"Cody."

The rider slowly sat up, making the bed groan beneath him.

"Cody, it's time to get up. The others have returned with the patrol," Inferno said.

"I'm coming," Cody answered wearily. He felt Inferno relax a bit as he withdrew from the close contact with his rider's mind.

The past few days had put Inferno a bit on edge as many questioned whether his newly-hatched daughter, self-named Saga, was a blessing for the peace of Dragons and Dreamkeepers or a curse, a sign of trouble to come. Of all the history books and legends, an albino dragon was entirely unheard of. Even in this land, where all the history of the Dragon Warriors was recorded. As a result, the hatchling dragon was feared, hated, and greatly ignored and avoided. Inferno took it the hardest; as many chose to suggest that it meant the dragons should have remained extinct and cursed Saga as the leader of a new generation of the "vile creatures".

The queen was the only one that defended them, or they all would have been forced to leave. Destiny and Inferno, most of all, had been dreading the day the patrol would arrive with the refugees, wondering if the sight of them would either change the queen's mind or convince the other Dreamkeepers to stage a rebellion.

When Blackscales walked into the main hall together, they saw hundreds of elves, humans, dwarves, and wolves feasting on old dishes of mushrooms, lean cat meat, and bits of fruit the size of a grown man's torso, as well as some collections of meat from squirrels, geese, even bats. At the back of the hall by the thrones was Destiny, her tail curled protectively around her child. Saga's snowy white scales blended with the golden, sunny warmth of Destiny's in the flickering torchlight. Next to them, Queen Blissful gestured for Cody and Inferno to join. Cody sat in a low chair beside her while Inferno slunk into the shadows behind his family, nearly disappearing when his eyes closed for a moment.

"And these are your people," Blissful said calmly, breaking the tension. Cody caught a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

He took the time to think as he ate a bite of some venison, then answered grimly, "Yes. I'm sure they've seen better days...."

"Days huddled away in little shacks struggling to survive. Until Whitescales happened, and now they are all forced to try a second time to live. We've given them food, shelter, and their journey has given them a purpose. Truly that, is better than their previous lives, whether they know it or not."

"Your majesty," Cody commented, "I'm certain they just want their normal lives back."

There was silence, and Cody had an opportunity to continue eating for a while, silently looking over the weak and scrawny crowd before him. The dragon refugees and their riders were hiding well in a corner at the opposite end of the hall.

"Whatever it is that they want, I'll make sure that they are well provided for, for the sake of peace," Queen Blissful said. "For that, I will need you to show the people that you can be trusted. The ceremony is being planned already, and as soon as you'll allow, it will be prepared for us."

Cody chewed and swallowed slowly before asking, "And what ceremony is this?"

The queen looked at him calmly, "A ceremony for you, Inferno, and those other four to pledge fealty to me, if you'll allow it. I will understand if you refuse, but we need to settle this feud as soon as possible. Talk to Inferno, if you must."

Cody nodded and instantly alerted the dragon to what she had said. "Inferno, she has a point, doesn't she? I think it's a good idea."

"Yes, but keep in mind we still barely know her. We can't be so ready to promise our lives to anyone without thought. But she has a valid point, we can't sit idly by and hope tensions ease by themselves," Inferno grumbled, disturbed. "Then again, I imagine the Dreamkeepers would be even more disturbed if we joined them, if they so vehemently want us gone. They need to know that we want to be friends, and assured that we won't destroy their way of life from the inside. Us pledging fealty to their queen would only make them more wary of her."

Unintentionally, Cody caught a sudden forming idea from Inferno's thoughts. He wanted to scold the dragon for coming up with such a foolish plan, and yet, the more time passed, the more it began to make sense. Silently, they agreed to try it.

Aloud, Cody addressed the queen. "Inferno and I have decided that we will be ready a week from now, if you really think we need to do something."

Blissful nodded regretfully, as though she, too, was not fond of the idea. "I will tell my people to prepare for a celebration, in a week's time. I cannot forbid you from backing out, but I would like you to know that your actions could mean war amongst our peoples, or perhaps even my own."

"We will do everything we must to protect Dreamkeepers and ourselves both," Cody told her. He then excused himself, and decided to truly look at "his people" for the first time.

Some of them were finishing up with their breakfasts and being led to their new homes in the lower levels. To Cody's surprise, many of the people were departing with other races. Many, elves, dwarves, and humans alike, were making their way out of the hall in small groups together with no mind for the usual lordly attitude of the elves, or the oafish, crass behavior of the dwarves. It was odd to see them getting along, though after such a long journey and a unified purpose it seemed plausible.

Cody talked with some of the people as he passed, and learned a number of things about their lives while they traveled. To his surprise, they had all taken to calling their old homeland "True Bane", and as they talked the name stuck in Cody's mind as well. He talked with some that had left their families behind, some whose wife or husband had died on their journey, leaving them to care for a newborn child or even some that now cared for the children of someone that had been forced to stay behind and asked to have their families flee. This was the case for some other dragon riders, Cody discovered. Based on what some said three other dragons had been hatched that stayed in True Bane. It was disturbing to think of how long had passed since then. A glimmer of white caught Cody's attention, and to his surprise he saw Saga playing with a group of children.

"Can you fly?" a little dwarf girl asked as she lifted the fragile membrane of Saga's wing. The dragon's shoulder was level with the girl's head at two feet tall.

A humored grumble rolled up the dragon's throat before she answered aloud in a melodic voice, "No little one, I cannot fly yet, though I am rather good at climbing." She lifted up her sharp, curved talons and the group of children pretended to scream in terror. A second later they were running away laughing.

"How is it that you can speak aloud?" Cody asked, suddenly regretting that he had not yet talked to Inferno's daughter.

Saga turned her red eyes on him gently. "When dragons first met humans they developed a way to talk to them, aloud, since they did not yet perceive the power of thought, or harness it. Many of their children were born with their souls linked to that of the humans'. And so it was that dragons attuned to a human's soul learned to use their thoughts and never had reason to develop speech, and so never have. Just the opposite, it seems wild dragons still possess not the power of the mind."

Cody found himself intrigued by the little dragon's maturity. "I don't understand how you are a wild dragon, if both of your parents are 'attuned to humans', as you say."

The hatchling raised her head in a motion that passed as a dragon shrugging. "I get the curl of my horns and the shape of my wings from my parents; most get the color of their scales as well. But having a partner for your soul is not something that you inherit. That point beside, the fact that my scales are so off should be proof enough that I was meant to be different. There is a plan for me, and I will reach for it to the best of my abilities."

"Speaking of plans, Inferno and I have thought of one that involves you, to hopefully ease the tension between dragons and Dreamkeepers," Cody said as casually as he could.

"Oh?" Saga was surprised. "Tell me, then."

Cody explained it to her quietly as the hall continued to empty, hoping no one could hear the echo of his voice. When he was finished, he looked for her reaction. Her eyes showed that she was troubled.

He was surprised when she said, "It is surprising, is it not? Those children wanted to play with me, the adults look at me with respect and awe, and people put so much faith into my abilities. How is that, when I am the same color as the creature everyone most fears and despises?"

"If there is a plan for you, maybe that's a big part of it," Cody said after a minute. "Maybe you're here to prove all of their fears wrong."

"I think that it is wise of you to suggest so," Saga answered.

Cody smiled in response. "Thank you. But the problem still remains. The Dragon Warriors must be reunited. The refugees will likely soon be forced to leave and face the same dangers as before, and Micah and Autumn will build an army for some dark purpose we can only guess at. Can we count on your help?"

Saga chuckled again. "I am mere days old and you seem to be trying to thrust part of the weight of the world on my shoulders. You intend to wage war on an army of dragons in True Bane with my help?"

Cody nodded.

"I will consider this for the next week, as we all must. But do not make too hasty a decision, for the fate of this realm, and possibly all realms," she said slowly. "But you are right; the Dragon Warriors must be united. I, and everyone else, must do what is best for the safety of the world."

The rider smiled at the thought, though the grim reality of her sentence weighed heavily on him. In a lighter tone he asked conversationally, "Do you think Inferno and I are true Dragon Warriors yet? And our friends? We know magic, and are closer than we've ever been. Besides that, we've found the meaning of Inferno's name." He smiled widely again.

But when he looked over, he was surprised to see Saga looking over him carefully. She looked away when she met his gaze, but soon looked back to him and said, "No. There is much more that you must do before you two are a true, united Dragon Warrior."

Feeling a bit ashamed, Cody asked, "How do you know? What do we need to do? There aren't any history books that say."

"I cannot say how I know," Saga said, emphasizing each word carefully. "But I can see it, and I do know what you have to do. But I cannot tell you, either. It is a closely guarded secret; that much I am certain of. But you will know when you become a true Dragon Warrior. But do not worry, I trust that you will be prepared for the trials ahead. But Cody...prepare yourself for war."

With that she turned and walked away, leaving Cody to ponder what she had said.

~

A while later Cody met secretly with his mentor, Thoughtful, to take Saga's advice very literally.

With a heavy sigh Thoughtful hefted an old tome onto the table and handed him an odd, shiny scale. A bit angrily he said, "And why exactly do you need this armor?"

"I promise you, on my respect for you as my teacher, we do not intend to fight Dreamkeepers. We need to reclaim our homeland as soon as possible. It is the only way to save the refugees and free my people," Cody explained.

The mentor sighed again and flipped open the book. "This chapter explains the tricky craft of dragon-scale armor, made from a metal you can easily find in these caves known as dragon steel. It is difficult to work with in large amounts because it is incredibly resistant to fire, which is largely what gave it the name dragon steel. Anyways, if you can find a place that can support forges hot enough and keep it a secret then you can craft the individual scales and put them together to make a light, durable piece of armor to protect any part of a dragon, yet still being light enough to allow for flight. I am telling you this out of trust, so see to it that you do not betray my trust. Now get out of here, and tell no one of this!"

Cody nodded vigorously and left his study with the heavy old book in both hands, the tiny scale clutched in his teeth. To his great relief, he made it to the lower levels quietly enough and evaded questions more smoothly than he ever imagined he could. When he reached the small forge, he was out of breath and the relief overwhelmed him.

"Did you find anything?" Omen asked impatiently.

Cody handed him the scale. "Thoughtful said that you can make these little scales individually, and stick them together to create whatever armor you need, even light protection for wings."

Omen glared at the little chunk of metal. "I haven't done any smithing since we left home, how do you suppose I'll just start making armor?"

"That's fine, it only calls for a knowledge of the basics and the patience to craft each scale."

"This is more the job of an artisan then. Besides that, there's the minor detail that this metal is incredibly rare!" Omen exclaimed.

Cody shook his head. "In Semiones perhaps, but here it appears like weeds." To prove his point he pulled a knife from inside his tunic and pried up a rock. Dozens of dark, glittery stones shone in the plain, ruddy surface of the rock. "Listen to me. You will gather together as many blacksmiths in this group that you can find. I will get any crafters and artisans I can find to work on the finer details of the scales. I'm sure we can get many of the others to help break apart the stones and pick out the dragon steel. Omen, if we can do this, we can free the people and return to the closest thing that we have to a home."

Omen rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine, I will...find a way to get it done." Though he seemed resigned, his eyes showed a glimmer of excitement and enthusiasm.

And so the refugees labored tirelessly for the following week unnoticed, deep in the bowels of the Dreamkeeper's mountain. Meanwhile Cody, Avalsmokes, Saga, and her parents plotted to ally themselves with the Dreamkeepers without directly joining them and destroying their way of life, hoping that the people would not envision it as an act of betrayal.