Fia shrank under the pressure to do the impossible. To her knowledge, the fire element could do nothing to reverse wounds, only inflame them.

The nature healer took great offense to Sage Rokirith trying to assign her role to another. "You can wait for me to repair your tail after your wing!" Diwa shouted.

Sage Rokirith rolled onto his shoulder and roared back. "I know you want to," he said, voice breaking in pain, "but you can't!" Momentarily, the sage's hostile glare almost seemed to resent her for not commanding the skill of a better healer. With a toss of his horns, he slanted his weight to one side so that he could put pressure on his tail. Shiny, oozing blood had restarted its flow from the jagged tip, so he used the force of two forelegs to stop it. "I need your fire," Sage Rokirith said, directing his attention to Fia once more. "Mine can only slow the bleeding, but yours can stop it."

Fia gave a shallow nod. I understand now. The dragonette had once cauterized her own wound from the Dragon Slayer, but that had been an accident—a byproduct of fully awakening her inner flame.

"Nonsense!" Diwa shouted and growled in Fia's face to keep her at bay. "The dragonette has nothing to do with this. I'll wrap you a tourniquet out of vines."

The last thread of Viliant's patience finally snapped. His head swung back from the detachment of human soldiers coming this way. "It doesn't matter what you do but hurry up! Humans."

The three other dragons lifted their heads toward the oncoming, horse-mounted men. Sage Rokirith barely had the strength to hold up his own neck and discern the enemies whom he had narrowly escaped. Even the brown dragonette quaked in her egg, startled by the grim mood which possessed all the dragons.

"Diwa?" Fia said, creeping beneath the wing of the green dragoness. "It's okay." The pink dragonette articulated her thoughts with great care, hoping to reassure Diwa and not arouse greater concern. I burned my own shoulder before. Remember you were able to heal it just fine? To prove her point, Fia flexed her shoulder as she spun in tight circles, her tail close enough to tickle her nose.

"What happened back then was not okay—" Diwa started.

"I want to," Fia stated aloud to express her commitment. She tried to make her thoughts sound as mature as possible while insisting, "Let me help Sage Rokirith. We don't have any other choice!"

At last, Diwa relented with a sigh. They had no time to argue like this. "I'll focus on his wing. You can tend to his tail."

A grateful gasp filled her open mouth. Fia almost lifted her wings and tail in an overexcited smile before she remembered the solemn task before her. Trepidly, she crept over to Sage Rokirith's tail where two of his feet tried to crush the major artery and prevent more blood from seeping out.

"Hurry," he said with a wince. "I don't want to freeze it again, unless I must." The drastic temperature changes would only serve to harm his tail, so his body ought to stay warm before fire was applied.

"I can do this," Fia reassured him. She put one of her own, small claws over his wider one. Her weight meant little compared to his own, but she tried to offer solidarity in the form of pressure. With a deep breath, the air heated inside her mouth from the depths of her belly. Fia steeled herself and squeezed her eyes shut as she purposefully breathed fire on Sage Rokirith's tail.

Her stream of fire scorched the ground. The torrid smoke billowed back up against her face. Through her eyelids, tears beaded down the inner corners. I'm sorry! I don't mean to hurt you, Fia wailed childishly, keeping Diwa, Viliant—and most importantly, the baby dragonette—out of this exchange.

Sage Rokirith had not the coherence in thought or word to respond. A miserable groan peeled from his throat, his low voice ululating into a high-pitched whine.

When deliberately applying fire to a wound like this, Fia had no idea when to stop. She did not want to char the gray scales of Sage Rokirith black, so she pulled back.

"Thank you," he said as the first words from his mouth. Sage Rokirith lifted his claws from his tail and swiped some drool from his jowls. Now that he had made himself more presentable, he lengthened his neck above Fia. His wings spread as much as his energy allowed, but his tail could no longer curl into a smile. "You did good."

Stolen story; please report.

Those words were the most affectionate gesture that Sage Rokirith could offer her. Fia beamed in pride, though her smoke seemed to leave a bitter aftertaste on her tongue. "You're welcome."

"And thank you, Diwa," Sage Rokirith said, inclining his cheek toward her, "for soothing my sprained wing."

"You're welcome—" Diwa replied, her own voice twisted with misgiving.

The harsh sound of Viliant's thoughts splintered those of the other dragons. "I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but did you forget? Humans!" The dragonet lowered his stance against the charge of pounding horse hooves. He barred his fangs, braced to fight alone against a dozen human warriors and mages.

"Get over here!" Diwa cried. "We're not fighting!" Her fleet, frantic claws scrambled to lead their retreat.

Fia darted after her, but only far enough to shield herself behind the sage. This skirmish against the humans would be defined not by Viliant's grit, but by the fight left in Sage Rokirith.

"Don't be a fool!" the sage barked at Viliant. "I'm ready to fly again--"

Both Viliant and Diwa objected to this proposition in tandem. "No, you're not!" they both happened to outcry.

I'm not flying with you, Viliant insisted, his mind aloft with astonishment that Rokirith still expected him to blindly accept a ride. I saw how you crashed just now. His lowered shoulders stayed square, facing the humans whom he would rather take his chances with.

Viliant's right, Diwa expounded on his concern with a focus on Rokirith's welfare. You're really in no condition to fly. Let's find a safe, quiet spot for us to rest until the humans give up!

When the dragons kept their conversation exclusive to telepathy, they could riffle through every eventuality as quick as the idea could form in their head.

Sage Rokirith barked back, Nowhere on this side of the mountain will be safe for dragons, at least not until human hands retake the egg and my head along with it!

Then leave it! Viliant wheeled back against the onslaught of horse riders. However, this option was not worth considering to any of the dragons, not even to the one who had suggested it.

Diwa spun around on her hind claws. As she trotted backwards, she begged in front of Sage Rokirith, Give me the egg! I'll keep it safe. I promise! We need to split up—

The sage stared deep into her eyes as he passed the egg from his claws to hers. I trust you.

With one fewer dragon, their exchange became simpler. Diwa fled by her wings and exited the range limit of her transmitters and their receptors.

I'd rather take my chances here, Viliant proclaimed as he took his last, battle-ready stance. My odds are better against the humans than flying with you!

Suit yourself, the sage replied simply. His head ducked to Fia's height so that his snout could nudge underneath her chest. Sage Rokirith lifted her onto his forehead by tipping back his head. With that, air filled the space beneath his freshly restored wings. Sage Rokirith wobbled into flight.

"Ah!" Fia yelped meekly out of surprise. Her own wings hung limply over Sage Rokirith's eyes. "Viliant!" she squealed aloud—not because she did not want to go with the sage. Quite the contrary, she trusted flying with Sage Rokirith more than ever. His previous crash showed his willingness to shield a young, innocent life at the expense of his own body.

Alas, Viliant did not feel confident that the sage would do the same for the oldest, least favored dragonet in their company. If he did not come with them however, he would lose this reckless fight alone.

"Viliant!" Fia shouted with all her might.

The thundering hooves of the twelve horses shook the ground. Most of the human riders clenched the reins with one fist. Their free hands wielded weapons or readied spells.

As the horses closed on him, Viliant lost his nerve at the last moment. He turned and ran ahead of the humans' steeds, buying a few more seconds before a knight's lowered lance would pierce him. "Sage Rokirith! Help! Take me with you—"

The dragon sage's crimson wings folded and beat backwards. Sage Rokirith veered toward the ground at an angle unexpected by the humans, not even fully anticipated by the sage himself. He strafed the human with a spattering of dark fireballs as he hovered over Viliant.

I can help! Fia realized. First and foremost, she got out of Sage Rokirith's eyes. Secondly, she spun herself the right way around which allowed the dragonette to join the assault. Fia spitfired as many red firebombs as she could to cover the gaps left by the sage.

Under the intense barrage, the horses whinnied and reared. A few gave a low, breathy scream where the fire singed them—hot and cold. One of the horse-mounted mages consoled his beast and lifted both hands off the reins. A sheet of magical ice blanketed the air in front of the human army, protecting them momentarily.

By this time, Sage Rokirith had snatched Viliant into his claws and shakily climbed back into the sky. He flew higher to get away from the humans, racing toward the mountain where Diwa had gone. With her throat still burning from her rapid spell casting, Fia's heart pounded at their narrow escape.