As he made like he was going around inspecting parts of his domain, Fred knew he was really everywhere at once. He wasn't really going away from Martin, in any real sense. Still, he didn't want to talk to Martin, and Martin didn't talk to him, for the rest of the day. Fred really wanted to talk to Jim, and started reaching out to him well before dusk.

Finally, as the sun was getting low, Jim answered him.

Hello, Fred. How are you? Oh, a dragon! A True Green Dragon!

"Yes, and he talks! How come you didn't warn me he would talk?"

Well, first, I didn't expect you to attract a dragon so soon. I knew you had the room, but dragons aren't very common. And yes, most of them can talk. But I wasn't at all sure it would be able to talk to an Earth Spirit.

"Well, it does. Its name is Martin. And he thinks I'm lying about my age."

Okay, let me explain about that.

"And he told me there are others like me! Other Earth Spirits! How come you didn't tell me that, Jim?"

I'm happy to explain about that too.

"Shit, no, look, you are my friend. That dragon is not. I shouldn't let him get under my skin. But he's such a know it all jackass. You told me the other Spirits existed. I should have thought to ask about other EARTH Spirits. I mean, what does that say about me, that I automatically think I'm the only Earth Spirit?"

It says that you've been thrown into a bizarre situation, and you've been working hard to make the best of it. Please don't blame yourself. You're right, I never told you that other Earth Spirit domains existed. Yes, you didn't ask. But I also didn't want you to focus on unimportant things during this trying time. And like you, other Earth Spirits are tied to their domains, far from here. I can't bring them around for a friendly lunch.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. And look, that dragon killed a bunch of the humans and ran them all off! Nobody's left! Will they even come back?"

Deep breath, Fred. We'll get through this. I always said that you'd attract big, terrible creatures, and you have. That's a good thing. I have to say, though, that I was hoping you'd attract a Brass or Bronze or Gold Dragon. This green dragon… well, you shouldn't listen to a word he says. Greens are evil and manipulative.

"I wish I could kick him out. Hey, can I?"

Well, yes, but I think such an action would be much more trouble than it's worth.

"Okay. …. So, age?"

Yes, Age. Thank you for reminding me. You are young because Aeru only created you very recently, and only because of the demon threat. I told you this. But Spirits, including Earth Spirits, are a natural part of Aeru, so there are some that came into being… rather spontaneously. And had no one like me to talk to. And took a very long time to become like you are.

"No one to talk to? I think I'd have gone crazy if you weren't there to explain things to me."

Yes, I doubt any of the 'old' Earth Spirits had an easy time of it, figuring out their lives and purpose all alone. But please don't think of them as 'feral'. Some of the oldest Earth Spirits are quite wise and civilized.

So now it's time to tell you something. Again, you probably guessed already, but you're not the only 'new' Earth Spirit that Aeru created to deal with the demon threat.

Fred HAD already guessed, deep down. But he hadn't let himself think about it. Because it fundamentally changed his relationship to Jim. If others were out there, Jim was being friends with them all, not just with him. It wasn't a one to one thing. He was just another of,,,

"How many? How many others are there?"

Aeru and I created five hundred Earth Spirits.

"Five hundred? How do you have time for us all?!?"

I told you I wasn't human. Like you, I can split my attention in many different directions. There are situations that demand much more of my attention sometimes, but we get through it. There's a reason you and I keep in contact twice a day now.

"Yeah, I hope everything is alright with those others. Hey, that time you didn't talk to me for a day. That was when other Earth Spirits needed you more, right?"

Yes. And it was very sad. I need to tell you something else. Before that dragon lies to you about it.

"Okay?"

What we, Aeru and I are doing, is to protect all of Aeru. But it's not without risk or cost. The truth is, many of our 'new' Earth Spirits couldn't handle it. They couldn't accept this new life. I tried my hardest, but they went mad, and died.

"They went crazy? How could they die?"

They gave up. They didn't build a domain. They didn't attract any creatures, or if they did, they ran them off. So they starved. Slowly and painfully.

"Jesus, thats… Jesus." Fred felt like sitting down. He felt like, well, like a dragon had jumped on him and squashed him. He zoned out for a few minutes, and Jim let him. Finally, he asked the obvious question. "How many died?"

291.There are now two hundred and eight other New Earth Spirit Domains, like yourself.

"So. More than half, died?"

Yes, and I tried, and failed, with every one. You and your siblings are all doing pretty well right now. I expect all of you will do well in the future. But those first two weeks were very difficult for everyone. Including you, if you remember.

"I remember enjoying the sun. And snuggling with Shelley. And talking to you."

I'm glad those are all happy memories, Fred. Hang on to them. Please.

"Okay. So. What are we going to do about this dragon?"

That's… Okay, first, you shouldn't have to do much. By that I mean, your magic is powerful. It reached out and brought the dragon here. And it's already… explained to the dragon what it's supposed to do here, and what it isn't.

"The dragon told me it had chosen me. Or, my domain. And the way it killed all those humans, I'm not sure anything was explained to it."

No, it's lying about that. Your magic picks the creature. If it didn't, the creature wouldn't be able to get inside your domain.

"Martin also said that Earth Spirits were arks, so creatures could survive the demon hordes. So he thought I should be collecting one or two types of creature, not all kinds."

Well, he's not wrong that the old Earth Spirits did that. Well, most of them did. Some of them have always been like you; places the humans could train within. Those types were the kind that we modeled you on.

"Well, didn't that work the last time? I mean, the arks? The dragon said that the demons came through five thousand years ago, and the arks saved everything."

The arks very much did NOT save everything. In fact, they didn't work very well at all. Five thousand years ago, everything on Aeru was laid waste, and Aeru had to work tirelessly to recover. If she hadn't, most of the world would still be a wasteland, devoid of life.

"Wait. The dragon said that the demons want to drink all the blood. That doesn't include trees and plants, right?"

Well, no, but without insects, most plants won't survive. And the demons are incredibly destructive. They burn everything they can't eat.

"Wow. Okay. So this time, Aeru is trying something new?"

Exactly. And you and your fellow Earth Spirits are a critical part of the new plan. And I'm here to guide you.

"I've told Martin that you exist. I kinda blurted it out, sorry."

That's not a problem. Dragons pride themselves on knowing everything. I wonder why he didn't already know about me?

"Well, he said he hadn't really talked to an Earth Spirit for five hundred years. Do dragons sleep for a long time?"

They do. But not for five hundred years.

"Martin also said that dragons have magic, that let them escape the demons last time. Mebbe go somewhere else?"

Some do. But many still died, five thousand years ago. If you dig deep enough, you might find their bones.

"Okay. Okay. Thanks. I'm so glad I get to talk to you about this, Jim. Did I mention how important that is to me?"

To me too, Fred.

"Oh. Martin asked to meet you sometime. Is that possible?"

No. We have this connection, because of the specific magic that called you into this world. Nothing else can share the connection.

"Okay. Well, I know you're busy, so thanks for giving me all this time."

It's not like that. I am busy, but the worst distractions are over, and I'll always have enough time for you now. So I can stick around as long as you need. I know I've dropped a great deal of distressing information on you.

"Then I'm still wondering, what do we do about Martin?"