The corridor seemed to stretch to try and keep me here. I had to hold back my sigh of relief when we stepped into the cavern. I don't want to worry Topaz. I thought looking up at him. He smiled down at me making my concern melt slightly. Looking around the cavern I saw Mum wasn't there so we walked to the centre together. Topaz put his arms around me holding me tight while we waited. I knew he was holding me because he didn't want me to go but he didn't know that I didn't want to leave him either.

It felt like forever for my mum to arrive but I knew it hadn't been long as the sun had barely moved in the sky. "Are you coming with us Topaz?" Mum asked him giving him a little wink.

He jumped slightly at her wink making me frown at him. "No honoured mother. I must tend to Reina. I was seeing my gem off." He rubbed his chin on me and I kissed his scaled cheek.

He bowed to my mother and walked away. "Kyanite is getting us the reinforcements we will need. Our ride should be back any moment." She was looking up at the sky as she spoke when she met my eyes she smiled and put her arm around me. "You look worried." She whispered.

"I am. We will talk at home."

She smiled and looked up. "We will be home in no time. Our ride is here."

I saw the transport box descending towards us. The Purple Dragon landed next to us as the door to the box opened and the people from the village poured out with all the things they took with them. I watched them walk off to their temporary homes. Kyanite marched a troop of young Dragons towards us passed the people that had to abandon their homes.

Their scaled bodies shimmered through all the colours of the Dragons but their armour was a mix of red, white and black. There were even a few greens in there. They marched with a militant precision. When they stopped behind Kyanite I realised I was nearly as tall as they were. "Duha! I have a partial solution to the troop problem. These Dragons need training and you will get warm bodies." He said gesturing to the Dragons who straightened under his amber gaze.

"I hope they are ready for the hardest training of their lives." Duna said.

"Yes, Black Dragon!" All the troops called at once.

The voices echoed in the crater making me smile. "Fall in troops!" I called. They marched behind me into the troop carrier. "At ease."

They put their bags down and waited for instructions but didn't seem to know how to do at ease. "Katja." Duha called I put my bag down and walked out of the box leaveing the Dragons standing there.

My heart almost stopped when I saw Garnet standing with Mum looking furious. I walked up to Mum catching the end of Garnet's sentence. "...you think that's right?"

"Ahh Katja could you get the troops to pack the supplies please." Garnet growled trailing smoke. "I told you, sister, I'm not undermining you. It would be a slaughter to have us go without reinforcements. I only brought the report myself as I had tasks here. I didn't know you were here. The last report I had on your movements you were at the castle so I came here to bring my problem to Reina. That is the chain of command is it not?"

I turned back to the troops inside the troop carrier. "Pack the supplies."

"Yes, Black Dragon." They called as they started to move towards the pile of boxes stacked at the edge of the crater.

"It is not just that! You can not just order Black Dragons around." Garnet growled.

"I haven't. I asked Katja she said yes. I asked as her mother, not as a sister."

That turned Garnet's anger on me. "That brings me to another matter. A word Katja!" Mum gave me an odd look and bowed to Garnet. I followed Garnet away from the cart. She led me to a small alcove that I hadn't seen before that seemed to be carved out for private conversation in the cavern. "I am hurt, Katja. I find out you are to become a mother because you annoy a Blue Dragon, then find out you are leaving. I know you know that even Black Dragons stay here when carrying a hatchling. What is going on?" She whispered. Her whisper sounded like rocks rolling in a stone basin but didn't carry far because of the walls of the alcove.

I sighed sagging. "I thought you were going to order me to stay. I was going to tell you myself before leaving as I knew you would come and yell at Mum. She really didn't ask me as a sister. She knew that you would be upset by that." Garnet sighed and nodded. "That Blue Dragon insulted me and Topaz. She insinuated that I was stupid for wanting to help protect my home then told my husband he needed retraining. He's a kind man and just told her he followed that training but I wasn't taking that! That's when she said she was going to talk to you about my private business. I know I can't go against a Blue Dragon so if she has told you to order me to stay then would you go with my mum?"

Garnet shook her head. "This is the fourth time that Blue Dragon has meddled in what she should not have, only this time she sheard things she should not have. She did insist I make you stay but you are not a Dragon and no one is making Reina do anything she does not wish. Would you give me permission to talk to Topaz?" I nodded as she gave me a slip of paper and a quill.

As I wrote the note Garnet asked. "You're alright to do this?" I nodded handing the note back. "The rule in the Black Dragons is if you feel fine and your husband agrees then I have no problem with you going. I wouldn't want to upset my sister would I?" She winked at me.

I laughed. "Why do I get that feeling the Blue Dragon is in trouble?"

"She is! Topaz will tell you that what she did was wrong with you is very serious. This is your business. I may be in charge of the Black Dragons but your health is your business. I will only get involved if you are hurt and not listening to advice." Garnet walked me back to the box. "I wish I had thought through my actions before angering your mother."

"I'm not angry sister." Mum said as she came over to us. "I understand why you did it but my station is hurting for troops. That's all it was." Mum said watching the troops load the last of the crates in to the transport.

Garnet nodded. "I did not know how dire the situation was sister. It seems some reports have failed to get through. I will look into this."

I smiled at Garnet. "We will talk when we get back sister." I said hugging Garnet.

"People will get the wrong idea about me if they see you hugging me sister." She whispered hugging me back.

I laughed. "This is the human version of singing sister. You sing when you go to war, humans hug." I let her go and she smiled swishing her tail.

"I think we should go." Mum said taking my hand. Garnet bowed to us and we stepped into the troop transport. The young Dragons morphed into humans and sat down. I sat away from the others as the Purple Dragons took off. Mum sat next to me and took my hand. "I need to talk to you when we get home."

I stared at Mum as she looked at the Dragons with her yellow eyes. "Sure... you going to tell me you're my real mum or something?"

Mum laughed. "Something like that."

After sorting out the young Dragons for Duha I headed back to Reina. It was not meant to be as I turned into the family corridor my mother stood in front of me. "Kyanite I have a stack of reports for Reina but she is with Topaz."

"Is she ill?"

She shook her head. "No, I think there is.... I think he is just talking to her. She is a Gold Dragon, it will be hard for her to find anyone to talk to. Come in my sitting room I need to talk to you." I nodded and followed her into the room sitting opposite where we had stopped. "I have been told you are visiting the home hoard a lot recently." She said as she took her seat.

"I had to."

She smiled looking up at the image above the fireplace. "You have not visited them for a long time, but you choose now to visit them every day. Why?"

I looked up at the image of me with my sword and shield. "I can't help but remember them. It felt like this back then. The losses crying out for their lives before we lose them and the ones that are living scraping happiness from this war. It brings it all back."

"Life finds a way of moving through the dark times. It is what we must do to survive. Besides my dear boy this time it is different. My mother was a fine leader in a harsh time, but Reina is as soft as her fur. She works towards keeping people alive. That is why our halls are full and our stores run thin."

I smiled. "Reina is far softer than you know. It's why I haven't told her everything."

My mother sighed shaking her head. "Kyanite I adopted you as a youngling. I know you better than you know yourself. You are troubled because you have kept this from her. The reason your gem is talking to Topaz and not you is because she knows you are holding back."

Nodding I sighed. "Do you know why I'm so proud of you?" I shook my head. "You take on everything. All the titles you hold and you still feel responsible for every life taken. You are so full of guilt that it stays on your blade. You are needed in this fight. I know you feel it."

I closed my eyes breathing out heavily. "I do. But Reina..."

"Reina has an army of people to help her. I am sure that she will tell you that herself."

I nodded opening my eyes and looking at my mother. "I will tell her about them today."

My mother nodded and stood. "I will make her the moss dish she loves so much. I am sure she will be hungry."

She left the room leaving the door open. I sat in silence watching the flames lick at the fresh logs in the fireplace. I smiled as the fire ate the wood and provided heat for us. Fire takes life and feels no guilt. It is as alive as I am and yet it takes until there is nothing left but ash. Fire breaths and eats like everything else in this world. Does it feel? Does it know that it kills when it lives?

"Kyanite?" The voice intruded on my thoughts.

I turned at my name and then smiled. "Green Elder. What can I do for you?"

He smiled stepping into the room and closing the door. "I was going to ask you the same thing. You do not make a habit of sitting in your mother's sitting room."

"I was going to Reina. I just had a difficult conversation with Silver Elder. I was taking a moment of peace before finding my gem."

My father nodded. "The gems we find for the hoard are so precious, but you choose to show yours to the world. You are a braver man than I my boy."

I stood. "She is more Dragon than you know. I can't clip her wings."

He smiled taking my mother's seat. "Go to your gem my boy. Tell her from me that I can't wait to see her wings." I laughed as I left the room.

My steps felt lighter after the conversations I had with my parents. I opened the door to my room and stopped dead. Topaz was rubbing Reina's back while she panted. He turned his head and smiled. "See I told you he would be here in a minute."

She sat there looking pale and sweating as she took big gasping breaths. Topaz laid her down as she kicked her sowing to the floor. "Kyanite!" She said in a pained whisper.

I darted into the room to Reina's side as she writhed on the bed. I took her hand. "What's going on Topaz?"