I stood watching as Reina's eyes closed. Kyanite looked desperate as he stroked her face. "I gave her something to make her sleep, now I will bring her fever down. I will send you home with something to help her. Could you give me room to work?" Eric asked him softly for the second time.

He gave me a look over his shoulder when Kyanite didn't move and I nodded going to Kyanite's side. "Come Kyanite. Silver Elder will stay with her. Let's get some air." I gently pulled him away from Reina to the door. He morphed as we reached it then collapsed to his knees as soon as he was outside. "She will be fine." I said.

"It's not that!" He sobbed.

"Then what is it?" I asked as Eric walked out.

"She was meant to be safe! We have Blue Elder... how could she get so ill?"

"Because the Blue Dragons were asleep. They don't know about these illnesses. I will came back with you and train the Blue Dragons in the things they know nothing about. She will wake up in about an hour Kyanite." Eric said softly.

Kyanite stood and walked in to the house. Silver Elder came out and bowed to Eric. "We have much to thank you for." I translated for Eric and he smiled and bowed to her. "We will have to honour him with the call for colours."

I smiled. "I believe all know he is a Blue Dragon, Elder. The honor will not be lost on him." She nodded heading back into the house.

"What did she say?"

I smiled at Eric. "She wants to call the colours for you."

He smiled. "That is nice." He took my hand and walked to the door. We looked in and I couldn't help but smile at Kyanite holding Reina in his arms. With his wings around her. That is sweet.

"Kyanite... I know you wish to hold her but she could over heat." Kyanite sighed and then opened his wings.

Eric walked in and stroked her damp hair. Silver Elder smiled at me as she sat on chair at the table.

I got her a cup of tea that Eric had made just before all this started. "Thank you. Duha of the nightwolf pack is going to be attacked soon. She will be sending someone home. I have had a message sent to have them brought here. Will you arrange to have this person sent to the keep?"

I sat down opposite her. "This person... they are human."

She nodded taking a sip of tea. "He is a nasty man. I also took the liberty to call in all the people he hurt. Reina will wish to hear from them."

"Silver Elder, is Duha going to be alright?"

She nodded putting her cup down. "Duha of the nightwolf pack is as wild as all wolves. I saw the full moon and know what this does to a wolf. She will be in a frenzy soon."

I frowned. Duha in a frenzy? But she is always so calm and cool headed. "I find it hard to believe that Duha would be in a frenzy."

Silver Eelder laughed. "Just like you do not lose yourself to your anger? You know as well as I how close the beast can get. She will let herself lose tonight and when she does she will do more damage to those humans than we did at the border wall. Fear not for your friends they will all return despite the lack of reinforcements. The Black Dragons will want a new image made for their hall after hearing of the two Black Dragons that are not Dragons fighting to save their home."

"I can see that. I will go and get things ready at the keep. Is there anything else I can do for you Elder?" She offered me her cup with a smile.

I took it pouring her another cup of tea from the pot. "Thank you Kyros of the mountain."

After makeing a fresh pot and leaveing it for Silver elder, I walked out through the smithy in to the clear night. I looked up at the moon rolling my shoulders at the thought of fighting. She is fierce without a full moon. If the full moon makes her more beast I wouldn't want to get in her way. I shuddered at the thought.

I walked to the keep and smiled at the guard. "There will be a prisoner coming here from Duha. Set up in the keep for Reina to see people and inform me when they arrive. I'll be at home."

He nodded and I sighed. "Something wrong Kyros?"

"Only this whole bloody war. Why in the hell are they fighting?" The guard shrugged. "Those kings staked their claim on this land years ago. They will soak the land in blood until they win. Then fight each other. These kings won't stop until they have what they want."

I nodded growling. "It's a way of getting one kingdom! That's all this is."

The guard hummed his agreement. "This is what they want, but your kind the... yaspilrmeth they want peace. That's all I want, so here I am waiting to see if you can win."

I smiled at him. "We will my friend. We have you and Dragons. We work together to win this."

He nodded. "That's why I'm still here." I patted his back and turned walking away. That's not the first time I've heard that. These people see we are looking to save the innocent people before the towns are attacked. It's working Reina, you were right. They see we only want peace.

Ahhh they are ready! I shifted my feet as I watched from the top of the wall. "Everything is ready mum. The troop box is here and the supply's are loaded."

I shifted again. "Just in time. They are moving."

"Good that will give you something to do with all that energy you have."

Katja sounded tied so I looked at her. "You alright?" She nodded watching the ground below the wall. "You sound tired Katja. Are you up for this?"

She sighed meeting my eye's. "I'm fine just watching you bounce about like that is making me tired."

I smiled. "No sleeping on duty. They are nearly here. Ring the bell."

Katja truned and started to ring the bell. The sound of troops getting in to persiton behind me made me smile. "Now I'm awake! Look." Katja pointed at a tower coming straight for the wall.

I waved to Samvel as he called the archers to fire flaming arrows at it.

"Why not use Dragons?" Katja asked.

"While you where bisy training the troops. I made it look like I've sent them away. I want them to think we have none so when they drop burning logs on them...."

She smiled and I saw the energy return to her. "Is it really just the moon doing this to you mum?"

I nodded. She looked back as the tower cort fire from the arrows and the humans abandoned it. I turned and waved at the siege engines we had built. Large rocks sailed over head crashing in to the troops on the ground. They scattered as the heavy rocks came at them. "They broke already?" Katja said sounding disappointed.

"Not yet." Samvel pointed out as the troops still came forward with ladders and towers, but they were spaced out to make it harder to hit with the large projectiles.

"Change." I yelled. One more group of rocks thundered in to the ground before burning barrels flew. They hit the ground and exploded into burning puddles. The towers in front of the puddles stopped. As a large rock came towards us but landed short. "Ha their siege weapons are out of range." I said.

"Or maybe they are trying to draw out a Dragon." Katja said.

"Maybe but they will get something else."

Katja turned as a strange scream came from their back ranks. She lifted the telescope to her eye and laughed. "You sent the spiders to take the siege weapons out? That is a great plan."

"They are fast and came move silently when they need to. They can get out and get back in with ease. Really it's the best use of their abilys."

Katja laughed and shifted her feet. The humans blew a horn and the men coming forward turned back. "Round one Duha! Time for round two." I yelled.

"I get the feeling this fight is going to go all your way." Katja said taking my hand.

We didn't need to wait long before they came for us again. The humans were spread out and only archers were coming. "Mixed and hold!" I called smileing at the young Dragons as they loaded their saige weapons.

Looking back at the humans holding my arm up. Once they were in range I dropped my arm. Rocks and barrels sailed over head smashing in to the ground spilling their contense. Just after flaming arrows set the spilled oil on fire. The smell of burning oil filled the air covering the ground below with a thick smoke in the almost still night.

Katja shook her head as a new weapon entered the field with the sound of coughing. "Mum what's that?"

"The final call. That is a battering ram and those others are something to help them get troops close without our archers getting them. Pack up!" I yelled the last over my shoulder and all but two of the weapons were being broken down after the last shot.

"This is very efficient. I take it all the captains are working on there own things?" Katja asked.

I nodded. "They only gave me enough to know the rough plan. It's all going well."

Katja watched as the archers shot arrows at the covered waggons coming towards us. "We clear the walls when the gates is down right?"

"Walls last. When they start on the gate the last two heavy weapons will be broken down then the Dragons and us will hold the gate while the archers are halved, then the young Dragons pull back leaving us. That's when the other Dragons take to the skies and drop the logs."

Katja watched the young Dragons line up at the gate as four of their number worked on the seige weapons. "Your going with my plain?"

"Why don't you trust it?"

She looked up at me. "Just surprised you do."

I smiled. "All the captains agreed this would cause the smallest casualties." She nodded as the ground beneath us shook with the first strike of the battering ram. "I'll see you down there." She said walking off to the stars.

"That girl is impressive."

I chuckled looking back over the wall at the men as the floor shook again. "She is a pup no longer Samvel. You deal with your men, I'm going to join my daughter." I turned from him and walked down the stairs to join Katja with the young Dragons.

"We've had them on the back foot this whole time. Lets keep them there." Katja said to her troop of Dragons.

They seemed to have the order not to speak in dragon as they all saluted at the same time. The gate started to creak and I gestured to the four Dragon's on each of the weapons. They handed their dismantaled weapons to other dragons and lined up with the others. I turned back to the gate just in time to see it brake in. Katja knelt as the young Dragons shot a volley of arrows in to the troops behind the the small opening.

The battering ram drew back and came in again as the Dragons knocked more arrows. The gate burst inward and the fist line of humans fell to the Dragon's arrows. They dropped their bows as they drew there spears from their backs and filled the hole in the gate with their bulk. The bows where loaded onto the carts with the seige weapons. As the Dragons held the gate. Once a human was pulled down they were dissarmed and pulled backwards to be handed to the troops tieing them for transport. The gate was soon becomeing a mess of blood and sound as people died at the hands of the young Dragons in their way.

One of the Dragons fell and there spot was taken by another. That Dragon was pulled back by the people pulling bodys out from under foot and a Blue Dragon that Katja had said didn't want to be in the thick of it tended to them. I saw the nasy wound in the young Dragons arm and winced at it. The weapon was a mace and the head had broken off in the arm of the Dragon. "Get them to the transport." The Blue Dragon said in a low rummble to a pair of young Dragons. They bowed and moved their comrade away.

I saw Samvel on the wall above me. He gave me the sign to take over from the Dragons. I tapped Katja on the shoulder and she nodded. She moved to the front of the Dragons and they started to pull back. Katja became a whirlwind of screams as she filled the space that had held five young Dragons shoulder to shoulder. I moved up next to her and moved as fast as she did while the footsteps of our troop moved away from us. Finally we were alone in our dance of death. Every step we took and every movement with arms was met with the grown or snap of someone coming in to contact with our weapons.

From one movement to the next I saw Katja's face contorted in rage as her staff met skin. Blood dripped from her armour and covered her face and hands, All from the enemy I hoped. My own armour was quickly getting soaked in the same viscera as Katja's and the smell of the blood made me feel every bit the worror I knew I was.

The battle seemed to draw on forever and even my moon given energy started to waine. A grate rawr came from above us and the people in front of us turned tail and started to run. I grabbed Katja and jumped out the gate as burning logs fell from the sky with a crash. Katja stumbled from my push.

She looked to me and smiled. I smiled back at her and offered her my hand. She took it and we ran. Down the street past our home to the other side of the village where the market would have been on any other day. I saw one transport already in the air and the young Dragon's flying overhead to meet it.

The last transport was sitting on the marketplace shrouded by torches that were being snuffed out and carried to the transport by the last of the troops. I saw the dragons and the first transport turn towards Tigers town. "Those are the fresh troops. They are going to aid him. He is luckier than us and is just besieged." Samvel said holding his arm.

I nodded. "Where are we headed?"

"The castle." Samvel said.

Katja shook her head and opened her mouth. "Why there?" I asked before she could.

"Reina is there." We both me and Katja frowned at each other as we walked in to the transport.

"She should be at the dragon home." Katja said sounding worried.

"She's ill and Topaz is there too. That's were we are taking the wounded." Samvel said sitting down near us.

"He's there?" Katja asked.

"And how did you do that?" I asked taping his arm.

"Took an arrow moving everyone off the wall. We did well, only three wounded on the wall."

Smiling I looked to Katja. "We need a bath but... do you want that hug now?"

She gave me a ghost of a smile. "Yer..." I sat down and she sat in my lap.

I held her tightly and wiped her face with a cloth Samvil had wetted and offered to me. The last grip on herself faltered and she started to cry softly.