by Mell Eight
"We should speak with him then?" Nyle asked.
Leon shivered once before nodding. "I'll do it. You wait here in case we need to make a run for it."
Nyle rested his hand on one of Leon's broad shoulders and squeezed gently. "I shall be right here."
Leon nodded, paused to gather himself, and then strode confidently out into the open.
"Reese!" Leon called. "I think we need to talk."
The Alpha wolf Leon called Reese froze and turned to look at Leon. The man was tall and well muscled. His hair was chocolate brown, a purebred color, and he stood as only someone powerful and used to that power could stand.
"Leon?" Reese said gently, astonishment coloring his voice. "You've returned?" His voice was soft but exuded authority. He probably never had to speak loudly as people would naturally quiet in his presence.
"Why would you come back here after what we've done to you?" Reese continued. He had turned to look at Leon but did not approach or do anything to cause Leon alarm. Nyle saw Leon's shoulders unclench slightly at the gentle manner he had not been expecting from the leader of the wolves.
"I need to know why, Reese," Leon replied. "Whatever made you do what you did to me has moved to the human city. The king declared war on the dragons."
"I would like to say that such a thing would be impossible, but look at what happened to us," Reese said with a sigh. "Come, you will stay with me and we will talk."
Leon seemed reassured, either because he smelled the truth of Reese's words or because of the changes to the village; he turned to look at Nyle and nodded.
Nyle walked out of the woods to join his lover and Reese jumped in surprise.
"Dragon!" Reese hissed, his first strong emotion tightening his human face so Nyle could almost see a muzzle and teeth as sharp as his own in the bone structure as the Alpha finally saw the threat to himself and his village. "You are not welcome here."
Nyle held out his hands, knowing better than to use his magic in such a volatile situation. "Peace, wolf," he said. "I come not to conquer, but to learn. No harm shall come to you and yours so long as no harm comes to what is mine." He reached Leon and was gratified when his Pretty grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.
Reese's growling had brought a number of villagers into the square. They were quiet as they circled their Alpha and his guests, but the threat was clear.
"Your word, dragon," Reese snarled. "Or you will not leave here in one piece."
"My word," Leon jumped in. "Nyle won't hurt anyone or anything."
Reese took in their clasped hands and the earnest look on Leon's face before letting out a long breath of air.
"Got yourself put into a dragon's hoard, Pup?" Reese sighed. "Well, hoard law then. I don't touch your hoard, you don't touch mine."
"Agreed," Nyle said.
Reese nodded and turned from them and walked away. The circle of watching wolves parted to let their Alpha through and stayed parted so Leon and Nyle could follow.
Reese's home was small and clearly only for a bachelor. When you lived forever and when your status in the pack was through strength rather than lineage, having a mate and children were optional. The building was one room with a ladder for a lofted sleeping area in one corner. A small fireplace and kitchen area dominated one wall. Storage trunks and the kitchen table took up the rest of the space.
"When I was first brought here," Leon said softly, pointing to a spot beside the fireplace set with logs in preparation for the night, "I was given a blanket and that spot. When I couldn't say no to the Alpha all I had to wear was a chain around my ankle and I had to do his every bidding. Do your every bidding," Leon added in a stronger voice as he turned to look at Reese. "I didn't see that you replaced me with anyone when I tried to escape the first time and they locked me up, and I don't see a new cub at your feet now. Why?"
Reese just shook his head. "They came through the Wilds. From the South well beyond where the woods end."
"That's far," Nyle murmured. He wouldn't have been able to fly that distance within one day. The woods were extensive and housed many different creatures that made it unsafe for a dragon to land for the night before continuing on to the farther territories. To Nyle's knowledge, no dragon in recent dragon history, at least a hundred thousand years, had flown past the Wilds.
"We ignored them at first. They were like us, a people who needed a home. The Wilds provide for all creatures, or so we thought. To these people, the Wilds were the next big thing to be conquered. They systematically began to enforce their control over all the denizens of the forest. No matter how much we disliked it, we did as we were told. Even me, the Alpha, bowing to some human seeming man like the newest of pups."
"So they have something like the presence of an Alpha about them?" Nyle asked.
Reese shook his head in denial. "We hardly saw them. They made us build them a house then vanished. Even without all the tricks Alpha wolves use, they cowed us. They called themselves magi and used magic to subdue us." Reese was having a slight problem keeping his face from shifting into fangs and his eyes were glowing yellow in anger. He paused in his story to regain control over himself.
"What happened after I left?" Leon asked once Reese seemed composed again.
Reese shook his head again and took a seat at his kitchen table. "It happened because you showed up. The magi learned that there was something the creatures in the Wilds avoided; humans and their weapons. They saw your power, Leon. You could disobey my orders, which meant you were bitten and became an Alpha—you went from the lowest position in the pack to vying for the highest—and you managed to disobey their orders—their compulsion. The humans were the more powerful species, something you proved when you left against express orders.
"One morning we woke up and the magi were gone. Their thrall over us had vanished. We freed all the slaves and destroyed the evidence of our cruelty. But we knew the magi were not truly gone, only moved on."
"You think they went to the human court and found that the power of the dragons backing the human's rule to be the ultimate challenge," Nyle mused out loud. "My kind are the next great conquest."
"So the question is," Leon continued, "how do we stop them?"
Nyle nodded agreement. "Their magic is the key to their control over others. So if we break their magic we break their hold over innocents. I wonder if the Eldest has heard of them?"
"All I know about them," Reese added, "is that they had to have some sort of communal focal point. They all lived in that one house together and when they left the house came down on its own."
Nyle leaned back against the wall to think. Dragons used focal points garnered from the shine of something sparkly, their own eyes included, for their magic. It seemed fair to reason based on Reese's idea that the magi also needed something to gather and focus their power.
"I will bring all this to the Eldest," Nyle said finally. "Once we find their magical focus we will bring down this threat."
"That may take an army," Reese added with a wide, toothy grin that showed just how eager he was for revenge against the magi who had so cruelly enslaved his werewolves. "We'll be there."
Nyle grinned back. "I will mention your good will to the Eldest. Perhaps you should consider what sort of favor to ask for your willing cooperation," he added with a wink.
"It would be nice not to be scared a dragon is going to come to the Wilds to end my species," Reese mused. "Anyway, make yourselves at home. I was just heading out to get dinner from one of the girls who makes a vat of communal meals every day. You want some?"
They passed the rest of the evening pleasantly. Nyle didn't think any of them wanted to bring up the harsh topics from before dinner so the conversation stayed light. Nyle and Leon were set up on a spare mattress near the fire where Nyle immediately curled up when it was time for sleep.
"You're tired?" Leon asked softly.
Nyle nodded. "Flying with a passenger is more taxing than I thought. I am not old enough to remember t
he time when humans frequently had the privilege. Plus, we didn't get much sleep last night at the castle either. I think it's time to sleep."
Leon murmured his agreement as he slid his body around Nyle's curled one.
"Hoards," Reese sniffed at their sleeping positions as he headed to his own bed in the loft.
"Pretties," Nyle corrected sleepily. "They're very important."
*~*~*
The Eldest removed himself to his hoard room to contemplate everything Nyle had learned from the wolves. Nyle and Leon left the meeting cave to head back to Nyle's home.
Toel, who was considerably faster because he did not have a human-sized Leon walking with him, was waiting at the entrance to Nyle's caves. Gail peeked her head over Toel's shoulder and grinned. Ten more adult dragons were gathered into the passageway behind her.
"We want to talk about what needs to happen to fix this," Gail chirped. "And we decided that your caves would also be the best place to meet, since you know more about what's going on than we do."
Nyle sighed. His hatch-mother probably wanted to mess up his pile of rubies again.
"Fine," Nyle said. "But you are all not going to fit at that size, elders. I kindly request that you find a more economical size before entering my caves."
Nyle shifted down to human size and led Leon into his caves by the hand.
"They will be a few minutes," Nyle said with a small chuckle. "Most of the elders have never bothered to learn how to access their smaller shape."
"That's enough time for you to find cushions for everyone to sit on," Leon said with a grin at Nyle's discomfort.
"Fine," Nyle grumbled, knowing Leon was right. Just because he didn't want other dragons touching his things didn't mean he couldn't be courteous.
Gail and Toel were the first through the doors, just behind Nyle. They helped locate cushions, Gail a bit too gleefully as she knocked over Nyle's collection of jade figurines during her search.
Leon pulled Nyle into a hug when he winced. "After this is over, you and I will go through everything in your hoard and make it shine again."
Nyle sighed and nuzzled Leon's shoulder. "I will make you glow," he agreed.
One by one the elders trickled into Nyle's cave and took a seat on a cushion. Once everyone was there, Toel turned to Nyle.
"Tell us everything thou hast learned," Toel said.
Nyle nodded politely to his elders from the cushion he was sharing with Leon and began speaking. He kept what had been happening to the base facts, only adding in his view and the Eldest's opinions when it was warranted.
The dragons sat in contemplation for a few moments before An'mameil, a brown dragon whose color was denoted by the chocolate colored hair in his current human shape, sat forward.
"We need legitimacy," Meil said.
"We're dragons! We have legitimacy just by being what we are," An'dadean, a grass green dragon, yelled.
"Of course," Meil continued. "What we need is human legitimacy. The king has gone mad, but he is still their leader. We need someone the humans see as having the right to fight for the throne or we will be seen as conquerors rather than liberators." He was looking at Leon as he spoke.
Leon shook his head. "I'm the third son and I'm not human. I'm not the son you need. We need to find my brothers in exile. Felix is the heir and he has the legitimacy you're looking for. Bast was Captain of the Royal Forces and the Guard so if we find him we'll have a good part of the human military behind us as well."
Toel nodded. "I will bring up this need to the Eldest. We also must think on where to find their focus."
An'babev, an amethyst colored dragon, spoke next. "They used a building to house their focus while in the Wilds. Perhaps the barracks that house this special unit is their replacement?"
"But then why could they not leave the building in the Wilds but can leave the barracks. No, it must be something else," Gail murmured. "What about inside the castle itself? In a building that large, rooms must be big enough to house their focus."
"Destroy the human castle?" Dean gasped. "We are trying to rescue them, not destroy their hoard."
"First, An'dadean," Gail said, "humans do not hoard as we do. If we burn down the castle they will rebuild. Second, if we set fire to the building, the magi will escape with the focus and we can swoop down and take it for ourselves," she giggled.
"The thought has merit," Toel said. "If no one has any further suggestions," he paused to give the dragons a chance to speak, "then I shall bring the results of our discussion to the Eldest."
One by one the dragons stood and walked out of Nyle's cave. Gail ruffled his hair and winked at Leon as she walked out.
"You have created a good hoard for yourself, young An'nanyle," Meil said as he surveyed Nyle's piles of jewels.
"Thank you, Elder An'mameil," Nyle replied. "I have worked hard."
Meil nodded and looked at Leon. "I think I shall bring you something to complement your newest stunning piece to your hoard. It has been sitting on a shelf for decades and needs someone to take care of it. I will stop by later, An'nanyle."
Nyle's eyes were wide with surprise, but he still managed to bow politely as Meil left the cave.
After their long day of flying back to the dragon caves and holding the meeting, all Nyle and Leon wanted was to curl up in bed for sleep. With Leon warm against his back and Leon's arms wrapped securely around him, Nyle fell into a happy sleep.
A dragon scream woke them a few hours later. The pained call echoed through the halls of the dragon mountain and Nyle dove out of bed and into his hoard room where he could take dragon form the second he heard it.
Nyle was busy lighting the torches and chandeliers around his hoard when Leon entered the room.
"What's going on?" Leon asked.
Nyle lit the last candle with a bit of breath and began prowling around his cave. "That was a hoard scream," Nyle growled. "Someone has been stolen from."
Nyle was watching the shadows, looking for one that didn't belong. No one was going to steal from his hoard! He kept half an eye on the entrance to his caves, another eye on Leon as his pretty backed into the human-sized rooms, and the rest of his attention on his hoard.
A pained grunt from his human rooms made Nyle spin around in alarm, so he nearly missed the shadow that detached from the wall and dove straight for him, something shiny flashing through the air in front of the shadow.
Nyle screamed in pain as something stabbed deep into his front paw and scrambled back on three legs, trying to get away from the human glaring at him and reaching for a knife in his belt.
A black blur flew across the room, landed on the strange human, and sent them both flying with a crash. The wolf growled down at the human under him, but there was no movement.
Leon turned from the unconscious human and rushed over to Nyle. Nyle stood on three paws; his fourth held in the air so the sword sticking out of it wouldn't get jostled as he cried. It hurt!
Leon whined so Nyle carefully bent down so his pretty wolf could see.
"Nyle!" Gail gasped as she rushed into his caves. "Don't move, we'll get that fixed. Right Toel?" she called behind her.
Toel changed into his human form as he entered and nodded. "Aye. Nyle, let me see."
Leon braced his paws down on Nyle's hurt one, careful to avoid the claws as he held Nyle still. Toel reached for the hilt.
"Change to human form when Toel takes it out," Gail said gently, turning human herself and ripping off long strips of cloth from her dress.
With a grunt, Toel pulled the sword free. Nyle screamed again; his paw hurt!
Leon's whining reminded Nyle that if he wanted to hug his pretty to feel better, he needed human shape. It took a while because it was difficult to concentrate with a gaping hole in his hand, but Nyle finally found his human form. He immediately wrapped his good arm around Leon and buried his face and his tears into the wolf's shaggy shoulder.
Gail was gentle as she wrapped Nyle's hand. "It's not so bad," she sa
id soothingly. "If you're careful it should be fully healed by this time tomorrow."
Nyle whimpered and took his injured hand back so he could carefully wrap it in Leon's fur. Three of his fingers wouldn't bend, and his hand hurt!
Gail sighed and moved away. "Well?" she asked.
"Tis naught save a bump on his skull," Toel rumbled as he stood after checking on the human lying on the floor.
"It looks like his shirt was shredded by claws," Gail said with a speculative giggle. "I guess that's why Leon's fuzzy instead of human."
Leon snorted and nuzzled Nyle's hair gently.
"You saved our Nyle," Gail agreed.
The man on the floor groaned and his eyes fluttered as he slowly regained consciousness. He had black hair carefully cropped tight to his skull and his eyes were blue. Nyle thought he looked familiar, but his hand was more important than the human who attacked him, so Nyle didn't worry much about it. Toel and Gail moved to hover menacingly over the man.
"Thou hast broken hoard law, human," Toel snarled, his face human but his voice very clearly not.
The man blinked in surprise and struggled to sit up properly.
"If you are the dragons, then you have committed the first crime," the man snapped back groggily as he dropped his head into his hands.
Leon whined suddenly and pulled away from Nyle with a gentle lick along Nyle's cheek. Nyle curled himself around his hand and glared at the human. Leon began to shift into his human form at Nyle's side.
"You hurt me!" Nyle whimpered, his voice punctuated by the snaps and moans caused by Leon shifting. "Why did you stab me with the sword you stole?"
"You kidnapped my brother and have to ask why I have done these things?" the man asked incredulously as he glared through the fingers holding his head up.
"No one has kidnapped me, Bast," Leon said as he struggled to his feet. "I have a feeling you've been lied to."
Bast lifted his head slowly to look at where Leon had just appeared in the place of the wolf.
"That's not possible," Bast said slowly. "My source would not lie to me. I was told my brother Leon had been captured by marauding dragons and forced to become a werewolf. If I could free him, Felix and I would have a powerful ally against our father."