Somewhere far in the west, behind the Ethir ridge, billowed thick, dark clouds, their shape reminding me of tattered dragon wings. I got a feeling this wasn't a good sign...

"You look concerned," Armailith spoke up. "Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just still not entirely convinced if this is a good idea..."

I was sitting between two of her spikes, dashing high above Earlindon towards the mountains, the sun's first rays lighting our way. She had insisted I make this trip on her back because she lacked the patience to endure the speed of the journey she had with us last time. It didn't take long for me to see that her natural flight was at least twice as quick as my own, and the sharp summits that were just looming at the horizon not so long ago were now growing before my very eyes.

"I'm sure you've spent all night thinking about any possible task we could prove ourselves useful in," Armailith shot back. "And yet here you are, which means you couldn't come up with anything and we are doing the most productive thing we can in this fragile moment. We will at least keep an eye on him before all the forces arrive."

I just sighed heavily.

Some time later, the dragoness started to gently drop and soon landed at the base of the ridge, trying to stay out of the way of any accidental looks that could be wandering from the stronghold towards the eastern sky. I then ascended on my own, perched between rocks on one of the summits and let my eyes roam around the ruins.

I spotted only a few ansirths in the valley, lazily basking in the sun. The stronghold itself seemed abandoned again. I quickly returned to Armailith.

"Well, that most probably means that they are not expecting anything," the dragoness commented on my report. "That should give us some advantage."

"Yeah..." without much enthusiasm, I sat on one of the boulders that were slowly regaining warmth after the night's chill. "And means we're relatively safe for now still."

"I'm not sure you can use the word 'safe' when describing anything related to Sharish Caydranth."

Well, at least I wasn't yet nervous enough to not be able to laugh.

Hours passed, the shadows of the rocks and the solitary shrubs changed their shapes and locations, and the situation around the stronghold didn't fluctuate much. Only once, when I peeked out around midday, did I have the impression that I saw blurry smoke trails wafting in the sky from the direction of the Shinestone harbor...

More interesting than that though was the figure that I spotted heading straight that way. The hood of the short, deep-purple cape was up, but I could tell it wasn't a kanh. How did I do that from that distance? The fair skin of the legs was perfectly exposed below the skirt...

None of the ansirths that she passed even paid proper attention to her, meaning she must have been an ally to them. Another mage then...? Why was she going to Shinestone, when it probably lay in rubble now anyway...? Check for survivors? Leftover goods? I sighed heavily and glanced at the thick storm clouds that we saw in the morning and were now floating north-east, not even having touched us. There were just a few muffled murmurs of thunder, and stray gusts of wind that brought the faint scent of rain...

The unproductive waiting was interrupted the next day in the afternoon.

Armailith was napping, partially hidden by a large overhang at the cliff side, while I played with my fire for practice, when some noise reverberated among the rocks. The dragoness lifted her head and I instantaneously leaped up to my little vantage point.

The numbers that suddenly materialized in the valley surpassed my worst conjectures. There were dozens of ansirths, hundreds of kanh and a pack of smaller creatures looking like...

"Wolves...?" I squinted.

"Those are syards, my boy," Armailith corrected me, only the tip of her head peeking above the rocks. "They look like black wolves at first glance but in reality are much bigger and stronger. They can often be found accompanying kanh... A few are not too dangerous, but a pack of this size..."

I turned away and slid back down the smooth part of the hillside.

"What's wrong?" asked the dragoness, clearly sensing my distress.

"What's wrong?" I repeated in disbelief. "Did you see how many they are? Like you stabbed a stick into an anthill! Even if Siaril and Yasenka manage to fetch all the forces Hreshia and the Silivren Forest can afford, we'll still be just half their power at best..."

I thought I saw a glimmer of a smile in Armailith's eyes. "I think you're underestimating the strength of many people here. Yours, your friends', mine," she turned her head and looked to the east, "and the strength of Earlindon's people."

I frowned and followed her gaze.

At a far point of the Serelath Valley, near the spot where the first trees of the Silivren Forest looked out towards Leeshan, moved a mass of dark shapes, clearly heading towards us. It looked like an army...

"Don't tell me that's Yasenka..." I stammered out.

"Oh no, dear Sigrian," the dragoness narrowed her molten eyes. "The creatures our brave illathan has gathered make up only a small part of those troops. Those are humans, I clearly see the banners of Leeshan, Reirath and Tacritia... oh, there is even a small banner of Ioreth. Who would have thought...?"

"Are you kidding me?!" for a moment, I forgot that someone from Sharish's stronghold could hear us. "Yasenka gathered the forces of half Earlindon without even telling me and she's expecting me to lead them?!"

"Do you really think that even if Yasenka would have managed to fly all the way to Tacritia and Reirath in such a short period of time, the humans would be able to cross that distance equally quickly?"

My anger sizzled down slightly. "Then they... on their own...?"

"Not quite. They needed a tiny push..."

"What do you mean?" I already had a feeling what the answer would be.

"It was Light," the dragoness innocently turned her eyes away, like a child dodging a scolding.

"What did you do, speak!"

Armailith looked down at me with a faint flash in her eyes. "Dear Sigrian, this isn't the way to ask something of someone bigger and stronger than you," she said calmly.

I slumped onto the nearest rock, deflated like a puffball someone stepped on. "So you too are trying to torment me to death...?" I whined bitterly.

"No, we are trying to help you," the dragoness nudged me with her snout.

"This is how you want to help me?!" I gestured towards the valley. "I had the feeling that everything was against me in this matter, but here it turns out that it can get even worse..."

"In moments like these, you have to remember that a dragon flies up best when against the wind... Think about it Sigrian, if you lead them to victory now, then you and Siaril will be able to tell them the whole truth without fear."

"And if we don't...?" my voice was much quieter now, weaker. "If we fail and...?"

"Then Sharish will probably send us all into the lands of infinite flights, so what's the harm?"

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I don't know for how long my eyes were locked with hers. Eventually though, I sighed, got up again and faced the valley.

"Yasenka decided to fight her past by unsealing her magic... Siaril is probably facing his own in Hreshia right now..." I felt the anger slowly leave my veins. "It's about time I faced mine... especially since they will need a leader... I paused for a second, my gaze wandering up to the blue of the sky. "Humans might lack the prudence of illathan, the power of dragons... but not courage. It's better to take the risk of failure than fail without even trying to risk anything..."

I felt the dragoness watching me in silence for a few moments. "You remind me of your predecessor more and more..." there was a hint of nostalgia in her voice. When I gave her a confused look, she added: "I mean Sariarin."

"Oh..."

"He had a bit of a twisted character too. And you have nearly the same eyes..."

"Wait," I quickly gave up feeling offended at the 'twisted' part. "Is that the reason? Did my eyes change color recently... because my predecessor's were the same?"

Armailith laughed. "Are you telling me you thought of that just now? That process started even before your wings appeared. Yasenka's eyes used to be the prettiest sky-blue in the kingdom some time ago."

"Did Siaril's change too? Before I got to meet him?"

"No, actually. Ralethiel's emerald-green was very similar to what Siaril was born with..." I didn't know why, but I thought I heard an ounce of reverie in her hushed tone. "Not only deep in color, but deep in every sense..."

I just smiled little.

Once all the mixed emotions in my chest calmed into a quiet discontent that I planned to let out once I met Light again, we turned our attention back to the stronghold.

The creatures that emerged out into the open all gathered on the eastern side of the ruins, waiting for something. We didn't have to wait long. Soon, there was movement on one of the surviving balconies and I recognized the tall silhouette of Sharish, clad in a dark robe, his fist clenched around something small that I couldn't see from that distance. He started some speech, and even though the clear air carried his voice all the way to us, I had to stifle a curse. He was speaking in the language of the dark elves.

"Shush..." Armailith's purr stopped my annoyed fidgeting.

"Do you get what he's saying?" I whispered back.

"I only know a little of the underground's languages..." she paused to listen. "I think he's planning to go somewhere tomorrow. He's talking about something that was taken from him..."

"He certainly does sound angry... but what could that be? And who would be crazy and skilled enough to steal from him?" I frowned at my own thoughts. That silhouette that wandered off to Shinestone... was she somehow responsible for this anger...?

"It seems he will be taking only the ansirths and some kanh that can ride them..." Armailith explained the last of Sharish's words.

"So... they might be going somewhere further away and want to get there quick."

"Possibly..."

"Our own forces should be close enough to put a spoke in their wheel by then."

"One thing is certain - he will not oversee them once they get into the air."

I smiled bitterly.

When the sky turned sapphire, with the west still glowing faintly, our army set up camp in the valley. The small unit that we noticed approaching from Saille - a city north of the Apries Lake - two hours prior did the same. I didn't even bother commenting it anymore. As the atmosphere around the Shinestone stronghold got sleepy again, we decided to join them.

The soldiers walking between the tents didn't at all seem surprised by our appearance. On the contrary, smiles surrounded us when some of them gathered to offer a warm greeting. I had to admit I was kind of stunned... There seemed to be more of them than I assumed while watching from the mist-shrouded peaks. I had a good few hundred men in front of me...

Between which Yasenka squeezed through to get to us, locked arms with me and pulled me to the side.

"Sig, what's going on here?" she whispered, sounding excited and a little terrified at the same time. "I met them halfway here, they said they're marching to Ethir on your order... But how...?"

"Oh? 'On my order'?" I shot Armailith an annoyed smile. "On top of all that, you did it using my name."

"It won't hurt you," the dragoness didn't seem very bothered. "Besides, I already told you that it wasn't my idea."

I sighed.

"Then how in the world did they get here?" Yasenka insisted.

I gave Armailith a glance entitled 'Well come on, tell her'.

The dragoness sat down with a huff. "Before you went to Sharish's stronghold, my nerves got the better of me. The urge to check on my children was too strong... Light used his magic to get to Tacritia, but of course he couldn't be satisfied with just asking the priests about the crypts and spilled everything... In Sigrian's name, he asked them to gather forces from all nearby settlements just in case and be ready to march as soon as they receive a signal. He sent said signal after you escaped Sharish. And I think he did the best thing possible, because we would be lost without them now."

"Fine, but why didn't you at least tell me about it...?"

Armailith snorted at me like an angry tabby. "For example so you couldn't fly over and turn them around while you still had the chance," her hiss sounded impatient by now.

I suddenly felt ill at ease. That comment hit a little too close to bull's-eye.

The dragoness deemed that the end of the conversation, lifted herself heavily and glanced towards the centre of the valley. "I need to hunt, I didn't eat all day," she said, sounding tired. She walked away a little before taking a run up and ascending into the night sky.

I slumped onto a big rock, one of many scattered across the camping site. Some of the men were walking along the border of the forest, covered lanterns hanging on the lower branches and casting circles of light on the soft grass. The dried needles crackled under their boots as they prepared their supper. The summer night seeping out of the Silivren Forest intoxicated with scents and I regretted that I wasn't able to completely relish in being here again.

I glanced at Yasenka, who watched the seemingly calm silhouettes. "You said you'd get us some support from the forest," I followed her gaze in between the tents. "I only see humans, correct me if I'm wrong..."

"Don't worry, the creatures I brought with me are hiding in the forest for the night, they prefer resting away from human beings."

"Who did you bring with you anyway?"

"Wait till morning and let them surprise you," she gave me a wink.

The slight movement made the subtle shine of the nearest campfire reflect off of her sirath, half hidden under the deep-green fabric of her leather vest. I smiled a little. I could sense it from the very first moment I spotted her in the camp. The air itself diametrically changed around her, I could clearly feel powerful magic...

"Why did you stop here?" I changed the topic, looking around the camp. The area was mostly barren, only occasional tufts of grass making it more lively. A bit further away, tiny seedlings of trees shyly peeked out from the soft soil. Their stems were thin and they looked like they started their lives all at the same time, not too long ago. As if spring and summer arrived here late... "There isn't even anything to graze the horses..."

"There is plenty further east near the forest, don't worry. We didn't want to continue in the dark, it was better to stop. I... didn't like it, but..." her gaze became sad when she lowered her voice to almost a whisper, "maybe it was meant to be..."

I gave her a questioning look.

"This land wasn't always this arid..." she managed a small smile. "Trust me, this place once looked far worse, but nature mastered the art of regeneration with stunning virtuosity... The valley of the Shinestone stronghold once hosted so much life too, before Sharish showed how destructive it can be to take the wrong turn on the way to your goal..."

I almost jumped up as if something scalded me before taking a completely fresh look around, taking in the remnants of Earlindon's first human city... the shards of memories scattered like dead petals... the rock that I sat on, that might even have been part of Yasenka's home in the past...

"So this is... Ilmer...?" I whispered, even though I didn't mean to be quiet. I gave her a compassionate look, but she only shook her head.

"Who knows, maybe we all just share some sort of fate, trapped on pages that were long ago written by the author of our path..."

My eyebrows wandered up. "Why such fatalism all of a sudden?"

"Sorry, must be the nerves," Yasenka's smile regained some of the usual radiance. "We should get some rest, we can't allow such thoughts to destroy our morale tomorrow."

"Yeah... practice what you preach though."

There was a warm, grateful spark in her eyes. "Good night."

"Night."

After she disappeared between the trees of the forest, I stayed where I was for some time, thinking about what I just heard. Soon though, letting a quiet sigh escape me, I lifted myself from the boulder. It was time to find some good spot to sleep...

It was then that I suddenly heard something that almost froze my blood solid.

The murmur of prayers, like a whisper of falling leaves...

I stood still for a moment, then slowly looked over my shoulder. Some of the soldiers were kneeling down, others just sat between the tents with their faces turned towards the sky. Silent pleas, prayers for grace, fortune in the coming battle that was so close, all flowing to the stars that watched over the campsite... It wasn't just the future of everyone present that depended on it, it was their families, friends, all of Earlindon...

The cool evening air carried their voices far and distinct. So many hearts, just one desire...

Feeling bitter, I made my way to the border of the forest on the far west end of the camp. I chose one of the branchier trees and flew up to a high spot on it. Staring at the ridge that was still in contrast with the fading sky, I waited for the whisper of prayers coming from the campground to die out. I was still watching even when Armailith returned, settled down some distance away and started to observe the peaks as well, as if listening for any sounds that might come from them. But the summits kept ominously quiet, the only sound audible being the speech of a nearby cluster of beeches that almost seemed to ring like tiny bells in the evening breeze...

How many prayers have they quietly listened to in their lives, transforming them into a rustle that no one understood...?

Eventually, I lifted my head to the stars. My eyes stung a little, but I held the tears back. I didn't want to cry. Not now. Maybe later, when everything was over...

I didn't know if there really was anyone up there who could listen to all those pleas, but still, in a desperate whisper, I sent another one after them...

"Spare them, because none of this is their fault..."

The wind took my words and soon died out. The silence that followed lulled Earlindon to sleep one last time before this ancient conflict would be settled...