Sands of Time - 16. Chapter 16

After Lew and Nimbi returned with the horses and with the help of Sigvat and Grima, had seen to it that they were properly picketed with food and water, they walked over to the fire circle. With some gentle coaxing from Lew, the Rhinolings found a place to sit where they could enjoy the fire and listen to what was being said. The problem with that was that no one was saying anything, and nothing had been said by anyone since they sat down.

The only two who were not seated were Ardi and Slaygo. Ardi felt it was her obligation to take a protective stance behind her employer. Slaygo on the other hand, was standing awkwardly beside his mother, having found that sitting was, at the moment anyway, a little too painful on his tender behind. That fact didn’t stop his eyes from darting everywhere trying to see everything all at once… And not do the one thing he really wanted to do, which was to stare at the Half-elf and the Illorc… If that was really what they were.

Xavier looked across the fire circle and studied the blank expression on Mablin’s face. Without actually needing to take a look into the man’s mind, he could feel Mablin’s confusion as he tried to understand what he’d seen. Then he looked at the two strangers standing behind him. He took it for granted that they were part of Mablin’s new caravan. When the woman saw him look in her direction she came to attention, placed her right arm across her chest, and bowed slightly, in the martial fashion. The expression on the face of the boy standing uneasily at her side was a jumble of fright and delight.

Xavier broke the silence first, “Sir Mablin, I…” but he was interrupted by Mablin who raised his hand.

“Please, not just yet Xavier… I need to clear my head, and regain whatever I can of my wits… They seem to have completely abandoned me for the moment…” There was a short pause and he spoke again “Malachi? Could you find something suitable for the addled brain… and a dry throat?” Xavier smiled and nodded, while Malachi hurried off. Taking their cue from Malachi, Madelyn, and Olpha left the circle in search of mugs.

The camp remained oddly silent, except for the sound of Malachi rummaging around in his cart and muttering. The cart, which seemed to hold a lot more than it should be able to, had become disorganized in the hurry to refill the spilled contents. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. “Where are they?” he grumbled. “No… Not this one… No… Not that one… No… No… Ahh! There you are!”

Triumphantly, Malachi pulled out two good-sized casks of what he was looking for. Turning around, with a cask under each arm, he realized that he had found them none too soon, and hurried over to the fire circle with his treasure... He was joined by Olpha and Madelyn who filled and distributed mugs of the brew as quickly as they could. While everyone sipped their portion of the brew, Mablin, Garnet, and Xavier raised their mugs and drained them. Then, as if they were one person, they held out the empty mug for a refill. While everyone else sipped at their drink, the three of them downed two more mugs in quick succession.

Finally, with his nerves sufficiently anesthetized, Mablin was ready to ask his questions. Of course, exactly what to ask was causing him an issue. So finally Mablin looked at Xavier and spoke again. “Explain!”

Xavier’s smile faded, it was time. Most of what was left of his mental capabilities had been working on this conversation. It at least gave him a place to start. “Before I begin, I require your most solemn oath that what you learn will go no further than this group. There may be others who, with our consent, that you may discuss this with.” Xavier’s gaze was piercing Mablin, then Ardi and Slaygo.

“Perhaps it would be best if Slaygo and I step away and not…” She stopped as Xavier began shaking his head.

“If I understand correctly, you are second to Teacher Gradon. As such you need to know what capabilities we have.” Garnet spoke up for the first time in this part of the conversation. Xavier simply nodded in agreement. Ardi locked eyes with Xavier, and a moment later, nodded her agreement. Xavier then moved his eyes to Slaygo.

The fifteen-year-old grinned as he pulled the belt knife his mother insisted he carry. “Is a Blood Oath okay?”

“SLAYGO!” Ardi cried out as she turned and looked at her son in amazement.

“What?” He asked innocently. “Every good adventure has a blood oath!”

“While I appreciate the sentiment,” Xavier started with a smile on his face. “For this, just your word is good enough. We will save the Blood Oaths for a more proper and important time.”

“Okay,” Slaygo replied, almost disappointedly as he put his dagger away, and then he squared his shoulders. “I promise.”

Xavier nodded to the boy, then schooled his face as he turned to meet Mablin’s eyes. For a brief moment, neither said a word, or even blinked. Finally, however, Mablin nodded his assent.

“Okay,” Xavier said as he took a long draw off his mug, and then placed it on the ground next to him. When he raised his eyes, he met Ardi’s. This time though, instead of the intense look he had a few moments ago, this look was more sad and tired. “I know what I am about to tell you will be beyond difficult to believe. I ask that, for the sake of this conversation, you act as though you believe every word that we speak. In the coming days, we will offer any and all proof you feel you need.”

Xavier watched as Ardi moved her gaze to Madelyn, who faintly nodded. Her eyes then moved back to Xavier where she mimicked what Madelyn had just done.

“Very well.” Xavier paused as he took a deep breath. “The very first thing you need to understand is that, as far as we can tell, we have moved forward in time between ten and eleven thousand years.” Xavier waited as he saw Ardi’s mouth fall open. Again her gaze shot to Madelyn who simply nodded in agreement a second time. Ardi snapped her mouth shut and after a moment she met Xavier’s eyes and nodded for him to continue. Even Slaygo was too stunned to say anything at that point.

“From what history Sir Mablin and the others have been able to tell us, we came from a time right before, or at the beginning of what came to be known as the Dragon Wars.” He was ready to pause again, but Ardi did not need a moment, so he continued.

“Now that you have the barest of needed background, the rest of what I will share is… or was, only known to the royalty of the different dragon races. That knowledge is that all Dragons, Warriors, Trues, and Greats, are born with the ability to shift into other forms.” He let his words die out expecting some reaction, and while Mablin looked to be about ready to speak, the man held his tongue.

“This ability has to be taught, and only those of Royal Descent, or those that have performed some great service for the crown, were taught. It was one of our most jealously guarded secrets.”

“Why?” Slaygo asked, but it was Ardi who answered.

“Because if the ‘lower races’ were to find out, they would band together and destroy every dragon they could. The fact that anyone on the street could have been a dragon, well…” She trailed off not really knowing what words to use.

“Oh,” Slaygo said with wide eyes.

“Exactly,” Xavier responded. “However, it seems that in this time, the knowledge may be lost to the ages, except for one race, who seemed to have taught as many as possible.”

“The Greens,” Mablin said after a moment’s thought. “That dragon did not suddenly appear at the fight, he was there the whole time.” Mablin realized, and then his eyes got wider. “Which explains why you bypassed the worst of the fighting to get to the front because you knew he was there.”

“Yes, we did,” Syth said softly. “We also knew that, if the fight turned against them, he might very well shift, which he did.”

“We had only been here, in this time, for a few days” Garnet picked up. “As of the time of the fight, we did not know if WE could shift. It turns out that it was the pain that was stopping us. We believe that the lower amount of magic in this time, made it almost too painful for us to shift.”

“I had not been able to force myself to shift till the second wave of Magic hit us,” Xavier said, his voice barely loud enough to be heard.

“What was that wave?” Mablin asked. “I know the first one was Pyrothermal, but the second one, I have never felt anything like it.”

Xavier closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his normal eyes of rotating kaleidoscopes of multi-colored sand, were brimmed with tears, and he didn’t look high enough to meet the others’ eyes. “I do not understand how it is possible, but the Death Magic that comprised the second wave was my Mother’s energy, tied with thousands of other Sand Dragons.” Xavier raised his eyes to meet Mablin’s while tears unashamedly fell. “That second wave was the death of Seandra.”

Xavier raised his tearful eyes and looked deeply at Ardi, “My Father was King Soin'reali, the King of all Sand Dragons. My Mother was the Queen Slyanivikia. I am, or was the Heir of the Kingdom. Garnet and I are possibly the last of the Sand Dragons.”

The campfire was silent for several minutes, while Xavier got himself under control. Even Garnet was seen with several tears in his normally stoic eyes. Xavier finally opened his eyes and looked around till he found Olpha. “I am sure Sir Mablin and Teacher Ardi have many questions. Perhaps you can answer some for them.”

For nearly a full turn of the sandglass, the conversation continued with anyone who had a question. Xavier and Garnet eventually took turns in trying to answer. Unfortunately, for some questions, there wasn’t an answer or not one that didn’t lead to even more questions. Just before the sandglass would turn again there was a pause in the talking.

“Do its really hurts when yous changes?” Grima suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized that she’d spoken her thoughts out loud. She was horrified, and absolutely sure that she would be punished for speaking.

Xavier looked at Grima and smiled. “Yes Grima, it does hurt when we are changing, but that goes away pretty quickly once we are in our new form.” Xavier could see the fear in her eyes over her transgression. He spoke gently. “Grima? While you are with us, you must never be afraid to ask a question if you don’t know… Or if you don’t understand something. That is how we all learn. So don’t be afraid now… Do you understand?”

Grima dropped her hand to reveal a smile. Then the smile faded “Mes be sad sumpen so pretty gots ta hurt.” Xavier just smiled as he watched her pet the dog in her lap, then looked around the circle and let his gaze stop on Mablin.

“Sir Mablin, I know that we have only scratched the surface of what you want to know. Unfortunately, and despite what I just told Grima, I am issuing a Royal edict. We will speak no more on this matter tonight. I promise you that we may talk about things more tomorrow and in the following days… After we’ve had a chance to rest and think about what we have heard.”

Mablin was stunned at the abrupt end of the conversation. He did indeed have many more questions. But, Xavier was a king and he outranked him politically and socially. There could be no appeal. The conversation was closed. He bowed his head in Xavier’s direction and before he could think of anything to say Madelyn spoke up.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure that Xavier and Garnet are more than ready for bed and some much-needed sleep.”

“I would agree with that.” Olpha chimed in.

Xavier cringed at the thought of trying to sleep just now. There was no telling what daemons and visions would inhabit his nightmares tonight. Garnet felt Xavier tense up and saw the flicker of dread that flashed across his blood-brother’s eyes and knew the reason, as always, he jumped in to protect his king.

“As good as that might sound… I, for one, am entirely too tense to get a good night’s sleep… Perhaps another mug of that outstanding ale and some light conversation around the campfire would be better right now.

“I know what!” Aegir enthusiastically blurted out. “Mentor, do you like stories? Mom’s a really good storyteller and I’ll bet she’d read one to us if we asked. She’s got some books with lots and lots of good stories in them. I know she’d read us one!”

Garnet and Xavier couldn’t help but smile at Aegir’s enthusiasm. Once again Garnet noticed something in Aegir that hadn’t been there before, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. While he paused to consider the matter, Xavier spoke up.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Xavier looked around at all of his friends, “Remember how we told stories around the campfire whenever we were out on training missions? It might be fun.” He turned to Madelyn. “Well? What do you think Madelyn? Would you be willing to read a story to us while we relax?”

“Well… I suppose I could, if you all really want me to. I have several books in the tent that I used to read to Aegir. Let me go get one.”

“Mom! Get ‘The Chronicles of the Obsidian Night.’ That’s gots lots of good stuff in it!”

“Language boy. Watch your language. You have just earned two laps around the field of my choice tomorrow so you can think about it.” Garnet said quietly and was surprised by his protege’s cheerful response.

“Yes, Mentor. I will… But you’ll love how Mom reads a story. I promise!”

Slaygo brightened up at the change of topic. “‘The Chronicles of the Obsidian Night?’ I love that book. It’s full of everything that adventures are supposed to be all about!”

“I love it too!” Aegir agreed, then turned to Garnet. “Mentor? Would you excuse me? There is something I should do, and then I’ll come right back.” Curious as to what he was up to, Garnet nodded his assent. When he did, Aegir got up and walked around the fire circle to stand in front of Mablin’s new guard.

“Ma’am? I want to apologize for disrespecting you a little while ago. I didn’t know you were trying to save me… But you didn’t need to… And I was trying to protect Xavier and Mentor… And I didn’t need to… I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Ardi smiled. “Thank you, Aegir, and I accept your apology… If you will accept mine. I acted on instinct and did not understand what was going on. I have to admit everything was very confusing for a few moments… And I’m sorry I scared you.”

“That’s OK Ma’am. I wasn’t really scared.” With that Aegir turned on his heel and all but skipped back to Garnet. When he got there he called out “Hey Slaygo! Why don’t you come over here and sit with us?”

Everyone around the fire circle was smiling at the exchange and as Slaygo made his way around the circle and sat down gingerly, Olpha made the rounds filling everyone’s mug. Mablin turned around and smiled at Ardi then patted an empty spot on the log beside him. “You might as well relax lieutenant, I think you’re off duty now.” Ardi smiled and then claimed the spot next to her boss.

A short while later Madelyn returned with a rather large book in her hand and found a spot in the circle where the light was good. “Well, which story would you like to hear? There is a lot to choose from.”

Slaygo and Aegir put their heads together and whispered furiously then they both nodded. “We want to hear how Thorn met Rogue.” Turning to Garnet and Xavier, “I think you will both really like this story. It’s one of the best in the whole book!”

“That works for us!” Xavier laughed.

“Then that is what it will be.” Madelyn spent a moment turning pages. “Ah, here it is.” She looked around the circle. “Is everyone comfortable? And are your mugs full?” When she saw everyone nodding she cleared her throat and began to read.

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The Legend of Thorn and Rogue

It was a time of turmoil, trial, and tribulation in all the land that had lasted for well over a hundred years. Dragon had turned upon Dragon, letting their avarice, pride, and arrogance direct their actions. The conflicts were not constant with the war sometimes being hot, sometimes cold, and at other times being stagnant.

Once again the Red and Green dragons were at war with one another. After ten years of bloody fighting and attrition in the current conflict, a stalemate of sorts had been reached in a backwater area along what was now the frontier between the two opposing forces. It was not a stalemate that either side wanted, but the fact of the matter was that each side had become too weak to do anything else but pause and try to rebuild their strength.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Captain Raspurn eyed the five recruits that had flown in late yesterday. He was more than a little concerned with the whole situation. They were just inexperienced children who didn’t have a clue what they were getting into. Oh, they were eager alright, but they weren’t the least bit realistic about what they could expect to be doing in a couple of turns of the sandglass.

He was barely five years their senior but you’d be hard-pressed to tell it. He looked older, much older because there was barely a place on his crimson-red body that didn’t bear the purple scars of combat. By comparison, their red skins were soft and supple under the protective ruby red scales, like the babies they were.

He briefly wondered which two of the five would be alive and standing here tomorrow morning… At least he hoped there would be that many. He dismissed the thought. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t even want to know their names yet. It was far too early for that, and he was tired of remembering the names of the dead. “Which one of you is flying the lead?” One of the innocents stepped forward.

“Me sir! Flight Leader Roaguerheim. Everyone just calls me Rogue Sir!”

He looked at the boy speculatively and wished he was older, with some combat experience. However, times being what they were, he had little choice in the matter. “I’ll just call you Flight Leader for now.” He didn’t wait for an answer and pointed to the map board on the outside wall of the barracks where they were standing. “Have you studied this yet?”

“Yes Sir!” came the swift, crisp response.

“I sincerely hope so, Flight Leader. Your mission today is to fly a recon flight along the river.” He drew a claw across the map following the course of the waterway. “Stay well to this side. At the moment the other side belongs to the Greens… Keep your eyes and ears open… Do not… I repeat do not cross the river, and if you can help it, do not get into a firefight with the Greens. I want you back here alive and able to tell me what’s going on out there.” He stared hard into the young Flight Leader’s eyes. “Do you understand your orders?”

“Sir! Yes Sir!”

“Good.” He paused and then snapped out, “Well? Get on with it then!”

Rogue stepped back and called out to the other four. “You heard him! Come on. Let’s go!”

The captain watched with approval as the small squadron leaped into the air and took wing as if they were one body. He kept watching while they crossed over the field they were in and then flew low over the forest. When they were lost from sight he whispered, “Good Luck.” Then he turned and set about the business at hand. Others were awaiting their orders too.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Two turns of the sandglass later the small squadron of Red Dragons found themselves flying in a strange and eerie world. The sky was covered from horizon to horizon with thick, dark gray, low-hanging clouds. Rogue was a little concerned at this point. He would like to be flying higher up but the cloud cover wouldn’t permit it.

They should be flying over a thickly forested basin filled with rugged hills and a river ambling through it all. This late in the season the forest should be a riot of brilliant color, but that was not what he was seeing. The entire basin was filled with a dense fog with only a few of the tops of the taller hills poking above the fog bank. They had neither seen nor heard any sign of the river that was supposed to be down there… somewhere.

Rogue wasn’t exactly lost and if he was, he would never admit it. This was definitely the river basin they were supposed to scout. On the other hand, he wasn’t exactly sure where he was either. His focus was directed totally to the ground below, looking for any sign of the missing river. He swung his head around to look at the others and signal that they should swing to the east, but the command was never given.

Suddenly Rogue heard the high-pitched sound of wind rushing over leathery wings directly above him. Without even thinking about it he instinctively flipped over in mid-air just as a Green Warrior dragon slammed into him, belly to belly, and claw to claw. Instinctively, the two combatants locked their claws in a grim handshake that neither would release. There was no time to dwell on anything but he was instantly aware of one devastating fact. He had led the flight directly into an ambush.

His flip caught the Green by surprise and the momentum of the maneuver threw him off balance. Each lashed out at the other with their free claw while refusing to let go of the hold they had on each other. Rogue felt sudden intense pain as the Green slashed his wing with his free claw. The wound was potentially fatal. No dragon can fly with just one wing. The two continued writhing frantically trying to gain an advantage as they started to tumble and fall.

Both dragons desperately swung their heads around trying to bring their breath weapons to bear. Just an instant before the Green could release the poison gas at his command, Rogue was able to eject a column of fire that seared the Green's neck and throat and engulfed his head. Desperate to release his jet of gas he inhaled a deep breath which turned out to be nothing but flames that seared his lungs.

It was over as fast as it had started, and Rogue was still alive as they plummeted toward the fog-shrouded forest, in a spinning death spiral. His last thought before crashing into the trees was to wonder if he had killed all of his friends with his carelessness.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Thorn woke up when he felt his pillow shift slightly. He opened his eyes to find Tam’s beak almost touching his nose. “Awake?” Tam inquired quietly in the Griffin's tongue.

“Morning Tam. Time to get up?” He felt the pillow move slightly again and realized that it was Tam’s fur-covered foreleg that had been his pillow.

Tam’s eagle-like feathers rustled softly as the griffin nodded its head. “The sun is up but there is a heavy overcast. That is probably why you slept so late.” He lifted his large paw that was resting on Thorn’s chest so the old Alphar elf could sit up and take stock of the new day.

Thorn stretched as he stood up, his slim wiry body welcoming the chance to move again. After making sure the local shrubs did not suffer from drought he turned his attention to his griffin companion. He knelt to look at the angry-looking burn on his friend’s right flank. “How’s the wound feeling this morning? Did you get any sleep?”

“Your poultice concoction seems to have the pain down to a bearable level… As long as I don’t think about it… And given the circumstances, I did find a bit of sleep.” Tam paused to look at the wound. “I think it’s safe to say that I have felt better, but this is bearable.”

Thorn reached for his medicine pouch and prepared a fresh poultice. He looked at the wound closely and could tell that it was not getting worse and he was thankful that it had not gone as deep as the bone. “I should have killed that sorcerer the first chance I got instead of waiting for a better shot… And you are paying the price for my hesitancy… It isn’t getting any worse, but we still need to get you to a better healer than I am.”

“What’s done is done…” replied Tam rather stoically. “...and you know better than to start second-guessing yourself. Just be thankful his aim was so bad, and I can still fly. On the positive side, there is one less sorcerer to cause any more mischief.”

Thorn quietly nodded as he finished applying the poultice. “You are absolutely right, but sometimes a touch of truth needs to be added. This next bit is going to sting.” As a final step, Thorn pulled out a small amulet from the pouch and closed his eyes in a silent prayer. Within moments a soft blue light covered his hands and then disappeared into Tam’s fur next to the wound. He leaned back on his heels and looked Tam in the eye. “There! Let it work for a little while before you stand up.” Tam said nothing but nodded.

The wound having been dealt with as best he could, Thorn began to look at his surroundings. The scene that greeted his eyes was very different than it had been when they stopped for the night. They had chosen a spot on a high promontory with cliffs on one side and had settled down under a large red maple tree on the edge of the forest. As long as they didn’t light a fire it was unlikely they would attract any unwanted attention.

This morning the hilltop had turned into an island floating in a sea of shifting fog. Other than a few other islands floating above the mist there was little else to be seen. Tam was right as always, there was no sunlight visible anywhere because of the low-hanging clouds that stretched to the far horizon. Despite the gloom, it was eerily beautiful. “Doesn’t look like we’ll do any hunting for breakfast this morning does it… Did you hear anything last night?”

“Dragon wings…” came the simple reply. “Not too long ago.” Tam pointed with his beak, “Not near. Not far, and they were up high. With the clouds, I didn’t see anything.”

Thorn was suddenly on edge and instinctively reached for his bow. This close to the frontier, any contact with dragons of any color could spell disaster. Listening, and scanning the area for any sign of trouble, he only heard what he could see, which was nothing. He turned his attention to the Griffin. “How many of them were there?”

“At least four… Maybe five. The usual size for a scouting party.”

“Okay… I guess we really will have to forget about breakfast. Let’s stay put for a while until we’re sure it’s safe to go.” Tam just nodded inviting Thorn to use his tawny fur-covered chest as a backrest and the two companions settled in to wait.

After patiently waiting and watching for about one turn of the sandglass, Thorn was about to suggest that it might be safe to continue their journey. Tam suddenly turned his head and cocked it to one side, listening intently. “What do you hear Tam?”

“Dragon wings again… Coming in low from the east” He cocked his head in a different direction. “More dragon wings from the north. They are up high in the clouds.” He paused to listen carefully. “Both groups are headed in this direction.”

Thorn scanned the eastern horizon with his startlingly blue eyes until he saw them. They were little more than small black dots against the darker gray clouds. “There they are.” He said pointing.

“Yes, I see them too. Five of them flying in a tight formation. If they are scouts, they are very new at it. They are flying in a straight line.” He tilted his head listening for the other group. “If nothing changes, I think they are going to meet up not too far from here.”

“Just what we need.” Grumbled Thorn as he looked up at the tree that was sheltering them. “They probably won’t see us under here, unless they land in our lap… With any luck, they’re all the same color and will just go away.” He looked out at the clouds again. “Otherwise, we may be in the middle of a squabble.”

Tam eyed the fog filling the basin. “We could fly down there and hide in the fog until they are gone.”

“Or we could crash into a tree and really ruin our day.” Replied Thorn while considering their options. “No. Let’s stay where we are. We can move back into the treeline a bit if we need to.” Then he rubbed Tam’s warm fur-covered shoulder and grinned wryly. “Besides, it might be kind of exciting don’t you think?”

Tam just looked at him with his fierce yellow eyes, shook his eagle-like head, and muttered one sarcastic word, “Elves...” then turned his attention back to the approaching dragons. A moment or two later he uttered one more word, “Red”.

“They really are amateurs!” Exclaimed Thorn as the 5 Red Dragons flew closer. “Look at how they are still all bunched up together like a flock of geese… And they’re still flying in a straight line! If they’re looking for trouble they’re sure going about it the right way.”

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“He’s got that right!” Slago blurted out.

“Shh! Let Mom continue.” Aegir whispered.

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“Would you like me to call them over so you can explain tactics to them?” Tam asked with considerable sarcasm, even though he was in complete agreement with Thorn’s assessment. By this time the flight of red dragons was about half a kilometer away and Thorn’s retort was cut short by the appearance of a flight of green dragons hurtling out of the heavy dark clouds. “By the gods!” Tam hissed. “They’ve got that True with them. The one that was with the sorcerer.”

Already certain of the outcome, Thorn watched intently. The attack was almost flawless. A Green Warrior struck the leading Red warrior who heard it coming and flipped to meet him face to face. Thorn had seen eagles do this when fighting over a fish. It was an elegant maneuver that left the pair tumbling as they fought.

At the same time, the Green True dragon struck the two Reds who were right behind their leader. The True shot out a cloud of poisonous gas catching one of the reds full-on, while grabbing the second one by the neck and breaking it as he hurtled through the formation. Even though they were not close enough to do anything, Thorn stood there, bow in hand, with an arrow notched and ready. “Just a little closer and I’ll give you a sting you’ll not soon forget,” he whispered.

The only flaw in the attack was the fact that the three remaining greens apparently started their dive a little late. That meant that the two remaining red dragons at the tail of the fight saw what was happening before the Greens struck them, and they were able to take evasive action. This turned into a chase as the Reds flew into the clouds overhead rapidly followed by the Greens. The True dropped his dead quarry and joined the chase.

Thorn’s attention returned to the first two just in time to see the Green’s head engulfed in flames as the pair spiraled into the fog bank. He made a mental note of the location and turned to Tam. “Well… That was quick and to the point. What do you think? Are they leaving?” He placed the arrow back into the quiver as he spoke.

“I am fairly sure they are. The sound is quickly getting farther away?” Tam eyed Thorn carefully. “Let me guess… That Alphar stomach of yours has you thinking about food again… Probably dragon steaks?”

Thorn grinned and nodded. “You know me too well, old friend… We might be able to salvage something besides a meal but that alone would be worthwhile.” He studied the griffin for a moment and his grin grew wider. “And if I remember correctly, that griffin stomach of yours has been none too full of late either.” Tam just nodded. “Think you can get us down there?”

“Without crashing into trees?” Tam asked.

Thorn laughed. “That would be best I think… Don’t you?”

With a thought, Tam’s armor flashed into place as he chortled. “Well, we can try.” He gingerly stood up on three legs and took a tentative hobbling step toward the cliff. “Ready?”

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Rogue came to, slowly. His head was throbbing and his vision was blurred. He groaned when he tried to move. Everything hurt, but especially his left side and wing. He tried to move again but he was tangled up with something and couldn’t get up. He raised his head and shook it trying to clear his vision. That was a mistake as a headache exploded filling his world with pain. He groaned and laid his head back down.

A short while later he thought he heard voices but they weren’t making any sense. Maybe this was all just a horrible dream. Then he heard someone say something in common tongue that he could understand.

“Well… This is unexpected. The Red is still alive.” Then the words stopped making sense again.

Rogue raised his head once more and tried to focus on the direction the sound had come from. He couldn’t seem to clear up the misty fog that surrounded everything, but he was able to locate two gray shapes. With a little effort, they turned into two Alphar griffin riders dismounting from their griffins just across what seemed to be a small clearing. ‘This can’t be right’ he thought to himself. “Bad dream.” he croaked out and laid his head down once more.

Thorn grimly chuckled and quietly replied, “I don’t doubt it.” He dismounted and turned to Tam. “Can you smell water nearby?” Tam sniffed the air and nodded.

“In that direction, and I think it’s close. I can hear a trickle too.”

“Close enough for you to get a drink, or should I go get some for you now? It’s been a while since you had your fill.” Thorn watched closely as Tam nodded. “We will be needing water nearby if the Red survives, but I’ll take care of that.” Tam just nodded again and softly hobbled on three legs into the trees without making a sound. Thorn turned back to the scene across the clearing.

The Red was on the top of a tangled pile of dragon flesh. That’s probably why it was still alive. The Green inadvertently shielded the Red as it hit the old oak they were lying beside and then provided a final bit of cushioning as they slammed into the ground. Even from this distance, it was obvious that one of the Red’s wings was seriously damaged and probably useless. There was also something odd about the way one of its arms was twisted.

“My name is Thorn,” he called out in dragon tongue. “Among other things, I’m a Healthman, and I’m here to help… If you’ll have it.” All he got by way of an answer was a low groan that was almost a growl. “If you want my help, you’ll have to promise not to try to incinerate me for my efforts.”

Rogue heard each of the words through the pain and understood them as he heard each of them, but it took him a moment before he was able to organize them into a meaningful thought. Finally, he settled on the thought that Griffin riders were not the enemy and croaked out two raspy words. “Promise… Come.” He opened his eyes and painfully watched as the two Griffin riders carefully moved toward him. It was odd how they slowly came together and merged into just one figure as it drew near. This had to be one of his worst dreams ever and he closed his eyes again.

When Thorn heard the promise, he cautiously stepped out into the small clearing and walked toward the pile of dragons on the far side. Just in case the Red failed to keep its promise, he had the spell that would protect him from dragon fire on the tip of his tongue. When he got there, he paused by the head of the Red dragon that had its eyes closed and spoke calmly. “Try not to move… I’m not going to touch anything until I have a walk around you to figure out where to start. I’ll let you know what I’m going to do when the time comes. Don’t try to talk, just open and close your eyes if you understand.”

He watched as the eyes twitched and then fluttered open, only to close again. “Very well… Let’s take a look at what we have here.” With that Thorn slowly walked around the jumble of the two fallen dragons, carefully taking note of what could be seen. When he returned to the spot where he started he smiled to himself more than anything.

“Well young warrior, for I see that is what you are now, you have certainly got yourself in a pickle… But there is a lot of good news. I think we’ll have you up and about in the morning. You’ll be sore and still have some healing to do… But you’ll be on the mend.” As he was speaking, Tam silently returned to the edge of the clearing and settled down to keep watch.

“The first thing we have to do is get you and the Green unlocked. Then we need to move you off the pile you’re in and you’re going to have to do most of that yourself. After that, we can tend to that torn wing along with all the other injuries from your fight and the fall… Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Rogue opened and closed his eyes again, and Thorn smiled.

“Excellent! First, let’s get you unhooked from that Green.” Thorn reached for his dagger as he moved to where the red and green talons were locked together. He carefully reached in and sliced the Green’s wrist to the bone, cutting the tendons leading to the claw. As soon as he did that the Green’s claw visibly relaxed. “Now, stretch your left claw gently and then pull your arm back just a bit.” His smile broadened. “Very good. You’re loose, and it doesn’t look like anything is broken.” He watched as the Red dragon gently flexed and tested his claw.

Thorn watched silently for a few moments and then Thorn spoke again. “Now comes the hard part, young sir. I want you to slowly stand up and then move a few paces away from the Green. Then you can settle down and rest while I start tending to your injuries…” Thorn paused while watching the Red dragon carefully. “Do you think you can do that? I know it is going to be painful… But you really do need to get off that Green dragon you are using as a mattress.”

Rogue’s mind was beginning to clear and he realized that this Alphar really was trying to help. He opened his eyes and raised his head. “Yes… I understand.” His vision swirled and his voice was raspy, and everything still hurt. “Give me a moment or two to try and find my parts, and get myself together.”

“Take all the time you need,” Thorn replied and turned to Tam. “What did you find?”

“There is a spring on the other side of the trees over there,” he said pointing with his paw. “It would be a good place to nest if it were just the two of us.” He studied the clearing. “Overall this is a pretty good place to set up camp and not be seen by prying eyes if the Greens come looking.” He paused and looked at the dragon as it tentatively tested various muscle groups in preparation to stand up.

“Maybe you should activate my translation crystal… My dragon tongue is pretty rusty. It might help prevent any misunderstandings.”

Thorn nodded. “Might be a good idea at that.” He stepped a bit closer to Tam, reached out to the griffin’s breastplate, and opened a small covering. He looked at the three crystals and touched the center one, then closed the covering again. “There you go. Now he’ll understand everything you say… So watch your damn language.” Thorn laughed and gently stroked his feathered head.

“Yeah, right… I’ll just copy your soldierly linguistic skills, as the shining example they are,” retorted the amused griffin.

“How are you holding up? I’ll take another look at that wound once we get our friend over there set up. Once he’s in the clear I’ll bring you your breakfast from the Green if that’s alright.” Tam just nodded his agreement.

“Umm… Where do you want me? My head hurts. Everything looks off. I may be a bit unsteady…” rasped the young dragon.

Thorn quickly took two steps to the left. “Just try to move a few paces in this direction and settle down. Once you do that you can rest while Tam and I start some magical healing to begin with.”

Rogue lurched to his feet and was rewarded with a blinding flash of pain on the left side where his wing was torn and a matching flash of pain filled his head. That left him feeling a bit wobbly as he took a few tentative paces and settled down. He was glad the elf hadn’t asked for more, and then the darkness overtook him.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹
The Second Day

The next morning Rogue was drifting in that place where he was not quite asleep, nor was he quite awake either. The nightmares were a distant memory. The sun was up. He could see the light through his closed eyelids and he felt the warmth in the spots where it struck his body.

He was vaguely aware of the smell of smoke… and something else that he couldn’t quite place. There was a word for it but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. Then it came to him. It was called cooking… roasted meat. His eyes flew open as memories that smell triggered rushed in and he was instantly awake. His body jerked slightly and he drew a deep breath that hissed and then turned into a groan as he let the air out. He was sore everywhere. Then he remembered his dead companions and why they were dead.”

“NOOOOOOOOO!” He roared as he lurched to his feet.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Tam watched Thorn as he turned the makeshift spit over the small campfire. “I still think it’s a waste of good meat to burn it up like that.” Thorn refused to be baited into that particular long-running conversation again, and just smiled, turning the spit and savoring the smell. “The only way to really enjoy meat like this is fresh off the bone.” Tam bit off a beakful of the bloody fresh dragon meat between his paws by way of demonstrating this self-evident truth.

“To each his own,” Thorn quipped as he drew his dagger and sliced a piece off of the roasted dragon steak to see if it was done. “You do know, don’t you, that we will never agree on this.” He put the juicy piece of meat in his mouth and chewed with pleasure.

“Perhaps,” Tam retorted. “But in this case, I do have the satisfaction of being right.”

Thorn laughed gently and looked over at the still-sleeping red dragon they had worked on last night and again this morning. It had taken healing spells and a lot of work had gone into healing the bruised internal organs. Repairing the torn wing had posed the greatest problem but in the end, they had managed to get all of the pieces rejoined edge to edge to make a whole membrane. There was an angry-looking jagged purple scar on the wing now, and the young dragon would carry that mark with him the rest of his life… But he would live, and he would fly again once his natural healing abilities had done their work.

“He should be waking up soon. Be ready to take cover. I don’t know what he will remember when he first wakes up, and that includes his promise not to try and incinerate us.” Tam nodded and with a thought his protective armor emerged to cover him. That didn’t stop him from continuing to eat as he watched the sleeping dragon.

Once their morning meal was done there was little left to do but watch and wait. Ignoring the pain, Tam took wing and flew back to the top of the hill where they had watched the battle yesterday. His job was to keep an eye out for the greens in case they returned. Thorn settled back to watch and wait for the red dragon to awaken… He didn’t have long to wait.

Suddenly the Red roared and lurched to his feet. “NOOOOOOOOO!” Thorn was on his feet in a flash with a spell on the tip of his tongue once more and was ready to use it should he have to protect himself from Dragonfire.

“Whoa! Slow down there big guy!” he called out rather loudly, and then in a quieter more soothing tone he continued. “We managed to heal your more serious injuries, but you’re going to be a bit unsteady on your feet for a while, while your body does the rest.”

Rogue turned his head to look at who was speaking and drew in a deep breath which made Thorn tense up. He considered the elf’s words carefully and then breathed out in a slow hiss that made Thorn relax.

“I remember you… You’re the griffin rider.” Thorn smiled and nodded. Rogue scanned the area slowly. “Where’s the griffin?… And where’s the other one? Where are the Greens? Did any of my team survive? Where are we?”

“That’s a lot of good questions,” laughed Thorn good-naturedly. “We can get to all of that in a while, but first things first. I imagine that you could do with a good drink of water about now… And then something to eat?”

Once again Rogue considered the words and then nodded. “Water… Yes and then food. I am hungry.”

“There’s a good spring in the woods over here. Let me show you the way. It’s not very far, so you shouldn’t have any problem walking there.” With that Thorn stepped into the treeline and waved for the dragon to follow him. “Watch your head, some of the branches are a little bit low, but you won’t have any trouble getting between the trees.”

True to his word the walk was a short one. As soon as Rogue saw the pool of water he thrust his muzzle in and drank deeply. “Eazy on there. Don’t drink too much or too fast or it could make you sick.” Knowing that this was true, Rogue slowed down and when he was satisfied, he thrust his entire head into the water, pulling it back, and then shaking all of the water off. “I bet that felt good,” observed Thorn.

“Yes. It certainly did,” the dragon replied. “But it also made me aware of just how hungry I am right now.”

Thorn nodded to himself. “That’s a good sign. It means you’re well on your way to healing. We’ll head back to the clearing for that.” He paused as they started back through the woods. “I hope you’re not too squeamish about cannibalism… All we have to offer right now is the green you killed yesterday.”

Rogue snorted. “Cannibalism? He was green… ‘Spose he still is, and I’m red. Not the same thing at all… It can’t be cannibalism. That may be one of the few things the gods got right when they made the greens.”

As they reentered the clearing, Thorn spoke again. “Hope you don’t mind, but Tam and I helped ourselves to a bit yesterday, and again this morning for our breakfast.” Rogue spotted the body of the green that had attacked him yesterday and moved over to it as Thorn kept speaking. “I was going to try a piece of the neck where you hit him with your dragon flame but had to change my mind. You really burned him hard.”

“That was the whole idea.” Replied Rogue just before taking a bite out of the green’s shoulder and gulping it down. Who is Tam?” he asked as he moved in for another mouthful.

“Don’t eat too fast,” advised Thorn and then answered the question. “Tam is the griffon I ride. His name is actually Tamnath but he prefers Tam most of the time… You met him yesterday but you weren’t up to formal introductions.”

Rogue nodded as he chewed the second bite and noticed that greens might not be pretty, but they did taste good. He looked around the clearing and swallowed. Where is he now?”

“He’s up on a high point where we watched your encounter with the greens yesterday. He’ll let us know if they come snooping around again.”

“Where’s the other one?”

“The other one?” Thorn asked. “What other one?”

“The other griffin rider… I remember seeing two of you on the edge of this clearing yesterday.”

Thorn thought quickly for a moment and then smiled. “Ahh… There’s only me and Tam, but after the whack you took to your head coming down through that tree, I’m not surprised that you were seeing double for a while. How’s your vision now? Are you still seeing two of everything?”

“No… Just you,” replied Rogue as he took another bite of meat.

Thorn nodded and then watched quietly as the red dragon slowly ate his fill. While he watched, he was thinking. When he was full at last, the red slowly ambled back to the place where he woke up and settled down with a small groan.

“You’re going to be a little sore for a while, but that should clear up today or tomorrow at the latest. As long as you don’t overdo it, walking about now and then will help.” He paused briefly and then continued.

“I’ve been thinking and it occurs to me that we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet.” He stood up. “My name is Thorndyke… Wing commander Thorndyke, retired, late of the seventeenth wing of Griffin Riders.” He smiled ruefully. “Very late of Griffinspire… Actually, Tam and I haven’t been back that way in twenty-three years now… And, please, just call me Thorn.” With that Thorn sat back down and casually leaned against a tree trunk.

⇼⇼⇼⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⇼⇼⇼

Malachi interrupted. "I know that name!” He sputtered. “Thane told us the story of his victory over the Harpies in the Battle of the Black Canyon. Thane knows Thorndyke personally."

Ardi didn’t know who Thane was, but when she looked at Malachi she realized that this statement confirmed just how old these strange kids would have to be if this was true, but she chose to say nothing… It was just one more piece of the puzzle for her to work out.

“Thane's father knighted him and gave him the 'Obsidia District' as his fief. Everyone at court was soon calling him the Obsidian Knight.

“Thane's father also made him Wing Commander of the Household Regiment (the 17th) and was the youngest person to ever hold that post. There were some whispers in court that the regiment was changing under his command. The whispers included words like ‘Rangers, spies, saboteurs, and assassins,’ although nothing of such matters was ever spoken out loud…”

“Malachi, we are never going to get to the story if we keep interrupting Madelyn”

“But Garnet, do you not see? This is not just a story. It is history”

“Ahem! May I continue?” Madelyn inquired rather pointedly.

“Yes, by all means,” Malachi bowed from his seat, “Please, do continue.”

⇼⇼⇼⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⇼⇼⇼

“Pleased to meet you, Thorn. I’m very grateful that you and… umm… Tam, were in the area or I might not be here now.” Rogue paused to take a deep breath and then sighed. “If you’ll excuse me I won’t stand up and spread my wings in the custom of my folk at times like this.” Thorn just smiled and nodded. “I am Flight Leader Roaguerheim… Or at least I was a Flight Leader until yesterday… Everyone just calls me Rogue. Rogue paused again. “Where are we, and did any of my flight manage to survive?

Thorn’s smile faded. “The two that were right behind you didn’t make it. They were taken out by a True. It was quick and they probably never knew what hit them. The two who were at the end saw what was happening and managed to escape. The last we saw of them, they flew into the clouds heading east with the greens chasing them… As for where you are… Perhaps the best way to describe it is to say that you are a little over thirty kilometers behind enemy lines…”

“THIRTY KILOMETERS!” Rogue blurted out. “Captain Raspurn is going to have my hide for a doormat! He made it a point to tell me not to cross the river into green territory… And to avoid contact with the greens at all costs… It might have been better if you and Tam hadn’t come looking for me.” Just then they both heard what sounded like an eagle’s cry quickly followed by another.

“That’s Tam… He says that there are greens in the area.” Rogue lurched to his feet ready to face the enemy. “Stay calm. We are well covered by the trees here and they won’t see us.”

“But I have to avenge my comrades!” Hissed Rogue. “It’s the only way I’ll ever get part of my honor back again.!”

“I know how you feel. Trust me, I really do… But not today, and definitely not right now. We’ve got to get you fully healed and ready for that type of action. You’re in no shape for that kind of a fight.” Rogue let out a resigned hiss and slumped back to the ground...

“While we’re waiting, now would be a good time for a round of healing and it’ll give us a chance to talk and to get to know each other better.

A short while later there was a flurry of wings as Tam returned to the clearing. His landing wasn’t as graceful as it generally was, because he only had three good legs. There was an obvious wince as he hobbled to the small campfire and settled down.

Thorne stood up and walked over to his injured companion. “Good. You’re back just in time for me to look at that wound again.”

“Lucky me.” Tam winced again and growled, then nodded. “I think I’m ready for you… So have at it.”

Thorn set to work quickly and in a short time, Tam had a fresh poultice in place along with another round of magic healing. Then he stood up shaking his head. “Everything is still raw and it’s not healing… But it’s not getting worse… I wish I knew what spell that miserable sorcerer used. If I did… maybe I could come up with a counterspell.”

“If you don’t mind my asking… What happened?”

Tam looked at Rogue for a moment. “Thorn had a little disagreement with a certain sorcerer. It seems he wasn’t too happy with the idea of being killed and fought back. I got caught off guard and he managed to hit me with this before Thorn put him down… I really should have seen it coming.”

Thorn frowned. “We really need to get you out of green territory and find someone who’s a better healer than I am.” He looked at Rogue. “That’s what we were doing when we saw you get into trouble. That big True that ambushed you was one of the sorcerer’s… umm… minions is probably the right word, but I have several others too.

“If we had the time, I think I’d stick around and deal with him like I did his boss… But, not right now.” Thorn looked directly into Rogue’s ruby-red eyes. “Right now, my job is to get Tam… and you… across the frontier and into less hostile territory.”

⇹ ⇹ ⇹
The Third Day

Thorn watched with interest as Tam worked with Rogue after the greens had finished their second flight of the day over the river basin. That in itself was a bit of luck in their favor. The greens had a schedule for their patrols, and they stuck to it… Which meant they were predictable. Thorn fully intended to use that predictability against them if the opportunity came up, but for the moment he was content to watch Tam and Rogue.

The truth be told, he didn’t have much of a clue about flying. That was Tam’s job. He had learned early on that his job, as a griffin rider, was to concentrate on not falling off, while letting the expert do the flying. It all boiled down to teamwork and respect… And a lot of practice.

Tam studied Rogue’s outstretched wings as he padded silently around the dragon on three of his lion-like paws. “You’re looking really good this morning, Rogue. I think the left wing is well healed and will support you well in flight.”

“It feels good too Tam.”

“Now mind you, I’m not sure you’re ready for any aerial acrobatics right now… But I think you’re good to go as far as basic flight is concerned.” Tam chuckled. “You can do the fancy stuff by tomorrow.” Tam looked up at the trees surrounding the small clearing and shrugged. “OK… Enough of this. Let’s move over as close to the center of the clearing as you can get.”

Once they were in position Rogue’s head snaked down so that he was nearly eye-to-eye with Tam. “Now what?”

“I’d like you to rear up, wings out, like you were going to take off, but don’t do anything else just yet.”

“OK… Like this?”

“Perfect. Now hold that while I take a look.” Tam moved around Rogue studying the overhanging trees. “OK, why don’t you turn a quarter circle to the left?” Once Rogue did this, Tam made another circuit as he studied the trees. He thought a moment before saying anything.

“You certainly picked the perfect clearing to fall into. There’s lots of cover here, but I’m not too sure you picked the perfect clearing to fly back out of… Those trees are just close enough together that your wingtips might get clipped.

Rogue looked directly up for the first time and nodded his head. “I see what you mean but all those little branches are just barely twigs and shouldn’t cause a problem.”

“OK, It’s your call and I’ll take your word for it.” Suddenly Tam had a twinkle in his eye and if griffons could grin he would have had one. “Just one more thing I want you to do. Turn just a bit more to your left. Then I want you to use your wings to just lift your feet off the ground and then sit back down. Do that three times and then Thorn and I will take a good look at that left wing and make sure it is holding up… OK?” Tam carefully moved off to one side. “Anytime you are ready.”

The resulting mini-hurricane picked up every loose bit of dirt, leaves, twigs, and anything else that was not nailed down and sent it straight in Thorn’s direction. The sight of him scurrying behind the tree, he was leaning against left Tam in a fit of laughter. As soon as Rogue saw what was happening he started laughing too. When Rogue finished his third lift-off the wind stopped but the laughter did not.

“Ha, Ha! Very funny,” Thorn called out from behind the tree. Then with a wide grin, he stuck his head out so he could see the clearing again. “Is it safe to come out now?” This was the first time the three of them had had a reason to laugh together, and it felt good.

“OK… Enough fun and games. Let’s take a look at that wing and see how it’s doing.” Still chuckling, Rogue extended his left wing. Thorn and Tam examined it carefully on both sides looking for any problems. There were two places where there was a small trickle of blood and both spots received magical healing.

“Not bad. Not bad at all,” mused Thorn with satisfaction.

“I agree,” Tam added.

Thorn’s expression turned serious. “How do you feel about a short flight this afternoon or early evening? I’d like us to move ten to fifteen kilometers closer to the frontier and then first thing in the morning I’d like to cross over into red-held territory.

Tam was nodding. “Sounds good to me… I’m up for it.”

“It sounds good to me too, Thorn. My night vision is excellent so there shouldn’t be any problem before, or after dark.” He paused and frowned. “Might as well get back as soon as possible so Captain Raspurn can publicly skin me alive and then send me packing. No sense in putting it off.”

Thorn smiled gently. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much just now. Our first task is to get across the frontier. We’ll deal with whatever happens after that when the time comes… OK?” Rogue nodded and said nothing.

Thorn turned to Tam “If you’re up to it, what do you think about the two of us taking a flyabout, and see what’s in our way? With any luck, we’ll find a good spot to spend the night… Think you can find your way back here when we’re done?”

Tam just snorted. “Like there is any doubt. You’d be lost all the time if I relied on your navigational skills.”

He turned to Rogue. “I hate to ask this, but would you mind waiting here while we scout out a new spot to spend the night? You should have another meal and then rest up a bit for the flight to the new location.”

“It’s a sound strategy. I’ll do as you suggest.”

“Don’t wander off anywhere. The greens won’t be back until tomorrow morning, and we’ll be gone by then.” He turned to Tam. “You ready to go take a look see?”

Tam chuckled. “Anytime you’re ready… As long as you promise to hang on.”

Rogue watched with interest as the elf mounted the griffon and suddenly the two became something more than either one was by themselves. Even with Tam’s injury, it was as if they had become a single creature. This was a different type of teamwork than he was used to seeing. It was something to think about while he waited for their return… And thinking about it is precisely what he did.

⇹ ⇹ ⇹

Two turns of the sandglass later found Rogue at the spring for a drink of water after a satisfying meal of green dragon. He was about to dip his head to wash his face when he heard what sounded like an eagle’s cry in the distance. He recognized the call as Tam letting him know that he and Thorn were in the area again. Smiling, Rogue dipped his head and vigorously shook the water off, then ambled back to the clearing.

While Rogue waited for the pair of strangers that had saved his life, and then become his friends to arrive, he was feeling nervous. While he had waited for their return he had come up with a nearly unthinkable, and dangerous idea.

Suddenly there was a whoosh, and the familiar flurry of feathered wings as Tam lightly landed in the middle of the clearing. No sooner had his three paws touched the ground, and Thorn gracefully dismounted to walk at his side. Once again Rogue was impressed by the elegantly graceful actions of this pair. “Welcome back! Did the spirits of the air favor your flight?”

Thorn smiled and nodded but Tam was more vocal. “Indeed they did, and I’ve worked up a thirst. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he casually and silently padded off in the direction of the spring.

“And how did you fare, Rogue? I should imagine a little peace, quiet and privacy were welcome.”

“It was pleasant… And, well… It did give me time to do a bit of thinking.” Suddenly Rogue's nervousness ramped up, which did not go unnoticed by Thorn.

“Care to share your thoughts? Or maybe it was about something you’d prefer to keep to yourself…”

Rogue cleared his throat uncertainly. “Errr… Ummm… Let’s wait for Tam to return…” Then he changed the subject. “Did you find a suitable site closer to the frontier?”

“Indeed we did… Two of them in fact. Both are very near water and offer excellent coverage, while still providing a good vantage point for keeping an eye on things. They’re both so well situated that a campfire won’t be a problem.”

“Ummm… How far are they from the path the green’s patrol takes?”

‘That’s an interesting question,’ Thorn thought to himself before replying. “Not far actually, but we’ll be well hidden from their prying eyes. Any reason in particular that you would ask that?”

Just then Tam quietly reentered the clearing. First, he noticed the silence, and then he noticed Thorn and Rogue staring at him. He took a quick look over his shoulder in case there was something back there that he wasn’t aware of, and then turned his eyes back on the two. “What! Have I got something dripping off my beak?” That brought a laugh from them both, although Rogue’s laugh was closer to a dragon’s version of a nervous giggle.

“Not at all, old friend. Rogue and I were just passing the time and you caught us between questions.”

“Questions?”

“Yes. He was curious about what we found on our scouting mission.” Thorn turned to look at Rogue but kept speaking to Tam. “If I am not mistaken, he has come up with an idea or something that is making him very nervous… When I asked about it earlier, he said he wanted to wait for you to be here too.” Thorn focused on Rogue. “Isn’t that right? ” Rogue just nodded his head ever so slightly.

“Well? Here I am… What would you like to know?” When Tam saw Rogue's neck muscles ripple with nervous tension, he spoke again and rather gently for a griffin. “I can see your uncertainty. Would it help if I reminded you that you are among friends here and that you are free to say or ask anything, and I’ll try to answer… Whatever it is.”

The smile had never left Thorn’s face when he added, “Me too”. They watched as Rogue seemed to brace himself and then coming to a decision, he bobbed his head once.

“Umm… I have… Er… That is… Well, I’ve been watching you two… And the way you work together as one. I can only imagine how you are in battle… It must be something awesome to behold.” He paused to draw a breath. “I’ve spent the time you were away thinking about something that is almost unthinkable… Umm… Several somethings really.”

He paused to study his small audience for a moment, then forged ahead. “Everything has boiled down to one central question which is the most unthinkable of all…. But it has to be thought of at least once, by someone, somewhere… Why shouldn’t that someone be me… Here… And Now? Everything else depends on this one answer.”

Rogue focused on Tam before speaking again. “Tam? Is it possible to teach a dragon… No. That’s the wrong question… Is it possible… Can you teach me? I know I’m a dragon but…”

“Slow down Rogue” Tam’s eyes were locked with Rogue’s. “Teach you?” Unexpectedly Tam froze without finishing the thought. His head turned from side to side. His beak snapped shut creating an audible click and then he began speaking. “Dragon! Coming from the north again… Big, and just one… By the gods! Thorn, I think it’s the True again… and he’s coming in low… and slow… I swear I think he’s alone too.”

Before Tam could say more Thorn was giving orders in a low steady voice. “So much for predictability. Everybody move into the tree line and stay quiet. That beast is looking for something… I hope it’s not us.” As he spoke, his bow was in his hand again and he had an arrow notched and ready.

“I can hear it too.” Rogue’s voice was more of a hiss than a whisper.

Thorn’s Alphar hearing was better than most, but it was nothing compared to that of the griffins… Or a dragon for that matter. It was a moment longer before he could hear the air being pushed out of the way by the slow steady beating of large wings. Each downward beat was followed by a slight hiss of air over leathery wings as the dragon glided a short distance. His eyes were focused on the clear sky above the clearing but could see nothing as the dragon flew by within a couple hundred meters, and then continued on its way southward.

Thorn’s first thought was ‘So much for predictability’. Then his mind raced, wondering what could bring the True out on its own. He was also considering all the permutations of how he might bring the great beast down. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d brought one of them to ruin, but it wouldn’t be this time… Not with Tam injured. He resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to be patient and wait for Tam to heal.

Rogue was quivering with adrenaline as he listened to the dragon pass over. He was nearly blind to all else with the need to attack the green and reclaim some of his honor, and to avenge his dead comrades. But Thorn’s words held him in place. The elf was right. He was not in any condition to engage in that battle… Not yet anyway.

The next turn of the sandglass was a time of silence as the three companions waited and listened for any further sign of the green dragon. Tam settled down in the shade of an ancient oak, while Thorn found a comfortable spot to relax nearby. Eventually even Rogue relaxed enough to settle down in the protective cover of the treeline. Even though they were all still vigilant, each was also lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Thorn broke the silence with a softly calm voice.

“What do you think Tam… Are we clear?”

Tam nodded. “I think so. It wandered around for a while gradually moving to the south like it was looking for something, but everything’s been quiet for half a turn of the sandglass now.”

“I haven’t heard anything else either.” Rogue offered quietly. “It was all I could do to control myself. I wanted my revenge. It was almost all I could think about.” He looked at Thorn. “You were right. I’m not ready for that fight yet… But I’m really not ready to commit suicide either. I want my honor back before I hand myself over to death.”

Thorn nodded with understanding but carefully considered his words before speaking. “I can certainly understand your feelings. After all the long years that I served the Prince of Griffinspire, I have felt much the same on more than one occasion.” Thorn was quiet for a moment before turning his attention to the griffin.

“Tam? While we’ve been sitting here I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh no… Here it comes.” The griffin quipped with a chuckle.

Thorn grinned and then spoke seriously. “What if we targeted the wrong one? What if the sorcerer was not the master and that bloody green was not the servant? What if it was the other way around and we misread the signs?”

He paused, not expecting an answer, and gathered his thoughts. “It’s certain that the greens are up to something out here in this sector, and that sorcerer was part of it… But we never did get a clear picture of what part those two had in the greater scheme of things. He looked at Tam with a gentle smile. “If I hadn’t gotten you hurt, my old friend, I think we would start to do what we’re so good at. We’d put that green into a whole new world of hurt… But that will have to wait until I’m sure you’re all fixed up.”

As Rogue listened to what was being said he suddenly realized that there was more to these two than met the eye. Thorn was not simply an itinerant soldier of fortune with his mount, and Tam was not just a griffin in the service of a rider. As he thought about it, they didn’t talk like soldiers either, but he had taken that as just the way an officer, a wing commander, would talk.

Until now he hadn’t paid any attention to their guild pins which oddly enough were the only ornamentation either of them wore. Thorn was wearing the pins of a mid-level Accomplished Enchanted Archer and Healthman. Tam’s guild pins proclaimed him to be a high-level Proficient Swordsman. Rogue’s own pin, that of a low-level Proficient Sorcerer, seemed pale by comparison. Yes, whatever else these two were, they were to be taken very seriously.

Suddenly and without even thinking about it Rogue blurted out “You can ride me!”

⇼⇼⇼⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⇼⇼⇼

Garnet was actually enjoying the story and was very impressed by the way Madelyn used her melodious voice in the reading. He had just begun to swallow a rather large mouthful of ale when the last four words registered in his brain. The result was an explosive coughing fit when a very small amount of ale went down the wrong pipe. Chaos ensued.

Aegir and Slaygo were immediately covered in snot and beverage as it flew out of Garnet’s nose and mouth. At the same time, his arm jerked and the mug of ale that was in that hand flew up and drenched Xavier and Syth in the process.

Wide-eyed and dripping, Slaygo sat there frozen in place unable to move. Aegir, just as drenched as Slaygo, didn’t know what to do. “HELP! MENTOR IS CHOKING!”

Xavier and Syth sprang into action pounding on Garnet’s back trying to help him clear his airway. Madelyn, Ardi, and Olpha rushed over to help but found there was not enough room around Garnet to get close enough to do anything to help. Fortunately by that time, Garnet was able to take deep ragged breaths between coughing fits.

Finally, Garnet was able to speak. He raised his head to look at everyone with watering eyes and rasped out. “Did you hear what she read?” (cough) “It’s blasphemy!” (pant) “It’s an outrage!” (wheeze) “It’s unthinkable! (hack) “It’s downright un-Dragon!!!”

By that point, Xavier and Syth had started to laugh and in a few moments, almost everyone was chuckling. Everyone but Slaygo that is. He didn’t start giggling until Aegir turned around. When he saw the stuff that was dripping off the boy’s chin he nearly fell off the log laughing.

Malachi stood back waiting to see if he could help, and shook his head while muttering “What a waste of good ale…”

“By the gods, Garnet!” Xavier replied as he began casting auto-cleanse spells on everybody. “It is just a story! No need to make a Royal Ass of yourself.”

“Yes, but…”

“Um, Mentor?”

“What, Aegir”

“It is not just a story. It is a true adventure from just at the beginning of the Dragon Wars.”

“WHAT!!!” yelled both Garnet and Xavier at the same time.

“That’s what I said too…” grumbled Malachi. “It’s history. But would they listen to me? Nooo.”