There's quite a bit of dialogue between dragons in this chapter, so naturally when they're talking to each other they're speaking in Draconic. I mixed in some dragon words because dragon dialogue just doesn't read like dragon dialogue unless it's got dovah words in it, but unless they're actually talking to a mortal, they're speaking in Draconic all the time.

CHAPTER FIVE – MOONLIGHT GATHERING

The call had been sounded.

He had heard it, echoing over the mountains and across the plains. It had rung out in the air, sharp and clear, seeming not to sound in his ears but in his blood. It was a strange sound, as vibrant and commanding as the sound of a bell, yet with the ferocity and power of a bear's roar. It was a sound that made him freeze halfway through tearing at the dead elk he had caught earlier that day, a sound that almost made him choke on his mouthful of meat, a sound that made his heartbeat quicken and his inner flame flare up in a way it had not flared for twenty years.

It was the sound of a call he had heard many times in his life, a call that he had only ever heard roared in the voice of the only living creature he had ever called master. It was a call that had filled his dreams for many long years, and it was a call he could never have denied.

Several hundred metres above the plains of Whiterun, Vulgrahskein flew with steady, powerful wingbeats, his pale green eyes alert and scouring both the ground below and the sky surrounding him. He was an enormous creature; he had carried off more than one young mammoth in his time, and had fought tooth to tusk with adults many times. His scales were a dark reddish-orange, his horns black as ebony, and the dark patches on his wings were far larger than the gold. His face was dappled by shadow-coloured patches, and his spines looked almost as if they had been forged from iron.

Vulgrahskein would not have called himself old, but he was most certainly not a young dragon. He had fought alongside Alduin all three times he had waged war on Skyrim, and all three of those times he had been one of the World-Eater's most loyal and trusted servants. His dark red-bronze scales were dented and scratched, a record of the hundreds of battles he had seen in his time. His left horn was broken not far from its base, and his right was notched in a dozen places. A long red scar sliced across his muzzle and along one cheek. Parts of his wings were missing, and there was a hole torn in his right tail-fin.

The Ancient Dragon was constantly aware of the marks that his many years and many battles had dealt upon him. He did not regret a single one. Some dragons, Vulgrahskein knew, were fond of hoarding treasure; whether it was gold, jewels or simply animal bones. His scars were his hoard, his treasure, his greatest source of pride. Each one told a different story. The scar that cut across his face was proof to any dragon who asked that he had survived a blow from a Nord warrior's blade in the Dragon War ages ago, and how he had repaid the foolish mortal by crushing the life out of him with a single blow from his tail. If he ever came close to forgetting the battle he had fought over his territory with another male dragon - a Legendary Dragon, no less – his broken horn would always be there to remind him how he had dug his teeth into the stronger, faster dragon's neck and shaken him back and forth until the intruder had howled for mercy and fled, bruised and bleeding.

In the days of old, he had gained new scars almost daily. That had been when Alduin had still lived, and Vulgrahskein had been his servant. Those had been the greatest days of the Ancient's life – the greatest days of all time. It had been too long since he had felt the sting of a blade slicing into his scales, or the feeling of ferocious joy that came with digging his talons into a mortal's flesh. Far too long.

That was why he had answered the call.

'Vulgrahskein!'

The shout took the Ancient by surprise, and he turned his head. Nearby, a smaller dragon – brown scaled and with far fewer scars – was flying towards him. For a moment, Vulgrahskein was on the alert. Then, as the brown dragon neared him and his face became clearer, a name flew into his mind. Vulgrahskein let out a roar. 'Drem yol lok, Keinvulnax!'

'Greetings, wuthiik fahdon.' The smaller dragon reached him and swung around to fly alongside him. 'You too have heard the call?'

There were few dragons Vulgrahskein would have allowed to address him as old friend, but Keinvulnax was one of them. The Fire Dragon had been just one of the many soldiers of Alduin in the days of the Dragon War, not particularly strong or skilled, but he had saved Vulgrahskein's life in one battle, and the Ancient did not forget a debt. He and Keinvulnax had fought together more times than he could count. They made an odd pair, a hulking Ancient and a slim, weaker brown dovah, but though they had gone separate ways, as all dragons had, after the death of Alduin, Vulgrahskein was still proud to call Keinvulnax his grah-zeymahzin – his ally, and his friend.

Vulgrahskein lowered his head slightly. 'I heard it,' he growled. 'Alduin's summons.'

Looking a little sheepish, Keinvulnax asked, 'Do you think he could have daalaan?'

'Returned? Do not be meyus.' Vulgrahskein snorted scornfully. 'You felt Alduin's death within you; all the dovahhe did. Our in is long since gone.'

Keinvulnax didn't seem troubled. Vulgrahskein was fairly certain that the other dragon had expected this reaction. 'Then who could have called? Only Alduin ever used that thu'um.'

'The fact that Alduin created the for, and that no other dovahhe have used it in our memories, does not mean that only he could ever use it.'

'But what other dovah would dare to use it? That call is for a thur – an overlord of dov. Who would presume to call themselves our leader now that Alduin is gone?'

'That is why I answered the summons.' Vulgrahskein turned his head towards Keinvulnax. 'To discover the answer to that question. Is that not also why you are here, dii fahdon?'

'Vahzah. But only in part.' Keinvulnax stole a slightly furtive look at the Ancient Dragon. 'Have you not also longed for leadership since Alduin's defeat? Without a thur to unite us, the dovahhe could never come together and take power over Keizaal.'

Vulgrahskein frowned doubtfully, but he could not stop a flicker of excitement from sparking within him. Perhaps there was a chance – just a slim, fragile hope – that the dovahhe could still rule Tamriel. That they could claim what belonged to them and live as free beasts once more.

'We are nearing the source of the for,' Keinvulnax said, lowering his neck slightly and turning his head downwards. 'It came from near here.'

Glancing down, Vulgrahskein saw the golden-brown grass of the tundra stretching away in every direction. His eyes swept over the landscape, and made out a single patch of grey. Looking closer, he saw that it was a hollow, lined with stone; a Nordic barrow, most likely. Nearby, a vast hole had been torn in the ground; earth and rocks were scattered around the opening. Vulgrahskein felt his heart miss a beat – what kind of creature had the strength to shred the earth in such a way?

Beside him, Keinvulnax folded his wings slightly and went into a dive. Vulgrahskein copied the smaller dragon, swooping down low over the ground, his tail-tip brushing the grass, and finally landing not far from the stone pit. With a spitting sound, Vulgrahskein moved away from it; he didn't want to be anywhere near the tomb of Nord 'heroes' who might well have slain some of his kin in the past.

There were a few dragons already present, gathered around the entrance to the barrow, giving each other a wide berth. A few shot uneasy glances at each other, but most stared either down at the grass or up at the sky. The Ancient Dragon swept his gaze from side to side, taking in his fellow dovahhe. There was a female Revered Dragon, orange-scaled with an odd, beaked mouth and a blue dorsal stripe, sitting perched upon a boulder, a green Blood Dragon clawing at the ground in an anxious manner, a pair of she-dragons, one Fire, one Frost, and a Serpentine lying curled in the grass with his tail tucked over his feet. There were no other Ancient Dragons, Vulgrahskein saw with satisfaction. None of them was speaking.

'So few,' Keinvulnax remarked in surprise, gazing around at them, keeping his voice low. 'I would have thought that many would come in the hope of finding a new thur.'

'Some of those most loyal to Alduin may not have answered out of refusal to serve another in,' Vulgrahskein suggested. 'And many who believed he would live forever turned fel after his death. They would not understand the call if they heard it.'

Keinvulnax let out a low snarl. 'Many of our fel kin have been slain by those vaxxe. The Dragonhearts.'

Vulgrahskein turned his head sharply towards his companion. The sound of the hated name was like having talons dig into his flesh. Nearby, he saw the Blood Dragon look at them uneasily. The other dragons were staring, too – it seemed hearing that name had alerted them. Keinvulnax glanced at the ground awkwardly at the sight of the inquisitive eyes that fixed themselves upon him.

'Where is our caller, then?' It was the Revered Dragon who spoke, her eyes narrowed. Vulgrahskein wondered if she was trying to attract attention away from Keinvulnax's mention of the Dragonhearts. 'I have flown far to be here. If I find some mey has summoned us for no reason…'

A threatening snarl sounded in her throat.

'No one would dare,' the Serpentine said firmly, thumping his tail on the ground as if to underline his point.

'We cannot be certain,' the Frost Dragon female called. 'Til los pogaas wah ren. But if there is a chance that a new leader is arising…'

Keinvulnax gave the Fo-Dovah an appraising look. 'You, too, tire of being without purpose?'

'Of course I tire of it,' the she-dragon snapped. 'Dov are meant to hunt free, kill where we please, live as we choose. And here we are, living like doskke in hiding from those…' Her entire body shook with barely suppressed rage as she searched for a word. Eventually she seemed to give up, and simply let out a quiet roar.

Vulgrahskein saw the Blood Dragon shift restlessly. 'The Dragonhearts are not the enemies of all dovahhe,' he said suddenly.

'Not our enemies?' Vulgrahskein stared at the Blood Dragon in amazement. 'Not our enemies, when they hunt us down and slaughter us like sunvaarre?'

'They do not want to kill us needlessly,' the Blood Dragon muttered, his eyes focused very firmly on the ground. From his expression, Vulgrahskein suspected he rather wished he hadn't spoken. 'They only hunt down those who are a danger to joorre. They wish to stop us from hunting mortalkind. That is all.'

The Revered Dragon spat, and the Frost Dragon looked insulted. 'It is our birthright to hunt mortalkind!'

'They are weak,' Keinvulnax agreed. 'We are strong. We are predators; they are prey. Why should we not hunt them?'

'And what makes you so certain of their intentions?' Vulgrahskein growled, taking a step towards the Blood Dragon.

'I…' The Blood Dragon blinked and clawed at the ground, looking more uncomfortable by the second. 'For the past few evgir, I have lived at the Monahven. As one of them.'

The reaction of the other dragons was as if they had been struck by lightning. The Revered Dragon let out a strangled, choked sound that might or might not have been an attempt at coherent speech – if it was, it failed miserably. Keinvulnax's talons sunk into the earth, and a fierce, rumbling growl echoed within his throat. The last of the three she-dragons, the brown-scaled one who had thus far avoided speaking, gasped out, 'Grutiik!' The Serpentine raised his head so sharply Vulgrahskein was surprised he hadn't injured his neck, and the Frost Dragon let out what appeared to be an involuntary puff of ice from her mouth.

'You are one of them?' Keinvulnax spat.

'I wanted a purpose!' The Blood Dragon lifted his head defiantly. 'I could not live alone, without a thur. My inner rage was too strong. I would have become fel!'

'So you chose to become a traitor to your own kind?' the Revered Dragon snapped.

'Why do you think I am here?' The Blood Dragon reared up suddenly, unfurling his wings and spreading them out as wide as they would go. 'I need an in, a thur, but if I can be led by a dovah and not a joor, then that is what I choose!'

There was a sudden roar, and every horned head turned to the north as the sound of wingbeats filled the air. Another dragon was approaching, at first only a darker blur against the black of the night, but gradually growing clearer and more distinct. Vulgrahskein's eyes took in odd, inward-curing horns, dusky purple scales, white-and-lilac mottled wings, and eight small, beady eyes, clustered together in two tight groups on either side of his head. A Legendary Dragon, then – and despite himself, Vulgrahskein found himself feeling impressed. His kind, the Ancient Dragons, were some of the most powerful dragons there were, but the Legendaries were stronger still, as his shattered horn constantly reminded him.

Wait. Vulgrahskein felt his eyes narrowing as he watched the newcomer tilt his wings, thrust out his feet and land heavily on the frost and grass coated ground. There was something familiar about this dragon, something that made his skin crawl.

And then he saw it. The series of white marks around the dragon's throat. They were small marks, fairly evenly spaced arranged in a thin, slanted oval shape just where his head joined his neck.

Vulgrahskein knew instantly that they were bite marks. Made by a dragon's teeth. Made by his teeth.

It took him a moment to realise that the Legendary Dragon was staring at him. Vulgrahskein shifted his eyes from side to side, and noticed that the other dragons were looking between the two of them. Keinvulnax's expression was apprehensive; the others' were confused.

'You.' The word was softly spoken, but pure hatred smouldered in it, vicious and scalding.

Vulgrahskein met the eight-eyed gaze. 'Zey,' he replied, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. 'It has been a long time, Kahjuniisk.'

The Legendary Dragon's lips curled up, revealing his jagged white teeth. 'Not long enough, Vulgrahskein.'

'Sok eruvosse, I believe.' Vulgrahskein nodded towards the marks on the underside of Kahjuniisk's neck. 'Six years, and yet you still have the scars. It pleases me that I left you with a reminder of your defeat.'

'You paid a price for your victory, Kruziik.' Kahjuniisk's multiple eyes were slits. 'Do you remember? Perhaps I should remind you by breaking your other horn.'

Vulgrahskein became aware that Keinvulnax had stepped up to his side. For a moment he considered snapping to the smaller dragon that he could fight his own battles, but Keinvulnax spoke before he could do so.

'Enough. We are all here for the same reason. The past is in the past.' Keinvulnax took a bold step forwards, positioning himself between the Ancient and the Legendary. 'If there is a new in arising, we shall all serve him as equals. What anger we bear against each other for past deeds must be forgotten.'

There was a short, tense silence, and Vulgrahskein was given the impression that the other dragons were holding their breath. Then Kahjuniisk spat onto the earth and turned his head away.

'Mind your tongue and know your place, prun-vrii,' he snarled at Keinvulnax. 'Do not presume to give commands to a Zooriil.'

But he slunk away over the grass and settled on a nearby boulder without another look at either of them.

'Kogaan,' Vulgrahskein muttered to Keinvulnax, the moment Kahjuniisk was out of earshot. 'I had no wish to fight. I am grateful.' Vulgrahskein was reluctant to thank anyone, even an ally as old and trusted as Keinvulnax, but he decided the situation called for it. Engaging second contest with Kahjuniisk was about as good an idea as landing in the courtyard of High Hrothgar and announcing to everyone within earshot that he was a follower of Alduin.

They stood in silence for some time, waiting. The only thing that disturbed them was the arrival of another dragon; a Storm Dragon with scales of slightly purplish grey, who alighted some distance from them, looked at them as if unnerved by the fact that they were there, and settled himself on the grass some distance away.

'I hope whoever called us does not take much longer,' Vulgrahskein muttered to Keinvulnax. 'I shall give them to midnight. When the iilaahhe are at their highest point, I shall return to my lair.'

Keinvulnax grunted agreement. 'We cannot throw away our tiid waiting for a thur who does not see fit to arri-'

Without warning, a roar cut into the air, a roar that drowned out the rest of Keinvulnax's sentence, made the Blood Dragon leap back with a startled yelp and the Serpentine cower. Vulgrahskein's eyes widened, and he cast his eyes around, seeking out the source of the noise. It seemed to have come from underground – and suddenly it sounded again, and this time Vulgrahskein felt the earth beneath his feet tremble.

And then the dragon burst from beneath the ground.

At first, it seemed like he had come out of nowhere, as if some weird, vast plant had taken root and was growing at lightning speed. Then Vulgrahskein remembered the hole torn in the earth, and realised that this dragon had been underground, probably in that Nordic barrow, and now he had emerged, and now he was landing on the ground in front of them, making the earth shudder again, and the weak light from the sliver of moon that hung in the heavens was shining down upon him –

Vulgrahskein gasped. He couldn't stop himself.

At first, he thought that the newcomer was an Ancient Dragon, for his scales were coloured a reddish bronze not dissimilar to Vulgrahskein's own. But then he felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw the dragon's face – and then his other face. And his other face.

He heard Keinvulnax made a strangled, disbelieving sound, and saw the Revered Dragon's beak drop open. Vulgrahskein stood staring, scarcely able to believe what his eyes were telling him.

But there was no doubt about it. He was looking at a dragon with three heads. One with the copper scales of an Ancient, one with the white of a Frost, and the last with a Storm Dragon's blue-grey.

'Vokorosaal!' the Blood Dragon gasped, but Vulgrahskein said nothing. There was no point wasting words. The Blood Dragon was wrong – clearly this was not impossible, because it was happening. This was a sedklovdovah. A three-headed dragon. The question not whether or not it was true, but how it was true.

The creature stretched out and folded his wings, paused for a moment, then spoke with all three mouths, in three different voices.

'Drem yol lok. Welcome, my brothers and sisters. I am Qoyoliiz.'

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Vulgrahskein wondered if any of them were even breathing.

'You have all come here because you heard my call. Perhaps you are wondering why I have called you… or how I dared to use the for when it was created and used by Alduin. And I am almost certain that you are wondering how I can possibly exist.'

Vulgrahskein briefly considered that Qoyoliiz might have the ability to read minds, but he soon realised that it didn't take much to guess what was going on inside their heads at that moment. Their thoughts were fairly clear from their expressions.

'I shall answer these questions from the last to the first,' Qoyoliiz told them. 'I shall begin with the question of my lahney. How is it that a dovah such as I – ' He arched his trio of necks, as if to underline just how unnatural, how incredible a creature he was – 'Is able to fly the skies of Keizaal, and breath the air of Taazokaan? The answer, my fron, lies with these mortals here.'

Vulgrahskein recoiled in shock. He had been so intent on listening to Qoyoliiz that he had not noticed the mortals emerging from the barrow – at least, he assumed that was where they had come from. There were elves and men, and a single Khajiit, all clad in similar black robes. Most of them were hanging back, staying behind Qoyoliiz, looking at the assembled dragons with obvious apprehension on their faces. One, though, a tall Altmer man with bright yellow eyes and a long scar stretching down the side of his face, strode forwards boldly to stand beside the three-headed dragon, as if attending meetings with a pack of dragons was something he did on a daily basis.

'Joorre!' It was the brown-scaled she-dragon who spoke, the words spat out fiercely. 'What are they doing here?'

'They are here for the same reason that you are, briinah,' Qoyoliiz answered. 'Have patience. All shall be explained.'

'Then explain.' Kahjuniisk's tail lashed.

One of Qoyoliiz's heads gave the Legendary Dragon a piercing, warning glare, while the others remained focused on the rest of the crowd. 'This fahliil here goes by the name of Veldarion,' he continued, stumbling slightly over the odd mortal name. 'His magic is the reason I am here. He is my creator. He knows secrets of the dovahhe that we ourselves do not know, and he has knowledge of magic that no others of his kind could imagine. He gave me life, and he gave me my power.'

There was another pause, while the meaning of his words slowly sank in. And then a new sound split the air – the last sound Vulgrahskein had expected to hear.

Laughter.

'So you are but a pawn of joorre!' It was the she-dragon again, her voice dripping with contempt. 'I came here hoping to find a strong new in who would lead us against the mortals and let us take back Keizaal. But all I have found is some… some mutant beast creating as a mortal's plaything!'

Keinvulnax gasped. 'Briinah, you should not – '

Qoyoliiz broke across him. His three voices were all low, but somehow they were more chilling and more terrifying now that they were quiet and cold than they would have been had they been roaring.

'Have a care how you speak, rekdovah,' he hissed. 'Do not insult my honour. I am a dovah, and the blood than runs in my veins is blood that I share with you all. My quest is to conquer Keizaal, as you say. Join me, and I shall give you all you desire. Stand against me – '

'I shall not stand against you, ahvakaar,' the she-dragon sneered. 'I shall simply allow you to carry out your meyus plans and watch as you are killed. You have no right to use Alduin's for. You are no dovah overlord. You are no dovah at all! You are an experiment, a tool of these mortals!'

Now only one of the three heads spoke; the others were growling, a low, deep, menacing sound. 'I warn you now. One more insult to my honour, and you die.'

'No, not a tool. I know what you are!' The brown-scaled dragon's eyes flashed with glee. 'You are the mortals' pet!'

It happened so quickly that Vulgrahskein was certain that he would have missed it if he had blinked. One moment, the she-dragon was standing brazenly on the grass, her eyes glinting as she jeered at the vast creature standing before her. The next, she was on the ground, lying flat on her back, her wings pinned down and Qoyoliiz's talons pressed against her chest.

'I am Qoyoliiz.' The heads spoke in unison this time, and they spoke in a roar. 'I have power that Alduin could never have dreamed of. I have three times his strength and three times his cunning. I shall succeed where he failed. I shall claim Keizaal for the dovahhe… but only for those dovahhe who have the wisdom to stand by me. Those who would challenge me…'

He did not finish the sentence, but the cruel smiles on his faces left none of them in any doubt how it would have ended.

'Nid! Nid!' All the arrogance was gone from the she-dragon's voice now, replaced by raw terror. 'Hi nis krii zey! Mercy – I beg you, have mercy – '

Qoyoliiz's centre head bent down until the end of his muzzle was a hair's breadth away from hers.

'There is no mercy,' he hissed.

Three sets of teeth flashed briefly in the feeble starlight. An agonised scream ripped through the air – and was abruptly cut short.

Qoyoliiz raised his heads, stepped to the side, and pushed the she-dragon's limp body away from him with a single, contemptuous shove.

'This is what shall become of all who oppose me,' he growled. 'This is the fate that all my enemies shall meet. But I shall spare those dovahhe who do not join me, as long as they do not side with our foes. They can be forgiven for believing that no dragon can take Tamriel, after the failures of Alduin.'

His gaze swept the small crowd. 'Three times, Alduin came to Nirn! Three times, he tried to take power! And three times, he failed! Think of that, brothers. Is that a thur who deserves your loyalty? But I shall not fail. I will destroy this world of mortals. I shall bring down their heroes, one by one. Even the Dovahkiin. Her power is nothing compared to mine.'

For the first time, the Elf stepped forwards and spoke. His voice was high-pitched for a male mortal, and had an odd, brittle quality.

'It is true that Qoyoliiz is not a creature created naturally,' he said, his face impassive. 'But ask yourselves, my friends – what does that matter? If you are to follow anyone, what matters is his strength and his intelligence, not his origins.' He spread out his arms slightly. 'Join us. We shall begin with small attacks. Slowly, as other dragons come to see our strength, they shall join us too. And when we have amassed enough followers – and we will – we shall strike at the heart. We shall tear down the walls of mortal cities and devour their Jarls and Counts and Kings. No army will be a match for the combined might of both the dragons and the mortals who have the sense to follow us. And when the battle is won, and Skyrim ours, I shall govern the mortals. Qoyoliiz shall lead the dragons. And though all our followers, whether they are mortal or dragon, shall be equal, the same cannot be said for those fools who do not join us. The joorre shall be the slaves of dovahhe, just as they were before in the days of old.'

'Great days.' Qoyoliiz's eyes were blazing. 'Golden days. I never knew them, but I know that many of you did. Tell me, my brethren – are there any among you who would not see them return?'

He reared suddenly, spreading his wings. 'Give us your answer! Who will fight for the right to bring back those days? Who shall fight for the freedom and the power of dov? Who will join the Bloodcallers, and help us to win back our land?'

Silence fell again, broken only by the faint whispering of the wind. The dragons glanced from side to side and at each other; Vulgrahskein looked between the faces and saw doubt, excitement and apprehension stamped upon them. But no one spoke, though he saw the Frost Dragon and the Serpentine Dragon murmuring to each other. Vulgrahskein turned to Keinvulnax, about to ask what he thought, but before he could speak a voice rang out through the cold night air.

'I will join you!'

Every head turned. The grass rustled as the female Revered Dragon stepped away from the others, her oddly-shaped head held high. She crossed the centre of the circle to stand in front of the three-headed dragon, her eyes gleaming.

'My name is Skarvennax,' she announced, her voice carrying clearly to the watchers. 'At the time of the second fall of Alduin, five hundred years before this day, my mate had already fallen to the Dovahkiin's arrows, but I had two sons still living; twin males, Naaslaarum and Voslaarum. They were young, not yet strong enough to fend for themselves, and to keep them safe, I fled to hidden valley where I believed they would be safe from joorre.' She spat out a small plume of flame that reduced a patch of grass to ashes. 'I was wrong. A day came when I left them alone to go hunting. When I returned, they were gone. All that was left was bare bones, and I found black arrows lying in the snow. The Dovahkiin had slain them both.'

A soft growling rose from the assembled dragons, and Skarvennax went on, looking more confident now. 'My sons should have lived for hundreds of eruvosse, but they were cut down before they could see the turn of a single century. Since their deaths I have dreamed, both in my waking and sleeping hours, for nahkriin. And do I not deserve revenge? They were my fron, and blood must be repaid with blood! The Dragonborn who caused their dinok is long since gone. But her descendant survives, and can be punished.' Her talons sunk into the ground, raking lines in the earth. 'I shall join you, thur Qoyoliiz. I shall join you, for the sake of my mate and sons. For a chance of vengeance upon the Dovahkiin, and upon all mortals. And if any of you have honour and the hearts of true dovahhe, you shall stand alongside us!'

She turned as she spoke the last sentence, glaring defiantly at the others. Almost instantaneously, the Serpentine sprang down from the boulder he had been crouching on.

'And so I shall,' he growled. 'I am Vednahviing. I was hatched not long after the second fall. I remember little of Alduin, but I served him for a time upon his third coming, and I know that the dovahhe are meant to rule. The joorre have taken our right to fly free away from us. I shall die if I must to win it back.' He lowered his head. 'In, I am yours to command.'

From his place at the back of the small crowd, he Storm Dragon let out a quiet snort, but in the silence of the night, the sound was easily heard. Qoyoliiz's triple gaze turned to him. 'And you, Strun-Dovah?'

The Storm Dragon's tail twitched. 'You are fools,' he hissed, staring defiantly at the sedklovdovah and the two who stood beside him. 'Do you truly believe that the dovahhe can triumph over joorre, after all that has happened?'

'We can.' It was the Elf who spoke, his yellow eyes flashing in the light they reflected from the moon. 'If we stand together and fight -'

'Meyye!' The Storm Dragon barked the word. 'You are fools. All of you. And so was I, to come here!' His voice grew bitter. 'I see now that our kind should not have masters. I should have learned this long ago.'

'If you have your reservations because of what happened to Alduin,' the Altmer said coldly, 'I can assure you-'

'I speak not only of Alduin.' The blue-grey scaled dragon shook his head angrily. 'I had another in once. I served a mortal, just as you do, sedklov. My master was Miraak, the first Dovahkiin. I believed him to be invincible, yet he was slain in the end. Then there was Alduin, and he, too, fell. You are merely another like them. You have power, but you do not understand how to use it.'

Qoyoliiz took a step forward, all three heads growling. 'And who are you to tell me how to use my mulaag?'

'I am Lommirsuth,' the strun-dovah replied calmly. 'Nothing more and nothing less. Having a master will not make me stronger. No dragon or mortal that there is or was can make me more than I am. You will lead these fools who would follow you to their dinokke. I came here in the hope that perhaps you might be different from Alduin and Miraak. It was a vain hope.'

He turned away, half unfurling his wings. 'I see more clearly now. We cannot rule mortals. They cannot rule us. We must exist together, but if we krif, it shall destroy us. And any who claim mastery over dov shall lead us to war. And if we go to war, we shall all be slain.'

Lommirsuth spread his wings. 'Do not let him do this to you, my brothers and sisters. He shall lead you to nothing but pain and death.'

Without another word, he launched himself into the air and soared away towards the north. Vulgrahskein watched him go, his eyes narrowing. Was the Storm Dragon right? It was true, certainly, that every time a new in had sworn to take power over the dragons and lead them to glory, that it had never happened, and that they had always been defeated. The Ancient looked at Qoyoliiz with new doubt stirring in his heart. The sedklovdovah was powerful and terrifying, that was for certain, but could he truly succeed where Alduin and Miraak had failed?

'He is wrong.' It was the Frost she-dragon who spoke, her voice breaking up Vulgrahskein's thoughts. 'We shall never take Keizaal for our own unless we fight for it. I am willing to risk my blood and my life for the chance to take what is rightfully mine. This time we shall conquer. The dovahhe shall rule, with your guidance.' She dipped her head towards Qoyoliiz and the Elf.

Qoyoliiz's three faces smiled. 'Wise words, Fo-Dovah. Your name?'

'Krahsosmaar,' she answered, lifting her head proudly.

'You are welcome, Krahsosmaar,' the Altmer told her, bowing slightly. 'And what of you others?' His eyes flickered over the four who had not yet chosen – the young Blood Dragon, Kahjuniisk, Keinvulnax and Vulgrahskein.

The Blood Dragon looked at the others, as if waiting for one of them to speak, then swallowed and nodded. 'I shall join you. I know that without a thur to command me, I shall turn feral. I have served the Dragonhearts for these past evgirre, but I would rather have a dovah master than a mortal one – even the Dragonborn.'

'And you are?' the Elf asked.

'Daandugram.' The Blood Dragon muttered the word almost grudgingly, and Vulgrahskein glared at him. Dragons should take pride in their names! They speak of who we are.

'You are brave to leave the Dragonhearts, Daandugram. And intelligent. They shall not win – they cannot win.' The Altmer's smile was wolflike now. 'You will be of great use to us. The Dragonhearts are the only force that could possible stand in our way. With you on our side, we can eliminate them quickly. You can help us to bring them down from the inside.'

Daandugram's face creased into a confused frown. 'You wish for me to be aan vonzun?'

'A spy, yes.' The High Elf rubbed his hands together. 'It will be of great assistance.'

The Blood Dragon nodded uncertainly. 'Your wish is my command, in.'

'Mine, too.'

Vulgrahskein's head snapped around, and he stared in shock at Keinvulnax, who had spoken the words. The brown dragon met Vulgrahskein's gaze calmly. 'If we have a chance at last to take power over Keizaal, and to hunt mortals once again the way we should, I shall take it. It has been too long since I lasted tasted mortal blood. It is time for our kind to take their rightful places as masters of mortals – or most joorre, at any rate,' he added, nodding towards the Altmer and his small band of followers. 'Come, Vulgrahskein. Join us. Fight as a true dovah once again.'

'Unless you're too frightened, broken-horn,' Kahjuniisk sneered.

A rumbling growl sounded in Vulgrahskein's throat. 'You are joining these… Bloodcallers, then?'

Kahjuniisk dipped his head. 'As will you, unless you are a coward.'

That settled it. The chance of being able to sink his talons into mortal flesh again was tempting enough. But Vulgrahskein was not going to let Kahjuniisk ridicule him. If the Legendary Dragon was accepting Qoyoliiz's offer, then so was he.

'I am no coward,' Vulgrahskein snarled. 'And I shall prove it by the shedding of mortal blood!'

'You will, in time.' The High Elf stepped forwards, positioning himself between Vulgrahskein and Kahjuniisk just as Keinvulnax had. His face did not display a single trace of fear. 'Have patience, ancient one. Your time will come.'

'And you are?' the Storm Dragon head of the sedklovdovah demanded.

'Vulgrahskein. And he is Kahjuniisk.'

'You have no right to speak my name, krent-zahk!'

'Enough!'

Qoyoliiz thundered the word, and every dragon took a pace backward. It suddenly struck Vulgrahskein how enormous the three-headed dragon was, and how easily he could kill any one of them. His gaze flickered across the grass to where the dead she-dragon lay sprawled out in a patch of mud made by her own blood. Those three vicious jaws had taken her life so quickly. Mortals, Vulgrahskein thought with a thrill, would have no chance. And neither will I, if I cross him.

'Our battle is with the joorre. You will soon be able to unleash your rahgol upon them. But we must not fight amongst ourselves.' It was Qoyoliiz's centre head that spoke, while the other two glared at Vulgrahskein and Kahjuniisk.

'I will restrain myself,' Vulgrahskein muttered. 'If he does.'

The High Elf's voice rang out before Kahjuniisk could retort. 'Put aside your differences. We are all Bloodcallers now.'

'This is the beginning of a war,' Qoyoliiz announced. 'A war that begins in secret. A war that shall spread across Keizaal and then across all Taazokaan. A war in which we shall be victorious!'

'And every war has a first battle.' Veldarion's yellow eyes were narrowed into slits. 'Every fire must have spark. We shall waste no time; Qoyoliiz and I have already begun laying plans. And now that you have joined us – ' His gaze fell on Daandugram – 'Everything shall become far simpler.'

'There is only one mortal on Nirn who has the power to stand against us.' Three identical smiles spread across Qoyoliiz's faces. 'And so we shall begin with her, before she has time to gather her own forces. Before she even knows that we exist.'

'We shall begin,' Veldarion said quietly, 'By destroying the one who, they say, is the only one the dovahhe ever feared. We know better. You are here, my friends, because you fear nothing. So, tell me.' A cold, cruel laugh echoed through the air. 'Which of you is not afraid to kill the Dragonborn?'

Anyone notice that Qoyoliiz is a little more eloquent than some of the other dragons? Yeah, that's mostly because Veldarion spent most of the day teaching him what to say to them.

Part of the reason why I included Vithmulsah's backstory in the last chapter was to compare it to the stories of dragons like Vulgrahskein, Keinvulnax and Kahjuniisk. In a way, I reckon their anger with the Dragonhearts is understandable - they're used to killing who and what they want to, when they want to. Which is why they're willing to follow a weird creature like Qoyoliiz and a mortal like Veldarion.

Since a lot of new characters were introduced in this chapter, I'll give another character list here:

THE BLOODCALLERS:

Mortals:

Veldarion – Male Altmer

Drethin – Male Dunmer

Lurag gro-Dushnikh – Female Orc

Auguste – Male Breton

Morri – Female Nord

Torndir – Male Nord

Bharadi – Female Khajiit

Dragons:

Qoyoliiz – Male three-headed dragon ('Lightning Fire Ice')

Vulgrahskein – Male Ancient Dragon ('Dark Battle Scar')

Kahjuniisk – Male Legendary Dragon ('Pride King Fang')

Skarvennax – Female Revered Dragon ('Hawk Wind Cruelty')

Vednahviing – Male Serpentine Dragon ('Black Fury Wing')

Krahsosmaar – Female Frost Dragon ('Cold Blood Terror')

Daandugram – Male Blood Dragon ('Doom Devourer Cloud')

Keinvulnax – Male Fire Dragon ('War Dark Cruelty')

All right, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Because of exams, the next chapter may take some time, but it'll be up eventually, I promise. :)