Despite Evalon's optimism of the previous evening, Mydalr looked even more bleak in daylight than it had in the darkness of night. The small mountain valley had many trees, some of which Evalon recognized like gobbark and pine, some of which she didn't, like a tall, gray-barked tree with branches that drooped like a weeping willow but were a light teal color that seemed to be the most abundant plant life in the area. The ground was much too soft, and Evalon felt herself sink into it a little with each step. Every time she retracted her foot from the ground there was a soft little sucking noise, like the earth was trying to swallow her shoe. She wondered curiously if she would be rooted into the ground like a tree if she stood in place long enough. The sludgy ground made walking difficult, and many times Evalon struggled to pull her feet free. By the time they reached the bakery, Evalon was breaking out in sweat. 

Elen gave the grand tour, pointing out the main market, the trading post, the blacksmith, the amphitheater, and the stadium, which Elen told her was a social hotspot among the youth of the village. She pointed out the few people milling about, too. It was still early morning, so only a few adults were about, but Elen seemed to know them all. She drew Evalon's attention to Forché, the oldest and most wrinkled man Evalon had ever seen; Mrs. Unith Agrusd, a veteran of some battle that Elen couldn't remember the name of; Mr. Harold Finch, who, according to Elen, had been the cause of much gossip and scandal a few years ago when his wife died of mysterious circumstances and he married a young lady two weeks after her funeral.

The village itself was fairly small, nothing at all like the big, bustling city that Evalon had envisioned, though she supposed that in the afternoon when more people were about the market could look like a busy town square. The houses were little more than huts, each one about two floors high, built out of a strange blue-tinted materiel that seemed to glisten in the sun. The thatching on the roof was surprisingly sturdy, and many houses they passed sparkled with morning dew.

Elen herself wasn't bad company. She talked a lot, pointing things out and giving interesting facts about them. She asked a lot of questions, too, but she quickly became distracted and would move on to another subject before Evalon could even think of a response, which she was grateful for. She wasn't sure what to say to the strange, enthusiastic girl. 

Elen was very thin, unlike her mother, and she had the reddest hair Evalon had ever seen strewn about her shoulders in a tangled mess, much like a rabid wombat had been doing a jig on the back of her head. She had greengage eyes and freckles splattered across her nose in a flattering way that made her face seem loving and open. Evalon liked her. Her rapid-fire manner of speech had thrown her off at first, but Evalon quickly grew accustomed to it. Elen didn't expect anything from Evalon. She just talked to her heart's content, moving from one topic to the next like a hummingbird flitting from one flower to another.

"This is Stoigh Creek," Elen said as they came across a little brook that weaved through the landscape. Evalon remembered seeing the creek from the top of the mountain. It was a little way away from the village, and it was quiet except for the sound of rushing water. It was rather peaceful. Stoigh Creek was fairly small, only eight feet across at most, but it was deep, and the current was very strong.

"It's where most of our water comes from. It originates further up the mountain from an underground spring and makes its way here. There's a bridge across further downstream, but I'm not really supposed to go there," Elen told her.

"Why not?" Evalon asked. They were the first words she had spoken since leaving the house.

"The current gets stronger; it's too dangerous," Elen said. Her voice was tight, and Evalon suspected there was more to the story, but she didn't pry. Mylane had agreed to move to Mydalr so that Evalon could make friends, after all, and even though she had lied to her, Evalon thought that if she were going to make friends, Elen would be a good start, and she didn't want to overstep. So she pretended that she didn't notice Elen's change in behavior.

"Where does the stream lead?" she asked, looking for a topic change.

"Into the Gnapsonhilth Woods." Elen pointed downstream to where the just tops of the strange blue-leaved, weeping-willow-looking trees could be seen that was the edge of the large forest.

"Gnapsonhilth?" Evalon asked. "As in Gregory Gnapsonhilth?"

"Who?"

"Gregory Gnapsonhilth. He's the man who led the first dragon battalion into battle against Satria in the Flehlian War."

"Huh," Elen said in a bemused way. "Never heard of him. But that's probably where the name came from. I'm no good with random facts. Oh, my gosh! It's nearly seven! Ooh, do you want to see something cool?" Without waiting for a response, Elen took off excitedly back toward the village.

Evalon did her best to keep up, but was unused to the strange terrain, and Elen was faster than she appeared to be. She lost sight of the red-haired girl a few times, but always found her just a little ways ahead.

To her surprise, Elen lead Evalon past the village and into the surrounding trees. Evalon hesitated at first at the mouth of the forest, but steeled herself and pushed on.

Evalon found Elen crouched low behind fallen pine tree, peering ahead. She stood at her side, panting heavily, bending over to catch her breath.

"Get down," Elen whispered, scooting over to make room behind the log.

Evalon crouched down next her and pant-whispered, "What are we doing here?"

Instead of answering, Elen asked a question of her own. "Do you like dragons?"

Evalon was a little irritated that she hadn't answered her question, but she still nodded.

"Then you're going to love this." Elen pointed a finger, and when Evalon's eyes followed a gasp escaped her lips.

Before them was the largest hole in the ground that Evalon had ever seen. It was easily forty yards deep, the sides lines with the same strange blue minerals of which the village houses were constructed. A spiral wooden walkway wound its way around the edges and continued down into the very bottom, like it was descending into the very core of the earth. The mouth of the chasm was covered in big, heavy chains. At the very bottom of the pit there were men and women in dull maroon bodysuits and masks filling troughs inside large cages that lined the the sides of the circular hole full of fish. And inside those cages were--

"Dragons," Evalon breathed, her eyes wide in awe. She had seen pictures of dragons of course. Between her textbooks and joy-reading material, she had seen a surplus of depictions of the creatures. But none of them could fully capture the beauty, power, and intrigue of the magnificent beats before her. 

There were dragons of all shapes, sizes, colors, and species within the pit, but they all had some things in common, like their wickedly sharp claws that left marks on the pit floor when they walked, thick, strong forked tongues that flicked in and out of mouths filled to the brim with cuspidated teeth, and impressive wings like a bat's. Evalon didn't have the best view of the beasts, but from what she could see she identified the large heads of a group of Kilarths, the strong, spiny tail of a Eslaitian Snaggletooth, the uncontrollable ticking eyes of a nest of Razorsnares. Light glinted off each thick and beautiful scale. There were some strange puffs of brightly colored light as the dragons breathed their fire. A strange, warm smell wafted up from the pit below, smelling of reptiles and fire.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Elen whispered, her eyes shining at Evalon's enchantment.

"I-I don't have the words," she managed.

"So cool, right?" Elen agreed, leaning forward for a better look. Evalon looked sidelong at her. "Cool" was too weak and adjective to describe these resplendent creatures.

"Why are they all in cages?" Evalon asked. "And what's with the chains?"

"Uh, they're dragons," Elen said, like that should explain everything. When Evalon continued to have a blank expression she continued. "They would fight and kill each other off if they were free to roam about. And the net is to make sure they don't get out."

"Aren't the cages suppose to do that?"

"Oh, they're not in the cages all the time. They let them out one at a time throughout the day. The chains are to make sure they don't escape, little good it's doing at that."

"The escaped dragons," Evalon said quietly.

"Yep," Elen nodded. "Can you believe that four have escaped in the last month? It's becoming a real situation. And they all came from right here. Well, not this Keep specifically, but, you know, this general area."

"Keep?"

"That's what this is," Elen said, gesturing to the gaping hole. "It's where we keep our dragons when they're not being trained or used in battle-- pardon the pun."

"No wonder they wanted to escape," Evalon whispered. "Look at them! They shouldn't be caged like that." An agitated, ear-shattering, mind-numbingly loud roar with a rooster-like trill filled the air as if to prove her point.

"What else are we going to do with them? We can't let them roam the countryside freely; they'd eat all our livestock. No, this is the best accommodation for them."

"Best for them? They're being held against their will, caged like wild animals." Evalon felt her face flush with the unjustness of it all. She felt a pang of anger when she realized that her uncle had likely worked in a Keep just like this one, feeding dragons through thick bars of a cell.

"Whoa, rein it in, girl," Elen said. She placed a hand on Evalon's shoulder. "Look, I'm with you on this one; the dragons should be treated better than this. But, the fact of the matter is, they are wild animals, and unless that changes in the next week, this is the best we can do for them."

Evalon considered her words before nodding, suddenly feeling bashful about her rash outburst. She looked away from Elen and the dragons and felt her face turn pink.

"Hey, it's alright," Elen said, nudging Evalon until she looked at her. "I feel the same way, but that's the way it is. Maybe it'll change when the dragons settle down and this whole thing blows over."

Evalon was silent for a long time before she quietly said, "And if it doesn't?"

Elen sighed and shrugged. "Then what can we do about it?"

Elen was right. What could they do? Elen was nice, but she talked too much and couldn't seem to focus on a single thought for more than a moment, and Evalon was the new girl and town, and the quiet, shy new girl in town at that. No one would listen to a word out of either of their mouths. If I could get the words out of my mouth in the first place, Evalon thought dejectedly.

Then a thought struck Evalon so unexpectedly she actually jumped. She and Elen might not be able to do anything, but she knew someone who could. She had heard the phrase that it was good to have friends in high places, and now that she thought about it, she had a very particular friend who happened to work for the very company holding these dragons captive: the DCA. Evalon promised silently to herself that she would discuss the matter with Hyron once he returned home.

They were quiet for a few moments, but Elen seemed to be one to never waste a moment of silence when there were words to be spoken. "We should go. We're too close to the school, and we don't want to get caught by the patrol, believe me." She stood and offered Evalon a hand up, which she accepted. "Come on," she said. "I'll race you back." She took off before Evalon could even form a reply.

Evalon took one last look at the beautiful caged dragons before chasing after her.

"I'm hungry," Elen announced once they reached the village square. There were more people about now, and they milled around, going from the baker's to the tailor's to a food stand. It wasn't a large crowd by any means, but there were a lot more people than Evalon was used to, and she started to feel a bit claustrophobic. Suddenly she was glad Mydalr was much smaller than she had imagined. She was sure if she would have been able to handle such a large number of people.

"Do you want to swing by my place for a snack?" Elen asked, bringing Evalon out of her thoughts. "I think my mom was making bingbutters when I left. They should be done by now."

"Bingbutters?" she repeated.

Elen stopped in her tracks. Evalon didn't react quickly enough and she ended up plowing into her. Elen spun around and pressed her nose to Evalon's. Evalon was so startled by the sudden closeness that all she could do was blink and try not to look too cross-eyed.

"You don't know what bingbutters are?" Elen said, greengage eyes open wide, her voice low.

"Uh, no?" Evalon said uncertainly, unsure what reaction her response would merit. She took a pace back just to be on the safe side.

They just stared at one another for a few moments, Elen in shock and Evalon in anticipation of an explosion.

Elen's hand shot out and suddenly grabbed Evalon's wrist. "Come on."

"W-w-what?" Evalon looked around, confused. "Where-?"

"You are going to try a bingbutter, and you are going to like it!" Elen said determinedly.

Seeming that there was no choice in the matter, Evalon allowed herself to be led through the busy people to Elen's house, which looked just like all the other houses in the village except that it had a domed roof and a large garden in the front, teeming with life. There were flowers and vegetables growing in every available space, crowding for room to get the most sunlight.

Elen pulled her passed the garden, up the stairs to the door, through the entrance, through the small but tidy living room decorated with family portraits and trinkets to a large, and  to a warm kitchen from which the most incredible scent Evalon had ever smelled was wafting. It smelled of warm custard, ginger, nutmeg, caramel, and peanut butter at the same time to create one mouth-watering aroma.

They found Grayse in the kitchen wearing a threadbare apron dotted with stains from years of previous cooking. She was humming a tune Evalon didn't recognize to herself as she pulled something from the oven.

"Mom!" Elen shouted, startling poor Grayse so badly she nearly dropped the hot cookie sheet she was pulling from the over onto her foot.

"Oh, Elen, dear, you scared me," Grayse said with a laugh as she set the sheet down to cool. "And Evalon! It's so nice to see you again, darlin'."

"H-hello," Evalon stuttered quietly.

"No time for pleasantries!" Elen interrupted. She slammed her hand down on the counter and leaned close to her mother's face, just as she had done with Evalon moments earlier. "Mom, she's never had a bingbutter."

Grayse threw back her head and laughed. "Well, we can't have that, now can we? You're in luck, darlin', I just pulled a batch from the oven." She plucked something from off the tray she had set to cool and handed it to Evalon. "Oh, almost forgot the best part!" Grayse reached into a sack of powdered sugar and dusted a pinch on top of the bingbutter. "There you are! Eat up!"

The bingbutter was soft to the touch and still warm from the oven. It was a light brown color and speckled with white on the top from the sugar. It looked yummy, and it sure smelled yummy, too. Gingerly, she took a little bite.

Flavors unlike any Evalon had ever tasted exploded in her mouth. It was sweet and gooey, like caramel, but filled with a warm custard-like liquid spiced with cinnamon and something tangy on the inside. And in the very center of it all was a soft, creamy peanut butter. It was like all of her favorite desserts had been compressed into one single treat.

"Whoa," she said, and quickly she ate the rest of the bingbutter in one bite.

Elen smiled smugly. "Told you you were going to like it."

"It's delicious," Evalon admitted. Her voice came out muffled because of her occupied mouth, and her face turned pink with embarrassment.

Grayse laughed, throwing her head back in her usual style. "Why, thank you, darlin'. It's my grandfather's recipe. He was the greatest and most imaginative man ever to step foot in a kitchen."

Evalon swallowed. "I can tell. This is amazing, ma'am." The shock of the yummy bingbutter must have temporarily brought Evalon out of her usual shyness, because she spoke earnestly and looked Grayse right in the eye.

Grayse patted her cheek affectionately, much like a grandmother might. "Thank you, darlin'. I'm glad you like them. Would you like to take a couple for the road? It's such a lovely day. You two young ladies should be out there enjoying the fresh air."

"Yes, please, Mama," Elen said. "I'm just going to grab my cloak: it's a bit chilly today." She scampered off, leaving Evalon and Grayse alone in the kitchen. Grayse, of course, was the one to spark a conversation.

"How is that family of yours settling in, darlin'? I meant to go chat with your aunt Mylane earlier today but I just got so busy with the bingbutters that I forgot. I get carried away in my baking at times."

"They're good, I suppose. I didn't see Hyron this morning-"

"Are those bingbutters I smell?"

A boy the same age as Evalon entered the kitchen, his nose sniffing the air. He had strawberry blonde hair was that neatly combed into place and fair skin. He had small, dark teal eyes that widened when they landed on Evalon. He was half a head taller than her and very thin.

"Uh, hi," the boy said to Evalon. Turning to Grayse he asked, "Who's this?"

"This is my new friend, Evalon," Elen said, re entering the kitchen and moving to stand next to her. She place her elbow on Evalon's shoulder like it was an armrest. "She just moved here from... Where did you live before?"

"Uh, Gisla," she answered quietly, her shyness back in full at the appearance of this new stranger. She started to feel antsy, like the whole world was watching her every move. She reached up to stroke her necklace, which brought a soothing feeling over her.

"She just moved here from Gisla, wherever that is," Elen continued. "She's Hyron and Mylane's niece."

The stranger boy must have known Evalon's guardians, because his eyes shone with a light of recognition at the mention of them and he nodded his head. He smiled brightly Evalon. "In that case, welcome to Mydalr. I'm Fin."

Evalon couldn't seemed to get her voice to work, so she gave a small wave in return.

"Would you like a bingbutter?" Grayse offered Fin the tray.

Fin took not one, not two, but three. He ate one in a single bite and had half of another in his mouth before he swallowed. "Thanks," he smiled at Grayse. He bent and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, you little rascal," Grayse said with a pretend stern glare, a smile peeking through. She turned back to Evalon and Elen. "Let me get you a basket of these to take on the road." She opened a cupboard and pulled out a small woven basket and filled it with a generous number of bingbutters. She handed the slightly sagging basket to Evalon with a smile. "Save some of those for your aunt and uncle now, you hear?"

Evalon nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Grayse nodded. "Now you do get out of here and enjoy your day."

"Is Fin your brother?" Evalon asked once she and Elen had made it back outside. Even more people than before were walking about in the square. There were people of all ages, parents chasing down wandering kids, youths holding little siblings on their hips, teens carrying groceries for old folk.

"No," Elen said. "And thank goodness for that, too. He's annoying enough as my twin cousin. Can you imagine if he were my brother? I'd never be rid of him!"

"Twin cousin?"

"Yeah. We're cousins, but we were born on the same day. Came as a bit of a surprise, too. I was two weeks late and he was right on time, as always. Our moms were so excited about it that they dressed up nearly identically for four years."

"Oh!" Evalon felt stupid for not catching on earlier, and she felt her cheeks tinge pink.

Elen laughed at her embarrassment and popped a bingbutter from the basket Evalon was carrying into her mouth.

Elen suddenly froze and Evalon scrambled to stop beside her. She was staring in direction of the blacksmith with a scowl and her face, and Evalon followed her gaze. The only thing Evalon could see was a girl inside the smith, pumping the bellows. The girl had the darkest skin Evalon had ever seen, and dark hair to match pulled into a hasty bun atop her head. Her back was turned to them, so Evalon couldn't see her face. She appeared slightly older than Evalon; she guessed about a year or two. She seemed rather distracted with what she was doing, too, because when a customer came up to the stall they had to call for her three times before she responded.

"Who's that?" Evalon asked, tilting her chin toward the dark-haired girl.

"Rebecca," Elen said stiffly. "Not the nicest of folks."

"Why's that?" she asked as they resumed their walk.

"She's just not very friendly. She hardly speaks to anyone. Real hot-headed, too."

"Well, I imagine it'd get pretty hot working in a smith," Evalon said.

"Not that kind of hot head. 'Hot-headed' means-"

"I know what it means. I-I was making a joke."

Elen blinked before bursting into laughter. "Oh, I get it! That's funny!" She slapped Evalon on the back. "I didn't know you made jokes."

"Everyone makes jokes once in awhile," she said, slightly defensively.

Elen shrugged. "Not that one." She tilted her chin in the general direction of the girl she had called Rebecca. "She never laughs and never smiles. It may have something to do with the fact that her mom died from the Tyrag Scourge a few years ago. She's never really gotten over it. Now it's just her and her pops. Funny thing is, her dad's the most warm-hearted person you could meet. If they didn't live in the same house, you'd never know they were related, how different they are from one another."

"Death is really hard to cope with," Evalon said a bit defensively.

All of Elen's bravado seemed to ebb a bit and she physically shrank. "I know," she said quietly. "Believe me, I know. But everyone loses someone at one point or another; it's just part of life. And it doesn't give her the right to be nasty and unpleasant to everyone. Come on," she said suddenly, her mind now on a completely different topic. "I want to show you the stadium."

Elen started to walk away, but Evalon gave one last backward glance at Rebecca before following her lead.