Lilly ran a hand down his chest before getting out of bed. The sun was still low, and the camp about to begin its ritual of breaking down and preparing to move. The battle was fresh in her mind, as was the pain of the loss her followers suffered. Two of the faithful of Balisha had fallen, leaving her with a sense of remorse.
She tried to justify why a dragon would care about the lives of humans but couldn't come to a conclusion. She was grateful for the ones who survived, especially the young ones who hadn't had any time to know the joy of life yet. She looked back to the bed while dressing as he turned over and let out a sigh. She was grateful he survived, not certain what would happen if he was lost. Something about the fear that such could happen drove her mad, and she made love to him in earnest as soon as they could. Now she tied her dress and ran a hand over her stomach as if feeling the gift he left inside.
She slipped into the camp, avoiding the notice of the few who were awake. Thankfully the need for bodyguards was passed and she could move without escort. With the death of Yarvine, the rest of the camp was meticulously questioned and their loyalty established. Ten others were put to death when their light revealed they were not there to help. The deeper wound was caused when several hundred of the women of Ulustrah passed the test but failed to prove loyal. They had no desire to fight for Thayle or Gersius and believed that Yarvine must have had a good reason for her actions. Thayle sent these women away, ordering them to march to Eastgate and wait out the war in shame. They seized Yarvine's wagons and searched them thoroughly, finding another dead man inside the private one. This was the mysterious scryer, and he was hours dead. Gersius suggested that this was the source of the blood in Yarvines bowl, the man sacrificed to complete her curse.
Thayle was so angry it felt painful over the bind. Until that moment, Lilly only ever felt such rage from Gersius; now, her sweet love was just as bitter. Sarah consoled her for nearly an hour before the anger began to subside, but Thayle wasn't ready to be loved. Hours later, they were both awake, with Sarah just outside the camp to the east, and Thayle in the camp of Ulustrah.
Lilly was sure Sarah was in prayer, speaking to her god, and asking for guidance. She preferred to pray alone; her loud droning chants often heard on the wind as the camp broke down. Thayle was probably in prayer as well, trying to regain her balance by bathing in the lover of her goddess. She preferred to pray with the members of her faith, often leading them in song to encourage them. Gersius was more like Sarah, praying alone or with Lilly in his lap. It was one of the special things they did, sharing the link to their goddess as the divine flowed through them.
Lilly knew she needed to pray but instead sought out Sarah, anxious to talk to her about the chaos that was her feelings. She walked across the breadth of the camp and out into the darkness beyond the sentries. Once out of sight of the guards, she discarded her dress and embraced the dragon form, desiring to feel the strength of her blood once more. She followed the pull in her heart to guide herself to Sarah, hoping she would be a source of comfort.
Sarah kay curled up, setting her long neck over her tail and let out a deep sigh. Much about her life was changed, and the path ahead looked as if more changes were coming. She couldn't believe she was sleeping in the arms of a human man, or more often sleeping with a woman in her arms. Just as she envisioned Lilly's blue hair splayed over her chest, something rubbed at her nose. She opened her eyes, and there she was, Lilly in her natural form, standing right before her.
“What is it, child?” Sarah asked as she lifted her head.
“Could I curl up with you?” Lilly asked, looking up with those blazing blue eyes.
“What? Here?” Sarah asked, glancing over her shoulder to see the camp in the distance behind them. “Child, we can’t go parading about with our affections on display. We have to be seen as the strength of this camp, not as a bunch of silly girls.”
Lilly lowered her head with a sniff as Sarah felt her rejection over the bind. It was enough to tear at her sensibilities and cause her to lean over.
“Lilly, come here,” Sarah whispered. “I spoke too harshly, and I am sorry. Please, come lay with me.” Sarah indicated a spot inside her circle that Lilly slowly crawled into. In moments, Lilly turned in circles, curling into a ball inside Sarah's larger ball and tucking firmly into her side.
There was an odd sense of right about this moment, despite her logic saying everything about it was wrong. Lilly let out a sigh and looked up as Sarah stared down at her, unable to understand her feelings.
“How did you come to be so free with your emotions?” Sarah asked. “I struggle to understand how a dragon can be so affectionate.”
“Gersius and Thayle, I guess,” Lilly replied, then thought about it some more. “No, I think I learned to be so open about my feelings when my point of view changed.”
“Changed how?”
Lilly lifted her long neck to rub the side of her head on Sarah’s arm with a deep relaxing sigh. “I realized how much I value being loved, and then I understood how lonely I really was. I began to see my previous life as time wasted, and I didn’t want to lose another second to my old ways of isolation and pride.”
“I see,” Sarah replied and lowered her head close enough for Lilly and Sarah to touch noses. “This is why you were so eager to draw me into your relationship. You see my time as wasted as well.”
“Yours is worse because you were trapped in that temple for so long,” Lilly said.
“I suppose it is worse,” Sarah said and looked over the blue dragon who was tiny in comparison to herself. With a very dragon-like instinct, she moved her head over Lilly's back and gave her a firm lick.
“What are you doing?” Lilly asked as the hot tongue slide down her side.
“Being a good mother,” Sarah replied in her mind. “Now hold still and let me bathe you.”
Lilly beamed with joy and giggled as Sarah cleaned her as a mother did her young. Sarah then used her nose to nudge Lilly in closer before turning tightly to trap her inside.
“You like being a mother,” Lilly said as she nestled in.
“All dragons my age feel motherly of the young ones,” Sarah said. “It is part of what makes our order work. I suppose in many ways, dragons see themselves as one large family dividing roles and chores by age.”
“So I will feel like you do when I reach your age?”
“Of course you will,” Sarah said. “But we both know you will be a mother long before then.”
Lilly swallowed and looked away as Sarah sniffed at her.
“When do you plan to tell him?”
“When he has time to have a proper family,” Lilly said.
“It isn’t fair to keep such a secret from him,” Sarah said. “You should tell him about the blessing Balisha gave you.”
“I love him,” Lilly said and looked up. “Just weeks ago, I didn't know what love was. Now I love a human man with all my heart. The bind allowed me to see what he desired, and I wanted more than anything to give him the wife and child he dreamed of.” Lilly looked away as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Now I can do both, but I fear if I tell him, it will make the task ahead of him that much harder to bear.”
“You have me now,” Sarah urged. “I will help him carry the burden and face the challenges ahead.”
“I know,” Lilly sighed. “But I don't feel the time is right. He has his hope in Thayle, and she is excited that we can both have children.” Lilly paused and tilted her head to the side, staring up at Sarah.
“Child, I am not sure that is a good idea,” Sarah said, reading Lilly's thoughts. “I do love you all, but I am not certain I want to have another child. The pain of seeing them leave only to become cursed, then have one of them come back later to kill me. I don't know if my heart can bear having another.”
“If you change your mind, I will pray to Balisha and ask her to give you the same blessing,” Lilly said.
“Thank you, but what about your followers? I know you have taken special care of that one boy.”
“He's a man,” Lilly said with a downcast head. “And he is growing fast. Now that his eyes are open to greater things, he is changing rapidly.”
“It is very kind of you to give this Culver such special attention, but you mustn't neglect the others. Humans have a strange way of growing jealous when a leader singles out one of them for praise.”
“Thayle said that some people needed a little special attention to encourage them. I am trying not to ignore the others, but I still struggle with interacting with humans. I make mistakes all the time and say or believe in things that are wrong.”
“I am sure that some do need extra attention, but Thayle told me this Culver has a bit of a thing for you.”
“Culver loves me,” Lilly replied as she looked away.
“And how do you feel about him?”
“I just want to help him,” Lilly said. “He was the first acolyte I chose, and I feel responsible for him. I didn’t think about the danger I was putting him by accepting him.”
Sarah sniffed at Lilly as she tried to see it from the little dragon's point of view. It didn't make sense at all, but maybe that was because she needed more time in their bind to grow.
“I think you do,” Lilly replied as she read Sarah’s thoughts. “I changed a lot once we bound each other.”
“Thayle tells me you embraced sex rather quickly,” Sarah remarked as Lilly dipped her head low.
“I guess I did,” she replied. “but I had no idea it was going to feel so special. When we are together, I feel so close, like he is a part of me and I of him. I relish that feeling and sometimes wish it would never end.” She sighed and looked up at Sarah, who towered overhead. “You have shared in it now. How do you feel about it?”
Sarah dipped her head low as if to keep what she was about to say between them.
“I was rather surprised by how it feels too,” she admitted. “But I am afraid to seek it as you do. Something about my dragon nature screams at me that what I am doing is wrong, even as my heart urges me to go on.”
“Sarah, don’t run from your heart. That dragon nature is the curse, calling you to be hard and bitter. Surrender to his love and let him be whole with you.”
“What about surrendering to you?” Sarah asked. “Can we be whole together?”
Lilly rubbed her head on Sarah's arm, feeling the strength of the older dragon's scales.
“When I make love to Thayle, it is different. I feel as if I am showing her how much I love her by welcoming her into my embrace. It's warm and passionate and full of energy, but it's different. I never truly feel like I am a part of her, not like I do with him. When he breeds me and his moment comes, I feel so right, as if this was what I am meant to do. I love being his wife, and I love knowing you and Thayle are wives beside me.”
“When he bred me, I was full of doubt,” Sarah admitted. “I wondered if I had somehow fallen and become lesser.”
“Oh, Sarah,” Lilly cried. “I felt that way too, but I realized I hadn't fallen; I rose to become something even greater. Being a part of you all makes me more than I ever was and ever could be alone.”
Sarah admired Lilly's way of looking at it. So pure and simple with a firm conviction that everything about this path was right. She lifted a wing and covered Lilly and her head in the darkness underneath.
“Tell me, why do you love me?” Sarah asked.
“Why shouldn’t I love you?”
Sarah could have expected that answer, Lilly being so free of the doubts that plagued others. “What I mean to say is, why me when the camp is full of beautiful women. I know you wanted to save me from my wasted years, but surely there was something more.”
Lilly reached up high, nuzzling the tip of Sarah's nose with her own. “I loved you at first sight,” Lilly said and then licked Sarah's chin. “I can't explain it, but I knew from that moment you were supposed to be my wife. I tried to convince myself I was wrong, but even Thayle began to see it. Day by day, the need to have you in our bind grew until Gersius admitted he wanted you.”
“Hmm, I have to wonder if the divines are pulling that string, playing at your heart to draw me in,” Sarah suggested, the thought rather unpleasant. Lilly saw it completely differently, explaining that if the divines had done so, she needed to pray and thank them. Her point of view was almost always one of gratitude and acceptance, something Sarah was not accustomed to.
“You are an amazing little dragon, do you know that?” Sarah said as Lilly continued to rub her little head on Sarah’s chin.
“I am your little dragon,” she replied with a strong emphasis on your. “I hope you know that.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Sarah felt those words deep in her heart as an emotion awakened. For the first time, she felt a sense of gratitude and genuine happiness to have Lilly at her side. Suddenly a great pain surged forward as her guilt struggled to tarnish the moment, refusing to allow her to be happy. Her eyes went wide as tears that glowed with red light began to roll down her cheeks.
“Sarah?” Lilly gasped. “Sarah, please, what is the matter?”
“My daughter will never know this happiness,” Sarah said with a shuttering voice. “I killed her and ended any chance she had to find love.”
“Sarah!” Lilly cried and stood up. “You can't blame yourself for that. You didn't curse her or poison her mind to come back and try to kill you. Whoever did that is to blame, not you.”
“It doesn’t take away the pain,” Sarah said. “Now that I know this path, it hurts to think she will never find it. I understand why you felt as you did about me. So many dragons are lost and don't even know it.”
“Please don’t be so sad,” Lilly cried. “I love you, and I hate to see you suffering.”
“I never dreamed I could have such a life. Numidel told me a thousand times that I didn't understand, but I wouldn’t believe him.” She looked down at Lilly as a tear fell from her cheek and splashed on Lilly’s wing. “And now I have you, the very symbol of love, so pure, innocent, and eager to share her gift.”
“You were meant to have me,” Lilly insisted. “The divines must have wanted to reward you for your years in that temple. They planned it all so that we would be ready to love you when the time was right.”
Sarah let out a broken laugh as she closed her eyes. “I was so hurt that I wasn’t first, but if I had been, would any of this had happened?”
Lilly tilted her head to the side as she pondered the thought, but Sarah heard everything over the bind. Lilly didn't believe any of it would have happened. The course would have been altered, and so much changed. If Sarah and Gersius had met first, there would have been no reason to walk the roads. They would never have met Jessivel or been sent to Whiteford. They wouldn't have met Thayle or been forced to flee north. They wouldn't have crossed the mountains and found the temple or been sent by Numidel to the dragon shrine in the wilds. Lilly would have died of her injuries in the valley and never known the love of Sarah.
“Stop,” Sarah said and used her head to clutch Lilly to herself. “I never want you to think those thoughts again. You are mine, little dragon, and I am eternally grateful he found you first.”
“Then will you please stop torturing yourself over events you could not have changed?”
Sarah nodded and set her head on the ground before Lilly, letting out a great sigh. Lilly curled into her head. Laying her own across Sarah's giant snout as she looked up into those gigantic eyes.
“Your eyes are beautiful,” Lilly said. “I love the color red.”
“I love the color blue,” Sarah replied. “And I could stare into your eyes for the rest of my life.”
“I hope so because you and I are going to be together for a long time,” Lilly said.
“Thousands of years,” Sarah added. “I will never stop loving you.”
Lilly took a deep breath, and together they huddled, sharing the moment of love as the camp woke up to the new day.
Gersius had awoken to find all three of his wives already gone. He spent a moment to lament that they had so little time for each other, then quickly set about getting dressed. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the damp of the night was thick on the grass when he finally knelt in prayer.
Balisha was his goddess now, and she felt so profoundly grateful whenever he called to her. He opened his heart to the flow of divine power, giving of himself and receiving back her blessing. With a song on his lips, he gave her thank and asked for protection and guidance. He was worried about the previous dragon knight and why the man had made such a terrible mistake. Already he and Lilly were working to avoid making the same one, but the situation was delicate. Unlike Ulustrah, who had thousands of temples scattered across the land, all of Balishas faithful were in this camp. It was all too easy to wipe them out and rid the world of her influence again. More troubling was the fact that this seemed to be a driving motivation, something their enemies deeply desired.
Gersius looked up from his song as he felt both Lilly and Sarah swell with emotion. It felt sad, as if they were in pain, but it quickly blazed with love and tears. He wondered what they must be doing for only a moment before going back to his singing.
He finished his song but remained in meditation, allowing the flow of divine power to course through him. Balisha felt stronger every day, but there was a strange limit to her power. The goddess was weak and gave freely of her blessings, but those blessings began to fade during the battle. They discovered that Balisha could not maintain such a call on her power for long, and in the end, it stopped coming. Thankfully the fighting was all but over by that point, and the need for blessings was passed.
The battle had gone masterfully well, with the enemy's zealous desire to crush him, driving them into the trap. They were ground against his well-protected army, the two faiths' blessings complimenting one another perfectly. Such an overwhelming victory bolstered the mood in camp and gave many hope that they could achieve the impossible. Gersius was grateful for the boost in morale, but it did little to calm his own heart or temper the fires that now raged in Thayles.
The surviving assassins were questioned so that as many women as possible could see their light. Some of them refused to answer at first, but Thayle had the wine from their tent brought out and threatened to make them drink. Eventually, the truth was coaxed out and shocked her forces to the core. Yarvine was working with the Father Abbot to accomplish a plan even they knew nothing about. She came to the camp to influence Gersius, and if possible, take control of the army of Ulustrah. She planned to orchestrate hostility between Gersius and herself, so she had an excuse to separate the two armies. Gersius and Thayle proved too difficult to influence, and separating the armies impossible, but then Gersius shared his plan for the gates. Yarvine saw an opportunity to steal his victory and, under cover of darkness, went to corrupt the weapons of the divines. She was responsible for the death of Jaylis, ordering one of their number to kill him. Hundreds saw the light of truth and testified by their own light about what they heard to the rest.
With the confessions made, Gersius took possession of the assassins, sensing that Thayle didn’t want to order their deaths. He did what her heart could not and had the bodies thrown in a pit.
Yarvine's wagons proved beyond all doubt that she was a willing partner in the Father Abbots madness. Not only was the scryer inside dead, but it was his blood that Yarvine intended to use. She planned to work a curse to break the power of their swords somehow. They found bottles of poison and cages of pigeons ready to carry messages to their enemies. Thayle made every follower of Ulustrah bear witness to the scene to settle their hearts on the matter.
Despite all this evidence, some women honestly believed Yarvine was acting in their best interests. She hadn't betrayed Ulustrah. Instead, she was working to broker a peace with the Father Abbot. Thayle felt betrayed that anyone could hold such a belief after Yarvine murdered two of their number and tried to taint Ulustrah's holy weapon. She called them cowards, hiding behind any excuse to avoid the war. She ordered them out of the army and sent them to Eastgate in shame. Some of them called her a false champion, pointing to the marks on her face and refusing to be ashamed. Sarah ended their foolish accusations, threatening to eat the next woman who dared insult Thayle. She snarled over them in her dragon form, her eyes blazing like bonfires as they fled the camp, eager to be on the road east.
Hours later, Thayle approached him, remarking that his use of Yarvine against the enemy was brilliant, but the loss of both scryers left them blind. She understood why he had to lie and keep the actual plan from her but still felt hurt. Gersius understood and lamented the scryers' deaths, pointing out that there was no way he could know that would happen. Thayle nodded but felt wounded; her pain straining the bind they shared. When at last, he put a hand to her shoulder, the tears began to flow. He carried her to bed and reminded her what they were fighting for. To save a people was the call that set him on the path, but it had become so much more. Now they were fighting to restore a goddess and save Ulustrahs faith, but most importantly, for a lasting peace to raise the children she would provide.
Thayle closed her eyes and told him she was ready to have his children. She was already tired of the burden on her shoulders and desperately wanted the dream he held. Sarah arrived just after that confession, and he called her to join them, cradling Thayle between them in love.
The moment was brief, and once again, the demands of the war pulled them apart. Now even his time for prayer was over, and the workers were already here to begin packing the tent. Gersius stood and looked south, hoping to see some sign of Jessivel and the missing second company. It was one more worry Thayle now bore, and a problem he could not give more time. Something had happened to them, to be sure. Numidel searched the river for them that very night but found nothing to report.
With a heavy heart, he began organizing the march, then attended the morning meeting with the leaders of the camp and his wives. It was full of complaints, from food issues to broken wagon wheels. Today’s meeting also covered the issue of captured equipment and the sheer mass of weapons and armor they took from the enemy. Gersius insisted on using the captured warhorses to mount more men, growing his number of cavalry. This meant that pack horses and wagons were stretched to the limit, and carrying off the spoils of war would slow the march.
Gersius reminded them that they were three hours from a major town, and he intended to loot it. The looks of disapproval were profound, but he reassured them he would not break the people's backs. The looting would be contained to the aristocracy's estates and manors whose private guards made up the men that attacked them. It would be a fine for standing against him, as opposed to the death sentence he had the right to demand. With much disapproval, the meeting ended, and the march began, the road to war unavoidable.
He and Thayle rode on Sarah’s back while Numidel, Lilly, and Shadros circled overhead. It was an imposing sight meant to intimidate and worked wonders. As they reached the outer farms, people fled before them, running for their lives before the march of his army.
The estates of the local lords were defenseless as Gersius levied his tax, taking spare wagons and horses as well as a penalty in gold or silver. Being so careful in his collection took time and caused delays, but slowly his problem with wagons began to abate. By mid-afternoon, the town itself was plundered though only very lightly. It was here they learned just how effective the Father Abbots lies were as men and women cowered before Gersius, begging him not to feed them to his dragons. They told stories of the various atrocities he had committed and how his dragons burned villages in the north.
All of it wore on his soul as he realized the people he was trying to save hated him. Small taxes in food and materials to make repairs to wagons and tents were all that were levied. The women of Ulustrah blessed their gardens and homes, doing all they could to assure the people that the stories were lies.
It helped a little, and some people refused to believe the lies but far too few for his liking. Sarah did her best to assure him this distrust would pass quickly once his rule was established, but then one of them asked the question that wounded his heart. A young woman carrying a child asked where her husband was. He was sent to stand against Gersius at the river, and she was wondering if he had been captured. Gersius could only shake his head as the woman's face shattered before fleeing in terrible sobs.
“They will remember this for a very long time,” Gersius said as others dared to ask if any were captured.
“Husband, I have been touched by the love that is the little blue angel. I would like to share with you the same sentiment she had for me as I grieved over my daughter. What happened to the people of this land isn't your fault,” Sarah replied. “You didn't choose to walk this path; it was forced on you.”
“It was forced on them as well,” he replied as his gaze swept over the town. “And in the end, they will judge me, not the Father Abbot.”
They rode on, leaving the grieving town behind as the oppressive weight of the war pressed down on his shoulders. Would the people of this land suffer more from his saving them than they would have otherwise?
“Please don’t think such thoughts,” Sarah grumbled in his mind. “It is bad enough our wife has been angry since the day before.”
“I am not angry,” Thayle lied as Gersius tightened his grip on her waist. “I am wounded like the people in that town. Wounded by a man who hides behind the trust the people have in his title to spread terrible lies.”
“Do not remind me of the shame my order bears,” Sarah said over the bind in a solemn tone as her head dipped low. “I cannot believe how far from his faith, this mad man has fallen. I sometimes feel ashamed when I tell someone I am a priestess of Astikar.”
“Oh, Sarah,” Thayle called. “I didn’t mean to burden you as well.”
“It is not you who burdens us but the way this war is being fought,” Gersius interrupted. “This war is not heroic; it is tragic, full of hate and malice. I have seen robber barons fight with more nobility than the Father Abbot shows. Whatever he is fighting for, it is worth far more than his dignity and soul.”
“What I want to know is why they can still call on Astikars power,” Sarah growled. “I have prayed and meditated about it, but all Astikar shows me is a glowing ring.”
“I have seen that as well,” Gersius replied, thinking back to the image. “I believe the ring is the very thing that haunts High Priest Lengwin and the rest of his leadership.”
“The seal of Astikar,” Sarah said with a nod. “I have considered that possibility, but how could they exploit such a thing?”
“I do not know,” he admitted. “But it is more proof that this war has a hidden meaning.”
“A hidden enemy is more like it,” Thayle said. “This was being planned for years, and the invasion by the Doan was planned. You know as well as I do the Father Abbot is somehow working with them.”
“I do know that,” Gersius admitted. “It became undeniable when the book of prophecy predicted the raven guard would aid the Doan in taking that city. That means the Father Abbot and the Doan are answering to someone greater, someone we haven't yet seen.”
“Who could marshal the wild ones, and bring so many leaders of faith together in such a grand plan, yet, remain hidden? Sarah asked.
Gersius was silent a moment as his thoughts went over every detail they had. The only real clue was a name given to Lilly when the red dragon attacked her.
“We still have no idea who this Gorromogoth is and what role he plays with the dragons.”
“Hmm,” Sarah said as she chewed on a thought. “You are sure the title is Gorromogoth?”
“I am not sure it is a title,” Gersius corrected. “It was the name given to Lilly when the dragon attacked her. He demanded she serve this person or die.”
“No, it is a title,” Sarah argued. “Gorro’ Mo Goth is the dawn tongue for God of all, or as close to that as your language will allow. You don’t truly have a good translation for the word goth. It could be called the god of everything, or god of completeness.”
“Dawn tongue?” Thayle asked as Sarah looked down from above.
“It is the first language, spoken by the dragons who were there at the dawn of the world. It has evolved over time to become the modern language of dragons. We tend to think of it as a sacred language, and few of us will speak it unless praying to the divines in general.”
“Why would he call himself a god?” Gersius asked, confused by what they were learning.
“I don’t know, but the title has been used before,” Sarah added. “The enemy, the first dragon knight defeated, also called himself the Gorromogoth. How I wish I could have been there to see him die.”
“Do we know for certain he died?” Thayle asked.
Sarah tilted her head to the side as if the question was silly. “Of course he did. Why would you ask such a question?”
Thayle shook her head and struggled to remember the old stories. “If I recall, the legend says he was defeated, not slain. For all we know, he fled further west and hid, waiting for the right time to return.”
“But, he would have long since passed away,” Sarah replied. “That was a thousand years ago. Only a dragon, could, live, so, long.” Sarah sounded out every word one by one as the possibility dawned on her.
“Could it be a dragon who is behind all this?” Thayle asked.
“I don’t know,” Sarah rumbled as her thoughts ran wild. “But Numidel and I will find out tonight.”
“Find out how?” Gersius asked as Sarah lifted her head high.
“There is a place in the dream we can go that is sacred to dragons. There we will call this name and see if he has the courage to face us.”
“Why would he face you? What does he have to gain?” Thayle asked.
“In that place, he will hear his name even if he is not in the dream. I will be sure to attach a few choice words to entice him to show himself. If it is a man, he will likely not answer, but should it be a dragon, he will be quick to reply.”
“Is this wise?” Gersius asked. “Will you be in danger?”
“Numidel and I are two of the oldest dragons in the land. We will be able to stand against this pretender to the divine. One way or another, we will know tonight, and if a dragon he be, he will be made to answer our questions.”
Gersius didn't like the sound of her voice or the anger he felt over the bind. The possibility that all this destruction resulted from a single dragon didn't sit well with his wife. She would face this enemy and challenge his purpose in a place that only dragons could go. He could only hope she was right and that she and Numidel were indeed two of the most powerful dragons in the land.