Thank you for letting me sleep. I can’t believe I slept that long.

Pammon said nothing, but Kaen could feel the affirmation of his comment through their bond.

How long will it be till we reach the border of the area we know?

We will arrive a few hours before the sun rises tomorrow. How far do you want to explore?

We have to search until we find it. Otherwise, we are wasting time and leaving our people defenseless against what might keep coming. Surely, we can find some trail leading deeper into that section.

We thought that two years ago and found nothing. It may be different since it appears that they are no longer invading.

Kaen considered the truth of that. If the orcs and goblins had been in the cave for as long as it appeared, the question now was where had they gone before the way in was sealed off.

I guess I should have listened when someone said we should have checked a few months ago to see more troop movements.

Yes, but someone was acting butt-hurt all the time and not listening to his wife or his dragon.

The amount of sarcasm that came through their bond as Pammon spoke was impossible to miss.

I can only apologize so many times…

That doesn’t mean I don’t take the opportunity to remind you so we don’t fall into the pattern of bad choices again. Now, let’s focus on what we need to do: Eat and rest. Now that you are awake, I am going to use my skill to cut down on some of our travel time.

[ Flight Burst Activated ]

The surge of power that flowed through Pammon and the speed they now experienced was far beyond what it had been three years ago. The size and strength of his dragon still amazed Kaen every day. Growth had slowed the last year as food became scarcer, and the dragons were forced to eat the orc army more and more. Occasionally, they could eat a higher-tier ogre, and there was a noticeable difference in growth in the females. Still, Kaen started to wonder if Pammon was reaching a limit to how large he could become at his age.

I’m only six years old, and your thoughts run everywhere. We both know I am the size Tharnok. And don’t ask.

I wasn’t. I’m just thinking of things we need to figure out. Are you still ok with Phillip and Frederick being the first to attempt to be there when the eggs hatch?

There are no other options. We both know that no one else has shown the conviction they have. Based on what you told me about what happened inside the cave, there should be no doubts. Even Frederick’s fears were not enough to prevent him from this chance. You were almost frozen as he was.

Kaen gently patted that scale on Pammon’s neck as he leaned against it, feeling the wind rush over him. Beneath him, the world sped by at an alarming rate.

Only twenty-seven candidates are still alive after all those fighting to take the test next month. None of them are over sixteen… Then there are still over one hundred and fifty students with lifestones who will be ready in another year. Did I do right by this?

Frustration flowed from Pammon.

There was no other choice. We have talked about this multiple times. Without the ‘Dragon Children’ as your people call them, the wall would have never withstood the assaults. Sometimes, we must be willing to understand that everyone must fight. I remember a young boy who was not as prepared as these children are going into a cave against goblins.

Smiling, Kaen remembered that moment and the lessons learned the hard way.

And you are sure Amaranth and Glynnis are ok with those two choices?

Pammon stayed quiet for a moment. Minutes passed, and Kaen could feel him struggling to answer that question.

Amaranth is fine with the decision, while Glynnis has a problem with it. One was used by the council, and saw firsthand how their actions and words contradicted the truth. So, her fear of other dragon riders is not there because she has seen how you act. Even when you make foolish mistakes, she knows you are fighting in the interest of others. Plus, she has sworn herself to you.

Glynnis still hesitates as the idea of her child being bound to a person still feels like a form of slavery, like the people we encountered on the island. She won’t fight against it, but I think it has to do with the candidates you have chosen.

If more eggs come and the decision arises again, they will be more hesitant if the boys do not work out.

Kaen thought about the number of conversations he had with both dragons, telling them his desire and wishes about Phillip and Frederick. There had been a moment where he felt Glynnis would have never given in, but remembered when Amaranth stepped in and defended him.

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Do they really fear my ability to command them?

Would you fear a person who can make you do anything with just a single command?

Pammon’s question left no doubt on how the two felt.

So do they fear me or–

It is both. You have earned their respect, but I can always feel the fear that hides beneath their scales. You know, for a few weeks, I struggled with those feelings after you commanded me to fly away.

My very will was crushed like a deer between my teeth. I had no chance. It was as if everything I was disappeared at that moment. I know why you did it, and I agree with the decision, but that power is still like Stioks.

How can you compare the two of us?!

How many people in the kingdoms he rules over wish they could resist his command? Yet they have no power to. Saying no results in their death or worse, the death of those they love.

Considering those words, Kaen remained silent, letting the wind wash over him.

It’s never easy.

Thrumming, Pammon gently shook his head as he sped through the sky.

We were not chosen to have an easy life. Now rest, stop worrying about what might happen, and focus on what is before us.

Two days of traveling with limited sleep left Kaen and Pammon in a sour mood. The forests and the swamps they searched through had provided constant problems.

Mosquitoes plagued them every second they were on the ground, and even under Pammon’s wing, they found their way to every inch of Kaen’s exposed skin.

Food was hard for Pammon, and the few animals he found almost always never felt worth the time or energy to fly down and eat them.

Halfway through the second day of searching, a path appeared deep inside the swamps, and as the sun began to set, small fires started to show in the distance.

You see those?

Activating his lifestone, Kaen closed his eyes and looked through Pammon’s eyes, seeing the dots of fires spread across the land to the southeast of them.

How many fires are there?

Thousands… I think we found what we are looking for.

As they flew closer, the appearance of a castle came into view. Even in the darkness of the night, combined with the moon and the lights within the castle, Pammon’s eyes easily saw what was before them.

There are a lot of weapons on those walls that appear designed to take down a dragon.

Based on the number of defenses, they have no love for Juthom and Stioks. What do you want to do?

Flying high in the night sky, both of them looked at the army below them. Spread out for miles all around were campfires and tents, with goblins, orcs, and ogres everywhere.

Fires flickered as what must be an orc blacksmith banged on weapons and armor, preparing the army for battle.

There has to be at least another fifty thousand or more. We have barely killed one-half of their forces.

I’ll ask again because the real question is now: What do you want to do? Can you really fight against that?

The frustration of knowing there was a chance of another three years or more of siege so close to Ebonmount had Kaen’s lifestone starting to burn. If he was right, Stioks planned on working with them, and both forces attacked together. The odds of their kingdom falling were too high.

Together, we can easily take out half of them.

Thrumming, Pammon nodded.

How do you want to do this?

They spent an hour studying the army beneath them, and Kaen and Pammon knew the castle would be hard to break. At some point, they would obviously draw the attention of those inside, and neither had any idea what might actually come from within the walls.

If the siege ogre was any indication of things to come, there were probably horrors that would make it seem like a minor threat.

We will hit from the south. I’ll start by sending arrows into the camp, causing confusion and killing as many as possible. I have almost four hundred arrows.

Looking at the quiver by his side, Kaen sighed at the fact only six arrows, designed to fight dragons, were there. No one had found any more metal required for them, and the constant fighting had prevented them from searching for more. Aldric had given the little bit he had in storage to help his cause.

Just tell me when you want to engage. I will do my part. You do yours.

Smiling, Kaen nodded and drew his bow back.

Perhaps I can finally hit forty…

The chaos that erupted beneath the two of them as Kaen sent arrows charged with lightning falling into the camp, mixed in with ones that exploded, seemed to pale compared to the fighting along the walls in Ebonmount.

Every shot killed groups of ogres, orcs, and goblins as they began fighting amongst themselves, trying to find out where the attacks came from.

When a higher-tier orc or ogre showed up, Kaen made sure to take them out with a single explosive shot, preventing leadership from controlling the troops they were responsible for.

By the time they were almost out of arrow, Kaen had killed over three thousand troops.

It’s much easier when one doesn’t have to worry about destroying a wall or injuring their troops.

Are you sure you are ready for this?

It’s time for us to bring the fight to them. You lay a path of fire to the side, and draw their attention. I’ll do the rest.

Swooping down, Pammon used his breath, igniting a path of fire that ran over fifty meters long before swooping back up into the sky.

No one had noticed Kaen as he hopped off Pammon’s back when the dragon paused momentarily at the end of his trail.

Kaen took off with the sword and shield in hand, charging to the west at the first orc he saw.

By the time the shout had been raised in the camp, Kaen was cutting a path through the army on the west side of the flames Pammon had created, a row of bodies littering the ground behind him.

Do not celebrate just yet. They are coming to you like flies on stink.

Let them. Tonight, we will strike them down.

From above Kaen, in the darkness of night, Pammon roared, and as Kaen’s sword took off two heads from goblins who had looked up, Kaen let himself smile.

There was killing to do, and he would be the instrument of death.