The older human nobles came up to us after we all said our goodbyes to King Forlay and his court. I might not have noticed it before, but now I was certain that they were relieved when I left. At first, that confused me. They had been so excited to welcome us as heroes. Even after seeing me transform into a dragon, I hadn’t sensed any overt fear from them.

  Then it hit me. That was exactly what the problem was. They were used to relying upon dragons as the backbone of their military. Or more to the point, they were used to relying upon domesticated dragons.

  They didn’t want a true dragon. They wanted a tame one; they wanted a dragon they could control. Even a mage who could transform into a dragon larger than any of their domesticated dragons was not something to fear—that was still something they felt they could control, a being they could understand.

  But a real dragon…? No, that was something that they couldn’t comprehend.

  They didn’t even know the full extent of what a dragon was. They had their tame dragons, and they had legends of ancient dragons. But these days, most dragons avoided the populated, ‘civilized’ areas of the human empire.

  There was something important to this, but I couldn’t focus on it now—I already had too much on my plate. Even the Emperor’s gift of the Taleian desert would keep us away from the most prosperous areas of the continent. That was assuming that I managed to create a nation.

  Did I want that? The impulse I felt strongest was to collect my gold, loot Iskaldurdauoi’s hoard, and then fly away with my bonded companion. Maybe I’d take Lisella or a few others—if they wanted to become minions. That was what I should be thinking, yet somehow I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I actually united the dragons.

  After a bit, I realized we were walking down a hallway several hundred feet away from the banquet hall. Had I been so lost in thought that I lost track of my surroundings? That wasn’t good.

  Lady Vox asked me, “Are you okay, Nico? Or do you prefer Lord Sandumas in this form?”

  “I prefer, Nico.” I studied her. “I am not hiding what I am, but perhaps you aren’t familiar with that concept.”

  She stared at me for a long moment before she finally blinked. “I wondered how long it would be till you noticed.”

  “I’m distracted by something else or I would have noticed right away. But then again, I didn’t know if any of your kind survived.”

  “Barely… and not for the lack of trying by the five-headed bi…”

  Lord Nagafen cut her off. “Now, now dear. Should we really be talking about this here?”

  Lady Vox snapped her mouth closed, but I still heard her as she mumbled under her breath, “may she rot in whatever hellish plane she finds herself.”

  I didn’t push—for the moment. This encounter raised more questions than I was comfortable with. Soon, though, we were in a carriage leaving the castle and headed to their estate. Orders had been given for their people to claim Iskaldurdauoi’s corpse. That would save me the trouble of harvesting the scales, hide, teeth, horns, and claws myself.

  I was lost in my own thoughts until Cami asked, “Is someone going to tell me what is going on?”

  Lord Nagafen said, “Neither of them seem inclined to talk about it… though I’m not surprised. My wife can be… shall we say… temperamental about her heritage. But you and I share something in common, so I feel a certain kinship.”

  Cami looked even more confused at this declaration.

  Before he could say any more, I asked, “Why doesn’t the dream tell me anything more about it?”

  “Because even from wherever she has gone to, she excised us from the Dragon Dream. Only purebloods can share the dream. And even then, we can’t be viewed in it,” Vox spat the words out in disgust.

  Cami looked at me in confusion.

  I just waved my hand at Nagafen.

  “You know legends about my wife’s type?” Nagafen asked.

  I nodded.

  Cami sounded exasperated when she said, “Will someone please explain what you are talking about?”

  Nagafen got a smile on his lips. “Do you know anything about animal husbandry?”

  Vox and I both snorted at the same time, but when we realized how the other had reacted, we simmered down and simply glared at one another.

  “Yes, I grew up on a cattle ranch,” Cami replied.

  “Good. And what would happen if you bred two different strains of cows together?” Nagafen asked.

  “One would be dominant, but over time it would be possible to shape the traits of such a cow. That was why my da always talked about breeding the cows who produced the most milk with the strongest of the bulls.”

  “Good. And what would happen if your da had tried to breed a horse with a cow?”

  I muttered, “More like a mouse and a cow.”

  Nagafen raised an eyebrow at me. “Do you wish to tell the story, Nico? She is your bonded, and it is certainly your right to do so.”

  I shook my head.

  “Very well, then.” He turned back to my bonded. “What would happen, Cami?”

  “Uh, even if he could make it happen, they would have no offspring.”

  “Exactly. It would take a pretty rare set of circumstances for it to happen and then wouldn’t produce anything, But suppose that the horse was magical, and it was able to have children with any other animal—albeit only rarely? What do you suppose the child would be like? Would it be a horse? Would it be a cow? Or would it be something else entirely?”

  Cami frowned and just stared blankly for a minute until she admitted, “I don’t know.”

  “Well, the magical horse in this case is a dragon… And in the case of dragons, it is extremely rare. But over the eons that Ileria has existed, there have been instances of a dragon and his bonded becoming close enough that they became more than just dragon and rider. They became lovers.”

  The older man studied her. “Do you suppose that it was possible for those couples to have children? And if so, would it be like a mule?”

  Cami sucked in a breath. It seemed as though she’d started trembling.

  Nagafen just kept going, “Most of the time, it wasn’t possible, but when it did happen, the children might be born in one of three ways. Some were born as humans but with sorcerous talent due to the blood within them. Some were born as dragons of the type of the mother. But in rare circumstances, they were born as a different type of dragon altogether.”

  He paused, turning to me. “We call them metallic dragons. Throughout history there have been gold, silver, bronze, and copper dragons from such unions.”

  “Nico told me that there are only five types of dragons: Black, White, Green, Red, and Blue,” Cami said.

  “As my wife pointed out, the metallic dragons have been excised from the Dragon Dream. Dragons such as Nico are aware of them, but only distantly. And there are so few. Even before the war of the heavens, there were only ever a small number. Now, my wife is the only one we are aware of who still lives. There could, of course, be others in hiding.”

  Cami looked at Lady Vox. “You’re a dragon?”

  Lady Vox sighed. “We will soon be there. I’ll show you in the privacy of our estate.”

  “What color are you?” Cami’s excitement was palpable.

  “All in good time, dear. First, you need to understand that, just as in the case of a mule, we metallics are unable to breed. Thus the reason there have only ever been a few of us. Second, you need to know that the banished queen of dragons outlawed our kind.” A sneer twisted Vox’s lips. “She strove to change her descendants so they would never create our like again.”

  “So why do you exist?” I growled.

  “The only reason I exist is because the horrors attacked Ileria and gods brought back the bond to a great blue dragon, my grand-sire, actually. This was more than two thousand years ago, during what is generally referred to as the Last Dragon War.”

  “You mean Draconis, was your grandsire? But… oh… does that mean that Wasnera was your mother?”

  Now it was Vox, and Nagafen’s turn to be shocked. She looked at me. “You’ve shared the dream with her?”

  I nodded. “Some.”

  She sat back and seemed to look at me with new eyes. “You must be the descendant of my brother, then.”

  “I have not had any dreams of him,” I admitted. “But I have shared the dreams of Wasnera and her sire, as well as my mother and her mother before her for two generations.”

  “Ah… yes. In this new age, few dragons live beyond several hundred years. Most are slain, as you chromatics seem to be very hostile to one another. Others simply go to sleep and never wake, lacking the drive to continue living.”

  “Wait, what are you talking about… this ‘new age’?” I asked.

  “You are still very young, aren’t you Nico?”

  “I’m over fifty, now.” I crossed my arms, jutting forth my clenched jaw as I said the words, before realizing I was imitating a human gesture known as pouting. Scowling, I unfolded my arms and simply clenched my fists.

  “Well, I’m over 1500 years old—though I’m nearing the end of my life. I haven’t been able to break beyond ancient. It is only my bond with my husband that keeps me wanting to live.” She cast a warm glance Nagafen’s way.

  “I’m so confused,” Cami mumbled.

  I was suddenly grateful for her, as I was confused too—though I didn’t feel like displaying my ignorance any more than I already had.

  “Let me explain. Long ago, there were no gods on Ileria. This world was ruled by dragons and we hunted massive prey beasts, lived in small communities, but were definitely more social than dragons are in this new age. At least this is what my research led me to believe. I will admit that some of it may be wishful thinking on my part.

  “There was one dragon above all others—Tiamat, the Queen of dragons. From her, all dragons came. Her natural offspring were created in the likeness of one of her five heads. Now, you may wonder how all the dragons could come from one dragon… but that is altogether a different question, and definitely a flaw with this theory, but it is what the oldest of records I’ve been able to find suggests.”

  “Okay, but that doesn’t explain about humans or any of the other races…”

  “The gods made them when they came to Ileria,” Vox explained. “At first, Tiamat ignored the gods. She was the Queen of dragons, after all. Then, as they populated the world with the so-called lesser races, her dragons became curious. Back in those days, dragons supposedly cared about more than just gold.”

  I was about to protest, but then realized it was true—both of our common ancestor, the Blue Draconis, as well as true of me—even if I struggled with my draconic impulses.

  Vox continued, “The gods introduced the bond, and some dragons and others bonded. From those unions, metallic dragons were born. The type of metallic dragon was based upon the impulses of their parents. Golds tended to want to stay away from the others, but were still known for their wisdom and justice. Silvers came from parents who were concerned about issues larger than themselves—protecting the lesser races, for example. Bronze were those who crusaded for just about any cause they considered just. Coppers were those who simply couldn’t take life seriously.”

  “And what happened?” Cami asked, leaning forward as she perched on the edge of her seat.

  “The first god war, of course,” Nagafen replied.

  Vox looked at me, “Do you know any legends about that?”

  “I only have this singular image of the first Draconis who cast all of the gods out of Ileria.”

  “Ah, no… that was the second god war. It was the formation of the Pact which actually cast the gods out. What have you learned about the pact?”

  “I…” My voice trembled. I was confused, but felt the hunger within me roar to life. “I think I need to eat something… now!”

  Chapter 4 - Hungry

  Vox looked at her husband with that statement, but no one said. Eventually, the carriage came to a halt and Vox looked at me.

  “We can provide you with some additional food, but I am concerned. Normally, when I transform into my human form and eat a human sized meal, it satisfies me just as much as a dragon sized meal would when I’m in my dragon form. But for that and hibernation, dragons would have likely eaten Ileria bare.”

  Cami snorted and then looked embarrassed. As the red flush that stained her cheeks started to lighten, she said, “I was just remembering how much Nico ate the first time I met you.” She turned to grin at me. “Then, how you laid there like you were completely satisfied.”

  “What can I say? Cows taste good.”

  I stopped for a second. There was something to Vox’s concerns. I tried to analyze why I was having these sudden surges of hunger. Maybe my mind evolution would work for me, for once, instead of just turning me into an emotional mess.

  Vox cast a spell which I immediately understood to be Identify. “I don’t see any status conditions listed. Does your status screen show any?”

  When I stared at her for a moment, almost asking why she would dare ask something so specific when she had yet to earn my trust, she simply said, “I’m just being pragmatic. And no, I don’t want to fight for dominance. I’m a higher age category than you, but I am old and weary. Both my husband and I feel the weight of our years. It is hard to be alone, which is why we were eager to help you when the opportunity presented itself.”

  Lord Nagafen snorted. “Don’t let her kid you. She’s practically squealing inside with excitement, especially once she discovered that you were basically her cousin.”

  I looked at the two of them. They could certainly prattle on like humans. “Cousin? Is that a human relationship identifier?”

  Cami explained, “It means the children of siblings. As in, if I had a child and my brother had a child then those children would be cousins.”

  I almost snorted again. I wanted to ask how her brother would have children, given what she had told me about his mating prospects, but I knew what she meant. I was definitely feeling odd, though. More and more, I found I couldn’t suppress the hunger that had my stomach threatening to wrap around my spine.

  I pulled up my status sheet to check and see if there was a condition I wasn’t aware of. That was when it hit me. There was something odd on my status sheet, but I’d been ignoring it. There had been so much to do lately, and even while I’d been in my lair, I had simply wanted to relax.

  The problem didn’t appear to be going away. In fact, it seemed to be getting larger.

  “Cami, I need to go eat. Why don’t you see if they have a room here that you like? We’ll almost certainly be staying the night, and perhaps more than one.”

  She got a strange expression on her face that I struggled to decipher. Even the emotions coming across the bond were all jumbled. She was happy and sad at the same time. I knew there were more nuances to it, but my mind fixated on the problem I’d been ignoring. That was the type of mistake I expected a human to make, and it was making me start to question myself.

  “Uh… okay, Nico.” Her voice had an odd note to it.

  Lord Nagafen said, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your bonded, Nico. Come with me Lady Camille. I’ll show you around the manor.”

  I could still feel Cami’s eyes on me, but I ignored her and walked around the side of the manor. Away from the large building, I saw open fields down the side of the hill the house was on and suddenly felt the need for space.

  Vox followed after me.

  After a couple of minutes of walking, I regretted not being in my true form. It would have been simple to cover the distance. Looking back over my shoulder at Vox, I asked, “Why are you following me?”

  “This is my estate,” she replied, as if that explained everything.

  When I rolled my eyes as I had seen Modessa do so often, she shook her head and continued, “We may be trying to help you, as King Forlay asked, but even he didn’t understand why I was interested in helping you. But this entire estate is mine; don’t think I’m too old to fight for what’s mine.”

  It struck me then that I was treating her like I would a human noble. She was right, though, I was in her lair. It may be an open, airy lair, but parts of my island were quite open, as well.

  There were certain considerations to be factored in when visiting the lair of another dragon. Granted, most of the time when that happened it was because I’d be there to seize a portion of their horde, but if I was going to gather other dragons to aid me in freeing the domesticated dragons, I’d likely be visiting more than one lair on the draconic equivalent of peaceful terms.