As darkness fell over the land, Silas donned his cloak and snuck out of his barracks. He walked as fast as he could to the stables to get his horse. After a few bits of persuasion to the horse, he finally got it to follow him to the edge of town, where supposedly Bijela would be waiting for him with a carriage to be pulled so that he didn't have to try to mount his horse. He had to find a way to get this thing out of him. He was willing to do whatever it took, even beg the Dragons for help if that's what it took. He would either be crushed by the weight of the egg or he would die from it trying to come out of him. Either way wasn't pleasant and he wanted to avoid them both if possible.

He got to the gate and slipped through it, finding not his subordinate with a carriage but Brantley. He made a face and walked over to him.

"What are you doing here? I asked my undersquire to help me, not you. And where is my carriage?"

"You don't have a carriage because I stopped Underquire Greygold from coming with it."

Silas narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"On the contrary, I'm trying to help you. Is what I saw true? Are you... filling up with a dragon egg?"

"Filling up? That's a horrible way to put it when it's far from that. And even if I was, what's it to you? I can tell how disgusted you are."

"I might not be exactly thrilled about it, but I want to help as best I can."

"You would have been helping me if you had let Undersquire Greygold do as she was told."

"I brought someone better than her. You can come out now." He said to someone behind Silas.

He turned as someone stepped into the light and he frowned.

"You brought him?"

"Don't seem so dour about it, I'm here to help."

"You weren't so eager to help two days ago. You pretty much told me I was on my own."

"Well, now you're not. It's come to my attention that you might need to be monitored rather than let loose, so to speak."

Silas frowned at the doctor. "Oh, I see. You mean that you want to keep me for 'observation'. Is that it?"

"Yes, that's precisely it."

"I hate to break it to you, Doctor, but I don't really want or need your help."

"Silas, you have a huge dragon egg growing at a rapid rate inside of you! Don't you think that's exactly want you need? A doctor?"

"That's why I'm going to Krellis to find one." Silas growled, angry that he would have to get on his horse and ride instead of a carriage but Azize grabbed his hand.

"Knight von Lagon, think about what you're doing. If the Superior Grand realizes what's happening, she'll have a search party assembled to go out and find you. Do you want that?"

"Why is it suddenly so imperative that I come back with you? I don't trust anything that you're saying."

Silas signaled to his horse to get down for him to mount it and he straddled uncomfortably across the back of it. He signaled it to stand and he had to hold onto the reins hard to make sure he didn't fall off.

"I'm leaving and that's final. You wouldn't understand because you don't have a giant egg growing inside of you. So, when you understand, then tell me what to do."

He kicked the sides and the horse took off, rattling his whole body. He wished he had that carriage but it was unlikely he would find one on his way to Krellis. He would just have to make due.

****************************

Azize watched Silas ride off down the path and hit the side of the gate.

"Damn it!" he growled.

"I'm sorry he wouldn't cooperate with you." Brantley apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one that has to tell Clever that Knight von Lagon is gone."

"Why didn't you just force him to come with you?"

"Because it would have given away the fact that I wanted to keep him for study, not help him."

"Huh?"

"Did you think I really wanted to help him?" Azize said, lifting a dark gray eyebrow.

"That's what you told me you wanted to do."

Azize laughed. "You naïve little idiot. Knight von Lagon commits such a heinous crime every time he goes to the nests and destroys those eggs. I have no sympathy for him or anyone in the squads."

Brantley took a step back. "You're a dragon sympathizer?"

"How would you like it if you had a wife and she was pregnant with your babies and then some horrible man came in while you and your wife were gone and bashed its head in? Or better yet, while your wife was pregnant, some man just came up and slit her throat, tore out your unborn child, and stabbed it to death. How would you feel?"

"I-"

"You can't answer that because that's not how you see it. The squads believe they are helping humanity by fighting off 'monsters' when we are the ones who started it all along. Do I like that they come and raze our villages to the ground? No, but that's a consequence we bear as humans. Why do you think the Elves stopped working with us? After the fiasco of the Valley of Unknown Mystery, when those knights were infected by the Curse of the Dragoness, they realized what type of people we are. And it's high time all humans realize that."

"But we're protecting people!" Brantley yelled angrily, clenching his fits. "We are doing nothing wrong but making sure that they don't kill us before we kill them. It's just like killing a wasp nest or an ant hill. No one protests to that; this is no different. They're just bigger pests."

"You can call it what you will. I sympathize the mourning and the suffering that the dragons go through, but I do not support them. They retaliate just like we do, killing our kids and families. It's a vicious cycle."

"Your sister is in charge of all of the knights! What would she do if she knew about this?"

Azize grabbed Brantley's shirt and pulled him to him, anger in his eyes.

"If you utter one word about my feelings in this matter, I will make sure that you are kicked out of the squads and are left with a little something of my own concoction."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I am a certified alchemist, in all forms of it. I know how to whip things up your mind wouldn't understand. Try me, Knight Oakseed."

He let go of him and went back into the gate.

Brantley gulped and realized he had gotten himself in the middle of something he didn't really want to be a part of.

******************************

The sun rose over the horizon and Silas yawned, sleepy from riding all night. It seemed like it took forever to get to the border of Krellis even when he was fit. Throughout the night, he had felt his stomach surge forward at least twice and now he looked even bigger than before. His stomach was uncomfortable and was itchy due to his skin stretching past its limits. His horse suddenly stopped and Silas looked at him.

"Hey, who told you to stop?"

He looked up the path and saw that there was a sign next to a tunnel. The sign read, Krellis, Home of the Dragons. Enter at own risk. Humans not allowed..

"Ah, you're scared. Don't worry, Beetle, its fine. We've crossed over a thousand times, this is no different."

He tsked for Beetle to go forward but he wouldn't budge. He kicked his sides angrily.

"Hey! Beetle, what's up? Get going."

Silas sighed and wiggled and wobbled his way off the horse. As soon as he was off the horse, Beetle raised up, neighing loudly, and then ran off in a hard gallop. Silas stared after the horse.

"You little piece of shit..." he said, still completely surprised that it ran away. "You're a war horse, damnit! Act like one!"

"Your horse is wise to run away."

Silas turned and then frowned, trying to reach for his sword that he didn't have with him. The boy watched him with a smug look and Silas pointed at him.

"Take me to someone who can help get this thing out of me."

"You think I'm going to help you?"

"If I don't get this thing out of me I'm going to burst!" Silas growled, trying to keep his voice from sounding too whiny as he held back his frustration.

The boy just smirked again. "Serves you right for all the hurt and pain you've caused."

"I get it, I'm a bad guy to you and your dragon friends-"

"Good, then you get where I'm coming from. Move along, Knight von Lagon, you're of no welcome here."

Silas growled and grabbed at the boy, catching him by the shirt and pulling him to him.

"Look you little shit, I want to get this thing out of me pronto and you're the one who's going to help me."

"What makes you think I'm going to help you? I've told you how many times that I don't care about you nor do I want to try and help you?"

"Because if you don't lead me to someone who can get this thing out of me, I'll slit your tiny little neck all the way down to the spine." He snarled, finally having been able to grab his dagger and he held it to the boy's throat. "So, where to, boy?"

"My name isn't boy. It's Kelbyys."

"Fine then, Kelbyys, lead the way."

"You really think I'm going to lead you into Krellis-" He gasped as Silas pushed the point of the dagger into his throat, a small drop of blood oozing out.

"I think you're going to do exactly what I tell you to. Lead. Now."

Kelbyys nodded stiffly, trying not to nod into the blade and began walking forward towards the barrier between Krellis, the Dragon Kingdom and the human one Silas had left behind.