Pledged In Blood - Chapter Forty Four (Patreon)

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Chapter Forty-Four

Priest

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Leaving the market proved an even slower process than exploring it. The afternoon was growing late, and the crowds thicker. We frequently paused to allow Nemos’s men time to clear a path. Onlookers often stopped to stare. Out on the streets, there was more room to allow for their slack-jawed gawking. In the narrower marketplace lanes it took only a few people standing in the wrong place to impede our travel. Many of them bumped and shoved into one another as the guards pushed them back. A few curses and foul utterances were sent in our direction. I took note of a few particularly descriptive phrases, stashing them away for the next time Blue Jay got on my nerves.

Eventually we made it beyond the walls that surrounded the plaza. Once back onto the main streets, Ayrah brought us to a halt. She summoned Nemos to give him his new orders. “Let’s make our destination Wing’s Rest. We can go by the Aerodrome, and the cathedral that Melakar liked. That’ll give Ella a few more things to see on the way to her temporary home.” She surveyed the soldiers escorting them. “Have your troops select the safest route, and get some men set up along the roads. Have Wing’s Rest secured ahead of time, too.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Nemos saluted, then hurried off to give his soldiers the new orders.

I lowered my head to Ayrah. “Wing’s Rest? Is that where we are to sleep?”

“It is.” Ayrah smiled, though something sad and wistful drifted behind her eyes, belying her expression. “We built it for Melakar several years ago. He’s the one who named the place. Said he stole the name from some old story.”

“I see.” I swallowed, flattening back my ears. “That does sound like a name he’d come up with, yes.”

Ayrah gently stroked my scales. “The idea was that it would house not only Melakar, but any other winged visitors we got.” She waved at the gryphons with her free hand, then patted my neck. “Including you someday, he hoped.”

I stared down at the cobblestone beneath my paws. “Would that I had sought to mend things between us, while there was still time.” I swallowed, then glanced at Blue Jay, wishing to lighten the mood before I became too sullen. “I suppose if it’s that large, I’ll need a new excuse to make Blue Jay sleep on the street.”

Sparrow snapped her beak. “Not even their streets have enough room for his ego.”

Ayrah laughed as she led us onward. “You’re a queen, Ella. Make them sleep wherever you want.”

I gave Sparrow a long look. “Then by royal decree, Sparrow may sleep at my side.”

Sparrow dropped her head, and brushed her tail feathers across my hind leg. “Thank you, your Majesty.”

“You are welcome, loyal subject.” Then I turned my attention to Blue Jay, looking him over. “What about this one?”

Sparrow chirruped. “I say make him earn his keep.”

“Certainly.” Blue Jay flashed me a devious gryphon smile, his ears splayed and beak open. “What did you lovely females have in mind?”

“Pillow duty for Her Majesty.” Sparrow swirled a paw in the air. “You should be good at it, by now.”

I nodded my agreement. “And you’d better behave yourself, too.”

The male gryphon glanced between us, offering a throaty purr. “And if I misbehave?”

Sparrow fluffed her feathers in irritation. “Gods, you’re obnoxious sometimes.”

“Isn’t he?” I glanced at Sparrow, grinning. “If he misbehaves, we’ll put him on stress ball duty.”

She tilted her head, her ears perked. “What’s that?”

I mimed reaching out to grab Blue Jay between his hind legs, then clenched my paw into a fist.

Sparrow warbled birdsong laughter before flashing Krass the same devious smirk he’d shown us. “Oooh, I like that idea. Must we wait for him to misbehave?”

Blue Jay gulped and flattened his ears. “I’ll be good.” He tightened up his back legs.

“You’d better.” I gave him a gentle shove. “Now get back into position and protect your queen.

“You’re hardly myqueen,” Blue Jay said, ruffling himself as he returned to escort formation.

Nesh gestured at the gryphons. “If your court-martialing fears come true, you two might end up part of Ella’s empire, after all.”

“Yes, if you find yourselves persecuted by your own people?” I bowed to them, mantling my wings across the street. “I shall offer you safety, solace, and shelter.”

“Why do you think I’ve started being so nice to you?” Sparrow’s smile made it impossible to tell if she was jesting or being serious.

A short time later we passed a trio of large, ornate buildings still under construction. A vast plaza sprawled beyond them, ringed by fencing. Barricades, soldiers, and temporary gates separated the compound from the streets, but did not block our view. All three buildings were built of red-hued marble. Several decorative columns and archways were already in place, with more waiting to be placed. Masons carved murals of people and strange vessels into the façade of another building. Vaunted skylights with copper arches topped one of the structures. Gaping holes in the roofs of the other two indicated more skylights were yet to come.

Layers of scaffolding surrounded everything. Humans crawled across them, pounding away with tools, slathering mortar, and directing the operators of strange machines. A few burly gnolls and va’chaak labored in precarious places, or moved difficult loads. Mechanical cranes dotted the landscape like curious, long-necked beasts. They hissed steam as they swung heavy stone blocks into place. Others lowered immense panes of glass. Large street locomotives hauled heavy cargo around the site. Nearby, workers were assembling elevated wooden platforms and long staircases. Gigantic storage tanks stood in long, even rows. Further across the plaza stood great walls painted with warning signs in several languages. Heavily armed guards patrolled the walls, and stood watch over their gates.

“What’s all that?” I stopped, watching the workers.

“That’s our sky-crawler station!” Pride shimmered in Ayrah’s voice. “Or at least it will be when it’s finished. There’s a long way to go, still. But I thought you’d like to see it.” Aryah folded her arms, surveying the construction with me. “This is the future, Ella. Ships that fly. Soon, we’ll have weekly sky-crawlers bringing people and cargo, commerce and trade. We’re a frontier hub now, but?” Ayrah smiled. “This will make us so much bigger.”

Sparrow clacked her beak. “It will also make you safer, given the military installation back there.”

“Or a bigger target.” Blue Jay padded up alongside Ayrah. “I’m sure you’re aware there’s a fleet of-”

“I’m aware.” Ayrah’s voice was terse. She scowled. “I’m very aware. We assume they’re just there to intimidate us with their bombardment training and test maneuvers, but...” Ayrah ground her teeth. “Let’s just say I’d feel safer if the gunship port back there had actual gunships in it.”

Nesh peered through the fencing. “You have a gunship port behind that wall?”

Ayrah ignored the dirty look Nemos gave her as she walked up alongside Nesh. “Not a completed one. But they’re working on it. Truth be told, the military was going to build an airbase here either way. I talked them into a letting me build a civilian aerodrome on the same grounds.”

Nesh arched his brows. “How’d you manage that?”

“Reminded them that the more trade passes through Tivos, the more the Empire gets from taxing it, and the more money gets funneled back to the military.” She glanced at the back of her hand. “That, and bribery.”

Nesh laughed, but I wasn’t so sure Ayrah was joking. “I see!” He scratched his chin stubble. “You’re right, though. It’s a shame we don’t actually have the military might to spare any airships.”

Nemos cleared his throat. “Nonsense. That’s a lie, put out by Shevar.” He waved a hand. “Officially, we have plenty of gunships.” He tilted his head towards the construction work. “But as you can see, we lack docking scaffolds, mooring stations, and anchor points. No sense in sending ships that can’t dock or properly resupply.”

“Yes, of course.” Nesh drummed his fingers against a fence post, lowering his voice. “And unofficially? I know policy says to protect the heart of the Empire, but do we have anything we can spare in case those ships decide on more than test manuevers?”

Nemos glanced at Ayrah, who nodded. The commander adjusted his coat sleeves. “Unofficially, they’re supposed to have sent us a scaffold-ship with engineers and supplies enough to quickly build a half-dozen temporary docking scaffolds for our fast-response gunships.” His face twisted up. “We expected the scaffold-ship a week ago, and they never arrived.”

Nesh paled, his face drawn. “That’s not good.”

“No, it isn’t.” Ayrah ran a hand through her hair, sighing. “But it’s also entirely possible they’re just running behind. Either way, the Empire didn’t want to dispatch the gunships till we had berths ready for them. For now, the military workers building the port have started on scaffolds.”

I cocked my head. “Is it possible this ship has not arrived because your enemies attacked it?”

“Let’s hope not.” Nemos turned towards me. “Downing a military vessel would be a severe provocation we would have to answer.”

Blue Jay stepped towards Nemos and Ayrah. “Have you heard anything from Shevar, for good or ill?”

“Nothing.” Nemos shook his head. “If it went down, they’ve yet to claim or deny responsibility. Right now, we’re hoping it’s just delayed or off course. But we’re preparing for the worst, just in case.”

“Anyway,” Ayrah said. Something sharp in her voice made it clear she was ready to move on from the subject. If not for the painful news I brought, I imagined my arrival would have made a pleasant distraction in a trying time. “That’s going to be our aerodrome station someday, soon. Your Majesty, I do hope you’ll visit again when there are sky-crawlers to watch.”

“Certainly,” I said, offering a mock bow. “Your invitation is appreciated. I should like to see a flying ship up close, frightening a prospect as it is.”

When everyone was ready, Ayrah took the lead once more. As we continued through the city, my thoughts drifted to my gryphon companions. Though they had been allied with humans for generations now, I wondered if they still worried about their place in this world. That alliance had not stopped the humans from outpacing them, but perhaps it did not matter. After all, human advancement now benefited gryphons, too. The military was making gear for them, designing cannons gryphons could carry, training fire teams to operate under gryphon orders, and so on. I wondered if the gryphons were also inventing things. Or would gryphons simply ask the humans to build firearms even they could operate?

I allowed myself to imagine the day in which I had fulfilled Melakar’s dreams, and built an empire for dragons. Would my empire be capable of building such weapons? I entertained myself with the idea of dragons carrying immense rifles, while others strapped cannons to their backs. They could devastation upon the armies and airships of enemy nations in ways our ancestors never dreamed. If there were enough of us, we could arm a dozen dragons with cannons for every airship our enemies could build. The thought made me smile.

“Ella, look at this!” Nesh broke away from the group. He hurried towards a gilded gateway in a soaring stone wall painted with serene murals. Lost in my thoughts, I had not noticed the ornate towers that loomed in the distance beyond it. “Come see this cathedral!”

Our group changed course to follow Nesh. We passed through the open gates, and into a spacious garden. Trees littered the grounds, sheltering benches beneath their boughs. Statues stood alongside pathways, with plaques beneath them. Fountains occupied a plaza amidst the trees. In another was a pool of water teeming with golden fish. The crowds that observed our precession did not follow us, allowing a quiet serenity to fill the courtyard.

The cathedral awaited at the center of the garden. It had three monumental steeples arranged like the points on a triangle. Stone corridors lined with arched windows connected them to the circular central building. Another tower capped it, surrounded by a ring of elegant spires. Life-sized human figures were carved all around the outside walls. A grand, stained glass window spanned the upper circumference above the statues. Two black doors large enough even for a dragon guarded the entryway. Golden and silver adornments decorated them with stylized depictions of historical events.

Each steeple was tipped by a great golden spire, but were otherwise quite different. One tower was glossy and black like polished obsidian. Four golden arches held its spire aloft. Another tower was adorned with lines of shiny, faceted crystals, glittering in the fire of the late afternoon sun. The third steeple was gilded, and glowed like sunlight itself.

I trailed Nesh down a wide, cobbled path that wound through the garden, towards the main buildings. “This place is beautiful,” I said, keeping my voice soft. I might not believe as Nesh’s people did, but there was a comforting silence here. Breaking it seemed almost disrespectful. “This is where you come to speak to your gods?”

Nesh chuckled, looking around. “Something like that.” His gaze settled on the trio of beautiful towers. “Though this is a lot more extravagant than the cathedral back home.”

Ayrah laughed as she approached us. “It’s been recently renovated.” Her laughter faded, and she set a hand upon my foreleg. “Thanks to Melakar, actually. Not everyone was happy to have a frequent dragon visitor. He thought to smooth things over by paying off all the church’s remodeling costs.”

“Oh?” I could not help grinning at the idea of Melakar paying off some dragon-hating zealots just to shut them up. “He bribed your priests to stop badmouthing our species?”

That brought a smile back to Ayrah’s face. “Not how they’d put it, but yes. But…” She folded her arms. “It also got them to sit and talk with him. Seeing things from another point of view, getting to know a dragon on an intellectual level? It helped alleviate some of their concerns. When it was finished, Melakar came back a few times, just to chat.”

I chuckled, wandering through the garden. It was empty of anyone other than our escorts. I felt eyes on me from inside the church, but thus far no one dared leave its protective confines. “Leave it to Melakar to make friends with priests. He was certainly the dragon best suited for such a task.”

“Actually…” Nesh gently patted my foreleg. “That might not be true, anymore. Not after yourdream.”

I snorted. “I rather doubt they’d want to hear about that.”

“Hearing about what?” Ayrah walked at my side as we neared the fish pond.

“Not really something to be discussed in public.” I stretched out a wing and made a show of studying the crimson ripples edging the black membranes. I lowered my voice to the quietest whisper I could manage. “I met one of your gods.”

Ayrah lifted her eye-ridges, her voice flat. “Did you?”

Nesh put a hand on Ayrah’s shoulder, his tone equally soft and solemn. “She did.”

I fold my wing back, giving Ayrah a stern look. “I’ll tell you about it tonight. In private.”

“I think you’d better.” Ayrah stared at me with her eyes narrowed and her head tilted. She looked as if she couldn’t tell if I’d stumbled onto something wonderous or slipped into madness. She turned away, raising her voice and waving at the cathedral. “I can arrange a visit, if you’d like to see the inside.”

“If they’d allow it, I’m certainly curious.” I gazed up at the sprawling buildings and monolith towers. “It is very impressive structure. Do the three towers each symbolize one of your gods?”

“That’s right!” Nesh pointed to each of the spires in turn. “The black steeple is for the Father, the golden spire represents the Mother, and the crystalline one is for the Child. The idea being darkness, light, and-”

“Stars,” I said, staring at all the glittering reflections of the sun. “It’s the stars.”

“Well…” Nesh leaned against me. “That too. However, I was going to say imagination. The way the reflections constantly change based on time and weather represents the way the Child’s imagination is constantly coming up with something new. They represent the stars we were forged from, but also all the strange and wondrous things he added to our world.”

Ayrah pointed towards a large, painted sculpture, beneath the crystal-decorated tower. “Melakar was always especially taken by the statue of the Child.”

I flattened back my spines, shivering slightly. “I’ll bet he was.” I curled my neck to glance down at Ayrah. “Am I allowed to venture that far onto their holy lands? I should like to see this statue.”

“They let Melakar come and go as he pleased,” Ayrah said, beckoning me to follow her. “So they’d damn well better let you do the same.”

Blue Jay made a derisive whistling noise. “Especially if they want her coin, right?”

Nesh shot the gryphon a dirty look. “Don’t blaspheme, Blue Jay.”

“Yes, Kraas.” Sparrow glared at him as well. “I concur with Nesh. Watch your beak on sacred ground.”

I snorted, turning my attention to Sparrow. “Are you certain you don’t mind a demoness sullying this place with her foul presence?”

Sparrow only swatted me with her tail. “Oh, shut the hell up, Ella.”

Ayrah lead us across the grounds towards the sculpture. The statue was intricately detailed, and vividly colored. It depicted a human child standing on a golden dune, throwing sand into the sky. Happiness radiated from his joyful, smiling face. An ephemeral gold mesh stretched from his hand, depicting the sand he tossed aloft. Elaborately faceted crystals adorned the top of the mesh structure, illustrating how he was shaping sand, into stars. A cluster of potted plants with vibrant red blossoms rested before the statue. Given the cold, they must have only been recently placed there.

I circled around the statue, careful not to bump it, or upset the flowers. “They’ve got the expression right. He did seem joyful.” I cast Ayrah and Sparrow a playful glance. “Of course, when I saw him, he was conducting Melakar’s song.” I flicked my tail tip. “And he was an urd’thin.”

“An urd’thin.” Ayrah’s folded her arms. “You’re saying God is an urd’thin?”

Lir leaned over my side to make a face at Ayrah. “I tried to tell you.”

“Well, I can’t speak for all gods.” I brushed my tail across Sparrow’s side as I returned to the ground. She slapped it away. “But the one that I met was an urd’thin, yes.”

Ayrah stared at me in silence before shaking her head. “You’re really going to have to tell me this story.”

Movement distracted me from the conversation. A door at the base of the glittering tower opened, and an older male human emerged. Frizzy white hair crowned his heavily lined face. He was dressed in a voluminous golden robe, embossed with elegant, geometric patterns in bright silver. The sleeves were black, but hemmed in the same silver hue. A scattering of stylized white stars marked each ebon shoulder. He carried a rectangular wooden box in his hands, with a scroll case tucked under an arm. When he saw us, he paused for only a moment. Then he strode down the path leading to the statue, and several of our escort soldiers moved aside to let him pass.

Nesh gently touched my foreleg. “We should go, Ella. That’s an Arch Priest’s robe. That man ministers this cathedral. We don’t want to overstay our welcome.”

“You mean he might not appreciate a dragon lingering on hallowed ground, espousing blasphemies about the gods his statues represent?” I snorted, flattening back my ears. As much as it frustrated me though, I knew Nesh was right. I needed to give them reason to see me as a friend, not further their distrust. “Very well. Let us be out of his way.” I turned back towards the main pathway, but managed only a few steps before the priest called out.

“Please don’t leave, yet.” He picked up his pace, hurrying towards us. The guards all parted for him as he drew near. “I have something for you, first.”

Nemos stepped in front of the priest, barring him from getting any closer. He held a hand up. “Hello, Father. May I see what you have, before you get any closer? Just protocol, of course.”

“Certainly.” The priest passed the rectangular object to Nemos.

Nemos turned it over, examined it carefully, and then swapped it for the scroll case. He opened it, looked inside, and handed it back. “Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Quite understandable.” The priest took his belongings back, and approached me. “A moment of your time, if you please, Dragon?” Then

As the High Priest drew near, Nesh offered him a strange bow. He pressed his hands together before his chest, then lowered himself onto one knee, his eyes averted. Once he was knelt, he opened his hands, and held them side by side, palms up. Some of the guards made the same gesture, including Nemos. Lir scrambled down from my back, but did not bow the same way. Sparrow lowered her head, mantling her wings. Blue Jay did not. Neither did Ayrah. I glanced at my old vassal for guidance, wondering if I too, was meant to bow. She caught my eyes, and ever so slightly shook her head. Perhaps, I thought, the gesture was only meant for those who genuinely followed their faith. I settled onto my haunches, instead.

I settled onto my haunches instead. “If you are the one who allowed Melakar to visit this place freely, then you may have as much of my time as you wish.”

A faint smile graced his aged face as stopped before me. “I suppose you could say that. My name is Father Patravus.”

I bowed my head to him, a simple show of respect. “I am called Ellamyriss.” Somehow, it seemed proper to give him my name first, and my title second. I flicked my tongue between my teeth. “Queen Ellamyriss.”

Patravus returned my bow, a little stiffly. “An honor to meet you, your Majesty.”

The man’s soft, restrained tones made it impossible to tell if he was being perfectly genuinely, or completely sarcastic. I decided to split the difference. “You as well.” I tilted my head. “Is it proper to call you by your name, or your title?”

The older man chuckled, straightening. “Father works fine. Though if you prefer my name, you’re welcome to it.” He adjusted the scroll case under his arm. “And for yourself?”

I tapped a single finger against the grassy earth. While I enjoyed the idea of important humans being forced to address me as a monarch, I was not his Queen. And Melakar would have asked the man to use his name. In the interests of friendship, it seemed right that I do the same. “You may call me by my name.” I tilted my head, my ears perked. “Or just Ella. It is easier to say in your tongue.”

“That it is.” Patravus shifted his weight, his robe rustling in the breeze. He glanced at Nesh, then the guards, and finally at Sparrow. “You can all rise. Come along, now.” Patravus offered Nemos the rectangular wooden object again. Glass glinted on one side of it. “Commander Nemos, might I ask you to hold this until I ask for it?”

“Absolutely.” Nemos took it and held it against his chest, covering it with his arms before I could see what it was.

All those who had bowed got back to their feet. Sparrow rose up, then settled onto her haunches nearby. She swatted Blue Jay with her wing until he did the same. Nesh moved to stand at my side. He put a hand against my shoulder, lowering his head towards the priest.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Arch Priest Patravus.” Nesh placed his other hand over his own chest. “My name is Nesh, and I currently serve as Her Majesty’s ambassador. I’ve been telling her a bit about The Child.” He glanced up at the statue, smiling. “She’s quite taken with the idea.”

I did not protest that assertion at all. Nesh knew more about his religion’s ministers and their expectations than I ever would. If he could prevent me from inadvertently my tail in my own mouth, I was happy to have him do so. “I do find the idea fascinating, yes.” I gazed at the sculpture, licking my muzzle. “Thank you for allowing me upon your grounds, by the way. But please tell me if you do not wish me here. I do not want to cause you any problems.”

The older man chuckled again, shaking his head. “You know, when I was a child, I heard the most terrifying stories about your kind.” He passed the rectangular box to Nemos, then put a finger to his lips to signify silence. “As I grew up, many were the sermons I heard using dragons as the symbols of evil, of demons made flesh, to enact the wills of dark gods, to deceive, destroy, to seduce unto darkness.” He gestured with the scroll case. “All the beliefs, and stereotypes that have led to so much animosity, since long before either of us were ever born.”

I shifted my weight, swallowing. Though I suspected he was building towards telling me how wrong he was, it did not make it any easier to sit and listen. “I’m well aware of your people’s beliefs.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are.” As he spoke, he worked to unfasten the leather case. “I myself once preached those same sorts of beliefs. It’s in our nature, I think. To want to find a reason for the evil that we do. People don’t want to admit that evil ispart of our nature. They’d rather blame it anything else.” He popped another fastener open. “Other nations, other species, other religions. From our primal days, the idea that the most powerful, dangerous, and monstrous looking species…” He offered me a smile. “No offense.”

I tilted my head. “Only a little taken.”

“Apologies.” He opened the case, then cradled it against his chest without removing the contents. “But you fit the appearance of a monster, the idea of a monster, better than we think humans do. And in ages long past…” He trailed off, then shook his head. “No, you don’t need a lecture on the past, do you? The point is, there are monsters among every thinking people. It takes a wise, and enlightened heart to understand that, and courage to admit it. You dragons are no more demons than we are, nor you gryphons…” He waved the case at Sparrow. “Any more the angel. While it is true that evil hides among all of us, it matters not if it wears skin, or scales.” He turned back to me, smiling. “I’d wager a guess you can tell me who said that.”

I took a slow breath, tightening my wings against my body. “I suspect Melakar.”

“That’s right.” Patravus thumped the case against his palm. “The very first time I spoke with him. He came here, landed in my courtyard with chests filled with gold.” He clucked his tongue. “Real gold, of a mint not seen for centuries. I told him to take his foul coin, and leave.” The priest jabbed his scroll case like a spear. Something rustled inside. “To be gone from this holy place, lest the gods strike down this unholy servant of evil, blah blah blah.” He chortled, shrugging. “I was feeling quite melodramatic, that day. And that pompous old lizard just smiled at me. Told me that a truly enlightened heart would understand that deeds are the measure of evil, not skin or scales. And that the coin was mine to do with as I saw fit.”

I tilted my head back, gazing up at the bejeweled and gilded towers. “And so you used it to build this place.”

“No,” Patravus said, shaking his head. “I used it to help house the poor.” He tapped the scroll case against his hand. “I used the next chest to feed the poor, all winter long. This was nearly a decade ago, mind you. Each time he came back, he brought more, and each time I used it to help those who needed it more than we did.”

Ayrah cleared her throat, and when I glanced her way, she grinned at me. “Till I finally told Melakar that old Patravus here was trying to raise money to fix his leaky roof, replace a sagging steeple, and have a damaged statue repaired. After that, Melakar took his coin straight to the construction contractors, and told them to build Patravus a brand-new cathedral, whatever he wanted.”

The old priest snorted. “And instead, I got this ostentatious thing.” He turned away, staring up at his own church. “It’s absolutely beautiful, but it’s ten times more extravagant than I wanted. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that old bronze demon paid the architects off to make as gaudy as they could.” He turned back towards me. “Sorry about the demon bit.” The warm light in his eyes told me his apology was genuine. I suspected the former insult had grown to be a term of endearment between the priest, and Melakar.

“Think nothing of it,” I said, shaking my head. I stretched a wing across Sparrow’s back. “This one calls me Demoness at least three times a day.”

Sparrow glared at me, clacking her beak. “Twice a day, maybe.”

Patravus nodded at her. “Good girl. Nice to see a bird of the faith, as well.” He turned back towards me, and went on. “I didn’t really get to know old Melakar until the construction started. He’d visited Tivos enough times to have earned an unexpected positive reputation. Never hurt anyone, never caused any on trouble…well, not on purpose anyway. But he knew the church didn’t really want him lingering on our grounds, so he only ever arrived to deliver his peace offerings, say a few words, and then depart. But once the work was under way, he started coming by more often. I imagine he wanted to supervise things, and make sure his money was being spent appropriately. Normally, a project like this might take decades. Melakar wanted it done in a matter of years, at most. Paid for as many workers, materials, and machinery as it took.”

Blue Jay warbled, glancing over at me. “No wonder his hoard’s mostly been reduced to books.”

The Arch Priest rolled the case between his hands. “At least some of the old tales about dragons are true, hmm?”

“It’s generational.” I gestured with a paw. “Our hoards, as you call them. A collection of treasures and wealth passed down from ancestors, to their children, and so on, added to by each successive generation.” I licked my nose, quieting. “But I am interrupting you. Please continue.”

“Oh, you’re fine dragon.” Patravus pointed to a far corner of the garden. “He was seated over there, watching the work, the day I decided to take it upon myself and speak to him. Regardless of my beliefs at the time, I knew it was only right that I express to him my gratitude for all he’d allowed me to do. So, I approached him, officially introduced myself, and before I knew it…” He shook his head, a smile returning. “We were deep in philosophical discussion on the nature of evil.”

“Yes,” I said, rumbling laughter. “That’s how he lures you in. First it’s gifts and small talk, and before you know it, you’re trapped in one of his endless lectures.”

The priest shook his head. “Not in this case. We had a very back and forth debate.” He drummed his fingers against the scroll case, a hint of playful mirth creeping into his voice. “The lectures came later.”

I flicked my tail. “They always did.”

“Indeed.” Patravus gazed at the statue. “By the time the sun was setting, I realized I’d just spent the entire day debating a dragon. None of the other priests dared approach to interrupt me, or remind me it was dinner time, or anything else. I’d always known dragons were intelligent, but I did not expect them to be so intellectual.”

Nesh adjusted his sleeves, leaning against me. “From what I’ve gathered, Melakar was one of the most intensely intellectual people I think any of us have ever known.” He spared Ayrah a glance. “Even if some of that knowledge was wasted on Ella.”

I tossed my head. “Hilarious as always, Nesh.” I waved a wing tip at my so-called ambassador. “As I have often told Nesh here, I believe Melakar was the perfect dragon to bridge the divide between our peoples. Certainly far better suited than I, but…” I swallowed, fighting back a sudden wave of uncertainty. “I endeavor to take up his peace-making mantle, just the same.”

Patravus nodded. “I rather hoped you might. After my long chat with him, I prayed to the gods for guidance before I went to bed. The next morning, Melakar was already back, staring at the first stars being placed upon that spire.” He gestured at the glittering tower. “I took it as a sign. The gods believed him receptive to their wisdom, and wished for me to continue reaching out to him. And so I did. For the last five years, at least, I talked with Melakar every time he was here. Soon, so did the other priests. And then, some of the parishioners. Melakar made himself available to everyone who had courage enough to speak with him. He let them to talk to him on any subject they wished, and always answered openly, and honestly, whether or not the answer would displease them. That was more than I could say for some of our parishioners.”

The priest laughed, then trailed off into silence. He stared at the statue a little while, thoughts drifting behind his eyes. Given this human’s apparent penchant for rambling, it was easy to see how Melakar had broken through his ingrained bias. It was easy to imagine the two of them wiling the away the hours, their vehement arguments gradually giving way to mutually respectful debates. Sorrow glimmered in his distant gaze. He felt Melakar’s loss more than he cared to admit.

“He used to sit alongside this statue.” Patravus’s eyes dropped to the crimson flowers arranged around the sculpture’s base. “The cold won’t be good for the flowers, but…” He bumped a flowerpot with his shoe. “Best I could do for him, on the short notice.”

“The flowers are for Melakar?” The idea that some important religious leader amongst the humans offered Melakar a memorial, however small, brought a smile to my muzzle. “That’s very kind of you.” My heart swelled with warmth. “He would have been very appreciative.”

Patravus finally removed the scroll case’s contents. “I just got them placed a little while ago. There’s more to come, but…I was going to put this here, too.” He handed the case to a soldier, and slowly unrolled a curled swath of parchment. “Once he started holding talks with our parishioners, a few of them eventually brought their children to meet him. He’d tell them stories. Dragon’s children stories, I suppose.”

I lifted my spines. Melakar had made deeper inroads here than I realized. “He talked with people’s children?”

Ayrah cleared her throat to draw our attention. “Only after he’d proven himself to be the furthest thing possible from a threat. And even then, only alongside their parents, and under the strictest supervision from the guards.” She waggled a finger at me. “The same policies apply to you, of course, your Majesty. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course.” I bowed my head to Ayrah. Earlier, before I first gave my speech, Ayrah mentioned that some of her people were lucky enough to have talked to Melakar directly. I had not realized that meant he’d held court here, at their Cathedral. Perhaps, in another visit, I would consider doing the same. “You must protect your people first, as any good ruler would.” I turned my attention back to the priest. “Alright, Father, you’ve been teasing me with that scroll long enough. What have you got there?”

Patravus finished delicately unfurling the paper, and turned it towards me. “One of the children who used to listen to his stories drew this, for him. I’d kept it in my office, waiting for him to return, but…” He gave a shuddering sigh. “When I heard the news, I thought I’d put it out here by his favorite statue, instead.”

A child’s drawing of a smile dragon stretched across the parchment. It was a simple thing, done in chunky lines and awkward curves, with bronze color scribbled across it. Stick-figure children stood around him, as if in rapt attention to whatever story the dragon weaved. A set of uneven pointed spires rose behind them all, with a patchwork of blue scrawls and stylized clouds in the sky above everyone. The details of the dragon were wrong, his head was too big, his wings too small, his legs too long.

And yet it took my breath away. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of art I had ever seen. A child, a human child, had been so comfortable around Melakar, so happy to hear his stories, that they drew him a joyful picture. I reached towards it with a trembling paw, but stopped myself. I dared not touch the thing for fear of damaging it.

“Did…” I swallowed, fighting back the sudden tightness of my throat. “Did he ever get to see it?”

Patravus slowly shook his head. “No.” He turned to the statue, and spread the picture out on a flat area. “Not this one.” The priest moved several of the potted flowers to pin down the corners of the parchment. “But there were others. He received some of those.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” I blinked away a few half-formed tears, glancing at Ayrah. “I’m starting to think you may actually have underplayed his presence here. He’s laid down far more pathways towards friendship than you let on.”

Ayrah patted my shoulder. “Some things you need to see for yourself.”

At least now I had a better idea of why so many people seemed upset by the news. Maybe that was also why so many of them came to talk to Ayrah, to ask if it was true. It was increasingly clear that this city was definitely going to be my best chance of picking up where Melakar left off. “I think we are going to have to come back, Nesh.”

“Absolutely.” Nesh adjusted his coat. “We can’t let Melakar’s hard work be for naught, nor can we let his memory fade.” He swept an arm towards the city beyond the Cathedral’s walls. “There’s thousands of people out there, ready for a chance to see a dragon, as a friend. When we’ve attended all the villages in your valley, we should come back as soon as possible, to pick up where Melakar left off.”

Despite the myriad other things I had to do, I found myself agreeing with Nesh. If Melakar had already started building lasting friendships here, I needed to capitalize on that momentum. But I also needed to visit the gryphons Melakar forged the irrik oro with. They needed to know that Melakar was gone, but our alliance remained. Tivos was roughly in the same direction from the Valley, so perhaps I could journey to the gryphons, and revisit Ayrah for a long time. Once I was home, I had a lot of planning to do while Nesh carried out his medical duties in the local villages.

“Yes, Nesh.” I swept my tail across the earth on which I sat. “We’ll need to add returning to Tivos to our ever-growing list of tasks.”

Nesh offered me a smile. “I hope that means you’re growing a little more comfortable, here.”

I lifted a paw to hold my thumb and finger a short distance apart. “A little.”

“I’ve something for you, Dragon.” Patravus returned to me when he had the drawing displayed to his satisfaction. He gestured for Nemos to come forward. “Go ahead and show her.”

Nemos approached, an odd gleam in his eyes, even as he kept his expression stoic. “Alright, Ella. Steel yourself.”

I arched my neck. “For what? You sound as if you’re challenging me.”

“I’m going to show you something that may be difficult to see.” Nemos slowly eased the wooden case away from his body. He scrunched his face. “But I think you’ll be happy to have it, just the same.”

“What are you talking about?” I snorted, glancing between Nemos and the priest. “Enough secrecy, just show me what it is already.”

Nemos turned the case around, and held it out to me. There, beneath the protective glass, was an image of Melakar, straight out of my memories. It was not a drawing, nor a painting, but picture seemingly plucked straight out of reality. If not for the image’s strange, silvery tint, I almost could have been looking through a tiny window into another world, where Melakar was still alive. In the picture, he sat on his haunches, his wings slightly unfurled, and neck held at a regal arch. The statue of the Child was nearby, with the Cathedral partly visible behind him. Father Patravus stood at the image’s edge, as if observing the dragon.

I gasped, and my heart skipped a few beats. My stomach twisted. “What…what is that?” I took the wooden and glass case as delicately as I could from Nemos. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to soak my muzzle. “He looks so…so real.” I traced a single finger down the curve of Melakar’s neck. “Oh, my love…you were so handsome.” I sucked in a shuddering breath, turning my eyes to Nesh. “What is this, Nesh?”

Nesh stood on his tip toes, peering at the picture. His eyes widened, and he let out a low croon. “Oh, so that’s how the old boy really looked. The portraits are nice, but they didn’t really do him justice.” Nesh looked up at me with a wistful smile, then patted my paw. “This, Ella, is called a silvergraph. It’s a kind of photography. You can call it a photo, for short. They’re images taken with a machine called a camera.”

I stared at the silvergraph, my shuddering heart aching. “A machine made this?”

“More or less.” Nesh gently stroked my foreleg. “Cameras capture a moment in time, using specialized plates, or other materials, treated with chemicals and exposed to light. They’ve been developing newer processes lately, with flexible films and such.”

Ayrah joined Nesh, staring at the image. She sighed, the sound long and sorrowful. I knew her pain all too well. “I wondered whatever happened to that one.”

Patravus lowered his voice, his tone now soft and respectful. “I’ve had that on my desk, but…” He slowly turned his eyes up to me. “I thought you should have it, instead.”

“I…” I forced myself to tear my eyes away from Melakar’s image to regard the priest instead. “I can keep this?”

Patravus bowed stiffly. “Please do.” He straightened, tapping a finger to the side of his head. “I’ve plenty of memories of him, up here. I know you do, too. But…” He lifted a hand and brushed it across the silvergraph’s frame. “When you want to see him as he was, when you want to know what he helped accomplish here? Now you can.”

“Thank you.” I nuzzled the picture, uncaring of who saw me do so. It was so lifelike, I could almost imagine his scent. I hugged it to my chest plates as gently as I’d have held a hatchling. A few tears ran down the pebbly scales of my face. I did not bother to try and wipe them away. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Dragon.” Patravus gently touched my scales. “I am sorry for your loss. Whether you believe it or not, he’s in the gods’ care, now.”

I smiled to myself, still hugging Melakar’s image. “I suppose they’ll be the ones he inflicts his lectures on.” I sighed, easing the picture away to stare at. I spoke to him, wondering in my head if he could truly hear me. “I wonder, if you bore them enough, will they send you back to me?”

Patravus laughed with me, patting my paw. “I’ll certainly pray for that, Dragon. And I’ll pray for you, too.” He stepped back, and offered me another bow. “It was nice to meet you, your Majesty. I’ll leave you to your grief, and your tour.” He turned away, calling back over his shoulder as he strode towards his Cathedral. “Please feel welcome to return any time.”

As the priest vanished back into the church, I remained fixated on Melakar’s image. I had never seen something so lifelike. Despite it’s silvery-gray hue, it was so clearly Melakar I doubted I could ever gaze upon it without my heart aching. All the details were vividly there, the spines of his frills, the pebbly scales of his face, the slightly uneven shapes of his ears, the talons tipping his wings, the arrangement of his chest places. The way he leaned slightly to the side, whenever he sat upon his haunches. I had seen him sitting just like that, more times than I could ever count. But none of my memories were as clear and true to life as this single silvergraph.

“It’s as though you’ve found a way to crystalize the past itself.” I swallowed, finally lifting my gaze from the picture. “This is…common, to your people?”

Nesh nodded. “Increasingly so, yes. It started with image plates, and silver nitrates and iodides. These days, they’re working on adopting more flexible films.” Nesh’s face lit up. “Oh! We should get one of you, Ella!”

Ayrah grinned, standing alongside him. “We definitely should. We should get one of the two of you, together.”

I tilted my head. “Nesh and I?”

“Of course.” Ayrah gave him a playful shove. “Why shouldn’t Ella get a photograph with her concubine?”

Nesh reddened after catching his balance. He whirled around to shake a finger at Ayrah. “Oh no. Not you too! I’m happy to have my photograph taken with her Majesty, but I’ll not let you take up that concubine business.”

“Don’t her get to you, Nesh,” I said, stretching a wing to brush its tip across his back. “She couldn’t afford you, anyway.”

Lir squeezed her way between Ayrah and Nesh. “Can I see the old grump, too?”

“Certainly, Lir.” I passed her the picture frame, and she took it as reverently as I had. It looked so much larger in her hands than mine. Lir stared into the image, her ears slowly drooping alongside her head. “Yup.” She sniffled, forcing a smile across her muzzle. “That’s him.”

Sparrow eased to her paws, padding over. “Might Kraas and I see, as well?”

“Of course.” I waved my paw towards Nesh. “Nesh, will you carry it after they have a look?”

“Certainly, Ella.” Nesh patted my foreleg, then gently took the portrait from Lir. He turned towards the gryphons, holding it out towards them.

Blue Jay and Sparrow stared at the silvergraph together. The male gryphon tilted his head, chirping to himself. Sparrow glanced from it to me, and back again. They whispered to each other, something too low and soft even for my ears to pick up. Whatever it was made them laugh. I growled, drumming clawtips against the grassy earth.

Sparrow looked up again, her beak parted in a grin. “We were just saying, how friendly he looks.” She swirled a paw in the air. “You know, for a dragon.”

Blue Jay clicked his beak. “And then we wondered how such a warm and friendly old beast ever ended up with a grump like you like.”

I tossed my head, snorting. “Oh, shut the hell up.”

“And so the question remains.” Sparrow stretched a wing to preen it. “He does look handsome, Ella.” She dropped a loose feather onto the grass. “You know, by demon standards.”

“That he was.” I stretched my foreleg and flicked the tip of Sparrow’s ear for her demon comment. She yelped and glared at me, then tried to nip my paw before I pulled it away. “And he’d have charmed your damn feathers.”

Blue Jay warbled laughter. “As handsome as he was, and smoothly as you say he spoke, he’d probably have charmed her tail up, too.”

Sparrow nipped Blue Jay’s cheek hard enough to make him squawk. “Something you were rarely able to accomplish even when we were together!”

The male gryphon rubbed his cheek. “But I did accomplish it!”

Sparrow folded her wing back, gazing up at me with a particularly smug grin. “He was the only one who ever ended up ‘accomplished’, anyway.” She turned her head, preening the wing. “I was only ever disappointed.”

When I laughed, Blue Jay puffed himself up into a sphere fluffy sphere of indigo indignity. “That is patently untrue!”

“Oh, don’t worry, Blue Jay.” I patted his head, then rose to my paws. “I’m sure Melakar would have charmed yourtail up, too.”

Blue Jay slowly smoothed back his feathers, peering at the image again. “He’d certainly have been an exotic guest amongst a gryphon clan. Perhaps some of your theories about the ways he might have secured his alliance weren’t so far off.”

Nesh turned back towards me, cradling the picture. “Not that I’m an expert, but he does look like a handsome chap, for a dragon. Much more regal than I expected.”

I tilted my head. “He’s a dragon. Why wouldn’t he be regal?”

“Well, because you’re…” Nesh waved his hand at me, then trailed off when he realized what he was suggesting. “I mean, not that you aren’t regal, but…” He gulped.

I lowered my head towards him, grinning wickedly. “But what, Concubine?”

Nesh took a step back. “You’re quite regal, Ella, I’d like to make that clear.” He glanced between me and the silvergraph a few times. “But I imagine that if you posed for a photography, I imagine you’d want to look fierce, and menacing.”

“Of course I would.” I arched my neck. “I would want my enemies to fear me, upon seeing such an image.”

“Exactly.” Nesh chuckled, tracing his fingers over the glass. “Which is why Melakar looks regal. He’s somehow both elegant, and casual. Like a creature of legend, rather than something people see as a monster. It’s a lovely effect.”

Blue Jay leaned closer to Sparrow. “If Nesh had a tail, I think it would be up right now.”

Nesh lowered the photograph to glare at the gryphon. “Go make love to a lamp post, you pompous pigeon.”

“To a what?” Blue Jay fluffed up his crown feathers, eyes wide.

“Hah!” Lir gave a raucous laugh, punching Nesh on the hip. “There ya go, Sharpshooter, stand up for yourself.” She turned towards the gryphon, rubbing her muzzle. “I dunno, bird, in the right part of town, some people would probably pay good money to watch you give that a try.”

Blue Jay turned his beak up. “I’d do a lot of things for coin, but not that.”

“Not in general?” Sparrow tilted her head, her voice deadpan. “Or just not a lamp post?”

“Depends how inebriated he was, I suspect.” Nesh snorted, cradling the photo’s frame to his chest. “Shall we move on? While I’m happy to see Melakar made inroads with Father Patravus, not everyone here may feel the same way. We’ve probably lingered in hallowed land long enough.”

Ayrah gestured at some of the guards, and they moved to secure our way back out. “Nesh is right. Are you about ready to head home for the night, Ella?” She held a hand up, smirking. “Temporary home, of course. We can tour a bit more, but that’s all I had planned to show you for today.”

I liked my muzzle, gazing up at the Cathedral towers. “No, I think I’ve seen enough marvels and fearful wonders for one day. I think…” My eyes fell back to Nesh, and the silvergraph he carried. “I think I should like to be away from people, now.”

While Ayrah’s solders readied themselves, the gryphons returned to my sides. Lir scrambled up onto my back, and retrieved her revolver from within her coat. Our escort troop moved into position, and Ayrah led us back through the cathedral grounds. We soon reached the city streets, where the soldiers kept the gathered crowds relatively at bay. After the peaceful quiet of the church’s courtyard, the sound of so many voices buzzed anew inside my skull. I flattened back my ears, thankful we were retreating before the coming dusk.

As we walked, I noticed Nesh staring at Melakar’s picture. I had to force myself not to do the same. I would have plenty of time to admire his image, and long for what could not be later. For now, I had to keep my emotions in check, to present a proper Queenly image to all the humans watching us. But Nesh’s fascination did not go unnoticed.

“I wish you two could have met.” I gently bumped Nesh with my wing. “I think he would have liked you, Nesh.”

“I’m heartened to hear it.” Nesh turned the frame sideways, squinting at it. “I was just wondering how his voice must have sounded. Are there are many tonal differences in the vocal qualities of male, and female dragons?” He scrunched his eye ridges, content to answer his question, as usual. “I suppose there must be, but I wonder if the human ear can even pick them up. When we first met, I thought your voice sounded female, but I could hardly be sure. While feminine, it’s still quite brassy and booming by human standards.”

“Yes, I remember your confusion,” I said, swishing my tail tip. “And your wandering eyes.”

Nesh glared at me, but it soon melted away into smug amusement. “You’re one to talk, Dragon.”

The way he phrased it as some sort of perverse accusation caught me off guard. I splayed out my frills, hissing at him. “I had to be sure you weren’t hiding any weaponry.”

“Oh, I know.” Nesh waved the picture frame at me. “But it’s far more entertaining to tease you about your other, shall we say, interests.”

“Ah.” I arched my neck, a smile crossing my muzzle. “So that’s what your doing. If you weren’t normally such a prude, I’d have picked up on that faster. Still…” While I was proud of Nesh for opening up enough to retaliate for all my teasing, I was not about to let it go unanswered. I lowered my head to brush my nuzzle across his ear. “Perhaps, Concubine, I’d better search you again later. Just to be safe.”

Nesh reddened, shoving my muzzle away. “Oh shut up, Ella.”

That only made me laugh, but I was pleased to see Nesh share my laughter.

Ayrah grinned back over her shoulder as she walked ahead of us. “So, Ella gave you the fake weapon search routine too, huh?”

I snapped my teeth at her. “It was not fake! He was an enemy soldier, whom I was preparing to take into my home. I could not take chances.”

Nesh clutched the silvergraph to his chest. “Yes, humiliating an experience as it was, I admittedly can’t blame her. She also made me dispose of anything in my medical she deemed dangerous.” He shook his head, chuckling. “She was afraid I was going to poison her with my thermometer!”

I stomped a forepaw, interrupting my stride. “That silver stuff is highly toxic! Besides, how am I to know what manner of chemicals and poisons humans use to kill dragons these days?” I gestured with a wing tip at Sparrow. “Just look at all the toxic things she carried with her to try and kill me!”

Sparrow looked away, her ears drooping.

“Sorry, Sparrow.” I quickly sorrowed my tone. “I did not mean it that way. We have long since made our peace. And if I were in your place, I’d have carried as many poisonous things as possible, too.”

“Apology accepted.” She raised her ears, then looked over at Nesh. “Speaking of which, in addition to getting my harness properly repaired, I should like to restock my supplies and sundries, if possible.” Sparrow lowered her head. “With Her Majesty’s permission, of course.”

“Sundries?” Nesh clucked his tongue. “Is that what you call your various respiratory inhibitors and blindness inducers and paralytics?”

Sparrow just stared at him. “I thought that a less offensive name than say, dragon-fighting kit, or…” Her beak parted and her ears splayed in gryphon smirk. “Demon’s bane.”

“That’s Queen Demon, to you.” I moved closer to nip at her smugly positioned ears. She ducked out of the way, and I straightened up. “And yes, Sparrow, you may buy what you need. But take Nesh.”

“Certainly.” She shook herself. “Most of it should be available along with the medical supplies he needs. The rest we can probably find elsewhere. I was carrying a few more secretive, proprietary concoctions as well, but those can wait if need be.”

Ayrah turned around to face us, walking backwards a few steps. “Expecting to fight another dragon, are you?”

Sparrow grimaced, rubbing her throat. “I certainly hope not. That’s the first time we’ve lost to one, and it was not a pleasant experience.” She dropped her paw back down and continued on. “But most of what I carried works on just about anything. A few are especially effective on dragons, though. Chemical mixtures they’re unusually allergic too, that sort of thing.”

“Which is why Nesh will accompany you.” I stretched a wing and brushed it across hers before she got the wrong idea. “Not because I don’t trust you, now, but because he’s eager to learn as much as he can about that sort of thing.”

“That’s correct,” Nesh said. “The more knowledge I have about dragon afflictions and vulnerabilities, the more effectively I can treat Ella, should the need ever arise again. Plus, I’m…” He held the picture out, gazing at it once more. “Curious about dragons, in general.”

Blue Jay swatted Nesh with his tail. “Yes, I bet you are.”

Nesh ignored him. “Speaking of which, I was also looking for examples of draconic sexual dimorphism in Melakar.”

Blue Jay tossed his head. “I tried to see that too. His hind leg’s in the way.”

Nesh, Sparrow, Ayrah and I all turned to stare at Blue Jay as one.

He gazed back at us, slowly flattening his ears. “What?”

Sparrow snapped her beak him. “That isn’t what it means, you horny barbarian!”

“It means,” Nesh said, his voice painfully level. “Traits that are different in males, and females.”

“Ah hah!” Blue Jay jabbed a paw in the air towards Nesh. “So, you were looking for it.”

Nesh grit his teeth. “I meant, apart from the obvious!” He turned to Sparrow. “How do you put up with him?”

The female gryphon slowly shook her head. “Somedays, I have no idea.”

“Anyway,” Nesh said, returning his attention to me. “I noticed Melakar has spines on his tail.” Nesh waved at my own tail tip. “Unlike you. I saw that in some of the portraits, but the photo makes it clearer. Am I correct in assuming only male dragons have those?”

“That’s right.” I curled my tail around my side, gazing back at its red-scaled tip. “Though, my knowledge is that it varies by the type of dragon. Swamp dragons have webbed tails, and both sexes have spines amidst the webbing. But among grand dragons, only the males have tail spines.”

Nesh nodded along with my words, comparing my tail to the image of Melakar. “I also noticed his frills look larger, and showier than yours, though your horns look equal. And compared to the size of the statue, and the other people, he looks as though he was a little smaller than you.”

“He was, yes.” Ahead of us, Ayrah turned onto a smaller street. We followed her, our escort condensing down a little as a result. “It was not uncommon for females to grow a little larger. Especially those of us with royal blood.” I flashed Nesh my fangs in playful smile.

“Of course, of course.” Nesh carefully tucked the image and its frame under his arm. “Perhaps while we’re here, I’ll start making some fresh notes about dragon anatomy and physiology, while we’ve got some downtime. If I’m ever to truly publish a book about dragons, I’m going to have to get started eventually.”

Blue Jay squawked for our attention. When Nesh and I begrudgingly offered it, the indigo male put a paw to his chest. “You could write a book about gryphons, too.”

Nesh quickly shook his head. “No, there’s dozens of those already. You’ve been studied to death in the last half century. Hardly an exciting subject, anymore. No one’s studied dragons, though. At least not on this continent.” A scowl darkened his complexion. “Aside from the purposes of slaughter, of course.”

When Blue Jay hung his head and drooped his ears, sulking, Lir leaned towards him. “Aww, don’t worry, Mister Handsome Feathers. Gryphons will always be exciting, to me.”

Blue Jay perked right back up. “Thank you, Lir.”

“Any time, Lovely.” Lir sat up straight again. She was quiet a few moments, but when a lull overtook the conversation, she patted my scales. “Hey, can I ask you something a little more serious, Ella?” She shifted. “You don’t mind me calling you that, right?”

I curled my neck to glance back at her. “No, Lir, that’s fine.” I licked my nose. “But I hardly consider that a serious question.”

Lir chittered, her tail swishing across my back. “Nah, that wasn’t the serious part.” She paused as if to collect her thoughts, murmuring to herself. “So…you met The God-Child?”

That was not the subject I expected her to broach. I nodded, padding after Ayrah down another street. The crowds were thinner here, the buildings further spaced out. “I believe that I did, yes. In a dream.”

“And…” Lir idly stroked her revolver’s barrel. “You said it was an urd’thin pup?”

I pinned my frills back. My knowledge of urd’thin culture and beliefs was lacking, and I did not know where she was going with this. Did she know that some of Nesh’s people believed the gods were urd’thin? I glanced at him, and he merely shrugged. I had promised not to bring up his personal beliefs, and so I would leave it for him to interject, if he saw fit.

For now, I spoke only of my own dreams. “That is how the god appeared to me, yes.”

Lir chittered, an increasingly excited sound. “So you too, then? That’s incredible.”

“Me, too?” I cocked my head, confusion swirling inside me. “You mean this god-pup also appears to you?”

“Not to me.” Lir leaned forward, closer to my head. “But he-”

“Lir!” Ayrah whirled around, her voice a knife cutting through Lir’s words. “Not out here.”

I stopped, and snorted at Ayrah. “Look at you, listening in.”

“Old instincts die hard, as they say.” Ayrah gave a playful bow, her brown and copper hair falling around her face. Then she straightened again, giving Lir a hard look. “We’ll talk about all that later.”

“Sorry, boss.” Lir patted my neck. “Just got all excited hearing someone else actually saw one of our gods!”

Ayrah folded her arms, watching me in an odd way. “I know. But I want to hear Ella tell us about her dream, in private, before we say anything else that might tint her memories.”

Or get them in trouble for blaspheming, I thought. I bowed my head. “Very well. Please, continue onwards.”

Ayrah walked onwards, but it took me a few moments to follow her. Who else claimed to have seen an urd’thin god in their dreams? Already, suspicion grew in my heart, somehow cold and exciting at the same time. If that was truly Melakar in my dream, and he brought the god with him, then it stood to reason the gods had sung to Melakar, first. I had wondered about that earlier. Perhaps I was more right than I knew.

For now, I trailed Ayrah down the street. The city changed around us as we continued. Most of the buildings here were smaller, only a single story, and built of wood. They had all had colorfully painted shutters, and slanted roofs. Gutters and pipes led to barrels that collected rainwater. The crowds were sparse, with more humans watching us from behind windows and through shutters than on the streets.

When silence proved a little uncomfortable, I cast a glance at my passenger. “So, the urd’thin pantheon also includes a child god?”

“Depends on the urd’thin in question.” Lir rested her pistol across her arm. “My people meaning me, my family, and so on? We do, yeah. Usually just call him The Pup, for short.”

I swiveled my ears, listening as we walked. “What other gods do you have?”

“Well, structurally our gods aren’t that different from his.” She jerked her thumb towards Nesh. “The Pup’s sort of become our main deity, but he’s also got a mother, and a father. The mother’s sort of a goddess of rain, fertilizing the land, that sort of thing. And we call the father, Etchka.” She added sharp, antiquated pronunciation to the word. “Technically, it’s just a word in an ancient urd’thin tongue that means Father.”

An amused smile parted my muzzle. “So your gave your father-figure deity a name that just means Father?”

Lir shrugged, giggling. “Sounds fancier.”

“That it does.” I rustled my wings. “It also sounds like exactly the sort of thing I’d expect a religion to do.”

“Doesn’t it?” Lir shifted her weight against my back. “Meanwhile, we call him that because he’s the first god we ever had. There were gods before him, and surely there will be gods after him. But he was the first god for us.” She thumped her chest. “For urd’thin. That makes him our Etchka.”

“I like that concept.” I swished my tail, paying more attention to the conversation than our surroundings. “Do your people actively worship this Etchka?”

Lir shrugged again. “Some do. Especially the desert descendants. Hell, my mother would probably slap the teeth out of my muzzle for using his name so casually around…” She glanced at Nesh. “You know.”

I offered Nesh a knowing smile. “Yes, of course. That one’s a blasphemer, after all.”

Nesh ignored me. He steepled his fingers, interest sparkling in his eyes. “I cannot help but think your mother and mine would have gotten along very well, Lir. As my mother would have reacted the same way, were I to spill certain religious secrets to the wrong people.” He tilted his head. “So, you mentioned the desert, is that where your mother is from?” Then he blinked, scowling. “Wait, was that offensive? I didn’t mean to imply she’s not from Diandrios, I meant more your ancestors, or your bloodline, or…” He trailed off, his scowl deepening. “I’m only stepping in deeper and deeper, aren’t I. I apologize.”

Lir clicked her teeth. “You’re fine, sharpshooter.” She shook her head. “My mom’s not from the desert, no. She was born in the city, just like me. But we are part of a desert tribe, even if most of us haven’t lived there for generations.” She hiked up the sleeve of her coat. “Real light fur usually means you got desert blood in you.” She tugged the sleeve back down. “You tell anyone I said that, and I’ll break your ankles.”

Nesh held his free hand up. “I won’t tell a soul, but I do appreciate the clarification.”

Why that should matter, I had no idea. “So, Lir. You and your mother worship this Etchka?”

“Mom always did, yeah. All three of the gods.” Lir scratched her ear. “I did when I was a young, but I sort of…drifted away, as I got old, and life kinda turned to shit. But then I met old Melakar, and started hearin’ his stories about singing stars and…” She trailed off, sighing. “I started wondering, again. Anyway, enough babblin’ about gods. We’re here.”

“That we are!” Ayrah, still listening in, turned towards us. “Lir, you can get down now.” As Lir tucked her gun away and scrabbled to the ground, Ayrah spread her arms. “Welcome, Your Majesty…” She draped an arm across her belly, and bowed deeply. At the same time, she swept her other hand towards an expansive building set back from the street, behind a line of armed guards. “To Wing’s Rest.”

A great, wrought-iron fence tipped with spikes surrounded the grounds. An immense sign cut in the shape of a slumbering dragon rested above the gateway. Lettering in bright crimson spelled out the phrase Wing’s Rest in the local human tongue. Beyond the fence was a vast, dome-shaped wooden building. Wide, copper-framed windows marked it at evenly spaced intervals. Friezes of dragons were carved all around the building. One carving melted into another, creating a continuous scene of dragons at play, in flight, blasting flame, and lounging around on piles of coins. The engravings upon the immense double doors completed the theme. One door depicted shelves lined with books, while showcased a familiar dragon settled on his haunches, browsing the tomes.

“That’s Melakar. You put…” I faltered, struggling to find words. Seeing the silvergraph had stunned me, but the picture was private. This was an image of Melakar placed where all could see. “You put Melakar on the doors?”

“Yeah.” Ayrah stared at the image just as I did. “I thought seeing it this way might make a pleasant surprise, but maybe I should have told you first.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You were right, it is a nice surprise. It’s just…” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Unexpected.”

Ayrah signaled for her guards to let me pass. They moved aside, and I slipped through the fence’s gate. Though it was built for a dragon, I ducked my head under the sign just to be safe. A pebble-lined pathway led to the front doors. The little pebbles shifted under my pads. When I reached the entry, I stared at Melakar’s image. The carving’s fine details were just right. From the angle of his horns to the slightly off-center way his left hind paw stuck out than his right when he sat on his haunches. I wondered if the woodworkers had used the silvergraph as a reference image.

“Hello, you handsome old bastard.” I nosed the carving, giving it the gentlest kiss I could. Then I glanced at the others who remained behind. I bowed my head, grateful for the private moment they’d allowed me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ayrah followed me, with the others trailing after her. “Do you want to look around the grounds a bit?”

I considered it as we shed our escort. Nemos gave his men new orders, and they broke away to take up strategic positions. Ayrah and Nesh collected the silvergraph of Melakar, along with the books we’d picked up at the market. Nemos offered me a quick bow, and then went to join his other soldiers. I realized then that we would finally be free of all the soldiers. As curious as I was to look around the area, I was even more eager for a bit of relative privacy. Not only would it calm my nerves, but I had many things to discuss with Ayrah that could not be spoken of in front of her men.

“Let’s just go inside.” I licked my nose, stretching my wings out as if to hide myself. “I am ready to be away from prying eyes.”