“After I saw him laying there, I took to the skies and flew home. The Slayer called after me and told me he was going to be staying at the inn overnight in Aldley if I wanted to talk to him. I...I just can't do that. Not after finding him like that."

“That's understandable" Asher stroked her head as it lay in his lap. “Why don't you tell me about him?" Dazinara looked up to meet Asher's gaze with violet eyes and nodded. What luck did he have, to befriend such a creature? She lowered her head and let out a sigh.

“I can do that. It was a few decades back when I first met him, after the..." Dazinara shuddered. “After the shadows. I was scared and lost and I had no idea what to do when he found me. He had just started protecting his land and was clueless about what to do." Dazinara chuckled. “There was a lot that he was clueless about, but it made him endearing."

Asher smiled. It was good to see her spirits lifted, even if only a little bit.

“He helped me figure out if I wanted to protect this area of mine, or let one of the other dragons do it. He gave me advice that helped me get to where I am now. I can't believe he's gone. He was a good dragon. He didn't deserve..." Dazinara looked out the mouth of her cave.

Asher sat with Dazinara in silence, idly scratching her neck. Only when he started to lose feeling in his legs did he decide to speak. “Alright, if I sit here any longer I'll go lame."

Dazinara smiled at him from her spot on his lap. Her eyes were still moist. “And that is my problem how?"

Asher chuckled. “Because if I do go lame, you'll have to carry me home and explain my condition to Rachel."

She lifted her head to meet Asher's gaze. “Is that supposed to scare me?"

“Well you took your head off my lap, didn't you? So I think that makes things quite clear." Asher looked out the cave. “Can you take me back home? I should probably go talk to that Slayer."

Dazinara's tail swished behind her. “Can't you walk back?"

Asher snorted. “Even if I do manage to make it down the cliff without getting myself killed. It'll take me hours to walk home." He grinned back at Dazinara. “Besides, I think someone has a patrol to do."

With a grumble, Dazinara lifted her head high enough for Asher to get up and waited for him to climb onto her back. He was given a dirty look as he took his time getting to his feet. He pulled the fur coat off and walked over to Dazinara's collection.

The meticulously organized collection of clothing, jewels, books sat against the back wall of Dazinara's cave. Making sure that he didn't disturb anything other than the pile of clothes. Asher folded the coat and put it back on top of the pile.

“That's not where it goes." Dazinara's voice piped up right behind him. Asher let out a yell and whipped around to face Dazinara. A grin was plastered on her face and she was clearly holding in laughter. It didn't last for long.

“BAHAHA! You should have seen the look on your face." She collapsed to the floor, writhing as she laughed. “And that scream. That will never get old."

Asher scowled. “I didn't scream, I shouted in surprise."

“More like shrieked in terror. Oh, I can't breathe."

Oh, hardy har har." Asher grumbled. “Laugh it up."

And Dazinara did.

Soon, Asher was smiling. “Okay, maybe I did scream. So, shall we go?" Dazinara pulled herself off the ground and walked to the mouth of her cave. Again she lowered herself so that Asher could climb on and grinned at him.

“Come on Ash, I don't have all day."

Asher grumbled as he climbed up onto Dazinara's back. Once secure, he patted her neck. “Alright, I'm ready." With that, Dazinara launched herself out of the cave and into the air, bellowing a roar as she did so.

Asher understood why Dazinara always talked about flying with such vigor. Even after all the years of being with the dragon, Asher still felt the exhilaration of flying on her back. It was presumably the same feeling Dazinara had flying. Asher looked down at the dragon that had become one of his closest friends.

The noonday sun made Dazinara's copper scales shine with reds and blues. The only parts that didn't shine were her wings and her under-scales. She was a spectacular looking dragon. Even if she was the only one that Asher had seen, he doubted that any other dragon could match her scales.

Seeing the land from up above was always breathtaking. Hills rolled from beneath them and soon stretched out flat lands covered in forests. Spring had taken hold and the land was starting to return to the bright greens that it had in the summer.

As always, the flight was over much too soon. The mountains soon receded from sight and Asher's village showed up on the horizon. Dazinara set down on the outskirts of Aldley. Asher hopped down off Dazinara's back and gave her a hug. 

“Come back in a few hours and I'll let you know what happened." Dazinara nodded and took to the sky. Asher watched as she became a speck on the horizon before he turned and made his way into town.

He wasn't sure how he felt about Dazinara confiding in him. Part of him wanted to feel happy that this dragon trusted him enough that she thought he could help. Another had wished he had spent more time comforting her. But he had made his decision, and as he looked at the aged wooden door to the inn, he figured that he should stick to it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

“I'm telling you, that dragon swooped out of the sky and plucked that poor man up and stole him away into the night." A voice rang out as Asher opened the door. A large man sat at the bar telling the story to whoever would listen.

“It's not right to have a dragon doing that. They're supposed to protect us, not kidnap us." A few murmured agreements rumbled through the gathered crowd.

“Who was this man?" A voice called from the corner of the room. Asher looked along with the crowd to the corner where a man in a dark green cloak sat.

“I think he was the town's herbalist. The tall, skinny guy with brown hair."

“You mean him?" The man in the cloak pointed towards Asher, who waved at the man at the bar. The man sputtered as he looked at Asher.

“You—You're here! How did you get away from that beast?"

Asher raised a finger. “One, I asked." He raised another finger. “And two, She's not a beast, she's a dragon." He peered at the man. “Who are you?"

The man's face turned red. He downed the rest of his drink and slammed the his payment on the bar. As he left he pushed past Asher. “None of your damn business." The man muttered as he walked by. The crowd soon dispersed and the man in the cloak waved Asher over. Once Asher sat down, the man spoke.

“She tell you, then?" Asher nodded. The man in the cloak sighed. He pulled his hood down. Wiry brown hair fell over his eyes. “You can call me Darian, and if it's worth anything, you can tell her that I didn't kill Rakmelor." Darian waved down a serving girl. “I need something strong." He looked at Asher. “You want anything?"

“Asher, and some roast lamb would be nice." Asher smiled at the server, who gave a curt nod and went to the kitchen. “How do you..."

“Know his name? There's not much I don't know about the dragons that protect our land. I even know the name of our resident Iridescent Whisper, but unless she tells me, or dies, she'll stay as Whisper." Darian scratched at the beginnings of a beard. “I will say this, though. She fits her title better than most. I barely heard her creep up on me." He chuckled. “Smaller than I expected."

The man's face sagged, and Asher thought Darian gained ten more years in that moment. “I knew Rakmelor. Hell, I even managed to gain his name. His ways of dealing with the bandits may have been seen as... extreme, but he protected his land like everyone else. A few years back, we had to deal with a dragon that tried extorting one of the villages that Rakmelor protected. It didn't end well for that dragon."

The server arrived at the table with some rum and Asher's roast lamb. Darian nodded his thanks and handed payment to the server. He turned to Asher. “Enough about me, though. How did you become acquainted with Iridescent Whisper?"

Asher chuckled, and between bites told him his story. “So you've heard that I'm an herbalist. One day, gods, must have been almost ten years now, I was searching for a plant that is known to grow in the winter up in the mountains. Foolishly, I ventured out on my own, telling no one, in search of this plant. I eventually found it, about halfway up this mountain." Asher shook his head. “It was an easy climb, and when I got to the top, the rocks beneath my feet gave way.

“By the time that I had reached the bottom, I was bruised, battered and stuck. All my tumbling had disturbed several large boulders. I'm not sure how they didn't kill me, but they ended up trapping me underneath them. Anyway. Da—Iridescent Whisper was out on one of her patrols when she heard me call for help. She helped move the boulders off of me and laid a claim on my life since had she not been around, I would have died one way or another out there.

“It's not bad as it sounds, though. All it meant was that whenever the urge came to her, she'd steal me away to her cave." Asher sighed. “I think she was quite lonely. She'd take me away and we'd talk and talk and talk."

Darian raised an eyebrow. “Just talk? That's it?"

Asher coughed, and felt his face heat up. “There were... other things, but I was young and she was, well..."

Darian burst out laughing. “A dragon," He finished for where Asher trailed off. He lowered his voice, mirth dancing in his green eyes. “You can't even understand the word libido until you're the target of a dragon's."

Asher chuckled. His cheeks were still burning. “That's one way to put it. I remember there was this one time she brought a gryphon over. Some visiting messenger and a friend, but that was..." Asher stopped. “Something I probably shouldn't be talking about, and that was before..." he trailed off.

Darian's drink was empty and Asher had finished his meal. Asher looked at the Slayer. “So why do you have Rakmelor with you? Aren't dragons supposed to be cremated after dying?"

Darian nodded. “If this were something normal, yes. Come with me. I'll show you what's so abnormal about it." He stood up and beckoned Asher to follow him. They left the inn and Darian led Asher to the edge of town. Darian walked a few paces forward and whispered a something under his breath.

The cart blinked into existence right in front of them. Asher took a step back. “You know magic?" He asked.

Darian shook his head with a laugh. “I wish. The cart is imbued with several enchantments. It makes travel easier. Come." He hopped up onto the cart and held his hand out to Asher. Asher took the offered hand and pulled himself up onto the cart. The dead dragon lay in front of them.

Rakmelor lay on the cart with his head facing the back. Where Dazinara was the size of a draft horse, this dragon was nearly twice that. If it weren't for the fact that his chest wasn't rising and falling, Asher would have thought he was sleeping.

Asher frowned. “How old was Rakmelor?"

Darian sighed. “And that's where the problem starts. If I remember correctly, he's only three hundred years old."

“But Daz is..."

“Two hundred and fifty, give or take a few decades." Darian nodded. “Around the age of a young adult, comparatively."

Asher walked over to Rakmelor, and he began to see more details. The black dragon had flecks of orange along his scales and wings. The odd scar marred his body, but there were no wounds. Nothing to indicate how he had been killed. “How did he die?"

Darian walked over to Rakmelor's head. “Exsanguination."

Asher's stomach twisted painfully. “But he looks unharmed. "

“And yet he's dead." Darian turned Rakmelor's front paw over so that the pad was facing up. A ragged cut lay in the center of Rakmelor's paw. “That isn't the only thing, though." He nodded over to the back of the cart.

Three dragon skulls sat on the floor of the cart. Asher walked closer to them. The skulls grinned at him. They had been stripped of everything that made them living creatures. “What about them?" he asked.

Darian approached one of the skulls. He pointed at a notch in the bone. The other two skulls had similar notch marks in them. “Other than being the most recent dragons protecting the lands to the east. They've been skinned. I had...I had to." Darian shuddered. “I had to clean up the skulls for transport. Everything else I burned." He rested a hand on one of the skulls, bowed his head, and closed his eyes.

A block of ice dropped into Asher's stomach. “W-why." Asher coughed, his mouth was suddenly dry. “Why are you here?" He asked Darian, even though he knew the answer. Gods, four dead dragons.

Darian opened his eyes and looked at Asher, a fierce anger in them. “Someone is killing our dragons. I intend to find out who before it happens again."