Lilly's heart fluttered as she followed the pack of women as they approached a massive camp of tents. From the advantage of her long neck, she could see the people in the camp had already noticed her. They were gathering by their hundreds to greet them, and she wondered if this was the moment she made her mistake. Gersius had tried to warn her about being so reckless, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. These women had accepted her and offered to let her speak under their protection. Still, anything could go wrong here, and if it did, she was on her own.

“Do not speak until we have announced you,” Jhandi said as they grew close.

“The wise ones have already gathered,” Lacindra said and pointed to a group at the front.

Lilly looked over the crowd expecting to see something that took her by surprise. The group she indicated was composed entirely of women, and everyone wore a skirt made up of bands of color. Every woman had some color, but these women had eight or more and wore distinctive jewelry. She was led right to them as the bulk of the crowd bowed their head, and a silence fell over the mass.

A tall woman with deep creases on her face stepped forward, and Lilly's procession came to a halt. She had steel gray hair and a gaze that spoke of many long years of leadership. She came before the group as the two wise ones with her bowed, then stepped forward.

“Why do you approach with one of the scaled leaders?” the woman asked.

“She has come to speak with us under the protections of tashin,” Jhandi said.

“She saved us from a gurrak attack,” Lacindra said, then pointed to a woman in their group. “Sandra was badly mauled in the attack, but his mother of the scale used her power to heal her.”

The tall gray woman looked into Lilly's group at the one she had healed. The woman stepped forward and said it was true and showed the crowd her tattered dress stained with blood as proof. This sent waves of whispers and praises passing through the crowd as Sandra stepped back.

The old woman looked back to Lilly with a stone expression. She finally asked why a mother of the scale who had bothered to show favor on them would need the protection of tashin. Jhandi spoke up, her voice strong so the others could easily hear her.

“This is Lilly of the dragon empire,” she said as the crowd gasped and tensed as if she were about to attack.

“She has come here in open friendship and expressed a desire to learn of our ways,” Lacindra was quick to add as some of the crowd began to back away.

Lilly now worried that this was a huge mistake as the wise ones came forward, and an argument erupted. The women were debating if such protection could be given to one of Lilly's status as Dragons had no provision under Doan law.

“She is a fallen dragon who worships the hated goddess,” the old woman insisted. “She desires to bring about their destruction.”

“She is the wife of our most hated enemy,” a woman from the crowd called out. “She is a betrayer of her blood!”

This brought out cheers and calls for her head, but the old woman raised a hand as her fingers danced. A blue flash flew into the air, and all went silent so she could speak.

“I am Valindra, the oldest of the wise ones,” the woman said as she addressed Lilly, then turned to her people. “This dragon's request is not so unusual. Many times have we, the people of the west, accepted a hated enemy under the terms of Tashin. It has ended many a war and opened the way to better things. Perhaps this desire to learn of our ways will prove to be a boon to our kind. A woman who understands the Doan sitting on the imperial throne might be a great advantage.”

“She worships the false goddess who slew the ancient mother that protects her kind,” A gruff voice called out as a man stepped forward. He was tall and broad-shouldered with a barrel chest and a thick black beard. He wore crude leather armor bolted with iron and carried a large sword at his waist. “Her so-called goddess wants to weaken the dragon blood, so they die out.”

“That’s not true,” Lilly shouted in anger.

“Shush,” Jhandi urged. “We have not yet agreed if you should be allowed to speak.”

“No,” Lilly growled and lowered he head in a threatening manner to glare at the man. “I do worship the goddess you hate, but you hate her for false reasons. She doesn't want to weaken the dragons. She wants to make them stronger. She cares about dragons and men equally, and the proof is in the woman I healed. She did not withhold her power when I healed one of your kind because you are worthy to her.”

“A healing magic is no proof that anything you say isn’t a lie,” the man argued without flinching. “We know the truth,” he said and gestured to the masses. “We know she wants to weaken your kind.”

“She wants my kind to learn what it means to love!” Lilly shouted as the crowd went silent. Slowly the Doan began to whisper while the wise ones consulted one another. Finally, Vilindra stepped forward and asked the question they were struggling with.

“What do you mean she wants you to learn love?” Valindra asked.

Lilly paused to think of how best to answer their question. She had fought this stubborn logic in Rose, but they weren't dragons. They were not under the curse and bound to a will that was not their own. It was possible they would see reason where their dragon overlords would not.

“To understand my answer, you first need to understand dragons,” Lilly began. “You humans live very short lives compared to us, but in that short time, you accomplish more than any dragon will in all their long lifetimes. You sing, dance, love, and multiply, sharing your lives with one another. We dragons do none of that, preferring to dig a hole in a remote mountain and then sleep most of our lifetimes away. We create nothing, and we care about nothing. Dragons don't even have a word for love, and the few who know of it from humans think it is a foolish human concept. We think of it as foolish because we don't inherently feel love or compassion. We prefer to live in isolation, rarely seeing each other. We mate once in our long lives and usually consider it a burden. We quite literally exist to do nothing. We eat, sleep and watch time pass away, never caring to do more.”

“The dragons are divine,” one of the wise ones said. “They do not need to create.”

“No,” Lilly said with a shake of her long head. “We carry a spark of the divine inside, but we are just living creatures with pointless lives. What good is a life where you never do anything but eat and sleep? Surely your people aspire to more than that.”

“Of course,” Mikaela said in her stern voice. “It is not proper for one to waste their time. Every person must contribute to the well-being of his family, or he is of no use to anyone.”

“But that’s how dragons live,” Lilly insisted. “And the two goddesses saw how humans lived and wondered if maybe dragons could learn something from you. So they worked together to give us dragons a means to learn from you and grow into something more. For a while, it worked, but Solesta thought it was going too far, and she changed her mind. That's what led to the first dragon war and the situation we are in now.”

“All of that is a lie,” the man scoffed. “What proof do you have that the goddesses wanted dragons to learn from men?”

“I need you to step away from me,” Lilly said to the women around her. “I need room to show you.”

“Show us?” Jhandi asked as they backed off.

“I want to show you what the goddesses gave dragons so we could learn from humans,” Lilly said as white smoke began to crawl over her skin.

The people cried out and backed away as that smoke grew into a swirling cloud that engulfed Lilly’s form. It howled like the wind blowing through trees and then flashed with lightning. Lilly quickly weaved a spell to call one of her outfits to her and changed as fast as she could before the cloud dissipated.

The gathered Doan were silent as it began to thin, and Lilly finally walked out in a simple blue dress.

“By the divines,” Lacindra gasped as Lilly held out her arms.

“This is the blessing they gave us,” she cried to the gathered people. “A human form so we could go among you and learn how to be like you. This is what Solesta grew to hate because dragons began to see value in human lives, and we started to love you.”

“Could she be telling the truth?” Jhandi asked as she looked to the other wise ones.

“Perhaps this is a trick?” one of the women offered.

“It must be,” another said. “But if it’s not, why have none of the others shown us this?”

“Why indeed?” Mikaela asked before stepping forward. “So this is what the two goddesses fought over?”

“Yes,” Lilly replied. “Because we dragons started to understand what it means to love. We learned it from you and started taking humans as mates. If you know anything about me, then you know my husband is a human.”

Mikaela's eyes narrowed, but she nodded in agreement.

“We know who your husband is,” she replied in a dry tone. “Is the blood spiller and scourge from the east. He is the war bringer and betrayer of gods.”

“He is none of those things,” Lilly insisted in a firm tone. “He doesn't even want to fight this war. He is only fighting it because he has to. He wants peace so he can settle down and raise his children. You are the ones who marched to war under the guidance of your so-called dragons, who are afraid to let you know they can take your form.”

The masses were silent as the Mikeala stepped back and called the wise ones into a huddle. Lilly could see they were debating what to do about her but couldn't make out what they were saying. She watched the people warily, feeling vulnerable in this state. She wondered if she could take her dragon form before they attacked her. The people looked tense as the women’s debate became animated with pointed fingers and scowling faces. One face that didn’t seem to be scowling was the man who had challenged her. He was smiling as his eyes looked her up and down.

“We have come to a decision,” Mikaela finally said. “As she has saved the life of one of our people, we will honor her desire to speak with us. She will be given tashin so long as she promises to obey our customs. We will teach her our ways, and perhaps there is something we might learn in return.”

“Is that alright with you, Grelm? Or do you and the other war chiefs wish to contest another of our decisions?” Jhandi asked.

The man who had been staring at Lilly stepped back, but his eyes never came off her.

“I have no quarrel with the decision. Let the soma woman stay and learn how a real people live. She will see that her eastern lands have no honor,” Grelm said.

“Soma?” Lilly asked.

“It is our word for people of your lands,” Lacindra replied as the other wise women approached Lilly. Mikaela stood front and center staring at her the way Ayawa did when she was angry.

“You have come at a very poor time,” Mikaela stated. “The clans are in disagreement and wish to attack your lands in force. We wise ones have kept them in check as our custom allows, but our hold is tenuous. Allowing you to stay will strain it further, so you must promise to honor our ways while you are here. You must avoid giving the clan leaders cause to challenge us. If they find grounds to say we are not fit to guide the clans, they will assume direct control, and the war will truly begin.”

“I understand,” Lilly said as those words sunk in. These women were the ones holding the Doan back, but she didn't understand why. It seemed as if the men wanted to begin the fighting in earnest, and the women's authority was being questioned. She had to walk carefully while here, but there was another matter that had to be dealt with first.

“Mikaela,” Lilly began. “How long will it take you to teach me?”

“Many days, I would expect,” the woman replied. “You cannot learn about a people and its ways over a cup of tea. You must live with them and experience their ways firsthand.”

“I see,” Lilly replied as she looked down. “Then there is something I must do first.”

“You have need of something?” Jhandi asked.

Lilly nodded. “I must ensure my family doesn't come after me,” Lilly said. “They will bring the war to you if they think you have captured me. I must go back and tell them I have been welcomed as a temporary guest, or they might come in force to reclaim me.”

“You mean they do not know you are here now?” Mikaela demanded.

“No,” Lilly admitted. “I tried to get Sarah to come and speak with you, but she believes you would not see her. So I came on my own in secret because I wanted to prove you were just as honorable as the people in the east.”

“More so,” Lacindra laughed.

“Soma have a strange sense of honor,” Jhandi added.

“So you must return to your people,” Mikaela stated.

“Only long enough to tell them what has happened,” Lilly insisted. “Then I will come back, and we can begin talking. I can be there and back in a matter of hours.”

“Hmm,” Mikaela said as she looked at the other women.

“I see no harm in letting her return,” one of the women said.

“I see great harm in denying it,” Jhandi stated. “It would not be wise to provoke them in such a way.”

“I agree,” Lacindra replied.

“Very well,” Mikaela said and turned to Lilly. “You may go, but we expect you back before the sun rises. We will wait for you on the hill,” she added and pointed to a nearby hill. “Do not keep us waiting.”

“I promise I will come back,” Lilly insisted as she stepped away. She started the transformation while also trying to undress at the same time. The effect was clumsy, and she still tore the outfit in the effort. She didn't care, though, because her wildest dreams had come true, and the Doan were willing to talk. She spread her wings and took to the air, racing to return to the others. All she needed to do now was convince them to let her try and maybe even return with Sarah.

She raced across a sky that was growing dark, hoping they weren't already looking for her. She knew they would follow the pull in the bind and come west on Sarah's back if they discovered her missing. If that happened, then everything would be ruined, and the war would go on. When the forts came into view, she dived out of the clouds, heading for the back regions as her family's thoughts came into mind.

She could feel Thayle was upset, and Gersius was still in a low, burning anger. Sarah was annoyed with errant thoughts of being tired. She settled behind the walls and waited to see if anything would happen, but nothing occurred. She changed and hurried back to the fort, passing guards and gates as she made her way in.

As she drew closer, she began to see their thoughts, and Sarah was committed to going home to begin the search. Thayle was thinking about her egg and Gersius about how to fight an aggressive campaign in the mountains. His thoughts troubled her most of all because he was thinking of casualties and resigning himself to them being high.

Lilly followed the pull of Thayle in the bind, making her way down halls choked with passing soldiers. She arrived outside a hall and leaned against a slightly open door. Thayle was inside talking with several leaders of her armies, assuring them they would be here as soon as possible. She felt Thayle's pain and urgency over the bind and the deep desire to be with her egg. Lilly felt a similar need to be beside hers, but Balisha's promise that it would be safe did much to ease her worries.

She lingered outside the door as the women expressed their worries that once the main push began, they would not be able to hold out for long. It added to the sense of urgency and drove Lilly to seek out Sarah instead. If she could just convince the older dragon to come with, maybe they could prevent this war altogether.

Sarah and Gersius were in the same direction, and Lilly found them on the battlements looking over the fields as Gams explained the known positions of their enemy. Lilly dared to approach Sarah and took her hand, causing the older woman to look down.

“There you are, child,” Sarah said softly. “You ran off so far I couldn't reach you in the bind.”

“I needed time to think,” Lilly whispered as Gersius and Gams plotted a possible offensive.

“Of course,” Sarah replied and smiled slightly though Lilly could feel the discontent in her heart. “I am glad you are back.”

“I need to speak with you,” Lilly urged. “Is there someplace we can go to be alone?”

Sarah went to say something but paused when she saw the urgency in Lilly's eyes. She nodded and led the way back down the steps, talking Lilly into the fortress. They arrived at a back wall looking over the distant war camps that were their reinforcements.

“What did you want to speak to me about alone?” Sarah asked.

“I want to speak to you about the Doan,” Lily began but felt Sarah’s mood sour.

“This again,” Sarah sighed. “Child, you were told we would try to capture some of them, but this ridiculous plan of trying to speak with them is a waste of time.”

“But –“ Lilly began when Gersius spoke over the bind.

“Sarah, we are leaving within the hour,” he said. “A message was relayed by scryer, and it says the Doan have attacked more towns along the north. We must return quickly and manage the chaos before it spreads across the empire.”

“I understand,” Sarah replied in their thoughts and then glared at Lilly. “No more of this talk. I know you have a heart far stronger than the rest of us, but some people don't deserve your love.”

Lilly watched her walk away without even having heard what she wanted to say. Not only had she failed to win Sarah over, but they were leaving before Lilly could fly back to explain what had happened. She had promised the Doan to return and been told not to keep them waiting. She still didn't understand this sense of honor humans adhered to, but Lilly knew they thought the empire had little of it. Surely, if she didn't return as promised, they would think even less of them.

Lilly paced angrily as she tried to reason out what to do. She even dropped to a knee and prayed to Balisha for guidance but was given nothing to use. In desperation, she rushed into the fort, searching the halls for an office, and finally resorted to asking guards where she might find some parchment. She had only one chance at this, and time was slipping away.

Gersius could feel the tension in all his wives, especially Lilly. She had been so upset about his decision that he had to block her from his thoughts. Now he felt for her and could feel the stress, tension, and pain boiling in the heart of his gentle wife. This was not what he wanted for any of them, but what else could he do? If he didn't make the hard decisions, the outcomes would be far worse. A good commander took the battle to the enemy and tried never to fight in defense. Even if he could route the Doan from the empire, the damage they would do in the meantime would be catastrophic. Better to charge out and meet them in the plains and push them back into their own lands. Let their towns and cities burn instead as they try to stop his wrath.

The missing army was what held everything up, and now their good cause to believe this was part of their plan. Make him believe that army was there just to divide his forces and prevent his full strength from coming to bear. The recent dispatch from his camp said that five more towns had been attacked, and refugees were fleeing nearby towns assuming they were next. This would cause panic in the north and undermine his ability to command. Gams had his instructions, and a course of action was in place. Gersius needed to return and deal with the threat, and nothing could delay them.

He made his final rounds, praising the men on the walls and assuring them that he was coming soon with a large army to go on the offensive properly. He assured them the Doan would be defeated no matter how many monsters they threw at them. Many of the younger soldiers had that look that said they believed him, but the older veterans knew better. They understood when a commander was trying to bolster morale but nodded all the same out of respect.

He then met Sarah, who told him that Lilly was still after her about the Doan. He had to close his eyes to reconcile his pain over that remark as sweet Lilly drove his emotions to the edge.

“She wants to avoid the carnage,” Gersius said. “She knows what is about to begin will be the largest conflict since the dragon war.”

“She isn’t being realistic,” Sarah argued.

“No, she is being compassionate,” Gersius corrected. “She doesn't want to save our soldiers alone, but those of the Doan and the rival dragons as well. In particular, she is worried about Rose and what will happen to you if we are forced to slay her in battle.”

Sarah stiffened at that explanation but nodded as she realized he was right.

“Lilly has begun to embrace the idea of family like I never believed she could. She loves the idea that Ayawa is a form of mother to her and that Rose is her daughter through you. Thayle's egg lit a spark in her soul that has begun to burn brightly as a desire to end this war. She wants to move beyond it and begin living as a family.”

“Even if the war ended tomorrow, she knows full well we aren’t going to live in the valley for many years to come,” Sarah argued.

“She knows, but she also knows that we can't get any closer to the valley while the fighting is going on,” Gersius said. “That is why we need to pay this bloody price to find the missing army or prove it isn't there. The only way to end the fighting is to bring our third army to the front so we can march out and crush their forces.”

“And that makes her upset,” Sarah argued as they walked along. “She doesn’t want to pay the price to have her family.”

“No,” Gersius agreed. “Because Lilly spends hours talking to her followers. She has come to realize that they, too, have dreams of families to which they want to return. All life has become precious to her, and she wants to find a way out without killing more.”

“Hmm,” Sarah grumbled as she nodded her head. “A dragon who sees human life as sacred. I have so much to learn from her.”

“Even I have much to learn from her on that matter,” Gersius said and took her hand. “I admit that I have begun to see the Doan as an unredeemable force of destruction. As far as I am concerned, they are no different than the bandersooks they drive before them, but Lilly's shock touched me. When she fled from the room, I realized I was growing cold and had lost my appreciation for life.”

“I heard you beg her to forgive you, but what else can you do?” Sarah asked. “It isn't like her plan would have worked. Even if the Doan could be reasoned with, the dragons who lead them would never agree to peace.”

“No, they would not,” Gersius agreed. “But at the very least, I could have told Lilly how proud I was of her for wanting to try.”

“You can tell her now,” Sarah said as they entered the yard where her saddle lay. A sudden wave of panic swept over them as they looked up to see Thayle standing by the saddle. Her aura was filled with the colors of fear, shock, and dread as she clutched a letter in her hand.

“Child, what is wrong?” Sarah called as she and Gersius ran to her side.

Thayle turned with tears falling from her eyes and held up the paper.

“Lilly,” Thayle said as her hands trembled. “She’s gone.”

End of book 8