I took Topaz by the elbow and smiled at his surprised face. "Come on let's get you bandaged up."

He smiled shaking his head. "We help the wounded before we help ourselves. There are a few more to tend before I can work on my wound."

I smiled back and turned to the man he was helping. I helped him to tend to the last of the wounded. Most of them had cuts and bruises as all the worst injuries were dealt with by the others already.

When that was done I pulled him to a bed and made him sit. His eyes went wide as he saw the blood seeping from the wrents in my clothing. "Katja! Your..."

I smiled and took his hand from the wound he was reaching for. "I still have wounded to see to. Now if you could change so I can see your wound." I said in a stern tone.

He sighed, morphing into a human; he was getting looks from the other Blue Dragons. They watched him with interest as he let me clean and strap the hole in his shoulder. When I was done he lifted my shirt and sighed. "You should have said." His face was as pained as his voice.

I smiled at him stroking his cheek. "I have no reason to complain. I lived through this. Not too long ago I was a scared woman running from men like them. They killed my whole village and I gave up trying to run from them until Duha rescued me. She showed me how to fight and I was able to use those skills she showed me today. I sowed metal disks to leather shirts and I fought back. I protected you while you protected others. As I see it these wounds are proof I did something. They are proof I helped protect people I care for."

He chuckled as he cleaned the wounds. "You sound like a Black Dragon."

I stroked his cheek. "I will always protect people now I know I can."

He looked up at me, then behind me. He straightened and changed so he was a Dragon again. He looked back at me as a voice came from behind me. "You are right. She does sound like a Black Dragon." I looked around at the Black Dragon that had a fort with me and Mum. "I can call the colours. I know this will not work for a human, but... come with me and bring Duha wolf of the battlefield."

I frowned as she turned and walked out of the tent. Mum put her hand on me and I saw Dad standing behind her with a bandage around his head. "Whatever this it is seems important as all the Dragons left with her."

Topaz held my hand squeezing it slightly. "We must do as she said." He said softly.

He led us out of the tent and my heart squeezed at the sight before me. Every dragon, including Kyanite, who stood with Reina, was in front of the tent. They all went to one knee in front of us, except the Black Dragon that we had fort with. She turned and took Reina's hand and brought her to us making Kyanite smile. Topaz let my hand go, walked away, and knelt with the other Dragons.

"I call the colours white, green, red, purple, silver, gold and black. The colours see the soul, the colours know the heart and the colours see the core. I call the colours." Black Dragon sang softly as she touched each of us and put a scale in each of our hands except Reina's.

The other Dragons hummed softly to the tune of the song she sang, the words repeating and becoming louder to be heard over the sound of the humming. As she walked back to the others the words changed. "I call the colours, the colours sing to the soul and show the world. The world will see the colours and know your heart." With those words, the song was done.

They all hummed the last part and silence descended over all of us gathered. I looked down at the scale in my hand. It had changed to black so had Duha's, and Michi's had changed to Red, but the thing that made everyone gasp was Reina. Her armour was gold. It had changed from the strange shimmer where you couldn't tell its colour to the brilliant gold that shone in the light. "The colours have seen. Welcome my sisters to the Black Dragons." The Black Dragon that had sung said smiling.

Kyanite stood and walked to Reina who looked confused as she stroked her armour. Another Red Dragon walked up to Michi. "Welcome, brother, to the Red Dragons."

"He said welcome to the Red Dragons Gorilla," Kyanite said.

Michi frowned but nodded at the Dragon that now stood next to him. Kyanite looked down at Reina and cleared his throat. "There has only been one Gold Dragon before. My Grandmother! She lead us wisely. The colours are never wrong."

The other Dragons bowed and echoed Kyanite's words. "The colours are never wrong."

A White Dragon walked up to us with the Black Dragon with red eyes. They knelt in front of Reina. "Reina of the Dragon fire, wife of Kyanite small shield. You are the leader of the Dragons. You point and we fly. What do you wish us to do?"

Reina looked a little shocked and sounded tongue-tied. "Ah...um... A good place to start would be the village. We need to fortify it... we also need that castle up and running as fast as possible There are also roads full of bandits that need to be stopped. Maybe we start there."

"Wise indeed. We will set our feet and wings to this task." White Dragon said standing.

Black Dragon still knelt. "You must choose your guard Reina of the Dragon Fire. You can choose any of the Dragons to fly with you." Reina smiled and took the hand of the Black Dragon making her look up at Reina, her red eyes shining like ruby's.

"All I need is you and Kyanite. What is your name Black Dragon with the gold heart?"

Black Dragon looked stunned for a moment then smiled widely. "I am Garnet." She said bowing her head.

Reina smiled at her. "I was told you didn't have a title. I feel this one fits you."

Garnet stood and bowed to Reina. "If you say it, Reina, then it must be true. I shall be your shadow." Garnet gestured to another Black Dragon and they walked over and bowed. "Our Black sisters need to know the ways of us Black Dragons."

Reina turned to us. "I have things to do it seems... will you come and find me later?" As she spoke she looked right at me.

She was talking to me! I thought, feeling deeply shocked. "Of course Reina."

She hugged me and walked away. The Red Dragon had taken Michi to one side and was talking to him looking very frustrated. The Black Dragon that stood in front of us looked at Topaz as he started to come over and Topaz stopped. He bowed to the Black Dragon changing his direction and walking to Michi instead.

"You two need to know how to be Black Dragons. It is almost unheard of for a non-Dragon to be accepted into the Black Dragons, and now we have two. You must be the strongest of the yaspilrmeth to have done this. Now on to what it takes to be one of us." He said puffing his chest out.

"We are strong and independent, we work well in a team or alone. The most important thing to have is a wide range of skills, everything from healing to tactics to fighting. The Black Dragons are the most elite group because there is nothing we won't try, nobody we won't defend, even after death. There is more like understanding the black tax, and the songs you will need to learn. Those things will be explained at the induction meal. Do you understand?"

We both nodded and Black Dragon smiled. "Then you are welcome sisters. I will see to your armour soon. Rest now for we may be called to fly at any moment." He bowed to us and then walked away.

"So we are elite?" I asked turning to Duha.

She nodded watching Michi talk to the Red Dragon. Topaz was standing there and the Red Dragon looked more frustrated than before. "I think I should go and talk to your dad before he gives Red Dragon a headache."

"I'll come too because I need to talk to Topaz."

She smiled down at me as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "I think we are going to need to talk."

I frowned. "What about?"

She smiled at me as we got closer to the others. "Later." She whispered in my ear.

We stopped next to Michi. "I think I understand." Michi muttered looking just as frustrated as the poor Red Dragon.

"He gets it." Topaz said.

Red Dragon nodded sighing and rubbing his head. "I must go and ask my brother to talk to him to make sure he does. We can NOT have some half-trained yaspilrmeth show us up! Tell him to report to General Kyanite for rank. I'm going to find some wine!" He grumbled the last as he turned and left.

Topaz turned to us then. "Ahhh Katja. I am immensely proud of you." Topaz said hugging me to him tightly.

"Thanks... this is all so.... what is being a Blue Dragon like?"

He smiled growling softly at me. "There are many parts to being a Blue Dragon. The most important is we offer aid to everyone. Our people and the enemy. I'm going to have to work on some of the enemies soon when they are brought in."

I took his hand. "Then I have to stay with you. If you are going to save the life of those people you need someone to make sure they don't try anything."

He smiled. "As you wish Black Dragon. I have to listen to you as you are now a Black Dragon." I chuckled. "Let us first get honoured father back to his bed before he reopens his wounds. Then you can be my shadow as I care for the enemy."

As the sun went down the amount of people needing my attention reduced. I sighed rubbing my back. "Are you alright my gem?"

I looked up at Kyanite who was standing behind me. "My back hurts where I was taken to the ground but other than that.... I'm fine."

He put his large hand on my shoulder and turned me to our wagon. "Then we should go and get some rest." I nodded letting him lead me that way.

We climbed into the wagon and Kyanite started to take my armour off. "Kyanite I can do..." He grumbled softly at me, cutting off my words, and I smiled. If he wants to take my armour off I can let him do that. He laid it aside gently staring at the gold scales that made it up. "Those are Dragon scales aren't they?"

Kyanite looked at me and then back to the armour. "This explains why my mother and grandmother both accepted you so easily."

I frowned. "Why?"

He ran a finger down the shining scales. "They have always been better at seeing than me. They must have known.... unless this was the path.."

He looked over at me and then back at the armour. "Explain my dear." I held out my hand and he came to my side without hesitation.

I was surprised when he picked me up and carried me to bed. He laid down next to me holding me into his chest. "That time on the road that you let me look into your future. I saw you standing at a fork in the road."

I nodded. "One was light the other dark, but not evil." He nodded. "You think my armour could have turned black or gold?"

He let me go slightly so I could look up at him. "It is possible that is what it meant."

"Did you ever think that maybe it meant that I, like the road could just stand with the dark path?"

He smiled grumbling softly. "No... I saw it at the castle. Ariaddney was in the castle. She is dead. It made me want to see you, even if it was in my mind. A decision you made here was what set you on the path."

Moving a bit of hair from his face I kissed him. "If I did, I have no idea what it was. Now why don't we lay here and sleep."

He growled softly and moved his hand on my back. "I don't want to sleep."

He shifted me so I was lying on my back. "I thought I was in charge."

He smiled as he looked down at me. "You are... but in bed...."

He leaned down and kissed me as his hand ran up my shirt. "You are very determined aren't you."

Growling softly in my ear, he pulled at my trousers. I smiled and moved so he could pull them off.