Sage Rokirith's once-powerful flight had become encumbered by his injury. The huffing dragon had to flap his wings many times to stay aloft. Their shaky, slow progress brought his talons to land on the mountain after dusk.

"Rokirith!" Diwa cried, uncurling herself from where she had cradled the egg in her tail. "I'm so glad you made it. I was worried sick that something happened to you."

The sage shooed away Fia and Viliant before he dropped onto his side. "Ugh," he grunted, more so relaxed than pained. I couldn't feel more alive.

"And you couldn't look closer to death! Your tail…. Let me try to heal your tail tonight. We have time now." Diwa pulled her gaze away from Rokirith so that her troubled eyes could rest on Fia and Viliant. "I'm sure this whole ordeal has been overwhelming for both of you," she tittered.

Fia stared down at her claws, poking into the ground, only wishing that she could have done something to stop the Dragon Slayer. That man had raised a vile army to destroy her people, but here she sat. Fia struggled with the simple task to warn them. Every one of her muscles trembled—but not from fear, scared as she might feel.

I'm mad. I'm outraged! Fia tried to commit this feeling to her body and soul. Her unbridled rage was the only way to access enough power to save her people; Sage Rokirith had proven that much to her by rescuing a single egg. Fia would never become the calm, collected mage the way Diwa wanted to train her. All her burdens, she kept them to herself and let her fury burn.

Viliant's head tipped to one side, seeming to think long and hard about something. I've seen worse, he said at last.

Not a muscle moved in Diwa's body save for a twitch of her lower eyelid. A shaky breath fell from her maw. "I think you and Fia could use a nice, relaxing stroll. Here!" Diwa tucked the brown and black dragon egg into the crook beneath Sage Rokirith's jaw. She jumped to lead the dragonets away, remorsefully reminding the sage, "I'll be back soon. Hang in there a little longer."

Take your time. I have everything I need right here, Sage Rokirith murmured as he nestled his cheek closer to the egg.

The adult dragoness walked with the two dragonets to a quiet ledge. A shout would carry to the sage's resting place if danger approached, but here, their hushed voices could chat freely without disturbing him. "Viliant, you spent most of your life in a cell," Diwa spoke plainly but tenderly. "Have you ever paused to look up?"

A few blinks fell over Viliant's eyes, the dragonet unsure why a question like this must come out of nowhere. Why would I do that?

Diwa implored him with egregious cheer in her voice, "Look up! It's beautiful. The darkest nights have the brightest stars. Even if you can't see them, we always know they're just beyond the clouds."

Begrudgingly, Viliant tipped his head back. His eyes searched the inky sky, analyzing the pinpoints of white light which he had not paid any heed before.

Fia, however, kept her neck slung low and her gaze buried into the dirt. She became more enthralled by the flicker of fire which supposedly lay within the mountain than the stars above.

"You can even see shapes in the stars called constellations," Diwa continued, trying to engage the dragonets as much as possible. "I can teach you some, but first, can you find any patterns you like?"

I see a dragon's wing, Viliant said, attempting to trace one claw in the air to let Fia and Diwa see it too. With his magic, he cast a purple shadow overhead to outline the stars, eerily aglow. It's like the Dragon Slayer's sigil, except instead of a broken wing, it's shredded. Viliant's shadowy image of wings became marled by unstable blotches of his own magic.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Viliant…" Diwa intoned sadly.

"Diwa," Viliant spat back in a deep, commanding voice. "Heal my wings." His voice cracked over the edge of a growl. The next words which he wanted to say became too complicated for him to articulate aloud, so he opted for telepathy alone. I know you're capable of doing it. I watched you heal Sage Rokirith's wing—bone and all. He roared, "Fix my wings! Right. Now."

"Viliant," the dragoness gasped, reeling, "you have it all wrong! Those rips were so much smaller, and they were fresh," Diwa whined. "New wounds are always easier to heal. I need to fix his tail while I still can… if I can."

Her painstaking reason did nothing to assuage the anger which possessed Viliant's glare. That doesn't explain anything! he fumed. Why haven't you healed my wings sooner? Why haven't you mended the tiniest hole? That might've made me believe you! I wanted to trust you! Viliant's roar trailed off, more raw at the end. As if shocked by his own confession, the black dragonet lurched back and blinked away his outburst.

"I'm sorry, Viliant," Diwa cried. "I've done everything I could to help you!" Her desperate mouth hung open, wanting to say so much more, but she must have deemed some things best left unsaid. Instead, Diwa closed her eyes and took a few, deep breaths. With a new smile forced into her tail, she bumped into Fia, asking, "Have you taken a look at the stars yet?"

"No," Fia had no intention to engage in Diwa's juvenile attempts to cheer them up. After Viliant's adverse reaction, the fire dragonette did not want to explode on her too. "I don't wanna look," Fia mumbled, despising how her short quips sounded more like a pout than Viliant's angst.

Nevertheless, Diwa insisted, "Did your mom or dad ever take you stargazing?"

The last thing that Fia wanted was a reminder about how badly she missed her parents—how she would never see them again if her mission failed, how the Dragon Slayer sought to kill them….

"We all live under the same stars," Diwa coaxed gently. "You might recognize some of them. I'm certain, your parents have looked up to these stars and prayed for you to come home."

Finally, Fia pulled her head back with a slight totter. She could hardly see the light of the stars through her shiny tears. "They're all…." Choking up, Fia gave up on the vocal language. They're all mixed up! I can't find the coconut or the dragonfly like Mommy taught me! she wailed.

"Shh," Diwa hushed gently. "Shh. It's okay. We can see any shape we want. It doesn't have to be a coconut or a dragonfly." Helplessly, the dragoness contorted her neck under the stars. All her attempts to allay the dragonets' stress had backfired.

Viliant cleared his throat and draped a wing over Fia. Shh. It's okay, he said, copying the same words which Diwa had used. Look, Fia. I think… that's… a flower. Viliant winced as he tried to remember some of the pretty things that his best friend liked.

"Huh?" Fia blinked, her tears quickly drying in a plume of steam. The dragonette recognized his abnormal attempt to console her. While kind words might not be his specialty, he was always there for her when it mattered. He had even risked his life to stay by her side at the brink of death. Fia leaned into Viliant's shoulder and watched his magic trace a precarious flower through the stars.

"Ooh!" she whistled out of excitement. This one over here looks like… a chicken! Fia started lines of fire to connect the stars until she made a chicken dance in front of Viliant's eyes.

You're right, he said, flicking his tail into a smile. The moment that Viliant turned back to Diwa, his tail dropped in displeasure. We're fine by ourselves, he snapped. Leave us alone.

A grim, weak nod brought the dragoness's chin to bob up and down. A tight swallow slid down her throat. Diwa got up and silently slunk away from the dragonets whom she had tried to do nothing but to help.