I jumped as pain radiated through my hand. Amber had my finger in her mouth. Reina chuckled. "At least it's you this time not me. Good luck getting her to let you go." I looked down at the small furry bundle attached to my hand. I grumbled and she let go and then started licking the wound. Reina laughed coming over from the cot with the two dragons perched on her shoulders and Axinite in her arms. "OK, how did you do that?"

"I think they understand Dragon better than you do. My growling was to tell her to let go. Do you think her brother and sister have been teaching her?"

Reina smiled sitting on the bed. "Probably, Rats are good at picking up these things."

She laid our son next to his sister and they started fighting and squeaking. I sighed moving to stop them when Reina stopped me. She shook her head. "They need to fight. What do I do about these two?" She said pointing at the Dragons on her shoulders.

Just then Jasper jumped off her shoulder flapping his wings hard. I count him as he fell. I laughed rolling him over and tickling his belly. "They need to fly. We just need to catch them."

His siblings pounced on him as soon as I laid him next to them and they all started to scrap. I smiled watching them play fight. The door to our room opened and a young Dragon bowed to us. "Reina of the Dragon fire, the enemies' siege weapons are built and they are rolling them into position."

Just then my mother walked into the room. "Go. I shall fulfil my part in this tail."

Reina handed Ruby to my mother and started to put her armour on. I moved off the bed morphing as I did to grab my own. I tried to put out of my mind that my mother was fully armoured and had dropped off her weapon while walking in. She is the last line of defence for our children... I know she can fight but the fact she is ready to scares me more than facing down that army out there.

Reina took my hand and dragged me to our children on the bed. She stroked each one and then stepped back. I laid my head on them letting them rub themselves on my chin then stood.

I will burn everything to keep them safe! My resolve hardened as I headed for the door hand in hand with my Gold Dragon.

Reina hurried as quickly as her little feet would carry her to the gate. We were stopped near the stairs by someone coming down.

"Reina there's a group coming this way with a white flag. It looks like one of the kings." Duha said flatly.

Reina nodded and turned to the gate. A large group of White Dragons fell in behind us as the large gates started to open. Duha stood at Reina's other shoulder and looked ready to kill. Why is she so wound up?  I didn't get an answer before we were walking out of the castle towards the group. They had stopped a short distance from the walls, well within bow range to show this was not a trick this time.

"You have changed shape beast." The king shouted.

Reina smiled shaking her head. "Insults don't hurt me the way you wish they would. I'm proud of being a Rat. I have had my litter of four. It's a shame you can't meet them."

He sneered at her. "Just like all the rodents full of pestilence and disease, you breed too often."

"If all you are here for is Insults then I think we are done." Reina said crossing her arms.

"I came to offer you surrender once more." He said full of confidence.

Reina sighed. "Sick of your warmongering ways are we?"

He was ovustly gritting his teeth in aggravation at not winding Reina up this time. "I offer you surrender to save your worthless lives."

"And where would we go? We are hunted in both Kingdoms. So it stands to reason that surrender would mean death to the yaspilrmeth, and probably most of the humans."

His horse frisked from the pressure of his knees. "You are beasts! You have no right to land or things. You grub around in the dirt looking for scraps! This land is for humans."

"I say this land is for the people that live here. Humans, yaspilrmeth, and Dragon's. They live here together in peace. They believe peace is worth fighting for."

The king scoffed. "You are fools. You lock yourself away in this castle with all your people. You will starve before the first arrow is loosed."

"From what I have heard so will you. How about you come to the negotiating table and we can sort this out peacefully, we can then share resources."

He spat at Reina's words. "You've had your fair warning."

His group started to turn back to his camp and Reina stepped forward. "Then hear mine, sir. Don't make an animal feel trapped. Any huntsman will tell you that a trapped animal is far more dangerous than a free one."

With that, she turned walking back to the castle with all of us walking behind her. A soft thud made us turn. A head rolled towards us. Even with the blood smearing its features and the glazed eyes. It was still recognisable as the head of the other king blood still seeping from the blow that took his head from his shoulders. "This is what happens to people that cross me!"

Reina looked down at the head and sighed. "Kyanite would you please do the honours?"

I nodded bending down to use my sharp claws to dig a hole in the hard-packed earth near the edge of the road. Reina picked up the head carefully. The people on the wall and in the king's party were silent leaving the king to head back to his army alone. Reina walked to the deep hole I had dug. She laid his head in it and started to bury it. The White Dragons started to sing a liement for the life lost. I joined in seeing that the king had stopped at the sound.

Reina patted the earth over the head. I put a rock on it offering her one. She took it lying in the grave. The White Dragons also left rocks on the grave. More people came out of the castle to leave a small rock on the head.

The humans with the king stepped forward with rocks of their own and quickly dug out of the softer verge alongside the road near the few trees there. They were left to it by our troops. More humans came from the army to see what was going on. As the others got to them word spread as the song of lament continued. Humans that were from his army came up with rocks of their own and some even struck their colours. They walked into our castle welcomed by our troops.

The king scowled at us and walked his horse away. Reina pressed into me and I put my hands on her shoulders. We are here for a while now. He won't be able to whip them into killing us when we have shown the king more respect than he has. We will give this man respect even when he showed us none. Reina has seen to that. This small act of kindness offers these humans a small look into what we offer them.

I stretched looking around the office I'd been given. It looked very similar to the one we had intimidated the humans in with Kyros. Although this one had a black desk and Topaz had had a comfy-looking sofa put in for me. It was also located in the Black Dragon halls. Looking back at the paper in front of me I smiled as I wrote my report back to Reina. "You find this funny my gem?"

"One king killing the other is only good for us. He will need to force those people into the fight and the dead kings forces will turn and run a lot quicker than the others. Plus the others won't trust them and we got troops out of this."

He sighed making me look up from the report to him hovering at the otherside of the desk. "Do you not feel sad for him?"

"No. He was a nasty man." He sighed again coming over to me. "Please don't lecture me Topaz. I know that to you, all life is precious but he added to the scars on my mum's back."

"Not going to my gem... I do need one thing."

He turned me away from the desk and put his hands on my waist. "What do you need my Blue Dragon?"

His eyes lit up at my words. "You have been off your food. Will you try and eat something?"

I smiled. "I feel sick in the day. That's why I've been eating at night. I will try and eat something if it's plain. Most of the food I've been offered smells... wrong. It tastes fine but the smell really puts me off."

He cupped my chin with his hand. "I will ask Reina's mother! She is a food expert."

I kissed his cheek as he let go of my chin and smiled as he walked away. I whatched him leave the office then went back to writing my report to Reina. Someone cleared their throat in the doorway of my office. I looked up frowning as I did so. "Swallow? What do you need?"

She hopped in the room looking around the space like a trapped bird. "Katja... I was wondering if you had news from the front?"

I smiled waving her in. "Yes, we do. The king from the second kingdom is dead. Reina was offered his head. She buried it with full Dragon honours and the humans have been allowed to pay their respects. The army is still waiting us out."

She nodded deflating with her relief. "Oh, that's good."

"Problem?"

She stood up straight again. "Oh I just heard that... the gate was being repaired."

I nodded. "We will most likely get it done before they attack now that they are paying respects to a fallen king it will be far harder to get the troops to line up and fight."

She came over to the desk. "I'm glad. Reina is really sure we will win, are you?"

I shrugged. "I trust Reina. The only reason I'm not with Mum is because Topaz asked me to stay here."

She hopped forward again. "I heard you were attached to a Dragon. That's exciting!" She said flapping slightly.

Just then Topaz walked in growling. Swallow panicked and started flying to get out of the room. In typical frightened bird style, she was flying around the corners of the room unable to find the doorway in her panic. "Topaz. Leave her alone." Topaz stopped growling looking up at the large swallow flying around the room. "Swallow! Land Please!" I said ducking as she flew over me.

She landed on my desk flapping her wings and breathing hard. "I'm sorry Swallow! I didn't think... Katja has been attacked and when I saw you in here..." Topaz said as he moved towards us.

Swallow hopped off the desk and bowed to him. "I'm sorry... for panicking." She said breathless.

He bowed to her. "Then you will forgive me?"

She nodded. "Are you both alright now?" I asked.

Topaz came to my side and stroked my arm. "This is your Dragon then Katja?"

"Yes, he is. This is Topaz Blue Dragon. Topaz this is Swallow. She helped us when we were hated by the other yaspilrmeth."

Swallow hopped forward offering her wing to his hand. He shook it very gently. "Pleasure to meet you Swallow. Again I'm so sorry to scare you."

"It's alright... I only came here because of the rumours."

Topaz gave me a look and then nodded. "I suppose this will happen more often now everyone knows you are sending reports to the castle." He said moving back from me.

"Yes, it will. Are you going to work Topaz?" He nodded smiling at me.

"Reina's mother will be here soon. I've asked her to try and get you to eat."

I groaned internally. Reina's mother is a force of nature... the kind you can't fight against. This will not be fun. "Thanks." I said flatly.

He laughed heading for the door. "If you are busy I can come back." Swallow said in a small voice.

"No not too busy. Now what else was it you needed?"

"I'm just scared for what will happen if we lose."

I sighed. "We will hide here. The humans don't know about this place and even if they find us here it's easily defensible. We will send out people to gather food and hide here for a while until they give up. Then find out what everyone wants."

She nodded. "Some of us decided we couldn't help and so stayed here. Now when it comes down to it we want to help."

I smiled. "Good. Reina sent me a report saying that if we had a group ready to join the battle halfway through then we could have a better chance. Bring me all the people ready to fight, or fly messages. We will build a reserve force." 

She nodded and hopped back out of the room. I went back to my work enjoying the peace of this quiet room. My peace didn't last long before Reina's mother came in. "I hear you are feeling sick when eating."

"Yes." She came over to me and put two bowls on the desk.

"Try some from each bowl then we will know what you can't stomach."

I took a sniff at the sweeter bowl and pushed it away. I sniffed the other bowl that smelt of nothing but a fantastic smell of milk. I took a small mouth full and my hunger awoke. I pulled it closer and scoffed it down.

Reina's mother smiled and picked up the other bowl. "I will be back with something for your lunch that will match your current tastes. We will work together to keep you eating."

"Thank you, Rat." I said around my spoon. 

She bowed leaving the room with the other bowl. I was still eating when a large Raven appeared in the doorway. He looked slightly dishevelled makeing me frown at him. "I'm sorry to disturb you but I understand you are receiving reports from the front?" I smiled waving him in.

I put my mostly empty bowl aside. "I am. How can I help?" 

He walked over to the desk and I saw his wings all bandaged up as he sat in the chair opposite me. "Kyanite said I could help with the reports and I have been twiddling my thumbs since they left. I would like something to do." 

I nodded and smiled. "My Blue Dragon would be happy for me to give up this job as he is nervous after what happened. However, I need to do something or go mad. I can't walk around too much at the moment, could you handle the announcements from the front? I see you are wounded."

He nodded. "I have been wounded but my legs work fine. It's my wings. I can do that for you."

I offered him the forged report I had written and he looked it over. "This is the report from the front today. I will receive another tonight. If you can make the pertinent information known to the people here it will stop more people getting it in their head to attack."

He stood and bowed to me. "I will do as you asked.... Black Dragon. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Not at the moment. Unless you wish to add a request to have all that will help step forward. We could do with more people to guard here as well as people willing to learn a new craft. I have a stack of jobs that need to be filled and no real way of asking people to fill them."

I offered him a list I'd made up of craftspeople I needed more of. "I will do this for you. I will set up a bulletin board in the market and post requests there with the news." 

"That would help a lot." He bowed to me again and left. I suppose it's good to have the extra help from those two. The lie is told and I must make sure only I see the truth. I need to send a message to Mum to have the reports written by her then only I will be able to read it. I pulled a fresh sheet of paper to me and started to write a note. Once I was done I rang the small bell on my desk and a young Dragon wareing Black Dragon armour stepped in the room. "Take this to Duha of the night wolf pack." They bowed and took the note.