Exodus looked intently at the bible on the altar.

The cleric explained the basics of the catechism to the dragons, and although their beliefs were closer to Shintoism, the culture, the immense knowledge of the Church was also an open door to the integration of his family in the new world.

Father returned his ankh and we all did the same to be blessed by the bishop and receive the first sacraments.

Of course, the politicians, military and police had absolutely nothing to say about freedom of worship.

As much out of interest as out of devotion, the Bishop decided to baptize the whole family present here and thus, by entering a community, it was an advanced pawn on the chessboard to gain our right to exist and to remain free.

Thus, we had proven our free will in an unquestionable way.

The reactions were strong and even before the authorities reacted, we had taken the first step.

Of course, the first images were broadcasted by the local TV.

In the newspapers, there was everything and anything.

"The church welcomes dinosauress and baptizes them!

"Godzilla in Liege!"

"Other worlds exist"

"Who are these dragons? Do they come from the Middle Ages?"

But Exodus knew the troubadours, pages and constables as well as the public criers, the journalists of yesteryear. Nothing had changed in terms of stupidity. And communication is very important before as now.

"Dad? when can we go out?"

Mom calmed me down a bit but it was hard for me.

The scientists in yellow MBT suits had set up bacteriological filters and entered. We were asked to hold out our paws and take a saliva sample. There were no swabs, only smears.

After a few hours, everything was packed up and a doctor explained to us that they were afraid of contamination and microbes.

It was explained to me several times that there were good and bad bugs living on us and that reptiles, or scaly animals, carried germs that were sometimes more dangerous than the poisons used to defend themselves or to kill prey after having exhausted them.

There was a coming and going of chiefs, sub-chiefs, fifes and sub-fifes whose rank and function escaped us but we were waiting to see in all this chaos who was the chief.

For the cult, it was easy. It was the Pope...

But the kindness of the Monsignor taught us that there was no magic guild, that magic did not exist but that there were science faculties and universities.

He brought a photo album showing his family, his studies, his friends, the Vatican and its wonders and his life as a priest before he had this high position.

Commissioner Corentin sat down next to us and briefly explained to us how society worked and that before being released into the wild, we should probably go to a refugee center to decide our fate.

And that's when everything went to hell...

The bishop said that they were faithful under the protection of the Church just like the asylum seekers, that they had no right to prevent the faithful from going to the cathedral, which remained a place of worship but also an embassy of the Vatican, and that the dragons had diplomatic protection there.

The two men got carried away and Valtrax had to intervene:

"Where we came from, there were guards, soldiers and laws protecting people. We were not outlaws but citizens.

Saphie, a human, is officially married to Torin. He had a palace in town that he officially used as his home. If there are laws, we will follow them, but we have committed no crime! It's your job to explain the rules and differences. What we do with our lives is our own business. We will follow the law!"

The commissioner calmed down.

Rubix, was with his parents, tending to their wounds and the marks left by their riding condition.

They were nice but really stupid, their intelligence being limited to that of a horse.

Rubix was outraged.

This attracted the attention of journalists.

The excited dragoness opened up to them.

Exodus wanted to shut her up, but Valtrax asked him to let her have what little freedom we had.

We were prisoners and the journalists were our only occupation.

It was already a miracle that we could express ourselves instead of being in a cage in a bunker somewhere.

Belgium was not known for its secret dungeons and other intrigues. Sometimes zealous agents overstepped their authority but that never went too far, but that existed in every country in the world and cowboys existed everywhere too. Moreover, journalists were also the voice of the people.

Rubix showed holding his dad's head like a horse.

"Look how shameful it is! They put a saddle on her and she pushed the flesh here and here.. The lashes, the marks . She rubbed her muzzle.

"Poor papaa! they martyred him and his paw, rings, missing scales ... Look how thin he is! you can see his ribs and his canines were sawn off! and his horns too for tying ropes!"

Then she cried against him. He moaned and licked his daughter.

"Look... I speak, I am intelligent and I can read and write! Look how they mistreated and subjugated her!"

The reporters were taking notes and it was going to be an explosive story about the treatment of the dragons in the salt mines, their sawed-off wings and the mutilations they suffered and the struggle of the dragoness to keep her freedom, even if it meant denying her nature to fit in.

Teachers of natural history saw and stopped asking for them to be in a refugee center.

It was obvious that they were stateless and the mayor and the king came to visit them and after a few words he ordered that my family be set free and that they be given their ecological and political refugee status papers.

But for security reasons, we were moved to a reserve in the Ardennes where several barns and light industrial sheds were set up.

After a good meal offered by fast food sponsors, we got acquainted with the all-you-can-eat pizzas and hamburgers that the city was full of.

But the story told by the little one was the subject of much debate and the question of our humanity was no longer asked.

A helicopter guided us to the domain of the 3 ovens near Arlon where vast stretches of forest and a less populated area were waiting for us.

It was also an eco-museum of the old life with farms from the Middle Ages and castles reconstituted there.

When we arrived, the authorities placed pillars with flags at the ends and we were asked to stay in the defined area until our fate was decided.

They wanted to keep us under observation and our obedience and self-control were beneficial.

And as in any critical situation, our first objective was to be able to eat and drink and meet our basic needs.

We were put on electronic bracelets, knowing that no cage could hold us.

And we didn't care. It was nothing compared to the submission collars, the chains and the forged rings.

But we had a home! A place to sleep, fly and hunt!

The area was big but small for us.

But the fact was that there were borders and that the laws and other states might not be so complacent with us.

The planet was watching and we were also critically endangered species.

A unique species, similar to humans in terms of intellect but also having a unique ethnicity, another species but compatible. Impossible but true.

Of course, we hid the magic. It was our absolute taboo. Our secret weapon.

Even spitting fire was a secret.

To people, we were "big, nice lizards" with the ability to speak.

We were accompanied by professors of zoology, veterinarians but also psychologists and even historians.

Unfortunately for the latter, there was not much to tell. Britannia was a recent nation with little history apart from the 3 epics of the dark ages.

Well, only the 2 ages were told... they didn't want to make any relation with Exodus and his reign of terror...

But tutors or private teachers took care of getting to know our cultures and habits better and Rubix and Saphie were real open books.

And, sharp as a knife, they quickly asked for TV and their thirst for books put them in contact with the internet.

It was a long debate. We were afraid to contaminate their culture and habits but we were not "frozen in an era".

When they wanted to deny us access, in the name of preserving our traditions and cultures, that globalization was destroying lifestyles and erasing rituals and festivals forever, we all burst out laughing.

But Valtrax discreetly cast a "Friendship" spell that had the propensity to settle on a group and Exodus, a charm spell.

All he had to do was stare into his victim's eyes for a second and it was in the bag.