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Mossly was over. The moment that Ailmer rounded the bend, that much was obvious. The livery was on fire and the heart-wrenching screams of dying animals carried on the wind. Plumes of smoke rose from further out in the forest, marking unlucky farmhouses. Mossly's main street, however, was far from deserted.

Ailmer counted at least ten spiders scrabbling over the ground and climbing over the walls of the buildings along the street. Two were scratching and pounding at the door to the schoolhouse. He counted five more squaring off on the street, flanking a huge brute as the group of Ikthil organized against the ragtag group of farmers that had formed up on the other side of the street. Ailmer recognized Sebastian and Fredril there, as well as several of the other farmers. They clung to their improvised weapons tightly as they watched in horror.

Robert, one of the farmers, was sprawled out on the ground in front of the brute. The huge Ikthil, a few feet taller than the man, glinted in the sunlight as it stomped forward. The bleeding farmer scrabbled at the ground, trying to crawl over to a discarded axe. Blood trailed behind him, mixing the grit into a thick red mud, as he tried, vainly, to gain inch after inch towards his weapon. The brute suddenly cut him off.

A collective gasp sounded as the gem monster raised his arm, the forearm nothing more than a two-foot gemstone spike. The green crystal was veined with red and black throughout, giving it the appearance of being streaked with blood. The insect-like creature's jagged carapace was similarly colored, spotted blacks, blues and other iridescent colors flashing across the armored creature's body. A scrap of blue and gold cloth was stuck on that carapace, the torn fabric flapping in the wind. With a chittering hiss, the creature's arm flashed down.

Robert screamed out as the spike drove through his gut, sinking into the ground beneath him. The sound turned into a gurgle, the human's hand weakly coming up to grip the spike that was driven through him. Blood dripped from the sides of his mouth, pouring out from his back over the road in a sickeningly fast growing pool. The rest of the world held still as that spike drew back, the crystal dripping with bright red blood.

Ailmer's fist clenched around the handle of his mace hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He roared his challenge out, his feral roar countering the brute's grating screech.

The street's attention quickly shifted to the charging newcomer. The brute turned, several of the spiders turning to meet the charge. Attention had quickly fallen on the charging warrior; though the demoralized group of ragtag militia fighters were still routed, the Ikthil's attentions had quickly turned to the human that reeked of magic and the drake that had taken flight beside him.

Ailmer glanced up to watch the dragon winging off towards the scattered spiders, making a beeline towards the ones attacking the schoolhouse. He was quite glad that he hadn't needed to point that out to Beroan. His roar calmed into a long set of breaths, letting the screeching Ikthil drown out his centering breathing.

The first spider leaped at him, far in front of its comrades. The copper striped mace swung flashed up in front of Ailmer, catching the spindly creature underneath the majority of its carapace. The shock of the blow sent an ache through Ailmer's palm as the still spider landed on the road.

Ailmer hadn't broken stride to deliver the blow, though, as the other spiders skittered towards him, he slowed and settled back defensively. The brute simply charged, rushing through the spiders in front of it. The blunt creature's legs pounded into the packed dirt of the road, callously driving the huge creature's charge. The brute charged through the tentative line of spiders that had rushed in front of it, blindly crunching one underfoot as it blindly charged Ailmer.

Ailmer braced himself, watching the blood-streaked spike raise into the air. At the last moment, he dived to the side, letting the creature crash by him. The brute's bulk was far too great to attempt to stop. The creature stomped forward, his spikes coming down to scar troughs in the street as it tried to slow itself down. It let out a frustrated hiss while it tried to turn back around.

Ailmer, however, charged the spiders it had left behind. Several had broken off to skirmish with the militia, leaving only a handful for Ailmer to deal with. He rushed quickly, his mace coming down quickly on the skittering, spindly creatures. The copper mace crunched legs and carapace alike, cracking the relatively thin exoskeletons of the smaller creatures.

Beroan had taken to the sky, just enough to gain enough height to dive down on the spiders attacking the schoolhouse. A deep roar echoed through the town, drawing as much attention as he could. The two spiders scratching on the door still attacked the school with single-minded dedication, but the other searching spiders hopping across the buildings rushed towards the dragon, screeching and chirping as if the drake was a personal affront to them.

Beroan nimbly swooped down, folding his wings to swing just barely over the porch railings. His forepaws managed to catch one of the spiders stabbing into the thick wooden door in order to haul the creature up into the air with him. As soon as he was clear of the wooden buildings, he lowered his muzzle to blow a gout of fire over the squirming spider.

His scales shed the fire, leaving the spider to writhe and squirm while it was torched. The glittering gems on the things carapace were darkened with sulfurous soot before it finally stopped moving, the dragon simply dropping the creature as he swung back around back towards the schoolhouse.

The smoldering creature landed with a thunk in the street below, rolling to the side before coming to a rest against the wall of the tavern. Beroan shot back down, hissing to himself as the other spider had crawled up to the window. The glass yielded instantly to the creature's spiked limbs, the spider diving towards the high-pitched screams inside.

Beroan was barely fast enough. He slammed up against the wall of the schoolhouse, his claws scrabbling for grip on the wall as his forepaw shot through the broken window, catching the spider mid-leap. His claws dug deep into the cold creature's carapace, the spider hissing and spitting while it clawed at the air in front of the huddled hatchings.

Beroan caught a glance through the window. Past the squirming, struggling creature gripped in his paw he saw the town's hatchlings, huddled tightly underneath the arms of one of the adults. They were shrieking, though the teacher's eyes were wet with tears. Her mouth was open, but she made no noise. She was stunned by the scene unfolding in front of her, nearly collapsing as the dragon yanked the spider back through the broken window, leaving them in relative peace.

Beroan twisted, eschewing flight to throw himself onto the street, landing bodily on top of the thrashing spider. Another gout of flame left a bitter taste on his lips and a dark scorch on the ground underneath the suddenly still spider. "Beroan, help the other fighters!" Ailmer yelled out.

Beroan charged towards the militia; most of the spiders following him towards the fighters. Ailmer watched jealously, as he barely managed to dive out of the way of another swipe of the brute's massive spikes, he fully expected the play to end in self-sacrifice.

Ailmer spat out a mouthful of grit before he rolled to the side and sprung back to his feet, just fast enough to deflect the creature's deadly arm with a powerful blow of his mace. His hands ached, the shock of the strike denting his weapon and sending a powerful shock down to his tightly gripping hands.

The brute let out an earsplitting screech of pain while it stumbled to the side, a few cracks that spread along the creature's carapace leaking sickeningly black ichor down onto the street. Ailmer barely managed to compose himself before the creature turned again and charged, swinging wildly at him.

It was becoming increasingly apparent to Ailmer that he wasn't going to win the fight against this thing with an improvised weapon and no magic.

Thankfully, the brute was blocking the militia's view of him. His jaw clenched and he focused, pulling from his atrophied strands to work magic on the very air itself below him. He felt the effort drain him, the mage leaping into the air on a cushion of controlled wind, sending him just high enough to jump over the brute, reaching out to cling to one of the thick crystal growths on the Ikthil's back.

Ailmer swung down, managing to gain a foothold on the brute's back before he nearly found himself impaled on the jagged crystals that covered the creature's carapace. His mace came down, again and again, as he smashed into the top of the brute's back and shoulders, seeking out more devastating blows against the Ikthil's well-protected head.

The brute screeched out with pain, clawing at itself with it's long, inflexible forearms. The creature's exoskeleton locked up before he could reach his back, the brute stumbling around on the street while it shook and swung at itself in a rage. Stinking ichor dripped down the front of the creature as the mace landed a strong blow on the brute's skull.

Ailmer clung to the sharp crystals for dear life while he wailed on the Ikthil's carapace. The mace did damage, cutting cracks in the thick armor of the huge creature for as long as he was able. The Ikthil screeched and screamed loudly in its rage. The alien profanity was lost, heard only as headache-inducing screeches by its enemies.

Finally, the brute managed to toss itself hard, before leaping back to slam its back against the road. Ailmer barely managed to push himself off, landing heavily on the road. The wind whooshed out of him and his mace bounced several feet away, but he was alive.

The Ikthil thrashed to stand, the brute's spikes leaving gouges in the road where it had planned to smash Ailmer. The huge thing was deceptively quick, especially for its size. Ailmer was struggling to stand up again when the Ikthil simply flipped itself over onto its arms. One of the creature's legs had gotten caught up in the fall, mangled by the brute's own weight, leaving the Ikthil to rear up on one arm, his other raising up to impale the prone human.

Ailmer made a split second decision. It was reflexive, a decision made long ago by many months of training and combat experience, cemented enough in his reactions to be a simple, hardwired action in his mind.

A tremendous gout of fire gushed from his palm. The mage poured out a searing stream of fire back over the brute, yelling as the magical flame exploded from his palms to engulf the creature. The Ikthil screamed as he was bathed in dragon flame, its arm dropping to try to support itself while fire licked and splashed off the brute's front.

Ailmer pushed up to a knee, his other hand pushing in front of him to add another searing gout of flame to the first. The Ikthil screeched while it was cooked, rolling back, trying to escape the searing fire. Magical fire sparkled and licked from the back of the creature, flaring up as it caught leaking Ikthil ichor and changing color when it found various other compounds in the creature's melting form.

The mage pushed forward, pouring more flame onto the tough brute. The thing squirmed weakly in the road before going still under the fire. Ailmer yelled ferally as he sent the last gush of flame over the creature to be sure, his cathartic yell ended as his flames stopped.

Ailmer was left panting, his sides rising and falling heavily as he raggedly gulped down scalding air. Heat shimmered off the corpse of the scorched brute, a few flames slowly dying on the road, others flickering on the cracks in the brute's corpse as the ichor fed the dying flame. The mage turned, stumbling slightly before slowly walking towards his mace, leaning down to swipe the weapon out of the dust. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, the mace hanging from a loose grip by his side as he turned around to face the militia.

The townsfolk had finished off the spiders with the drake's help, leaving them with their full focus to watch the final moments of Ailmer's battle with the brute. The whole town stood in sudden silence while they stood off. Ailmer's heavy panting, his lungs eagerly drinking in the cooler air far from the smoldering corpse of the brute. The few fires that had clung to the Ikthil had died down to darkening embers, smoldering in cracks that spider-webbed through the creature's glittering exoskeleton.

Ailmer growled inwardly, his face twisted into an angry frown while he looked over the results of the battle. The townsfolk were still staring at him, weapons still clenched tightly. Their formation had not broken, though it had moved slightly away from Beroan, the dragon glancing up from one of his seared spiders to watch the tension between the mage and the group.

Sebastian spoke up again, pointing at Ailmer with the point of his sword from the militia's disorganized testudo. "You're a damn mage!"

The accusation snapped across the sudden silence of the post-battle town like a bolt of lightning, the sound went a moment later. Ailmer took a quiet, slow breath, letting his anger at the Ikthil drain while he let the sentence hang in the air for a moment.

"And you are alive." He answered.

Sebastian frowned. The point of his raised sword lowered slightly, indecision flashing across his face as he looked at the miller as if Ailmer had stabbed him. "You've been lying to us, all of us, for… For how long? Mages are trouble, what have you been doing in that tower?"

"Grinding grain and mapping stars." Ailmer said.

Sebastian huffed, his boots grinding on the road while he squirmed in place. The rest of the militia kept up arms, sharing in the innkeeper's indecision. "Beroan, you need to go up to Halix. See what became of the patrol and the town there. If they're unscathed, good, if not, tell them to head back to us." Ailmer said.

"But what if they..." Beroan said, his eyes locked onto Sebastian's bared steel.

"Then they do." Ailmer said.

"But-"

"I will not permit you to raise a claw against them in my defense." Ailmer said.

Beroan squirmed on the street, his claws digging into the dirt. His eyes flicked nervously between the militia and the mage. Ailmer's jaw tightened. "Go."

The order carried with it a cold, impossible to ignore weight that Beroan had never felt from the human before. Beroan hissed quietly, glancing back up to Ailmer's darkened eyes while he chewed his lip. Finally, the drake shut his eyes tightly, his whole body tensing up as he gave a short nod.

Beroan launched himself into the air, wheeling off towards the border town. Ailmer closed his eyes, taking a deep, slow breath before he gave a long sigh. His eyes came up, steely and inscrutable. "I am a mage. What will you have of me?"

***

Sebastian hesitated, letting Ailmer turn his head up to watch the form of the flying dragon retreat along the skyline. Ailmer let out a slow exhalation through his nose, turning his eyes back down just before Beroan's silhouette disappeared from view. "I am a mage, and this town still stands. What," he paused, taking a slow breath as his frown deepened, "Will you have of me?"

Sebastian gripped his sword as tightly as he could. His knuckles turned an angry white as he stepped forward, jabbing his sword at the air between the innkeeper and the miller. "First the dragon, now this? You've lied to us, Mage, you've lied to me for near on a decade now!"

Ailmer nodded slowly. "I have. My history is my own, but I have defended this town much more than you know."

"Defended? We stand here with friends dead in the street, buildings ruined, and the bodies of monsters all around us and you have the gall to suggest that you defend the town?" Sebastian yelled.

Ailmer's frown twisted into an angry grimace. "Look at yourselves. Had I been nothing more than a simple miller, every single person in this town would be bleeding their last."

Sebastian growled, unable to voice his frustration instantly. The point of his sword dropped before he took a step forward to pace quickly in front of the other gathered townsfolk, his boots crunching on the dirt while he quickly paced back and forth. "You bring a dragon, you work magic, you..."

Ailmer sighed. "I would not expect you to understand the things that I do. However, the point still stands; without Beroan, or myself, this town would have been slaughtered. Reece." Ailmer barked, snapping his head to look at the smith.

Reece looked up, his hand wrapped around a half-worked iron rod, the decorative weave in the top bent from a strike while the metal was still hot. His other hand clenched around a hastily formed wooden shield made from the top of a barrel. Deep gouges had been carved into the shield, and one of the slats was cracked in half. The blacksmith didn't answer, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Reece. How many of the spiders did you kill?"

"One." He answered.

"Looks like you had a damn fight of it, too. What were you thinking when you squared off against the horde in the street? Were you thinking about how you were going to save the town or were you ready to meet Halin, face to face?"

Reece hesitated. "I... I was only thinking about how to save my family."

Ailmer nodded, turning his head to stare down Sebastian. "That thought was all any of you had, I am sure. I hope you had made peace with Halin. Had I not been here, that brute would have sent every last one of you over Sikthil's cliffs. I have seen them rip through patrols of trained soldiers; you would have fared much worse."

"Ixrus cast you over the cliffs, Ailmer! You're dangerous. Mages are liable to burn the town down themselves!" Sebastian hissed, raising his sword again.

"Put down your blade, Sebastian. This town does not need more bloodshed." Ailmer said.

"Mages bring blood on their heels, Ailmer! We can't have one of... Of you in our-" Sebastian said.

"Papa?" A small, quiet voice interrupted them as suddenly as an arrow through the chest.

The militia on the street looked up to see the children peeking timidly from the schoolhouse, gathered together by the few shaking women that had gathered them in at the start of the attack. A golden-haired child stepped out onto the porch, her cheeks and the arm of her dress stained with tears. Her eyes were now bright, however, as they locked onto the innkeeper. "Papa?" She asked, again.

"Auilria!" Sebastian replied, his sword falling from his hand onto the ground.

"Papa!" Auilria exclaimed, running from the porch to embrace her father.

Sebastian dropped to his knees to wrap his arms around the child, choking back tears as he hugged her close.

"Papa, papa... I'm so glad you're OK." She started, burying her face in Sebastian's shoulder, "It was so scary. There was one of those things, it came through the, through the window. We were all screaming and, and, and I thought we were all gonna die." She explained, her voice breaking as she poured out her words.

"Auilria, it's all alright now." Sebastian managed.

"Then, then the dragon, papa, the one I saw the other day, he reached in after it and, and, and then he grabbed it and yanked it back out the window! I think he saved all of us! You were talking about how mean and scary they could be, but, but..." She exclaimed before she started to sob again into her father's shoulder.

The militia stayed silent. There was no sound except for the gentle rustle of the breeze through the changing leaves on the trees and Auilria's crying.

Ailmer looked down to Sebastian, waiting until the innkeeper's eyes turned up from his child to the mage. "I am a mage." He began, tossing his mace onto the street with a thunk, "Because of this fact, your daughter lives."

The militia stayed silent. Sebastian opened his mouth as he fished for a reply before it shut again as he simply hugged Auilria closer to him, his eyes turning down. "I will leave you to those still living and those lining up along the cliffs. I will return when I receive news of Halix." Ailmer stated.

The militia made no move to stop him as he turned his back on those assembled to add his footsteps to the silence left behind him.

***

Ailmer sat with his head on his hands, staring at his star maps. He could already feel his work slipping through his fingers; though he had felt fate's pull for years now. Somewhere in his heart, he knew he'd never make it, that the years of matching up his dreams to the sky were doomed to fail before they started. He could feel the pull of the gods on him, even now, a feeling that had been growing in the pit of his mind for months. It was a sickly feeling of slowly creeping dread, the sort of untraceable paranoia that tugs at the very edges of one's mind and keeps itself frustratingly unobservable...At least, until the event happens and recollections of the burning feeling in the pit of one's gut are turned obvious in hindsight.

The worst part was that Ailmer knew that the event that was causing his impish stress had yet to come.

Ailmer's fingers drifted back to his temples, trying to massage out a headache that came with the stress of the morning and the strain of his futile attempts to force the stars into their proper alignments with the power of his quill and ink alone.

The magic he'd called on earlier had left him exhausted. Long past were the days of his old power, where he could sling powerful flames without a second thought and tap into the disciplines across the mage's compass. The pools of power he had used to dive into had dried up, leaving him with a skill that was pitifully anemic, seeming to send him groping into the barren desert where his river used to rage, each and every time he reached to gather his strands.

Ailmer sighed, narrowing his eyes at the flame dancing on the candle. He reached out with his focus, his hands still laid flat on the table, while he fought to wrap his will around the heat of the dancing light. He felt his power taking hold, though he struggled, tripping over the dried riverbed to gather up the trickle of magical power that still wormed its way in his reach.

Carefully, slowly, he drew the flame up from the wick, stretching the lighted reaction. He teased it, causing the flame to twist and dance in impossible ways, spinning the fire in a tight circle above the candle as he worked the first cantrip he'd ever learned.

His concentration suddenly slipped. A choked gasp pulled itself from him as the flame tore itself apart, leaving the candle extinguished, a small strand of smoke drifting up in the light of the other candle.

Another wave of exhaustion poured over Ailmer. "Makith's fires..." He whispered to himself, panting over the desk.

Ailmer shook his head, letting his arm fall just in time to catch his head, giving a few moments to rest his head over the spread out maps. He waved his other hand at the extinguished candle, groping for his threads again to relight it.

Ailmer barely managed to force the wick to glow as an ember for a moment before his power petered out. He groaned against his arm, pulling his head back to reach for the other candle, tipping it to the side to light the extinguished wick. His lips tightened as he watched the mundane reaction take hold.

He replaced the candles, pushing himself up from the desk to slump over the back of his chair. His listless gaze turned to the window, the thick panes of glass providing a limited out over the forest. There was a slight haze over the trees, highlighted by the early afternoon's sunlight. Ailmer prayed to Ahilia that the haze was not what he thought it was.

A dark silhouette suddenly drifted into view over the trees, steadily growing as Ailmer watched. It was unmistakable to the mage as it grew over the treetops. Beroan was on his way back and he was flying quickly. Ailmer pushed himself off the desk, ignoring the ache in his hands as he stumbled unsteadily to his feet.

He took a breath, holding onto the back of his chair as he came back to his center before he made his way out of the study to meet the returning dragon outside. He hurried through the house, pushing the mill's door open just as Beroan was touching down in the clearing. "Beroan? What's the news?" He asked.

Beroan looked up as the door shut, an expression of relief on his face as he nearly bounded over to Ailmer, rushing to press his muzzle against the human. Ailmer rubbed softly along the dragon's horns, looking quizzically at the drake. "I was so afraid that after all that..." He gestured with his tail over towards the direction of the border town, "I'd come back to find you in the street."

Ailmer sighed softly, nodding as he patted the dragon's head, letting the drake pull back to sit down in front of the mage. "I worried the same as I stared down my friend's sword. I believe I have talked them down, though. I take it that your news is worse than mine?"

Beroan nodded. His earfins drooped, as did his head. He closed his eyes, taking a few moments to compose himself before he lifted a paw, opening it to reveal a metal seal that Ailmer recognized instantly.

LeCam's lieutenant seal laid, bent and shining, in the dragon's palm. "Mercy..." Ailmer whispered.

"I managed to grab it off of him before a few more Ikthil drove me from the town."

Ailmer shook his hand, reaching out to lift the badge gingerly, holding it up to the light to examine the seal. He sighed heavily, turning the brass badge in the light. "I take it that the lieutenant was dead when you took this off him?"

Beroan swallowed, shaking his head. "I...He gave it to me, just before he passed. I washed the blood off on the way back."

Ailmer raised a fist to cover his mouth, grimacing. "Flames...Ixrus judge him well."

"Ailmer...There is nothing left." Beroan managed, shaking his head, "What isn't destroyed is aflame. Even parts of the forest around the town burn."

Ailmer reached back to cover his mouth with his palm. His eyes drifted up to the slight haze hanging above the treetop, sighing slowly as he finally realized what it was. The pair stood silently, Beroan respectfully letting Ailmer digest the news.

"I suppose I should have expected it. Had the patrol held them off, I doubt we would have found Mossly under attack." Ailmer finally answered.

Beroan nodded, grimacing as he idly dug his claws into the dirt.

"I'd hoped it was a flanking cell, skirting around Halix. Scouts, or something." Ailmer let out a deep sigh, "As terrible as I expected the drama in this town to turn out, Beroan, it pains me to admit that the problems we've suddenly found ourselves facing have shadowed it into insignificance."

Beroan nodded, glancing back up at the sky, towards Halix. "Ailmer, can you feel it?"

Ailmer closed his eyes, tilting his head back as he let another slow sigh escape through his nose. "Yes. Powers much bigger than I tug at my threads."

"It is a worry that feels as if it is pulling directly at my magic, Ailmer. It scares me."

"It scares me, too. I had hoped that I'd outlasted all the god's uses for me, but I feel Makith's hand working my fate again." Ailmer said.

Beroan looked back up to Ailmer. His face showed hints of old pain, and his voice was heavy with the weight of terrible things. He looked older than his body had any right to be. "We must inform the town."

"Won't they still be angry?" Beroan asked.

"Their anger will have to pass. This town must be preparing for an attack, at least until the soldiers that Fredril promised to send arrive."

"Will they believe you?"

Ailmer looked down to the medallion in his palm. The bent metal glinted in the sunlight, the seal of Galast flexed out of shape. He sighed deeply, turning to walk towards the town. "I have no idea. Though, I feel as if we no longer have any choice in the matter."

***

The bar was packed and completely silent. The sound of Ailmer's footsteps crunching on the road echoed through the town, only accompanied by the crackling of the large bonfire on the street, built over the brute's corpse in an attempt to dispose of the body. The steps to the tavern's entrance creaked underfoot, warning those inside of the approaching pair.

The squeak of the tavern's door was all the noise that greeted Ailmer. Most of the town was gathered inside, staring silently up at the entering miller. Narrowed eyes and nervous squirms were on display, those gathered doing their best to turn the somber, uncertain atmosphere hostile. Ailmer stepped inside, keeping his back straight, followed quickly by Beroan. The dragon kept his head low, glancing around the room nervously.

"Mage." Sebastian stated, looking up from the bar.

"Sebastian." Ailmer replied.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, pushing himself up from his lean, crossing his arms. He glanced at Ailmer, then down to the copper-streaked mace laid on the counter top. Ailmer calmly walked towards the bar. "What are you doing back here? We've had enough trouble without a lying mage like you-"

"Halix burns." Ailmer cut him off.

Sebastian stopped, his mouth left hanging open. Ailmer raised his hand, dropping LeCam's seal onto the bar with a loud clatter. Several of the townfolk closer to the bar leaned over, eyes widening as they recognized the bent insignia. Reece, sat next to the bar, his conversation with Sebastian interrupted by Ailmer's entrance, glanced between the insignia and the mage. "That's..." Reece started.

"I know damn well what it is." Sebastian shot back, reaching down to swipe the medallion from the counter, raising it to examine it as closely as he could. Ailmer let him, watching silently as Sebastian looked for something to prove it was a fake and let him hold onto his anger with his longtime friend.

Finally, he sighed, setting the seal back on the counter. He glanced around the room, before he hung his head, slumping onto his forearms on the bar. "Auirlia made me promise to thank you." Sebastian managed, hesitantly.

"She damn near died, same with everyone else in that schoolhouse."

Sebastian smoldered, his gaze turning down to the bar. "I hope you're not here to hold it over us."

Ailmer growled, a noise so sudden and feral most of the eyes turned to the dragon beside him. His fist slammed down on the bar, making Sebastian jump up from the bar, his hands held up. "Sikthil drag you over the cliffs himself, you petty fool! Our argument and your wounds can wait for someplace less public. You do not understand the danger that we are all in."

Sebastian stood back, joining the rest of the tavern in stunned silence.

Ailmer straightened up, looking back at the rest of the assembly. "Every last one of you nearly died today. Makith saw fit to throw out his fires so we all still stand here to drink and be angry. Our sister town burns, defended by a full patrol of trained fighters."

Even Beroan quailed slightly beside the mage, glancing up at him. When no one else took a chance to interrupt him, Ailmer glanced around again. "The only reason this town still stands is because of this dragon and my talents. We cannot rely on this again. If, if you plan on staying around, I will offer my knowledge. If you are still set on driving me from town, I will leave."

Ailmer slumped back against the bar, sighing softly. The throng of people failed to answer, leaving the mage only to look back up at Sebastian. The innkeeper sighed slowly, crossing his arms. Ailmer nodded slightly. "Damn child's the only wise one in this town. My news is delivered."

Ailmer walked out the door without another word, waving a hand over his shoulder at the silent people left behind.

***

Ailmer sighed, slumping against the door of the mill. Beroan glanced up, sitting himself down as Ailmer took a few moments to breathe, his gaze turning up to the darkening sky. The sunset had been at their backs as they'd marched back to the mill, and now the moon was brightening and the brightest stars were coming into view. Beroan followed his gaze up, his eyes lighting on several of the bright points of light. "Those look like the maps you have in your study." The drake said.

Ailmer sighed slowly, slumping down more against the door. Of course, the dragon would have found his way into his study; he knew better than to expect otherwise. "Yes." He answered.

Beroan looked back to the mage expectantly. Ailmer sighed, his eyes closing as he looked down, the defeat apparent in his sagging shoulders. Beroan squirmed a bit on the ground, looking up at the human expectantly. "I have dreams. I've had them since...." Ailmer started.

Beroan bobbed his head, his bright blue eyes still staring at Ailmer. Ailmer's jaw tightened as he stared back; the color of the dragon's eyes simply brought too many memories back. "Since Marlin and I were bound."

Beroan blinked, slowly. His head cocked slowly to the side as he thought through the statement. "Is Marlin...Did he die?"

The pain that flashed across Ailmer's eyes answered the question better than any words he had in his mind.

Beroan's eye ridge scrunched before the gears clicked into place. "You survived the death of a bond partner?"

Ailmer nodded slowly, his eyes returning to the stars in the sky above, blocked only by thin, wispy clouds. "To my knowledge, I am the only being that has. I wouldn't expect you to know about the finer points of magic bonds." He said.

"They do happen between dragons, and they come up in many legends." Beroan replied, "But, what happened to-"

"You've got a one-track mind, Beroan. I'll...I can talk about it tomorrow. Too much has happened today to let anything good come of that particular conversation."

"Well, the dreams, then?"

Ailmer nodded, his eyes still flicking between the constellations that were just barely out of place. "I have a recurring dream, and the stars are just so close to their actual positions in the sky. They're recognizable, but I haven't been able to follow them like I can in the dream."

"What are you looking for?" Beroan asked.

Ailmer sighed, shooting an angry glance at one of the wispy clouds drifting past the stars. "Something impossible. Tunnels that lead to an underground world, full of magic and crystals."

Beroan nodded slowly, his eye ridge scrunching yet again as he thought. Ailmer narrowed his eyes, glancing from the sky back to the pondering drake. "What? Are you going to tell me that no place like that could ever exist, too?"

Beroan blinked quickly, shaking his head. "No. I can see why humans would tell you that, but my clan kept a great many legends."

Ailmer closed his eyes, nodding slowly as he turned away from the dragon. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"Mn?" Beroan replied.

Ailmer nodded slowly, turning his eyes to the ground. "I can feel my time here rapidly coming to a close, however. With the sort of things that are happening, I can't imagine that the world is going to let me keep quiet here for very long."

"How do you know that?" Beroan asked.

"I don't. But, given the fact that I had to kill a brute this far past the border means that something big is happening, and nothing good. Given my luck, I tend to get thrown right into the middle of those sorts of things."

"I thought you were a miller, though? Well, a mage and a miller, but..."

"I thought so, too."

The mage and his dragon sat back, both turning up to watch the stars for several silent minutes. A cold breeze blew through the clearing, forcing a small shiver out of the dragon. Ailmer took a moment before he caught the motion, suddenly standing up from in front of the door. "Oh, sorry, sorry. We should probably head inside."

Beroan nodded quickly, leaving Ailmer to hold the door open while the drake scurried inside. Ailmer followed, glancing over his shoulder back towards the edge of the forest. He wasn't sure what he was looking for; some part of him wanted to see the blue drake again, and the rest of him hoped that Sikthil took him before that happened. For better or worse, the tree line stayed silent and black, leaving Ailmer nothing to do but let the door slam shut behind him.

Beroan halted himself in the entryway to stretch as he entered, in a manner not unlike a cat. His tail tip twitched as he finished, the drake craning his head over his shoulder to watch Ailmer enter. "What are you going to do, then?" Beroan asked.

Ailmer closed his eyes, pausing in the middle of removing his boots, before he nodded to himself, finishing the action before straightening up again. "Tomorrow I was going to give the hills one last look. I think I've got a few more places that look close enough to check."

Beroan nodded again, pressing his front down as he arched his tail up, inadvertently wagging his hindquarters at the mage. Ailmer chuckled slightly to himself, giving in to watching the drake show off to assuage himself with a bit of pervishness. Beroan gave one more wag of his tail before standing up, padding over to Ailmer. "I hope you don't plan on going into the mountains alone." He said.

Ailmer nodded. "It would give me a good chance to come clean about everything."

Beroan blinked slowly, cocking his head slightly. "You plan on bathing in the mountains? Won't the streams be cold?" He asked.

Ailmer shook his head, giggling. "Another saying, meaning that I was going to explain everything."

Beroan nodded, his tail swaying slowly as he wiggled in front of the human. "Oh. I thought that meant we were going to get dirty tonight."

Beroan narrowly dodged Ailmer's swatting hand. "You're incorrigible."

"No, I'm horny." Beroan replied.

Ailmer couldn't keep the grin off his face as he giggled, "Makith burn me, dragon. I can barely keep up with you."

Beroan giggled, bumping Ailmer's stomach with his snout. The mage placated the drake by stroking warmly along his muzzle, slowly stroking over those small, warm scales. "But I would be honored if you would accompany me, Beroan. I know I'll need the company."

Beroan nodded a bit, not enough to move his head from Ailmer's massaging fingers. "I'll come with you. But who is this Makith you keep asking to burn things?"

Ailmer chuckled again, straightening up to lead the dragon towards the bedroom, one hand rubbing over his head the whole way. "Well, Makith is the god of fire and flames. You dragons have gods, right?"

Beroan nodded slightly, walking close enough to press his neck against Ailmer's leg as they walked. "Mn, well, I know the concept of human gods, I think, but they're not the same as the beliefs dragons have."

Ailmer nodded, scritching along Beroan's head softly. "Well, the story goes that, In the beginning, there were only stars and two gods; Halin and the goddess he pined after, Ahilia…" He began, escorting the dragon into the bedroom.

***

"So due to my magic and the connection that I have, I've always found Makith to smile most favorably on me. I am sure he doesn't mind the occasional oath." Ailmer concluded, stretching as he pulled his shirt off.

Beroan watched from the bed, his tail tip lazily flicking and his chin resting on his forepaws. His eyes traced over the human's form, carefully tracing over the old scars on his back before moving on to the rest of his form. "Mn, I see. It seems…Fairly complicated." He rumbled.

Ailmer nodded. "With Halin's infidelity in a stable of gods that large, it's no surprise that the gods are."

Beroan rumbled appreciatively as Ailmer tossed his shirt to the side, stretching a few more times, facing away from him. "Take off your pants, now?" Beroan requested.

Ailmer laughed, nodding a bit as he took his time stretching for a few more moments. "One path in your mind, isn't there?"

Beroan huffed again, his tail still lazily flopping from side to side on the bed. "It is a good path!"

Ailmer chuckled, licking his lips as he hooked his thumbs into his waistband, shifting his hips from side to side as he started to slide those pants, and his undergarments off. He could feel the drake's eyes boring into him from behind, the dragon's tongue flicking out across his lips as he lecherously stared at the bare inch of Ailmer's rump that he'd already revealed. Ailmer shook his hips again, taking a bit more time to swing his hips in front of the eager dragon, before pulling his pants down to reveal his rump halfway.

Beroan chuffed softly behind him, the noise appreciative but very obviously impatient. The dragon stirred on the bed a bit, trying to readjust himself so that his cock could grow comfortably against the sheets. Ailmer rumbled softly, bending over while keeping his waistband held up to tease the dragon further, wagging his rump before he let go, letting his pants fall to his ankles.

Beroan rumbled happily from behind him. Ailmer glanced back to see the dragon licking his chops as he admired the exotic form of the human, his tailtip flicking more quickly against the bed. Ailmer slowly turned around, striking a pose for the horny dragon, his cock already stiff out in front of him. Beroan rumbled happily, his eyes flicking eagerly over the human in front of him. The dragon adjusted himself on the bed, slowly grinding his hips forward to work his stiff dick against the sheets. "So…" Ailmer rumbled.

"Put it in me." Beroan ordered, firmly this time.

Ailmer smirked, stepping over to the bed to wrap his fingers around one of the dragon's horns, tugging lightly on the male's head. Beroan huffed softly, taking a moment to slowly bring his head up and bump that tip against his lips. "Lazy lizard…"

Beroan huffed through his nostrils, and it only took another soft tug on the dragon's horn to press his cock into Beroan's hot muzzle. Ailmer gasped, biting his lip as he felt the dragon's tongue wrap around his shaft. The pair sighed happily as he slid all the way into that waiting muzzle, the dragon sniffing and panting gently against Ailmer's crotch as he happily suckled on the mage's cock.

Ailmer held himself still there for quite a few pleasurable moments as the dragon sucked on his shaft before he slowly started to pull back until his tip was barely inside the dragon's lips. The contrast of the suddenly cooling air was a bit too much to let him sit like that for too long, so he relented and slowly pressed himself back into Beroan's slick muzzle. The dragon didn't mind at all, his head bobbing slowly along the human's shaft with the slightest goading from the hand wrapped around his horn.

Beroan rumbled warmly, Ailmer gasped and panted as the dragon got right to business, his hot muzzle powerfully working over Ailmer's cock. The mage let go of that horn as soon as he was sure that Beroan had taken over bobbing that muzzle, both of his hands coming down to warmly rub over the dragon's head, affectionately scritching over his head scales.

Beroan shifted slowly as he bobbed and sucked, moving Ailmer's attentions to his cheek as settling in on his side. He sprawled out on the bed, flopping in a lazy manner that reptiles were so good at, while his hind leg moved a bit to show off his throbbing dragon cock. That thick shaft was already fully stiff, relaxed over his other thigh.

Ailmer grunted, holding himself back from thrusting into the dragon's muzzle--for a few seconds, at least. He let the dragon bob on his shaft a few more times, enjoying the sound of the dragon's purr before he began to push back against the dragon's lips and meet the motion of that muzzle with motions from his own hips. Beroan grunted appreciatively, leaving Ailmer to pant as he felt his tip slide and press along the dragon's warm tongue.

Beroan couldn't help himself from enjoying the action himself. One of his forepaws reached up to hold the mage's hip, his pawtoes cupping Ailmer's ass as he helped work the human's hips in his rhythm. Ailmer panted softly, his shaft drooling precum onto the dragon's tongue while his fingers stroked affectionately over the drake's face.

Beroan obviously didn't mind the human staying in his muzzle for as long as he wanted, and Ailmer was more than happy to oblige him. Ailmer's hips eagerly pressed into that warm muzzle each time the dragon pulled back, his warm balls pressing against the dragon's chin as the scaly male made sure to press that cock as deep as he could into his muzzle with each thrust, the drake's warm lips pressing warmly against his crotch. Ailmer huffed softly, his fingers stroking warmly around the dragon's eyes, scratching and rubbing over the scales there. "Mnf, keep this up and I am gonna end up spilling in your muzzle."

Beroan grunted noncommittally, keeping up his motions. Ailmer couldn't help but shiver as that tongue wrapped around his cock again, squeezing nimbly down on his shaft as the dragon slurped and bobbed along his shaft. Warm saliva dripped down his sac, the human shivering as his bucks began to turn shaky.

Beroan murred as he felt the human get close. The rumbling vibrations tingled on the mage's tip, and Ailmer whined softly as he thrust in just a few more times. He gasped, squirming as he reached up to grope at the dragon's horn with a hand, tugging the strong creature's muzzle forward as he started to cum into the male's muzzle with a shivering pant.

Beroan rumbled happily as he tasted the first shot of the human's seed on his tongue. Ailmer couldn't reply, outside of a gasping moan. His knees shook slightly as he pressed forward, his cock pulsing as he ground into the male's mouth, his arms flexing as he tried to push as hard as he could into the dragon's mouth as he poured shot after shot of seed into the dragon's gulping maw.

Ailmer couldn't keep a blush from his cheeks as he felt the dragon swallow quickly, drinking down his seed. He bit his lip as his orgasm died down, leaving his cock tingling in the tight, squeezing grip of the dragon's nimble tongue. Beroan didn't let up, however, continuing to suckle and work over that cock. Ailmer had to pull himself from the dragon's muzzle with a gasp to free his oversensitive cock.

Beroan made a show of licking his lips as the human pulled back, stretching out again on the bed with a warm rumble. His dick was still throbbing, jutting out from his hips. That large cock was stiff enough to hang in the air over his thigh, a few strands of sticky, clear precum connecting the pointed tip of his dick to his belly and the bed below. Ailmer licked his own lips as he admired the sprawling dragon on his bed. Beroan stretched out again, rolling onto his back to let his cock stick straight up in the air, a thick droplet of precum drooling off the tip of that cock onto his bellyscales. As Ailmer watched, the dragon reached a forepaw down, his pawtoes fondling the swell at the base of his beefy dick.

Ailmer rumbled, sliding a knee onto the bed to smack the dragon's wrist away. "Not your job tonight. I wouldn't think of leaving you high and dry like that."

Beroan chuckled, pulling his forepaw back, spreading his legs out a bit more. He licked over his muzzle again, wagging his hips slowly to make his cock wag back and forth. "Well, go ahead, then."

Ailmer licked his lips, crawling slowly over the dragon until he was straddling the drake's tail. "Well, since this felt so good when you did it to me…"

Beroan blinked, raising his head to watch Ailmer's head dip down between his hinds. He was expecting a blowjob, especially as Ailmer's lips pressed against the base of his cock, but as the human's kisses moved lower, he gave a soft gasp of pleasure. His earfins reddened slightly, and if it were possible for his cheek scales to tint as well, his whole muzzle would have been burning the moment Ailmer's lips touched his tailvent.

Beroan whined softly, his tail tensing up under Ailmer as the human opened his lips, letting his tongue slip out to drag around the sensitive, soft scales surrounding the dragon's slit. Beroan couldn't help it as a shiver coursed through his body, his vent clenching as the human's tongue traced all the way up to the very top of his slit. "Ready, Beroan?" Ailmer asked, his breath pouring over that sensitive hole.

Beroan squirmed just a bit, his hips gently pressing up to goad Ailmer on, the dragon panting softly through his snout. "Shards…P-please?" Beroan said.

Ailmer grinned, leaning down. Beroan raised his head to glance around his straining, dripping cock before the drake's head fell right back down as the human's tongue pressed against his ventlips. Beroan whined, eagerly, as the other male worked his tongue into his tight vent. The drake squirmed on the bed, shuddering visibly, as Ailmer pushed his tongue into the male's tail.

Ailmer chuckled to himself, unable to help but enjoy the reactions of the drake below him. His tongue teased, still, working slowly along that cleft in the dragon's scales to tease another squirm or three out from the dragon. He kept up the action as he reached up, wrapping his hand warmly around the beefy base of the dragon's throbbing cock.

Beroan groaned out eagerly, shivering and panting during the rimjob. He did his best not to reflexively kick or throw off the human, of course, but his toes curled and his tail swung quickly between the human's legs, smacking his tights lightly each time. Ailmer sated himself by kneeling down further, trapping that tail to grind his cock against as he gave another long slurp all the way along the dragon's vent.

Beroan whined out, chewing his lip with a whimper as that hot tongue worked over his ass. His cock flexed and throbbed eagerly in Ailmer's hand, thick drops of pre drooling from his tip onto his belly. Ailmer didn't seem to be letting up, however, as his hand began to slowly squeeze and stroke up the dragon's stiff cock, his tongue working harder against that vent.

Finally, Ailmer decided to quit teasing. His other hand stroked up along the dragon's thigh, moving forward until his fingertips pressed against the vent, next to his tongue. Beroan gasped, looking up again as those fingers teased along his vent, before his muzzle opening in another moan as Ailmer pushed two fingers and his tongue into that vent at the same time.

The tight slit clenched eagerly around the intruding flesh, leaving the dragon unable to do much but squirm and throb in Ailmer's other hand. His hips bucked up reflexively against the stimulation, leaving Aimer to stroke quickly along the dragon's pulsing cock and press further into that warm, soft tunnel.

Beroan shuddered, giving a hot, gasping growl as he clenched down. His hips pressed up eagerly against Ailmer, the dragon shaking as he shuddered and moaned, finally hitting his climax. His thick cock pulsed hard in Ailmer's fingers, spurting thick seed over the dragon's front. That heavy shaft flexed and drooled between hot shots, leaving the dragon's front quickly coated with hot seed as he squirmed and shuddered under the human's attentions. Ailmer kept teasing him for a few more moments before he withdrew his tongue and fingers, rubbing warmly along the dragon's thighs as the drake's hips relaxed against the bed.

Ailmer's shaft was still throbbing against the dragon's tail, however, a few thin strands of glittering pre still connecting his tip to the drake's warm scales. He shifted up on the male's tail, slowly pushing himself forward until his tip rested just behind the dragon's pleasured tailvent. Beroan rumbled softly, panting gently as he glanced up. "Haa, already?" He asked.

Ailmer chuckled, reaching forward to stroke along the dragon's front, massaging the male's bellyscales, coating his hands with the dragon's hot, slick seed before it drooled off onto the sheets. "Mn, you said you were horny."

Beroan rumbled softly, nodding slightly as he licked his lips. His cock was still mostly stiff, resting wetly against his belly, though it seemed to stiffen up just a bit more as Ailmer's warm tip teased up against his dragon's vent. "I didn't expect you to be as horny as I am, though…" He panted.

Ailmer chuckled, licking his lips as he gestured to the drake. "Mn, that doesn't sound like a no. Pass me one of those pillows, then, I want to feel your thighs up against mine."

Beroan licked his lips, giving a warm rumble of appreciation. He reached back to grab one of the pillows awkwardly with a forepaw, passing it back to Ailmer, who tucked it under the dragon's hips, elevating them in the air. Beroan watched with a glint in his eye as Ailmer pulled his hands back, stroking over his erection to spread the dragon's slick cum over his shaft, one hand reaching down to spread the drake's tailvent with two fingers. He adjusted, slowly pressing his tip against the drake's tight slit. "Ready?"

Beroan huffed warmly, nodding as his cock started to stiffen, raising off his belly again as he watched the human prepare him. "Yeah, go ahead…"

Ailmer rumbled softly, holding the base of his shaft for just a moment as he pressed in, the pair sharing in a gasp as Ailmer's tip pushed into the dragon's tail. Beroan couldn't help himself from pushing back to sink a bit more of that warm cock into his ass, leaving Ailmer to pull his hand from his base to stroke up over the dragon's crotch again.

Beroan sighed happily, his tunnel clenching slightly around Ailmer's cock every so often while the human leaned in. That shaft sunk, inch by slow inch, into the dragon's almost-uncomfortably hot tunnel. Ailmer gasped softly, sinking himself in until he finally met that vent with his crotch, his thighs warmly pressing up against the dragon's butt. He spent some time enjoying the feeling of his dick throbbing in that tight tunnel and the feeling of the warm legs of the dragon nestled up against his own thighs before he reached down, supporting the dragon's rump with both hands before he began to slowly pull his hips back and forth.

Beroan gasped softly, his tunnel clenching down around the motion as the human reached deep inside of him. His cock was already back to full stiffness as Ailmer's crotch kissed his vent, leaving the drake to lazily sprawl out over the bed as the human humped into him. Ailmer was happy to do so, working his shaft slowly back and forth inside of the male's tight vent, giving a warm horizontal grind with his hips every time he bottomed out in the drake.

After a few minutes of the slow humping, Ailmer bent himself forward, teasing a soft lick along the dragon's cock before he laid himself over the male's front. He kept bucking slowly, supporting himself on his knees with a hand beside the dragon, the other stroking up along the drake's scaled front to his cheek, drawing the dragon's muzzle up from the bed.

Beroan took the hint easily, bringing his head up to lay his lips gently against the human's own. The pair sighed happily, as they began to kiss while Ailmer kept up the slow rhythm. Beroan's slick shaft throbbed and drooled as it pressed against the human's smooth belly; the strange sensation of human skin against his cock made the dragon shiver more than once as they made out.

The pair kept up the affectionately slow session for several more minutes, savoring the slow build to their respective climaxes. Ailmer panted softly into the kiss, gently smooching along the drake's muzzle as he worked himself in, gasping every so often as the male's tight, hot tunnel started to bring another climax to the forefront of his mind. Beroan was quickly approaching his own, if the spurts of pre dripping off Ailmer's belly were any indication. "Beroan, I am probably going to cum soon…" He panted.

Beroan waited to reply until after he'd pressed his lips warmly against Ailmer's again, nodding slightly. "Please?"

Ailmer chuckled and nodded in reply, giving the dragon's snout an affectionate lick. Beroan rumbled softly, arching his hips slowly up against Ailmer's quickening thrusts, the pair's kiss quickly turning into a series of shared gasps and pants as Ailmer worked towards his climax. It didn't take much longer as the eager pair ground and worked against each other, before Ailmer suddenly gasped, reaching down to hug himself tightly to the dragon's chest, playfully biting the dragon's thick neck scales to stifle his moan.

Beroan hissed out in pleasure as he felt the human press down against him, as well as the slight pressure on his neck from the bite. His cock flexed against the male's front, ground tightly between them, while Ailmer's own shaft started to shoot hot seed deep inside the dragon.

Beroan whined out in pleasure, biting his lip as he started to cum as well, his cock straining against the human's smooth skin. Seed splashed over their fronts and deep inside the dragon, the drake's tunnel clenching hotly around that cock as it throbbed inside of him. The pair shared in their panting as they came, their orgasms drawn out by the slow build.

Finally, they were left panting against each other, relaxing slowly as they fell to enjoy their afterglow. Beroan slowly reached a forepaw up to lay over the human against him. Ailmer rumbled softly, pressing himself into the dragon's front as they cuddled in, smiling softly as he looked up at the drake. "Tomorrow then, you'll tell me?"

Ailmer nodded slowly against the dragon's neck. "As much as I can."

***

"So he lives in that little town?" The youngest of the group asked.

"Supposed to. Last the guild heard of him, at least." The oldest one rumbled, scars decorating his face.

"Wow. I can't believe we're really going to find him. All the legends said that he died." The younger one replied.

"Yeah. That was intentional, supposedly. Kerian, throw another log on that."

"Yes, sir." The younger one said, standing up from his place around the fire.

Sargent Pawlin crossed his arms as he watched the private grab a few split logs, waddling back over to carefully arrange them in the fire. The silver on his uniform glinted in the firelight, the flames illuminating the blue and gold fabric that clothed the fighter. He wore a constant frown, the creases and lines etched into his face suggesting that the man had never actually smiled in his life. He gave a slow sigh as one of the logs tumbled to the side in the flames, causing smoke to spiral up on the heat as Kerian reached in to grab it, withdrawing his hand quickly as it was licked by a flame. "'Ere, private. Use a stick, quick-like, before you smoke sarge outta his seat." Remfry said, nearly choking on his thick northern accent.

Kerian snatched the proffered stick from the other soldier sitting by the fire, using it to lever the burning log back up to restore a relatively smokeless burn. He tossed the stick in after, much to Remfry's displeasure. "Aw, private. Tha were my pokin' stick."

"Should Halin find it to bless you, I'm sure you'll find another in this wood." Joceus said, not taking the time to look up from his well-worn book, the frayed leather cover simply adorned with the faded spire of Ahilia.

"Tha were a good one, though. Good pokin' stick's hard ta find sometimes." Remfry shot back.

Joceus shrugged, turning the page.

Keiran stared into the fire after he sat back down. "Sorry, Remfry. I'll help you look for another one."

Remfry chuckled and waved his hand. "Nah, private. Good pokin' stick's a personal matter." He said, like it a was a truth fit to scribe in Joceus's holy book, the swordsman pairing it with a sage nod of his head.

Kerian squirmed on the log he'd claimed as his seat, watching the way the patterns in the coals moved. "So he's a really powerful mage, then, sir? Are the stories true?"

Pawlin nodded slowly. "One of the best. Even the dragon rider's headmaster claims that his powers dwarfed anything else he'd ever seen, least during the height of the war."

Kerian nodded, immediately enraptured by any part of the tale. Pawlin gave him a sidelong glance, sighing as he realized he'd inadvertently captured the private's full attention, yet again. "Halin'll smack you around if he finds out you're worshipping the mage more than the gods, private." He rumbled, "That mage's the reason we won the gem wars. Shoulda seen it, riding on the back of a dragon, throwing fireballs with one hand, cutting down the monsters with that glaive in his other. Nobody'd seen anything like it before."

"Were you there? Did you see him?"

"You don't know the half of it. Yeah, I saw him work, kid." He said, reaching up to touch the long scar that crossed his face, all the way from his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, even crossing his lips at the corner of his mouth. Kerian had learned not to stare at it, but he couldn't help but wince as the sergeant called attention to it. "Saved my life."

"Whoa." Kerian replied.

Pawlin sat back, simply sighing in a manner that spoke his disappointment with the young fighter's youthful exuberance. When the sergeant failed to respond, Kerian spoke up. "So we'll make Mossly tomorrow?"

Pawlin nodded. "Midday, or a bit earlier if you can keep up. Hopefully, he's still there, and more hopefully, this'll convince him to come."

Pawlin glanced again at the letter he'd been turning over in his hands for the last hour. The nondescript paper envelope was sealed with a distinctive wax print--A dragon, flying in front of a pair of crossed spears, marked the letter. "What if he doesn't come?" Kerian asked.

Pawlin closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head.