Ciara remained still in the tree, the spear gripped tightly as she peered through the pine leaves. Below her, Gredithian soldiers chattered adamantly in their mother tongue, guarding a large wagon. The wagon seemed to be carrying a caged animal at first. Leaves blocked the view, but when the wagon was directly below her, Ciara nearly fell out of the tree.

Blinking disbelieving at what she saw, she watched as the wagon was lead up a dirt road on an incline. How in the world had they managed to capture a dragon?

The creature was the size of a horse with grey and white scales, two great wings folded over its body and trapped within the confines of the metal cage. The Gredithians had collared and drugged it into a deep asleep, though how they managed to do that, Ciara had no clue. Dragon fire had been known to melt stone, but perhaps it was too young for such force.

The dragon lulled against the rocky path, its cage, lead by six horses and over twenty Gredithian soldiers, rocked in the wagon, tied down with rope. Ciara wondered then why so many men were needed to guard the dragon. Surely such a number would draw attention, as it had for her.

Perhaps the men had other duties.

Ciara shivered, pressing tighter against the bough, unable to look away from the dragon incase it woke up and devoured her.

The men were pulling the dragon up through an old road that would come up behind the back forest. If they managed to get the dragon through that, they could essentially come up behind both the Dellian and Osmazian army with an unbeatable, heavily armored, flying weapon.

It would take weeks for such a move, but a dragon on the opposing side of the battlefield would certainly put the odds in their favor.

Ciara had to get back to camp and warn them.

Quietly, she moved back into the tree, waiting until they'd traveled past. Time slowed as she waited for the chatter to cease and the sound of hoof steps to disappear. She gave a last look to check that they were too far away for her to see before climbing down, dropping from the last branch onto the grass, her spear beside her.

Before she could return to camp, she had to meet up with Bo. She too, was scouting the area, looking for anything that could shift the war to their favor. There were at least five other scouts, spread out through the areas.

Ciara believed that some of the other scouts may have doubled up, but it was impossible to know. She knew Dyson preferred to be by himself, but Ciara rather enjoyed having a check point. On foot, they were a few days travel from camp, too far to continue back and forth with little information. It was comforting to have someone to meet up with and discuss what they'd found.

The battlefield was set over a large expanse, surrounded by hills. Further back to the West sat a mountain notoriously known to be dragon nesting grounds. The meeting place sat over enemy lines, Southwest and a day's travel from where the Gredithians made camp.

Bo had carved out the area with magic, her strength lying with raw power, whereas Ciara had more knowledge and skills in illusions, helping to hide the makeshift cave with a deception shield, lest anyone find it.

She'd marked it with sunbelle flowers for herself and Bo, a golden flower in the shape of bells occasionally found in Dellian areas such as this. They were a harvest flower, beautiful in her opinion. Lauren may have more talent with creation, but Ciara had years of practice and a boost of fairy dust.

It was why she'd been chosen for this. Hale, an old friend recently turned sovereign, had requested her assistance when his kingdom had been forced into war. They needed all the help they could get, and Ciara's kingdom needed gold, something the Osmazians could easily spare.

Bo, she'd surmised, having known her for half a year before the war, had been chosen for her raw strength. What she lacked in skill, she more than made up for in talent. Ciara was only mildly jealous.

Walking past the sunbelles, she dropped into the cave. The shield in place pushed against her, warding her out before she slipped through, her ears popping as she stepped inside.

"Ciara!" Bo's sword fell slack in her grip. With her other hand over her heart, Bo sheathed the weapon back on her hip. "You nearly scared the daylight out of me!"

Grinning, Ciara placed her spear against the wall. The cave had been made tall enough that they could both sit easily, but Ciara had to bow her head when she was standing up straight. She found it claustrophobic. As safe as the area was now, they could easily be pinned down if the Gredithians found them.

"Did you find out anything?" Bo asked, hopeful as she handed over the skin of water.

Ciara took the drink, nodding. "Dragon," she said, taking a swig. "The size of a good horse."

Bo laughed, setting herself down beside a red enchanted flame encased within a glass jar. "Right, well I didn't find much either. There's poison to the North, though. I signaled-"

"I'm serious," Ciara pushed. "I assume it's a fire breather, but it could just as easily be an ice dragon. They appeared to have it drugged to keep it docile, but I wouldn't want to stand near it when it wakes. There's at least twenty soldiers guarding it. Two of them were dressed differently to the rest, I couldn't see their crest and they weren't carrying banners."

Bo's expression slacked before she scrambled to stand up. "We have to get back to camp. We have to tell the others." She moved to leave. Ciara's hand reached out, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around to face her.

"I'll go. You stay on reconnaissance."

"Can't. Area's flagged. Right-regiment got hit with a noxious gas. Lauren should be there now to clear it up. I managed to shift the winds north momentarily, but I doubt-"

"That's not your storm over there?"

"That's not my storm," Bo nodded. "I don't know whose it is, but they'd be up high. I was tempted to think of you."

"Fairies don't do storm," Ciara smiled. Weather manipulation was out of her league. Out of most people's league for anything that big. Unless there was a team. If so, they would need six witches or warlocks of adequate power, or twenty mages who could work in sync. "What's the plan?"

"We return to camp, tell them about the dragon and wait for orders."

Ciara shook her head. "Bad idea. You stay here, continue recon of the area and I'll return to camp."

"No. We return to camp and wait for orders. What if we're needed for their plan?"

"You're right," Ciara nodded, "you'll be needed. I'll follow the dragon, that way when you need its location, I can signal. Perhaps I'll do some sabotage so you won't take all the glory."

Bo's head shook violently. "This is a bad idea. If you get caught-"

"I won't get caught. I'm far better at hiding than you are." Bo smiled at the jest halfheartedly, her shoulders sagging. "I'll be fine Bo. It's nothing I haven't done before."

"Dragon fire is dangerous to magical beings," she argued softly. "What if-"

"I'll be fine," she repeated again. Lifting her hands to the Bo's arms, she squeezed gently. "I've been doing this far longer than you. Besides, they'll need you. You're their secret weapon."

"They need you, too."

"They need me tracking. But they need you as their elven weapon." Turning away, she picked up her spear and looked over her shoulder. "Take care, Bo. When we meet up next we'll exchange notches."

"You're leaving now?"

"It's best I catch up to them soon. You don't dance around with dragons," she smiled sadly, wishing she could curl in the cave and sleep. "I'll be fine."

"But you weren't leaving before!"

Ciara sighed, looking over her shoulder. "No, I was planning to return to camp, but plans change." She shrugged, feeling her stomach drop as Bo's face fell. "You should leave soon, too. They'll need to know."

Bo rushed forward, taking Ciara's face into her hands before she kissed her. It was soft, gentle and over before the fairy could respond. "Come back safely," Bo whispered.

"You elves are so touchy-feely." Ciara smiled, brushing a hand over Bo's hair. She'd braided it back one night, as they spoke of home. Home had been a farm for Bo, the woods for her. Home was warless now. "I will do my best. As will you."

"This war won't end well."

"It never does."

Ciara grabbed her knapsack off the ground, handing over Bo's skin of water before giving a last, weary smile. Taking a breath, she slipped out of the cave pocket, back onto the grass land.

Outside, the storm had dispersed, leaving the sky exposed to a setting sun over the Dellian hills. The red light casted long shadows over the ground, making the trees look tall and dark.

Ciara moved forward, looking over to where she'd seen the dragon a league away, and the soldiers climbing over the back hills. She'd bet her best jewelry that they'd stick close to the mountain before curling around, behind the aligned armies.

An arrow flew past her ear, burying into the hill. Ciara gasped, looking to it. Another arrow came and Ciara disappeared, moments before it hit her, with a gust of magic before reappearing behind a low tree. Her head spun from the fairy dust, eyes wide open.

She was a few yards away from the cave pocket, back against the tree. Peering around, she quickly looked to the tree line, searching for a target. Nothing, she pressed against the tree again, spear in grip. "Bo," she yelled, "the enemy's here. Don't come out, just stay hidden. I'll fight them off."

If it was reconnaissance, they wouldn't have made themselves known. Would they? Sabotages maybe? Could be back-tail guards, looking for anyone who followed behind. Like her.

Dropping her knapsack onto the ground, she ran forward, heading for a second tree a brief stretch away. Her eyes searching for targets as another arrow whizzed past. She rolled, dodging before safely guarding herself low against the pine tree.

She steadied, adjusting her grip on the spear as she estimated where the archer was. She'd seen them this time. Another arrow came past, grazing her exposed shoulder before Ciara threw the spear. A woman's voice cried out, falling backwards and out of the tree. Relief at the hit flushed through her system before she sprinted forward.

Magic rushed through her, before she disappeared, reappearing above the archer. Ripping out the spear, Ciara aimed it over the heart and rammed it into the chest– an arrow hit her.

Ciara gasped. Her eyes looked to her shoulder to where the arrow struck. Pain spread from the area, hot and violent. Her hands clutched at the spear, driving it down for support as she bowed over the dead woman.

How-?

She slid just as another arrow flew past, hitting the tree. Her hand grasped to where the arrow was embedded in her shoulder, digging into muscle. She hoped it missed her artery.

Ciara tripped backwards, her other shoulder smacking against the tree's trunk before her knees hit the grass. The spear slipped from her grasp, impaled in the corpse. Ciara stared at it as blood tricked down her back, hot and thick. Bollocks.

Behind her, she could hear Bo's voice yell out before gravity began to tilt her body sideways. Ciara blinked slowly, feeling her head hit the tree as her hand grabbed at the wound. It'd hadn't come through. The arrow was still inside of her. She'd beat the archer dead, if she could just breathe.

Dully Ciara was aware of the iron poisoning slipping through her veins from the arrowhead. Had they known? She wondered as her heart continued to pound poison through her. Each beat pushing it further and further through her system. Or had it been purely coincidental?

Eyes peeling open, she watched another arrow fly past, burying into the bark. Her eyes closed heavily, when she opened them again, Bo's sword was stuck out of the other archer's back crudely, as Bo used her dagger to gut the person.

"Ciara!"

Her eyes shut again.

Pain awoke her in darkness, her body arching as she was held still. Her throat cut off, a scream dead as the wood pushed in her shoulder. She felt arrowhead snap off before a hand slipped over the wound.

"I'm sorry…I'm not...I'm no…"

The words disappeared as fire burnt her wound. Ciara screamed.

A/N: So I thought I'd stick this fic here as well. So everyone could read it. Okay, that lie sucked. I just like to have in a few places (AO3, here and on my desktop) plus reviews make me happy