Zat was in shock and strangely calm.

The mother took Zat by the hand and made him sit on the back seat of the car with his two daughters who were stroking him and looking at his old clothes.

"Mummy... mummy... we need new clothes for the little dragon..."

"I'll go back home and call the dragon farm..."

Meanwhile, grim and the other 7 Kobolds had followed the car but it started and they coughed from the exhaust smoke.

"Ugh That's like the boiler only worse... they must have mechanical horses in the front trunk"

Grim was very clever and it was she who had tricked her way through the maze and hidden herself away to use the intermittently opening portal. But the passage was over. No turning back, which would basically be a very bad idea.

Grim saw the car pull away, and the Kobolds began to mourn the loss of Zat. They cried like children.

Then, distracted, they came face to face with a security guard and his guard dog.

His job was to catch any suspicious people in the mall, chase them away and catch the thieves, and above all protect the cars.

It was the crying that attracted him and he arrived without warning, the experience of arriving where he is least expected.

Christophe: "The children? What's wrong?

But Christophe spoke in French and the kobolds only spoke English...

"Oh... little dragons! "

Christophe was a crazy animal lover and he always carried treats with him.

He immediately took out a bar of chocolate and handed it to Grim who was transfixed by the hound in front of her

"Asssis! Byron!" and the dog complied but did not stop growling.

"No! They are children!!!"

He patted his dog and crouched down, handing the chocolate to Grim.

She reached out her clawed hand reflexively and almost snatched the treat from the guard's hand.

He looked left and right. And, without warning, he took Grim and put her in a shopping cart. He motioned for the others to climb in.

"Well, little dragons... the farm is far from here... but Grim pointed to the white car driving away.

"ZAT! ZAT! "Then she collapsed in tears in Christophe's arms.

Christopher: "ZAT??? what do you mean??"

"Ah... English ... my english is poor!" but he was used to dealing with tourists and he took out his smarphone and typed some words and it was translated into English.

Grim understood but she couldn't read the alphabet. The tablet must have been magic.

Grim said to the others, "It must be a trainer, or a guard, but it's not evil.

She bit into the chocolate and instinctively everything disappeared, and she looked at her empty hand... "Ah... I ate it all... how good.." She quickly dried her tears and pulled herself together.

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She realised she was in a sort of wheelie cart with the others and Christophe was pushing, the dog following him with discipline.

"We'll go to the canteen and buy you some food and drink...then I'll contact the dragon farm."

Grim asked questions but the language barrier...

They smelled of chewing tobacco, chocolate and other things that must have been delicious.

At the counter, Chris bought chocolates and bottles of soda and gave them to each of the dragons...(kobolds)

While they were tasting, no,,,devouring the sweets, he set his phone to translate in voice mode.

"Here you go... I hope you understand me now".

Grim: "Mr. Guard! Don't hurt us. Pal the cage! not the cage!

Christophe : "But who do you think I am? I am here to help you. How did you get here? Some dragons came and left you here?

Grim :" Please, Mr. Guardian.... We ran away and nobody knows we are here!

Christophe : "But you are children... and you must be with your parents..."

Grim : "We are looking for mistress Valtrax!! the dragon queen.."

Christophe : "Ah, the white dragoness? The one who is the wife of Exodus?? yes... everyone knows her story... Mistress : "What kind of story is that?

Grim : "We are slaves to his Valtrax magic... and we followed him. We are nothing without our mistress".

Christophe was outraged... children enslaved by dragons!

"I knew it... they were monsters!!!"

He breathed in and looked at the little kobolds and looked at Byron.

"What do you think Byron?"

"Woof!"

"You're going to come live with me! Slavery, I don't want to hear about it. It's abolished. No slaves in my house!"

Grim : "Are you going to drop us off at the farm?"

"First you come home. My wife will take care of you, you can change your clothes, sleep and wash. And change your clothes... you're in rags and it's shameful... even for dragons... You are in rags!"

Grim grabbed Christophe's arm with both paws.

"Help! A woman took Zat... my little brother!..."

Christophe : "Ah, I understand.." I'll notify the police then.

Grim "Please...no! not the Sheriff! Not the sheriff. They'll put us in a cage."

Christophe "But the dragons are free... well, almost. Why would they put you in cages...?"

Grim "We're Kobolds... not dragons... we dragon slaves... return mistress or angry dragon.. And angry dragon, terrible... KKobods afraid..."

Christophe had tears streaming down his face.

He took Grim in his arms... "My little one. It's over... you are free but come dear me... I will teach you this world... and how to live without dragons..."

Grim: "But Kobolds... lost without dragons... Lost without Valtrax... we followed Valtrax...

Valtrax happy... Happy Grim! Sad Valtrax... Sad Grim..."

For Christopher, this was too much!

He began to hate the dragons and to make them pay for their crimes... Slave monsters...

Besides, Grim was a beautiful and intelligent creature. How could dragons be so cruel to enslave an entire race?

He phoned his wife to pick him up in the minivan and she would take the car.

"Come on, children... you can't stay like this. You're lost."

More out of fear and Christopher being their only non-aggressive contact, the Kobolds were following Grim, and Grim wanted to give Christopher a chance to see if he was an ally or a bother.

Plus they were starving and thirsty and stank of caves and brimstone.

They got into the van and Grim looked at all the technology, the comfortable seats, the windows and the control buttons.

"Don't touch anything, if the door opens when we're driving, you could fall out and get run over by another car"

Grim then demanded that the Kobolds be careful and above all not touch anything.

They were surprised by the steam on the window and the door closed. Byron was in the trunk, separated from the passenger compartment by bars.

Grim : "Can you open the door by pulling the handle?

Chistophe : "Yes, but only when you are stopped. And there is a child safety device at the back. But you can come to the front with me.

You have to wear your seatbelt...

The kobolds were lost...

"Oh yes, well, you have to explain everything... Never mind, I'll drive slowly.

Grim could see the belt...

"Why, Mr. Guard?"

Chris: "Call me Chris! Yes, the belt. You see, if I crash into the other car or the tree... You'll waltz forward at the speed of the car and you'll crash into the window and through it and explode into the car or tree. The belt holds you back so you don't get hurt in an accident. This happens sometimes. It's rare, but other people make mistakes too."

Grim realized that it was not a chain or a rope for prisoners but a kind of protective harness.

She looked at it and took the belt and clicked it, then took it off and put it back on.

The other kobolds tried but it was a disaster.

Christophe, in the rear view mirror had followed the scene and his golden tooth showed a smoker's smile...

"Hehe... it's not won!"

"So... your name is Grim... and you come from the world of dragons... Sosaria... I think... at least that's what they say on the radio..."

"Ah, yes, you're not . "

He then turned a knob and music came out.

Grim looked around after the musicians...

Chris laughed... no.. they are not here.... they are singing somewhere else.... and you can hear their voices.."