The features of the strange dragon came into view as he drew closer. His sooty gray scales ended in broad spikes on the adult's back, informing Viliant that he was dealing with another male. The adult dragon's four, ebony horns curved like goat horns which ended in red tips. The crests of armor on his chest were tinged a similarly deep crimson, giving this dragon a demonic appearance.

A pit formed in Viliant's stomach as the cry for help already looked like a mistake. Since he could not take back the past, he tried to remain optimistic. Looks could be deceiving after all. This scary-looking dragon could be perfectly nice on the inside.

Dust lifted around the adult dragon's claws as he tapped down. His head swept upward in a display of power with eyes flashing lividly. Those scarlet eyes glared down at Viliant from their corners.

Um, hi? Viliant timidly reached out with his mind. Dragons generally opted for telepathic communication when they wanted to establish good will.

The fearsome dragon spurned the connection by jamming his receptor.

"Ugh!" Viliant recoiled with a wince and gritted his fangs together. So that's how it's gonna be. He returned the glare even as some drool dripped from his jowl. Despite the hostility, Viliant did not dare trade a growl. The physical and magical difference between them spanned too great for him to risk escalating a conflict.

"You are too young to know this," the adult intoned in a deep, menacing rumble, "so I will overlook your ignorance this time. But I am Rokirith, sage of Mount Ravia. I do not tolerate trespassers on my territory."

Is that so? Viliant wanted to say, but that invited a challenge. As much as he loathed to lower himself, Viliant was a survivor. He feigned naivety to appeal to the older dragon. "Thank you. But actually, we need help." In a mournful voice, he whined, "My friend is sick. Can you help us please?"

"Oh, is that so?" Sage Rokirith retorted in exaggerated, mocking pity.

Yeah, it is, Viliant thought to himself. This dragon is a prick. Even as he was starving, Viliant had received a child with more grace when Fia was thrown into the same cell as him in the coliseum.

"Give me a single reason why I should help you," Sage Rokirith said.

"We're children. Why wouldn't you help us? If you don't, you're… you're terrible!" he said, flabbergasted.

The eyes of the sage narrowed.

The childish act was not working, so Viliant abandoned it. "You are fully capable of helping us, yet you would refuse?" Venomously, he uttered, "For that, you'd deserve to be struck from the sky and fall into the deepest pit."

Sage Rokirith tilted back his head and let out a hearty laugh. "And who would be the one to do that? You?" The long neck of the adult dragon lowered to Viliant's level. "I think not. The child is not as innocent as he claims, but he is just as powerless."

Viliant clenched his fangs together furiously. As he stared directly into the sage's face, he tried to discern if he could scratch out one of those rusty eyes, but the odds did not look favorable. Think, Viliant. This dragon is stubborn and cynical like me. If anyone can convince him to help us, it's me. He turned round and flicked his tail for the adult to follow. "Then let me introduce you to my friend. She can't walk, so the quickest way to get us off your territory would be to help her."

"You are coming up with better reasons," Sage Rokirith rumbled in amusement, "but I will not follow you. Bring her here." The sage's crimson wing gave a flutter as if to tell Viliant to hurry along.

Rage mounted within Viliant as he slunk off amidst the brush. I can't believe this dragon won't help us. This is why I didn't want to even bother! When he arrived at the nest where Fia lay, Viliant froze. Several blinks fell over his eyes as he tried to comprehend how such a kind, little dragoness was not worth a trivial inconvenience to save her life. I'm sorry I ever thought that way….

Viliant softened his tone as he beckoned to her. "Hey Fia." His head bowed to press their telepathic receptors together while his were still aching. The adult is here. His name is Sage Rokirith.

With the first half of his message shared, the state of Fia's mind became lively. Her eyes flung open, sparking with a revived joy. Are we really saved?

Not yet. Viliant revealed the worst, second half of his news. It's uncertain if the adult is willing to help us, but I'll convince him. Just let me do the talking.

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You can do it. I trust you, Viliant, she said before the strength of their telepathic link waned. Fia spent the remainder of her energy worming her way onto his back.

With her body draped over his shoulder, Viliant dragged her back to the self-proclaimed sage. "Happy?" he asked as he deposited Fia at his feet.

"Not until you little wyrms are out of my sight," the Sage Rokirith said in his most pleasant voice so far, his eyes closed and tail curled in a smile. Every cruel word from his mouth served to aggravate Viliant even more.

In contrast, Fia did not understand the language. The foreign voice grabbed her attention and drew her bleary eyes upward. Too weak for the sage to notice, she tried begging to speak over telepathy. Hello! I don't understand the language here, but I'd love to talk to you….

Viliant looked down at her with a pitying glance. He placed his claws overtop of hers in an effort to silence her. He's not interested in us enough for that. If he has anything to say to you, I'll translate. Save your strength. To start with, Viliant made an introduction for her. "This is Fia from the Carlinoa Clan across the sea. The wound on her shoulder is infected, originally dealt by the prince of the human kingdom. They call him 'Dragon Slayer' over there."

"I am well aware of the state of political affairs," Sage Rokirith said as he thumped his tail impatiently.

"If you could take us to the nearest civilization so she can get treated, that's all we ask."

The sage responded with a droll purr. "I could do that, but it seems the children have not made it as far as they would like to think. The nearest civilization is none other than the one you fled—the land ruled by cowardly humans and magicless dragons. I forget what the humans call their country," the pompous sage continued. "Sooner or later, they will be conquered just as they conquered the Dagonirs. Do you really want to go back there?"

Viliant bowed his head to the dirt and winced. The reminder pained him greatly, both about how little progress they made and regarding the fall of his people. "No," he said, coming out of his daze as he shook his head. "There has to be some other place that you can take us. Your clan…?"

"My clan is no more," Sage Rokirith said, looking westward wistfully to the human Kingdom of Syene. "As a sage, I live alone and tend to Mt. Ravia. There is nothing I can do for you. Nothing, that is, which you could not already do for her yourself." One blood-red eye flitted back to the young dragons, glaring with such malice that it made Viliant shrink back. "If you want to help your friend," Sage Rokirith said, "then put her out of her misery."

"No!" Viliant roared in objection. "I would never do something like that."

"Never?" The sage lurked around them in a slow circle with the cleaving blade at the end of his tail swishing dangerously close to them. "You have the eyes of a killer. I'm sure you've been tempted before."

Viliant closed his eyes and shuddered. It hasn't crossed my mind since I chose to spare her on the first day we met. If Viliant had a genuine inclination to kill her, then he would have done so long ago—no hesitation. His eyes lifted as he arrived at this realization. It was akin to how this sage danced around his empty threats. The sage had seemed to enjoy exposing Viliant's fake groveling, so maybe he would respect being called out on his own bluff.

"You're right," Viliant admitted, shifting tactics yet again. Thankfully, Fia did not understand the language, which meant he could say anything that might prove advantageous. "I had half the mind to kill her when we first met," he shared, "but I stayed my claw because what I really wanted was a friend."

Viliant shifted his sweetened, reminiscent voice to a more accusatory one. "I don't think you really want to chase us off, or else this pointless chatter would have ended long ago. I think you really do want to help us." The young, black dragon hauled his friend back up and turned away. Briefly, he lifted his wings in a smirk and let his gaze return to the sage. "Let me know once you're willing to admit this to yourself. We don't have time to play games with you." Viliant kept walking even as the sage released a thunderous roar behind him. Despite his display of bravado, Viliant could not keep his tail from curling between his legs.

Powerful, leathery flaps beat the air around him. Sage Rokirith blew by and landed in front of him, blocking the way forward. "Are you so arrogant that you wish to pretend to be wiser than me, the sage of Mt. Ravia?" he said in a deep, booming voice.

"I quit pretending when you asked me to stop acting like a child," Viliant replied, trying to quell the obvious trembles in his frame.

A savage growl tore from the sage's throat, cutting Viliant off. Any second, he might provoke the adult dragon into killing them in a fit of rage. This strategy was not working, but the more gentle approaches had not gotten them anywhere either. All Viliant's judgements had proven wrong.

The enraged sage asked, "Did you forget that you are in my territory?"

After a deep breath, Viliant steadied his voice. "I also know you don't particularly care about trespassers, otherwise you would deal with the alligatoise in your lake before you'd bother with two little kids. Unless we're the only thing small enough for you to bully."

Sage Rokirith narrowed his angular eyes. "I'll take care of the alligatoise first, then I'll take care of you." The gray and red dragon shot into the sky, letting out a high-pitched battlecry.

Now that he no longer had to face off against the fearsome dragon, a wave of fatigue overcame Viliant. His knees knocked together, and he collapsed with Fia on top of him. He tapped his head against hers to say, I'm sorry Fia. I didn't convince him to help us.

Really? Fia asked. I thought for sure…. The sadness overwhelmed her thoughts, cutting her off as she burst into weak sobs.

When Viliant blinked, he noticed that some wetness was dripping from his eyes too. Unwilling to share his sadness with Fia, he closed off his thoughts. Am I crying too?