Is he your lover?

"Eat," the marshal insisted, seeing him pick at his plate without swallowing a bite.

"I don't feel like it," Liam evaded.

"So you can't help him," the marshal knew exactly how hard it was for Liam, but for his sake, he did not let on that he himself was deeply troubled. Pittsu acknowledged that he was the one in this love story, the unassuming third wheel, and had no pretensions to more. If only he had met Cal in another life...

"You eat, too," Liam diverted his attention to the others.

The awkward meal was finally over. Liam, silently, got up and walked toward the lake. Even though the sun had just set, he already wanted to sit on the shore and wait for the moon. The others joined him sympathetically. Sitting in front of the dark, smooth surface, Liam asked the general:

"Do you want to confess to him when he wakes up?"

"Yes, we must talk," Tishow's voice sounded sullen and vindictive for some reason.

"What are you going to tell him?"

"It's my business."

"And my business, too," insisted Liam, putting his hand on his wrist.

The general stared at it for a long moment, and the image of Liam in the infirmary, cradling Cal in his arms, flashed before his eyes. Tishow was rude and simple, with no tolerance for intrigue and complication, so he asked bluntly:

"Is he your lover?"

Liam's head went up in smoke and he blushed. Realizing that procrastination is a death sentence, he mustered his courage and said:

"He is dear to me."

"Pfft!" The General snorted and shook off Liam's hand, "At least have the courage to call things by their proper names."

Nearby, the marshal coughed and somehow embarrassed Ronu. When the general stood up to walk, Ronu moved closer to Liam and whispered:

"Are you really..."

"What?" Liam flinched in surprise.

"Well," Ronu was as embarrassed as Liam was, "you love each other in that way?"

"Oh, that's... yeah," Liam nodded and looked away to hide the annoyance on his face. He hadn't expected to have to discuss his feelings with anyone. He hadn't discussed them with anyone but Cal, everything was new to him. On the other side of him, the marshal sat down and nudged Liam in the side with a joke:

"When your apprentice wakes up, I suggest you propose to him, or they'll steal the pretty boy, I'll be the first to steal him," winked Pittsu.

"Get lost!" Liam wanted to be alone.

"You go on your own," the marshal held up his hand, "we'll manage without you, won't we, Ronu?"

The man nodded affirmatively.

"The apprentices are already seated in their rooms, and no one is loitering under the infirmary," Pittsu tempted him, "go, seeing your sour face does not add to my confidence in success. Besides, I'm not much use around here, either."

"Yes, Liam, go to the apprentice and wait for us. If it all works out, we'll be right there with the cure," even Ronu chided him.

Confused and simultaneously happy, Liam backed to the Academy, then turned and ran.

"He's hopeless," the marshal commented.

"All lovers are like that," Ronu confirmed.

"Pfft," the general made an understandable sound, though in his heart he was happy for Liam and the fact that they were now almost kin.

The men sat down on the grass again in anticipation, and a couple of hours later Azinoth, to his amazement, became human. The comprehensible and obedient dragon strictly followed instructions and, picking a moonflower, dived headlong into the lake. What was really strange was that the beautiful snow-white air dragon followed it to the shore.

Ronu genuinely admired this extraordinary creature, but it chose neither the general nor him, its creator, but the bored marshal at the side. He rose to his feet in surprise, and barely approaching to examine the amazing beast, he noticed a crystal tear dripping from its bright turquoise eye. Pittsu mechanically put up his hands, and caught the egg.

"I can't believe this has happened to me," he muttered, looking back at the majestic beast one last time, which had scattered into a thousand sparks, "and what am I supposed to do now?"

The general yelled at him, keeping his eyes on the surface of the water:

"You'll get down to business at last!"

"Well, actually, I'm very busy," Pittsu excused himself, twirling an egg in his hands.

"Going after other people's husbands isn't a job, it's a jerk," Tishow finished him off and walked away.

"That's... I mean, what did you say?" came Pittsu's voice with difficulty, and he flapped his eyelashes in bewilderment.

Ronu laughed out loud, clutching his stomach and then, when he was out of breath, he just sat down on the grass and put his arms around his head.

"You're mean!» The marshal took offense and stepped aside as well.

Relieved, Ronu thought, "It's amazing how easily people discuss such personal things. I wish I could have had someone to talk to about my experiences when I needed a friend's help, then maybe nothing bad would have happened."

At that moment the water stirred, and Azinoth appeared on the surface. He was holding a plant in his hand which made Ronu's eyes light up:

"This is it! He found it, General! Azinoth had succeeded!" Ronu ran to the water and waited impatiently for the flower to be in his hands.

Azinoth emerged from the water and looked like a god of beauty. His long silvery-purple hair flowed in beautiful wet waves down his back and shoulders. In the moonlight it was especially noticeable that he had broad shoulders and muscular legs.

The clothes he was given clung to his wet body by themselves, and it all looked very exciting. Someone with an egg in his hand even slapped himself to stop staring.

What can I say, even the general paid tribute to Azinoth's beauty and proportions, and as for character, he knew no equal to Azinoth. Only Ronu inadvertently noticed the man's brief, shot-like glance at his master.

"What's the trouble, what's wrong with this world," Ronu lamented, "it seems to me that things are not so simple here."

When Azinoth approached him and held out the plant, Ronu put a hand on his shoulder and took him aside.

"Azinoth, you have done well and served your master faithfully for many years. Would you receive a reward from the Overlord?"

The man stared at Ronu in amazement, then nodded slowly.

"I want to give you the gift of being able to talk to your Master, would you like that ability?"

Azinoth's always calm gaze lit up for a moment. Ronu understood. He touched his neck, and a faint glow spread up and down from his hand. Taking his hand away, the man asked:

"Try to say something..."

"Master..."

"Eh, you all say the same thing," smiled Ronu, "Now go greet your master."

Azinoth bowed politely and went to the general, but immediately returned and silently handed Ronu the grass. The man squeezed the plant in his hand and used the spiritual heat to dry it, turning it into fine chaff. Collecting it in a roll, Ronu hurried to Liam and Cal, for he, too, had someone he longed to see.

Behind him, the General and Azinoth discussed at length the intricacies of dragon warfare. They moved to the Academy grounds and took a table to review some maps of future campaigns. Surprisingly, Tishow had found a friend in his loyal dragon.

Liam extinguished the light in the room and crawled under Cal's blanket. Slipping his arm under his head, he hugged him gently and held him close to him. Even though Seventh had already gone home and no one was in the room, Liam still couldn't shed his clothes, no matter how much he wanted to.

He hoped he could keep him warm with his warmth, and it made no sense to do so with his clothes on. Anyway, he hugged Cal anyway and leaned his head on his shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.

Ronu silently opened the door and sneaked up to the sick man's bed. In his hands was a treasured bundle of the plant. An ordinary lamp was not fit to burn the plant, so Ronu pulled a chair to the bed and sat down.

Stretching his right hand forward, he dropped the dried leaves onto it, and then ignited them directly in the palm of his hand. The beautiful purple flame didn't burn his skin, but it made the leaves curl, and a thin stream of smoke wafted across the room. Ronu blew on it, and it descended on Cal's face.

The man with the flame in his palm sat beside Cal all night until morning. As dawn dawned in the window, Liam opened his eyes and blinked. Cal in his arms seemed to be sleeping sweetly, and Ronu was sitting next to him, holding the fire in his hand! Liam's eyes widened in surprise.

"It doesn't hurt," Ronu said in a whisper, "just the fire of the soul. You can't burn that plant any other way."

Liam nodded and continued to hug Cal, not the least bit embarrassed. As he lay there some more, he heard the man next to him sigh. Liam focused on him and watched without looking away. After a few minutes, he noticed it again: a deep sigh. Liam looked at Ronu: the man had his head down and wasn't moving, probably dozing.

Using that brief moment, Liam pressed his lips to Cal's and put all his feelings, hopes, and warmth into the gesture. There was a knock at the door, and Liam carefully lowered Cal onto the pillow and got out of bed. Outside the door stood the General and Azinoth. Unsurprised, Liam let them into the room and looked out into the hallway.

"Where is Pittsu?" he asked.

"He's got a lot on his mind now," the General replied smiling, "he got the air dragon egg last night."

"He must be out of his mind," laughed Liam, and he heard a quiet cough from the bed. Faster than the wind he was beside Cal, and the general handed him a cup of water.

Not only was the man coughing, but he opened his eyes, trying to pull himself up on the bed. Liam and the general helped him sit up and paved some pillows behind him.

Cal drank plenty of water before he took a clear look around the room and considered the people in it.

"Cal, how are you feeling?" Liam asked in a worried voice.

"Who's Cal?" The man asked in a husky voice.