8

Three months later…

Thelia had the female cub in her arms as she sat on Citron's porch, gazing out at the forest beyond. She couldn't find Liga. She didn't know who her master was, so couldn't even ask Citron for help. The cub didn't know how to track yet, so she was no help. And no one had come for her from Korgenyegia.

She knew Zargis would be worried about her. She also knew that without a solid plan of finding her, he'd go insane. Which meant he would have likely gone Dragon when he found out she was missing. She wanted to go to him, but had no way home. When she woke up to Liga having slipped away, the carriage had gone too. She was stranded with a cub, lost. It took her two weeks to find Citron.

Now, she sighed.

"Thelia?"

She looked up at her name and felt tears in her eyes. "Cam!"

Cam sprinted out of the forest and met Thelia in the middle, embracing her fiercely. "Damn, girl! You have given Korgenyegia quite the fright!"

Thelia squeezed her friend. "I was so stupid, Cam! I shouldn't have done what I did!"

Cam led her Queen inside and let Citron make tea, before having Thelia explain everything.

Otreg went to the dungeons and stood outside Zargis's cell. His face was void of emotion, not wanting the King to see how he felt. But the King was too perceptive, as usual. "If you're so worried, then why aren't you helping Cam?"

"She doesn't need me."

Zargis growled. "I have never thought of you as a coward, Otreg!"

Otreg shook his head. "You don't under-"

"Shut up!"

Kesar was flying, Jose on his back, as they searched the human lands to any sign of Liga and her cub. They had been at this for weeks. Liga could be anywhere, could have gotten on a ship and left Sad. They would never know it. Kesar saw how Otreg was worried for the girl, yet he did not join the hunt. Kesar didn't know why.

"Kesar!" Jose's voice shouted over the wind.

He grunted and felt her legs squeeze: first both at the same time, then the right twice. He looked to the right two degrees. Diving, he saw Rumbarth, barely able to fly, flapping his wings frantically to stay in the air. Kesar went up beside him and held out his paw. Rumbarth reluctantly dropped into it, exhausted it seemed.

Kesar found a spot to land and set both Rumbarth and Jose down before shifting. Rumbarth seemed scared I'm in a panic. Kesar noticed Liga was nowhere to be seen.

"Kesar, sad!" Jose exclaimed, cuddling the whining cub.

He nodded. "I know, Jose. He lost Liga."

"Alone?"

He shook his head. "I don't know if she left him alone or if something happened. Rumbarth is too emotional to tell me right now."

Jose cuddled the cub some more as Kesar looked around. He kept his mate in sight while he walked around. Eventually, in the distance, he saw a small house. "Come on, Jose!" he called.

An hour later, he approached the house to look inside, but Rumbarth jumped in front of him and growled protectively. Kesar raised a brow. "I just want to look, Rumbarth. I don't want to hurt anything."

Rumbarth either didn't understand or didn't care. He continued to growl.

Kesar knelt. "Easy, cub. I'm a friend. I want to help Liga."

When the cub still didn't calm, Jose went up and sat beside Kesar with a big smile. "Jose friend?"

Rumbarth paused his growling to look at her.

"Jose look?"

Rumbarth made a sound like grumbling, as if he couldn't believe he was allowing Jose to do what he wouldn't let Kesar do, but he stepped aside. Jose smiled and carefully walked into the house.

Kesar sat fully and sighed. "We're trying to find her, Rumbarth. We have been since she left Korgenyegia. We have all been hoping you were with her."

Rumbarth bowed his head, as if ashamed.

Kesar reached out and let the cub's head. "Don't blame yourself. I'm sure you did everything you could."

Rumbarth gave a whine.

"Anything you can show me, Rumbarth?"

Rumbarth turned his head and looked to the side of the house. Kesar stood slowly, and let the cub lead.

He saw ashes and scorched weapons. He saw places where grass was torn up, like someone had fought. He saw blood. Rumbarth growled and became feral as he ran to the ashes and began digging at them furiously. Kesar let the cub rage, and walked around. There was more blood on the bark of a tree, in the direction Rumbarth was headed. It seemed like Liga was taken. He wasn't sure, but he suspected it was because of Rumbarth.

"Kesar?"

He turned to his mate. "What is it, Jose?"

She hesitantly walked to him, a paper in her hands. Kesar didn't immediately take the paper, but brought Jose into his arms and hugged her. She snuggled into him, finding comfort in his hood. After a long moment, he let her go and took the paper.

Otreg,

I do not plan on returning to your home. I also do not wish to see your face again. While I am grateful for your job offer and everything I could benefit from having it, I have found I will not be happy.

If you are reading this, it is either because you or your friends have found my hideaway and I'm dead, or alive and enslaved, or have moved on to a better life. I have taken Rumbarth with me to care for as my own. When he has learned to fly, I will give him the truth about the world he belongs to, and let him decide to find you. He will know of your kindness of saving him from a harsh life.

Do not interrogate him with information on me. I know that Rumbarth will have grown up and learned to not trust as easily as he does as a baby, but that does not mean anyone is to be cruel to him. Give him a home. Give him his true family. Let him live.

Liga

Cam, Thelia, Kesar, and Jose all met back at Korgenyegia, Rumbarth with Kesar. The cub had not liked the idea of returning back without his mother, but Jose had convinced him that it would only be for a short time.

They converged in the throne room, Zargis free and able to see his mate again, holding her tightly. Otreg, stoic and stiff, stood to the side, saying and doing nothing.

Kesar left Jose's side and approached his friend carefully. "This is for you," he said softly.

Otreg tried hard not to show his interest, but ended up snatching the letter from Kesar quickly.

Kesar left to give Otreg privacy. Otreg was grateful, because by the end, he had to run out of the room.

"What happened?" Zargis demanded.

Thelia told him everything from catching hold of the carriage to finding Citron, to Cam's appearance. Then, it was Kesar and Jose's turn. They divulged what they found, explained the letter to Otreg, then their suspicions.

"She's wounded," Kesar finished. "I think she was dragged off while Rumbarth was distracted. But I don't think she was dead."

"Any idea of who took her?"

"Could be any one of the dragon-napper groups," Thelia whispered. "They could have her anywhere."

"It appeared she hadn't been gone long by the time we found the cub. He was only an hour away from their hideaway after all."

"Jose think. Jose know cub try, but no go alone. Jose think dangerous. Jose think Edgar."

Everyone stared at her. "Edgar?" Thelia asked.

Jose nodded, leaning into Kesar. "Jose saw prints. Many. Edgar many men. Edgar want dragon. Edgar want girls for babies?" She looked to Kesar for confirmation.

He nodded. "You think he wants to make more?"

She nodded. "Liga Edgar take make babies."

"How many dragons are there that we haven't rescued?" the Queen asked.

"Many," Zargis hissed. "You and Jose only saved a fraction."

Thelia stood from Zargis's lap. "I need to go to the library."

Zargis growled.

Thelia smiled. "I didn't say alone, Zargis."

Satisfied, Zargis grabbed her hand and let her take him away.

Otreg read and reread the letter. He was reading it for the hundredth time when he felt a nudge. He looked down to see Rumbarth eyeing him sadly.

Otreg cursed. He couldn't let the cub down. So, he took him to the training yard…