Gillador let out a long, steady breath as he gazed up to the sky. Dark clouds were in the far off distance. A storm is coming…

He was back at his tent, taking a much needed rest. The day had been stressful, especially since it had been Calinna’s turn to take charge. The poor girl is reverting back–

A noise from behind him made him turn, it was the girl in question. “Good afternoon,” he said with a nod. “How are ya feeling?”

She didn’t answer, instead, she made her way over to one of his chairs and plopped down into it. Then, she laid her head down onto the table and buried it with her hands.

“That bad? Well, I can understand. Just sit there and rest, I’ll get us some tea…” He disappeared off into his tent to grab his kettle and two cups. A minute later, he returned and got a small fire going. While he waited, he got his tea kettle ready and stuck it over the flames.

“There, shouldn’t take too long.” He gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder and sat down next to her. She did not respond.

They sat there for several minutes in silence. Gil knew better than to try and pry anything from Calinna, so he simply waited. Heh, not like I don’t mind the quiet– There was a loud crash in the distance. –Well, mostly quiet.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes…

A sharp whistling noise woke him. Damn, I’m getting too old, he grumbled to himself. Standing up, he let out a yawn and made his way over to the kettle. Pulling it off, he prepared the tea. Finishing, Gil set one cup down in front of Calinna and poured his cup.

“Hey, Calinna? Tea’s ready,” he said as he took his seat.

She stirred, apparently also having fallen asleep. “Hmm– Oh, thank you…” There was a hint of a smile as she lifted her head up, but it quickly faded into a frown.

Gil watched with a mixture of curiosity and concern as she lifted the cup up and stared down into it.

“Gil?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you treat me so differently from my father?”

He paused as he brought his cup up to his lips. The question didn’t exactly catch him off guard, but he knew troubled waters when he saw them.

“Well, I can’t speak for ya father–” Even if I detest the man. “–But I believed ya needed a helping hand.”

She set her tea cup down and faced him. “But why help me? You didn’t know me until we met.”

Gil took a sip from his cup. “Yeah, and? Isn’t that how it goes? Ya don’t know someone until ya meet them. That’s when I decided to help ya.”

“But why?!” she was starting to look desperate.

“Because I’ve always helped people. I’m old, real old, and it's about the last thing that brings me satisfaction. Ya too will understand, once ya as old as me.”

That clearly wasn’t the answer she was hoping for…

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Listen, ya not the first I’ve helped. I’ve mentioned Haldria. By all rights she’s my granddaughter, but she came from a troubled background. Hells, she wasn’t even the first.”

“Who was first then?” Calinna demanded.

Gil grimaced, realizing he made a mistake. “That… I don’t think I’m at liberty to say.”

“Why not?”

“Because, they’re waiting for me to apologize.” His eyes gazed out into the clearing, there he saw the small form of Noria walking from the hatchery.

Her expression turned into confusion. “Apologize…?”

“It’s a long story, but one I cannot tell. But, perhaps, I will have my chance soon enough.”

They both fell silent again as they worked on their tea. But as Gil finished his cup and set it down, he decided to ask the question weighing most heavily upon his mind. “Were you able to get your sketchbook back?”

Calinna slouched into her seat as he spoke, her frown returning. “No,” she said meekly. “My father has it… And he’s gone.”

That caused him to raise an eyebrow. “Gone?”

She nodded. “Yeah, gone. I don’t know where he went, but he took some of his men with him. I tried to ask the others, but they wouldn’t say.”

An unsettling feeling began to creep up Gil’s spine. Where could he have gone? And why take the book with him?

Clearly, something wasn’t adding up. As far as he was aware, Calsen hadn’t volunteered to help with the construction, hunting, or any other work. He left that all to his tribe.

“Are you sure he took your book with him?” But Calinna’s expression told him she was certain.

“I…snuck into his tent. I looked for it everywhere… It wasn’t there, and…”

“And?” Gil asked, now keenly listening.

“W-well…” she began to fidget in her seat. “He, uh… He asked me last week to get inside the hatchery–”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“What?!” He nearly jumped from his seat. Gods, don’t tell me…

Calinna flinched from his outburst. “I didn’t tell him anything!”

But Gillador knew, he understood. “But you did sketch it. You sketched the hatchery, you sketched all those dragon eggs you saw… And now he has your book.”

She gulped, but refused to speak.

I don’t know what he wants with the eggs, but it's clear as day that’s what he’s after. The question now is, where the hell did he go?

He stood up, his expression hard. “Calinna, listen to me. Go get Oralyn and meet me in the manor, tell her it's urgent and I sent you. Do not tell anyone else what you are doing or where you are going. Ignore anyone who stops you.”

Calinna slowly stood from her chair and gave a hesitant nod.

“Good, now off ya go! I have to gather a few people myself…”

He waited as she quickly set off. Once she was out of sight, he turned his gaze over to where he last saw Noria. She and Haldria have started to get along quite well…

Realizing what he was about to do, he looked down at the two empty cups. An old memory threatened to play in his head.

Shit.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calinna found herself sitting uncomfortably on a sofa, nervously fidgeting in her seat. There were others here as well, many she vaguely knew of but did not interact with. They had all gathered in the largest room in the manor.

One person stood by the entrance, blocking it with their sheer size. A young, ruby-red dragon sat at their feet, staring out of the room like a sentry. Calinna did not know their names, in fact there were three pairs of elf and dragon here she did not know.

A young man paced back and forth quietly behind her, he had a quartz-like dragon watching him with what looked to her like concern. Then there were the two unfamiliar women– Well, one she sort of knew about but the other was the most mysterious of the group.

Noria, the one she was vaguely aware of, sat quietly on the opposite side of the couch that Calinna occupied. Her amber-colored partner laid at her feet, seemingly unconcerned about the events happening around her.

Finally, there was the most mysterious of the group. A woman, close to Calinna’s age, stood near the edge of the others. She had her arms crossed and was occasionally glancing over to the younger man. She had a brilliant, emerald-green dragon with her.

But that wasn’t all. There were three other individuals, two of which she knew and felt comfortable around. Haldria, the tanner, and Gil. The third person, however…

The third person was Yarnel.

The small dragon scared her. He had a ominous feeling about him that made her nervous. And, outside of him forming the contract she, Oralyn, and Felix had agreed to, she knew nothing about him.

And now they are here, she thought with a gulp.

“Right, looks like everyone is here,” Gil said, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

Oralyn was the next to speak, asking the question that was on most of their minds. “What’s happening? I was told it was urgent, an emergency”

A few of the others nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Calinna felt herself sink into the sofa as she waited for Gil to respond.

“It has come to my attention that we might have a problem. I became aware, only recently, that Chief Calsen has disappeared, taking Calinna’s sketchbook with him–”

“So? How is that an emergency?” Oralyn pressed. “I understand how important that book is to her, but do we really need to involve this many people?”

Gil furrowed his brow. “Ya did not let me finish. He took the book because it contained sketches of the hatchery–”

Several muttered curses could be heard as Calinna felt the gaze of multiple sets of eyes. But, the most terrifying feeling came from that seventh dragon as they floated overhead.

“–And that’s not all.” Gil took a deep breath and gave her an ‘I’m sorry’ look. “Calinna informed me today that Chief Calsen asked her to get inside and get a description of the place.”

The small dragon lowered himself down in front of her as Gil finished speaking. They studied her for several tense seconds. “Tell me, and be truthful, are you working with your father to steal eggs?”

Floored, she stammered out her answer. “What?! N-no! I had no intention of telling him anything! I avoided him for a week! H-he took my book– Ripped it from my hands…”

Silence fell upon the room as Yarnel continued to study her. It felt like he was peering deep into her soul.

Finally, though, they spoke. “Very well, I can sense that you are not lying. Not to mention, the contract is still in place.”

Gil cleared his throat. “I would appreciate ya not torturing her. She is innocent in all this.”

“Innocent? Doubtful,” the mysterious woman said with a scoff, but she did not elaborate.

“No, she is innocent,” Oralyn responded, coming to Calinna’s defense. “She is not always the brightest, but she would not hurt a soul. Her father, on the other hand, is a manipulator. No doubt about that, I’ve seen how he operates.”

Calinna’s head sunk, she closed her eyes as she felt tears beginning to form. Hearing her friend talk about her father like that? Hearing her friend essentially calling her dumb? That stung.

She heard someone stand and the sounds of footsteps, a moment later a familiar hand was grasping her shoulder.

Gil spoke. “Calinna isn’t an idiot. It’s her father’s doing. He’s torn her down, destroying any confidence she had for herself. Ya knew her before, ya saw the change that sketchbook made.”

Slowly, she lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She found the warm smile of the old man staring down at her.

“You are not dumb. You are not an idiot. You simply need a guiding hand.” He gave her a pat on the shoulder before turning to the rest of the group.

“Now, let’s not speak about Calinna any longer, we have bigger issues. Like, for example, what are we going to do?”

More silence.

While Gil and Oralyn didn’t believe she was at fault, that didn’t mean she agreed. I… I have to do something, she thought to herself. Unconsciously, she flexed her hands with mounting anxiety.

Calsen is my father… Maybe I can– “I can speak with him!”

The stares returned.

She gulped but now it was too late for her to back down. “Maybe… Maybe I can convince him that this is a bad idea?” But as quickly as her confidence grew, it died just as fast. Especially with the pitiful looks she was receiving.

But, once again, Gil stood up for her. “I don’t think that’s a bad idea. But we still don’t know where he went, and that concerns me.”

The small dragon spoke, his expression serious. “That is not the most concerning part. The hatchery is warded, a barrier similar to what protects the island covers it. He must know simply breaking in is not an option.”

“Do you think he knows how to get past it?” Noria asked, beating several others to the question.

“No, he does not sound particularly smart.” Yarnel brought a taloned hand up to his chin in thought.

“But, I think he knows someone who is.”