Author’s Note: So, we meet again.

Chapter 27.1: Fractious Factions

High up in Appalachian Mountains a cold wind blew despite the heat of the day. The heavy flapping of bat-like wings permeated the air with a steady, deadly, rhythm. If anyone had been around to see the cause of the noise the likely end result would have been a heart attack or a plea for divine mercy.

A bright blue dragon pulled upward in her flight then flared her wings back to slow her movement. She dropped down out of the sky while aiming toward a precarious ledge on the side of the mountain. This particular mountain had not existed only a week before, but now it served as the only refuge for this giant predator.

Before touching down, the magnificent beast shimmered brightly. She reformed into a spectacularly naked woman who fell to the cliff-side with practiced ease and no injuries despite the lengthy distance.

Melisandre walked to the side of the mountain then knelt down long enough to push a small rock out of the way. It was only the size of her fist, but it was large enough to cover the hole beneath it.

The dragon woman took a few deep breaths then shimmered once more. This time she shifted into a mist-like form reminiscent of an electrified fog. Currents of electricity skittered through her misty mass as she sluggishly slipped into the hole.

Several tense minutes passed before the tail-end of the mass swirled around the rock and struggled to coax it into movement. Eventually, the rock covered the hole once more, and the dragon worked her way slowly through the mountain until she came out of a tiny crack in the stone. She flowed into an underground cavern lit by glowing crystalline torches on the walls, and a large orb in the center of the room’s ceiling.

A childish outcry rose up. “Big Sis is home!” cried a tiny voice.

Several little winged lizards of various colors crawled out from various nooks and crannies in the area. Most of them were small enough to fit into a grown man’s palm, but two of them were almost the size of a small housecat.

“Hello children.” said Melisandre gently after she took the form of a woman once more. The cavern was too small to take on the shape of a full-sized dragon, and she needed to help the young ones practice their human forms as well.

Another voice called out, this one a strong masculine one. “Welcome home, sister.”

“Ankresh, I see that you are well.” said Melisandre.

Ankresh, a male dragon of blood-red hue bobbed his head toward her. “Yes, a bit cramped in this shrunken body, but I am well.”

“You should go stretch your wings in your proper size sometime brother.” said Melisandre with a smile.

He nodded to her, but made no promise to that effect. The children were what was important.

“Big sis! Big sis! Did you bring us anything?” asked a cute little dragon who was smaller than the rest. She was barely the size of Melisandre’s pinky.

Melisandre stretched out her hand and the glittering Faerie Dragon fluttered over on her tiny butterfly wings and landed in her big sister’s palm. “Of course I did dear heart.” said the blue haired dragon.

The hatchlings cheered at this news. They never got to leave this mountain, even though it now resided in an entirely different world. There were dangers aplenty, and they were so small, so young. The oldest among them was barely a decade old.

Melisandre shimmered slightly and clothing appeared on her body. She reached into a sack on her hip and she pulled out a crate far too large for the sack it came from to actually hold it. “Toys and food for everyone. Be sure to share!”

“Thank you fairy much, big sis!” squealed the tiny faerie dragon before she fluttered over to the crate.

The hatchlings gathered around, but Melisandre admonished them for not doing what they were supposed to do before accepting food and gifts from her. Each of the baby dragons acquired an adorable look of concentration then began to shimmer.

Soon, dozens of human-esque children stood on the room. They varied in their age appearance by several years. The oldest looked to be about seven years old in human terms. He had formerly been a green dragon with neck frills, and despite his age he still had those frills as a human. The youngest appeared to be around five years old. She was the faerie dragon from before, and she looked exactly like a cute little human girl with glitter in her hair and a perpetual blush on her cheeks.

“Very good children! Now what else do good little dragons do when the family gathers to eat?” asked Melisandre as she started to pass out the raw chicken and beef that she had tucked into the crate.

The faerie dragon called out, “We say grace!”

“Yes! Go ahead sweety. You can lead it this time.” said Melisandre.

The faerie dragon giggled cutely then nodded. She closed her eyes even though she knew the words by heart. She truly wanted to feel them as she spoke them aloud. “Please hear us, great dragons of old! Your children thank you, oh celestial trinity, for the blessings of this meal.”

The other dragons, Melisandre and Ankresh included, reverently spoke the words, “Please hear us.” after the littlest dragon spoke the opening of the prayer.

The faerie dragon continued. “Please hear your children, great dragons of old! May the eternal hope of the celestial dragons of light keep us warm and filled with joy at all the wonders that life has to offer. May that joy remain ever in our hearts through all of our days in this life.”

Once again the dragons repeated the words, this time with even greater reverence than before.

“Please hear your children, great dragons of old! May the luminous wisdom of the celestial dragons of twilight teach us to overcome the obstacles in our lives. May their eternal knowledge guide us always.” said the Faerie dragon.

A reverent repetition of her prayer was spoken by dozens of voices. Several of the hatchlings actually seemed to be on the verge of tears when they spoke.

“Please hear your children, great dragons of old! May the righteous shadow of the celestial dragons of darkness fall upon those who would harm us. May you tear their wicked souls asunder so that your children may feast on the tenderness of their misbegotten flesh and bone.” whispered the little girl softly, a rapturous sensation filled her as she spoke those words.

“Please hear us!” repeated the dragons.

They began to open their eyes, but to almost everyone’s surprise a clear, a hesitant but clearly masculine voice was heard by all those who had gathered in prayer. “...I hear you.”

Needless to say, there were quite a few surprised dragons in attendance. Only one of them knew what had just happened and her smile could not be contained. Tearfully, Melisandre began to relate the good news and bad news to her remaining kindred. Both the existence of one thought lost forever, and the fact that her current servitude might endanger his existence.

Meanwhile In the heart of the Fortress of Haremitude...

Ashton nodded. “I know right!”

Scott blinked and shook his head. He had spaced out for a moment, for some reason. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Huh? I said I could go for some tacos.” said Ashton.

“You did?” asked Scott, his mental state still a little hazy.

“Yeah? You said you heard me...” said the fox girl with a frown. Had he just been saying whatever he thought that she wanted to hear? After Sonja and Shara left to scout out a transfer point for their transport node, Scott and Ashton had been left alone to man the fortress.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened.” said Scott. He rubbed his forehead and tried to comprehend the events of the last few minutes.

“Do you have a headache?” asked the fox.

“No, I don’t think so... You said something about tacos?” asked Scott.

Ashton nodded to him. “Yeah, Shara said she had some taco shells earlier, so I figured we could have a little lunch...” She looked at him with mild concern on her face. He had been acting strange since he had returned. After he related the events that happened after his death, he had become withdrawn.

“Lunch... I could eat. Sorry...” said Scott. He stood up from his seat then started toward the kitchen. Ashton followed quickly behind him, he concerns still quite real. There was obviously something wrong with him today. She aimed to find out what, but first they would have tacos.