As per the Grand Master Plan – we are chasing after a low life through the woods. Crile and I saddled on Emerald’s back, while Zarri dashes forward bouncing from tree to tree. I hate to admit it, but that damned lug sitting behind me was right. She’s so free here that even this grunt work doesn’t seem to bother her. She’s enjoying herself with everything we do.

  A roar reaches us from the front. Zarri’s in combat. Emerald speeds up, jumps once, lands and roars so loud my heart almost stops. Crile jumps off and charges in. I snap out of it and scramble down too. I take up a stance. One opening is all I need. And a signal.

  “Star!” There it is! I launch the water forward and engulf the criminal’s head.

  “Can’t believe this gave you trouble.”

  “I got too excited and he ambushed me.” Zarri says shifting back. “You good?” She nods to me.

  “Yup. But make it quick.” I whisper.

  “Right. So.” Crile takes the lead. “Here’s the deal. Give us what we want or die. Simple, no?” He says, twirling his dagger with his fingertip.

  “How many of you are there and where’s the base.” Zarri adds. The Cornutese Man struggles to breath, letting out gulps of air and the bubbles fill the sphere.

  “Here’s how this work.” I step forward too. “This is Healing Water. It will heal you as it kills you, continuously. The three of us can each cast the spell while taking turns to rest. You – cannot.” I take a few more steps closer. “You are dead one way or another. Question is – how slow will it be.” I join the other two and tighten my grip on the sphere. The Man chokes up more.

  “So?” Zarri crouches down to his eye level. He nods a few times slowly through the water resistance. I split the sphere open, but hold the water close by in the air still. The Man coughs and wheezes for a few moments.

  “I have no... Idea.. How... many there are... just the area... where...”

  “Star.” Crile won’t let him finish and I drown him again. The Man grasps his throat again.

  “Break.” Zarri tells me and I split the water again. More coughing and wheezing.

  “I just joined... I don’t... know... much...”

  “Fine.” Zarri says and knocks him out with a single punch of the claw. Crile gets the ropes and ties our runner up. I chant the water back into my pouch and sigh.

  “You ok?” Zarri leans in.

  “Mhm.” I nod. “Just... How are you ok? You must have burned through your Mana by now?”

  “Yeah, about that. My Meditation has increased since we got to Araneum.” She stares at her hands.

  “Really? I haven’t felt much of a difference.” Crile says throwing the unconscious man onto Emerald.

  “It’s faster.” Zarri says and freezes. “What is it?” She asks Emerald. “Huh? Which way?” She goes full shift and takes in a good whiff of the air. She changes back. Something’s wrong. I can tell by the look on her face.

  “I was wondering why the Bastard was dragging us so deep into the woods.” She says.

  “What is it?” Crile takes out his daggers again.

  “This way.” Zarri takes the lead and we all follow her. She walks slow and careful in complete silence. Somehow that frightens me. I tighten my grip on Emerald’s reins.

  “Sh!” Zarri ducks and so do we. She gestures for us to wait and moves forward alone. I try to look around but see nothing. Guess Crile’s not having much luck either, as his eyes frantically try to guess which direction the danger is in. Zarri goes full shift and circles a pit nearby. She stares down for a long moment, steps back, shifts back and waves for us to approach. We sneak over and look down.

  “Oh my!” I gasp and cover my mouth.

  “No way...” Crile smiles.

  “Are those?” I ask quietly.

  “Dragons.” Zarri answers. Three Dragon Cubs were stuck in the pit, struggling to climb out.

  “Why don’t they fly away?” I ask again.

  “Probably too young to fly yet.” Crile says.

  “They are probably injured too.” Zarri adds.

  “So? What’s the plan?” Crile asks with a smile. “Obviously, we can’t leave them there.”

  “No. We can’t. This was man made.” Zarri says tracing the edges. “It was only made to look as natural as possible. Clever bastards.” Her fangs show for a second. “That’s why he was running here...”

  “Ok, so how are we gonna get them out? And where will we put them?” I ask, looking up.

  “Getting them is easy.” Crile answers. “Containing them...”

  “Right. I’ll fly back with the lug. You guys gonna have to stay here to look after them. I’ll contact someone from the Tamers – they will dispatch someone, but that still will take too long, so we’ll have to take them with us once I get back. I assume, you know how to fashion a muzzle?” Zarri looks at Crile.

  “Sure. There should be enough rope left.”

  “I’ll bring more with me. Can you guys manage? I should be back in half a day. Tops.”

  “Wait!” I snap. “You want me to stay here. With him! Why!”

  “With him and Emerald, obviously.”

  “But!” I try to argue.

  “There is no other way. Even if the Dragons can manage to climb out – they will be easy prey to anything bigger.”

  “Fine. Damn it.” I agree. Crile comes back over with our bags.

  “Unfortunately, we didn’t bring much with us. Of course, we can catch something, but.”

  “Split what we have with the Dragons. There’s no telling how long they are down there. I’ll bring more. Try to stay low if you can. I’m worried –”

  “You’re worried they will come for them. Yes. I get it. I spotted a nice tree to take shelter by over there.” Crile points to the left. “Now. If you will?” He stretches out a rope.

  “Right.” Zarri shifts half way into a bird and jumps down. She struggles for a moment, but manages to catch one feisty flying lizard and brings it up in her talons. She lowers the Dragon to Crile and he ties the mini lizard up. Surprisingly, without losing a finger and hands the bundle of scales to me. I wanted to say something, but I shut my mouth and carry the creature to Emerald. The look on the baby’s eyes reflect my own fears and worries and somehow, I wish to protect it...

  I place it down next to Emerald and go back for the next one. A tiny shriek rings quietly behind me. I swallow once and help with the other one. This black one gives us a fight and almost scratches me, but Zarri quickly holds it down with both of her claws. Once Crile finishes tightening the rope, she carries the tiny charcoal over to Emerald too. More feisty shrieks reach us. The last one seemed to be the tamest, for some reason. We wrap it up too and set it with the others.

  Zarri takes the still unconscious thug off Emerald, shifts into a full-on bird and flies off. Crile helps me up onto Emerald, and hands me the Dragons, one by one. He steers Emerald to where he said he saw our shelter.

  “She won’t make it back before the sun sets, will she?”

  “No. And she won’t be able to find us in the dark if she has luggage to carry.” Crile answers me.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier for us to go back to the City? Least we’d meet up half way.”

  “Possible, but doubtful. We don’t know if they are Orphans or if their Parents will be back shortly. If we move – the Parents might go berserk, looking for their young. If we close in on the City and they catch up – there's going to be casualties... To look after them here – is better as much as it is risky.”

  “What if?”

  “The Poachers come back? Simple. We high tail it the hell outta here as fast as Emerald can manage with all of us on her back.” Emerald whips her tail into Crile’s head.

  “Ow. Well. Worst case – I'll fight ‘em to buy you time.” Another whip to the head.

  “Ouch. That hurt.” He furrows his eyebrows.

  “Idiot. I’d smack you myself if I could reach.” I don’t say anything more. Crile takes the dragons from me first and sets them inside the hollowed-out tree trunk. I climb off next and crawl inside the tree too. Emerald parks herself halfway into the entrance, while Crile fidgets with our bags outside. I tear up small pieces from our snacks and place a bite in front of the first blue lizard. It hesitates and decides not to trust me. I sigh and give a bite each to the other two. The black one doesn’t seem to care much and gobbles up his piece instantly. The white one follows and then the blue one manages to nibble some, before finally swallowing his piece.

  “Hey, is it ok to feed them our food?” I call out.

  “Sure. As long as it’s not seasoned. Dragons are omnivores. Basically, they can survive on tree bark if needed, but they ain’t a fan of it. Here.” He crawls inside and hands me a blanket. Well. More like a good third of it.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll snuggle up with Emerald outside. You four can stay inside. Maybe if you snuggle up with them, they won’t feel as scared.” I don’t even try. I simply feed whatever I can to the little ones, share the rest with Crile and huddle up on the cold ground next to the three lizard friends... This will be a long night...

  I drop off the Thug at the collection office and tell them to have my reward ready by the end of the day. I have no time to fidget here. I fly up the Dragon Tower, hoping someone can help me get in touch with the Dragon Tamers up North. Unfortunately, nobody here listens. I snap and roar. Everything stops to a halt. Finally.

  “What is your problem, beast!” A Balli with a crest on his chest approaches me. I grab him by the collar and pull him to me.

  “Get me someone with a direct line to the Tamers up North NOW!” I drop him.

  “What’s this about!” A Primerian woman steps forward.

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  “I have an emergency. My companions and I have come across some Dragon Cubs in the woods – we need assistance.” I speak calmly.

  “Alright. We’ll need the coordinates.”

  “Say what?”

  “We’ll get in touch with the Tamers and relay your situation to them. They will handle the rest on their end, but we need the location, to know where to send them. We need to operate through proper channels, so we know this isn’t a trap.” She tells me.

  “Fine. How do I know you won’t set a trap instead?” I glare at her.

  “How dare you!” She pulls a pendant out. “This represents the honor to –”

  “I’m aware what honor it represents. So do mine.” I show her the three insignias. She shuts up. “Is there a messenger here?”

  One scrawny looking teenaged Noxian raises a hand.

  “Perfect. Go the Palace and ask for Barrabus. Tell him that Deathbreeze Skyrider is causing trouble again and he’d better dispatch a squad to come after me. Or else. Did you get that?”

  “Mhm.” He nods.

  “Get going.” The boy runs out quickly. I grab the Balli back of the floor. “I need a map. Now.”

  “The Tamers location is top secret!” The lady studders again.

  “That’s why you’ll point it out to me. And no tricks. You can contact everyone you want through your proper channels, but I have no time to waste.” I turn back to the Balli.

  “Map. Now. Please.” I show him my fangs. He points to the counter, where another Balli has already scattered a few maps. I set the man down gently, take two maps and pull out our smaller one too to compare.

  “If you please?” I ask the woman. She doesn’t budge. I sigh. “I can torture you or you can do it yourself. Believe me – nobody here will save you.” I watch everyone take a step back. She pouts her lips and walks over to me. I hand her the feather. She snatches it from my hands and stands there.

  “NOW!” I growl. She marks it. “This better be the place.” I puncture the wood with my claws. She marks another place. “Thank you.” I take the feather from her.

  “Here. We’ll take this route – you can have the Tamers meet us half way.” I scribble a line on the two bigger maps and give it one back to her.

  “I told you – we need the exact coordinates.” She smiles at me with contempt.

  “And I told you that I don’t trust you. My friends are more precious to me than your rules.” I tuck our and the new maps inside a pocket on my forearm and run out the takeoff bridge. I jump off and shift. I go back to the Guild and request assistance gathering supplies for the trip. I ask for everything to be deducted from my reward and insist on a Druid Gear Backpack. It’ll be easier to shift. If I hurry, I can make it back to them tonight. That is if Barrabus doesn’t catch me first. If I’m right about him – he'll check out the tower first. I made enough of a scene over there to make it convincing...

  A low growl wakes me up. It’s pitch black. I rub my eyes and whisper.

  “Crile?”

  “Sh. Stay down.” He says and I surround the Dragons. I wait. The silence and the darkness kill me.

  “Oh. You sure are fast. Scared me there for a second with the growl.” Crile says all relaxed. I crawl out.

  “Zarri!” I stand up and hug her.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting.” She says setting a bag down off her back.

  “How did you?”

  “I managed. Not important. I have the location for the Tamer base. We’ll head there in the morning.”

  “You mean now?” Crile points up. It’s daybreak.

  “Ok, lemme rephrase that – in a few hours.” Zarri smiles.

  “It’s ok – we can go now.”

  “No, we can’t. She needs to rest.” Crile tells me sharp. “That kind of a round trip – don't even try to lie you’re fine. I know you didn’t stop for a break.” He tells Zarri off.

  “Busted.” Zarri yawns. “Fine, wake me up in a few hours.” She shifts, walks inside the tree and curls up with the Dragons. I turn around and find Crile snuggling up to Emerald under a Winter Jacket. A smaller one lays next to him. Guess that’s my share. I take a look at everything Zarri lugged back to us.

  “We need another ride...” I whisper.

  “Tell me about it. I’ll get a Celodian once we’re back.” Crile answers in his sleep.

  “That would help.” I put our stuff down and carefully lay down.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t say anything.” I whisper.

  “Yeah, but you ain’t asleep either. What is it?” Crile asks again.

  I hesitate, but decide not to say anything.

  “Goodnight, then.” He sighs and turns on his side.

  “Night.”

  A few hours later Zarri crawls out into the open because the three lizard friends are squeaking and squirming.

  “What should we do? Untie them maybe?” She asks stretching out, shifting back to herself.

  “I thought about it. I think it should be ok now.” Crile answer. “They can’t fly yet, I think, so they won’t get anywhere far. If anything, we can tie ropes to their feet, just in case.”

  “Good idea.” Zarri agrees and goes back in to take the Dragon Hatchlings out. First we feed them with their bindings on, and then we release them one at a time. I take the blanket and hold it in my arms.

  “Think the three of them will fit in here? I can hold on to them as we travel?”

  “Sure. That could help to keep them calm.” Crile agrees, and we do that. I get on Emerald and Crile hands me the Dragons one by one again. He gets on too and Zarri picks up the bags. We start walking.

  After a while of silence, I crack and ask.

  “We’re not going all the way to the North North, are we?”

  “Hopefully not.” Zarri says. “I did try to request that the Tamers would be informed and dispatched. So, we should meet them half way. I marked the route for them before leaving. Well, least the general direction.”

  “What if we miss them?”

  “We can’t. Tamers ride Dragons. They never travel by foot. And a Dragon is difficult to miss.”

  “Any other concerns, miss?” Crile mocks me behind me. I elbow him.

  “Oof.”

  “None for now.” I answer.

  “Ok, then I have a few.” He says.

  “What?” Zarri’s tone changed slightly.

  “Just how much trouble is waiting for us once we get back from this?”

  “Why should we be in trouble?” I look at him over my shoulder. He nods forward.

  “Zarri?” I call out gently. “Is there something you’re keeping from us?”

  “No.”

  “That’s a yes. Spill.” Crile urges her.

  A sigh and a stop.

  “We might be in slight trouble. But I’ll deal with it.” She walks again. Neither Crile, nor I say anything.

  “Ok, fine, I may have pissed of Barrabus.”

  “HOW!” The both of us exclaim at once. So, Zarri explains to us what happened.

  “I knew it! We should have just taken the Dragons with us back to the City and that’s it.” I pout.

  “If we take them back to the City – there is no guarantee that the Dragons will be safe.”

  “Why not!” I persist.

  “Because there are no Tamers in the City. Just someone who, probably, my guess is, has a Lector Stone – at best – to reach out to the them.”

  “But what about the whole?” I cut off my own words.

  “The whole Dragon as a Reward thing. Well, apparently the King only signs a decree, or whatever those things are called, that allow for the person named in the decree to go and select a Dragon from the Tamers.”

  “That’s all?” My jaw drops.

  “Yup.” Crile continues with his explanation. “Pairing up a Dragon with a Person is a delicate process. Dragons have personalities too, so a bad combo between the owner and the Dragon can be fatal for them both. Some people don’t even manage to be selected by a Dragon.”

  “Why?”

  “No clue. Just heard the stories.” Crile answers quickly.

  “Well great.” I sigh. “Wait. Are you saying that we have Tamers coming in from the front and Barrabus chasing us from the back?”

  “Yes.” Zarri and Crile answer me.

  “Well. If we’re lucky – it will only be Barrabus’s lackies. But hopefully someone with a direct line to him still. That way it should be easier to convince the Tamers that we are legit too. Just in case.”

  “In other words – you can’t go anywhere without backing.” Crile states.

  “Sadly, it seems to be a curse of mine.” Zarri barks back. Her tone is enough to make me hold my questions and concerns for later. We continue on slowly. Too slow. We stop every few hours to rest and it feels like we barely walked a mile. Eventually, night falls and we make camp. To my surprise the Three Lizard Friends haven’t been making much trouble. Probably because they get fed every few hours. Even if it is just a bite...

  We were enjoying our meager lunch, playing with the Dragons, when two large shadows fly over us. The wind so strong the tree tops leaned down.

  “Breeze!”

  “On it!” Zarri shifts and shoots up with a shriek. A few more shrieks, a roar and voices echo above us. I notice Zarri’s Angel form hover over us by the tree tops. A moment later two giant lizards look down on us and the three of them descend.

  “Guess they managed to relay the message...” I tell Crile.

  “Seems so.” He answers with his hand on a blade hilt.

  “They’re legit.” Zarri tells us, shifting back.

  “How many are there?” I ask quietly. She holds up 2 fingers.

  “Well. What do we have here?” A Primerian man jumps off the Greenish Blue Dragon first.

  “Can I see some Identification?” Crile steps forward.

  “Oh sure, sure, here.” The man hands him a scroll from his back pocket. Crile looks it over.

  “Just like you said.” He looks at Zarri. “Had to make sure.” Crile gives the scroll back and smiles. “The name’s Crile. These are Breeze and Starlight.” He introduces us both.

  “Of course. I’m Max and this is, where is she?”

  “I’m coming! Just got my foot tangled up again.” A Balli woman jumps down the Dark Red, kind of Brown-toned Dragon. “I’m Fiery. Pleased to meet ya!” She salutes us and we all nod.

  “Now. Were are the precious in question?” She looks around and I carefully open the blanket in my lap.

  “Oh my!”

  “Where are the parents?” Fiery asks.

  “No clue. Found them like this huddled up in a ditch.”

  “Let me guess. Seems natural enough, yet somehow you can tell its man-made?” Max looks us over.

  “Correct.” Zarri answers and everyone's faces darken.

  “I assume you know something we don’t?” Crile steps forward.

  “Unfortunately.” Max begins. “There have been Poachers on the rise lately. They trap Dragons in these ditches...”

  “Why a hole in the ground? Can’t a grown Dragon fly out of it?” Crile asks.

  “Normally – yes, but they usually wound them so they can’t fly anymore and...”

  “Got it.” Zarri intersects.

  “Anyways. It’s probably not safe here. We’ll take you to the Base and we’ll talk there.” Max quickly wraps it up.

  “Is it safe for us to go with you?” Zarri asks and Crile’s hand slips to the knife again.

  “Normally – no, but we’ll have to make an exception. King’s orders.” Max pulls out a letter.

  “King Belkhem?” Zarri steps forward.

  “Here.” Max holds the letter out. Zarri takes it, opens it and bursts out laughing.

  “What is it?” Crile walks over to her and takes a look. “You owe me one, Beasty. Yup that’s him.” Crile smiles.

  “I assume you are well acquainted with his highness.” Max takes the letter back.

  “Yes.” Zarri smiles.

  “Well then, we are forced to take you back with us.” Fiery says.

  “Wait, won’t the Dragon parents look for them?” I ask.

  “Chances are the parents are dead.” Max tells me dead straight. “Assuming you were with them for two days already, and lets say another day or two they were in that ditch – if the Dragon parents were alive – they would have eaten you by now.”

  “Oh.”

  “Right, well, we have no problem going back with you, but my ride can’t fit on a Dragon.” Zarri points to Emerald.

  “Oh, my apologies... Magnificent! What is this creature!” And there goes the Primerian curiosity.

  “Hands off.” Crile cuts in, as Max approaches Emerald.

  “Ah, yes, well, of course, pardon.” The man bows lightly. “Well, this is a predicament.”

  “Not really. As long as you take our bags and us with you – she can keep up.”

  “You don’t say!” Max’s face lights up again. “Well, then let’s not waste any more time then!”

  “I’ll take these, then.” Fiery approaches me and I turn with the Dragons away from her.

  “I prefer to hold them for now. If that’s alright.” I add quickly.

  “No problem.” She shrugs her shoulders and walks away from me. Zarri and Crile help load up the Dragons. Zarri shifts and flies solo, while Crile and I join Max and Fiery on their Dragons, with Emerald dashing alone on the ground. It really is smooth sailing, as they say, for us all and we reach the Tamers’ Base in no time. The only hiccup is - they have to use an Ancient Tunnel Lift that has been long since forgotten, to get Emerald inside. As apparently the only way to reach the Base fully is on a Dragon.

  But what really amazes me is Emerald! I cannot believe how fast she is! Does this mean she never really uses her full abilities with us? Or am I really just access baggage on her back? Maybe I should get a ride of my own too...