With Esudein saying all he had to say, the atmosphere lightened. The heaviness that had filled the expanse before was gone, replaced by Idleaf's playfulness.

»So . . . you're not angry with me, Esudein?«

»No harm done. No reason. Visitor amused.«

»See, I told you it would be all right.«

The spirit chuckled, circled me, and headed for the massive mossbear lying there, growing larger with each leap. When Idleaf reached Esudein, she seemed only slightly smaller than him. Without saying a word, she lay down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The first time I'd seen her snuggle up to him like that. But who was I to say anything about it, even though it tore at my heartstrings? Eight and a half months. That was how long I was gone. It was just her, Esudein and Zeewet. It hurt. But knowing that she had someone to rely on when I couldn't be here gave me at least some peace of mind.

Actually, it made me feel a little ashamed to realize how self-important I sometimes felt as her Guardian, as someone who shouldn't be missing from her life.

At the end of the day, it was Esudein who had been there for her for centuries, not me.

"I think it's time to go," I whispered to the others, knowing full well that Esudein and Idleaf must have heard me. A mere respectful gesture, showing my awareness of the situation.

An appreciative hum from Esudein was all I needed to hear to know I had done well. Yet a few words followed: »Mothers proud of your desire to learn, pup. Me too.«

Since they were spoken in beast language, the words were for my ears only. The pride in them warmed my heart.

»I . . . I'll do my best not to disappoint you, Esudein.«

»Do that,« he hummed, obvious fatigue weighing on him. The encounter with the stranger must have been more exhausting for him than it had seemed at first.

»Stay true to yourself, and welcome you will be, as my pup, so as Guardian of Idleaf,« he said, switching to Standard. "So will your teacher. Adults, quiet now."

"You're welcome anytime, Deckard," I explained, as he didn't know the context, nor could he read the intent behind the words. Hearing that, my mentor bowed his head a little lower. "Thank you for the opportunity, Esudein; I greatly appreciate it."

My mentor butchered his name a bit, but to my amazement, there was a hint of intent in it - still a far cry from the power of names. Esudein always appreciated the effort, though, and it was no different now.

Another satisfied hum shook the expanse gently.

"Now go. Woods need rest."

The three of us bowed to him one last time, my eyes falling on Idleaf, who now seemed asleep as he was, before we got up. I had never seen her so at peace. In fact, I wondered if she ever slept at all, for she always seemed so energetic, unwilling to miss out on anything exciting.

Good for her, though.

Everyone needed to rest and recharge from time to time, including me. I, too, was looking forward to putting my head down. But first I had to get back to Castiana.

"What do you make of the stranger?" Sah asked as we reached the edge of Esulmor, I shifted into the beast, and we broke into a run back to the city - our lips locked in the silence of our brooding minds.

"What is it, Agent? Are you scared?"

"I would say concerned. Don't tell me you don't care one bit, Deckard?"

"Honestly . . . as far as the Empire is concerned, yes."

Sah missed a step in his stride. "I-I would have expected more from a former colonel of the Sahal army."

"Feel free to be disappointed, but I learned in the army that no matter how many enemies we defeat, there will always be someone stronger over the next hill. If I had to worry about everything out there, I'd go crazy."

"Fair point. Still . . . this is a threat that appeared in the heart of Sahal, not behind some hill far away."

"Are they a threat to the Empire, though? As I understand it, they were interested in Little Beast here, Agent. That IS what I'm concerned about."

I'd be lying if I claimed that the whole thing didn't bother me at all. Someone, be it human, elf or beast, of Esudein's power was interested in me. But it wasn't the first time. There were older World Trees, albeit on a far away continent, Rairok, though that was in the past, as well as Eleaden, the planet itself.

"Any thoughts on who that might be, Grey?" The Imperial Agent asked, seeing Deckard's point - or at least he pretended to. "Just curious for someone else's opinion, as my mind is racing with overly ridiculous and dangerous speculation."

That was where I was able to empathize with him, as my mind was swirling with wild ideas as well.

"It could be someone sent by Eleaden, but . . ."

"Interesting. But?"

"If the thing in the north is what I fear it might be, someone under the influence of Eleaden wouldn't be running around asking about me. They would be trying to get Esudein on their side, the same with me." That was my experience with Eleaden. Try to persuade first, and if that fails, persuade harder until you give in or die.

"Very well, let's say it's not the planet - who else comes to mind?"

"The elves, perhaps?"

Sah shook his head. "They're powerful, but unless it's one of their World Tree Guardians, they wouldn't make Esudein sweat like that."

"Then you may have found your answer, Agent. It could be one of the Guardians - an elf or another."

"Could be, but here's the itch - why go all the way when they could have just asked through Idleaf . . . right, Grey?"

"Unless she threw a tantrum and refused to tell the elder World Trees anything, which I don't think she did, then yes. If they had any concerns, they could ask."

"That's what I thought."

"What if the Trees didn't tell their Guardians, and the Guardians simply got curious," Deckard mused aloud. "As far as I know, Guardian information is not something the World Trees share with their Guardians."

"Is that true, Grey?"

"It is."

"Not mentioned in any of the reports."

"You can't blame me for failing to note everything." He just couldn't. There was so much going on. "Besides, whoever made the report might have forgotten to write it down."

"Fair enough. So . . . it could be a Guardian of one of the elder World Trees. Frankly . . . I hope it was one of them. We might be able to work something out if it is them."

"Through me and Idleaf?"

"Of course, and don't look so hurt, Grey. As a Guardian, and a human at that, it must have been clear to you that you would be the link between the humans and the World Trees."

How could I not, when I was reminded of it every now and then. The snide remark about not being fully human was one I swallowed. "And what if it wasn't one of the Guardians?"

"Then it gets more complicated, depending on who it was."

"I guess the guys and gals patrolling around Esulmor won't be much help," Deckard remarked, a light stride in his feet, no hint at the incompetence of the folks in the military in his voice, just a straightforward assumption.

"I agree. Nevertheless, I'll make the request to the Granhill Garrison. They might at least notice something, even if the chances aren't great," Sah said and looked at Deckard. "Are you beginning to see the reason for my concern? Someone with that kind of power could move through the Empire and there would be nothing we could do about it."

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Deckard smirked. "As if that hadn't been the case before. Besides, it makes no difference. They were there for information about Little Beast."

A shiver ran down my spine. Esudein might have assured me that I was safe, but . . . having another powerful being on my tail was not exactly comforting. Alas, there wasn't much I could do about it except watch the shadows for another pair of eyes.

"Her mutation or the journey to the heart of Fallen's Cry, then?"

"Why not both?" Deckard replied. "What she is may have piqued their interest, but they only decided to act on it now."

"That's what I was thinking too."

"Can you explain to me what the fuck you two are talking about? You mean that being in Echo makes my mutations somehow dangerous?"

Sah nodded, a slight smile of approval on his lips. "I told you, you are smarter than you look. There could be several factors. Knowledge of the past that should have stayed buried. Details of how the world and the system work with the combination of what you are. Last but not least, Eleaden in your head."

"All I took from the encounters with it are just memories."

"I sincerely hope so."

"Sah! Marcus, Janina and San vetted her fine."

"Hold your steeds, Deckard. I'm not questioning their abilities . . . just . . . keep in mind that we're dealing with something unknown to us."

Whether I liked it or not, even in the past they didn't know all the ins and outs of Eleaden's power - hence their inability to create union rings or similar magic tools impervious to eavesdropping and their attempt to tie the entire planet to the same rules - the rules that sentient beings of that time knew.

"I usually go with my gut feeling at times like this."

The Imperial Agent grunted disapprovingly. "While handy to have good intuition in the face of the enemy, not exactly the best approach when trying to avoid the conflict itself."

"You think it can be avoided?" I had to admit that the thought sounded sweet to my ears. Why fight the planet you lived on when it was surely possible to find some form of harmony? Too wishful, too idealistic. Things had never been so easy to solve or so simple.

"We won't know until we try, will we? There is an order to such things, though. First of all, you have to understand the other side - which is rather difficult at the moment. We don't even know if Eleaden is behind the wave of beasts and monsters in the north. But with the new knowledge you and Palemoon have brought, that could change. The same goes for you, Grey. The key is to understand who's interested in you. Apart from the known parties, of course."

That Dungreen, my ex-captor, could be behind it was a stretch, but . . . "Why rule out the elves or the mind mages?"

"If those mind morons had someone capable of controlling such beasts," Deckard snorted, shaking his head. "Sahal wouldn't be standing."

"But the one I met in Esulmor was controlling a mossbear at a higher level than her . . . and several of them at that."

"There's nothing unusual about that. It's not so much brute strength that counts when facing them as strength of mind. As you know, brains don't always go hand in hand with levels."

No, they did not. Even an idiot could level. "And that's my point. What if they found a beast that . . . no, that's ridiculous, isn't it?" After all, even if not level-appropriate, the power of the mind did grow with one's strength. That's what Rairok and Traiana told me. The reason why Eleaden couldn't control all the beasts.

"Luckily, it is."

"The same with the elves. If one of the kingdoms had someone of that caliber among their Tree Priestesses and Tree Knights, they would have conquered the other by now," Sah added to what Deckard mentioned. "Well, I must say, talking it over with someone else is the best way to get your head straight. I am more confident than before that no known party is involved, and it must have something to do with your mutations. Which is a question I'm dreading to know the answer to."

All I had to do was think, and I broke into a cold sweat myself. Mossbear could be ruled out right away, as well as Miros. Sure, my relationship with them wasn't exactly ideal, but if they wanted to know anything about me, all they had to do was ask. Same with Witty Deer. I would imagine that only meeting Rairok himself would have drained Esudein that much. And as far as I knew, the plains were half a continent away. So unless Rairok had learned flight or teleportation magic over the millennia, it was hard to imagine him getting here undetected.

On the other hand, I had barely glimpsed the power of those beasts.

The same was true for the Poison Empress. It might be her, but . . . someone would notice such a beast, right?

So it must have been my ears or my mane. But judging by how enthusiastic Mr. Sandoval and Mooney, I mean Hazel, were, they figured out what the origin of my ears might be, and it didn't seem to be an overly dangerous beast. I was sure Hazel would tell me, though despite her nightly intoxication, she refused to divulge any more when I asked her to satisfy my curiosity. According to her, that honor belonged to her superior, the old librarian, Mr. Sandoval.

Shit!

Come to think of it, Sah must have already known.

No! I could NOT ask him!

That would be cheating my friends out of the joy they rightfully deserved.

"Why are you shaking your head so fiercely, Grey? Did you figure something out or do you have a bug in your ear?"

"Don't you dare say a word about my ears!" I snapped at him.

"Calm your steeds. I had no idea you were so sensitive to the mere mention of . . . you-know-what."

"I-I'm not. It's just . . . Mr. Sandoval hasn't had time to tell me the origin of my ears he found."

"I see. Well, if they're right, hardly the source of our little problem."

I gritted my teeth and let out a growl to show that I didn't want to hear any more. Still, the knowledge brought me relief. "Then it leaves my mane and . . ."

"Your heart, Little Beast," Deckard finished for me as the words stuck in my throat at the thought and I nearly stumbled in my run.

"Tits! I was hoping you two would come to a different conclusion than me. Then let's hope it's the 'lioness beast' and we don't have to deal with a dragon."

"Has so much changed since I left the army, Agent?"

"Clarify."

"Son of . . . You talk like you're capable of dealing with a dragon."

Their bickering - just a facade for their fear. That and their cold sweat pricked my nose.

"What I had in mind was to do everything we could NOT to provoke its wrath."

Hold on a minute." Their fear was out of control, now sending shivers down my spine to the tip of my tail and gripping my heart. "I have a drake's heart, not a dragon's. Dragons shouldn't be a problem." The Imperial Chief Healer himself assured me.

"Sure," Sah nodded. "It's just that drakes usually don't give a damn about their kin. The dragons on the other hand . . ."

"Hey, again, I was told that they don't get involved in anything unless it involves their kin. And drakes don't count."

"But you forget your journey into the past, Little Beast," Deckard remarked, eyeing the sky. "It might be something you know now, combined with what you are, that might pique their interest."

"It really could," Sah half-whispered, giving me goosebumps, and that was not a pleasant thing in my beast form. The hair on the human arm was short, fine, and not as thick as the hair covering my entire body.

"Tits!" The Imperial Agent suddenly cursed, following it up with a sigh. An unprecedented display of frustration. "I was hoping you'd dispel my assumptions, but it seems - potentially - that a dragon could be walking the streets of Castiana."

"Better Janine doesn't find out. She'd freak out," Deckard noted upon regard to the City Guards lieutenant, a healer in the Master Guards, his friend, and part of his family - the family that took me in, my pack.

"I am considering informing only my superiors . . . and Rayden, of course. Even if not true, should the word get out, the Lieutenant wouldn't be the only one to freak out. Tits! I'm freaking out . . . and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of me for it."

That didn't even cross my mind. For he was not alone.

"You didn't reek so bad of fear when I told you about Eleaden - are dragons such bad news? They fought alongside the humans back then - how could they walk the streets? Aren't they, you know, as big or bigger than Esudein?"

"The humans have lost most contact with them since then, Little Beast."

"I know," I replied to Deckard. Mr. Sandoval told me how dragons used to teach magic to humans. "Still, isn't . . . ?"

"While Eleaden is no less of a threat, it is hard to grasp - dragons are real, Grey. If you know where to look, you can lay eyes on them. Even if it may be the last thing you see. They are records of what they are capable of, witnesses to it, just like Lieutenant Janina."

"And nothing about Eleaden, huh?"

"Exactly, Grey. Not a single mention anywhere."

"Okay, I get it . . . but them walking the streets? How does it help not to talk about them when a beast like that is going to be hard to overlook? Or am I missing something?"

"Deckard, can you? You know more about beasts than I do."

"Are you admitting that I'm better at something than you?"

"I never claimed otherwise."

My mentor frowned. "True. Well, the thing is, apparently, just as you can shift into beasts, dragons can shift into humans."

"Any form they choose, actually."

"Didn't you want me to tell her? I get the feeling you've grown some balls now that I've fallen back on my skills."

"Your decision."

"Guys! You were saying?"

"That dragons have the ability to shape-shift into whatever form they wish, and we have no way of knowing who they are unless they want us to. There are records of this in our organization."

"So they can fool the Identification Stations?" Because of that damned magic tool and my ID, I almost got into a fight with the city guards the last time I came back from Esulmor.

Saha laughed, and even Deckard cracked a grin. "Can you imagine someone like that walking through the city gate, Grey? No, they just pop into the city, undetected by our defensive runes and enchantments." Remembering how much more advanced the magic tools had been in the past, and reminding myself that dragons were behind the system in the first place, their ability to quietly enter cities wasn't all that strange. And those were skills from thousands of years ago.

"As Esudein said, Little Beast, they will remain hidden from us as long as they wish."

"Damn. I don't know how to feel about that."

"That makes two of us."

"Three," Sah chimed in. "On the one hand, I have the urge to search the whole city, but . . . you know, that could be a really poor move on my part."

"An idiotic move," Deckard agreed, and with that, silence fell over our running group.

"Can we change the topic for a bit?" I needed to take my mind off the potential dragon on my tail.

"Sure."

Well, I was kind of hoping Deckard would catch on and suggest something himself, even if it was something stupid. "Y-You mentioned that I should try kissing someone with a skill for it."

"No. I said you should let them kiss you."

"Does it make such a difference? The skill?"

He grinned, his cheeks actually turning slightly red. "It does, and a big one."

"What's it like then?"

"Well, it's something HARD to put into words, but . . . a damn exciting experience."