FSE

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*****

Chapter Thirty Two

*****

There was little Lord Asterbury enjoyed more than dropping in unannounced and ruining a good dramatic moment. And just look at their faces. Bafflement, befuddlement, bewilderment, and other synonyms that started with B. Poor Mirelle looked like she couldn't decide if she should charge him to bury that maul in his face, or run screaming for the hills. And Mister Benevolent Overlord himself seemed to be caught between the urge to blast him with fire and the desperate need to just how he'd pulled off something unbelievable, as if from storybook. If only they knew.

Asterbury stalked across the grass towards them. He glanced at the house that sat off to the side of the meadow. An older woman with a shirt the hue of fresh cream, and worn out breeches stood in the doorway. Shocks of gray marked her dark hair as she stared at him, her jaw hanging open. She was getting old. Maybe he'd fix that. He gave Enora a wave and smiled at her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of green and red as Mirelle slipped away from the dragon. She charged him, and swung her maul. Asterbury let her swing, and sidestepped just enough for the maul to arc past him and bury itself in the grass. He put a boot atop the flattened hammer of its head, and flicked his ears back.

“Bold gambit Mirelle, but terribly inappropriate." He flicked Mirelle on the nose with a single claw tip. She yelped, snarled, and yanked her weapon up. Asterbury stepped off of it and clumps of sod splattered the ground. “I haven't even drawn a weapon yet."

Mirelle didn't seem especially eager to wait for him to arm himself. She swung the maul again, this time in a horizontal arc aimed for his head. Asterbury bent his knees just enough for the maul to sweep over his large gray ears. As it whistled past him, he yanked his knife from his belt and stared at it.

“Terribly rude of her, don't you think Mirelle Two?"

Asterbury waggled the knife. “She's a right bitch!"

“Oh my, Mirelle Two. Now that's even ruder. There's no need for that manner of disrespect, she's only doing what heroines do."

“That's my knife, you mangy little nutcase!" Mirelle snatched at the knife.

Asterbury pulled it just out of reach. “Knife? I'll have you know this is my trusted advisor, Mirelle Two! And you're one to talk. Why, you've gone from swinging a maul at someone who hasn't made any aggressive gestures to worrying about getting your knife back! You're the crazy one here."

“Aggressive gestures?" Mirelle snarled with so much anger she was nearly spitting on him. “You tried to kill me!"

“Did I?" Asterbury tilted his head, splaying one ear. “Oh, that's right." A smile stretched across his muzzle. “I wanted to see if Revaramek could save you or not." Asterbury glanced at the green dragon who stalked up alongside Mirelle, as if to offer her protection. Stitches and scars marked the dragon's scaly body. Broken scales and bruises marred the colors of his back. He gave Revaramek a bow. “I must say, I didn't really think you could. Not really sure you were supposed to be able to, actually. So saving her was impressive. Very impressive. You look a bit worse for the wear, though."

“So do you." Revaramek snarled, tilting his head to the side. Mirelle took a few steps away from the dragon, around to Asterbury's right side while the dragon moved left. “How's your face feeling?"

Asterbury smirked, his own stitched wounds throbbed when they were mentioned. “Still a bit sore." He brushed fingers across a few stitches. “Now that you definitely weren't supposed to do. Caught me off guard that time, and that's very difficult. You're an impressive creature, you know. That's why I've come here to talk to you, in fact. But if you two are trying to flank me for another attack, I'm going to have to call my negotiator down here. I'm sure she'd like to have a few words with you, as well."

Just as Revaramek lunged forward, claws slicing through the air, Asterbury stepped back, inches of out range. At the same time he pivoted around to face Mirelle again. Even as the dragon was coming at him, Mirelle swung her maul. He sidestepped the weapon once again, whirled just out of the way of the elbow aimed at his muzzle she followed up with, and then met the knee she thrust towards his groin with the hilt of her own stolen dagger. Mirelle yelped in pain, and as she stumbled and dropped the maul, Asterbury twisted around behind her. May as well keep the heroine between him and the less-predictable dragon.

He waggled the dagger at Mirelle as she limped a few pace. “I admire your spirit, so tell you what. I'll hold still, and give you one free shot. Feel free to use whatever you like. Your fist, your boot, even your maul." He stuck the dagger back in his belt, took a few steps back, and spread his arms wide. The urd'thin dropped his voice into a growl. “But you'll miss."

Mirelle didn't hesitate. She snatched up the maul again and with impressive speed, hoisted it up into the air and brought it down with both hands, aimed at his head. The blow would have killed him in an instant if it connected.

But Mirelle's aim was off, and her maul missed Asterbury by scant inches.

Mirelle's aim was off, and her maul missed Asterbury by scant inches. It whistled past the end of his gray-furred muzzle, ruffled the fur of his face, and buried itself in the earth before his feet. Mirelle stared at him, panting. Her jaw hung open, her hazel eyes flickering with fury and uncertainty. She glanced at the dragon, then at the maul again before she just glared at Asterbury.

“I couldn't have missed, it was going right for your damn head!"

Asterbury smiled at her, and lowered his arms. “I told you, Mirelle."

Mirelle yanked her maul free from the ground again. “How did you-"

“You're getting tiresome, Mirelle!" Asterbury snapped his teeth, splaying his ears. “You really should try listening, it'll work wonders!" He tilted his head, slowly lifting a single ear. “Oh, I'm sorry, did you mean the actual mechanics of it?" He clasped his hands, smiling. “My mistake. Well, there's an interesting story there-"

“How about you play that game with me, rodent!" Revaramek cut him off with a snarl, prowling around Mirelle. “Hold still!"

“Now, that's just rude, Revaramek!" Asterbury moved to keep Mirelle between himself and the dragon. She darted left, and he followed her. “Hard to go around calling yourself benevolent if you're interrupting people and adopting Mirelle's casual racism!"

Revaramek shook his one-horned head. “Urd'thin aren't rodents! Just you!"

“Oh, c'mon Revaramek." Asterbury whined, disappointed. His ears drooped. “I expect better from you. You're the hero, I'm the villain! I deserve a higher class of insult, and you owe it to yourself to come up with something better." Asterbury waved his hand at the dragon, smiling. “Go on, try again."

“It's not a damn story, you crazy little mongrel!" Mirelle stomped her foot, fire flashing in her eyes.

“Careful Mirelle." Asterbury yanked Mirelle Two free from his belt and waggled it at her. “Watch your tone. The last person who spoke to me like that-"

And then Revarmek leapt over Mirelle, fangs and claws flashing in the sunlight as they came to bare on Asterbury. The urd'thin sucked in a breath, scrambling backwards. He threw his hands out towards the dragon, the air shimmering around him. He had a second, only a second to redirect the dragon's assault. The dragon's claws missed, his teeth caught only air. Revaramek's claws missed, inches from Asterbury's eyes. His teeth caught only air, snapping at his throat as Asterbury backpedaled.

Revaramek landed-

Revaramek landed with Asturbury just out of reach and as Asterbury spun away-

The dragon charged forward as Asterbury spun away, slamming the crown of his skull into Asterbury's shoulder. The force of the blow lifted him completely off his feet. Bones cracked. His arm, his shoulder, his collarbone. Asterbury tumbled through the air, pain filling him. _The ground…absorbed…_Asterbury hit the earth, harder than he was used too, but it took the worst of the impact. He rolled across the rippling ground, one arm limp and flailing. Shards of hot agony pierced him. He ended up on his back, staring at the sky. Shattering pain stole his breath.

“Mirelle!" Revaramek sounded delighted with himself. “I got him! Did you see that? I got the little bastard! I think I might have killed him!"

“Go make sure!"

The voices sounded strange. Distant. Echoing, as if from an old memory dragged to the front of his mind. Asterbury knew he had to do something. Had to do it now. Then another voice called out. Familiar.

“Revaramek! Wait, stop!"

“It's alright, Enora, I got him!"

“No, Rev! Enough! You don't know what he can do!"

How right she was.

Asterbury sat up. Anguish cascaded through him, made his lungs seize. The pain eased, and Asterbury took a breath. The pain eased a little, and Asterbury took a breath.

“Oh, Mirelle, look at his arm. That's disgusting."

Asterbury looked at his arm. It twisted at impossible angles. Shards of bone protruded from his gray fur. Blood matted his pelt. His whole limb was mangled, his collarbone in fragments, his shoulder crushed. He'd taken damn near the full brunt of the dragon's charge. Asterbury stared at his own ruined body. The pain dulled. The pain dulled enough to let him breathe again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Revaramek advancing on him. Enora ran towards him from the other direction. And from above, Aylaryl was diving.

“Hehehe." Asterbury chuckled to himself. “Ehehehehehe." Soon, his chuckle began laughter. “Ahahahahah!" And his laughter became a cackle. “Wahahahaha!" He wasn't quite sure that sounded villainous enough, but it would have to do. Asterbury grit his teeth against the pain, and forced himself to his feet. Asterbury grit his teeth against the pain, and forced himself to his feet. With his other hand, he pointed to his mangled arm. “Look! You actually maimed me! How exciting! You really are something different, aren't you? Bit overzealous, though, considering I only came here to talk."

“How the hell…how can you be laughing?" Revaramek recoiled, his long green neck curling.

“With great effort, I assure you. Now give me a moment to take care of this."

“Asterbury!" Enora's cry rang out across the grass. “Don't hurt him, please!"

“I'm not going to hurt him…" Asterbury set his hand on his shoulder.

“Rev!" Mirelle screamed at the dragon, hoisting her maul again. “Look out!"

Asterbury tilted his head towards Aylaryl, who had reached the end of her dive. “…She is."

Aylaryl streaked through the air, her claws aimed at Revaramek's wings while he stood fixated upon the wounded Urd'thin. Just as she reached him, the male dragon dropped to his belly, his wings flattened. Aylaryl's outstretched talons skimmed just across his wings, cutting little bloody lines but nothing more. As soon as she'd shot past him, Revaramek was back on his feet, and whirling around. He leapt after her, beat his own wings, and snatched at her tail to yank her to the earth. Aylaryl screamed in pain as she slammed onto belly, all the air knocked from her lungs.

Asterbury perked his ears. “He's getting pretty good, isn't he."

“What are you doing, Asterbury?" Horror weighed down Enora's voice. “What have you done?"

“Me?" Asterbury turned towards the older woman, ignoring the dragons grappling and fighting behind him. “I just came here to talk, isn't anyone listening?" With his free hand, he reached down and lifted up his limp arm. Even dulled, the pain nearly wrenched a scream from him. He grit his teeth against it, ears splayed. “Be a dear and…hold my arm straight a moment won't you?"

“He…he actually hurt you…" Enora's eyes were wide and wet, her voice trembling. She stared at his arm, but did not grasp it.

“Yes, he did. Isn't it thrilling? Now, could you…" When she just kept staring, Asterbury snorted. “Nevermind, I'll do it. Now, this is going to hurt, so you might want to cover your ears, and…I dunno, not watch."

Asterbury took a deep breath, and dug his fingers into his own flesh. Asterbury's broken bones and torn flesh knit together. His mangled arm and shoulder healed swiftly and completely, as if they were never injured in the first place. Agony, pure and white hot, erupted all along his arm. The urd'thin threw back his head, screaming. Tears spilled across his fur as his body struggled with what had been, and what would soon be. Shattered bones retracted through torn skin and pressed themselves back together. Shredded muscle woven back into healthy being. Torn ligaments reconnected themselves.

As his wounds healed, the pain spilled over into the rest of him. Knives poked at his lungs, his vision swam red as vessels burst in his eyes. He tasted blood, coughed it, spat it on the grass. His knees wobbled, and the urd'thin dropped to the ground. He rolled to his back, staring at the sky while his arm finished its regeneration. He turned his head to spit more blood, panting.

“Haven't seen it take that much out of you in a while." Enora knelt alongside him, wiping his muzzle with a cloth.

“Been a while since I had to heal something so mangled." Asterbury reached up and gave her arm a grateful squeeze. “Now help me up."

“First call Aylaryl off Revaramek."

Asterbury turned his head towards the dragons just in time to see Revaramek hurl Aylaryl through an old wooden shed. “Looks like he's holding his own, to me. Besides. They have some issues they need to work out."

“This isn't a joke, Asterbury! They're gonna kill each other!"

“Oh, they are not." Asterbury sat up again. He stretched his right arm, tested his fingers. Everything worked again. “I'm more worried about what Mirelle's gonna do with that maul."

“We have to stop them!"

Asterbury laughed, testing his shoulder. “He's going to be so mad at you. Why, he must have come out here hoping to recruit you and our feathery friends."

“I'm sure he did!"

“And I'm sure you didn't tell him I healed poor Kurekka when Mirelle's council had him shot down, hmm?"

“He hadn't exactly brought you up, yet! He just told us he'd gotten into a fight with Aylaryl, after she was harassing one of the towns." Enora gave a weary sigh, then offered the urd'thin her hand. “I was waiting for him to bring it up so I could broach the subject."

“Wonderful stratagem, my friend." Asterbury took her hand, and got back to his feet with her help. He wiped his muzzle with the back of his hand. Blood stained the gray fur. “I'm sure he'll only be a little furious when he puts it together."

“Oh shut up and help me break up their fight!" Enora jogged off towards the others. “Revaramek! Aylaryl! That's enough! Stop before you really hurt each other! Please! Mirelle, put down the maul!"

“That bitch threw me into the sky!" Mirelle snarled as she swung the maul for Aylaryl's paw. The female dragon scrambled away just in time, but as she sucked in a breath to flame Mirelle, Revaramek smashed into her. Fire sprayed across the ground, and Mirelle chased after her, her maul hoisted again. “She left me to fall to my death!"

Asterbury's fur bristled. Oh, this was fun. He followed Enora, his ears flicking and swiveling to the sound of distant, feathered wing beats. Oooh, the gryphons were returning. Asterbury worked his right arm in a circle, easing away the lingering pain. Healing himself so intensely had taken a lot out of him, but not so much that he couldn't properly defend himself if he had too.

“Hey Mirelle!" Mirelle glanced his way. She looked stunned to see him upright, let alone healed. He pointed to the hills across the horizon, making sure to use his right arm. Two feathered shapes crested the distant hill. “Looks like it's gonna get messy after all! Whose side do you think they're gonna choose?"

Mirelle screamed for Revaramek. Revaramek snarled. Aylaryl roared at him. In the distance, gryphons keened in anger. Enora shouted, pleading for calm.

Asterbury cackled.

*****

“Sorry about your shed Enora!"

In the back of his mind, Revaramek knew everyone was screaming at him. What they were screaming, he wasn't sure, but he understood the gist of it. Mirelle was furious, Enora was worried, and Asterbury was…unfortunately still alive. But his attention remained focused squarely on the angry female dragon trying to rip his throat open. All the words being shouted by anyone else fell away to a dull cacophony, a backdrop to his battle.

Revaramek did not hate Aylaryl. But she tried to kill his friend, and he would not give her a chance to try again. And Mirelle sure as hell deserved her opportunity for a bit of payback. It hardly seemed fair, though, given that he had fresh stitches to break open while Aylaryl, somehow, seemed as if she'd never been injured at all. He was sure he'd bit her paw down to the bone, yet here she was, spry as ever. As far as Revaramek was concerned, that was cheating. If the little rodent was going to use his tricks on Aylaryl, the least he could have done was use them on Revaramek, too.

At least throwing her through a shed ought to slow her down a moment. Before she'd even shaken the splinters off her scales, Revaramek leapt across the meadow, beat his wings, and crashed into her once more. They tumbled, grappled, and Aylaryl got a hind paw against his belly to kick him off of her. Pain thudded through him when he landed. He rolled to his feet just in time to meet her retaliatory assault.

Aylaryl lashed her claws for his nose, and he snapped at her paw. As she yanked it back, Revaramek countered with a flurry of his own blows, forepaws a blur. Aylaryl staggered back, shifting her weight to her hind legs to use her forelimbs to block his strikes. Her paws met his limbs, claws struck claws and bit into scaly flesh. Alyaryl tensed herself and leapt against him, forcing Revaramek back a few paces. He stumbled, snarling in pain as she got her teeth into his neck. He wrenched away from her, twisting to buffet her head with one of his wings.

With a furious and insulting cry, Mirelle ran up with her maul hoisted. Her weapon missed the female dragon's front paw by inches, but it forced Aylaryl to scramble away. The purple dragon sucked in a sharp breath, and Revaramek launched himself into her just before she could incinerate Mirelle. Her flames sprayed across the ground, igniting and blackening a portion of Enora's meadow.

“Sorry about your grass, Enora!"

As Revaramek tried to pin the purple dragon, Mirelle struck with her maul once more. This time she aimed for Aylaryl's head, and the female twisted it just out of the way before the heavy weapon was buried in blackened earth. Revaramek struggled to get his weight against her, wanting the fight to end before either of them were seriously injured. Aylaryl rammed her head up into Revaramek's jaw. Stars exploded in his vision and his whole head throbbed. He wobbled and Aylaryl wriggled free.

As soon as Aylaryl was loose, she whirled around, her tail whistling through the air. It caught Revaramek's head straight on, and knocked it sideways. More thudding pain pounded in his skull as the force of the blow left him staggering, his vision cloudy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mirelle trying to get within striking distance, only for Aylaryl to whip her tail around once more. Mirelle dropped down, flattening herself against the ground as Aylaryl's tail sliced through the air above her.

Somewhere beyond the pounding of his head and the steady hammering of his heart, Revaramek heard distant, feathered wingbeats. His stomach twisted. He'd told Mirelle the gryphons weren't friends with Aylaryl anymore, but who could really say what might happen when they returned to find the two dragons fighting? He shook his head, clearing as much of the fog from his vision as he could. Aylaryl was coming back around to bear on Mirelle, but the wingbeats made her glance up at the sky.

The second he saw an opening, Revaramek took advantage. Once again the dragon hurled himself at Aylaryl, powerful bodies colliding. She skidded back, her claws tearing ruts in the grass. She snapped at him, lashed at him with her claws, but this time Revaramek only pressed his attack. Fast as he could, he battered her with both forepaws, back and forth, claws cutting lines through purple scale. When she tried to put teeth to his limbs, to his throat, he used his own teeth to drive her head back then struck at her again and again.

As he pushed Aylaryl back, Mirelle rejoined the fight. Her maul was a red blur aimed for one paw, then another, and another, forcing the female to constantly change her footing. When Aylaryl tried to retaliate against Mirelle, Revaramek got his teeth into her neck, or opened up the inside of her forelimb with his claws. Forced to split her attention, the purple dragon had to focus entirely on defending herself.

Revaramek snarled, snapping his teeth at Aylaryl's throat a few times. If he could just get his fangs in there, he could force her to accept defeat. When she yanked her head out of the way, he sunk his teeth into her shoulder, instead. She cried out and wrenched away from him, but before she could regain her balance, Mirelle's heavy maul drove her back. She stumbled, blood striping her purple scales with crimson. Mirelle lashed out again, this time not for her paw, but for her shoulder. She slammed the blunt end of the maul against the same shoulder Revaramek's teeth were in moments earlier.

Scales cracked and Aylaryl screamed as her foreleg gave out. She staggered sideways on three paws, and Revaramek tried again to get his teeth into her throat. Her snapping jaws kept his muzzle at bay, but he knew the tide had turned. Still, he also knew well enough how dangerous a desperate dragon could be. He kept his focus on Aylaryl, looking for an opening, and ignoring the shouts and cries around him.

“What are you idiots doing?!" Chir'raal's furious screech sounded as if it was right next to him.

Revaramek blinked. That was harder to ignore.

And then fresh pain exploded all through Revaramek's body as an irate gryphon slammed into him full force at the end of a dive. The impact knocked the dragon off his feet and onto his side, where he skidded across the grass. As he slid, Revaramek dug his claws into the earth for traction, and twisted back to his paws in an instant.

Chir'raal was right behind him, on his feet but stumbling after the collision that ended his dive. “Now you listen here-"

Revaramek struck out and hit the gryphon in the head with everything he had. The blow jerked Chir'raal's gray-feathered head to the side and left the gryphon reeling. He wobbled a few steps to the side, groaning. A little blood dribbled from his beak. Chir'raal was lucky, as far as Revaramek was concerned. He'd kept his claws sheathed. Chir'raal put a paw to his head, moaning again.

“What…the hell? You scaly asshole!"

“You just attacked me! What'd you expect?" Revaramek backed away, and glanced around, looking for Kurekka. The red-brown gryphon had landed near Aylaryl, where she was staggering to her feet. Revaramek hissed, pivoting to keep the other two in his sight while he glared at Chir'raal. “Just whose side-"

“Whose side are you on?!" Aylaryl snarled the same question, louder and angrier.

Revaramek splayed his ears, glancing over at her. Wait, had Kurekka knocked her to the earth, too? Kurekka hissed at the female dragon, and spread his vast, red-brown wings, crimson flight feathers on full display. When Revaramek saw Chir'raal moving again, he shifted his attention back to the nearest gryphon. Chir'raal trotted a few paces away, then stood between the two dragons, facing Revaramek. He flared his own dark wings, exposing the black barring on the lighter colored inner feathers.

“We're on the side that keeps you two idiots from killing each other!" Chir'raal hissed at Revaramek, a little more blood dripping from his beak. “No thanks to you!"

“You're done!" Kurekka lifted his voice into an angry, avian cry. “Whatever you were fighting about, it's over!"

“She started it!" Revaramek snarled. The dragon's powerful heart was still thundering, adrenaline still flowed in his blood. “She ambushed-"

“He almost killed Asterbury!" Aylaryl gave a clipped roar, pawing at the earth with her good foreleg.

“She tried to kill Mirelle! I almost died saving her!" Revaramek's whole body ached, angry power and tension waiting to be unleashed. His fire glands hurt, swollen with extra fire bile triggered by adrenaline. Damn it, this wasn't how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to explain to the gryphons what had happened. They weren't supposed to stop him right when he was about to beat her. “You have the worst timing!"

“And you have the worst sense of honor!" Aylaryl snarled at him, trying to slink around Kurekka, who only moved to bar her way.

“I wasn't talking to you, Aylaryl!" Still filled with fury needing to be shed, Revaramek turned his head and spat a gout of roiling fire across the earth. With spittle and fire bile dripping from his jaws, he saw Mirelle running behind Aylaryl while they were they were all distracted. “Mirelle, what are you-"

“That bitch tried to kill me!" Mirelle's vengeful scream was a match for any dragon roar Revaramek could remember.

Just as Aylaryl realized where she was, Mirelle hoisted up her maul, and slammed it down against the end of Aylaryl's tail. Scales cracked and bone broke. Aylaryl threw her head back with a piercing scream that echoed across the meadow. She flopped onto her side and curled up to grasp at her shattered tail in her a forepaw, wailing.

“My taaaaail!" She took a breath, gritting her tail. “My tail! She broke my tail!"

“You're lucky I don't break your damn skull while I have the chance!" Mirelle thumped the head of her maul down against the ground, and put her foot on it. “Do you have any idea what you and that crazy little monster put me through? Put Revaramek through? He died!" She thrust a finger at Revaramek, screaming. “His heart stopped! I had to jump on his damn chest just to try and get him to breathe again! And that…that doesn't even begin to cover what you put me through! Do you dragons even understand what it's like to be scared of heights? To fall?" Panting, Mirelle whirled to face Enora, who stood not too far away, alongside Asterbury. “And you! You…you know him?! Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

“Certainly, Mirelle!" Asterbury's cheerful tone grated on Revaramek's nerves like claws against his wing membranes. “All you had to do was ask. After all, I should like to remind you, I only came here to talk. It was your benevolent overlord over there who decided to use his angry paws instead of his words."

Revaramek glanced at Chir'raal, who slowly folded his wings back. He stretched his neck to give the gryphon's ear a lick of apology, then stalked towards Asterbury. “How the hell are you not dead?"

“I just changed-"

“If I incinerate you, you gonna heal that?"

Asterbury smirked that infuriating grin, as if he knew everything and Revaramek was just grasping at fireflies and dreams. “Wouldn't it be fun to find out? You'd have to catch me off guard, though. Granted, you do seem good at that. And you did save Mirelle…I don't think you know what that means just yet. But I'll warn you, you try that again today and you and I are going to have a problem. Besides…" He waved at Enora. “But hasn't your dear friend here been through enough?"

“You leave her out of this." Revaramek tensed, sizing up the distance. He'd already proven he could hit the little runt. He just needed one good strike to take his whole head off.

“Oh, Revaramek, I think you know better." Asterbury clicked his teeth and made an admonishing chittering noise. “She's been part of this a lot longer than you have. She's known me long enough to know I speak the truth. About the west, and the Men in Robes, and everything else."

Revaramek flattened his ears back. He glanced at Enora. “What the hell's he babbling about?"

Enora took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. She seemed unable to meet his gaze, and only held her hands up towards him and Aylaryl, who still whimpered and clutched her tail. “Just…no more fighting. Please."

“You see?" Asterbury smiled. “You're only making things worse on our mutual friend. And speaking of mutual friends!" His muzzle scrunched in a frown as he gazed at Aylaryl. “I'm going to go help my dear dragon. When I'm done…" He pointed at Revaramek, and then at himself, smiling again. “You, and I are going to have a chat." The smile left his muzzle, and the joy dropped from his voice, replaced by something darker and far more menacing. “About how you found yourself here. About how escaped your story."

*****

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