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Chapter Text

The full moon was their guide tonight, her craters accompanied by the dazzling lights of a thousand stars in the clear night sky.

Well-fed, rested, and bursting with a manic energy brought by their escape, Neil felt as free as the wind that pushed against him. Gone were his lean runner’s legs but it was easy to maintain a fast pace on four legs. He fought the burning in his lungs, masking the slight pain with his insatiable need to keep moving. He spread heat to his paws to handle the snow-covered mountain meadows, leaving behind small, puddled paw-prints exposing the greenery hidden underneath. He dug his claws into the ground when they reached a snow-shoveled path and used the level surface to get ahead of the other.

Beside him, a massive wolf twenty times his size.

It was with an awkward tongue spoken first in Werewolf then in Wolf Speak, that Neil argued with Erik. It was only because of the unfair advantage of his sheer size that the wolf was able to pull up ahead of Neil, even leaving him behind at times. Neil had grown up wrapped in one irrefutable truth: no one was faster than him. Of course, Neil understood now that he’d been sheltered in youth and limited in who could race him by Tetsuji’s strict visitor restrictions which cut Edgar Allen from the outside world. Regardless, the irrational side of his dragon-mind made him take personal offense to the possibility of Erik beating him in a race.

The even surface provided a boost to Erik’s own speed and for a moment they ran side by side, until Erik turned a cheeky look Neil’s way.

“Sorry, Neil,” he said in Wolf Speak, “Any other night you might have beaten me, but the full moon is my power source, and she’s out in full support tonight!” Neil thought they had both reached their top speeds, but in a blur of motion, Erik blew right past him.

He cursed his small form but continued running. Eventually, he conceded defeat in the race and slowed down slightly to properly admire the changing scenery as they continued for miles up the steep mountain side. There were no humans this far up where the land and the sky touched. Only curious creatures that made way for two magical beings high on the thrill of life. Neil was free of constraints, and chains, and pesky humans who thought they knew best. In this moment, something drilled in his mind as unattainable was within reach.

Erik, who had been several steps ahead of him, slowed his pace as he reached the summit. It was the highest point in the surrounding mountain range and broke off into a sharp protruding cliff. His spot overlooked the snowy grasslands thousands of feet below them and the impossible stretch of rocky terrain beyond the distance, intercrossed with frozen rivers and dense white forests to create a lovechild of mother nature.

This was the view Erik had promised Neil when they first escaped his village, with giddy laughs looking back to see if anyone had followed them. It was breathtaking even to a native of these lands, Erik had told him, a sight that forced you to stand silent in awe of all that was around.

Erik sat on his hind legs, waiting for Neil to join him.

Neil sped up. The sight that awaited him cemented his decision.

At that moment, the cliff’s edge lined up perfectly with the rising moon. A dragon had reached The Heavens and damned them all. Neil could reach the moon and save himself.

Neil’s light size combined with the snowcapped mountain top made his steps silent as he crossed the last feet of land. In a split second too late, Erik realized what Neil was attempting to do. There was no time to even shout a warning.

Neil leapt off the cliff’s edge.

In hindsight, Neil should have known that if he couldn’t fly leaping off Andrew’s lap, then he sure as Hell couldn’t fly leaping off a three-thousand-foot cliff.

It took ten seconds for Neil to realize he wasn’t flying but falling. It took another twenty seconds for panic to set in as Neil struggled to get his wings to work. In the privacy of the satchel, Neil had tried to copy the motions of Kevin’s eagle a hundred times to no avail. He was infuriated that a stupid bird could do something he couldn’t. He defended his failure to himself by reasoning that since there wasn’t any wind in the satchel, he couldn’t replicate the perfect conditions needed to take flight.  

Now that he was fighting gravity and air resistance, Neil didn’t find this situation any better for him to figure out how to make his oversized wings work. Instead, they folded awkwardly as the wind bent them backwards. They became an even bigger problem when they caused Neil to spin uncontrollably down the last hundred feet to the ground. Neil braced for impact, hoping the compact snow underneath would soften his landing.

It was Neil’s horrible luck that he landed on a boulder covered in a thick layer of ice. Despite his smaller size and lighter weight, Neil felt the impact punch the air out of his lungs. He felt several bones break and the fragile leathery skin of his wings tear as he smashed into the first layer, sending sharp fragments of ice everywhere. Not a single sound escaped him as his body took in the impact. His soft scales couldn’t fight back the bite of frigid ice beneath him and even the minimal movement of shivering tore him apart.

When Neil recovered enough to breathe, he let out a noise that could only be described as an animalistic laugh. Neil could blame the adrenaline rush he still felt from the fall or the extremely ballsy nature of his dragon-altered mind, but it was enough to say that he’d never felt so alive than being seconds away from a second death.

That was how Erik found him, about an hour later, after descending the cliff as fast as he could and sniffing out Neil’s location.

“The Heavens as my witness, had I known you were this insane, I wouldn’t have brought you so far out!” Erik shouted. “What were you thinking, Neil?”

Erik looked different. He had run as a wolf, albeit a frighteningly large one, while the two raced. Now he stood on his hind legs in a more humanistic form. Still hairy and massive, not to be taken-lightly, but Neil found the form funny-looking. His laughs started up again.

“Neil, this is serious,” he said with a worried frown. “You could have died! Nicholas told me you didn’t know how to fly yet, why would you try it now?” Erik moved like a restless mother, examining Neil from each direction but not wanting to touch him in case he made his injuries worse.

Neil slowly moved his head to face Erik. “It felt possible in the moment,” he said in broken Wolf Speak. He still couldn’t get the words right, but Erik had told him earlier in their escape that Neil’s Omnilingualism would develop the more he tried to use it. Erik had assured Neil that he was able to understand him when he spoke, but Neil still struggled pronouncing the right sounds, more so now that he’d bitten his tongue during the impact. “I wanted to touch the moon.”

Erik was not amused. “The moon and the waves are my calling. Yours are the sun and its fire.”

“The sky is also mine,” Neil said as he looked up at the cloudless backdrop, clusters of bright stars spilling into a milky trail. “Back when I had the Beast Marks on, I always thought that if I fell from a height that could kill me, my wings would tear out of my skin, and I’d naturally take flight.”

Erik sighed. “There are safer ways to go about this. I almost considered jumping off the cliff too. I wouldn’t have been able to show my face to Nicholas if I hadn’t brought you back alive. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had let you die under my care,” he said, muttering the last part.

“You’re not responsible for my well-being,” Neil said. “My actions are my own. Either way, I think I’m fine. I’ve touched Death before and survived.”

With an uncharacteristically cold voice, Erik replied, “You are not immune to death, Neil. The Heavens made sure of that.” Erik looked down and his long, honey blond hair hid his half-human half-wolf features. “Please promise me you’ll be more careful. Your existence and well-being are crucial to us all; there is so much at stake where you’re concerned.”

Everything is tethered to your existence. I cannot have something like this happen again.

That phrase bugged Neil to his core.

“I exist for everyone’s benefit but my own,” Neil said. His mood soured and he felt more bothered by the cold than any throbbing pain left. He tried to sit up.

“Don’t move. I think it’s best to get the healer to you,” Erik said.

“No, it’s fine. Enough time has passed. I don’t have the Beast Marks on me anymore which means I’ve been healing myself through my Draconic Energy. Look, see?” Neil made a show of picking himself off the frozen slab of ice, only to slip when he tried to unfold his wings. Erik caught him before he could fall off the boulder and Neil completely forgot everything else when he felt Erik’s intense body heat.

“You might be able to heal yourself, but you still suffered major injuries with that fall. I think it’s best we head back.”

“No!” Neil protested as he sat up in Erik’s arms, “I can fix myself.” He was still clumsy in many areas where this form was concerned, but he had a good grasp of his Draconic Magic. He closed his eyes and envisioned every remaining injury he’d sustained. He emptied his energy reserves and sent them to the bones that had yet to mend. His dragon blood ran hot as it traveled through his veins, passing through his body and healing the damaged organs and muscles.

When he moved each part of his body and felt no lingering pain, he jumped off Erik’s hold and presented himself. “See! I’m as good as new. Let’s keep running,” he said.

“Neil,” Erik started in a conflicting tone, “we still need to head back eventually.”

“Why?” Neil asked seriously. “Aaron’s collar might still be on me, but the chains are gone. There’s nothing holding me back. If he can’t find me, then I’m free.”

“You know Aaron’s taming abilities extend farther than that. Even without the chains, the connection remains until the tamer dissolves the bond. He’s able to track you down.”

“I’ll outrun him. I can be on the run for the rest of my life if it means I can be free from him.”

Erik’s mouth became a hard line.

“And when you get caught by someone even worse?”

“Don’t sound so sure that I’d get caught again. I have my powers now. I can fight back.”

A light snow began to fall and with it a long silence that made Neil uncomfortable. Neil could see the tightness around Erik’s mouth and knew he wouldn’t like the next words that came out of him.

“I know…Neil, I know how unfair this situation is to you. The Foxes aren’t the worst humans I’ve come across, but the way they went about removing the Beast Marks and how they’ve treated you since makes me want to tear them apart. I’ve told Nicholas as much.” Erik looked down at his claws and for a moment his blue eyes flashed red.

When he turned to look at Neil, his eyes were gentle once more. “Just yesterday I did not know you existed. Neil, I’m limited in what I can say by a great power that oversees our kind, but your existence was foretold by those who stand above all magical creatures. An upper court that maintains distance in our day-to-day matters but holds control on events that impact us all. Once your existence becomes known to them, they’ll set off a motion—”

Neil turned around and put his head under his paws.

“I don’t care. I don’t care,” Neil repeated over Erik’s voice. This wasn’t his problem to deal with. He didn’t care about the War, he didn’t care about an upper court of magical beings, he didn’t care about the humans who staked claim on him. Neil only cared about becoming free, of living his last days as a human, and dying as one. He didn’t start the fire that was consuming their world so why was it his responsibility to put it out?

Erik crouched down and put a sharp claw under Neil’s head to lift it up. Neil bared his teeth.

“You have to care. We’ve reached the crescendo of this hundred-year war. The world waits for Nathan’s inevitable ascension into Heaven and the calamity it will bring. You are the only thing preventing that from happening. Your safety means the survival of billions—humans, magical creatures, and everything in between. You need to be protected.”

A rumbling growl tore its way out from Neil’s chest.

He’d spend his childhood being protected from danger and what had that done for him? He was left ill-prepared for the real world. He’d lost his life and his freedom in the span of twenty-four hours to the first humans that found him after his mother was gone. He thought of Andrew’s promise to protect him and how useless that had been. He didn’t need protection, he needed to learn how to defend himself. He needed to become stronger now that he had his powers. He needed to force himself into life and death situations like the one he’d experienced just now to grow. That was the only way he could achieve freedom and defend it from anyone else who thought they owned him.

“You’re starting to sound like them,” Neil said, detached and cold.

Erik shut his mouth and looked away. A tense silence passed over them.

Eventually, Erik took his wolf form and pushed Neil’s body back with his snout. “I’m sorry,” he said and the sincerity in those big blue eyes made Neil believe him. “Let’s keep going. I want to show you something.”

Neil was eager to put this discussion behind them and followed Erik without complaint.

Moonlight shone down on the clearing Erik had brought them to. The moon had reached its highest point, and it was directly above them. There was no snow in this patch of land. Only protruding stones that took in the lunar light and created shadows with its features. It took a moment to see a familiar shape but once he did, he couldn’t see anything else.

“The stones look like wolves. A whole pack sitting together,” Neil said with childish wonder.

“Mimetoliths under the moonlight. It’s a sacred landmark to the local Pack,” Erik explained.

Neil was reminded that Erik was a foreigner. It was easy to forget when Erik held so much knowledge of the surrounding land. His accent had also disappeared when he spoke Wolf.

“Do you have a Pack?” Neil asked, unsure if the question was insensitive. He had only known Erik for a couple of hours and had wondered why he left his home for a war-stricken continent.

“I had one back home in the Germanic region across the sea,” Erik explained. “I left willingly once I was of age. Magical creatures hold many of the same rights as humans back home and conditions continued to improve, despite the War spreading overseas. But I couldn’t stand still while others suffered, so I came to help where I could.”

“So, you’ve crossed the sea before?” Neil asked. It was the deadliest part of the journey magical creatures had to overcome to reach Uclerene.

“No, I haven’t,” Erik said.

Neil looked back at him, confused.

“Every region that has a native Werewolf population has their own localized Mimetoliths protected by the Moon. They connect us all. Both spiritually and physically,” Erik added.

“A teleportation system?” Neil guessed.

“Exactly. At any point, I can return home or choose to go to another location that has its own sacred landmark. As long as you’re respectful to the other Werewolf Packs, it’s allowed within our community.”

A sliver of hope grew in Neil’s heart.

“Can you activate it now? Can you take me overseas?” Neil asked, with too much urgency for the calm night.

His hope was squashed just as fast as it appeared.

“I’m sorry, Neil. Only Werewolves are allowed its magic.” Neil tried to hide his disappointment but knew he had failed when Erik’s wet snout nudged him forward. “We’ll cross together once we reach Troy.”

Neil nodded and looked back at the formation of rocks. “Was this the first one?” Neil asked, craving a distraction.

Erik shook his head. “No one knows where the original Mimetolith is located but it’s said that’s where my ancestors traded their humanity to join the creatures of the magic veil. An entire generation of my people gave up their humanity for a chance to become closer to the moon. To better understand her and the magic she blessed us with.” Erik looked down at Neil. “All except for one.”

Neil looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a tale our elders would recount each full moon. The foundation of our magic. Do you want to hear it?” Erik asked.

If it bought Neil more time to be away from the humans, then Neil wouldn’t say no. He nodded.

“When the moon took away their humanity and gifted them with her magic, the others raced off with their newfound powers and form. However, this person stayed motionless, crying under the moonlight.”

Neil wasn’t sure if he was allowed on the clearing if it was so sacred to Erik. As if sensing his hesitation, Erik’s large paw pushed him forward and Neil felt a sudden surge of energy as he entered the space.

“In the silence, the person heard the moon ask: Why have you not taken what I’ve offered? Why have you not joined the rest?

The man said: I have fallen in love with a human from another clan. I cannot take your blessing without losing them.

The Moon replied: Why would taking my blessing mean losing the one you love?

The man provided the moon three explanations: If I am to follow the steps of my people, I will lose the ability to communicate with my love. If I take your gift, I will never be able to create a bloodline with my love. If I forsake my humanity, I will lose the connection that I have with my love. To accept your blessing is to give up on the one I found first.  

The moon sympathized with this person, so she allowed him to have both. For the three reasons he provided, the moon gifted him three forms. That of a human, a werewolf, and a wolf.”

Neil had rested on one of the stones as he listened to Erik, the scene reminiscent of the nights his mother would tell her own tales.

“A human, a magical creature, and an animal. You understand all three perspectives because you’ve experienced them all,” Neil said. “You’re not one or the other, you’re all three simultaneously.”

Erik nodded. “I don’t claim one over the others.”

“But it sure must be convenient to stay a human,” Neil said. He couldn’t completely hide the envy in his words.

“Nicholas mentioned you were raised as a human,” Erik said.

Neil placed his head on his paws and studied the shadows that moved like waves under the moonlight.

“Until recently, I never knew anything else. As much as the others want to deny me my identity, I am a human.” He closed his eyes. “And I’ll die one,” he added.

“If this war was not going on, would you be so quick to renounce your dragon identity?” Erik asked.

Neil let himself take in the question.

“If I had been raised a dragon, then it would be different. But I wasn’t. Everything I know about myself comes from me being a human.”

“Earlier, did you like running in this form?”

“It was different, but fun. I like running.”

“And flying, do you think you’d like flying?”

“Yes, if I could only manage it,” Neil said, frustrated.

“Dan said you had Draconic Element Manipulation. It’s similar to Nicholas’ own power of Elemental Manipulation. Do you know what the difference is?” Erik asked.

Nicky was able to manipulate the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Was Neil able to do the same? He knew he was able to create fire through his Draconic Breath, but he was only able to release it from his mouth. He hadn’t known he could control it in other ways.

“Nicholas is able to manipulate existing elements, like the earth and water. He’s able to create some elements, like fire, but that didn’t come easily to him. Even now, he hasn’t managed to create water or earth. What powers his magic is his soul, and it limits him,” Erik explained.

His claws reached down to the soil beneath them and like silver currents, the energy of the sacred space came alive.

“Neil, I understand your feelings regarding your humanity and how you might feel lesser than now that you’re a dragon. But you need to understand this: humans are not superior. When it comes to magic, who is stronger? The humans that were gifted magic or the creatures who are born of magic?”

Erik dropped the soil on the stone that Neil was laying on. Neil stretched a paw to feel the dirt, only to retract it a moment later when the soil reacted to his touch and sparked red.

“Your Draconic Magic is unlike any source of power that’s ever existed. A magic so pure, so powerful that even the Heavens revolted and intervened. You are magic personified. Use that to your advantage. Feel it thrumming through your veins, a bloodline so thick with magic, able to produce elements infused with Draconic Power. You were born with it, you only need to know it is within you for you to take control.”

Elements infused with Draconic Power. Fire was the easiest for him to conceptualize, just as he imagined it was for Nicky. But water, earth, and air? His mother had explained to him how some dragons specialized in one element or aspect, but could Neil manage them all?

“Let’s start with air,” Erik said. “If you can’t get your wings to help you take off, then try to use the wind itself to lift you up. Who ever said a dragon could fly with their wings alone? The proportion and size don’t make it physically possible. But you’re not an animal, Neil, you’re a Magical Creature. That means you’re not governed by the laws of nature. You’re birthed from magic, and magic is lawless.”

Air infused with Draconic Power. There was air all around him, he didn’t need to create it himself. He just had to offer a piece of his magic and see if it took. It was easier to visualize the air coming into his body as he inhaled, letting it enter his lungs, taking the oxygen into his blood and giving back his Draconic Energy as he exhaled.

There was a spark as it was accepted and all around him, the air submitted to his control. He handed that control over to his wings and prayed they would understand each other. He looked at Erik, a quick nod to signal that he felt something working. Then he spread his wings, feeling brand-new after being healed so thoroughly, and woke them with motion. The air felt the intent and lent its strength, creating a current that pushed Neil off the stone wolf.

Beyond the excitement of his beating heart and Erik’s proud cheers, Neil understood that he needed to lock his concentration in while he held control over the air. He focused on his movements, his Draconic Magic, and the element he had won over. It felt like coming together. A long-lost puzzle piece that fit the void he’d been born with.

Nathaniel had been confined to the land as a child. He remembered the sparrows that migrated each year, how they passed over him in the thousands, in search of warmer weather. It was the first time he thought of the freedom that came with flying. As a human, he understood the impossibility of flight unless he developed the magic for it.

When Mary had taken him away from Edgar Allen, she’d flown when it was safe. She wanted him to experience flight even if his own wings were hidden under his human flesh and the Beast Marks that wrapped around him. He remembered the mist that stayed with him long after she flew them through the clouds, his racing heart when she took a nose-dive after soaring as high as Neil could handle, and the happiness of that first year when she caught up to the migrating birds of that winter season.

As he spread his wings and flew, he dedicated this first flight to his mother, Mary.

His first flight wasn’t perfect by any means, the ratio of his wings to his body still made for an awkward match, but he was flying through the sky by himself for the first time in his life. An accomplishment eighteen years overdue.

He took his time flying through the frigid clear sky but remained over the clearing so Erik wouldn’t worry. Erik had taken to lying on his back on one of the stones, content to watch Neil go around the moon in endless circles. He had switched back to his werewolf form which made the position appear more comfortable.

Eventually, Neil ran out of energy. His little stunt earlier had cost him his reserves, but constantly heating himself to fight the cold while activating his Draconic Element Manipulation depleted him completely. It was only through the thrill of the new experience that he was able to remain conscious enough to land properly in the clearing instead of falling gracelessly to the ground for the second time that night.

Erik crouched down next to him, a smile stretched on his hairy face.

“You look so funny in that form, I can’t take you seriously,” Neil couldn’t help but say with a mischievous laugh.

“Oh really? I’ve actually been told I look quite handsome in this form,” Erik admitted.

“Other werewolves don’t count,” Neil said.

“Not a werewolf,” Erik said quietly before changing the subject. “Did you know it’d be so exhilarating to take to the sky?”

“I didn’t know I’d enjoy it so much,” Neil confessed. “I knew it was something I craved but it went beyond that. If I had the energy, I would never touch the earth again.”

Erik looked at him carefully. “Everything you known about yourself so far might come from you being a human, but Neil, you haven’t reached the end of your life. There’s still so much you can learn about yourself.” He lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Who knows? You might come to prefer this form and the magic it was forged from.”

“When Hell freezes over,” Neil said, giving Erik a cold shoulder. He regretted his harsh treatment of Erik’s hopeful words almost immediately. He couldn’t warm himself anymore against the chill of the night. Next to him, Erik ran hot like a furnace.

“Ready to head back?” Erik asked.

Neil would never be ready to go back, not when he was this close to tasting freedom. He felt clear-headed for the first time in his dragon form. He was learning so much about himself while experiencing the magic he was denied all his life. He wanted to stay up all night with Erik and feel real under the moonlight.

“Andrew’s probably watching us now through his Syncognition,” Neil said. “Are you okay with him seeing you in this form?”

“If Andrew’s watching us, then right now he’s seeing me in my human form sitting next to a Bibi.”

“You’ve had your power activated this whole time?” Neil asked. “What’s a Bibi?”

Erik laughed. “I can always change it, but I thought it would be funny. It’s a magical creature from the Eastern Mountains, a winged fox. Somewhat rare, but not enough for anyone to bat an eye.”

“Considering your powers, you’re not that creative,” Neil said, unimpressed.

“The Foxes are gaining notability through the South and beyond for their efforts in this War. It was time they brought a live fox along to represent their symbol and bring luck. The Karasu Empire has it’s Ravens, let your side have a Fox.”

“A single fox can easily get torn apart by an unkindness of ravens. We’re still no match.”

“It’s an illusion, Neil. Let the ravens rain down on us and out of the fox skin will come a blazing dragon.”

Neil wanted to remind him that he was the lesser of the last two. The Moriyamas would taunt them back. Let the dragon set the black birds aflame. If the ravens fall, then out of the fiery pits of Evermore will come an even bigger dragon to tear him apart.

Neil stayed silent. He wasn’t going to face Nathan. If he ever got to that point, it was over for him. He’d rather go out peacefully than tortured by a butcher of dragons. Maybe Renee would do him a favor and prepare a spell for him in Black Magic, one that could kill him in a moment’s notice.

Erik must have noticed Neil’s darkening mood, opting to change the subject.

“I know you don’t want to return to them, but heading to Troy is the best plan of action. It’s safer to get there in a group than by yourself.”

“Why is Troy so important?” Neil asked. “If I can make it to any port city in the west coast, I’ll be able to board a ship to Uclerene just fine.”

Erik looked at Neil with eyes that were too close to pity for Neil’s liking.

“For humans, sure. But the Trojans are the only ones who board magical creatures on their ships.”

Neil was left stunned. He was still operating in the mindset of a human—it hadn’t even occurred to him that he would be bound by the same laws that had restricted free travel for magical creatures in recent years. It was never something he had cared to put much thought to when he lived as a human, it wasn’t something he ever thought would affect him.

“So, in that entire stretch of coast land, magical creatures only have one port they can hope to escape from? No wonder only a quarter of the creatures who try to get Uclerene actually survive the journey, the humans have made it almost impossible.” Neil wasn’t even accounting for all those who would get caught and sold or killed for their magical properties, just like Aaron had mentioned the night he chained him. It was never meant to be easy for them to escape this war-stricken land.

The humans designed it that way.

“The Trojans are an exemption to all laws put in place since the Karasu Empire gained control of the northern and eastern territories. The Southern Kingdoms as a whole are taking notice and returning to their progressive ways but they’re still not on par with Troy regarding equal rights for magical creatures. They’re heading in the right direction, they’re just too slow for it to make an impact right now.”

Erik noticed Neil slowly edging closer to his warmth and took pity on him. He lifted them both up on a stone wolf and placed Neil right next to his large thighs. Neil settled into the warmth as Erik continued.

“But that’s not the reason The Foxes are headed that way. The Trojans are strong. Aside from the Karasu Empire, they hold the most power. Without Nathan, it would honestly be a tossup on who would come out on top. They’re our best allies in this war and they won’t submit to the Karasu Empire even if Nathan ascends. They’ll fight to the end.” Erik looked at Neil. “As will we.”

“Speak for yourself,” Neil said.

Neil knew Erik wanted to fight him on that, but he let it slide. Erik was learning how to handle Neil.

“I’m bringing them up for a reason,” Erik continued. “There’s a man in Troy who captains their army, I’d argue he’s made more of a name for himself than anyone else in that Kingdom. Do you know who he is?”

Had Neil paid attention to Tetsuji’s lessons, he would know. Neil shook his head.

“You two have similar upbringings but switched.”

Neil tilted his head.

“He was born golden out of a human woman but was taken on his birth day by a senate of griffins who claimed him as one of their own. It’s the first time in recorded history that happened,” Erik explained.

“Wait, really?” Neil asked. He really should have taken his lessons more seriously. “I didn’t know that kind of thing happened. So, he’s human?”

“Yes, human but raised as a griffin, as a magical creature. Just as you, a dragon, were raised as a human. He had no contact with other humans until he was around ten. By that time, his worldview was forever changed. When it comes to the plights of magical creatures, no human is more understanding than he is.”

Neil thought of this person and their mirrored lives. Would he understand the complicated and conflicting thoughts that came from living a different identity than the one you were born into?

“But what made this human so special for the griffins to kidnap him and raise him as one of their own?”

“A perfect balance of his heart and his magic,” Erik replied easily. “The griffins are drawn to golden hearts, it’s their sole weakness. As much as they prefer to stay away from human affairs, they can’t help it when they come across humans with souls that call to them.”

Neil thought back to the first morning he woke up in Aaron’s tent. Wymack had said he’d ‘attracted griffins’ the night before but Neil couldn’t remember if he ever got an explanation. He doubted he had a heart of gold. Had the griffin come for someone else?

“But what really sealed the deal was the boy’s magic. In a very rare case, the fetus developed its magic core before it was even born. His magic specialization was fully developed before he even took his first breath. He’ll certainly be studied for years to come.” Erik looked up to the moon. “Even I’m fascinated. He says his mother bathed him in sunshine when she was pregnant. I wonder if the sun talks to him in the way the moon does for us.”

“You’ve met him before?” Neil asked. This man was shaping up to be someone special, a name to remember for generations to come. Neil wished he could push his fate onto the man. Let him hold the power to decide the outcome of this hundred-year war. Neil was certain his shoulders could handle the weight of that responsibility.

“Yes, many times. We run in the same social circle where magical creatures are concerned.” Erik chuckled. “We like to joke that he’s an honorary member, but the sad reality is that he’s done more for our kind than the Upper Court has since its inception.”

“This Upper Court of Magical Creatures seems pretty useless to me,” Neil said. He was sure he’d never heard of such a council from Tetsuji’s lessons or anything he’d learned about. “Is this court known to the humans?”

Erik raked the tips of his claws down his thighs, a dour expression new on his face. “They have a hands-off approach, but their power is beyond us all. There’s dissent within the community over their lack of action concerning Heaven’s interference with the Dragon species. It’s important to note that dragons were never allowed in their court despite their power and position in the hierarchy of our world.”

Neil found that strange.

“In their defense,” Erik continued, “the dragons didn’t want any part in the formation of the Upper Court all those thousands of years ago. Long before the War. They were solitary creatures once they reached their ancient stage.” Erik became silent, lost in the thoughts brought by their conversation. He finally spoke when he remembered Neil had asked a question. “And no, humans hold no knowledge of the Upper Court. Even Nathan, himself, is unable to say a word to Kengo, the man who controls him.”

“But he’s not part of the Court? Why would that stop him?” Neil asked.

“Hmm,” Erik thought, “The easiest way to explain it is to imagine a greater power that oversees our kind.”

“Like the Heavens?”

“Not the Heavens, an earthly magic of which we were born of. The Upper Court has managed some control over it and imposed that restriction on us all. Without our consent,” Erik added in distaste.

Neil wasn’t at his brightest in this his dragon form, although he was getting better. But this was still more confusing than he wanted to admit. Thankfully, Erik was patient with him—a magical creature who was unaware of the intricate histories and inner workings of their kind.

“Try it out with the others when we get back,” Erik suggested. “Trap Andrew or Nicholas in your Mind-Link and try to talk to them about the Upper Court. You won’t be able to—when you feel that pushback in your own mouth, you’ll have a taste of what their power is like. Even Jeremy is unaware of their existence, despite being raised as a griffin.”

“Jeremy?” Neil asked. “That’s his name?”

“Jeremy Knox, the sunshine boy!” Erik laughed. “The moment he sees you, he’s going to be impossible to contain with his excitement.”

Neil didn’t find that amusing, but he settled on, “I thought the humans were going to keep me a secret, even once we arrive at Troy?”

“That’s the plan,” Erik agreed, “but it’s impossible to keep your identity a secret from Jeremy. I’m sure The Foxes are aware of that.”

Neil waited for an explanation and realized that Erik never mentioned what Jeremy’s power was.

“The basis of Jeremy’s power is nullification. No magic works on him, human or creature,” Erik explained.

Neil rubbed his snout on the stone below him.

“That’s a bit of an underwhelming power after you built him up to be something from the legends,” Neil admitted, disappointed.

Erik smiled. “At first glance, sure. But like I said, that’s just the basis of his magic. He’s able to extend that power to anyone he touches.”

“How so?”

“Let’s take Kevin for example. Nicholas mentioned to me very briefly that his brother removed his eyesight with his magic. With a touch, Jeremy is able to nullify that magic and return Kevin’s sight.”

“He’s able to nullify active magic cast on others?” Neil’s first thought, oddly, was Andrew. “What about Black Magic?”

As always, the faint hope that flickered in his chest was put out just as quickly as it came on.

Erik shook his head. “There’s two major limitations he hasn’t been able to overcome. Black Magic and Spell Marks. The first has been too dangerous to touch—know that he’s tried but it’s always caused significant damage to him—and the second is possible but rarely ever does it completely work as intended.”

“You mean he’s done it before, with Spell Marks at least?” Neil asked.

“Very few, the less complicated sort. But those can usually be removed through common knowledge shared in texts so it’s no so much his power as it is the spells are weak to begin with. The Spell Marks crafted by powerful magic bearers are creations beyond simple magic. They’re made of blood, ancient rituals, vows, or curses tied to an individual, processes that are tied by magic but not completely formed by it.”

 Neil kind of understood that logic—the limitations of a useful magic like nullification. He would have liked to have Andrew’s Dermis Spell Marks removed, but he knew it couldn’t be as easy as having someone nullify their effect on Andrew’s body and mind.

Kathy had examined Andrew’s Spell Marks and she had written something down. He remembered Abby’s stunned face as she read the note. Kathy was able to read the inner workings of Andrew’s Spell Marks and had noted down how to break or reverse them. Wymack, Kevin, and Aaron had all gathered around Andrew afterwards—did they all know how to reverse the Spell? Was it so impossible that they refused to do anything about it or had Andrew told them not to bother? What kind of damage did his Spell Marks even cause him?

“—eil? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Neil hadn’t realized he had mentally left their conversation to chase his own thoughts. “Sorry,” he said, “I got lost in my head.”

“No worries, it’s a lot of information I’m dumping on you at once. I just don’t know the next time we’ll have a chance to talk alone.”

Neil was about to mention that he could always activate his Mind-Link if they needed to talk in private when the others were around, when it finally occurred to him why Erik even brought Jeremy up in the first place.

Neil stood on all four legs, tail up and alert. “Can Jeremy remove Aaron’s tamer bond on me?”

Erik smiled sheepishly, as if only now remembering why he also brought up Jeremy. “I believe so. Aaron’s tamer bond is purely fueled from his magic so I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. You mentioned that Aaron said he would release you from the bond once you reached Uclerene? If he refuses to do so, then we can have Jeremy interfere.”

Neil’s excitement faded. “Why would I wait until we reach Uclerene? I’ll just touch Jeremy once we make it to Troy and rid myself of Aaron sooner rather than later.”

Erik’s thin lined expression returned. “It’s not as easy as a touch. Jeremy has to activate his power while touching you. He has to want to do it.”

“And why wouldn’t he want to help me?” Neil asked.

“I’m sure he would, but there’s human politics involved.” Neil interpreted Erik’s silence as his way of figuring out how to say his next words without setting off Neil for the umpteenth time that night. “Again, Neil, I don’t know how much more I can stress this, but in any other case he would nullify Aaron’s magic at your first meeting. He, just like any other sane magical creature, finds tamers…distasteful. But—”

Neil let out a frustrated sigh.

“But you’re a very special case, Neil. My illusions won’t work on him, I can’t conceal your identity from Jeremy. The moment he sees you, it’ll all click for him. Your importance, your safety I should say, will override any of his personal feelings on the matter.”

“Why is my safety tied to being tamed by Aaron?” Neil argued.

Jeremy almost rubbed his eyes with his claws, the first sign of frustration from dealing with Neil’s growing temper.

“I’ve only known you for a couple of hours, Neil, but I have to be honest with you. You’re a wild card and being unpredictable when your safety is so important to us all…well, I can see how others would be nervous to set you free.” Eric regretted his wording as soon as it left his mouth. His eyes widened. “That came out wrong, Neil, please—”

Neil jumped off the stone and turned away from Erik.

“You agree with them,” Neil bit out. “You might not like how they’ve been treating me, but you also think that I need to be controlled.” Neil felt the anger bubble under his skin and cloud his mind. The brief rationality he felt in this form disappeared as soon as Neil realized it wasn’t going to get any better.

“Neil, that wasn’t what I meant. I just mean to say that Jeremey is still a human, he’ll understand why the others would feel better if you remained tethered to them in some way. He would probably hold off on nullifying Aaron’s magic until Nathan is dealt with. Afterwards, I know he’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“I’m to remain chained until I’m no longer needed. Is that what you mean?” Neil turned a venomous look on the werewolf. “I’ve no rights until I’m all that’s left of my species. Some right’s activist you turned out to be.”

Neil turned away before Erik’s hurt expression could get to him. He couldn’t even be surprised. He needed to wake up to the reality that was his situation, his life. A constant loop of being let down and hurt. The only way to stop it, Neil concluded, was to give up hope entirely that anything would get better.

Erik would force his return to the humans, they’d make it to Troy just for Neil to be used as a secret ploy for an attempted victory, the plan would undoubtably fail, Nathan would find out about his existence, he’d never make it to Uclerene to meet his uncles, he would die at the hands of the butcher of dragons, and worst of all, he wouldn’t die a human. He would die a pathetic hatchling.

“Neil, whatever dark thoughts you’re thinking, you need to stop now!” Erik shouted through the harsh noise. “Your Draconic Magic is leaking!”

Neil had thought he’d drained his magic for the day, but everywhere he looked, destruction followed. The stones that made up the sacred mimetoliths cracked under pressure, sending shards of rocks spearing through the space around them. The soil underneath them turned to black tar heroin, an almost boiling hot stickiness that reeked of impurities. By the time Neil realized what he was doing, he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t control his own Draconic Black Energy.

Before he was submerged in the bubbling tar of his own creation, he was grabbed by sharp claws and brought to dry land. Neil stayed motionless in Erik’s arms as he watched the devastating destruction he’d created with his dark thoughts. The smell of burning flesh made him sick and he threw up when he realized it was coming from Erik.

The werewolves hind legs were missing skin and muscle where tar touched. Meat and bone were exposed as Erik dropped to his knees in excruciating pain.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Neil screamed. Erik could only manage groans of pain as he tried to remove the bits of tar that hadn’t eaten through his flesh, the ones that were stuck to his fur.

Neil bit into his own flesh, violently tearing through the soft scales protecting him to get to his blood. He smeared the red on his snout first before he ran behind Erik to smear his blood on every wound he could find. Erik’s agonizing yells as Neil pushed into his wounds with his snout only made things worse. Neil couldn’t keep his food down and he vomited in between his self-mutilation as he urged more blood to flow from his useless body.

Excruciatingly slowly, Erik’s body took in his Draconic Blood and healed. Erik, who had turned delirious with the pain, recovered enough to stop Neil from hurting himself any further. Neil knew Erik’s wounds were closing but he couldn’t stop tearing his own wounds further apart. He was a monster for what he did to Erik. Erik, who was the first in so long to show him any kind of genuine kindness. And this was how Neil repaid him? By destroying a sacred landmark to his kind and burning the flesh off his bones?

Neil wanted to die in that moment. He wanted to stop existing. He wanted it all to end. He wanted to return to those boring mornings at Edgar Allen. He wanted his mom, he didn’t care which one. He wanted his brothers to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay. He—

“Neil, please stop. It’s starting up again.”

Neil turned at the sound of Erik’s hoarse voice. He saw the black spill from him again, he heard howls off in the distance, and he cried.

“I don’t want to—I don’t want to do this anymore,” he cried out. He sat on his hind legs and looked up. He’d never seen the moon look so large and brilliant, almost mocking him with her brightness knowing he was experiencing his darkest moment.

Hush, little one. Born of the earth but fated for above. You belong with us.

Neil stood in alarm, the voice so loud in his head.

Out of the corner of his eye, the clearing’s perimeter lit up and tar was swallowed up by the earth. The ground trembled and the light intensified. With a sick, eerie feeling in his gut, Neil dared to look up.

The moon whispered in his ear.

“Stay hidden. The Heavens grow suspicious.”

A bone-chilling wind forced his head down—a cold so intense it burned him to the core. As brutal as the cold was, Neil could not force himself to feel afraid. This was the moon’s will and she wouldn’t hurt him. As soon as he accepted her, his heart slowed until the pauses between beats grew far apart.

He felt Erik’s heat as the werewolf used the last of his energy to crawl to him. “Our Protected One,” he said, with so much reverence it almost frightened Neil. “I will gladly give my life for you.” Erik lifted him up and pressed him to his chest. The soft fur was a small comfort. Neil’s half-lidded eyes stared up at Erik, heavy with exhaustion. Erik lowered his head and pressed their foreheads together.

 Neil’s hearing was the last to go.

“Become our savior in this life and our protector in the next. Survive us all.”

жжж

Aaron fought the burning in his lungs as he continued running, chasing his chain snakes as they led him to Neil’s location. He’d lost sight of Andrew miles ago.

He’d never seen his brother run so fast.  

The Foxes had been crammed inside Erik’s home, desperate to follow along with Andrew’s Syncognition and the brief descriptions he would allow. Aaron had started both verbal and physical fights since then, frustrated over Andrew’s laconic replay of Neil’s escape. When Andrew had tensed and said that Neil had fallen off a cliff like the idiot he was, Aaron had almost suffered an aneurism.

Nicky had been even more annoying. He had broken down in a puddle of tears, inconsolable, until Andrew had told him Erik was keeping Neil within the surrounding mountain range. Nicky had fallen on his knees and begged Wymack not to punish Erik too severely.

It wasn’t Wymack, Erik had to worry about. It was the dragon’s owner he needed to be wary of when he returned. Aaron didn’t care about Erik’s intentions, he only cared that his authority was undermined. He had spent enough time with Erik in his teenage years to know that the man had done his fair share of illegal activities for the “greater-good” of freeing captive magical creatures and he cursed himself for not anticipating the abduction.

Andrew had placated some of the group’s worry when he revealed that Erik had concealed Neil’s identity through his magic. Andrew described Erik running alongside a foxlike creature, the size of Neil’s dragon form, with batlike wings. It wasn’t enough to quell the panic in Aaron, of everything that could go wrong with a dragon like Neil off leash.

He had been restlessly pacing the crowded room, biting his nails as he held onto the damaged ends of his tamer bond with Neil. He pulled and pulled but there was nothing connected to the ends of his magic. His dragon had never been so far away from him since the taming ritual, he ached as if missing a limb.  

When it happened, Andrew had not said a word but when a man as expressionless as his brother turned white, he didn’t need the words said aloud. Something had happened to Neil.

His brother tugged Renee on the way out and they were off. Aaron slipped as his body tried to match the speed of the racing thoughts in his head. Erik and Neil were miles away, over the rocky terrain of the massive mountain range that made this land so daunting to passing travelers. There was no way any of them would reach them in time to stop whatever had started. The impossibility of the task did not falter his movements. Aaron sent off his chain snakes, familiar with Neil’s scent, and followed behind his brother and Renee.

The knee-high snow and the bite of the night wind slowed him down an hour into his rescue, but he felt his dragon nearby. Aaron’s attention snapped to the figures walking towards him in the distance. Erik had either constructed the illusion to work only on those outside The Foxes or those looking in with their magic, or the illusion had worn off with Erik’s exhaustion. Whatever the case, Aaron saw Neil as he did in his dreams, a red-scaled ruby, a dragon that would mount the world.

He pushed through the last feet of snow that separated them and without a word, snatched his sleeping dragon from Erik’s arms. With a gentle hold, he inspected his dragon for injuries and was shocked at how cold Neil felt. There were too many seconds passing between his shallow breaths. Andrew, who had come out of the dark with Renee, came to stand next to him.

Aaron handed his dragon over to his brother after his inspection and returned to Erik, an arm drawn back, and landed a hard punch on his nose. He heard a sick crunch that satisfied his anger and tried to get another hit in, but Renee pulled him back and got in between the men.

Erik didn’t fight back, he let the blood slide down his nose and pool on the snow. He looked wretched, an expression so foreign on the man’s face that Aaron had to look away. He wondered if Andrew and Renee had chewed him out when they found him or if whatever had happened that prompted Andrew to action was more related to Erik than it was to Neil.

Regardless, Erik chose to take Neil and now he would answer to Aaron.

“What the fuck did you do to my dragon?”

Erik didn’t answer, his eyes locked on the red snow beneath him.

“He entered brumation,” Andrew said. “I don’t know if that was Erik’s intention, but it was one hell of a way to go about it.”

Erik lifted his head, his gaze intense on Aaron. “Neil will be able to rest properly now until we reach the South. This was the best outcome for his health.” He turned to look at Andrew. “It wasn’t my intention when I took Neil out, but he needed it to happen.”

“It would have happened naturally, you had no right to take him,” Aaron snapped.

“You would have dragged it out,” Erik said. “Neil had been suffering the effects since his Beast Marks were still on. You should have let him brumate the moment they were gone. Instead, you stuffed him in a bag for days on end. That is no way to treat The Protec—” Erik cut himself off.

In the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Andrew lift an eyebrow and share a look with Renee.

“You heard me in the kitchen, I was willing to let it happen,” Aaron said.

“You maybe, but not the other one.”

It wasn’t hard to guess who Erik was referring to. Kevin would probably be the only one of them that would be displeased by Neil’s state. He wouldn’t get a chance to use him for training until they arrived at Troy at the earliest.

“If this wasn’t your intention, why did you take Neil?” He took his dragon back from his brother and asked Andrew. “What did you see in your mind’s eye when you ran off? What did he do to Neil?”

“Erik isn’t at fault,” Renee spoke up. “Even after Neil fell into brumation, he was still seeping magic. I had to use my power on him.”

When it came to Renee, Aaron had learned early on that her magic was layered. If it wasn’t for Dan, Renee would not have revealed all her powers to them. She practiced White Art and Blood Magic openly, but Aaron knew enough of her past usage of Black Magic to be wary of her.

He held Neil tightly before he asked, “What did you use on him, Renee?”

“Power Stripping,” Renee answered. Before Aaron could react, she added, “It’s only temporary, I’ll have to reinforce it every fortnight so that he doesn’t have access to it even while unconscious.”

“What power did you take from him?” Aaron asked. Dan had listed some of the more notable ones, but Neil was a dragon, his magic ran deep.

Renee sighed, looking a little worse for wear herself. “It was Destructive Magic, chaos born from the concept of destruction itself. Just like—"

“Just like Nathan,” Andrew finished for her.

It was an open secret that The Foxes kept quiet about. The almost identical color-scale, the same icy-blue eyes, both under a kingdom one served while the other was born into. It was entirely possible that Nathan was Neil’s sire.

The anger that returned was directed at Erik. “What did you do to awaken that kind of magic in him?”

Erik looked away, ashamed. “It was a slip of the tongue. I said something I shouldn’t have, and Neil got lost in his head. I couldn’t get through to him.”

“Neil’s Destructive Magic hurt Erik,” Renee said, “Neil helped where he could, but Erik still needs to be seen by Abby. Destructive Magic is too closely related to Black Magic for natural healing to be effective. Erik’s in a lot of pain right now, we have to keep moving.”

Erik deserved to be in a world of pain after what he did, but Aaron kept that thought to himself as they made their way back to Erik’s village.

When Erik’s house came into view, Nicky was the first to spot the group. The commotion of Nicky finding Erik with a broken nose was enough to alert the rest of The Foxes of their arrival.

Nicky only moved aside to allow Abby to inspect Erik and begin healing him. Wymack walked up to the group, hoping to hear an explanation of events, but was met with silence.

“I’ll field any questions,” Renee finally said.

Wymack sighed. “Alright. It’s well past midnight but Neil is back with us. We have a couple of hours to rest before we take off in the morning, use that time wisely,” Wymack warned.

Aaron wasn’t surprised at Wymack’s lack of punishment for Erik’s rash actions, he’d always been too soft of a man. The group followed Abby into the house to continue Erik’s treatment, Renee promising to fill them in as well if they went inside. Aaron stayed outside with his brother, watching as Kevin made his way towards them.  

Andrew stared at Aaron before his eyes dropped to Neil. “Do you know how to care for him while he’s in brumation?” Andrew asked.

Aaron could have been snarky with his response, but the weight of the night was catching up to him. He told Andrew what he wanted to hear, that Neil would be well-taken care of while he slept, and Andrew left the two alone and headed inside.

Aaron let the full moon’s light shine down on Neil’s scales and he took a moment to decompress and appreciate his dragon’s beauty. It would be easier to care for him now.

Kevin came to stand next to him. He had stayed strangely silent during the ordeal and their return. Aaron imagined he’d said his fill at the dinner table. He heard the almost silent brush of wings in flight and turned to see Kevin’s eagle land on his owner’s shoulder. They exchanged high-pitched chirps and whistles before Kevin, in an uncharacteristic manner, huffed and hid a smile behind his hand. Aaron hadn’t seen the eagle since before they arrived at Erik’s, Kevin mentioning that he let the bird explore the area.

Aaron knew Kevin was up to something. “You had your eagle follow them this whole time?” Aaron asked, turning around to make sure no one was around to hear them. “Did you know Erik was going to take Neil?”

“No, but I wasn’t surprised to see him do it. Rather I wanted to test his powers’ limitations,” Kevin said.

“His limitations? Didn’t Dan already—”

Kevin cut him off. “If you think he wasn’t already using his power of concealment with us, then you’re stupider than I thought.”

Aaron didn’t take the insult kindly, but Kevin’s words brought him to a stop.

“You’re saying he concealed the full scope of his powers before Dan read him?”

“That and the true limitations of his power. Nicky can’t shut his mouth to save his own life. He would have let it slip that Wymack intended to know everything about Erik’s magic before letting him join. That would mean that Nicky gave Erik, either intentionally or unintentionally, a heads-up regarding Dan’s power.”

“But why hide his power?” Aaron asked.

“It’s not exactly his power he’s trying to hide. Erik’s got a bigger secret to worry about, one that he conceals through his magic.”

Aaron had a feeling Kevin wasn’t going to tell him directly. Instead, he settled for, “What does your bird have to do with this.”

“Limitations,” Kevin said, easily. “His illusions don’t work on animals.”

Kevin left it at that, but his smug face let Aaron know he’d just found out something worthwhile.

Aaron spent the night in one of the bedrooms indoors, using the excuse that Neil was left too cold to spend his first night in brumation outside. Aaron placed Neil beside him and got under the covers. Before he blew out the candle illuminating the small room in an orange glow, he stared at Neil. He passed the pads of his fingers over his fire-radiant scales until he reached his spikes. They were too blunt to cause any harm, but he still traced over them with care.

He got to his pearl horns, an interesting combination for his color scale—most likely from his mother, and used both hands to wrap around each one. As a dragon grew older, their horns became beacons of their magic, a warning to all others of the power they held. He wondered what shape they would take as Neil grew.

Their relationship had started rocky, but Aaron would use these next months to reinforce the bond through close contact. If all went well, then the chains would return by the end of winter. He’d train Neil into obedience and raise a loyal dragon.

Aaron would be remembered for generations. Tamer of the last dragon. He would bring an end to this war.

He laid on his side and watched his dragon sleep. No one was going to take this away from him. Neil’s was his until Death took them both.

“I will see you at your greatest,” he whispered before he blew the candle out.

The next three weeks on the road were uncharacteristically peaceful for The Foxes. Erik kept Nicky busy and happy, entertaining his endless chatter and saving the rest from a similar fate. Allison and Seth had entered a weird on and off relationship, using their bodies to relieve the stress of travel. Matt, Dan, and Renee had gotten closer through their collaborative battle plans, an effort made possible by Dan’s chart of all recorded powers from recruits, known allies, and enemies. Wymack and Abby were kept busy with diplomatic affairs as several messenger birds found them each day while traveling. There was growing interest to join their fight from prominent nations across the seven seas and seven continents and The Foxes had garnered attention as they moved South.

Andrew pulled his weight by tracking Nathan and the Moriyama’s movements through his Syncognition, an ability that had somehow leaked to other allies and only solidified The Foxes’ value in war strategies. It also meant that they were clearly marked as enemies of the Empire.

It was Kevin who Aaron was most wary of. It wasn’t normal for an ornery man to change so dramatically in the span of a couple of weeks. It was still an impossible task to wake him up each morning, more so lately, but once he was awake, Kevin was…pleasantly agreeable. Kevin had yet to start a single fight with anyone, instead bringing an almost optimistic approach to their plans, even spending most of his day with Wymack responding to allies across borders and seas.

Aaron wasn’t the only one to notice the change, but consensus held that no one wanted him to revert to his old ways.

The unspoken cause of their tranquility lay peacefully in Aaron’s arms. It was no exaggeration to say that Neil’s brumation was the best thing that had happened to The Foxes aside from Neil, himself, being a dragon in their possession. It was the best of both worlds: they were relaxed knowing the dragon was safe in their hold and they didn’t have to be wary of Neil’s antics or unpredictability.

Aaron had been using this time to repair and strengthen their bond. While Neil’s conscious mind was asleep, Aaron focused on his body. By keeping his physical form warm and safe through the vulnerable period, the bond reacted well, and Aaron felt relief flood him when he felt it come alive again. He had asked Abby and Renee to help him make an assortment of creams for Neil’s delicate scales and wings.

They saved the fat from animals they hunted, pulverized plants and herbs for their properties, and collected tree and seed oils. Milk and honey, the gel of aloe vera, teas and flowers, Aaron had spent countless hours during their breaks to see what worked best for Neil. The end result after a consistent routine was evident in Neil’s soft, leathery wings and his hardening scales. Were it not for Aaron’s care, the cold would have caused cracks to Neil’s skin and made it painful to move once he woke.

They were settled in for the night, Aaron massaging a glistering cream to the base of Neil’s horns, when he noticed Andrew’s eyes on him. They had been oddly at peace in the weeks since Neil went into brumation. Andrew had returned to watching over them with his physical presence rather than his Syncognition. Thanks to his close relationship with Nicky, Erik had been roped into Andrew’s protective circle. From early mornings to late nights, Andrew watched over them like a broody hen, reluctant to let any of them stray from the group.

Aaron had chucked the behavior to Andrew’s unease about their mounting attention in the growing rebellion. He had to know something the others didn’t through his Syncognition that had him returning to his old ways. It didn’t take long for Nicky and Kevin to fall back into their old routines either. Aaron refrained from complaining about the lack of freedom as long as Andrew allowed him to care for Neil as Aaron felt necessary.

So, it came as a mild shock when Andrew said, “Can I hold him?”

It was so out of character of his brother to ask permission for something Aaron would consider tender that he nodded before he could take in the request.

Andrew walked to his side and put his arms out. Aaron briefly hesitated before he gathered Neil and gently transferred him over to Andrew’s hold.

Aaron still couldn’t be sure what Andrew’s intentions with Neil were, but the manner in which Andrew held the dragon and the look that crossed his face—it was too gentle for the man he had grown to know. There were knives hidden under his armbands and a deadly past he kept buried inside him, there was still so much Aaron didn’t know about the man who shared his face. Entrusting him with the most important thing in his life, even for just a moment, made Aaron uncomfortable.

He wanted to trust Andrew, wanted to trust the brother he’d spent nights dreaming of, but Andrew had only given him reasons to be cautious.

“Brumation is only entered by hatchlings during the first twenty years of their life. Misconception lies in the supposed comatose state of the hatchling as they brumate; however, recent research from a domesticated clutch points to intervals of consciousness. Hatchlings were observed to stir awake occasionally to drink water and adjust themselves in more comfortable positions.”

“Did you just quote one of my Dragon texts that went missing?” Aaron asked, exasperated.

“I’m asking if you’ve seen him move a muscle since he entered brumation? I’ve been watching closely but I’ve yet to see Neil twitch let alone wake long enough for any of us to notice,” Andrew said.

Aaron shrugged. “Lots of those studies were inconclusive. Even when there were plenty of dragons to use as research subjects, there were too many variables affecting the results. Depending on the region the dragon originated from, some didn’t even need to brumate or could manage the temperature change in other ways. The dragon’s innate draconic specialization could also impact results. Elemental specialization, for example, could completely skew the results and you wouldn’t even know until they developed it years later. A dragon with draconic ice specialization would be a lot more resistant to the winter months than a dragon with draconic fire specialization.”

Andrew gave him a slight nod, understanding his points but willing to hear more if Aaron was inclined to continue explaining.  

“Neil’s also a special case. We still don’t know how he was created or what the long-term effects of the Beast Marks will have on his body.”

“So, to the best of your knowledge, the brumation has been…going well for him?”

Aaron found the slight hesitation interesting coming from his brother.

“What? Are you worried about him?”

Andrew didn’t answer. He stared down at Neil wrapped in his arms, an almost doleful look in his face.

“I made a deal with him,” he relented. “I told him I’d protect him if he stayed with us. I need to know if he’s—”

“Yes, he’s fine,” Aaron said, catching on to the seriousness in Andrew’s words. “He’s healthy and taking well to the sleep. Erik was right. He needed this.”

Aaron saw the slit of the tent open as Wymack popped his head in. He locked eyes with Aaron.

“You and Kevin are on butchering duty. He snagged a young stag with Matt. We’ll ration it out until we pass under the mountain, so make small cuts. Cure some of the meat,” Wymack ordered.

Aaron rolled his eyes. He had been looking forward to calling it an early night.

“Why can’t Matt finish the job with Kevin? I’m watching over Neil,” he added.

“I’m loaning Matt and Erik to the nearby villagers. They need the manpower for some heavy lifting they’ve been unable to do. It’s an elder’s village. We help them with this, and they’ll allow us passage through their underground system. It’ll shave three days off our travels.” Wymack looked over to Andrew who had made his way over to his sheepskin mat. “Looks like Andrew’s on dragon watch tonight.”

Aaron watched Andrew lay Neil down before he settled beside him on the mat. It irritated Aaron even if his brother wasn’t doing anything.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” he said before he took off in search of Kevin.

Kevin was further out from their camp, near a stream of water. He had cut into the stag’s stomach, ripping out its organs and washing its insides with the natural spring water. Aaron picked up a knife and got to work on skinning the animal.

They worked silently but efficiently to strip the animal of its rich meat. After some time, Aaron noticed they were being watched by a pack of stray dogs. Aaron tried to scare them off at first but ended up just feeding them the scraps they would leave behind anyways. When the dogs grew greedy and tried to pull a severed leg from Kevin’s stash, Aaron got up with his knife to wave them away. Suddenly, the dogs yelped in unison and ran off, tails between their legs.

Aaron looked around shocked, wondering what had scared them off. It wasn’t until his eyes met Kevin’s eagle, perched on a nearby branch, that Aaron asked, “Was that your doing? Have you been watching through your eagle’s eyes this whole time?”

“Yes,” Kevin said.

“You’re able to extend your powers through their senses? Is this a recent development?”

“Pass me the curved knife,” Kevin said.

“Hey, isn’t that cause for celebration? You’ve been trying to do that since what, since you lost your vision right?” Aaron reached over and grabbed the knife, handing it to Kevin. “Doesn’t that mean that you’re back to how you were before. No more limitations, right?”

Aaron dropped the knife when he caught hold of Kevin’s arm. He pushed his sleeve back and Kevin shoved him away. It was quick, but it was enough.

“What the fuck?” Aaron yelled. He fought back and tried to grab Kevin’s right arm again.

“Fuck off!” Kevin yelled back.

Kevin backed away from him and Aaron used that moment to slip a foot behind the blind man causing him to trip. His eagle screeched as it landed near them, angry on his owner’s behalf, and launched an attack on Aaron. Aaron fought off the bird, willing to use the knife in his hold to harm it if it got in his way. When he had an opening, Aaron slammed down on Kevin, twisting Kevin’s arm behind his back before using the sharp knife to cut through his sleeve.

“Tell me you haven’t been…” Aaron was left speechless at what he unraveled.

He felt the stiff skin cracked and flacking. Underneath, bright crimson scales.

Dragonscale.  

His heart stopped in his chest. “How? I don’t understand?”

Kevin pushed him off and hid his arm behind his back.

“I have it under control,” Kevin said through clenched teeth.

“I don’t give a shit if you have it under control. I need to know how it happened. Neil has been under my watch every day since Erik took him. There’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed you taking him.”

Kevin turned his head away.  “I told you I needed him for two hours every night. I removed his Beast Marks. I did what I said I would, and I’ll take what I said I would.”

“At night?” Aaron wasn’t a heavy sleeper. He would have noticed if Kevin was taking Neil from him every night. “Bullshit.”

Kevin dismissed him and called his eagle to his shoulder. Together they continued to work on the stag, intent on ignoring Aaron.

“No, this doesn’t end here until you explain to me what the fuck you’ve been doing to Neil,” Aaron insisted.

“Shut up!” Kevin yelled. “Andrew could be watching.”

“Interesting time for you to worry about Andrew. How have you been getting away with this?” He grabbed Kevin’s arm. “How does Andrew not know about this?”

Kevin grabbed the front of Aaron’s shirt and pulled him close.

“You are not going to ruin this for me,” he said.

“You don’t have a right to be taking my fuckin dragon out from under my nose each night.”

“It was part of our deal, you shithead. I paid for Kathy. I’m the reason you have Neil in that form. I made myself very clear that night.”

“Then tell me how you’ve been doing it without anyone knowing.”

Kevin pushed him back.

“I’ll wake you at midnight. Now drop it before Andrew hears us.”

Aaron dropped to a crouch instead, studying Kevin.

“Dragonscale will kill you, slowly,” he reminded Kevin.

“I’m aware. I have it under control,” Kevin said, words bordering hostility. He was deviant in light of this new information.  

Aaron looked him over with open disapproval. “Each time I’m reminded you were raised at Evermore, it makes it easier to understand how fucked up you are.”

Kevin turned away, wordless.

“Andrew’s right,” Aaron continued, “Neil will kill you if he ever finds out what you were doing to him while he was unconscious.”

“Neil will understand why I did what I did. What I’ll continue to do.”

Aaron grimaced at that. There was small love between siblings in dire times like the ones they lived in, Aaron knew, but still. “You know, I thought I had a shitty brother. But Andrew’s not that bad compared to you.”

Kevin did not deign to reply. He returned to the task at hand, his eagle working as his eyes, and his hands busy butchering the animal.

Aaron had taken his time cleaning the blood and stench from his body. When he returned to the tent, Andrew was asleep with Neil nestled under his arm. Andrew was usually the last to sleep, always waiting until his family was settled in before he even attempted to let his mind rest. Neil’s relaxed state had probably lulled him to sleep. Aaron decided to kill time until Kevin arrived. He pulled out a book from his satchel, he had started using it again now that he had Neil outside indefinitely.

He waited until Kevin and his eagle came into the tent before he got up, curiosity eating him from the inside. Kevin waved him off and got into his own sheepskin, his eagle keeping guard by his side.

“What the hell?” Aaron whispered. “I thought you were going to show me.”

“I said midnight,” Kevin said and promptly fell asleep.

Aaron rolled his eyes but opened the book back up. He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until Kevin’s foot nudged him awake later that night.

Erik was standing next to him with Neil in his arms. Aaron immediately stood up and looked around. Andrew was still asleep with Neil also under his arm. Aaron did a double take before a dreadful understanding came over him. He grabbed Erik’s hand.

“You’re helping Kevin?” he asked in disbelief. “Why?”

Erik stayed silent, his eyes forward and face expressionless. It was then that Aaron noticed the bright green eyes where blue should be.

Kevin opened the slit of the tent and ordered them to come out.

Erik followed the command, taking the real Neil with him and leaving behind an illusion snuggled under Andrew. When Aaron looked back, Kevin and his own body were fast asleep, undisturbed by their real selves.  

This wasn’t right, Aaron thought with sick panic drenching his back cold.

He followed behind them, his mind running laps chasing the impossibility of what he’d just witnessed. They came to a stop once they reached the base of the nearby mountain they were to pass under the next morning. Erik handed Neil to Kevin before he lifted his arms to spread an illusion over them. Once they were hidden, Aaron turned to Kevin, the taste of bile in his mouth.

“Erik’s a magical creature?” he finally asked.

“A Werewolf,” Kevin confirmed.

With a snap of Kevin’s finger, Erik turned. It was a frightening thing to watch, so much so that he shut his eyes. Even then he couldn’t drown out the sick crunch of bones breaking and reforming as Erik grew larger. When Aaron dared to look, he stumbled backwards as the creature towered over them—his shape remaining humanoid but every other inch, a beast. Honey-colored fur spread over his body that now held a slightly slouched posture. His feral face was slightly elongated, wolf ears swooped back, and his strong jaws now hid razor sharp canines. His hands and fingers were thick and ended with a set of wicked sharp claws.

Even if Kevin claimed to be in control, Aaron couldn’t fight back the fear of Erik coming to his senses and ripping them apart.

“How did you find out? When did you find out?” Aaron asked. How long had Kevin been abusing his power?

“The same night Erik took Neil,” Kevin replied. “I told you that his illusions don’t work on animals.”

“You had your eagle follow him that night.” It clicked. “He was in his werewolf form and your eagle told you.” Aaron thought of the flaw in Erik’s power and how he had refused to disclose it. “He’s putting us at risk. If the Moriyamas send their ravens over in search of us, they’ll see Neil through the Bibi disguise.”

“They won’t,” Kevin said.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Erik’s concealment magic and his illusions can only be seen by regular animals. They can’t be bred with magic, created by magic, or hold any magic enchantments. The ravens that the Moriyamas house are dripping in Black Magic.”

“So, we’re safe?”

“Yes. The only flaw in his magic can be seen by an animal manipulator. And even then, they’d have to put two and two together. My magic specialization isn’t as common as you think it’d be.”

“Do you think Erik knows about this limitation?”

“I think he does,” Kevin said. “I just don’t think Nicky had a chance to tell him that first night about my power. He wouldn’t have turned into a werewolf so carelessly that first night and he hasn’t since then. When Renee introduced all of our powers to him, he immediately grew wary of me.”

“I doubt it was because of your animal manipulation. I thought the face he made when Renee explained your magical creature manipulation powers was due to Neil, but now it’s clear he had to worry about falling victim to your power as well.”

“He has to know the flaw because he’s also able to turn into a wolf,” Kevin explained. “There was a pack that night near them, a mix of Werewolves and regular wolves. The wolves could see Neil as a dragon and the werewolves couldn’t. Erik could communicate with them both, so he has to know.”

“So, you’re the ultimate vulnerability to his powers?” Aaron deduced.

“And I’d be stupid not to take advantage of that vulnerability,” Kevin said.

Aaron looked back at Erik, motionless and awaiting commands from the one who controlled him.

“Does he not remember being controlled when you let him go?” Aaron asked. That had to be the case or else Erik would have confronted Kevin or left the group by now.

“It’s never been something I could do on my own, but my mother had mastered that ability by my age. It was a necessary advancement in power when she was tasked with controlling Nathan.”

That took Aaron by surprise. He knew Kayleigh was renowned for her power and rank in the Karasu Empire, but to be able to mind-control the most powerful dragon in existence seemed almost impossible.

“If Nathan were to ever discover that he was being controlled, my mother would have met her end long before Neil’s mother got a chance. She developed her power and attained a new level of control. She explained the basics to me in hopes that I could one day do the same and it was only by sheer panic that I was able to do it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you I didn’t have the means to practice on magical creatures. Neil was supposed to do that for me, but you know how well that went. So, I started on animals. It’s only thanks to my eagle that I was able to track progress and finally master the ability. I would ask if he remembered being controlled and only when he consistently confirmed that he had no memory of losing control of his mind or the time, did I finally attempt it on Erik.”

Kevin walked up to Erik and put out his hand. Erik placed his over Kevin’s.

“I had one shot with Erik. If it didn’t work, then I would be giving myself away. Erik would know that I knew he wasn’t a human and I would lose the possibility of ever using his powers. Control over magical creatures requires tenfold of the power it requires to control animals. The same goes for making sure they don’t remember being taken control of. It was thanks to the panic I felt in that moment, the first control over Erik’s mind, that I was able to master the ability.”

Kevin handed Neil back to Erik.

“In the morning, Erik woke up like any other day and although he remained wary of me, nothing signifying him remembering what I did to him the night before showed up. At most I’ve heard him complain about being a little tired, but he chalks that up to the constant illusion he keeps up for Neil. It was a success.”

“So, every night since then you’ve been what? Controlling Erik to create illusions, making it seem like he, you, and Neil are all asleep and safe when in reality you’ve been taking them all out to train. How are you even doing that while Neil is in brumation?” Aaron questioned.

“It’s actually a lot easier to control Neil in this state. Less resistance,” Kevin said.

Kevin focused his power and Neil came alive. He stretched his limbs and his wings while still in Erik’s hold and finally, he opened his eyes. The glowing green eyes of Kevin’s control haunted Aaron. A peak of how the green of Kayleigh’s eyes looked on Nathan’s face.

“You’re able to control them at the same time?” Aaron asked.

“Our magic is like a muscle. The more we train with it, the stronger it becomes. I’ve been at this for almost a month now and I’ve never felt stronger, even without my vision. That disability doesn’t hinder me anymore when I can see through their eyes.”

“Can you see through them at the same time?”

“Yes, and through my eagle. Multiple perspectives I can choose from.”

He sent Neil flying and his eagle joined him in the air. They picked up speed and under the faint glow of the moonlight, Aaron was left mesmerized at his dragon’s movements. He couldn’t wait until he could manipulate Neil’s power enough to make him grow. He couldn’t wait until he was the one flying through the night sky on the back of his dragon.

The eagle took a sharp right and took cover under a row of tall pine.

Neil continued upwards until out of his mouth came an eruption, an inferno that lit and fogged the sky. He flew straight through the smokey clouds of fire and came out decorated in the flames. He circled far above them, Aaron intent on watching him while actively dodging the embers that landed around him. The clouds of red smoke turned gray as Neil passed through them, transforming them into rainclouds. They gathered like a second layer in the sky above and Neil disappeared from sight.

Kevin and Erik began to back away and Aaron wasn’t stupid enough to not follow them. A moment later, a blinding ray of lighting shot down to the earth and Aaron fell to his knees when the bolt rocked the ground’s surface. The birds of the mountain flew into the sky, their panicked sounds masked by the ear-shattering sound of thunder that followed shortly after.

Aaron had instinctively closed his eyes and covered his ears, a primal fear overtaking him. When he opened his eyes again, Neil emerged from the crater created by the bolt of lightning.

“What the fuck.”

Kevin stood at his back.

“And that’s only his Draconic Elemental Manipulation. Do you understand what kind of a weapon we have in our hands.”

Aaron looked back in shock.

“They had to have heard that. The villagers nearby, too. That wasn’t a normal bolt of lightning. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Erik’s magic deserves recognition too,” Kevin admitted. “It goes beyond illusion. His magic manipulates all five senses. Their reality is different to ours. To everyone else, it’s a calm, quiet night.”

Aaron looked towards the damage just a few feet away from him. “But the crater…”

“The crater and any damage caused by the fire will remain. But it won’t be visible to the villagers until we’re long gone. We won’t be blamed for it.”

Neil had returned to them and despite the eerie glow of Kevin’s eyes staring back at him, Aaron couldn’t help but reach for his dragon.

“If that’s what he can do in this size, we have to see him grown.”

“That’s where you come in, Tamer.” Kevin paused his control of Neil and slumped to the ground. As much as Kevin tried to act like controlling two magical creatures was an easy task for him, the obvious strain of his power was too hard to mask. Neil returned to his state of brumation. “I can only control Neil and his current level of power. I can’t develop it as my own magic, but you can. Through your tamer bond, you have access to his power, and you can make it yours. We can make him stronger together. I can control his mind and body and you can control his power.”

Aaron thought through what Kevin was proposing. He’d have a chance to develop and strengthen his and Neil’s power without the possibility of Neil resisting. The bond would also strengthen, and the chains and all its restrictions would most likely return before Neil awoke from brumation. It was all that he’d wanted so what was stopping him?

He looked at Erik, a magical creature that, like Neil, tried to hide his identity from humans. And for good reason, Aaron thought as he studied Erik. Body and mind controlled by a human with no regard to his feelings, his thoughts, his personal autonomy.

Aaron’s views on controlling or taming magical creatures had always remained constant. The same way they didn’t consider a wild animal’s will to live when they hunted it for its meat, Aaron had never considered a magical creature’s free will when it came to using their magic. But it was different when he considered Erik.

Erik had taken Nicky in when he was in need of saving, of stability, of a home that wouldn’t turn him away. Nicky had told Aaron that were it not for Erik, Nicky would have taken his own life. There were a lot of complicated emotions when it came to his cousin, but Aaron was thankful for Erik’s involvement in the most crucial years of Nicky’s life. He had even taken Aaron in for a short while when he himself needed saving from his mother.

Aaron’s views on magical creatures had never sat right with Erik and he knew why now. Even then, Erik never turned him away. Instead, he offered him his house and helped him recover. He had thought Erik was too delusion for fighting on behalf of magical creatures and the never-ending uphill battle to attain equal rights, but behind the ridicule, Aaron admired him. He was someone who stood tall in his beliefs and never wavered.

Was that all thrown away now that Aaron knew the truth? Now that Aaron knew Erik was not a human, could he ever see him as anything more than a creature? Did Erik deserve to be treated the same? Did Nicky know?

Aaron shook his head. It didn’t matter. He’d keep Erik’s identity a secret. He’d treat him just like he’d treat any other human during the daytime. In exchange, he’d turn a blind eye to the morally grey treatment of Erik by Kevin at nighttime.

This was all for their benefit, he told himself. This was all for the greater good.

He looked away from Erik and turned to Kevin.

“Wake me up each night.”

The two developed a routine. The goal was always to set up camp fast and be the first to bed. They’d get a couple of hours of sleep before they’d wake at midnight. Aaron would lay on his mat until Kevin could take control of Erik. Once the illusion had been activated, they’d set off to whatever clearing they were near that night and begin training.

Despite his family training, it had been difficult at first to apply the lessons of his youth to his situation. The problem, embarrassingly, came from the overwhelming power contained in the tiny dragon. Just like that first night the bond had formed, Aaron would experience a crushing surge of magic entering his own meridians and his body would become overwhelmed. Kevin, never one to be empathetic, had scolded Aaron for not being strong enough to handle Neil at his weakest level.

Kevin wouldn’t understand the process. Kevin was able to take control of Neil, but he’d never be able to feel Neil’s power within him like Aaron could. And that was a world of difference. Draconic Power was enigmatic by nature. The Heavens themselves did not foresee an earthly power reaching their might, but a nameless ancient welded that Draconic Power to tear their way into Heaven like it was their birthright. One did not need to understand its power to know that it was beyond any human-measure. And that power now coursed through Aaron’s veins as he tried to make it his own.

Only through understanding the power and its magic could Aaron help Neil develop it.

While the long-term exposure of Neil’s Draconic Power caused dragonscale to form on Kevin’s skin, Aaron was immune through the bond. Neil, and by extension, his power, could not harm Aaron in any way. It was the only way Dragon Tamers were able to survive the Draconic Power spreading inside them. It had given them an advantage unlike any other during the height of the war.

When Aaron had finally managed to take the surge of power without falling to his knees, he moved on to mastering Neil’s Draconic Elemental Manipulation. During the daytime, he’d ask Nicky to explain his own powers and how he was able to control the elements in his own right. Nicky, ecstatic to hear his cousin’s sudden interest in his power, did his best to explain his methods in a way that Aaron could then apply to his borrowed powers.

When he had finally mastered all four elements, Neil’s Draconic Breath, his Omnilingualism, and even his Mind-Link, he finally moved to developing Neil’s magic even further. To discover what else Neil was capable of. He steered clear of Neil’s Destruction Magic, something that Renee regularly stripped him of each time it reappeared, but everything else was fair game.

 Whatever Aaron learned, Neil would automatically learn as well. When he woke up, it would have been as if he’d been training his powers himself this entire time.

It all fell apart a week before they arrived at Troy, on a day that finally felt warm enough to shed a layer of clothing. Wymack had handed Aaron a newly acquired map of the region they were in and had asked him to give it to Erik to review. Erik’s familiarity with the southern region allowed them to maneuver the tricky mountain ranges with ease and set up camp in the most convenient locations.

Andrew was looking over Neil that morning, so Aaron had shrugged and taken the map from Wymack. He saw that Erik hadn’t taken down his tent yet so without much thought, he entered it. He dropped the map when he caught Erik and his cousin in the act.

It would have been enough to just see Erik on top of Nicky, devouring his face in open-mouthed kisses. But he was entering his cousin like the dog he was. It was disgusting and revolting all the same. When the two noticed they were being watched, they both had the decency to look embarrassed, but it wasn’t enough. Erik had a second to pull out and put himself away before Aaron attacked.

“You sick fuck,” he yelled as he dragged Erik out of the tent. “What the fuck is wrong with you. How long have you been doing this to him?”

Erik didn’t have a chance to speak before Nicky came rushing out, barely clothed.

“Aaron, what is wrong with you? Leave him alone!”

When he looked at his cousin, he couldn’t help feeling disgusted on his behalf. If Nicky didn’t know Erik’s true identity, then he was a victim being taken advantage of by a sick-in-the-head creature. If Nicky did know Erik was a Werewolf then he was just as bad.

He directed his anger at Erik for now.

“You touch him again and I’ll fucken kill you myself,” he threatened.

By that point, the others had gathered around to see what the commotion was about so early in the day.

“What happened?” Dan asked.

Aaron would have to shame Nicky until he realized that what he had been doing was wrong.

“I found Erik and Nicky together, they were fucking,” he managed.

His words were met with silence.

It was Allison who finally spoke, “Congrats on bagging him, Nicky. I knew you had it in you.”

“Gross,” Seth said.

“Oh shut up,” Allison said, “Sex is a great stress reliever. Keep up with the snide comments and I’ll find someone else to share my bed once we get to Troy.”

“That’s not the point,” Aaron bit out. “It’s disgusting.”

“Aaron.”

Aaron turned around to see Andrew, Neil tucked in his arms. His expression was venomous.

Matt helped Erik up as Nicky ran back inside their tent to put more clothing on.

“It’s real strange for you to be up in arms over two men enjoying themselves,” Matt said. “I didn’t take you for that kind of person, Aaron.”

“That’s not it,” Aaron tried to explain.

“Then what is it?” Erik finally spoke. “Nicky and I are both consenting adults. You barged into my private tent and assaulted me. What’s your reasoning?”

Aaron swore. He couldn’t out Erik. If he did, Erik would start to question how he found out about his identity. But still, it didn’t feel right. To have a magical creature fuck his cousin just a couple feet away from him, Aaron felt sick.

He gave Erik one last nasty look before he said, “Wymack wants you to review the new map. I dropped it in your tent.”

With that, he left, but not without seeing the distrust slowly edge its way into Erik’s eyes.

Kevin brought up the argument later that night during their training.

“That was a stupid reaction to have this morning,” Kevin started. “Do you know how close you came to ruining everything? Erik’s a smart man, if he becomes suspicious of us, of what we know, he’ll piece it together.”

“He’s not a man,” Aaron said as he stared at the werewolf trading attacks with his dragon.  

“As far as you’re concerned, he is. When the sun is out, Erik is as much a human as we are.”

“He’s a werewolf and he was fucking my cousin, what the fuck kind of a reaction did you think I’d have?”

“It’s not like he was in his werewolf form when it happened,” Kevin said.

“Like that makes it any better?” Aaron said, horrified. “I need to tell Nicky the truth. If he knew what that thing was he’d stay away from him.”

“And if Nicky knows?” Kevin asked.

“Then he’s just as guilty. It’s disgusting. There’s something wrong in his head if he knows and still chooses to do that with him.”

“It’s more common than you think,” Kevin added.

“What?”

“Interspecies relationships with magical creatures,” Kevin said, easily.

“Don’t ever say those words together.”

“I’m serious,” Kevin said, “Even in the olden days, it was seen as a way to cultivate your magic if you laid with a creature born of magic.”

“How do you even know that?”

Kevin shrugged. “I had access to all kinds of texts at Edgar Allen. I like history.”

“Humans had sex with anything in the olden days, that doesn’t make it right,” Aaron sneered. “Erik is a creature, he’s no better than an animal. There are laws against it, I’m sure.”

“I’ll disagree with you there,” Kevin said. “They’re not like animals. I’ve been in the minds of both, they’re something else entirely, not comparable.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. What are you going to say, that they have souls unlike animals.”

“Animals have souls,” Kevin was quick to say. His eagle let out a piercing sound as confirmation. “I meant that magical creatures have a deeper connection with nature and the beyond. They’re drawn to the earth and its magic, have an affinity for it. They hold a great appreciation for the moon, the stars, the soil, the roots of all that is and all that will be. Something humans will never understand. Our magic is borrowed. Theirs is a birthright and it ties them to the foundation. Makes them forever loyal to where it was born. I respect them for that.”

“You want to know how I know that’s all bullshit coming from your mouth?” Aaron asked. He grabbed Kevin’s right arm and pushed it back, revealing a larger patch of dragonscale than before. “You don’t respect them, even if you pretend to know them. Your power, just like mine, exists to control them. Why? Because they’re below us. It’s not dragons who controlled the narrative of this war, it was the humans who orchestrated it to their benefit. We are not the same, they are not better than us, we are.”

Aaron let go of his hand. “And you know better than anyone else. If you really respected them, you wouldn’t be forcing them to do as you please and wiping their memories come morning. Dragonscale only happens as a last defense, when a dragon feels backed into a corner. Do you know how frightened of you Neil must be, even in brumation, subconsciously, for him to release that on you? For his body to naturally secrete that kind of deadly Draconic Magic? And you know the only cure is—”

“He’ll do what’s right by me when that time comes,” Kevin said.

“Oh, like you’re doing for him now?”

“Neil was the youngest of us at Edgar Allen. He’s still in the mindset of a spoiled child, dotted by everyone. When all this ends and Nathan is defeated, he’ll mature. He’ll understand why I took the steps I did. He’ll understand that it led to our survival.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Aaron scoffed.

“You’re not any better than I am, Aaron. I still see Neil as my little brother, as much as you find that hard to believe, but you don’t even see him as human.”

“That’s because he’s not. He’s a dragon. He’s my dragon.”

“After the war is over, I’m helping him become human, permanently.” Kevin said. It shocked Aaron to the core.

“What?”

“It’s what he wants.”

“What do the hell do you care about what he wants,” Aaron snapped. “You’ve made it clear since he arrived that what he wants doesn’t matter.”

“That’s because we’re in an active war. I don’t give two shits about what any of you think when we can be dead come morning from an attack. I’m doing all I can to make sure we survive and if that means forgoing sentiments for the duration of the war, then that’s what I have to do,” Kevin said, harshly.

His emotions must have spiked enough for him to lose control of Neil, the dragon falling to the ground and reentering his brumation. Thankfully, Kevin had enough of a mind to prioritize control over the werewolf. He had Erik grab Neil and sit by them as he tried to conserve energy.

“When it’s all over, there will be time to undo what I’ve damaged,” Kevin said, exhaustion clear in his voice.

“Who you’ve damaged,” Aaron corrected. “You’re not doing that for Neil’s benefit, you’re doing it for yourself so that you don’t die from the dragonscale.”

“Think whatever you want.”

“I won’t let you,” Aaron said after a while. “I won’t let you turn Neil into a human.”

Kevin turned to him.

“If Neil survives this, he’ll be the last dragon alive,” Kevin said. “He’ll be allowed into The Heavens, they'll make him nigh omnipotent. What makes you think for a second that Neil will allow you to control him after that?”

Aaron simply recounted the decree and what it promised. “And the human that controls the last dragon will be granted entry too, allowed Divine Power for them and their descendants as long as the dragon lives. Neil will live for millenniums, my descendants’ blood will become thick with magic right alongside him. I’ll make Neil loyal to my bloodline.”

“Aaron.”

“That can’t happen if Neil becomes a human,” Aaron said. “If he’s so desperate for the life he lived before, then I’ll train his magic to hold a human form. But he stays a dragon inside.”

“You’re not thinking clearly,” Kevin said. “You’re drunk with the first taste of Neil’s power. It’s not going to work that way.”

“Why not?”

“Because no one is going to let a human have that kind of power. You’ll be killed before you can even reach the Heavens.”

Aaron didn’t respond. He had time. He’d figure out how to survive the last hours of the War, if they made it that far.

Before the training ended, Kevin said, “Don’t say any of what you told me to Wymack. Don’t repeat that to anyone. I’m serious.”

The sun was setting, but their moods were high. They were less than a hundred miles away from the gates of Troy, they’d make it by morning if they kept going all night. However, they had stopped at a passing village and acquired some liquor to celebrate the end of their months-long travel. They had set up camp by a river that flowed freely. Spring was days away and there was no more snow this far south.

The water was still cold, but the bravest still dipped in the river, bare and smiling.

Wymack handled the meat, roasting above Nicky’s fire, while Abby and Erik prepared other dishes with what they had bought from the village.

There would only be brief moments of rest once they got to Troy, their arrival signaling the start of a collaborative counterattack against the Moriyamas. So, The Foxes enjoyed themselves that night with alcohol and a feast. Aaron borrowed the heat of the fire’s flame to warm the dragon on his lap. He felt over Neil’s collar and the chain connected. Everything was good. Aaron was ready.

“The chain is back?”

Aaron looked up to see Andrew staring at him. He hadn’t allowed the chain to be visible in front of anyone else since it reappeared a couple days ago.

“Yea, the safety I’ve provided his body since he entered brumation helped repair the base of the bond. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s a start.”

Andrew studied him for a minute, or rather studied Neil.

“He won’t be happy when he wakes.”

“He’ll learn to live with it.”

Andrew had nothing to say to that, the man of few words that he was. It was Erik who caught the tail end of their short conversation.

“If you forgo the chain altogether, it would do Neil well,” Erik said.

“And risk someone else stealing him?” Aaron said, not kindly. “Troy is one of the largest kingdoms known to our time. With recruits being sent in by the thousands from all over the southern and western territories, this is the most crucial time to keep Neil on a leash.”

Erik looked like he wanted to say more but the two had not been on good terms since the day Aaron had dragged him out of his tent.

“Alright you two, no souring the mood,” Dan said. In a louder voice, she called out to those who were still by the river. “Food’s ready! First come, first served!”

They gathered around the fire and devoured their meals. For once, everyone stayed around the fire afterwards, whether from excitement or anxiety of their arrival at Troy, there were multiple conversations happening around him.

“Any powers we need to be wary of besides Jeremy’s?” Dan asked. “I know the Trojans are our strongest allies, but besides Wymack, none of us have actually met in person.”

“Who’s Jeremy?” Seth asked. “Why do we need to be wary of him.”

“Did you live under a rock?” Kevin asked. He waved his hand just as fast. “Never mind, I forgot you were born in the Feim region. Your people were barely allowed food, how could you have been given an education.”

“Kevin,” Wymack warned.

“It’s fine,” Kevin said. “Look what he got out of it. Because he was born in those conditions, his magic developed to be useful. Born of nothing but gifted the magic to create just about anything. He’s a case study on the environmental factors that influence our magic core.”

“You’re drunk,” Andrew said, taking away the bottle in his hand.

Kevin was clearly drunk as he failed to notice his drink being taken away. Aaron sighed, he had been hoping that they could train for one last night before they reached Troy. He wasn’t sure if they’d be able to get away with the destruction Neil’s powers usually left behind and Erik’s illusions only held for so long.

Either Allison was making progress with Seth’s attitude or Seth was just in a too-good-to-ruin mood, but to the surprise of the others, Seth ignored Kevin’s remarks.

“Who’s Jeremy? Is he going to be trouble?” Seth asked again.

“Jeremy heads the Trojan army,” Dan began, “He’s not so much a problem in terms of attack as he is someone to just keep in mind.”

“He’s the man who’s going to fix me,” Kevin said to no one in particular.

“His power is nullification,” Dan continued, ignoring Kevin altogether, “None of our magic will work on him. I won’t ever be able to read the extent of his power nor its limitations. Allison will never be able to know his desires. Matt will never be able to react to his moves. But the same goes for beneficial magic. Abby or any healer that relies on magic, can’t heal him. If he got into a physical fight and was overpowered, he’d be in danger. Same goes for normal weapons.”

“There’s been plenty of assassination attempts on that boy’s life,” Wymack said, shaking his head.

“It’s a neat power, sure, but why the hate. Why try to kill him?” Seth asked.

“His nullification extends to others, at will,” Wymack answered. “Take Kevin. His sense of sight was removed by Riko’s magic. Riko would technically be the only one who could return his sight.”

“Riko would never return my sight,” Kevin said in a low voice.

“Jeremy, willing, would just need to touch Kevin and his Kevin’s body would be rid of Riko’s magic.”

“I’ll be able to see with my own eyes,” Kevin said, in a daze.

Aaron stood up, holding Neil tight.

“Does that power work on magical creatures?” he asked in a hurry. It didn’t matter if his question was an admission of his own lack of knowledge towards this Jeremy, he needed to know if his tamer bond with Neil was in danger.

“Yes,” Wymack replied. “It’s what makes him a target. Many seek Troy for refuge, but both magical creature and human alike, seek Troy for Jeremy and the good grace he extends through his magic. On the other end, are magic users who don’t want their magic on others to be nullified.”

“Why aren’t we more worried about this,” Aaron asked. “If he touches Neil, my bond will be nullified. Do you know how close to impossible it’ll be to try to get Neil to enter another bond with me afterwards?”

“Whose fault is that?” Andrew said to the fire.

“Fuck you,” Aaron said.

“It’s not as easy as a touch,” Dan said. “Jeremy has to want to do it.”

Aaron relaxed a bit. “Then he won’t?”

“It’s a coin toss,” Wymack said. “I can’t be certain what Jeremy will choose to do. I have no power over him.”

“But if we explain to him right away, the importance of Neil being under our control, then he’d be stupid to take that away from us,” Aaron argued.

“What us?” Kevin laughed. “What was it you said that night, you’ll make Neil loyal to your bloodline? You just don’t want that taken away from you.” Without thinking, Aaron kicked Kevin so hard he fell off the log he was sitting on. Andrew stood up and got in between them.

“Stop, now.”

Kevin stayed on the ground but continued running his mouth. “You’re only worried now that there’s someone who can take that away from you. You’d probably order a hit on Jeremy while we’re there.” He laughed for a while but stopped when he realized something. “Don’t try it by the way, he’s crucial for our victory.”

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Erik quickly joined the conversation.

“Would it be so bad to remove Aaron’s tamer bond from Neil?” he asked the group. “Nicky told me that for a time, when you all had just arrived at Palmetto, Neil had grown to trust most of you. Of course, this was before you tricked him into being read by that Kathy woman, but my point still stands. If you allow Neil freedom from that collar, from the chains, don’t you think he’ll stay on our side willingly?”

“After what you lot have done to him?” Allison said. “Unlikely.”

“I do think we messed up when you guys did that to him,” Matt admitted. “We were becoming friends and now I’m losing hope we’ll ever return to that.”

“No,” Aaron said. He wasn’t losing Neil. He wouldn’t let someone he just learned about today ruin this for him. “I won’t let him.”

Wymack sighed. “We can discuss the pros and cons when we’re with Jeremy. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even let Jeremy know of Neil’s identity, but Erik’s concealment won’t work on him. I have half a mind to put Neil back in that bag of yours and keep him hidden.”

Erik tried to interrupt but Wymack put his hand up.

“I know, I know. I won’t actually do it. Jeremy’s a good kid, as good as they get really. He’s the only one in Troy that’ll know of Neil’s existence for now. I trust him to make the right decision.”

“Even if it goes against what I want?” Aaron asked, his hold on Neil becoming too tight.

“Doesn’t feel good when your wants are ignored, huh?” Andrew said.

Aaron wanted to sock his brother.

“Any other noteworthy powers we should be made aware of?” Seth asked.

“They’re all powerful in their own right,” Wymack said, happy to change the subject. There’s a woman, Laila, who will be useful to our plans. She can teleport herself and others, with some limitations of course.”

Nicky whined. “Why couldn’t she have teleported us to Troy. Would have saved us months walking through the freezing cold!”

“She can only teleport one person at a time,” Dan said.

“We’re not a large group by any means,” Nicky countered. “She could have gone one by one.”

“She’s restricted by distance. The further out she has to teleport, the more energy it consumes. We were too many and too far out for it to be a reasonable request,” Wymack explained. “She hasn’t used her power in two months, by my request.”

“Why?” Allison asked.

“I need her to teleport someone very important from oversees. It’s going to take months’ worth of energy to bring that person to Troy.”

“Who?” Erik asked.

“Stuart Hatford.”

Aaron whipped his head Wymack’s direction. He knew that name.

“That name was written down in the map Neil had with him when I found him. Who is he?” Aaron asked.

Wymack hummed. “That’s not surprising,” he said. “Stuart Hatford is the one who created the Draco-nihil clan and heads it with his brother. It’s safe to assume Neil wanted to join the clan.”

The Draco-nihil clan. Aaron would have a chance to meet the once-dragon who started it all. But was a smart idea to introduce Neil to Stuart, knowing what his dragon wanted. Stuart had the power to permanently rid Neil of his dragon and make him human, but he wouldn’t be reckless enough to do it while Nathan still lived. It was what would happen afterwards that Aaron was concerned about.

“Are you going to reveal Neil’s identity to him?” Allison asked.

Wymack nodded. “The original message sent out to their clan was a warning. Nathan is still under the impression that they’re to blame so the warning still holds, their clan is still in danger. But the truth must be made known to them, or to the head at least. His insight will be invaluable to us.”

“Don’t think for a moment that Stuart will be happy to see one of his own in chains,” Jeremy said, looking to Aaron. “More reason to release Neil from the bond.”

“Shut your fucken mouth!” Aaron screamed, taking a dangerous step towards Erik.

Nicky stepped in front of Erik at the same time that Andrew pulled Neil from Aaron’s hold.

“What is your problem with Erik, Aaron? He’s just being realistic!” Nicky shouted.

“Give me him back!” Aaron demanded, reaching for his dragon.

“Not when you’re hurting him,” Andrew said.

“I’m not hurting him,” Aaron retorted.

“Yes, you were,” Erik said behind a shaking Nicky. “You were holding him so tight, taking your emotions out on him.”

“I don’t want to hear anything from you, you—”

“You, what? Huh? What am I?” Erik yelled back.

Aaron bit his tongue.

Wymack, as always, stepped in before things went too far.

“Alright, alright, we’re done for the night go to—”

“Andrew.”

All heads turned to the glowing sphere that appeared from Andrew’s chest.

“Bee, what a pleasant surprise,” Andrew said. “Not a good time though, I have to make sure these idiots don’t kill each other.”

“I’m afraid it’s urgent, Andrew. I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long. I’ve entered a rabbit hole in the Black Magic that runs through your veins. I have to know who you’ve made deals with and what you’ve promised. It’s a matter of life or death.”

“What?” Andrew said.

“Andrew, I’m so sorry, but I need to know now.”

“Betsy?” Wymack asked.

“Andrew,” The sphere said, “I’m sorry.”

Aaron felt something was wrong.

“Does this have to do with the Spell Marks Kathy found on Andrew?” Aaron said. He turned to his brother. “I thought you said they had no lasting effect on you?”

Andrew’s face was expressionless when he responded, “Let’s go,” to the sphere.

“I’m coming with,” Aaron said.

“No.”

“You have Neil,” Aaron argued. “The chain is short.”

“Then make it longer.”

“I can listen in through him,” Aaron said. He still wasn’t able to test that power out, but it worked as a threat.

Andrew huffed. He handed Neil to Renee instead. “Keep Neil away from him until he can control his emotions.”

“Fuck you, Andrew.”

And with that, Andrew was gone.

“Well, that was weird,” Dan said after they went quiet.

Wymack, Abby, and Renee wore matching expressions of concern which did nothing to quell the nerves in Aaron’s stomach.

Eventually, Wymack corralled them into their tents, but not before he forced Aaron to help him carry a wasted Kevin, who had fallen asleep on the ground at some point, back to their shared tent.

He waited outside his tent with Renee and Wymack, taking in deep breaths while the two used their White Magic to calm him down. When Renee was sure he’d regained control of his emotions, his dragon was returned to him.

He planned to stay awake until his brother returned, but the night had been too intense for his body to delay sleep.

The horrifyingly wet sounds of Kevin screaming would stay with him forever. Aaron was awake and moving before his brain even registered what was happening.

He tripped over the tent’s opening as he his heart raced, the harsh beating in his ears only worsening the grogginess. Even then, Kevin’s screaming drowned it all out. He sounded close to death.

The others beat him to the scene.

In the seconds before he saw what was happening, Aaron imagined all kinds of possibilities. The most dreadful being a Moriyama attack. It was only a matter of time before they found The Foxes and slaughtered them all. Even Andrew’s Syncognition had its limits, it was possible for something to slip past him.

What Aaron did not expect was Kevin close to being murdered by one of their own.

The massive werewolf tearing limbs from Kevin’s body was one that Aaron had trained besides for the past couple of weeks. Except this time, his eyes were not Kevin’s green, but bloody reds. Erik was in control and was tearing Kevin apart.

There were horrified shrieks from all directions, but the scene rendered them all speechless. And then—a flurry of magic.

It was a race, a matter of life or death for Kevin, to stop Erik in time before Kevin was killed. To have enough of Kevin left to save his life.

Wymack tore the ground with his White Magic, ensuring that no matter where Erik went, it would touch him.

“Renee, now!” Wymack screamed.

He’d known Renee was one of the most powerful of them all, he’d just never had a chance to see her in action.

Erik tore Kevin’s left arm right off of his socket, before throwing the limb at Renee. Then they both vanished.

“It’s an illusion!” Aaron screamed. “He’s still there, he has Kevin!”

Renee was one step ahead, she landed on where their bodies would be and let out a blast of magic. It was clear which of her powers she had used when Erik’s illusion fell apart. Power Stripping. It would be temporary, but it was enough.

Both Renee and Matt fought blow against blow with the Werewolf, until Wymack could work to restrain Erik through his calming force. Once Seth pulled out silver threaded rope, the three had managed to subdue Erik long enough to tie him down. Dan, Allison, and Abby rushed to pull Kevin, or what was left of him, away from the struggle.

Nicky, who had stood by his tent frozen solid, finally dropped to his knees. He crawled like a worm, dragging his face in the dirt as he came close to the werewolf.

“Heavens, Heavens, why?” Nicky cried. “Please don’t kill him. He’s my love, he’s mine. Kill me instead.”

“Nicky, what the hell are you talking about?” Dan said, returning from Abby’s side to help Wymack and the others restrain the wild creature.

“That’s Erik,” Nicky sobbed. “Erik’s a Werewolf, he’s a magical creature. Kevin was controlling him this entire time!”

“What?” Wymack and Dan said at the same time.

“Kevin came in here drunk, out of his mind, and he tried to take control of Erik. He said he’d been doing it every night since Erik joined us.” Nicky couldn’t manage more without sobbing into the ground. He lifted his head just enough to be heard. “It would have been bad enough with just that. But Kevin—he had to mention that he was using Erik to use Neil.”

Nicky lifted his head to look at Aaron. He’d never seen so much hate and vitriol in his cousin’s eyes.

“Aaron was in on it too. They’ve been using Erik and Neil this entire time. Forcing them into submission, controlling their minds, their bodies, every night, for hours on end.” Nicky yelled. He looked at everyone. “Can you blame, Erik?! He had promised Neil he would protect him. To find out that he had been used to hurt Neil instead, it broke something inside of him. He lost control! Oh Heaven, please forgive us!”

Aaron couldn’t breathe.

The others stared at him too long, their accusing glares too much for Aaron.

“David, please! He’s dying!”

And just like that, the stillness broke at Abby’s desperate cry for help.

Matt, Dan, and Seth kept Erik down.

The rest ran to Abby’s side.

Allison had collected Kevin’s left arm, his right hand, right leg, and left foot.

Aaron made a sharp turn and threw up. When he recovered enough to open his eyes, he saw the remains of Kevin’s eagle, torn to pieces. He fell to his knees and grabbed the bird’s orange beak. It was all that was left of his head. Fuck.

He turned back to see the aftermath.

Abby’s magic flared as she poured every last ounce into Kevin, her main focus keeping his organs alive and running, his heart beating. Renee, in turn, worked to stop the bleeding.

Her frantic eyes met Aaron’s as he spit the last of the putrid fluid from his mouth.

“Neil,” she said, “I need his blood, now.”

Aaron nodded, dazed and afraid.

Erik’s deep voice bellowed, “Leave The Protected One alone! He’s suffered enough. Don’t you dare use his sacred blood on that worthless piece of shit.”

“Erik, please stop,” Nicky cried out.

Aaron rushed inside his tent, mind in a frenzy, only to discover that he couldn’t find Neil where he left him on his mat.

The panic that overcame him coupled with the stress of the situation was too much. His legs gave out.

He scanned the entire room and then remembered the chain had returned. He pulled, he pulled too hard.

Neil's little body was dragged out from under Andrew’s pillow case.

Blue, wide eyes stared right back at him. Neil was awake.

“No,” was all Aaron could say. There couldn’t have been a worse moment for Neil to wake from his brumation. And that’s exactly why he was awake in this moment, how could he have forgotten how the Heavens hated him.

“You’ve been using me while I slept,” Neil spoke in broken common tongue. His sharp teeth too awkward to make the full sounds, but Aaron understood him regardless. How could he not when his eyes spoke to him as well. “Kevin’s been controlling me?”

Neil pulled at the chain, only just realizing now that they were back on him.

“How long?! How long was I asleep?” Neil screamed. It sounded wrong in his mouth. He was too small. “How long have you been using me?”

Aaron had to make a decision. There was no saving this situation but Kevin was dying outside and Aaron could only stay sane for so long.

He pulled everything he had on Neil. The bands on his limbs appeared, dark black on his red-orange scales. When Neil fell frozen on the mat, paralyzed, Aaron muzzled him with his powers and silenced him. He forced a band over Neil’s eyes so he wouldn’t see his brother torn to pieces outside, a small mercy in the face of a great injustice.

Neil would be aware. He would hear what was happening as Aaron took him outside just as he’d heard Erik unraveling their crimes as soon as he’d woken up from his months long slumber. He would feel the sharp sting of a blade cutting through the soft layers of his scales as Aaron sliced him open. He would be left paralyzed as his blood drained from his small body, Kevin requiring more than Neil could provide. He would hear the desperate cries of Erik as the magical creature begged for forgiveness, for failing to protect Neil when he promised him he would.

And Neil would be forced to do nothing, but bare the pain of it all.

It was something Aaron allowed. It needed to happen. To save Kevin, he would have to sin further. His transgressions piled high above him and he felt them tower over him. Could he see past them?

He looked up and instead saw Andrew.

Andrew, who had been missing since the early hours of the night, gone with an urgent sphere.

Andrew, who had just walked into his worst nightmare: a half-dead Kevin and a bled-out dragon, both who’d he sworn to protect.

The ballistic psionic blast almost killed them all.