Eww, gross. Mellary complained as she wiped the dark Urgal blood congealing on her swords. Embrald grumbled unhappily. He was splattered with the stuff. It would take a long time to get him clean. If only we could scorch it off. Mellary eyed her dragon. Embrald glared back and snorted. A puff of smoke rose into the darkness.

This made the group of people gathered a little ways away start and begin to mumble among themselves. Mellary ignored them.

Once the shade had been killed, for good this time, the Urgals had turned on each other. What had once been organized lines of attack dissolved into massive widespread chaos. It had been somehow satisfying.

Embrald had taken the opportunity to land on the front lines of the Varden's defense. They had been tracked by the archers as soon as they came within range, but thankfully no one had shot. Mellary was worn out; she didn't have the energy to deflect the arrows. They had fought next to the Varden, driving the Urgals back.

And now that the threat was over and the Urgal's vanished, they had drawn back a few hundred yards, uncertain. Probably wondering about her loyalty.

Things just aren't what they used to be. Mellary sighed. Back in the day, killing a few hundred Urgals and helping turn back an invasion was enough to gain anybody's trust.

'Back in the day'? Just how old are you? Embrald asked.

Old enough to kick your scaly rear from here to the ocean, and don't you forget it. Mellary snapped back.

Don't worry, Grandmother. You don't look a day over eighty.

Impertinent scamp! Mellary swatted at him. The movement pulled on the bandage wrapped around her arm, exposing the long slash on her arm. Mellary didn't remember when it happened, just as she didn't remember acquiring the cut across her forehead or the other assortment of wounds.

Embrald ducked and turned his great head to look over her shoulder.

Here they come.

Mellary turned as the man she had identified as the leader approached across the dark field. On either side of him were two identical men, each bald and turning frosty eyes on her. At the same time Mellary felt two probes, weak from exhaustion, attack her shield.

Accompanying the trio was at least ten other men. Mellary leaned against Embralds neck, exhausted, and waited for them to approach.

"I am Ajhad." The leader told her in a deep voice. "Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

Not even a hello? Mellary heard Embrald complain.

She opened her mouth to give him her name. All that came out was a squeaky croak.

Mellary choked and began to couch explosively. The group looked alarmed and wary. Embrald rumbled in surprise as Mellary felt for the water skin.

When was the last time I said an actual word not invoking magic? She asked Embrald.

At least a month. Maybe a month and a half? He laughed when he caught on to what she was saying.

As they had been traveling across the country, Mellary and her dragon had been communicating solely mind to mind. Without a human companion, there had been no need to do otherwise. And the words of the ancient language had rolled off her tongue easily, greased by magic.

"My apologies. I am called Mellary, and this is Embrald. We encountered part of the Urgal army in the plains up north, and followed them down. We came to help." Her voice was rough, but audible.

"In appreciation for you help, I extend to you the welcome of the Varden." He looked her in the eye. "We thank you."

Mellary nodded, slightly embarrassed. Publicity wasn't her favorite thing in the world.

The sun had passed the top of the mountain by the time Mellary and Embrald stood at the bottom of the dragon roost, looking up at the caves all around them. The dark entrances looked inviting, calling her tired eyes toward sleep.

Mellary had let them get dragged into the cleaning that had to be done immediately. They moved bodies from the surrounding area and cleared rubble away. They even went hunting for a group of Urgals that had been spotted in the distance.

Which one? Embrald asked, his head tipped back.

"Somewhere near the top." Mellary said out loud. Her voice was still gravelly. To discourage anyone who wants to talk politics.

You really think…

Do NOT underestimate these people. It's just rife with instability. Absolutely no way I want to get caught up.

Mellary pulled herself onto Embrald's back and he crouched.

"Why if it isn't the rouge half-" Began a voice behind her.

"Angela!" Mellary yelled in delight and sheer terror.

"-herself. Dare I ask what you are doing here?"

"Helping. How have you been doing, Angela?" Mellary asked as she slid off Embrald's back.

Mellary had know Angela for almost as long as she had been wandering the countryside. Soon after she had left Du Weldenvarden she had had a nasty run in with a wild cat at least as big as she had been. Mellary had been able to stitch up the long wounds, but within a week they had turned green and started to ooze. Somehow Tanyian had carried Mellary to Terim, where she, when wandering the streets, had litterally ran into the witch. Angela had cured and redressed the wounds.

Once or twice a season Mellary would wander past Terim and visit Angela, often bringing herbs that didn't grow close to the city, rarer ones that Angela was in short supply of in return for supplies and the latest news.

Angela knew everything about her.

"I see you found something a little rarer than herbs on your travels." Angela said, looking over Embrald.

"Angela, Embrald. Embrald, Angela." Mellary said.

"Well, I have an urgent matter to attend to." Angela said. She turned and walked two steps before turning back. "You wouldn't have picked anything for me while you were wandering around, would you?"

Mellary smiled and pull a small pouch from her bag. It had gotten crushed sometime during the battle and was giving off a thick, dizzying aroma.

Angela's eyes lit up and she grinned. "Perfect." She was turning away when she noticed Mellary's clumsily wrapped arm. "You better come with me and I'll fix that. Honestly, those people down there…" She trailed off and began to walk away.

Go rest. Mellary told Embrald. He rumbled and took off with a leap. Mellary trudged toward the stairs after Angela.

Mellary leaned against the rail, breathing hard. Angela had vanished around the turn of the stairwell. Mellary could hear her footsteps fading as she walked down a hall.

Underneath the footsteps was another sound. A slight scrape as something she couldn't identify slid over the stone.

She inched up another step and peered around the corner. The tip of a long sapphire tail appeared, twitching back and forth. Mellary continued up the stairs as a deep blue dragon slowly came into view.

The blue dragon was at least twice as long as Embrald was. It was crouched in the hall, it's back only a foot under the ceiling. One of the wings was stretched out, a bandage wrapped around a section of the wing bone. The dragon's head was in the room at the end of the hallway, the one Angela was vanishing into. It hadn't seen her yet.

Mellary slipped silently down the hall, carefully stepping over the wing. The dragon's neck was thick enough that Mellary couldn't slip by unnoticed. She looked down at her right hand, the gedwëy ignasia glimmering under the grime of battle. Mellary laid her hand on the dragon's neck.

A bolt shot through Mellary's mind, destroying her barrier in an instant. She felt Embrald rear in surprise, hitting his head on the roof of the cave he had chosen. Pain flared on the back of her skull.

The dragon jerked, it's, no, her muscles tensing under Mellary's hand.

Rider. The single word hurt. Mellary doubled over, her hand fixed to the dragon's scales. Information flashed between them as the dragon stripped away the layers she had built up over decades. Images flashed before her eyes, the dragon's travels.

With each passing second, each passing fact, the pain grew. Mellary gritted her teeth until she couldn't bear the agony any longer.

STOP! The word was torn out of her. Embrald roar in response to her pain.

Suddenly the hard cold scales under her hand vanished as something released. The confusion, and the pain, were gone.

Mellary threw up a few pale barriers and stumbled past the dragon, who was watching her with sapphire eyes. She collapsed onto a chair.

Angela looked at her with concern and added a few herbs to the pot of tea on the fire. A few minutes later she approached with a cup of tea and a roll of bandages. The warm liquid soothed Mellary's raw throat as the herbs cooled her hot arm.

"So, who else do you have up here?" She asked. Her voice had improved, and was back to it's soft, light tones.

Angela finished pounding a paste and smeared it onto a bandage. "A Rider and an elf." She said. Mellary choked on her tea.

"Anyone I know?" She coughed, trying to act calm. From the appraising looks Angela was giving her she wasn't doing very well.

Angela opened a door to an adjoining room and stepped through. Mellary came over and leaned on the frame.

She didn't need more than a glimpse of the cascade of raven hair and the fine delicate features to know exactly which elf was lying unconscious in the room.

A barrage of memories swept through her mind, followed by a wave of sheer, utter, complete panic.

What's wrong? Embrald growled. Mellary shoved the tangled mess of memories at him.

We basically grew up together. She knew me better than anyone else.

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