The human is just a little fledgling, Talwen thought as she watched the waves crash into the cliffside. She’d seen his progress and had to admit his creativity in surpassing his limits was interesting but, at the end of the day, he was no dragon. She could not chain herself to him and she could not bring him back to the home of their clan. He will just be a disposable pawn there. Better that I remain uninvested. I have done my duty, he will not burn down the world through his ignorance.

She looked down at the egg under her wing, willing the unborn dragon to be strong within its shell. I was hasty in bringing him into the clan. I lost myself in my flight from our home, but I will not remain so weak. I must be strong for the little one, it is my most important priority.

The fight with the pack of wolves had made her feel strong again, and had reminded her of her prowess and responsibility as a dragon and a mother. She would not sit and cower in a cave at the ends of the world for much longer, and she would not allow a human to weigh her down, regardless of how useful he had proven to be so far. I must treat him as I do the other humans here. They may exist so long as they do not encroach upon my dominance.

Eventually, Enzo left her to her thoughts. The young human was disappointed, he clearly wanted to show off his growth, but Talwen brushed aside her guilt. He has found a new teacher among his race. It will be good for him to live as a human. He could never come to the clan anyway.

She leapt from the cliffside and soared through the morning light, joyously carrying her egg through the air. It had grown quite a bit in the weeks since her flight from their home, and was nearly ready to hatch. Soon, we will return home and you will burst free among the mana of our clan. We shall fly again today, little one, all across our domain. You will know the joys of reigning above all that you see.

The pair flew from the tip of the mountain chain to nearly halfway up the length of the coast. They neared the territory of the Glas dragons, but Talwen was careful to stay out over the ocean to avoid the unwanted eyes of the rival clan. She had regained confidence in her power, but was not willing to risk her egg to another fight.

Eventually, they approached Illeport, the large city that had sprung up between the Great Divide in the Spine. The Great Divide was the only easily traversable path through the Spine to the coast. The city had begun as a fortress guarding the pass, before traders and craftsmen from the various races made it their home. Officially neutral, Illeport stood as an independent state that focused on trade between the nations of the continent and those across the western ocean. Humans dominated the population, but members of the other races held strongholds in various parts of the city.

Talwen took her time drifting over the open water near Illeport. “This city was once where your father spent much of his time,” she said to the egg. “He served in the guard here, and maintained order. Few beings would attempt petty crime with a Geschmolzen Red on duty.”

Cold wind rushed past her wings, and she was careful to keep a current of heated air surrounding the egg. Eventually, she turned and began the long journey back home.

As night began to fall, Talwen returned to her cave. She landed and found Enzo hadn’t returned yet. Lazy human, making me wait until he returns to take my rest. She laid the egg into the fire pit and ignited her customary flame to keep the egg warm.

Finally, as darkness blanketed the world, Enzo returned to the cave. Talwen was tired from the hunt the last few days and her flight to the north today. She acknowledged Enzo briefly, before taking off and finding a nice perch to sleep on. He will not understand, but it must be this way. I will sever the ties before they become ingrained.

===========================================

Clive’s team had set out fairly early in the day, with minimal grumbling. Darren had gone running ahead as he was instructed, and the team had assumed he’d been sent home due to the real danger they faced.

Clive had noticed the new guy talking to Tobias and mentally made a note of it. Have to see what that old man is up to. I smell a snake, and I bet it's him.

The trek through the forest was relatively peaceful. The owner of the inn had told him the night before that the area was basically clear of any large animals lately, but Clive wanted to be prepared. He’d had his team leave the inn fully equipped with crossbows and hand-to-hand weapons in case anything happened but after an hour in the woods, everyone had begun to drop their guards.

Eventually, they came across the first evidence of the fight they’d heard several nights before. An entire area of the forest was scorched, burned black and dead all the way to the dirt. The rain had washed away some trace of the ash, but the scar on the vegetation was unmistakable.

“Stay sharp boys,” Clive called out to the team. “We’re in range. Keep your bows loaded and ready to fire at a moment’s notice.”

The men formed up into a two wide column, with each man covering a side of their progression. Everyone crouched, and walked as silently as they could. Clive led the group through the clearing, stopping to touch some of the burned out grass. The further they got from the center of the clearing, the less torched the area became, except due north. In that direction, the fires had ranged out further, giving the circular scar on the land an elongated shape.

“Based on the direction of the damage, the dragon attacked where we stand, and burned out in front of it,” Clive stated, pointing out in the direction of the burn. He looked into the distance along the burn and spotted a cave not too far off.

“I’d bet that’s where the final showdown happened,” he continued. “Let’s check it out. Stay on your guard.”

The men moved quietly through the forest toward the cave. At a distance, it looked just like any other, but as they approached, an acrid smell filled the air. Clive neared the cave and immediately understood where the smell was coming from.

The dragon had burned the cave thoroughly. The rocks on the entrance had been melted down into unnatural shapes. Cooled lava lined the entrance, and had formed up into pools throughout the interior. Clive pulled his shirt over his nose, and took a few steps into the cave. One wall seemed evenly burned, while the opposite wall had nearly collapsed under a secondary burn. Whatever pissed the dragon off is definitely dead now, he thought as he exited the cave.

“Well boys, this is where that fight happened but it looks like there’s nothing left,” said Clive to the crew. “You can see as well as I can, though, this dragon is real. Whatever pissed it off got torched to ash. Let’s head back to town and rest up, see if they don’t have any other ideas where it might be sleeping at night. Sneak attack is gonna be our best bet to kill this thing.”

The men hurriedly set off back to Starstone while Clive trailed a bit behind. I’ll shake that old man down tonight and see what he knows. He seemed all too happy to hide that kid from us this morning.

Night had fallen by the time they made it back to town, and the men all returned to the inn. “I’m going to do a little digging myself, you boys get some grub and some rest. We’ll be back at it tomorrow,” Clive said to the crew. The men nodded or grunted their acceptance, and Clive strode back out into the night.

He walked over to the blacksmith’s shop and pushed in the front door. It opened easily, and Clive let himself in.

“You here, Tobias? I’d like to have a word with you,” Clive called out into the empty shop and eventually Tobias emerged from the residential part of the building.

“What can I do for you Clive?” Tobias replied wearily. “Been a long day, and these old joints don't work so well this late at night.”

“Who was that boy you had coming in to work today?” Clive asked. “Haven’t seen him before, and neither had any of my men. They spent yesterday asking questions, and wouldn’t have missed it if they’d seen you have an assistant.”

“Oh… he’s just a new kid in town from Baybreach. Comes by every now and then to help out,” responded Tobias nonchalantly.

“Got it. You know when he’ll be by again? I’ve got some questions for him about this dragon,” Clive replied.

“Not sure… He comes by every few days or so. I’ll tell him you’re looking for him but I don’t know what he’ll know about the dragon.” said Tobias.

“Well, Oskar seems to think that boy found the scale,” Clive responded. “I’d love it if he showed me the cave he found it in.”

“I’ll be sure to let him know the next time I see him,” Tobias responded with a smile. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“That’s all, Tobias,” said Clive, as he turned back to the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

The old man waved him off, and locked the door as soon as Clive left. I’ll bet that boy knows where the dragon is. I’ll keep an eye on Tobias and have the boy followed the first chance we get.