Little Water hated the human kingdom.

She knew her journey would be difficult, expected to face hardships that could prove fatal. What she didn’t expect was to be so annoyed and the most unexpected things bothered her the most.

Chief among them was the lack of walls. The estrazi made their homes underground, where space was limited. Exceptions were made for the rooms of females, with their need for birthing chambers, and training rooms but otherwise, her home was comprised of small rooms connected by narrow tunnels. It was a choice motivated both by practicality, as there weren’t many building materials in the north, and instinct, the estrazi natural burrowers that felt safest under a cover of earth.

She’d spent only a fraction of her life under an open sky and always took comfort knowing she could return to the warren when she grew tired of it. There was no escape during her travels. There were earth casters amongst her nameless servants but, walking through enemy territory as they were, she didn’t dare allow them to exhaust themselves seeing to her comfort.

The necessity of it didn’t make her trial any easier. With each consecutive day spent sleeping under the stars, the more uncomfortable Little Water became. Her fear was as inescapable as it was shameful, a holdover from the time the estrazi were simple beasts far from the apex of the food chain. Their origins were taught to every female, so they never took for granted the gifts of the majesties, but it was a disgraceful and their greatest shame. The proud guardians chosen by the wardens of the world did want to remember the times when they were no better than birds and mice.

After three measly days, her overstimulated nerves caused her limbs to twitch, her scales were haunted by a ghostly itch she could never satisfy, and she had problems falling asleep at night. Worse, her servants suffered the same. She was forced to compromise and allow them to cover themselves with foliage, though it forced them to make camp hours earlier.

Accompanying the dreaded sky was the abominable distance she had to travel. She knew from her studies that the human kingdom was large, far larger than the estrazi territory and even the north they guarded. The simple fact was something entirely different to experience.

Days and days of traveling at a lope, a pace between a fast walk and a run that the estrazi could maintain for hours without tiring, weren’t enough to reach Quest, the settlement the yellow-maned human spoke of.

Little Water couldn’t fathom any reason for the humans to build their settlements so far apart. She understood there were too many to fit in a single warren but putting such a large distance between seemed idiotic. How would the different warrens, or settlements, cooperate? Could their leader, the human king, even command them effectively? Even delivering them should be a chore.

What would they do if they were attacked by a powerful foe? One that could lay waste to a great area and required an army of elites to push back, like the draconids the estrazi fought off before settling into the cold wastes of the human kingdom. If it took days to muster their forces, they were doomed, as the first beast with a draconic appetite to realize this weakness would pick off their settlements one by one.

Never mind that the long stretches of unmonitored wilderness was beneficial, allowing her and her servants to move with ease. The idea of it remained strange and offensive.

It wasn’t the only aspect of human methodology she disagreed with. Most of what the yellow-maned one told her of his people seemed rife with the confusion and tragic floundering of those who didn’t understand their places within their brood. There was no greater chaos that could be found than that caused by a creature that thought to reach beyond its natural station. Self-improvement was to be encouraged and ambition was needed to fuel it, but when that ambition devoured the greater good to sate itself, it became something unseemly.

Such things needed to be guided by discipline first and reason second. If Little Water had put her ambitions first when leaving home, she would have taken every nameless servant she could find, as well as many more weapons and supplies. However, such a loss, especially those nameless with rare affinities, would weaken the brood and possibly cheat it out of a more prosperous future. It took disciple to keep her greed in check and reason to determine what would not be missed.

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The yellow-maned one was also a creature of reason, which gave her hope for the rest of humanity. When she and her servants surrounded him, he faced them calmly. Fought them with the same calm, rationally determining he had no chance at victory and signaling his brood before engaging them.

He showed his reason again when he took to his captivity with grace and once more when he agreed to escort them to Quest, his lack of eyesight making the task more difficult but ensuring he stayed docile, an acceptable trade. A bit of cunning as well, as he used the opportunity to probe her for information.

Having spent her life fending off the subtle interrogations of her sisters seeking to keep a careful eye on her progress and movements, she was immune to his sincerity and good humor, though she did appreciate his decision not to make their acquaintance hostile, a triumph of reason over emotion. She saw fit to reward him with information of her vision, though nothing of relevance. It was a long journey and he made for a decent distraction.

She wasn’t foolish enough to trust him after exchanging wit and sharing a laugh. Every act that suggested otherwise was a calculated risk. Letting him join the other humans from the north was to judge his intentions. She was confident finding Quest, she need only follow the singular road. Had he betrayed her to the humans, she would have ridded herself of a bad element at no cost, fully confident in their ability to outrun the armored knights and their beasts slowed by pulling a carriage behind them.

Her judgment had paid off as the yellow-maned one learned crucial information from his broodmates, including the location of her human, her Khan.

The yellow-maned one asked her to remain hidden in the city as he searched for Khan, but she didn’t dare entrust him with her future. She followed the northerners through the bustling city, the distracted humans paying no attention to the scattered groups of strange individuals in dark cloaks who weren’t the oddest dressed pedestrians, to an isolated dwelling on a large stretch of empty land. The Teppin where she would find her human.

She was reassured in her judgment once again when she saw the signs of battle in the surroundings. She knew nothing about it, but it suggested Teppin, Quest, and perhaps all the human kingdom was dangerous. Too dangerous for her human that was not meant for violence.

She had to get him out.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

Little Water was not the most talented of the brood in any way. Her talent for magic was middling at best, she didn’t have the coordination for martial pursuits, and didn’t have the aptitude for scholarly pursuits. However, she wasn’t lacking in any of the natural gifts of her people. She had excellent senses, particularly her sense of smell. Nothing, not even camouflaged estrazi scouts, should have been able to sneak up on her.

Yet, someone had. Two creatures.

They were of different coloring and size, but shared many characteristics, like their cloven feet and their thin, whip-like tails that swung slowly as they walked.

The one in the lead was the shorter of the two, with thin limbs that didn’t give the impression of strength and soft curves. Her skin was gray, a color that suggested a lack of vitality, but her pink eyes were luminous, gleaming as if they were gemstones beneath a strong light.

There was something dangerous in those eyes. Instincts of a time when the estrazi used their scales to hide rather than hunt screamed at her that the thing before was a predator, a horribly dangerous one.

The same went for the second. She was sure they were of the same race but the second female was taller with brick red skin, silver eyes, and golden hair. At first glance, one would think she was the stronger of the two, being of greater size, but Little Water wasn’t fooled. Subtle clues, such as the way the red one moved a half step behind the gray one, gave away the truth of their dynamic.

Worse, both had horns. Nubs, shorter than her own, but they were omens. Born of a prophetic father, Little Water put great weight in omens.

“Pests, I think.” Silver eyes flicked over the estrazi. The two females should have been intimidated by Little Water and her nearly two dozen servants. They outnumbered them ten to one, odds that would give pause to even the best fights, but the strange creatures were entirely unconcerned. “Should we chase them off? Or shall we have a snack?”

Little Water’s tail slapped the ground in annoyance. She was no one’s prey. “Who are you?”

“Look, it speaks!” The silver-eyed one giggled, tail swinging faster. “Perhaps we will keep it. Teach it more tricks.”

“Perhaps we will.” The pink eyes looked over them with hunger. “Ah, fate favors us after all. Just as I was wondering what to do about our little disruption with our summoner, this treat falls into our hands. This realm is glorious. Full of fortune.”