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Chapter 3
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Vanador stood on the shore of the crystal clear mountain lake. He had been standing there for hours, looking at his reflection in the water. Yep, he was still a white dragon. The dragon had been doing a lot of thinking. His most recent thoughts were that he had been a complete jerk.
He had never been able to make the transition into an elf. Despite her obvious power, Vanador’s egg mother Marg had been a social outlier, at least before the war. Her strange proclivities and living her life that way had been frowned upon by almost everyone. Almost no one took her up on her offer to teach them how to unlock the ability for themselves or were at least willing to admit it. Then Argent had fully come into power and elves were no longer just another interesting species. They were the enemy! Marg disappeared, taking her ability to shift forms with her and most of the big dragons started dying. By then it was too late.
Seeing Vanquish in that form had shocked him to the core. He hadn’t even been willing to listen to her. In retrospect, the fact that she was now human, and not an elf meant that something else was going on. Something must have gone wrong. As far as he knew, that transformation wasn’t even possible! Even his mother probably couldn’t shift into a human. Humans were just so magically incapable. It would be like trying to fit an ocean in a teapot! He should have at least heard her out. She had been reluctant to appear before him in that form. A sudden horrifying thought occurred to him. What if she didn’t have a choice? What if she had died? A blue dragon had resurrection powers and Vanquishes were without parallel.
Vanador focused again on his reflection. He thought about the elves he had come to respect. Cantrell and Mavis were two of the good ones. Siophra! He might even love her. Not in that way of course! She was more like a sister. He pushed those thoughts quickly aside and continued trying to change himself into elven form. Nothing happened. His huge white body was still staring back at him. He roared in frustration and leaped into the sky. He turned and flew back the way he had come. He had probably forever damaged his relationship with Vanquish. He didn’t want to alienate his sister Esmarilla too!
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Zinariya was getting lectured, and she didn’t like it. Not at all. Her mother Candasar was going on and on. She wasn’t thrilled with several of her choices and decisions. Zinariya couldn’t even understand what she was upset about. She had done nothing wrong! If anything, her mother was to blame, leaving the nest barely guarded and getting her into all of this. Afterward, Zinariya even helped Ardwella stabilize the elven kingdom by putting down Argent’s rebellious daughters. Of course, Candasar hadn't seen how selfless and brave she had been. She'd been off somewhere else helping Lothinar. Zinariya wondered to herself if she would ever be able to juggle an active lifestyle AND a family. Her mother was doing a pretty poor job of trying to manage both.
Her father Tundor wasn’t doing anything to defend her either. He’d stuck his huge head in the barn door a couple of times, then pulled it back out, reluctant to interrupt Candasar’s verbal tirade. Then, she remembered that he had eaten Zinariya’s eggshell! Of all the nerve! That's not how a committed father should act.
“Your brother and sister, actually ALL of you children are too young and inexperienced to be wandering around as elves, not even considering the social nuances you would be expected to follow!” Her mother continued, obviously exasperated. “And elven bodies are not nearly as durable as your dragon ones. You might easily become injured.”
“It’s not like I made them do it!” She huffed. “They were copying me.”
“They look up to you. Of course, they are going to try to copy you. I don’t even know what I’m going to tell my grandfather about how his daughter Salt has already learned bad habits from you…Thank goodness Pepper is still away with Cenderick.
“Isn’t your grandfather the dragon that just tried to kill Ardwynn?” Zinariya pointed out. “I hardly think he’s in a position to complain about my behavior!”
‘You should respect your elders!” Growled her mother. "Your grandfather has had a difficult life!"
“You have all these expectations, but I’m the youngest!” Zinariya practically sobbed. “I just had to grow up fast because Argent’s family was trying to kill and eat me!”
Finally, her father Tundor decided to join the conversation. He had been listening. Not being able to fit inside the barn anymore obviously made it hard for him to fully participate.
“She has a point, Candasar.” He rumbled.
“What? Your taking her side now?” Her mother sounded indignant.
“I’m not.” He began, “but she has done remarkably well given the terrible events that accompanied her arrival into the world. Things were happening fast. They still are. Argent’s evil family brought the war to us. Again! Siophra says…”
“Why is what Siophra says relevant to THIS conversation? She’s not even here! Exclaimed Candasar.
‘I know that you were not here at the time,” Tundor reminded her as Candasar winced, “But Siophra was in a unique position to get to know the innermost thoughts of our daughter. She has shared many of them with me. Siophra and I both trust her.”
That Siophra and her father both endorsed her and believed in her brought tears to Zinariya’s eyes. She couldn’t even speak! She could only nod her thanks.
Candasar looked back and forth between Tundor’s head, poking through the doorway, and Zinariya. Then she sighed. “This conversation is not over, but ‘I’m exhausted and need time to process and think. She got a strange look on her face.
“Oh no!” She suddenly shouted. “I leave him alone with Firestorm for just a few minutes and she pulls this?”
“What’s going on?” Asked Tundor.
Candasar’s eyes shot toward Zinariya. She shook her head, declining to answer. She didn’t want to give her wayward daughter any further reason to try and grow up any faster. She waited and felt Lothinar’s response to Firestorm through their bond and breathed a sigh of relief. The elf had navigated that awkward situation with amazing tact. They were on their way back here now. Thankfully Firestorm had retaken her proper dragon form.
“Let’s all get some much-needed sleep” she said. “We can always talk more in the morning. Zinariya, you need to know that I love you and only want what’s best.”
Zinariya nodded, but her mother was right. This conversation was far from over.
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Marg pulled herself together. She struggled to get a better mental grip on what should be a normal elf's shape and size. She knew she had finally succeeded when she was able to look Ardwynn directly in the eyes instead of towering over her. “You're right of course. I’m sorry. I’ve already said this once recently but my Elven manners are pretty rusty."
"I think that it's more likely that you've been too long accustomed to having things your own way," Michelle said bitterly.
Marg dipped her head in a small nod, seeming to acquiesce, but her eyes were simmering with barely contained golden fire. She briefly glared at Michelle, then turned to smile again at the elf that claimed to be Lothinar's wife.
Watching their brief interaction, Ardwynn strongly suspected that Marg and the dragon that had been Vanquish must have had a troubled history. Whatever this dragon wanted from Lothinar, it seemed that, for the moment, she was suddenly willing to negotiate. Lothinar must have something that she wanted.
"Again, I must apologize," said Marg. What do you people say? I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed?"
“As long as it’s your bed and not Lothinar’s, we will probably get along fine.” Said Ardwynn.
“I assure you, dearie," said Marg, speaking with an affectation that reminded Ardwynn of a tottering old grandmother. "I’m certainly not interested in your husband in that way. I'm also unwilling to form a dragon bond with him. I have far too many dangerous secrets that I would prefer to keep to myself.” Said Marg.
“I'm sure she does.” Ardwynn heard ‘Michelle whisper under her breath from behind her.
"Then what DO you want?" asked Ardwynn bluntly.
“I felt the power Lothinar was making all the way from my home. Trust me, that’s quite a distance from here. If any other of the really large dragons have survived until now, they are going to feel it too. They will more than likely come to investigate. It will take them longer than me to get here. I’m the only golden and can teleport, but they will come. You should prepare for that.
Vigilant starting squirming. He wanted to correct Marg about the existence of a second golden dragon, but Ardwynn grabbed his arm and shook her head at him. Constance started to open her mouth but thankfully ‘Michelle still had her hand near her face and placed it over her mouth again. The kids finally seemed to take the hint. Marg had been watching their antics but hadn’t yet realized that her exclusivity as the only golden dragon in existence had been compromised. Suddenly her eyes narrowed.
“These are Candasar's kids? That’s what they told me anyway. After her extreme reluctance to change form, I’m quite surprised that she has already shared the knowledge of how to do that with her children. She just left me a short time ago. It’s not that easy an ability to impart to others.”
“What can I say except that those associated with Lothinar sometimes are exceptional,” Ardwynn said smiling. “You clearly must understand that”
“I suppose.” Muttered Marg, looking about.
“Other than warning us about potentially more large dragons visiting, is there anything else?” Asked Ardwynn.
Marg seemed to shake off her concerns and brightened. “Yes, a very important concern of mine. I spoke with ‘Lothinar’s mother back at the town. Interesting elf, that one. She’s either a genius or an idiot. I’m still trying to decide. Anyway, she told me about the cache of frozen dragon eggs that her father had hidden away and that they had hatched. I had heard something about this project of some of the others to put aside some eggs against the possibility of future limitations of genetic diversity.”
“I’m not sure I completely understand what that even means.” Said Ardwynn.
Michelle jumped in. “It means that there are many kinds of dragons with widely different powers. Blues like Candasar and I can do a lot of different things. We are, well, I was… Blue dragons have one of the most diverse set of powers but they can’t teleport for example.”
“And whites are great, healers, better, in most cases, than blues, but only til the point of death. After that, even I recently needed to lean heavily on Candasar’s abilities.” Said Marg.
“Blues are rare?” Ardwynn asked, looking at Constance and Vigilant. "I seem to be somewhat surrounded by them.”
“They are a great multi-use tool. They remind me of like those small pocket knives with all the different blades and attachments that the humans like so much. Their biggest blade, if you will, their unique function is of course the reigniting of life.” Marg explained.
Ardwynn whirled around and stared at Michelle. “All that talk about killing the bad goats and letting the good goats live! That’s not how it happened was it?”
“I believe that was Lothinar’s analogy, not mine.” Said Michelle.
“You killed me. All of me.” Ardwynn whispered.
“I suppose it's a matter of perspective," said Michelle. "You have to understand something. A body is made up of innumerable tiny little living parts. Every one of yours had a tiny piece of Argent in it. To fix you, every single one of those parts needed to die. It was the only way to get it all.” She smiled somewhat apologetically. “I immediately resurrected the healthy parts. That's why you are here talking to me. Then just in case you forgot, you killed me back.”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Ardwynn glared at her and started to argue, but Michelle was saved from further discussion by the cry of a baby from the back of the house. Without another word, she stalked off.
"Little Harvey must be hungry again.” Said Vigilant with a grin.
Marg had been listening with interest. "You have picked up a few new tricks since we last met," she said. Substantially modifying elves, placing your consciousness into a human. Perhaps I have underestimated you."
"Most of what I did to Ardwynn was for Lothinar's benefit," said Michelle. "I have to admit, finding myself living in this human body was mostly an accident. Lothinar's powers were involved."
"Lothinar must care for Ardwynn a great deal. That sounds like an interesting story," said Marg raising an eyebrow.
"It's too long for the telling right now," said Michelle. "Ardwynn was also carrying his unborn son at the time. I believed that him suffering the loss of both of them could potentially set him back in his development."
"This is the same son that she is currently lactating for?"
"He only has the one. So far," said Michelle.
Marg nodded. "I have been told that nursing one's young can be a special experience," she said. "Do you intend to use that human body to someday create offspring?"
"It's the only body I have now," replied Michelle. "And I don't think it's fair to deprive my kind and generous human host of that opportunity."
Marg's gaze seemed to be boring into her. Michelle began to squirm a little. Thankfully the golden dragon chose to change the subject.
"We were speaking about the diversity of young dragons.” Said Marg. “Where are all these dragons now?”
“The human king loaded almost all of them onto ships and is sailing to Silvantra with them,” said Michelle, feeling relieved.
“Among humans, such as yourself, how will they ever learn about their culture or how to properly use their unique abilities?”
“I have had similar concerns.” Admitted Michelle. "I seem to find myself in a unique position."
“I'm glad that you agree." smiled Marg. "I would like you to go to Silvantra and mentor them. Your human host is obviously from there anyway.”
Michelle felt her grasp on furthering her relationship with Lothinar begin to slip away. Part of her was definitely against following the suggestion.
“What possible reason would I have for doing anything that you tell me to?” She let slip out.
“I would be willing to teach Vanador to shift. Perhaps in elven form you and he could continue your previous relationship.” Marg said wiggling her eyebrows.
“I tried to speak with him. Recently in fact. Vanador wants no part of me, in any form.” Michelle said. “I probably have you to thank for that! His mother issues have obviously irreparably scarred him.”
“That’s too bad.” Said Marg. I’ve always thought Vanador would make a handsome elf. Maybe Siophra would be interested….”
“You leave her out of this!” Siophra isn't even bonded with Vanador anymore. If you meddle in this way, you will damage relationships and only bring chaos into this new way of life for dragons and elves. A way of life that you have obviously long-awaited and schemed for!”
“I will confess to a little scheming.” Said Marg. “But regarding the education of these young dragons, you know that I’m right.”
Michelle looked down. “I will do as you ask. I will return to Silvantra and mentor the young ones. Lothinar and I both need some time to sort everything out anyway.”
“Thank you.” Said Marg. “As a time commitment, it won’t be very long. They grow up so fast!” Then her eyes narrowed.
“So, you do admit to wanting to join his harem! You know it will be large. It is inevitable.”
”This girl,” Michelle said looking down and then pointing to herself, “has her heart set on staying with him. The remaining dragon part of me is still coming to terms with losing my original body….and your son. It’s quite complicated.”
“He already has one blue.” Said Marg. “You're probably already too late.”
“Lothinar can be extremely tender-hearted and tends to pick up strays but I’d like to believe that as a dragon god, he will be wise enough to choose quality over quantity.”
“And you are quality?” Marg scoffed.
Michelle's eyes flashed dangerously. “I know that compared to you I’m young but I do know a few things.”
“You’re just a ghost that is hanging on by a thread. I could cut that thread.” Marg said ominously. She seemed to be speaking directly to the human part of the duo. “Would you like that human girl? Do you want to be free of your parasite? It must be difficult having someone constantly telling you what to do.” Marg waited for an answer but thankfully human Michelle didn’t take the bait. She was more scared of the ancient golden than Vanquish.
“You have chosen the devil you know, then.” Said Marg.
Michelle breathed a silent sigh of relief. She didn’t think Marg would be able to rip her dragon consciousness out of Michelle’s human body, especially now that they were fully bonded. It would have been an unpleasant experience to have her try. She owed the human girl she was bonded with a huge thanks. She silently promised her that when Lothinar was finally willing, the vestigial Vanquish would no longer stand in her way. She returned to the subject of Lothinar’s possible harem.
“Candasar is with Tundor. He’s a huge white. You probably saw him over the town. I don’t think it would ever even occur to her to think of Lothinar in that way.”
“I don’t think that Firestorm has the same reservations that Candasar does about that.” Smirked Marg.
“You shifted her too? That’s trouble. I knew you showing up was going to cause more problems!”
“Problems and overcoming them are how people grow and learn. I also helped Candasar and Lothinar restore a lot of lives last night. That’s going to do nothing but improve Lothinar’s reputation.”
If I can get on one of Enderline’s ships, will you promise to leave my friends alone?”
“I’m hurt.” Said Marg. It’s almost like you don’t want me around.”
“You have always been fairly perceptive. Even when I was dating your son.” Said Michelle.
“I honored your wishes last time. How did that work out for you?” Asked Marg.
“Not as well as I hoped.” Said The once-great blue dragon. It seemed that she would be traveling again soon.
In all of her attention on Marg, and being distracted by her threatened extinction, Michelle had failed to see Candasar's two blue children quietly sneaking out the front door.
Constance and Vigilant had realized that having another gold dragon in the house was something their sister Zinariya would want to know about. They went to tell her.
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When Vanador returned to the elven Capitol it was immediately obvious that something had changed. Esmarilla and Mo-Rung were circling in the sky over the great parade square and adjoining fields in front of the main city gates. Several thousand elves were milling around below them. Stacked up against the main gates were several huge piles of weapons. Swords, spears, and bows seemed to be separated according to type.
“Glad you could join us brother,” said Esmarilla snarked. “You're just in time for Mandel’s big moment.”
”Is Vanquish still here?” He asked instead of rising to the bait. “I mean the human girl that was with Zinariya of course.”
”Zinariya teleported the both of them away very shortly after you went out yourself.” Said Mo-Rung. “Did you change your mind about being willing to talk with her? I’ve got to tell you, Van, Running off like that…that probably wasn’t a good decision. And coming from me….”
”I know. I know… I needed time to think. What’s going on down there?”
”The rest of the elves have surrendered. Most of these slobs don’t even know what they’ve been fighting about. I hate elven politics. We don’t really know what happened but suspect the last of Argent's evil and spiteful daughters must have been killed trying to attack Delora Natine. We heard a rumor that Lothinar is back. These guys below us make up most of their followers.”
“So that’s it? We slap them on the wrist and send them home without their weapons?”
”That’s pretty much it, yes,” said Esmarilla. “Of course, we are going to have to land somewhere in that throng and have them pass before us.”
”Are we supposed to try and read their thoughts? Search for treachery? That’s pretty mentally difficult!”
”No you big dummy, we are going to sniff them. Anyone that smells the least bit like Argent is going to be detained for further questioning.”
”That sounds fairly unpleasant.” Said Vanador.
”Why do you think I’m so glad you’re back?” Chuckled Esmarilla. “An extra dragon nose is going to make this go so much faster!”
From the wall and looking down over the vast courtyard Mandel grinned at his sister and Cantrell. “Peace, at last.” He said cheerfully. I should be down there! Among my people.”
”It’s still far too dangerous.” Cantrell gestured towards the third dragon that had appeared in the air above them. “At least Vanador’s back. That will speed up the testing process.”
”Just because an elf doesn’t smell like Argent’s family doesn’t necessarily mean that they haven’t been radicalized.” Cautioned Mavis. “You should continue to use common sense.”
”And bodyguards.” Added Cantrell.
”But isn’t this just so exciting?” Mandel beamed. “I’ve worked so hard for this day!” He glanced over at Cantrell and Mavis who were sharing a look.
”I mean, we all have. Right?” He looked briefly uncomfortable but soon resumed staring at the vast crowd. His smile returned and he waved at them from the wall. A halfhearted cheer rose from somewhere below as several of the elves in the courtyard noticed ‘Mandel’s wave. Surprisingly the feeble cheer crescendoed into a roar.”
”Apparently a very forgiving emperor can be quite popular.” Murmured Cantrell. “I’m going down there to see if I can weed out any troublemakers.” Said Cantrell. “Maybe I’ll spot someone nasty that the dragons might miss.”
”Be careful!” Mavis said, looking concerned.
”Don’t worry. I’ll have Esmarilla with me.” He answered. He moved a bit away from her on the wall and the big black dragon landed on the wall's edged surface. Her talons left deep scratches in the stone. He jumped on her back with ease. She dropped into the courtyard, flaring her wings as people scattered beneath her descent.
”You need a dragon to make an entrance like that!” Said Mandel, coming up to stand next to his sister.
Almost immediately Vanador and Mo-Rung also dropped gracefully into the courtyard, each assuming a position somewhat distant from each other. Mavis could hear Cantrell’s voice hollering out from down below.
”Allright! Form orderly lines and pass before the dragons individually. This is going to take a while as it is. The dragon will be getting fairly close to you but don’t be alarmed. They have already been fed.”
Mavis heard a couple of half-hearted titters but nobody actually laughed. In fact, most of them looked more nervous.
“I need to get down there!” Exclaimed Mandel. “Cantrell’s terrible joke bombed big time. I need to restore confidence!” He ran for the stairs.
"Wait! That's a terrible idea!" she yelled. He didn't stop though.
A few minutes Mavis saw a side door near the huge main gates open. She moved over along the wall to get a better view. Some of the guards were arguing with her brother. They didn’t want him going out into the courtyard. He pushed past them anyway.
Suddenly from somewhere in the crowd, an elf moved quickly. He leapt toward Mandel. Somehow, his hand held a sword. He appeared well-trained, he grew close and swung it at the elven emperor.
"So must perish all those disloyal to Argent!" he screamed. The blade entered deeply into Mandel's chest. He still wore it, but he hadn't even managed to draw his own sword. Even then, the wound was not instantly fatal. Mandel's eyes bulged out and he crumpled to the ground. Archers on the wall fired and three arrows impacted the attacking elf's body almost simultaneously. The assassin fell. One of the arrows had hit him in the eye.
Across the courtyard, Vanador had seen what happened. The emperor had been attacked! He sent out his healing energy, but it was very ineffective at this range. There were too many people in the way. He tried to get closer to Mandel. The crowds gathered around all three dragons were dense. Vanador pushed forward anyway, unfortunately trampling those in front of him. They began screaming. Many of them were also injured. Vanador's healing wave pushed out and hit those he had crushed instead of the emperor. They were just closer! He kept pushing. Trampling and healing as he forced his way across the yard. Elves he should normally have crushed to death were jumping up after he passed over them. They were completely uninjured. They were not, however, very happy. They began yelling and cursing at him. Not knowing or understanding what he was trying to do. Vanador felt Esmarilla's power increasing his own, but his path of destruction through the angry crowd and the healing they misappropriated created a block to his being able to get to Mandel.
"Out of the way!" bellowed Cantrell. The Emperor's been attacked. Clear a path!"
But the admonition was too late. By the time Vanador reached Mandel, he was dead.
"We need a blue!" Vanador gasped. All that healing had taken a large part of his energy. Esmarilla poured more power into him.
"Keep trying!" yelled Cantrell, now somehow next to him. Vanador gathered Esmarilla's power and pushed harder. He watched the tissues of the emperor's body knit back together, but they were devoid of life. His corpse looked perfectly healthy, but the spirit had clearly left.
Word of the emperor's death spread like wildfire through the crowd. There were loud murmurings and angry faces. Vanador had done a lot of stomping. Cantrell suddenly had a terrible feeling of dread. He was standing amongst those that until very recently he had been at war with, and had been willing to kill him. Many of them were very angry, or at least in shock. Except for his long knife, he was unarmed.
"You are never unarmed when you are with me!" sent Esmarilla.
The dragons moved to surround him. People seemed to grudgingly move back from Cantrell. He stood over the dead emperor's body. Finally, a small contingent of imperial guards pushed their way through the crowd. Cantrell did a double take seeing that amongst them were two of his old warden team. Telehalla and Fensterly.
"Well, this is a huge disaster!" Fensterly said, looking down at Mandel. "I don't know how the guards at the door let him get by them."
"What was he even doing down here anyway?" exclaimed Cantrell. "He was supposed to stay safely up on the wall!"
"The elf that attacked the emperor was one of Argent's sons-in-law." someone yelled from the crowd. "His name was Vidkun! He was married to Preen."
Cantrell certainly remembered the name. Although he presumed her dead, she was also one of Argent's daughters that he had not yet accounted for.
"What now?" someone else yelled. "We came here to surrender. Are you going to punish the rest of us for one elf's crimes?"
"Are you going to kill us with your dragons?" another yelled. "The big white one hurt a lot of us already!" came another voice from the crowd.
Fensterly and Telehalla started to look very nervous. They drew closer to Cantrell and all the guards stood with their backs toward him, facing outward to the crowd.
Mo-Rung suddenly leaped into the air. Nobody had been standing unnecessarily close to him, because, who would? Dragons could be terrifying, especially when you didn't know them personally. Many in the crowd ducked or even dropped fully to the ground as he pumped his wings to fly over them. Vanador stayed on the ground, along with Esmarilla.
"Did Mavis call for him?" Cantrell wondered out loud. He squinted, looking up to the wall where he had last seen his wife. She wasn't there. There was more angry murmuring. Mo-Rung began flying a pattern, over the crowd, but still fairly low. He was looking for trouble. Cantrell suddenly realized that Mavis had sent him to watch for additional threats from a higher vantage point.
"Help me pick up the emperor's body. We should get out of here." Cantrell said. Fensterly and Telehalla reached down and each took an end. They lifted and carried Mandel's body by his extremities. His body sagged in the middle like a sack of potatoes.
"Esmarilla! Help me clear a path," he told her. The black dragon began gently moving forward. She was moving slowly enough not to trample anyone. Not surprisingly, the crowd was eager to get out of her way. None of them seemed bent on attacking Cantrell or the guards. When they got close to the door Mandel had run out of, it opened. More guards rushed out. The new guards stood in a semi-circle around them. Most of them looked pretty upset.
"Does this cancel the chance for peace?" someone yelled. "Vidkun's act does not speak for us!" another yelled. Argent's daughters are gone! We want peace!"
"I will give peace a chance!" This time it was a female voice. Cantrell recognized it. He looked toward the door. Mavis appeared there. She was surrounded by guards. She had also obviously been crying, but her eyes were fierce!
"Is anyone here not willing to accept a female empress?" she suddenly yelled.
There was a strange pause, then a ripple of actual laughter ran through the crowd.
"We have been following the orders of Argent's daughters for months now!" someone yelled. "You can't be any worse than them!"
"Long live Empress Mavis!" The crowd picked up on the words until they became a deafening roar.
"Crap!" said Cantrell, looking at his previous warden friends. "There just went my vacation."
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