Chapter 4

Kelvin woke not too long later after Roscrow dropped him onto a bed. The whole town had shown up, gawking at the battle amongst the dragons. There were many questions, but none were answered. Derikel had to shut the shutters to all his windows to keep out prying eyes. "The town'll be talking about this for years."

"Let them talk. Right now we have more important things to worry about," Roscrow retorted in some anger. He was pulling Kelvin's armor off to see the extent of his injuries.

"Do you always take advantage of your sleeping officers, sir?" Kelvin joked weakly as he woke. He coughed in pain when he tried to laugh.

"Oh shut up and lie down, damn you." Roscrow couldn't help but grin at Kelvin's cheery nature despite his pain and near brush with death.

"He just snapped awake! I never seen anything like it. He hit me with his paw, like he was trying to grab me, but missed when Granger pounced him." Kelvin allowed Roscrow to wrap his chest, which was bruising. He definitely had a cracked rib.

"We'll deal with them later. Sre seems to have Hero calmed down, Granger's unconscious and Beaut's still freaked out about losing her horn..."

"What?" Kelvin shoved Roscrow out of the way and looked out the window. He could see Hero pacing back and forth in front of Beaut who kept hissing at him, her body close to the ground, but neither made a move to attack. "What the hell is Sre doing? Granger's waking up!"

Roscrow looked over his shoulder in concern. He cursed and ran out the door before Kelvin could turn to pull his armor back on.

Sre couldn't help but go back out to Hero. She knew Roscrow could take care of Kelvin and himself now that they were a safe distance from the feuding beasts. But Hero was injured, angry, and hungry. She felt she had to go back to him to make sure he didn't do something rash.

Fearlessly she stepped between the two dragons. Hero looked down at her, relaxing. He folded his wings, laying down in front of her. He placed his head next to her, trilling happily to her. "Ah-Ah" he muttered. She smiled at him, stroking the bony ridge above his eye. "I'm alright, son. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I won't ever be a slave again. So you don't have to fight everyone anymore."

Hero muttered some more. "Glad." She looked at Hero in some surprise. Had he really said a word?

There was massive amount of noise suddenly. Hero looked up in time to see Granger roll to his paws, raising his wings in rage. He let out a roar, a long, very angry, challenging roar. Hero glared, his paws wrapping around Sre protectively. "Ah-Ah ... safe..."

Again Sre looked at him. She couldn't be sure, his voice was so deep and inhuman. He bared his teeth, snarling up at Granger. The massive black brute roared again, drawing closer. He stood over his son, double fangs bared and ready to attack. Hero stayed where he was, snarling back up at Granger, but not attacking.

Granger swiped out, catching Hero across the muzzle. The impact made Hero fall over, throwing up ash and soot. Sre screaming as she was knocked over by Hero's paw by accident. She looked up at Granger, thinking this was really silly. She suddenly leapt to her feet, yelling up at the huge dragon. As he lifted his paw to strike out at Hero again, Granger suddenly stopped, looking down at the human under him even before she spoke. "You! Stop that! Leave him alone. He struck you, you struck him, you're even, now back off! He's harmless now, you won't get any fight out of him."

Roscrow's heart leapt when he heard Sre scream, saw Granger strike out at Hero. But before he could get close enough to yell at his dragon, he saw Sre rise up and seem to be speaking to him. Granger looked down at her, and much to his surprise, he lowered his wings and sat back onto his haunches, looking at her with a mesmerized expression.

Hero rolled back into a laying position, quickly wrapping his arms protectively around her, his head hovering over hers, glaring at his father. She had told him not to fight, and so he would not. But he would protect her as best he could.

As Roscrow got close, he heard the deep rumble of Hero, the dragon turning to look at him. Sre also turned to see what he saw. She smiled at him. "I think they'll get along from now on."

"What did you do?" He looked at Granger who gave a groan and laid down in front of them, suddenly relaxed. He'd never seen his dragon go from a bloody rage to accepting of a previous enemy so fast.

"I just told him to leave Hero alone." She didn't think that was strange.

A little surprised, Roscrow came toward her. Hero rumbled, his neck curving to place his huge head in front of him. Staring into those bright copper eyes, eeirely similar to his own dragon, Roscrow saw a glint of intelligence he'd only seen in one other dragon. In that intelligent gaze, he also saw a very real threat. Hero was warning him and he didn't need to be able to speak to get that across to the human. Then he lifted his head and allowed him to approach his mother.

"He's a strange dragon."

"Really?" Sre patted Hero's chin.

"My dragon!" Kelvin cried, cutting off Roscrow's next words. The dragoness groaned to her rider, muttering pathetically. "Oh, Beaut! What did he do to you?" Kelvin found the broken horn and looked down at it sadly.

"We'll grind it down when we get back to the Academy. At least she's alive." Roscrow attempted to console his friend. Kelvin glared at Hero. Staring back, Hero suddenly realized he'd done something bad. He stood and came over, picking up the broken horn and offering it to Beaut as if he thought there was some way to put it back. Beaut hissed at him, but didn't try to fight.

"What a strange dragon." Kelvin watched with surprise.

"That's what I said. The Dragon Masters are definitely going to want to see him. We should get ready to travel. We'll see if we can't get them all fed before we fly." Roscrow turned to Sre. "Is there anything you need to get before we leave for the Academy?"

Sre looked at him with wide eyes. "Leave? I ... The Academy?"

"Sre, people have been waiting for you for over a year now. They'll treat you like royalty. You pretty much are as close to royalty as there is on this world. And you'll be with me." He drew her into his arms.

"I ... I guess. I just want to say good bye first." She felt like she was in a daze. She'd come to love this place, and the people here had become her friends. Leaving suddenly felt strange to her. She would have done it for Hero's sake. But now, she would do it for Roscrow.

As Sre went around to say her farewells the next day, Barron, thankful to her for saving his son, offered the dragons a cow each to feed them for the trip home. Hero ate ravenously, but left some choice pieces, nudging them over to Beaut. She glared at him. He lay down before her, pushing the carcess toward her with a long arm.

"He's definitely got Spindle in him. He was ready to kill her and now he's flirting with her." Kelvin grumbled to Roscrow. The commander smiled.

"I think he's apologizing. He doesn't seem aggressive at all, he was probably just stunned when he woke up, thought he was about to be killed."

Roscrow heard Sre's voice as she spoke to the usually silent Black a short distance from them. The Sarlykein tilted his head. "If you want my cabin, you're welcome to it. I don't ... I don't think I'll be seeing it again."

Black placed a hand on Sre's shoulder. "We all know where home isss. We all return. I will keep it until you return. It will be asss you leave it."

Smiling at the lizard man, she suddenly put her arms around his waist. He was at least a whole head and a half taller than Roscrow. The Sarlykein cocked his head, but did not try to stop her. Human customs were odd to him, but he accepted them, knowing it brought them comfort. He patted her head when they finally parted ways.

"Ready?" Roscrow put his arm around her shoulders. She glanced around the town, feeling tears in her eyes. But she turned to him, nodding. They went out to the dragons, Roscrow carrying his saddle. The massive leather and metal thing was heavy and awkward, but Granger made no fight about having it put it on. Neither did Beaut, who managed to slobber Kelvin's hair yet again.

Hero saw this, found it entertaining, and slunk over to Sre. She whipped around. "Don't you dare!" He sucked the drool back into his mouth, giving her an innocent look and looking off into the distance, mumbling to himself idly. She gave him an evil eye before turning away to watch Roscrow tighten the last straps of the saddle.

"Alright. Does Hero know to follow us?"

"Of course. He won't let me go anywhere without following close behind." She patted Hero's leg. He murred, bobbing his head up and down. Roscrow gave a quick glance to Kelvin as he got Beaut to help him more than usual into the saddle. He had strapped the broken horn to the saddle, not wanting anyone to get their hands on it. Roscrow spoke to Granger, who bent down, offering his arm so his rider could swing easily into place.

He held down his hand for Sre. She hesitated, looking back to the town. "Sre." She looked up at him. "You can always come back to visit," he said quietly. She smiled and took his hand. He swung her up behind him. He fought a warm smile when he felt her arms slip around his waist, her body pressed tightly against his back.

As Granger stood up, Sre trembled a bit. "You know, I've never flown before," she whispered to Roscrow. He laughed.

"Don't worry. It's only bad the first time."

Before Sre could say another thing, he clicked to Granger, those massive wings spreading with a creak and rustle and the ground was no longer under their feet. The sound of his wings beating the air so close was deafening, the feeling of suddenly rushing upwards shot Sre's stomach down to her toes. She screeched, clutching more tightly around Roscrow. Then Granger began to make small, quick circles to gain altitude. Sre couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut, fear pounding in her chest.

The rush of the wind around her was intense. Every movement of the dragon's powerful muscles under her made her feel like she was about to fall off. Roscrow shifted slightly, making her gasp in surprise. Her eyes flew open, afraid she'd lose her grip on him. The vivid azure sky assaulted her vision. Granger flapped lazily as he got well over the trees. She blinked a few times, the brillance of the sky nearly overwhelming. She'd never realized just how... [i]blue[/i] the sky was.

She looked down. The ground zipped past them so fast she felt dizzy and had to look back up for a moment to gain her breath back. When she peered down again, she saw the immense expanse of forest that she had called home for so long. She could barely make out the winding road that led to the next town on the other side of the hills. And then that was gone. Everything looked foreign. The hills rose up toward them, Granger flapping to get over them easily. Her ears popped as the air pressure changed.

Over the wing beats and the rush of air, she heard more wing beats to her side. She turned her head to see Beaut flapping along easily near them. When she looked back down, she saw Hero. She'd never seen him actually fly even though she knew he did. She could clearly see the vivid purple strips on his back, five of them in all. They stretched along his wing membranes. He flew as effortlessly as the other dragons. She smiled, his beauty making her almost cry.

As the hills rapidly drew away from them, she began to feel the wisps of light clouds caress her face. They smelled like rain and fog. Hero turned his head up, suddenly shooting straight up into the air. She watched him in surprise, hearing Roscrow exclaim loudly at his show. Then Hero banked to the right rapidly, tucked his wings and rolled several times in the air. Just as he came level to Granger's right wing, Hero extended his wings, the wind billowing them out like a ship's sails. He flew beside them easily, flashing his teeth in an amused grin.

Sre giggled, realizing he was trying to make her feel better about flying. The hours ticked by as forests, lakes, and small towns zipped by far below them. As they flew over the edge of the grand plains, Roscrow shifted, nudging Sre and pointing down to direct her attention. Below them ran a massive herd of duka, huge hooved beasts with great tusks and grand antlers and shaggy fur.

Another hour went by when a shadow passed them overhead. She looked up to see a smaller dragon winging by them far overhead, so high she would have sworn it was in orbit. "Scouter," she heard Roscrow yell over the wind. The dragon moved so much faster than they that it was soon lost despite the clear sky.

She watched the world pass by under her with so much fascination that she completely forgot about the fact that she was flying. The time passed fast, and soon the sky was pink with the setting sun.

A glint caught Sre's attention and she looked ahead passed Roscrow, her breath catching in her throat. A great mountain range lay before them, but that wasn't what had her heart pounding. In the side of one of the mighty mountains, a shimmering building made from the very stone of the mountain stood proudly, its massive towers topped with great spear guns. Even from the distance they were at she could see dragons fluttering everywhere across the face of the building. Gaping holes allowed passage in and out of the place by dragonback. In front of the building was a large city, fields radiating outward along the edges of the city. And in the fields Sre could see massive green beasts toiling away, followed by the tiny, ant like people.

As they drew closer still, she could see that the neighboring mountains were also in the process of being carved open, the place expanding from within. Her ears popped again as they decended, winging rapidly toward one of the massive openings. Closer still and Sre could see dragons hanging to the walls of the building, ledges made just for them to lounge on, most with riders, some without. They were almost all War dragons. The Scouters were set separate from their larger, more aggressive cousins.

The sounds of the immense number of dragons quickly made its way to her, their roars and grunts and other sounds. As she looked down toward one of the nearly finished faces of the next moutain, she could see molten rock flowing out of several holes, splashing down to the bottom of the mountain like so many fiery waterfalls.

And then the sight was gone. They were enveloped by cool shadows, the rush of the wind forcing her eyes closed for a moment as they entered one of the tunnels. The scent of dragons forced itself into her nostrils without her even needing to breathe. She felt them make a few easy turns before she realized they were in open air again. She peered around in amazement at the grand hollow mountain. It was so immense that several dragons circled along with them. The hollow part was large enough to house the entire city outside the mountain.

All around were great ledges, looking like landing pads. People milled about on these ledges. Along the walls were several other massive holes leading to the other parts of the building. As they circled around, she could see that the walls above and below the holes for the dragons were corridors, balconies, and walkways for humans. People were walking along as if the sight of all the dragons were an everyday occurance. They vanished into doorways, emerged, and stood around speaking to each other. All the stone was perfectly smooth, almost glasslike. Along the roof of the structure were massive lights, shining as brightly as if it were the middle of the day.

Finally, after circling a few times, Roscrow gave Granger's reins a sharp tug, indicating for him to land. He beat the air as he decended toward a landing platform, slowing greatly. At last, his paws touched ground and he folded his wings with a deep breath. He side stepped as Beaut came in to land next to him. Once she was down, Hero awkwardly hovered, not sure about everything. But he, too, managed to land. He glanced around, appearing to be in a daze. He'd spent his whole life wishing to see others of his kind, and now he was completely surrounded by more of them than he'd ever imagined.

Sre was also in a daze. As she slipped to the ground, sore from the long flight with only one quick pit stop for everyone to relieve themselves. Roscrow slipped down off Granger. "That's what I love about traveling against the planet's orbit, you can get everywhere faster." He looked at Sre with a smile. "Welcome to the Szuporu Academy." As Sre peered up, her mouth open in amazement, she could watch the myriad of dragons circle around and around overhead, zipping out of the immense cavern through the many tunnels, and more pouring in, all of them waiting for special signals from the people on the landing platforms. Other dragons were taking off, and still others clung to the walls where there did not seem to be any people accessable areas. It was like a bee hive, busy and yet perfectly organized.

"Come. Kelvin and I have to report in. Then we can go home. Hopefully we can make it quick. Maybe Kelvin's sharp tongue can convince them to leave the biggest questions for tomorrow. I have the feeling you want nothing more than to eat and have some silence to take this all in." Roscrow put his arm around her shoulders, steering her toward one of the walkways.

She looked back to Hero who suddenly cried "Ah-Ah!" He had a scared expression on his face. She broke away from Roscrow and rushed to Hero. He hunkered down, accepting her reassuring pat. "It's alright, son. You don't have to worry. We're safe here. These dragons won't attack you. I'll come back soon, I promise." Slowly, Hero seemed to calm down. His eyes still darted about, his nostrils flaring, but he let her go without anymore protest.

Roscrow and Kelvin led her along the walkway to a hall that shot off deeper into the mountain. It was human sized, making sure no dragon could get in. She saw them tilt their heads as they spoke to each other, but over the din of dozens of dragons she couldn't hear them as she followed behind the two. At the end of the hall was a large room. As Roscrow and Kelvin entered, they stood straight and saluted stiffly. Sre peered around them to see a small semi circle table with three people, two men and a woman, sitting at it.

They looked up when Roscrow announced himself and Kelvin. As the ranking officer, that was his responsiblity. "Ah, yes commander. Were you successful with the halflings?" The woman spoke first.

Roscrow saluted her again. "We were able to kill two of them, ma'am."

"Only two? Out of how many?"

"Four that we could tell, sir."

"So why do you return without completing your mission, commander?"

"Well, we discovered someone of great value and returned with all due haste." Roscrow stepped aside, placing his hand on Sre's shoulder, a gentle, reassuring touch. "May I present Sre uld Morthar."

All three of the Dragon Masters gasped. The dark skinned man who sat between the other two rose to his feet. "Bladen's daughter? Can it really be? We searched everywhere for so long! Slantra, go, gather the council! We must confirm this."

Roscrow suddenly held up his hand. "Madam, Masters, with all due respect, we've been flying since early this morning. We are hungry and tired. This was Sre's first flight. May the council perhaps wait til the morn?"

"Yeah, and I'm in need of some medical care, as is my dragoness, sirs." Kelvin held his hand to his broken rib.

The Dragon Masters looked at each other. Finally, they nodded. "Very well. You will appear before the council in the morning. Council auditorium, Commander Roscrow. Will she need a room?"

"No. Sre will stay with me. Thank you, Masters, Madam." Roscrow saluted again. So did Kelvin when they were both dismissed.

As they headed back down the hall Roscrow sighed. "That was close. If they called the council, we would have been up the rest of the night." He peered down to Sre. She seemed far away, unable to focus. Everything was happening so fast, her quiet life had been utterly shattered. He put his arm around her as they came out to the walkway. He kissed her forehead affectionately. "We'll be somewhere quiet soon. Are you doing ok?" She gave him a small nod.

"I'm heading to the medical bay, I'll see you tomorrow. Better rest up. The council takes forever." Kelvin nodded to Sre after he had saluted his commander. He swung up to his saddle and Beaut backed up, turning as she opened her wings and fell off the platform, easily catching an updrift and circling toward another tunnel.

Sitting stiffly in the saddle, Sre clutched Roscrow tightly again as he turned Granger around, checking to make sure Hero was ready to follow. Instead of falling, he had Granger leap out into the open space, hoping to make it less traumatic for Sre. Catching an updrift, they circled up through the dozens of flapping wings to yet another tunnel that they shot into, flying easily as the air sucked them through to the other side. As Sre peered around below them, she realized this was the opposite side of the mountain range. The sky was a soft grey with dusk.

They flew low over the houses, heading out toward the edge. Now Sre could see beside each house were massive buildings, which she soon realized were for housing the dragons of the various soldiers. At last, Granger fanned the air into a gentle landing, groaning happily at the feeling of soft, familiar grass under his talons. Hero came in for a landing next to him. He looked around with apprehension.

Roscrow helped Sre down. He unstrapped the saddle, leaving it on the ground carelessly, letting Granger stomp over to his own home. The large stable like building was big enough to house two dragons. Very often soldiers would marry and need to house both their dragons together. A wall between the stalls gave each dragon their privacy from each other. The War dragons had learned to tolerate each other as long as they were given alone time.

After speaking to Hero, who finally went into the vacant stall and curled up tightly, his eyes still wide and darting at all the groans and trills and clicks of the dragons all around them, Roscrow took Sre into his house, given to him for the sake of his rank. It was modest, the kitchen and the recieving room all one large room, a short hallway heading off to a bedroom and bathing room. The furniture was sparse, consisting of a dining table with four chairs, a couch and some shelves laden with books and scrolls.

"I don't spend much time here," Roscrow admitted with a little chagrin. Sre smiled wearily. He offered her a chair which she slumped into, her mind more exhausted than her body. "I'm sure you're hungry." He pulled his armor over his head, the scales making that familiar scrap. He tossed it to the couch without much care.

"Actually, I'd rather take a bath and go to bed," she said quietly. Roscrow smiled in understanding.

"I won't stop you. It's been a long day. C'mon." He took her hand, drawing her up to his body. He suddenly held her tightly, kissing her forehead. "I feel like I'm in a dream and I don't ever want to wake up," he said softly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tightly to him. In truth she felt like she was in a dream as well. Her whole world had changed in such a short time. Everything from her grief of thinking Hero was dead, her joy over seeing Roscrow again, the suddenness of her collar coming off, the fight between the dragons, and the flight here left her dazed and dizzy.

Roscrow picked her up suddenly, making her giggle. He grinned playfully at her, carrying her to the bathing room. He kissed her passionately as he set her feet to the ground. The clothing came off with little effort, discarded to the ground without any thought. Under the hot spray of water, the tension melted from their bodies.

Roscrow took the bar of soap and lathered his hands, running them over Sre's body. She turned so he could get her back. He slipped his hands around her waist, then up her lean belly, pressing his body against her. She giggled when he cupped her breasts which turned into a moan as his fingers played with her quickly tightening nipples. He held her tightly against his body.

"Can we play tomorrow? I'm so tired." Sre looked up at him.

He chuckled. "Who said you had to be awake for me to have fun?" He laughed at the look on her face. However, he did back off. When they were finished, he wrapped her into a towel, drying her off carefully before helping her to his bedroom which was about as sparse as the rest of the house. He pulled her close to him, smiling to himself that she was already asleep. Though he wasn't too far behind.

Sre woke with some effort. Through the fog of her sleep, she could feel Roscrow's lips on her back and shoulders. She gave a little groan in protest. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, trying to curl into a ball to make herself inaccessable. Roscrow chuckled.

"In that time we'll have to be getting up and heading out," he muttered quietly in her ear, his tongue skimming the edge of her ear.

With a little shiver, Sre looked at him groggily. "Then why aren't you dressed?"

He raised a brow. "I think we can be a little late. Besides, I want to make sure you're relaxed in front of the council." He kissed her shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. His hand traveled along her side and down her thigh, sending another shiver through her.

"If you want me relaxed you'd give me a back rub." She rolled back onto her stomach, looking at him with a little smile.

"When did you start making demands?" He smirked.

"When I got a fire breathing dragon." She giggled at her own retort.

"Good point." He let his eyes roam over her body, his hand following his gaze. He leaned forward to nibble her shoulder again. He heard her let out a breath.

Then she grabbed the blanket, pulling it over her head with a giggle as she turned away from him. "If we're going to be late then I'd like to spend it sleeping."

"Fine, you go back to sleep." He got over her, lifting the lower part of the blanket to expose her wonderous rump, which he swatted playfully. "I only need this end of you to entertain myself with." He laughed at her when she struggled to get out from under the blanket to glare at him. He pressed down on the blanket, making her squirm and squeal while keeping her trapped, though he could hear her amusement easily enough.

She tried to kick out at him but he caught her ankle, putting it on his shoulder as he pressed the head of his hard rod into her. Her squirming stopped, her body arching as he slowly pressed into her, finally hilting with a groan. He stroked in and out of her with measured thrusts, building the pleasure as he pulled the blanket away from her so he could see her.

His movements quickened, making Sre cry out as the passion built up in her belly, warmth spreading through her, her whole body shivering with every exquesite thrust. Roscrow groaned as her walls constricted around him. He moved hard and fast until he felt Sre's body tense in preparation of release, then he would slow, keeping her agonizingly on the edge of orgasm.

Finally Sre panted when he slowed down again. "P-Please! Faster..."

"Hmmm, I like it when you plead. Becareful what you wish for. You might get it." He thrust faster, bringing her close to bliss. "Or you might not." He suddenly stopped, grinning at her as he pulled out with a playful swat to her rear. "Besides, we have to get ready."

He struggled not to laugh at the look on her face. Her wide-eyed disbelief turned to murderous rage in the next heartbeat. "That is very not fair! You said you wanted me relaxed!"

Roscrow turned away to hide his boyish grin. "Don't worry. I'll finish what I started after the meeting with the council." He pulled his breeches up, having a little trouble stuffing his still very hard and throbbing member into them.

"But ... you said it could take all day! I ... you..." She growled at him. He snickered as he pulled a shirt on, tucking it into his pants.

"Yeah, it could. Guess we'll find out how long you can wait." He sat on the bed as he pulled his boots on. "Now I suggest you hurry up and get dressed before I drag you out the door like that." He still had a cruel smirk on his face. She had no doubt he would take her outside naked. Not to meet the council, but certainly into the large yard where the dragons were and where his fellow soldiers could look out their windows and see her.

Fuming, she got up and pulled on her clothes. She continued to glare at him as she hurriedly ate her cold oatmeal, which he had made before waking her. All the while he continued to have a hint of amusement on his face. At last they left the house. Sre looked up at the bright sky, the sun not yet fully over the horizen, and yet the tops of the mountains shimmered, their stones ground to smooth finishes.

The air was filled with the creaks, groans, clicks, trills, and mutterings of the dragons all around them. Granger was already wide awake. He added his own groan to the muted choir around them. He laid in his stall patiently as Roscrow tossed the heavy saddle between his wings, manuevering around and under him with the straps, slipping them through small slits in the wing membrane against his body so that the straps could get around his belly as the membranes stretched back to the base of his tail.