I sat on the bed with a small sigh. "Reina... why didn't you tell me?" Kyros asked sounding hurt.

"He asked me not to. I owe him that much for all the times he saved me." 

"You owe him?" I nodded fiddling with my armour. "Reina, what the hell is going on?"

"The army got someone in our home. They are twisting people like Eric. People who don't know everything so they see us as losing. Now any moment I will get a report of an uprising at home."

Kyros shook his head. "How are you doing this?"

I smiled stroking my armour. "I'm the Gold Dragon. The ancients have stopped talking to all the Dragons. They told me what I need to know in enough detail to turn the tide, but it will only work if I can pull this off."

He frowned. "Sounds like there are a lot of plates in the air."

I nodded sitting up. "That is another reason I'm here. If I was there I would have been the target for this or it would not have happened because I'm too well protected. I needed it to happen to find out who was whispering in the people's ears. When the report comes in I need you to go home. Find the humans and bring them here."

He shook his head. "What about Eric?"

I smiled. "When this is over he will be free to leave."

"Or stay?"

I nodded.  "Although I'm not sure he will. I will pardon everyone who has fallen for this trick. According to the Dragons that comes under my remit. I think we can all agree this is not their fault. However others mite not feel the way I do."

He sighed looking to the door. "I need to talk to him before I leave." 

Kyanite came into the room and handed me a note. "Your right my gem a message from home. How did you know?"

"The ancients are quiet my dear. They decided they needed one to know. All the others that hear them haven't. They told me what I needed to know to win when I went to visit my sister in scailes."

Kyanite puffed smoke as I looked down at the note. "It seems they attacked Katja. She's with the Blue Dragons and several of the humans have been captured. Altho it seems they underestimated her strength and paid with blood."

Kyros looked alarmed. "Do we tell Duha?"

I shook my head. "No, we don't know where she is. She is coming here as soon as she is done and I will tell her myself."

"You couldn't have protected Katja?!" Kyros yelled.

I sighed as his yell woke the children up and the room suddenly filled with their crys. "I knew what was going to happen not to who. Eboni!"

As soon as the children started crying Kyanite had turned to them. Eboni walked in looking at the children. Oh good, she is clear today. Her Black Dragon followed her in. "Are the pups alright Reina?" She asked going to Kyanite's side.

"They are fine. Katja got attacked at home and Duha is out scouting. You need to go home with Kyros and look after them both. Kyros has a job to do. He needs to find all those responsible and bring them here. When he's done will you stay with Katja until Duha comes back?"

She looked at me and then down at the children. "As you wish Reina... I will take shadow with me."

I frowned looking at the Black Dragon. He was smileing at Eboni. "Your name is not shadow, Black Dragon."

"No Reina of the Dragon fire. Eboni has named me Shadow. I am considering taking it as a name."

I nodded as Eboni turned to him. "I can't remember your name. So I call you shadow. It's not your name."

"But it could be. I really like it."

Eboni laughed and grabbed his arm. "Come on then. Let's get ready to fly home."

They both left the room. Kyros shook his head. "Eboni won't be much help to me."

"No, but she will keep Katja safe and I promised Duha to keep her away from the fight. Are you angry with me Kyros?"

He shook his head sighing. "No, but I do need to talk to Eric."

"Try and not kill him. We still need him." He growled as he left.

Kyanite came to my side now the children were asleep again. "We have a lot of things to talk about." I sighed smiling at him as he lay down behind me. "But first... nap time." Kyanite said pulling me down to the bed.

Night was beginning to descend upon the land. The first stars blinked into life as I lay on the ground. It made me smile to see those twinkling lights above me. "It is time sister."

I sighed and stood. "Let's go then." I said heading in the direction of the army. "Did we have to leave the human tied to a tree?"

"He admitted he was there to stab us in the back. It would be foolish to leave him unbound." I nodded and we carried on in silence.

We stopped before reaching the first tents. Watching the movement I saw the tent we needed just to one side of the others. We moved through the trees to that side of the camp. I gestured to Garnet then waved her back a bit. She nodded and couched in the shaddows.

I moved out of the shadows toward the tent. I pulled a knife and split the back of the tent open. The people inside stared silently. I smelled blood and saw the fresh wounds on them. "If you want out of here come with me. If not just hand over the papers." I whispered. They stayed still for only a heartbeat before grabbing up everything they were working on and standing ready to leave. "Go out the back in a straight line to the trees. I have a Dragon there. She will not hurt you. She will defend you if needed. Go quickly and quietly."

As they started to move I watched out the front of the tent for the guard. I heard a clinking sound and saw one of the last people trying to drag a chest. I picked up the other side of it and we carried it out together.

Garnet's eyes focused on the chest then on me. I nodded and she took it from us. "Follow me." I whispered.

The people nodded and I turned leading the group away from the army. We are lucky they don't scout where they think we won't come from. The transport will be there in an hour so we could possibly go back. According to my wolves, they don't go in those tents after dark.

As soon as we were away from the camp I smiled at the person next to me. "How many tents are like yours?" I whispered

"Only ours... although there is a tent full of gold."

I sighed. "I don't think we can risk taking gold. This is a freebee." I said patting the chest in Garnet's arms.

"Without coins, they can't buy supplies." Garnet's voice made the humans jump.

"She is talking about the gold." I said to the humans. "It could be a trap sister. Everyone knows a pile of gold temps a Dragon."

"They are wrong. The gold does not tempt us, the feel of the hoard does. If it is not in the hoard or it is possible to bring it in it is of interest. If the answer is no then it is of no interest." She said with a shrug.

I stopped turning to face her. "You're right about the coin. Dragon fire melts gold?"

Garnet smiled. "A distraction and a way of stopping their supplies."

I nodded then turned walking away. All the people followed me making more noise than I would like.

A wolf trotted over to me making the humans stare in fear. "Garnet there are scouts after us. I will send my wolves to cover us." She nodded watching the wolf walk off.

I kept leading the group to the town. When we left the trees our backup was revealed with the wolves trotting alongside us. The humans gasped and clustered together. "They are safe. They are with me so look ahead and don't stare. They will think you're challenging them if you stare at them." Those words made all the humans drop their eyes to the ground.

We walked on in silence except for the excessive noise from the humans. After a few more agonising minuites the town came into view. The wall was completely destroyed on this side of the town allowing us a clear view all the way to the market. More gasps came from the humans as the transport came into view. The Purple Dragons opened the door revealing the other humans we had liberated from the camp as we got to them.

Most were prisoners like these but they had been treated badly but weren't wounded. The badly wounded had been taken already. The humans saw the others and moved to get in the transport without any goading. The second transport stood ready to take off. I walked up to the first transport that the humans were walking into and the Purple Dragon bowed. "You keep the mountains between you and this army on your way to the castle."

"I will fly nonstop to keep these people safe Black Dragon." He said with a bow.

I bowed to them and then walked to the second transport. "You will fly over the camp to the castle. We will make sure they see you." The Purple Dragon bowed to me. I walked to Garnet as she pushed the tied man gently to the open transport. "You ready to do this?" I asked as the door was closed cutting off her view of him.

She sighed then turned to me and smiled. "Always ready sister. Let us go and cause chaos."

I climbed onto her back and she took off with the transport behind us. Once the one with the humans headed for the mountains we turned to the army. At the pace the Purple Dragons set we were over them in no time. "Can you tell which tent holds the gold?" I shouted over the rushing wind.

"Of course. It sings like a bird to me."

"Then burn it, sister. Make some noise and rattle their beds."

She laughed as she cupped her wings and hurtled towards the ground. She roared breathing fire into a tent. Then she did the same to another and finally a third before flapping her great wings to take us away from them. Small metallic sounds surrounded me as arrows hit our armour and pain blossomed in my leg. Before I could speak she doubled back on herself and swooped at the large cart breathing fire and setting it alight. Then she flew to a stack of logs that looked like they were waiting to become the massive berlister bolts we had seen. The fire was starting to spread to other tents now as she was setting fire to these logs.

She gained height quickly and turned again giving me a good look at the blaseing camp. When we were high enough Garnet looked back at me. "You are hit, sister."

"Let's just get home. I'll have it seen to there." She laughed as we followed the transport. I looked down at the ground over Garnet's shoulder and saw the humans scrambling to follow us. Several shining dots broke away from the blazing camp bouncing with the movement of the horses the men were riding. "We are being followed... maybe ten or fifteen of them."

"We let them follow for a while. Then I will stop them."

I shifted on her back feeling the pain now the excitement had died back a bit. "No, they are already falling behind. They know where we are heading." As I turned my head to watch them I saw the arrow sitting out of my leg and the small river of blood running off Garnet's scales. The head of the arrow was large and looked like it was made to punch through dragon armour. "I'm bleeding a lot... I need a Blue Dragon."

Garnet looked around at me again. "You trust me, sister?" I nodded.

She flew higher untill the air was hard to breath then she rolled over and I fell from her back. I watched her twist and tuck her wings in to come for me arms out. She caught me miles above the ground and flew back up to the height we had been flying at with the Purple Dragons.

She looked at the wound in my leg and then flew closer to talk with a Purple Dragon. "Keep leading these troops, my sister is wounded and I need to get her to safety." The Purple Dragon nodded and Garnet flapped harder and left them behind.