”

Nesh tapped my foreleg. “Ayrah’s returning. Looks like she’s found her friend.”

Ayrah strode towards us, now accompanied by a female urd’thin. Of all the sapient species in the world, urd’thin were among the smallest. This one was scarcely as tall as Ayrah’s shoulder, even counting her large, upright ears. Small, black horns crowned the front of her vaguely canine head. Her slender muzzle and large, dark eyes were traits commonly shared by urd’thin. Thick, stark white fur cascaded out of every opening in her golden-hued coat. Gray markings made her look as if she’d dipped her hands in ash, then scratched her ears. She wore black breeches and boots, both trimmed with silver and tailored for urd’thin anatomy.

“Hello there!” Nesh beamed, leaning down to greet the new arrival. “You’re an urd’thin, right?”

“No.” The urd’thin’s voice was dripping in so much sarcasm it threatened to drown the small creature. “I’m a cactus.”

“I…oh.” Nesh straightened, scratching his head. “Sorry, that was a foolish question.”

“This is Lir.” Ayrah indicated the urd’thin, smiling. “My trusted assistant, and close friend. Lir, this is Ellamyriss.”

Lir clasped her hands, and offered a deep bow. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” I said.

It seemed a foolish, empty reply to a concept so deep, and sorrowful. But what else was there to say? I bowed my head, and Lir offered me her hand for a greeting sniff. She had a unique scent, akin to that of tundra foxes mingled scents of city-smoke and fragrant soaps. As I lifted my head, I saw bleariness in her dark eyes. I wondered if she’d shed tears for Melakar, too. Ayrah had mentioned Lir handled his book requests.

“I am sorry for your loss, too.” I glanced at Ayrah, hoping she knew the sentiment was intended for them both.

“Thank you.” Ayrah rubbed her face, then patted Lir’s arm. “We had our little cry, already. I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

Lir shuffled her boots, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. “Gonna miss that annoying old bastard.” She sighed, then peered up at Nesh. “So, what’s your name, genius?”

“It’s Nesh.” He wrung his hands. “I didn’t mean any offense, I just-”

Lir pulled a hand back out to wave it dismissively at Nesh. “Yeah, I know, I know, an urd’thin in people clothes, what’s next?” Then she laughed and hurried past him to the gryphons. “Whoa, you guys are huge! Especially you!” She stared up at Blue Jay, dark eyes wide in wonderment. “Look at those wings! You got feathers longer than my arms!”

“I certainly do.” Blue Jay spread his wings, flaring his black-barred flight feathers. “You can touch them, if you want.”

Lir stretched her arms over her head to feel the gryphon’s feathers. “Ooooh, soft!”

Nesh adjusted his sleeves. “I’d have thought she’d be more impressed by you, Ella.”

Lir replied without looking back. “Nah, you’ve seen one dragon, you’ve seen them all. But just look at all those feathers!” She turned to Sparrow, her muzzle parted with a wide, child-like grin. “Hey, can you do your wing thing too?”

“My wing thing?” Sparrow tilted her head. She slowly opened her wings, mantling them. “Like this?”

“Yeah!” Lir trotted over to stroke a few of Sparrow’s feathers. “Gorgeous!

“Well,” Ayrah said, folding her arms. “That’s her lost to enrapturement for the rest of the day.”

I cocked my head, watching the little creature dart back and forth between Sparrow and Blue Jay. “The gryphons, too. Now that they’ve finally got someone to show off for, they’ll not leave that spot till Lir’s dragged away.”

“We’ll give them a moment,” Ayrah said, moving closer. “It’s a good distraction from…” She sighed again. “Well, Melakar was Lir’s friend, too. But she’s always been fascinated by birds and the like, so I’m happy to indulge her.” She patted a lamppost. “I noticed you were inspecting these. Melakar quite taken by them.”

“I’m sure he was.” I traced a claw down the iron post. “He was always fascinated by strange things.” I stretched my neck, peering through the glass enclosure at the glowing mesh and its hidden flame. “Nesh had to explain how it works.”

Ayrah stared across the plaza, at the line of glowing lights. “Welcome to the modern world, Ella. The fires of industry are paving the way for things you could never dream of.” Her face twisted. “Sometimes I fear we’re moving too fast. When I was a girl, this stuff was rare and untested. Now it’s everywhere. Rushing progress doesn’t exactly make it safe, though. Just last year, we lost a lot of good people to an explosion at a gasworks. But…” She gave a helpless looking shrug. “Can’t stop the future. At least more good than ill comes of it.” She pivoted on her heel. “Come on. I’ll show you around the depot while we wait for Lir to come down from her gryphon high.”

Ayrah lead us around the plaza, explaining things. The long, red-brick buildings were called terminals. Tall, glass windows lined them on one side. Vaunted skylights spanned decorative arches across their roofs. One terminal was for passengers waiting to depart on a locomotive, while the other was for arrivals. Anyone entering the city had to pass through an inspection. Armed guards kept watch over the fences separating the arrival and departure platforms. Separate buildings housed storage and inspection areas for cargo. Little wooden stalls sold food and drink. At the head of the plaza, stone statues of important humans sat atop elevated pedestals.

We ventured to the nearest rail line, ducking beneath the green awnings sheltering its embarkment platform. Across the rails was another dais, and another set of tracks, with more alternating onwards beyond it. Elevated bridges allowed humans to cross the tracks safely. Currently, everything was empty, no doubt due to my arrival.

Nesh pointed out a few locomotives sitting in the distance. They waited beneath immense water tanks held aloft by towers and scaffolding, ready to refill their boilers. Storehouses nearby held mountains of coal replenish the stocks of departing trains. I wondered what it would be like to ride on such a contraption. Perhaps someday, they would build them to fit dragons.

Lir was seated upon Blue Jay’s back when we returned. She ran her fingers through the long, white-tipped crown feathers encircling his neck. All three of them cackled like mad about something. Lir waggled her fingers in the air, then flapped her golden-sleeved arms. For some reason, that made the two gryphons laugh even harder, their melodious warbles echoing across the plaza.

“I say, what’s so funny?” Nesh strode up to Blue Jay, grinning. “What have we missed?”

Blue Jay glanced his way, shrugging his wings. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Lir peered down at him from atop the gryphon. “Yeah, it’s bird humor.” She tilted her head, splaying her oversized, gray-tipped ears. “Say, is that a bald spot?”

“What?” Nesh grabbed at his own head, then huffed when he discovered nothing amiss. “Oh, very funny. And what exactly is bird humor?”

“You know.” Lir patted Blue Jay’s neck. “Humor for birds, and bird-like creatures.”

Nesh blinked. “But you’re neither of those things.”

Ayrah gently touched Nesh’s arm. “Sometimes I find it’s better not to ask, and just move on. Speaking of which.” She walked to the pathway that led around the terminal buildings. “I think Nemos is ready for us. Shall we proceed?”

“Might as well get it over with.” I followed Ayrah with Nesh beside me. “Are you birds coming, or are you going to stay here showing off your wings?”

“We’re coming, we’re coming.” Sparrow trotted up to join me.

Blue Jay hurried to my other side, glancing at his passenger. “You alright up there?”

“I’m great!” Lir patted his shoulder. “Just lemme know if you need me to hop down.”

“You’d best watch yourself with that one, Lir.” Nesh playfully poked Blue Jay’s shoulder. “He’s full of dirty jokes and flirtatious jibes that I’m sure he’s eager to unleash upon you!”

Blue Jay gave a mock gasp. “Not to a fine lady like her!” He tossed his head. “Those jokes are for dragons, and humans like you.”

Nesh glared at him. “What do you mean, humans like me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Blue Jay cocked his head. “Do you consider yourself a fine lady, too?”

Lir giggled, swishing her tail. “Don’t worry, Nesh. There’s nothing a handsome creature like this…” She paused to pat Blue Jay’s neck. “Could say that’s any worse than the things Ayrah says.”

“Not to mention that’s probably the first time anyone’s called Lir a fine lady.” Ayrah laughed with her friend. “Who do you think I go drinking with?”

I arched my neck, rumbling amusement. “I suddenly have a sneaking suspicion she can hold nearly her own weight in alcohol.”

“No, no.” Lir scowled, flattened her ears, and shook her head. She looked away. “I can hold way more than that.”

Ayrah led us through the depot’s tree-lined courtyard. A few slumbering trees held hints of lighter-toned buds developing at the ends of their many branches. Decorative brickwork and wooden benches surrounded the trunk of each tree. Hissing, gas-fueled lamps illuminated every cluster of benches. The company of soldiers escorting us matched our pace. They remained in formation all around us, eyes darting everywhere. The astringent scent of their weapons’ volatile, explosive powder clung to them.

Nemos met us at the main road. He saluted Ayrah, then pointed down the street. “I’ve cleared this all the way to Willowbranch, and deployed enough men to keep order the whole way. Not sure where you want to go after that, so just give me time to redeploy resources as needed.”

“Thank you, Nemos!” Ayrah clasped his shoulder. “With me then, if you please.”

Nemos fell in alongside Ayrah as we made our way out onto the thoroughfare. The wide, stone-paved street was completely deserved, save for lines of soldiers standing guard. Tall, stone-wrought buildings loomed over us on either side, stretching as far as I could see. Some were built of the same red brick that composed the rail depot terminals. Others were gray, constructed of limestone, marble, or granite. Glass windows were arranged in orderly rows. Smoke drifted from soot-stained chimneys bristling atop gray-tiled roofs.

Each building had unique details. There were decorative arches carved above windows, and flowers sculpted along the edges of walls. Little stone creatures perched on corners, and above overhanging eaves. Some windows had boxes beneath them for planting herbs and flowers. Colorful wooden signs hung above entryways, or from the elegant lamp poles lining the street. Narrow alleyways divided rows of houses and shops. Tangles of copper piping crawled across the sides of buildings and vanished into the ground. Steam wafted from some pipes, while water dripped from others. Warning signs occasionally marked them.

Humans stared at us from behind curtains, shutters, and doors barely cracked open. Children watched with wide eyes from upper stories, their parents huddled protectively around them. Human scents lingered in the streets. I smelled flowers and sweet perfume, herbs and medicine, soap, sweat, woodsmoke, and a hundred other things I scarcely had time to filter before a hundred more scents took their place.

There were more animals than I expected, too. Soldiers on horseback guarded intersections. Teams of yaks were hitched to wagons down side streets. Rats and other small creatures clambered over piles of stinking refuse, while birds perched on eaves and barren treetops. Hounds barked incessantly. A wagon down a side street ferried goats and sheep, while cages held unfamiliar fowl.

Smoke smothered the city. It rose from chimneys, belched from noisy road locomotives idling in the distance, and poured from strange machinery. Most of all, smoke spewed from immense stone cylinders atop long buildings. Structures of all shapes and sizes surrounded them, connected with spiderwebbing networks of pipes and hoses. The acrid haze left my nostrils and throat stinging.

Nesh explained that one such building smelted ores into metals, while another was a factory that forged those metals into useful forms. Further along, Ayrah pointed out a distant gasworks, where gasses were distilled and collected. She explained that some came from coal and wood, while others were extracted from within the earth, or created by the reactions of chemicals and metals. I could scarcely wrap my head around it all. When Ayrah offered to take me to see the facility, I swiftly declined. It seemed unwise to drew too near a place I might accidentally explode with an ill-timed fiery sneeze.

I spent much of the walk in quiet awe. The gryphons were right. Only by seeing human advancements firsthand did I truly understand just how far behind we were. It staggered me to think that this place was not the pinnacle of their technological achievements was staggering. I could not fathom what their capital must be like.

Eventually, we reached the end of the pre-secured area. Ahead of us, our path intersected another major road. Wooden barricades painted in stark red and white cordoned off both thoroughfares. Beyond the fencing, no one had yet been told to retreat indoors. Crowds of humans milled about, with horseback soldiers trotting back and forth to maintain order.

I stopped, lifting my head to gaze across the roiling mass of humanity. “Look at them all.” I flattened my ears. “There’s more people in that street alone than half the villages in The Valley.”

Nesh patted my shoulder. “Looks like everyone’s come to catch a glimpse of you, Ella.”

“Looks like they’ve waiting to catch a glimpse of you, Ella.” Nesh patted my shoulder.

“They used to do the same thing to see Melakar,” Ayrah said. She lifted her arms over her head, waving to her people. Some waved back, and others shouted, their clamoring voices drowning one another out. Ayrah pointed towards the hordes. “Once they got used to him, Melakar even used to walk amongst them.”

“A situation which I cannot advise.” Nemos stepped in front of me. “We cleared the street for a reason. It’s not safe for you to walk through a crowd, Dragon.” Ayrah thumped him on the arm, and he corrected himself. “Erm, your Majesty.”

I arched my neck, gazing at him. “Safe for me, or for your people?”

“Both.” Nemos slapped the back of a hand against his palm. “I hated it when Melakar walked among the people, too. He was exceedingly delicate for a dragon, but crowds are too unpredictable. You never know when some idiot’s gonna try something stupid. And there’s a hell of a lot more tension around dragons now. Most cities would have shot you down as soon as you were in range.”

“Then why didn’t you?” I slowly tilted my head, regarding him with an unblinking gaze. “Because of Melakar?”

Nemos scowled. “Honestly? Yes. The fact he called this city friend certainly gave me pause.”

I licked my muzzle, returning my attention to the sea of people. “What about them? Did they call Melakar friend in return?”

“Yes, Ella,” Ayrah said. “Many of them did.”

Nemos gave her an irritable look. “And many more were terrified of him. We always kept him under guard, for everyone’s safety. Including his own.”

Ayrah held her hands up in acquiescence. “Never said there wasn’t still work to be done.”

“So Melakar walked amongst your people.” I took a deep breath, my plated chest expanding. “Not as a monster, but as a friend.” I slowly shook my head, sighing. “Despite knowing it endangered him.” I stretched my wings, lifting my spines. “What manner of Queen would I be, if I lacked the courage to do the same? I will walk among your people, Ayrah. Today, and every day I am here. Let the word spread.” I swept a forepaw across the horizon. “Let your entire nation know. Queen Ellamyriss is not your enemy.”

*****

Chapter Forty-One

Speech

*****

“Ella!” Nesh hurried before me. “This is an awfully big step. Are you sure you’re ready?” He reached up to gently stroke my jawline. “Perhaps you should spend the rest of the day adjusting to the city, before you try walking through a crowd.”

I flattened my frills. Nesh was right, but this was about more than my comfort. “A queen should not hide, Nesh. If Melakar could do this, I can do this.” I pawed at the odd, smooth, stones beneath my feet. “Melakar went to his death knowing he risked his life, and still he walked proudly amongst your soldiers. I must prove to myself I am not afraid to do the same. Otherwise, I am not worthy to wear the Mantle.”

“Wise words, Ella.” Nesh smiled and rubbed my nose. “Melakar would be proud.”

“Agreed.” Ayrah clasped Nemos on the shoulder. “Send word to secure the roads from here to the markets. As long as the crowds give us a path, they can stay this time. But have your men keep firm order, and tell them to be extra vigilant.” She scowled. “Including full overwatch.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Nemos gave her a steely look. “Any planned stops I need to know about?”

Ayrah folded her arms. “Food, probably. Was thinking Jero and Sons.”

A lopsided grin overtook Nemos’ usual stoic expression. “Was hoping you’d say that. What about after the market?”

“Probably show Ella the aerodrome site, and the Cathedral.” She turned towards the crowd. “Now get to work, Commander.”

Nemos gave her a quick salute, then hurried over to the barricades. He slipped past them and conversed with several horseback soldiers. They sprang into action, herding people out of the way. Nemos called over a few more men, pointing down the street. Orders were swiftly passed down the chain of command, and before long the unruly crowds were being formed into uneven lines on either side of the street. Snipers took up positions on tall rooftops, watching everyone.

Ayrah watched her soldiers work. “Let me talk to the crowd first, Ella. If everyone knows you’re here on an official visit, that should help calm some nerves.” She glanced back at the gryphons. “Can you two take up protective escort positions, please?”

“Certainly.” Sparrow moved up alongside me. “As long as you understand we will not be asking for permission to do our job.”

Blue Jay chirruped his agreement as he moved to my other side. “Exactly. If there’s a threat, we’re going to act.”

“Good,” Ayrah said. “That’s why I want you there. And Lir?” She tilted her head towards me. “If you would?”

“Sure thing.” Lir patted Blue Jay’s neck, then hopped off him. “Thanks for the ride, beautiful!” She scurried over to my side, tilting her head back. “Mind if I ride you a while? Gives me a better vantage.”

I cocked my head. “Go ahead. Shall I lay down for you, or-”

“No thanks, I got it.” Lir scrambled up my foreleg with practiced ease, bracing her boots against my scales. In no time at all she’d settled herself against my back. Small as she was, she could practically sit cross-legged atop me, if she wished it. “Okay, all set.”

I glanced back just in time to see her withdraw an elegant firearm from inside her coat. It was silver and black, embossed with gold, and of a make I’d never seen before. It was smaller than a human’s pistol, with a rounded section between the barrel and handle. She rested the gun over her forearm.

“Is that a revolver?” Nesh stared up at the urd’thin’s gun.

“Sure is.” She held it up, showing it off. “Brand new Shevarrian design. I like it cause it looks ornamental…” She spun the cylinder in the gun’s middle, and it clicked around a few times. Then she flashed Nesh a toothy grin. “But it isn’t. Shoots real good.”

“Damn.” Nesh folded his arms, grimacing. “They don’t even issue us revolvers, unless you’re a high-ranking officer. I sure as hell didn’t get one.”

“Nesh,” I said, my voice soft. “What’s a revolver?”

Nesh glanced my way, chuckling. “It’s a type of pistol that you can fire quickly, multiple times without reloading. You see, it uses cartridges-”

I held up a paw. “Fancy gun that shoots fast. Got it.”

“You keep a weapon like that in your coat?” Blue Jay glared up at Lir with narrowed eyes and flattened ears. “I thought you were Ayrah’s assistant.”

“I am.” Lir sat up, bracing the gun across her arm again. “I assist her in doing whatever she needs done.”

Blue Jay clacked his beak. “I see. I’m starting to think you assist her the way I assist the Legion.”

“Lir has her moments,” Ayrah said. “I’ve known her nearly as long as Ella, and trust her just as much.” She flashed me a wry grin. “Maybe more so.” She swept her hand towards the crowded street. “We can proceed whenever you’re ready.”

Ready? I wasn’t even close. I stared down the street. Hundreds of humans lined the cobbled path. What if they swarmed me? In times before the advent of cannons and other advanced weaponry, that was sometimes how dragons died. A poison-slathered arrow to a wing joint, or a ballista to shoot it out of the sky. And then a flood of humans armed with spears and swords, piercing and slicing as deeply as they could. Sometimes they hit something vital. Other times the dragon just bled out.

The thought left my heart trembling, and my paws cold. It was true that there was glory in dying in battle. But no one wanted to die slowly, cut apart like slaughtered cattle. Many of my ancestors who battled human armies lost their lives that way. No matter how many soldiers they slew there were always more, like ravenous ants tearing apart a spider. At least Melakar’s final moments were spent in the arms of someone he loved.

I took a deep breath and held it. The icy chill that began in my paws spread through my blood. My belly knotted around my spine. My fire glands tingled, begging me to drive the crowds back with a blast of fire. I exhaled slowly, and told myself I was being foolish.

You’re right, Ella. Melakar suddenly stood at my side. He draped his wing across my back, smiling at me. You are being foolish. Just keep breathing, you’ll be fine.

“I know, I know.” I ignored strange look Ayrah gave me, and took another deep breath. This time I held it till my lungs ached, then slowly blew it back out. “If you can do this, I can do this.”

Of course, you can. Melakar bowed his head to me. You’re a queen.

“That I am.” I glared at him, not caring how foolish I looked. “You could have told me you were popular here. Might have helped my anxiety.”

And spoil the surprise? Melakar scoffed, tossing his head. Never! Now take another breath.

Breath by breath, my racing heart calmed its frantic pace. Warmth returned to my extremities. Melakar withdrew his wing from my back. He smiled at me, as if proud I no longer needed its shelter. Lir shifted her weight, and I could not help but imagine Melakar’s wing inadvertently toppling her over in flailing pile of white fur, golden coat, and oversized ears. The mental image made me laugh, and everyone turned to stare at me.

Nesh put a hand upon my scales. “Everything alright, Ella?”

“Fine, thank you.” I licked my muzzle, and took another slow breath. “Just preparing myself.”

“Are you sure?” Ayrah stepped closer, concern etched on her face. “It sounded like-”

“Ella likes to imagine Melakar at her side, helping her through difficult times.” Nesh patted me. “She hasn’t quite gotten the hang of keeping those conversations entirely in her head. So I’m guessing Melakar said something funny in her mind, to ease the tension.”

I curled my neck to bump my nose against Nesh’s cheek. “Close enough.” I was grateful for his quick explanation. Ayrah needed to know the truth, but now was not the time for it. “Ayrah, let us proceed.”

“As you wish.” Ayrah bowed to me, a formal gesture for the benefit of the onlookers. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I need to introduce you. Anything you want me to tell them? Or not tell them?”

I flexed my wings, uncertain. “I leave that to your discretion.”

Nesh gestured between us. “It’s important we emphasize that she’s royalty. If anyone intends her harm, it may give them pause if they fear bringing down the wrath of an entire dragon army.” Nesh dropped his voice lower still. “We may want to leave out that she’s Melakar’s widow, so to speak. Otherwise, if there are traitors out there, they may look to strike her next.”

“No!” I would not hide from Melakar’s killers. “Tell them who I really am.” I snarled my words, nearly spitting flame. “Let them send their assassins and their slayers! I will welcome one and all with flame and fang. Spread word to their masters that Melakar will be avenged. I will bury them, and build my empire atop their charred bones.”

Nesh glanced at Ayrah. “Maybe leave out that last bit.”

Blue Jay warbled, a playful, amused sound. “Oh, I don’t know. Charred bones seem like a solid foundation for both empires and friendships, to me.”

“Shut your beak, bird.” I nipped at his wing feathers. “Ayrah, just say what you think is best.” I nudged her with my muzzle. “Your judgement in these matters is better than mine.”

“So be it.” Ayrah turned away and strode towards her citizens, spreading her arms wide. She lifted her voice, calling out in grand, booming tones. “Good people of Tivos! What a pleasure to see you all gathered here, to greet our most remarkable guest. Allow me to apologize for the day’s difficult conditions.” She crossed an arm over her belly, and bowed deeply. “I’m afraid extraordinary visitors require extraordinary precautions.” As she straightened, she turned, surveying everyone. “After all, everyone’s safety must be our first priority.”

As she spoke, Ayrah continued down the street. Lir patted my neck, and I followed her towards the lines of people. I moved with slow, even steps, careful to stay behind Ayrah. Nesh and Nemos walked alongside my forelegs. Blue Jay and Sparrow matched my pace, escorting me on either side. Our military encourage closed ranks around us as we passed beyond the barricades. Soon, we were among the crowds. People lined the road, staring and murmuring. I forced myself to maintain a proud, but non-threatening posture, with my head high and my wings folded.

Ayrah kept up her speech. “My dear friends, let me put your fears at ease, and address today’s tragic events. No, we were not attacked.” She pivoted and pointed towards the distant cannon emplacement we destroyed. “What happened up there was in fact, a terrible misunderstanding in which our valiant defenders mistakenly opened fire upon our very own Gryphon Legion!”

She swept her hand towards the gryphons. “These brave Legionnaires traveled the hostile border, charged with a duty to escort this very dragon safely to our city. Yet no sooner did they arrive than they were forced to defend themselves from a barrage of friendly fire. Thankfully, no one was killed!” Ayrah turned back towards the crowds, holding up a single finger. “Let me be clear. This incident will be investigated, but I do not expect genuine fault to be found with any one party. This was, at heart, a series of miscommunications, leading to a tragic mistake. And I assure you, all injured parties will receive not only the highest of care, but double pay during their recuperations.”

A few people around us cheered that announcement. Others applauded, a sound that left my ears pinned back. Some of them leaned in close, whispering to one another, pointing at me. When the sounds died down, Ayrah continued. “With that in mind, let us move forward. For despite the troubling news from our frontier, I promise you there is no reason to fear our newest visitor!” Ayrah stopped, her eyes sweeping the crowd. “After all, our city has welcomed dragons before. Surely you all remember Melakar’s first visit?”

Melakar’s name was a tiny claw, digging into my heart. Ayrah’s sagging shoulders spoke of our shared pain. She forced her way through it and went on. “Fear and chaos took hold that day, too! But never did Melakar harm us. In fact, he soon became a friend to the city. Many of you fine folk even spoke with him, to welcome him personally. I would ask no less of you now, that you warmly welcome this new dragon to our beloved city!”

Ayrah stepped towards a few people lined up along the road, as if speaking to them individually. “But friends!” She turned to another group, smiling. “Friends! You should know that our visitor is no ordinary dragon, if indeed such a term can be applied to a creature so grand. Firstly?” Ayrah turned in a slow circle, her voice booming. “This dragon is Melakar’s mate, and the mother of his son!”

Murmurs of surprise rolled through the crowd. The ease with which Ayrah commanded their attention reminded me of her old thieving stories. In some tales, her silver tongue and quick wit earned her valuable treasures from easily swayed nobles. In others, they saved her from a jail cell. I doubted their veracity, once. But seeing her weave her web around the townspeople put those tales in a brand-new light.

“That’s right, good folk!” Ayrah returned to the center of the road. “Today’s visitor is family to our bronze-scaled friend! But she’s much more than that. This dragon, dear friends?” Ayrah whirled towards me, flourishing her hand. “Is royalty! Fine people of Tivos, I present to you…” She lifted her arms and spread them wide, as if offering me a great tribute. “Queen Ellamyriss, ruler of all the dragons of the Great Valley!”

“Well,” Nesh said. “She’s technically correct.”

Ayrah dropped to a single knee, bowing her head “Welcome, Your Royal Highness, to Tivos! On behalf of all my people, I offer you our warmest greetings, and kindest welcome!” She flicked her fingers, signaling to her commander.

Nemos lowered himself into a matching bow. One by one, his soldiers followed suit. Nesh offered an exaggerated, grandiose bow of his own. Blue Jay and Sparrow pressed their beaks to the cobblestone, their wings outstretched and draped across the street. Some in the audience only gaped, but others bent their knees, and nudged their neighbors to do the same. The gesture spread through the crowd like a wave, till nearly all in attendance prostrated themselves before me. I shivered, relishing the wicked chill such a sight sent through my blood. But basking in feigned adulation did not a queen make.

“Nesh.” I spoke his name as quietly as I could. “How am I best to react?”

“The Empress would…” Nesh trailed off. “No. Don’t do what we do. Do whatever a dragon queen does.”

Our clan had not known a genuine queen in ages, but the old tales were filled with rituals of flame, and ferocity. I threw my wings out in a motion so fast and sharp it startled people. Guards hefted firearms, and townsfolk stumbled over one another. I tipped my head back and roared; an immense, furious cry that echoed to the skies. Humans clapped hands over ears, horses and yaks reared, and windows rattled. When my breath was halfway gone, I let fire steal my voice. I squeezed my fire glands and spat roiling, red-orange flame over the crowd. Windowpanes and lamps glowed like molten gold. Heat washed across the street. People scrambled away.

When my lungs were empty, I cut my flame off, and lowered my chest to the ground. In the old days, a dragon queen would never bow to her subjects. But the old ways alone would not build my empire, and these were not my subjects. If Ayrah’s people respected me enough to bow, then I owed them the same. I draped my wings across the cobblestone, and pressed my chin to the street, eyes fixed on Ayrah.

Her smile assured me I had done well. Ayrah rose in a slow, fluid motion. I did the same, folding my wings. Nemos and Nesh stood next, followed by the gryphons, then the rest of the soldiers. Gradually the crowds lining the street returned to their feet. Those who fled my display jostled with their companions, trying to retake their positions.

Ayrah approached me, arching her brows. “Your Majesty, perhaps you’d like to say something to my people?” She lowered her voice. “Try pretending you’re not an anti-social, grumpy old lizard.”

I snorted, but Ayrah’s playful insult helped ease the lingering tension. Searching for words, I gazed across all the people. In all my previous formal introductions, I modeled myself after Melakar. Emulating him had served me well so far, and so I continued.

“Greetings, people of Tivos!” I took Ayrah’s place in the center of the street, where all could see me clearly. “I am called Ellamyriss!”

Though they already knew my name, it was important I offer it personally. For a dragon, a true name was knowledge earned only through respect. And they had already earned my reverence by allowing Melakar to visit as a friend. By speaking my name, I granted them permission to use it.

“It heartens me to hear how welcome your city made my beloved mate.” I put a paw to my chest. “For a dragon, finding acceptance among humans is…” I set my paw down, licking my nose. “A concept so foreign my ancestors could not even have imagined it. It warms my heart to know Melakar found friendship here.”

Ayrah beckoned me forward. “If Your Majesty is willing to walk as she speaks, there are a great deal of people yet striving for a glimpse of you.”

“Of course.” I bowed my head. “After you, Governor.”

Ayrah lead us onward at a leisurely pace. Humans lined the street as far as I could see. Lir shifted against my back, silent and watchful. Her tail brushed my scales. Blue Jay and Sparrow kept walked at my shoulders, eyes darting everywhere. Soldiers ensured no one ventured too close.

Contemplating what to say, I studied the humans’ strange, elaborate clothing. Many wore layers of dark grays, brown, and black. Others dressed in bright shades of green, gold, or crimson. Long, body-length coats were common. Some females had extravagant skirts, or were wrapped in thick cloaks and shawls. The males often bore hats, some of which were oddly tall and cylindrical.

“Melakar must have loved observing you all,” I said. “He was always so curious about the world. Being able to walk freely among you? To speak with you? It must have been a dream come true. I can just imagine him bounding down your streets, giddy as a damn hatchling.” I shook my head, smiling. “Knocking things over.”

Scattered laughter told me I was right. I wondered how many of these people had truly known him? If he had friends here, they deserved to know the truth. I stopped, realizing that was how best to shape my speech. Around Melakar. I took a shaking breath, steeling myself against the pain I needed to put to words. Ayrah looked back to check on me. My flattened frills and drooping ears told her all she needed to know.

Ayrah returned to me. She reached up and gently cradled my chin, formality be damned. Her voice was a gentle, pained whisper. “Go on, then. Tell them.”

I lifted my head from Ayrah’s hand, my voice hoarse. “I know you’ve heard your army shot down a dragon.” Nesh stroked my foreleg, and his gentle comfort gave me strength. “That dragon was Melakar.” It was all I could do to force words through the clenching of my throat. Shocked gasps and dismayed murmurs rolled through the crowd. “Melakar was the sky that sheltered me, and the wind that carried me. And your soldiers shot him from the sky and left him to die in my arms.”

Tears rolled the scales of my cheeks. I did not fight them. “I do not blame you, for his death.” My breath trembled. “And I hope you will not blame him, for the deaths of your men. For whom among you would not fight for their lives, when attacked? Melakar would never willingly turn to violence, yet he was forced to defend his own life.” I lifted a paw, wiping my eyes. “I wish it had been enough. But Melakar is dead.”

I swallowed hard, composing myself as that settled in. Soon I took a breath, hardening my voice. “All Melakar ever wanted in his life, was to make peace between our people. Those who slew him, did not understand that. They saw only a monster in the skies, and they shot him down.” I gazed around, meeting the eyes of a few humans who seemed especially upset. “Those of you who knew Melakar, knew all he wanted was friendship. I promise you, he did not attack your people.”

I took a slow breath and held it as long as I could. Fresh tears dribbled down my muzzle. “Wherever Melakar is now, I’d like to think he’s happy. Because, in the end? He succeeded!” I swept my wings across my audience in a grand gesture. “He found friendship, with all of you! Peace between our peoples was an ideal he believed in so completely, that he died for it. I’m comforted to see his success, here before me.” I waved my paw. “When Melakar breathed his last, it was with the knowledge that he had done the impossible. He had made friends, of our enemies.”

That wasn’t true. The last hour of Melakar’s life was spent bleeding out, and struggling to find me, to glimpse me one last time before he died. He spoke not of friendship, but of a warning. He had begged me to flee the Valley. And the very end, his final words were of warm recollection. Wreathed in some pleasant memory of our shared youth, and clutched in my arms, the light left his eyes.

When we were young…

Those were his real last words. But those were mine to know, and mine alone.

But this moment was about something greater than either of us. This was about what Melakar wanted to accomplish, not how his life had ended. If he could make friends out of enemies, so could I. If he believed me a Queen, then a Queen I could be.

Through his belief in me, I found great resolve, and I poured it into my voice. “That is why I am here! To continue what Melakar started!” A white-hot flame grew within my heart, forging my words into something powerful. “This peace, this friendship?” I flared my wings, and swept my gaze across the gathered crowd. “I will not let it die! I will not let one tragic mistake undermine all Melakar achieved! What you achieved!” I strode forward, focusing on a few individuals at a time. “For you, too, have done the impossible. You took an enemy into your home, and you welcomed him as your friend.”

I shook my head, a great showy gesture as if waving my horns about. “That is not easy to do.” I looked at Sparrow, then at Blue Jay, and finally at Nesh. “I know the fear it brings about. The uncertainty. The doubt.” I thumped my chest. “But it makes us better. To see our enemies as the friends they could be? To see them not as monsters, but as people? It makes all of us better. You did that for Melakar. And for that…” I bowed before them, brushing my muzzle to the cobblestone. “I thank you.”

Silence settled over the crowd. At my side, Nesh clapped his hands, loud and forceful. Ayrah joined him, then Nemos. Their soldiers swiftly followed suit. Soon, nearly all the people were applauding me. It was a strange sound; a rolling, concussive hiss, interspersed with random cheers and whistles.

When I lifted my head, the noise gradually faded. I licked my nose, uncertain. “I’m afraid I do not know how to reply to that.” For some reason, that made people laugh. Even Lir giggled. I did not understand the laughter, but at least it was good for everyone. “I have little left to say, but allow me to apologize for the chaos my arrival caused.” I glanced up at the distant wall. “The truth is, after Melakar’s death, I was terrified to approach your city. When I was fired upon, I felt forced to defend myself, lest they kill me, too.” I eased myself into a bow. “I beg your forgiveness, and that of the injured. I will happily pay all costs incurred.”

“Your Majesty’s generosity knows no bounds!” Ayrah raised her voice, ensuring all could hear. “Yet no one could fault you for defending yourself, especially after the death of your mate. The most important thing is that no one was killed, this time. Now, it is incumbent upon us to move forward together. Even if…” She flourished a hand towards her soldiers. “Precautions must be taken, for everyone’s safety.”

“That they must.” I swept my wing at the gryphons, then curled my neck to offer Lir a grateful smile. She spun her revolver around her fingers, nodding to me. I returned my attention to the townspeople and went on. “Let it be known to all that I am here to offer my friendship. For if Melakar called you friend, then so do I. The world is changing faster than I can fathom, and dragons, humans, gryphons…”

I sighed, staring down the roadway. “We’ve all shed each other’s blood for far too many years. Would it not be better for all of us, if we could make friends out of our enemies? Melakar thought so. I now believe the same. Thank you for allowing me to walk among you.” I lowered my head. “May we all share friendship, in the end.”

“Hear, hear!” Ayrah called out, throwing her fists into the air. Her people followed suit with similar words and gestures.

Nesh approached and stroked my neck. “Wonderful words, Ella. Very queenly of you.”

I arched into his touch. “You really think so? I made it up as I went along.”

“I suspect most rulers do.” Nesh chuckled, running his hands to my head. He scratched my jawline the same way Ayrah did. His touch coaxed a soft, rumbling purr. “And yes, I really think so. Somewhere out there, Melakar’s very proud of you.”

That made me smile. “I can only hope.”

Oh, how I hoped. That somehow, somewhere, Melakar watched over me. That he saw me in a human city, in a crowd of strangers, fighting back my fears. That he knew I was doing my very best to make some small difference in the world. When I thought of it that way, I knew Nesh was right.

Melakar would be proud.

*****

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