Enzo was starting to see the toll his double shift rotation was going to have in the long term. The dragon hadn’t come to relieve him until nearly day break, leaving him with just a couple hours’ sleep before he needed to make his dash back into town. We’re going to have to figure something else out. I can’t survive like this for long before something’s going to give.

Exhausted, he checked his traps again and gathered water for the day. Again, Talwen and the egg were gone by the time he returned. Of course, I can’t talk to her about this if she’s never around. I wonder what’s gotten into her since that fight. He quickly ate, slipped on his gloves and made the jog back through the woods.

As Enzo entered Starstone, he noticed the group of men were still in town. Some were hanging around the inn, while others were chatting with the local shopkeepers. Strange, Tobias said they were just here as transport protection. Maybe they’re waiting on another return trip?

He pushed on the door to Tobias’s shop, but found it to be locked. Enzo pounded on the door and waited a minute, but the disturbance was enough to attract the attention of the mercenaries. No one approached, but Enzo noticed that one or two of the men were now keeping an eye on him as he waited to enter the building. Finally, just as Enzo was beginning to get anxious, Tobias opened the door and let him inside.

“Morning, my boy,” said Tobias. The old man looked a little worse for wear, bags under his eyes and none of the energy or enthusiasm he’d shown the day before.

“Morning, Tobias,” Enzo replied. “You okay? The town seems a little on edge today, and those mercenaries are still here.”

“I’m fine, but son, we need to talk before we get to work,” Tobias said. “Come on back.” He waved his arm and led Enzo into the back room of the shop.

Tobias’s living area was small, but well-loved. A dinner table with four chairs sat in the middle of the room, and a hearth with a cooking pot suspended over the open fire dominated the back wall. A circular rug of alternating blue and white yarn sat underneath the table and added color to the room. A painting of a woman looking out over the ocean hung on the wall opposite the hearth. Another doorway to the left led to his sleeping quarters. Tobias sat at the table and motioned Enzo to take a seat as well.

“Those mercenaries are looking for something,” began Tobias.

“But yesterday, you said they were here just protecting a couple travelers. They seemed like they were on their way out of town,” replied Enzo. “What changed things?”

“I’ll be honest with you, my boy. I was sent with the group to go to Baybreach and talk with the governor about the dragon,” said Tobias. “When I saw the group the governor decided to send to investigate things, I figured they’d just look around the woods a bit and leave. They’re not exactly a detachment of the guard. You heard that roar the other night, though. There’s no hiding that she’s here, son.”

“So what?” Enzo questioned sharply. “She hasn’t done anything wrong, this is her territory.”

“Did she tell you that?” ask Tobias quietly. “Did she tell you she stole a cow from our shepherd last week?”

“No…” Enzo replied. “But she also cleared out the pack of huge wolves that have been terrorizing the forest! And she had no choice but to come here, her home was attacked!”

“And how long until we become just as expendable as the wolves?” asked Tobias. “How long until you do? Dragons see themselves as the top of the food chain. They claim the whole world is their territory. They burn and fight constantly and, when that spills over and kills others, who cares? Not the dragons.”

“Talwen isn’t like that!” Enzo shouted.

“Hush boy!” Tobias barked. “You don’t know anything about how dragons behave! At best, you are a tool! The moment you aren’t useful, they will move on. If you’re in the way, you’ll die just the same as everything else. Tell me, were you given a choice to join her clan? Were you given a choice to babysit her egg?”

“No… but she taught me everything I know about my affinity!” replied Enzo, pounding his fist on the table.

“I’ll bet everything she taught you served her needs,” Tobias said, rising from his seat. “I’ll bet her lessons came with threats, too. Do this, or I’ll kill you. Do that, or I’ll eat you. That’s how dragons are, boy. Dragons are a plague, and the affinities we have force us to suffer the brunt of their existence.”

Enzo sat silently, staring at the table. Tears had begun to form in his eyes. I hate it, but he’s right. Everything she taught me came with threats. She forced me into the clan and she forced me to watch her egg when she realized I could. As soon as I was useful, she stopped training me. I taught myself everything from that point on, and she’s paid little attention to my growth. He looked back up at Tobias.

“Is this what happened to you?” he asked the old man.

“What happened to me was far worse,” Tobias replied quietly. “I was little more than a slave, forced to forge tools of war. The work was brutal and endless. The very same weapons took my clan. They obliterated my family and my home, and murdered my mentor, the only dragon to show me any affection, right before my eyes. Then their conflict spilled out into the rest of the world.”

Tobias returned to the table with a bottle of dark liquid in his hand. He took a swig before offering it to Enzo. The liquor was strong and caused Enzo’s throat to burn, but he fought back coughs and listened.

“The peace we have now only exists because the dragons killed too many of their own kind. I was young then, no older than you. I wanted change,” Tobias continued. “I forged two swords from the remnants of the dragons, and gave them to the kings of humanity. Those men took advantage of their weakened enemies and fought together to push the dragons back to the mountains of The Spine. They then took control, and have ruled since. Even that is temporary, though. The fools fight amongst themselves just as the dragons did. The two swords have changed hands enough times I’ve lost count. The cursed dragons will return eventually, and take back what they see as theirs.”

His story finished, Tobias sat back down at the table. The small fire crackled in the hearth, the only sound in the room. Eventually, he looked back at Enzo.

“Those men are going to hunt Talwen down,” he stated bluntly. “Whether they will succeed in killing her, I don’t know, but I do hope they drive her from these mountains. You have a place here, but the decision rests with you. Now, let’s get to work. The labor will help clear your mind.”