“I’m telling you, Lothar. I haven’t got the faintest clue where they’ve run off to.”

“Then who does?! It has been weeks since they left us, and yet they are nowhere to be found. Have they been roaming the woods these past few weeks? Like a pack of rabid wolves?!”

“There’s a good chance of it, yes.”

The gold dragon let out a sharp hiss. Several footsteps echoed throughout the shrine afterwards, growing noticeably weaker with each step. “This is a disaster, Flaratia! That wicked witch will slather everything we have worked so hard to achieve! The empire has so desperately struggled to paint us as mindless savages for years on end, and I swear that vile witch will finish the job for them! Those mongrels will ruin things further, I tell you!”

The red dragoness standing before him scratched at an itch behind her horns. “I’m afraid there’s little we can do at this time. We’ll have to find another way to compensate for it, I suppose. Once we've liberated the country, we can show them better. At least, that is what I’m hoping for, Lothar.”

Lothar laid himself down onto the gravel, not even attempting to give his head a comfortable resting spot. “The people of Lokahn deserve much, much better. Actually having to govern has been quite humbling, I must admit.” A sigh spilled from his throat. “How has the planning for the Eastwards Push been proceeding?”

Flaratia nodded. “Quite well, my lord. Our forces are in position and growing as we speak. The old temple’s been packed with volunteers, and we’re receiving new information on the enemy’s position by the day. Almost everything has been going as we had hoped for. All should go well.”

The gold dragon grew a light smirk. “Good, good, that is what I enjoy hearing. I’m hoping the Justitian lies have not gotten to the people of Lokahn. It would spell bad omens, I’m afraid.“ As quick as he had smirked, so too did Lothar tilt his head aside, staring morosely into the distance. Nothing but trees as far as the eye’s reach.

“What’s the matter, my lord? You look ten years older all of a sudden.”

“I miss my son, Flaratia,” Lothar said.

The red dragoness tilted her head. “Your son? Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you not say he was only running an errand for someone? It shouldn't take too much longer for him to return.”

Lothar shook his head in response. “I do not understand what is taking him so long. It was only an errand.”

Flaratia shrugged. “Well, we’ll find out soon enough. He’ll have to come back here eventually, right? Don’t you think you might be worrying a little too much?”

Lothar shook his head. “It is my duty to worry. That boy is my life, Flaratia. He is why I am here. He’s all I have left.” Both his golden eyes squeezed shut. “If I ever let something happen to him, I could never, ever forgive myself. I do not know what I would do if I lost him, and I don't want to know, either.”

The red dragoness replied with a stiff smile on her snout. “You won’t have to find out, I’m sure of it.”

Lothar sighed. “Well then, I suppose that is everything there is to discuss. Unless you happen to know how Raghes is doing.”

“He got himself in quite the fight,” Flaratia said, “apparently it was a nasty encounter with a bear while he was training. Must’ve been quite the harrowing experience for the poor sods with him. He’s lucky to still be here, according to Novekk.”

The gold dragon shook his head. “One of these days, we will be in for a rude awakening, I’m afraid. Our luck will not last forever. But all good news is more than welcome.”

The red dragoness’ tail tip twitched back and forth. “Indeed. He should be fully recovered in a few days, but it might be a little longer before he’ll be at full strength. I hope he will be a little more careful, though. He’s been a good friend.”

A grunt freed itself from Lothar’s jaws. “I tried visiting him an hour earlier, but he was nowhere to be found. Where has that blue bastard run off to, exactly?”

“Right here, my lord. I’m no bastard.”

The two dragons turned their heads. There he stood on the path, in all his azure wonder. Despite the clump of bandages wrapped around the base of his neck, his eyes were as fierce as ever, staring confidently into Lothar’s eyes as he wandered into the center of the shrine. “Raghes, where in the abyss have you been? I was looking for you an hour ago.”

Raghes shrugged. “Feeding myself. Ever had a taste of Novekk’s cooking?”

Flaratia shook her head. “I have not. Is it truly so bad?”

The blue dragon made a sour face. “It’s miserable. Everything he touches either gets burnt, or it’s like biting into the bark of a tree. I wouldn’t even feed his slop to a prisoner. But enough about what I’ve been eating, what’s wrong?”

“I only wanted to ask you if you were well, that is all,” Lothar said timidly.

“I’m as well as I could be, my lord. Well, besides these damned bandages itching like the abyss, that is. But hey, they’ll only be on my chest for another day or two, then Novekk will finally rip them off. Bloody things.”

Lothar breathed out in relief. “Well, that is great to hear. Do you feel well enough to return to your duties again, though? I would not fault you if you needed some more time.”

Raghes shook his head, defiant. “I live for this cause, my lord. As soon as they’re off, I’ll be right back at it. Divinity is calling, and I’ll be there to answer.”

“I wouldn’t be so carefree if I were you, Raghes,” Flaratia said, eyes panning over the heap of red-stained bandages sewed onto Raghes’ hide. “It doesn’t look too healthy yet, if you ask me. You might end up injuring yourself even further if you-”

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The blue dragon raised a claw. “I know, I know. Look, I wouldn’t do anything truly daring just yet, but I want to do at least something. Even if it is only courier duty. Anything besides spending the whole day fast asleep, curled around a fire like some grandmother’s house cat. Ugh.”

Flaratia licked at her cheeks, gently running her claw through the gravel below. “I just do not want you to get hurt. ” Raghes grunted in response, staring past her into the sea of trees.

“Understandable. But it’s a sacrifice you have to be prepared for. This country wasn’t founded on flowers and diplomacy, you know. Anyway, enough about my injuries. They’ll be gone soon, and it’ll probably end up as something to laugh at. Is there any news?”

Lothar scratched the base of his crown-like horns. “Not much worth nothing, I am afraid. Our preparations have continued, our subjects are happy, and so on. It has been a quiet few days. Maybe a bit too quiet, now that I think about it.”

“How so?” Flaratia asked. “It’s been as busy a week as any other, to my idea.”

Lothar grunted in response. “The Push is not far off. You would expect life to get more hectic as we approach such a crucial time, and yet there is nothing. I cannot help but feel nauseous over it.”

Raghes sat down onto the gravel, flicking his tail around his side. “Well, your expectations were probably off, my lord. Not everything has to necessarily be difficult.”

“No.” Lothar shook his head. “There is more than meets the eye, I am afraid. I have seen it many times in the past. Silence has always been a harbinger of calamity.”

“Well, what exactly are you thinking of, Lothar? Is it anything worth changing our plans for?” Raghes asked, eyes narrowed and tail whipping onto the floor. The gold dragon shook his head.

“I cannot put a claw on anything in particular. But I cannot get rid of the feeling that-”

Raghes interrupted with a loud groan. “Seriously? We’re getting doubts over a stomach ache?”

“No, that is not what I-”

“How about we don’t change our plans over what your gut’s telling you, Lothar. My men have been sweating for weeks in preparation for the push, and they’re not changing their minds. For Divinity’s sake, I’ve taken a major mangling, and I’m not backing away, am I?”

“Enough, enough already!” shouted Lothar. “I never said anything about stopping our plans. All I want is a little more caution, that is all. Raghes, could you really fault me for that, even after Merahn’s treason?”

“...No.”

“Exactly. Lokahn’s liberation will proceed unabated, I can assure you this. But never let your enthusiasm blind you. It has blinded far too many already.”

Raghes shook his head. “I still don’t understand what exactly makes you so worried. Sure, that horrible witch is out there somewhere in the rain I guess, eating whatever disease-ridden beasts she can find and sleeping in some decrepit cave, but is that really something to write home about?”

Flaratia held her claws over her chest. “Quite cruel of you to say such things, Raghes. I worry about her. She’s run off into the wilderness off with dragons she barely knows. I wish she knew better before storming off. We could’ve talked out our differences, I swear.”

“I’m not sorry. She made her nest, now she gets to lie in it. Not my problem anymore,” Raghes replied. Lothar sighed deep, staring at the ground.

“All I am hoping for is that she remains true to Divinity’s ways. I shudder to think of the fallout she would cause otherwise.”

* * *

“Are we all ready?”

On the outskirts of Westedge,three dragons were crawling through the woods. Their limbs shaking from nerves, their breaths coming out as steam in the frigid air, they lay. It wouldn’t be long before the time came.

“Brothers, I’m not sure about this. What are we doing?”

“We’re doing what we need to do, right? That’s what Lord Merahn has said, we need new recruits if we want to win.”

“I know! But we can’t seriously be doing this to get new recruits, right? I doubt even the Justitians would go this far.”

“Shut it, Friedus. The Justitians happily murder practicing Draconists of all ages without a second thought, and you’re concerned about having to bolster our ranks like this? Give me a break, it’s not the end of the world. After the war’s over, they can go back to their lives pretty easily. Shouldn’t take much more than a year at this point.”

“Well, if you’re putting it like that, I guess… but I don’t like the consequences this might have. What if the families turn against us?”

“They will have to accept our rule anyway. Besides, I’ve never met anyone who disliked Draconism before, it won’t take much to get them to believe too. And then they’ll want to be like their children, anyway. Either way, we’ll be better off. Don’t worry.”

The mottled yellow dragon shook his head. “Divinity almighty, do I hope you’re right...”

“Enough arguing. Look, there they are.”

The dragons peeked over the bush, careful to not let their horns give away their presence. Far in the distance, a farmstead was coming to life to tend to their animals. The parents were making their way to their rowdy barn, the moos of cows audible and well from a kilometer away. Meanwhile, a ten year old boy went to play in the barren, snow filled fields, oblivious to what lurked nearby.

“Are you both ready?”

“Yes,” answered the other two, one in a soft, dull voice.

“Good. On the count of three, we go.”