Pledged in Blood - Chapter Forty Five: Song (Patreon)

( Note - While all posted chapters are rough drafts, this chapter, and ensuing chapters, may receive heavy revision in the future. If so, newly revised versions may also be posted to Patreons. )

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Chapter Forty-Five

Song

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“You can open the doors yourself, Ella.” Ayrah hurried around me to point to the handles. They were akin to large, iron levers, one on each door. “I had them designed to be used by dragons. We used metal to make them sturdy, so just be careful of your pads when it’s very hot, or very cold.”

I glanced down at Ayrah. “You say that as if you expect me to be here often.” I reached for the handle, carefully curling my fingers around it. It was quite cold, but not painfully so. “And as if you’ve forgotten I spend all winter walking around in the snow.” I pushed the handle down, and the door easily swung open on well-oiled hingers.

Ayrah poked my foreleg. “I also remember you complaining about cold your damn paws were.” She glanced back at Nesh, smirking. “And startling Melakar with cold pads in sensitive places.”

Nesh smirked at me. “Yes, that checks out.”

“I tried that on Blue Jay when we were together.” Sparrow chirruped, striding up alongside me. “It doesn’t work as well when there’s fur to insulate things.”

“It was still awfully damn cold!” Blue Jay shook himself, feathers fluffing up at the memory.

“Next time,” I said, opening the other door. “I’ll pin him down, and you pack snow on him anywhere you like until it doesn’t matter how much insulation he has.”

Sparrow warbled, flashing Blue Jay a wicked grin. “Perhaps the next time he decides to cheat in one of our games.”

The indigo male nipped Sparrow’s tail feathers. “I don’t like all this ganging up you two seem so keen on lately.”

“Then you’d better behave yourself.” With both doors open, I tucked my wings close to my body and strode inside.

It was a strange feeling, walking inside a human home. While it was true that it was built to accommodate dragons, that only made it stranger. I had ventured inside old forts and other ruins large enough to fit my kind, but military structures and seats of rulership were very different. This was a house; a human-built lair designed for a dragon they called friend. It warmed my heart to think that they had constructed this place just for Melakar. But it also made this entire journey seem even more surreal. I had vague memories of fragmented dreams in which I sat in human homes for tea, and biscuits. This was increasingly close.

The front portion of Wing’s Rest was a single, comfortably spacious room. Large, plush cushions the color of red wine littered the floor. Golden tassels marked their corners. Smaller pillows in shades of gray and cream were scattered around as well. Human furniture rested alongside one of the walls. There were several tables of dark wood, and chairs with maroon padding a match for the floor cushions. Ayrah and Nesh placed their items on a table. Late afternoon sunlight shone through the windows in golden beams. A grand heart built of red-stone bricks was located along the wall. Piles of fresh wood sat around it.

Lamps on elegant brass fixtures adorned the walls, and ceiling. The lamps were aglow, shading warm, flickering light to ward off the coming gloom. Censers burned flowery incenses, lending the room a fresh aroma. Our belongings and gear were piled near all the furniture. Whoever brought our things around must have also lit the lamps and set the incense to smolder. I was thankful the smells helped cover up whatever lingering traces of Melakar’s scent might have otherwise remained. Such reminders had been painful enough back at the fort.

A large collection of bookshelves lined part of a wall. They were in much better shape than those in Melakar’s lair. Each case was uniform in size and appearance, built of sturdy, polished oak. They bore no signs of wear, and none of them sagged or looked ready to collapse at any moment. While none of them were completely stuffed with tomes, neither were any of them empty. It looked as if Melakar was well on his way to assembling a second personal library here in Tivos. More books sat in uneven piles on the floor, typical of his methods of so-called organization.

Further along the wall were a number of individual shelves. They were spaced out above and below each other in broken, overlapping lines. As I padded past his bookcases, I realized the rest of his shelves held a large number of additional silvergraphs. The lifelike images were kept under glass in elegant frames, some of dark wood, others of brass or copper. I paused, feeling as if I would be intruding if I gazed upon the images. They were Melakar’s memories, frozen in time.

Memories of his life without me.

My concern must have been all too clear. Nesh stopped beside me, patting my shoulder. “He wouldn’t have left you all these breadcrumbs, if he didn’t want you to see what he’s been up too, Ella.”

“Your ambassador is right.” Ayrah strolled to the nearest shelf, and plucked one of the pictures from it. “Melakar put these on display because they were important to him, but also because he wanted to share them.” She carried it back to me. “He always hoped you might make it here, someday. He just…” Ayrah sighed, her eyes falling to the image. “Hoped to be the one to bring you here, himself. There’s paintings and portraits, too. You’ll recognize some of them, I’m sure. I suspect you’ll also recognize this.” Ayrah offered me the silvergraph.

I took it from her, and held it up towards my muzzle. The photo depicted Melakar standing proudly, his head held high and wings outstretched. The Queen’s Mantle rested upon his head. Even in the silvery-hued picture, its golden surfaces gleamed, and its bejeweled tails glittered. In that frozen moment, Melakar looked as truly royal as I had ever imagined. I sucked in a breath, staring with wide eyes.

“He didn’t even want to wear it.” Ayrah shook her head, letting out a bittersweet laugh. “Even after all he went through to find it, and secure it, he didn’t want to wear it. He didn’t think it was right, for someone who did not want to be king, to wear the crown.” She put a hand against my chest. “It was always meant for you, Ella.”

So lost in the image was I, that at first, I scarcely noticed what Ayrah was telling me. Only when he words finally began to sink in did I lower the silvergraph. “You knew about all that, too?” Now I really wondered how much she’d been holding back in front of her guards.

“Oh, Ella, my old friend.” Ayrah sighed, gently stroking my foreleg. “Who do you think was helping him seek out things like that?”

“Me, mostly.” Lir walked past us on her way to the hearth. “I’m gonna get a fire going.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Still think you shoulda given him gas heating.”

“And I wanted too!” Ayrah turned towards her assistant, her hands up. “But I was forced to agree with him that the odds an accidental fire or explosion increase greatly when you involve dragons.” She shot me a mischievous smirk. “Especially dragons untrained with, or fearful of, modern technology.” Ayrah poked me, then glanced at Nesh. “So I’m afraid for now, you’re stuck with the old fashioned kind of heating system.”

I flared my frills to glare down at Ayrah. “I would not cause an explosion.”

Ayrah gave me an uncertain look. “Melakar feared otherwise.”

Nesh patted my shoulder. “Unfortunate Ella, I’m inclined to agree with your dearly departed. Until you’ve spent enough time in human cities to understand how such things work, you don’t need to be operating any gas heaters. Hell.” He scrunched his face. “We’ve been using them for decades now, and we still have explosions. Let alone someone who might accidentally break the valve, or just sneeze flames at the wrong time.”

“I have never sneezed flame!” I flicked my tail tip, arguing mostly of petulant defiance. “Though I will admit, Melakar was likely wiser about such things than I.” I offered Nesh the photo. “Here. Look how good he looked, in the mantle.”

Ayrah joined him, smiling at the old image. “You should have seen how hard it was to convince him to wear it, even just for a few hours. I knew we needed photographs of him with it, though. I’m glad I was able to get him to listen, in the end.”

Nesh let out a low whistle. “Gods’ Blessings, but that looks incredible. It’s one thing to see it in person, but it’s another entirely to see a dragon actually wearing it.” He glanced up at me again. “I know most of your ancestral rulers were queens, but you told me you’d also had an occasional king.” He tapped the image. “Do they call this the King’s Mantle, during such reigns? Or does the title stay the same?”

“The artifact is called the Queen’s Mantle, regardless of who wears it.” I eased down onto my haunches, licking my nose. “Even a king will bear the Queen’s Mantle. Named for the first ruler to wear it.”

“Fascinating.” Nesh carried it to Blue Jay and Sparrow. “Doesn’t he look regal?”

Sparrow chirped. “Stunningly so.”

Blue Jay tilted his head, chirping. “He’d have made a damn fine king at your side, Ella.”

“He’d have made a damn fine king, period.” I sighed, but offered the gryphons a smile. “Thank you, though.”

“The fact he didn’t want to be king, tells me Ella’s right.” Nesh carried the picture back to the shelf, and set it down. “The more someone longs for power, the less they deserve it.”

I followed Nesh to the shelf, gazing across some of the other photos. Many of them were of locations, rather than people. A few I recognized from the tour of the city. Others were unfamiliar. Melakar posed with a foreleg around Ayrah’s waist in another. Further along there paintings and other artistic portraits mixed into the realistic silvergraphs. I recognized myself in one, while another depicted Melakar, Vevarek, and myself.

I smiled and brushed my pads over it. “I remember this one. He must have brought it from his lair.”

Ayrah walked alongside me, with the gryphons behind us. “He brought quite a few things from his home here, and vice versa. Took a lot of books from the city back home with him, for example.” She put a hand against my side. “Some of those silvergraphs may hit harder than others, Ella. Just be prepared.”

“Thank you.” I glanced back at her, offering a smile. While I appreciated her warning, just seeing Melakar alive again, if only in frozen memory, had already cleaved my heart. “I am already hurting, what’s a little more pain, right?”

“Ella, look at that one!” Nesh pointed to a framed image on a shelf above his head.

I plucked it down to examine it. The silvery hued picture showcased Melakar seated alongside a very large male gryphon. Melakar was beaming, his muzzle parted and frills lifted in happy expression. The gryphon, meanwhile, looked anything but happy. His ears were back, beak pressed together, and eyes narrowed. While Melakar’s claws were all sheathed, the gryphon’s talons were at full extension. Melakar bore jeweled bands around his limbs, and tail. Sharp, curved claws were woven into the fur and feathers of the gryphon’s chest. I recognized them as battle trophies, probably from other gryphons. The gryphon also wore a necklace, studded not only with jewels, but also with immense teeth carved with old runes. They were very clearly teeth from dragons.

“This has to be him.” I turned to present the silvergraph to Sparrow and Blue Jay. “The gryphon leader he forged his irrik oro with.”

Sparrow sucked in a breath, then gave a low whistle. “Are those what I think they are?” She glanced at Blue Jay. “Even your clan didn’t take claws and teeth from their foes.”

Blue Jay ruffled himself. “Not in my time, anyway. Those are older raider customs.”

“The teeth are probably quite old, as well.” I tilted my head, gazing down at the image while the gryphons inspected it. “When we warred openly, your kind would take from us. Those look carved, however.”

“Agreed.” Blue Jay flattened his ears back. “That necklace is probably an old relic that signifies rulership. It’s probably been passed down amongst the clan from the days when they were openly warring with dragons.” He stretched a wing, gesturing with its tip towards the picture of Melakar wearing the mantle. “Quite possibly started during the time when they stole that thing from your ancestors.”

I turned my attention to Ayrah. “This is him, right? The gryphon Melakar made his alliance with?”

Ayrah came closer to look at the picture. “Yeah, that’s him. Still amazes me Melakar managed to get him into a city, let alone pose for a photo. His clan is not especially fond of humans, let alone the humans Diandrios.”

“You sound quite familiar with this gryphon.” I arched my neck, my tail twitching. “Have you met him yourself?”

“I have, yes.” Ayrah rubbed her forehead. “Not for a long time, though. His name is Ja’nirr. He’s the current Talonmaster of a loose alliance of raiding clans. They used to be at each other’s throats, but…” She scowled, glancing back at Sparrow. “They’ve united to protect themselves, and their lands, from her people.”

“My people?” Sparrow puffed herself up. “What, he dislikes city-birds?” She tossed her head. “Typical raider. They all seem to think we’ve joined with Diandrios to try and steal their lands out from under them.”

Nesh folded his arms. “Is that a common belief, among those who haven’t joined with us?”

Sparrow waved a paw. “It seems to be.” She glanced at Blue Jay, who remained conspicuously silent. “It probably stems from…” She trailed off, then made a sudden warbling my noise. “Wait, you said my people? He isn’t. Tell me he isn’t.”

Ayrah scrunched her face. “Unfortunately, he is.”

Blue Jay let out a low coo. “Melakar made an alliance with the Wind Weavers?”

The name perked my ears up. “Wait, I know that name. I didn’t think they stole the Mantle, but perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Ayrah turned towards me. “My understanding, thin as it may be, is that they stole it from the clan that did.”

Nesh held a hand up. “Excuse me, confused human here. Someone please tell me what a Wind Weaver is, and why that’s bad?”

“Wind Weaver is what my ancestors used to call a particular clan of gryphons, when we warred with their people.” I curled my tail around my paws. “They were considered to rule the skies, because they could outfly and out maneuver anything else with wings. In fact, it was rumored they possess the ability to weave the very winds themselves. They were so honored that their enemies called them that, they kept the name for themselves.”

“Or so say the dragons.” Blue Jay shook his wings out. “The gryphons, of course, have a different story for the name’s origin.”

Nesh stared at Blue Jay when the gryphon did not elaborate. “Well, what’s their story, then?”

“How the hell should I know?” Blue Jay squawked. “I’m not a Wind Weaver. I can tell you why it’s bad for Sparrow, though.”

Sparrow batted him with a wing. “It’s bad for you, too. You’re one of us now, you know.”

Blue Jay nipped at her flight feathers. “I’m a Legionnaire, yes, but that doesn’t make me part of your clan.”

“It does in their eyes!” Sparrow folded her wing back, but continued glaring at him.

“Does it even matter, if it does?” Blue Jay fluffed up. “It’s not as if we’ll be accompanying Ella to find these other gryphons, right?” He tilted his head, staring right back at her. “Aren’t we to return home and return to following orders, as soon as our squad mates are healed?”

Sparrow swatted a paw against the ground. “I think we all know we’re past that now, Kraas.”

“Do we, though?” Nesh folded his arms. “As deeply glad as Ella and I would be to know we could count on your friendship, and your help, permanently, I’m not sure you’ve ever declared that to be the case. At least, not officially.”

I stretched a foreleg and curled it around Nesh’s waist. “Nesh, while I appreciate your support, now is not the time to grill our friends about their future intentions.” I pulled him closer, but gave Sparrow a dangerous smile. “That comes later.”

Sparrow tossed her head. “Oh, get mounted, all of you.” She glanced between everyone, then sighed. “To be honest, I increasingly feel like Kraas and I have thrown our lot in with Ella and her new empire, whether we like it or not. But…” She stood taller. “As you said, we can discuss that later.”

Nesh ran a hand back through his head fur. “Of course. I suppose I’ve gotten a little carried away. Let me back up a few steps.” He gestured between the two gryphons. “You make it sound as though these Wind Weavers are especially unfriendly towards the gryphons of Diandrios.”

“Sparrow’s people stole-” Blue Jay gave a muffled squawk when Sparrow thrust her wing out in front of him, cutting him off.

“I will explain.” Sparrow’s voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument. “Long before my clan ever allied with Diandrios, gryphons were often at war with each other.” She waved a paw towards me. “And with them. The gryphons who came to be commonly known as the Wind Weavers were a primary foe of my clan. We often fought over territory, feeding grounds, and so on. They frequently had the upper hand. Until one year, when many of their warriors were far, far away from home, fighting dragons. We marshalled our forces, and attacked their home territory. My ancestors drove out their families and their young, and took their lands for ourselves. When the battered remnants of their army returned from a ruinous campaign against the dragons, they lacked the strength to take back their homes.”

Sparrow glanced away, her ears flat. “They had chased and harried us, and killed us for generations, until at last in our revenge, we took everything that belonged to them. Afterwards, they struggled to find a new home, as clan after clan chased them away in turn. Eventually, they settled somewhere far away, but as a people, they have never forgiven us. How fitting, then, that we too once faced the impending loss of our own homeland.”

I drummed clawtips against the wooden floor. “A loss you averted by allying yourself with the humans.” I glanced down at Nesh. “Humans whom I am guessing have now expanded their reach far enough to be impinging upon Wind Weaver lands.”

Sparrow nodded once. “Diandrious would be happy to have their clan join the Legion, just as we did. But the Wind Weavers…”

When she trailed off, Blue Jay picked up for her. “The Wind Weavers see it as their old foes joining forces with their new foes, to finish what they started.”

“So they believe you’ve convinced Diandrios to steal their lands, just as you once did.” I gazed at the photo again, this time staring into the eyes of the gryphon adorned with the claws and teeth of his foes. Even in a still image, the pride and anger in his gaze was unmistakable. “I suddenly shudder to think what Melakar promised him, to secure an alliance with a clan.”

“Protection.” Ayrah took a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh. “Mutual protection. It’s more complicated than that, of course, but that’s the gist of it. Your valley is surrounded by human armies, and so are the Wind Weavers. Melakar hoped to help build a shared army with Ji’nirr, not to wage violence, but to dissuade it.”

Blue Jay gave a low chirrup. “An idea it may be hard to convince him you share, considering you’ve allied yourself with his enemies.” He tilted his head towards Sparrow, then Nesh.

I rumbled in thought. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Melakar would have used his silver tongue to spin that as a positive.” I swirled a paw in the air, adopting a lower register to imitate my lost beloved. “You see, gryphon, I have achieved peaceful friendship with you, and with your enemies. And through that friendship, I shall endeavor to see you achieve the same. Peace, through friendship, for all.”

Nesh patted my chest, grinning. “That’s not bad Ella.”

I snorted, glancing over at Lir. “Do me a favor, will you? Write that line down in your notebook before I forget it all.”

Lir chittered laughter, but produced her notebook and scribbled something down in it. I hoped she was doing as I asked, and not just writing derogatory comments. “Got it.”

“Thank you.” I licked my nose, murmuring. “That does sound like something that would tickle Melakar’s fancy. First, seek out the enemies, of his enemies, and make them friends. Then, visit his adversaries in person…” I waved my wing at the city beyond the house. “And make them his friends, too.” Something tickled at my brain, the beginnings of an idea I would need to nurture for a while. “This irrik oro, you made it seem very important. Exactly how binding is it?”

Blue Jay took a slow breath, considering the question. “Assuming the Wind Weavers take it as seriously as the concept intends? Very binding.”

“Could it be used to call the gryphon clans to war?” I held Nesh against myself, my tail tip twitching.

“Theoretically.” Blue Jay ruffled up his feathers. “Though, if it’s predicated upon the dragons offering a matching army, I’m afraid a lone dragon may not be enough to force it to remain a binding alliance.”

I held up a paw. “Humor me, Blue Jay. Assume they honored it, regardless of what I could offer in return.”

“Then yes.” Blue Jay gestured with a paw. “If you were attacked, and asked for their help, they would be required to aid you.”

“We wereattacked.” I sharpened my voice. Slowly, I rose to my paws, releasing Nesh. I drew myself up to my full height, flaring my wings. “Melakar is dead.” With every word, my voice hardened, my gaze boring into Blue Jay. “War has been declared upon The Valley of Godsblood and Earth Flame. I could call upon their armies to fight at my side, and defend our shared lands against these invaders. Will they honor the Irrik Oro, and summon their clan to war against the nation of Diandrios?”

“Ella…” Nesh swallowed, turning towards me. “You cannot declare war on Diandrios. Forget the fact that it’s my home. You’d be annihilated.”

“Would we?” I turned my gaze down to Nesh. “By what, exactly? The airships you can’t even field to defend your frontier cities?”

Nesh’s expression darkened, and he thumped a finger against my scales. “That isn’t funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.” I turned my gaze back to Blue Jay. “You say that the human’s empire now brushes up against Wind Weaver lands, yes? And other raiding clans like yours?”

The male gryphon nodded. “Correct.”

“And would I be correct in assuming that these lands are on the opposite side of Diandrios, from your border with Shevar?” The little idea I’d been nurturing was growing up quickly.

“That is correct, yes.” Blue Jay glanced at Sparrow, who pinned her ears. “The Wind Weavers are not the only clan that fears the approach of humans. They don’t all want to end up living in cities, like Sparrow’s people.”

“Then I also assume that the frontier bordering gryphon territory is significantly less fortified than your Shevar borders?” I pulled Nesh up against me again, softening my voice. “Don’t sulk, Nesh, this is only theoretically.”

Nesh sighed, lightly smacking my foreleg. “I’m not sulking. I just hope you understand the implications of what you’re discussing.”

“Yes, Dragon,” Blue Jay said. “Relatively speaking, the region bordering gryphon lands is very lightly protected.”

“Then they would be ill-prepared to fend off a massive incursion from hundreds and hundreds of gryphons.” I arched my neck again, gazing down at everyone. “And, if my understanding is correct, they would also be unable, or unwilling, to retaliate appropriately.”

“Ella, of course they’d retaliate.” Nesh glared up at me.

“With what?” I cocked my head. “The armies and airships guarding your homeland? Or would they withdraw their forces from around my valley, to protect their rearward flank, instead? Would not either such effort leave them open to a sudden attack by Shevar, looking to strike a decisive blow before your forces could return?”

“Yes,” Ayrah said, her voice soft. “It would.”

Nesh shook a finger at her. “Don’t give Ella the wrong idea.” He looked up at me again. “Ella, Diandrios could send a few divisions of men and equipment, along with some gunships and other aerial units, to fend off an attack by gryphons, and still have plenty left to protect the homeland, and the frontier with Shevar.”

“And yet,” Blue Jay said, swishing his tail. “The more we’re forced to divide our forces, the sharper Shevar’s advantages become. The odds would start to tilt in their favor, especially if all they looked to do was seize all disputed terrain, and our own border positions. Then they could fortify them, and use them against us to prevent us from retaking them.” He waggled a forepaw. “And on the other paw, as humans say, if we were drawn into full-scale war with Shevar, we’d have far fewer resources to devote to fending off a gryphon territorial grab.”

“And surely Shevar knows this, too.” I drummed clawtips against the floor. “Diandrios is caught between enemies. If the remaining independent gryphon clans joined forces to present a united front, they could theoretically wage war on your country at the same time as Shevar. Perhaps they’ve even held such discussions with each other, through a shared representative.”

Everyone’s gaze fell towards the photograph of Melakar and the gryphon. “Ella…” Nesh rubbed my chest. “If that’s what was happening, that…” He trailed off, then held both hands up towards me. “And I implore you not to take this the wrong way, but.” I already knew what he was going to say, but did not interrupt him. “If they believed him to be working with their enemies, against them, that could be legitimate reason to shoot him down.”

“I know, Nesh.” I stared at Melakar’s image, still mulling things over. “You are right to suggest it.”

“Dragon…” Sparrow set a paw atop mine. “Might I also remind you of something?”

I glanced at her, chuckling. “You want to tell me, you told me so. And you did. You said early on that they may have accused him of spying, and been forced to shoot him down when he tried to fight his way out of capture.”

Sparrow dipped her beak. “What you’re suggesting makes that sound even more possible.”

“I know it does, Sparrow.” I licked my muzzle, my wings sagging at my sides. “But Melakar would have been truthful with me in his letter, if that was the case. Instead, he told me how we had to ally ourselves with them, how he sought peace, and how he feared traitors, in their midst.” I shook my head. “He was not the traitor, and this…” I tapped the photo. “This was not an attempt to start a war.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Ayrah picked the picture up, and carried it back to the wall. “It was an attempt to strengthen his bargaining position.”

I smiled, pleased that I seemed to be headed in the right direction. “Exactly. Melakar knew all too well that a few dragons could not protect the valley. So he looked to build an army that could, yet knew such an undertaking would require decades, or longer. But one way or another, a great force was coming to steal our homes. Diandrios, or Shevar, one of them would someday seize our valley.”

“So, he wanted a deterrent.” Ayrah picked up for me, carrying the picture back to the wall. “An ideathat would hold them at bay, long enough for him to find what he needed to assemble an army, and crown a queen to lead it. Thus, he sought to make friends with everyone. The gryphons were first. Both because we learned they had the mantle, and because their history with Sparrow’s people means they already hate and fear Diandrios. Enemy of my enemy, and so forth.” She set the picture back on the wall. “It was hell getting them to agree to it, and I’m still not sure if they realized just how small Melakar’s ‘army’ really was. But in the end, they agreed to help protect the Valley, if he would help protect their homes.”

Ayrah walked along the wall, glancing at a few other pictures, here and there. “Thus, he had his deterrent. Now, he could approach Diandrios, and Shevar alike from a position of greater strength. If either one dared try to conquer The Valley by force, they would face assault by an army of gryphons.” She chuckled and shook her head. “On its own, either nation could successfully defend from such an assault. But just as Ella said, doing so would require a division of forces that would leave a great opening for their primary foe to exploit.”

I lifted my head, rustling my wings. “And with an army of gryphons behind him, however tenuous their alliance may be, I suspect both nations were suddenly far more willing to listen to him.”

“That they were.” Ayrah leaned against the wall, grinning back at me. “Though at least in Diandrios’s case, it helped that he had an influential mayor not only willing to vouch for him, but backed by a city that called him friend.” She sighed, her gaze falling for a moment. “I made it clear this dragon was looking to negotiate with our people, for access rights to the valley and it’s resources. I also made known that he had the backing of the Wind Weaver clan, and could possibly offer an alliance with them, as well, for any nation willing to forge a peace treaty with dragons. Shevar, of course, was actively trying to court him for the same rights and alliance.” She wrung her hands, her face twisting up with fresh pain. “We hoped neither nation would dare attack him, but…” Ayrah sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “We always knew it was a possibility.”

“Ayrah,” Nesh said, leaning over my foreleg. “How long were helping him in this?”

She gave a dismissive wave. “Oh, at least five years.” She stared up at me, sorrow in her eyes. “You’ve no idea how deeply he wanted you to be involved, but…”

“I’d have called him a fool.” I hung my head, sighing. “Meeting with human nations? I’d have…” I swallowed, blinking back tears. “I’d have told him it would end, just like it did. And I would have never listened to how close he came to succeeding.”

“He almost decided to try and bring you in, after he returned the Mantle to the valley. But he didn’t think that would be enough to convince you. And so he decided to wait until he had a formal treaty with a human nation. He was getting very close with Diandrios, before…” She trailed off, wiping her eyes. “Maybe he got too close.”

I perked my ears. Ayrah sounded dangerously close to sharing some of my suspicions. But I did not want to rush to judgement, or blurt out everything I knew ahead of time. “If you’ve been helping him for years, then perhaps you will be able to fill in the blanks for me. You’ve already been helpful, but there is still so much I don’t know about what he was doing.” I grit my teeth, spines flared and trembling with lingering anger. “Or why they murdered him for it.”

Ayrah nodded. “I’d be happy to do whatever I can, and…” She glanced around at the others. “We have a lotof catching up to do, and much to discuss.” Ayrah turned away, heading for one of the furthest shelves. “But before all that, there’s something you deserve to see.”

I followed her, cocking my head. “What is it?”

“Another photograph.” Ayrah’s tone was softer now, almost nervous. “But this one…” She paused, emotion twisting up her face. “I dared not speak of in public.”

Confusion settled over me as she retrieved a picture in an elegant, silvery frame embossed with gold. I wondered if there was any organization to the shelves. Some of the portraits and images were kept in easy reach of humans, while others were too high up on the wall for them to reach. It probably made some kind of warped sense to Melakar, just as his hoard and library once did. At least his home way from home as not as horrifically messy as his lair had been.

Ayrah clutched the silvery frame to her chest, preventing me from seeing it. “This is the one I warned you about. You need to be ready for this. So, before I show it to you, take a deep breath. Steady yourself, Ella.”

I stared down at her, furrowing my eye ridges. “What could you possibly show me that would…” In a whirl of sudden hope, and pain, it hit me. “It can’t be!”

“Ella, I mean.” Ayrah pursed her lips. “Deep breath. And you should sit down-”

“Why?” I reached for the frame with a trembling paw, but Ayrah kept out of reach. Panic filled my heart, and crept out into my blood, tightening my voice. “Is it him? Is he hurt? What’s happened to him?”

“Just give her the damn photo!” Nesh stormed forward, as if ready to snatch it from Ayrah’s grasp if he had to. “You’re going to give her an anxiety attack.”

Ayrah sighed, and turned the photo towards me. There, in the image, was my son. My heart stopped. I dropped onto my haunches, breath trapped in my lungs. A decade had passed since last I saw him, since last I heard his voice, his laughter, since I knew his scent. But now, in this photograph, there he was again, his depiction as perfect and lifelike as all the others. Vevarek was settled on his haunches, his wings half unfurled in a lazy sprawl. His frills were lifted, his ears perked, and a bemused smile left his muzzle half-parted. He looked as if he could not believe someone had talked him into posing for the picture.

“V-Vevarek…” I plucked the frame from Ayrah’s grasp, and hugged it to my chest. “Oh, Vevarek.” Countless emotions surged through me, swelling my heart. Love came first, followed by pain. How I missed my son. Tears streaked down the scales of my face, unheeded. I looked at the picture again, struggling to see my bleary eyes. There was hope in me, too, that he was as healthy and happy as he looked. And sorrow, regretful sorrow, that I had pushed him away and might never truly seehim again. But I least I had this, now. “Oh, my lovely son.” Before I could stop myself, I pressed the photo to my muzzle, flicking my tongue across the glass in vain attempt to give my child a gentle, loving kiss. “I miss you so much.”

Ayrah moved to my side to gently rub my foreleg. “I tried to warn you.”

I offered her a silent nod, still quietly crying. Nothing Ayrah could have said, nothing I could have done, would have prepared me to see Vevarek smiling back at me. Nesh came to my other side, stroking my scales. Without a word, he produced a handkerchief and wiped tears away from the pebbly scales of my muzzle. I was ever so thankful for his comfort, but in that moment I had no words to offer him, no way to show my gratitude aside from brushing my wing across his back.

When the initial shock faded, I took notice of the details beyond my son. He sat in the midst of an unfamiliar plaza, in some human city. However, there were no other humans in the photo, or anyone else at all. A row of stone buildings with soot-stained chimneys loomed behind him. In the upper corner was a tall, rounded dome, with a bell shaped like a tear-drop. Something about it looked vaguely familiar, tickling a memory I could not quite recall. Just as I thought I grasped it, I noticed a shadow upon the cobblestone, a crooked horned silhouette of a dragon’s head.

“There’s another dragon, here.” I slowly lifted my head, turning my gaze to Ayrah. “Who is that?”

Ayrah patted my forepaw, offering me a wistful smile. “Melakar, I imagine. He brought that back after one of his trips north. After he found your son, he had a few photos taken, to bring back home. There’s another one with Melakar posing with him, but…” She squeezed one of my fingers. “I thought you’d like to see this one, first.”

“Melakar found him?” I tilted my head, somehow overjoyed and crushed at the same time. “Why wouldn’t he come and tell me?” Before anyone else could speak up, I realized the agonizing truth. “Vevarek didn’t want him too.” I sighed, offering Nesh the photo so I could finally wipe my eyes. “It wasn’t Melakar who drove him away. It was me.”

“I don’t think that’s…” Ayrah scratched her head. “Entirely true.”

Her hesitancy told me otherwise. “Vevarek must have asked Melakar not to tell me where he was.” I whimpered, fresh tears threatening to drown out my voice. “He doesn’t want to see me again.”

“They didn’t think you’d go to visit him, anyway.” Ayrah’s tone sharpened. She and Melakar had must have had difficult discussions about exactly that. “You’d never left your damn valley in all your life. They both thought you’d sooner die there than visit foreign realms, let alone human realms.” She held her hands up, softening her voice again. “Don’t take that the wrong way, Ella. Melakar wanted to tell you, eventually. It was going to be part of the grand speech he liked to imagine, on the day he named you queen. When he told you of the empire he was building, the alliances he was creating, and of the family he’d rediscovered.”

“This is Asharn.” Nesh walked around me to Ayrah, tapping the photo. A strange sort of nervousness tinted his words. “That’s the medical school, in the background. Ayrah, this is Asharn.”

“Yes.” Ayrah turned towards Nesh, scowling. “It is. Which also greatly complicated things for Melakar.”

Nesh whistled through his teeth, eyes widening. “Vevarek lives in Asharn?!”

“Not exactly.” Ayrah shook her head once. “But outside it. He sort of…” Ayrah waved a hand. “Inadvertently made himself welcome, after he saved the crew of a military vessel in distress.”

“Shit.” Blue Jay slapped a paw against the ground, frustrated for reasons I did not yet understand.

I gave a low growl. “Someone please explain why this is bad. What’s Asharn? The name sounds familiar.”

“It’s an important provincial capital.” Sparrow’s voice was flat. “In Shevar.”

Nesh lowered the photo to stare up at me. “Your son seems to have made friends with my homeland’s greatest enemy.”

Ayrah rubbed her hands together, grimacing. “Friends with someone in Asharn, anyway. I still think Melakar had to drag him down there to get photos taken, but…” She trailed off, sighing. “The fact is, they clearly new Vevarek well enough to let Melakar visit with him, at all.”

I arched my neck. “That isn’tbad.” I reached for the photo again, staring into Vevarek’s eyes. “That is good! That means my son took after his father, and his silver tongue. It means we already have an in-road to make allies with Shevar, too!”

“Ella.” Nesh lifted his arms to take my muzzle in his hands. “I need you to listen to me very carefully.” When I quieted, he went on. “I understand, and agree with, your intentions. And Melakar’s intentions. The gods know I’d rather we all knew peace. But right now? You cannot be friends with Diandrios, andShevar. It can only be one, or the other. If one nation calls you friend, the other calls you enemy.”

I tugged my head away from his hands. “I disagree. This city called Melakar friend, and so I shall call them the same. And if this Asharn…” I waved the silvergraph. “Calls my sonfriend? Then I shall call them the same.”

“And then Diandrios will call you spy.” Nesh rested his hand against my foreleg. “I understand your feelings, Ella, I really do. But things are not that simple. Shevar and Diandrios have been at each other’s throats for longer than I’ve been alive. Hell, longer than you’ve been alive, probably.”

Sparrow stretched a wing and brushed it across me. “Melakar was trying to create and balance alliances and friendships with both nations, and…look what happened to him, Ella. Even if there are traitors within Diandrios’ hierarchy, it’s very possible his relationship with Shevar is what caused them to fire on him, in the end.”

I ground my teeth, my tail curling. I wanted to roar at them, to tell them anyone who offered my son comfort and shelter would always have my friendship. But yelling at my allies would do me no good. Much as it pained me to admit, I still knew very little about the way human society worked. I knew the nations were on the brink of war, but I knew little of the details of their differences and the sources of their conflicts. Both nations once saw dragons as nothing but monsters, but now it seemed each now had a city that saw us as so much more. It pained me to think that despite such advancements, those two cities still saw each other as adversaries to be destroyed.

“I need to find a way to see him.” I traced a fingerpad over the image’s protective glass, as if stroking Vevarek’s neck. “Whatever it takes. If he does not live in the city, perhaps I could skirt around their settlements, visit him in his lair.” Ayrah started to speak up, but I cut her off. “Not immediately, of course.” My heart sank anew. I was so close to seeing my son again, and yet I had so much more to accomplish before I could safely do so. “But after some of my goals are accomplished. When I’ve completed my alliance with your city, Ayrah, when I have solidified my pact with the gryphons, and so on.”

I smiled at Vevarek’s picture. “Then, I will see you again, my son. Then, I will…” I trailed off when something odd finally clicked in my head. I ran a finger back and forth against the shadow of the other dragon. “This isn’t Melakar.”

“What do you mean?” Nesh looked down at it. “How can you tell?”

“The horns are wrong.” I unsheathed a claw tip to trace it along the silhouette of a horn. “These are crooked. Melakar’s horns were not crooked.”

“Huh.” Ayrah leaned over the image. “I never noticed that before, but…she’s right. I just assumed it was Melakar seated somewhere behind the photographer.”

I cocked my head, my frills flared up in curiosity. “Who is this other dragon?”

“I’ve no idea!” Ayrah ran a hand back through her hair. “There’s another picture with Melakar posing with Vevarek, but he never brought back any photos of other dragons.”

“A mate, perhaps?” Sparrow ruffled up her feathers, lifting her ears.

“That would be wonderful!” I hugged the photo to chest again, sighing. “Oh, I do hope he’s found a mate. Did…Did Melakar talk much, about him?”

“A little.” Ayrah watched me hugging the photo perhaps worried I would damage it. “He was veryhappy to have found him, again, but we had a lot of other things to discuss after his trip, too. And I got the feeling that your Vevarek was very fond of his privacy. Melakar seemed a little reticent to give me too many details. And I didn’t want to pry.”

“I understand.” I glanced over at the gryphons, realizing I had not yet shared the image with them. “Oh, birds! This is my son! This is Vevarek!” I offered it reverently to Sparrow.

“I gathered.” Sparrow delicately took the photograph. She held it in her paws, gazing into it, then offered me a smirk with her ears splayed. “Handsome, for a demon.”

Blue Jay stretched his neck to have a look, as well. “Takes after his father, I’d say. Though it’s hard to tell his colors in a silvergraph.”

“You’re right, he did.” I took the picture back when they offered it. “Bronze, mostly, but where Melakar had blue, Vevarek inherited my black. Black paws, too.” I traced a pad over one of his forepaws. They were darker in the image, like shadows washed in silver. I slowly turned my attention back to Ayrah. “When I leave, do you think I could have this one, too?”

“Of course, Ella.” Ayrah patted my limb. “As much as I hope you’ll become a regular here, just like Melakar was, he’d have absolutely wanted you to take any of his photographs that you wanted.”

“Thank you.” I bowed my head to her, then offered her the silver and gold frame. “You can put it back, for now.”

As Ayrah returned it to the shelf, I gazed back towards the entrance. Though the bookshelves were only partly full at most, there were still many books available to peruse. I wondered if Melakar had left behind any other notes of interest on his travels, his efforts, and his plans. Perhaps between everything here, in the island fort, and back in his lair, I would be able to find out who the other dragon in the photo was. My ears drooped as I considered it. I had to admit that like so many other questions, I may never have an answer for this, either.

At least now we had more direction for our search. We now knew the specific gryphon clan Melakar forged his Irrik Oro with. I knew who I had to visit to ensure that alliance remained. If the Wind Weaves were part of a larger coalition of raider clans, I would likely need to visit their other leaders, too. Just as Melakar had made the gryphons his friend priority, so too would I. They needed to know that Melakar was dead, and that I was queen of the Valley. I had to make it clear to them that an alliance with me would pay them great dividends in the years to come. That when I had other dragons backing me, we would in turn protect the gryphons. Perhaps more importantly, if I succeeded in somehow making myself an ally of the Empress, then perhaps I could convince the Wind Weavers that Diandrios could be their ally, as well. Doing so would strength both the gryphons, and Nesh’s homeland. Then, they could both help me protect myhomeland.

But protect it from whom? At this point, it was unlikely I could prevent humans from exploiting the valley’s resources. Such, I supposed, was the price of progress. If it meant dragons were safe from their machines and their cannons, then so be it. A valley that called humans friend, that promised safety for my kind, might be enough to lure more of us home. That was going to have to be another priority, too. To find more dragons, and convince them to join with me in forging our own empire. An alliance with Nesh’s empress would help, but it would also anger their enemies in Shevar.

Where my son lived.

I drummed clawtips against the floor, flattening back my spines. Nesh was right. This was going to be more complicated than I anticipated. The last thing I wanted to do was cause trouble for my son, or for the nation that may have given him a home. But I needed allies, to build an empire. I wondered, if it was possible to make them allmy allies; the gryphons, Diandrios, and Shevar. Melakar, it seemed, sought just such a troublesome friendship. If that was truly what cost him his life, then I had to tread all the more carefully.

I needed to consult with the others before making too many moves. For now, the villages in my valley would be my first priority, as previously planned. That would give us time to comb through all of Melakar’s notes, and weigh everything we discovered there. After that, I was going to have to see the gryphons. Everything else we would discuss and consider carefully before making a decision. The thought made me chuckle. In all my life, I doubted I had ever approached a problem so diplomatically. Now I had little choice but to do as Melakar would have done.

“This Asharn,” I said, bumping a wing against Sparrow for her attention. “How far away is it?”

“From here?” Sparrow tilted her head. “Or from your home valley?” Before I could reply, she held her paw up. “Actually, let’s say from Melakar’s lair. To fly from there to Asharn would take probably at least two to three weeks, depending on your pace. It’s much further from your valley to Asharn, than it is to Tivos.” She set her paw down, flexing her wings. “So obviously, to fly from Tivos to Asharn would be a much longer journey still.”

Blue Jay traced an imaginary line across the ground. “The journey would be shorter if you were to fly a straight line between the two cities. However.” He circled an area of the floor with a finger. “You’d be crossing a lot of potentially a hostile territory. It would be safer to go around.” He drew a long curve across the wooden floor. “Up through your valley, all through the dragon terrain, and eventually crossing into Shevar.”

“Is there any reason Melakar would have visited that city in particular?” I gazed around at the others, looking for input from anyone who might offer it. “As opposed to any other random city in Shevar?”

Nesh turned towards us. “There’s the medical school, there. Very, very prestigious. The sort of place I’d have loved to have to studied if, if not for…” He scrunched his face. “You know, generations of antagonism.” Nesh shook his head, sighing. “There was a time, before the latest renewal of more open hostilities, that scholars were free to travel between nations, so long as they had the right permits. That’s all practically banned now, though.”

“Asharn’s an educational hub, in general.” Lir padded over to us from the now-roaring fire. “They’ve got other prominent universities there, too. Lotta scholars go there for talks, and debates, that sorta thing. There’s an engineering school.”

Blue Jay lifted his ears. “There’s also a sky-crawler port, and a military base. And…some important people, and research programs they don’t like people to know about, too.” He tilted his head towards Sparrow. “We’ve had some missions take us in that direction.”

“The schools would certainly entice Melakar, as would the forums for scholars.” I flicked my tail back and forth, contemplating it. “If he learned about such places, he might first gone there just to try and see them. Wouldn’t put it past him, at this point.”

“It’s possible that’s just where his contacts invited him too.” Sparrow clicked her beak. “If the city already had experience hosting a dragon, it might have seemed a reasonable place to invite him to meet with them.” She glanced at Ayrah, who was now wandering the shelves, her eyes wandering the collection of photographs. “Or if they’d already learned there was another dragon that visited the city occasionally, they might have drawn Melakar to try and meet with them.”

I curled my tail around my paws. “Especially if he ever heard the dragon’s description. If he thought Vevarek was there, he absolutely would have gone. But I also would not discount simple curiosity. Any human city set to be a scholarly hub would absolutely draw his interest.”

Nesh rubbed his face, muttering into his hand. “It holds my interest, too.”

Further down the wall, Ayrah stretched on her tip toes, carefully retrieving another photo. This one was held in a black frame trimmed with copper wire. It was oval shaped, and whatever it held brought a wistful smile to Ayrah’s face. She turned back towards us, carrying the picture, humming under her breath. I paid her little heed at first, even as something about the tune settled in under my scales.

“Here, Ella.” Ayrah offered me the silvergraph. “Have a look at this one. It’s the two of us, and I just like…how content we look.”

I took it from her, and inspected it. This image showed Melakar laying on his belly, in some unfamiliar courtyard garden, surrounded by immense flowers nearly as tall as Ayrah. The city-scape loomed behind him, with chimneys, walls, and a cathedral tower in the distance. Ayrah sat against his chest, while he cradled in her in his forelegs. Her head rested against Melakar’s chest, with a smile on her face. Melakar gazed into the distance, looking as relaxed and happy as I could imagine him.

“You’re right.” I glanced at Ayrah. “You two do look happy. I’m glad he…” I faltered, swallowed, and looked away. “I’m glad he found that with you, Ayrah. I certainly no longer gave him that peace.”

“Oh, Ella.” Ayrah pressed her forehead to my scales, stroking me. “Don’t think of it that, way. I wouldn’t have shown you if I thought it would be hurtful for you.”

“I know.” I hugged her with a foreleg. “And thank you. It’s nice to see him looking happy.”

“You’re welcome.” Ayrah pointed at the picture. “I wish I could you and show you all those star flowers, but they won’t start blooming till spring. And they won’t be that big till summer.”

“They do look beautiful.”

As I stared into the picture, I almost felt lost in it. The sweet flower-scent washed over me, the warm summer breeze caressed my scales. Melakar’s voice drifted on the wind, entrancing me with its melodious song. I let myself imagine he was singing to me, again. The same song from my dream. It pulled me forward, carrying me along like a river. Into the picture, into his world. It became so real I hearit, really hear it.

Suddenly, Melakar was there, in the distance.

Everyone else was gone, and there was only Melakar. We were in darkness, surrounded only by his song. But no sooner had I set eyes upon him, than the song stopped. I opened my muzzle to call to him, to sing to him, but no sound came out. No words, no song. I reached for him, but he was too far away. Again, I tried to call, but my only voice was silence. And the longer I sang it, the quieter his voice became.

Fear filled me as Melakar’s music dwindled. I did not want it to fade. I did not want him to stop singing. It was as if I was being pulled away from him, and as he shrank in my vision, the symphony of the stars diminished by the moment. In desperation I marshalled myself, calling up on the stars, the gods, on anyone who would listen, to carry my song back to him while there was still time. A single, piercing note erupted from me, different this time. It was somehow, harmonious and chaotic all at once, an entire song hidden inside a single, chilling note.

In an instant, Melakar was before me. He snatched my muzzle in his paws, fearful urgency filling his voice. “Don’t listen to the smoke, Ella!” His words were a plea I did not understand. “Don’t listen to the smoke!”

Then he was gone, and the darkness was gone with him. I was back in the home, with the others, still staring at the photo. But it was different, now. The flowers were all withered, and dead. The city beyond Melakar was a charred and broken ruin. There was no one cradled in his forelegs, but blood stained his paws. Slowly, Melakar turned his head, staring back at me from the photograph. His eyes found mine, and somehow, from the photograph, Melakar watched me. But his eyes were different, now. Darker, and colder. He took a slow, deep breath as I struggled to look away, but found myself unable. Melakar exhaled, and his breath became plumes of gritty, gray black smoke, coiling above him like the tendrils of some abyssal horror.

Still, I could not look away. In the photo, Melakar tilted his head, watching me. With his every breath, more and more smoke filled the image. Its tendrils curled around his limbs, his throat, slunk beneath his wings. Then, from him, it crept across the ground, slithering serpents desperate to escape their glass-enclosed prison. I wanted to hurt the photo away, to smash it, to burn it, yet I remained paralyzed. Coils of smoke slipped across the frame, spilling from the image into my reality. They brushed my fingers, and where they touched me, my scales began to dissolve away.

Somewhere, in the distance, there was song. Familiar notes reverberated at the very edge of my hearing. It was Melakar’s song, the star-song he gifted to me in my dream. I struggled towards the melody, trying to seize it with my very consciousness. Whatever this thing was, whatever this smoke was, it was notMelakar. The melody, the distant song, that was Melakar. I tried to sing back to it, only for binding loops of smoke to wrap around my muzzle, forcing my silence. Instead, I wrapped my mind around the song, and in it, I found a lifeline. I focused on it, let it pull me from this terrible nightmare, the same way it had first carried me into it.

The song grew louder and louder. Focusing up on it became easier, and easier. The smoke collapsed into itself, freeing my muzzle. I took a breath, and I sang Melakar’s song at the top of my lungs. My song. It rang through the air like the toll of a great, brassy bell. As the sound rippled through existence, it tore through the smoke, washing it away as easily as the bright sun dispersed the morning fog.

Existence snapped back into being around me, and I dropped the photograph. Ayrah jumped into action, catching in the air just before its glass protection shattered across the floor. Then she sat there, frozen, staring at me. I took a shuddering breath, lifting my forepaws. I stared at them. They shook like I’d never seen. My breath rattled in my chest, and I realized my entire body was trembling just as badly.

“Ella?” Nesh took my hand in his, his voice firm but worried. “Ella, what’s wrong?”

“I…” I looked around, and saw everyone staring at me. “I don’t know.” Blue Jay and Sparrow exchanged worried glances. So did Ayrah and Lir. “What…what just happened?”

Nesh kept his focus only on me. “Let me see your eyes, Ella. Lower your head.”

I did so, and Nesh carefully pried one of my eyes wide, peering into it. “Someone tell me what just happened?” I glanced at the others. “Did something happen?”

“What do you think happened, Ella?” Nesh moved around my head, peering into the other eye the same way.

I thumped a paw against the ground. “You first!”

Ayrah spoke up, returning the photo to a safer spot on the shelves. “You were looking at the photo, and your ears suddenly shot up and swiveled towards me. It was like you were fixated on the song I was humming. And then…you just started shaking, and all of a suddenly you were singing the song with me. Then you dropped the picture. It only took a few seconds, but…”

“Ella, I was worried you were having a seizure.” Nesh took a slow breath, fear in his voice. “I need to get my things so I can examine you. I want to listen to-”

“No.” I gently pushed Nesh back. “Not yet.” The worst of my shaking was already eased, but as it fled, some cold uncertainly rushed in to fill the void. “I don’t think that’s what it was. I saw things, I…heard things…”

“Which might indicate something’s happening to your brain, Ella.” Nesh stepped right back towards me. “Which, unfortunately, I have no real way of examining. But, bleeding on the brain has been known to cause-”

I jerked my head up. “You think my brain is bleeding?”

Nesh held his hands up. “Ella, I don’t know. I’m just worried about you, because…” He glanced around. “I don’t know how else to describe what just happened. So I’m getting my things.”

Sparrow put a paw against me. “We’re all worried, Ella. That was…frightening.”

Blue Jay offered a low, worried warble. “It was. It only lasted a few moments, but we all saw it. And heard it.” He flashed me a playful grin, likely trying to lighten the mood. “Lovely singing voice, though.”

Singing.That was it. As Nesh went to fetch his doctor’s equipment, I focused my attention anew on Ayrah. “You said you were humming?”

Ayrah nodded once. “Yeah. I only noticed myself doing it because you started singing along. I probably do so more than I realize.”

“What song?” I lowered my head towards Ayrah, swiveling my ears forward.

“I don’t know.” Ayrah shrugged. “I don’t think it really matters. Just some old thing that reminded me of Melakar.”

“Why did it remind you of him?” Fresh urgency filled me, and I gently clasped her arm. “Ayrah, this is important. Why did that song remind you of Melakar?”

Ayrah furrowed her brow, glancing after Nesh. I heard him digging through our belongings, but spared him no attention. “Nesh, is she-”

“Ayrah!” I sharpened my voice, dropping my head further till I was staring into her eyes. “The song. Tell me why it reminds you of Melakar!”

The nearly rustling sounds quieted as Nesh stilled. Something in his voice changed. “Ayrah, please answer her question.”

“Because, he used to sing it, I think.” Ayrah’s face fell, grief drifted behind his eyes. “Whenever he was lost in thought. Perusing his books, or scribbling notes. It always struck me, the way it sounded so…sad, but hopeful, at the same time. It must have stuck with me.”

“Sing it.” I kept my grip on her arm, as firm as I could be without causing her discomfort. “I need you to sing it.”

Silence settled over us. Everyone stared at Ayrah, waiting for her to do as I asked. I was not sure if they’d caught on or were just curious to see where I was going with this. Ayrah glanced around at the others, then gave an indignant huff. “It’s awkward with everyone just watching me like that.”

Nesh finally dug out his doctor’s back from within one of the larger carrying pouches. He hurried back to us, pulling out one of his tools. As he draped it around his neck, he gazed at Ayrah. “Please, just do as she asks.”

Ayrah rolled her eyes, heaving a sigh. She took a breath, and began to sing. The notes were trembling at first, hesitant and ever so slightly out of tune. And yet they cleaved me to my very core, left me shivering so hard Nesh put a hand upon me. He looked up at me, searching my face for an answer. I nodded once, and Nesh’s eyes widened. He knew.

It was Melakar’s song.

I took a breath, and joined Ayrah in singing. I knew every note by heart. The melody was part of my very soul, now, entwined with my essence. Ayrah faltered, and I gently squeezed her arm, encouraging her to keep singing. She went on, and our voices rose and fell in harmony, the same notes, but natural octaves apart. As our song grew, so too did her confidence in singing it with me. The others only watched and listened as our music echoed around the dome-shaped chamber. It bounced across the wooden walls, reverberating back to us as if an entire ghostly choir was hidden just out of sight.

We sang the song to its completion, and at last let the final notes hang in the air. They lingered, almost unnaturally long, steeping the world in Melakar’s song. In the music of loss, and of life built anew. The symphony of the stars, ever watching the world live and die and live again. Only when silence consumed us did I take another breath. I lifted a paw and examined it, pleased to find it perfectly still again. It was as if singing the song aloud had driven away whatever terrible thing had taken hold of me in my dream.

“That was…” Ayrah ran a hand back through her hair, unable to find words to finish her thought.

“It was quite beautiful, actually.” Sparrow smiled, glancing between the two of us. “I didn’t know you dragons could sing so well.”

Ayrah wrung her hands, forcing a smile. “I guess Melakar used to sing that around you too, huh?”

“No.” I looked around the room, forcing everyone to meet my eyes. “I had never in my life heard that song. Not until the night I met the god, and Melakar sang it to me, in my dream. And all the Stars That Sing, sang it with him.” Lir’s ears shot up, and her muzzle parted, but she remained silent. I swallowed, turning my attention to Nesh. “Now, I know at last it’s real. That Melakar was real. It’s not just…it’s not just a hope, anymore.” Tears brimmed in my eyes, unbidden. Heat grew at the back of my jaws, tightening my throat. “He sang the star’s song to Ayrah, when he was alive.” I gestured at her, then put to paw to my chest. “And in death, he sang it to me, in my dreams. There is no other way, I could know it.”

Sparrow fluffed up the feathers around her neck. “You’re certain you never heard that from Melakar, back when you were together?”

“Absolutely.” I glanced at Ayrah. “How long ago did he start singing it?”

Ayrah scratched her head. “Just a few years, I think. The last few times he was here.”

“That settles it, then. I had not even spoken to him, in years, until the day he died.” I turned away from everyone else, padding towards a collection of large cushions. “That means it was really Melakar, in my dreams, after all.” A smile spread across my muzzle. Though I knew he was gone from my life, there was joy in knowing some part of him truly lingered, somewhere beyond life. “Thank you for visiting me, my dearest friend.” I sniffed, tears running down my muzzle. I cared not that everyone heard me speaking to him, now. All that mattered was I knew he was out there. “Thank you for sharing your song. I miss you, so much.”

“So…Ella.” Nesh dutifully carried his doctoring supplies after me. “Would I be correct in assuming that, a few minutes ago you were…” He waggled his listening device. “Dreaming of him, again? For lack of a better word.”

“Yes,” I said, settling down upon the largest pillows I could find. “I heard the song, and then I was in darkness, and then…” I trailed off, all my happiness fleeing me as swiftly as it arrived. “Then there was something else.”

“The god, again?” Nesh set his doctoring kit down next to me.

“No, Nesh, I don’t think so.” I flattened my back my ears. “Not the same god, anyway. This was…something worse. Something terrifying.”

Ayrah fetched a chair, carrying it towards me. “Alright, Ella. Let’s talk about those dreams.”