The battle had rivaled the ambush on their camp and left the landscape littered with bodies. Gersius estimated that over a hundred thousand had taken place in the fight, and half that many were dead. Bandersooks, by the thousands, had died in massive waves meant to weaken their lines before the Doan themselves finally charged in, supported by weavers and war machines. They even fielded three dragons, two blues and one red, who were no match for the massed firepower of their battle priests. Sarah killed the largest of them herself, the two dragons dueling in the air with teeth and claws.

Lilly walked in her dragon form among the shattered bodies, her feet soaked in blood. There had been no ambush this time, and Alayse met them with a well-organized professional army. She held nothing back, maneuvering formations of mixed battle priests and regular soldiers with great skill. Her ranks had been bolstered by stripping men from the border keeps as she pushed south, clearing the line of Doan divisions.

The Doan knew they couldn't win, but they fought delaying actions to buy time. The bulk of their forces retreated, falling back until they had enough force to stand their ground. When they crested the hill, they saw a black tide of Bandersooks a hundred deep sweeping across the landscape at them. It was thousands upon thousands, but the army continued to march, meeting the threat head-on. She swept the field of the beasts and pushed into the Doan, using the men of Astikar to their fullest effect. Five pillars of flame were called down on the enemy, turning huge swaths of the battlefield into an inferno. Men began to die by the thousands as dragons dueled in the sky above. It was a testament to the viciousness of this war and the terrible price that was being paid.

Alayse outfought them, using the sheer power of the women of Ulustrah to turn the tide. The enemy never realized that by persecuting the silent priestesses, they had awoken a dangerous beast. Had they left those women alone, they would have stayed at home as mothers and wives whispering about the distant war. Instead, they were dragged into the fighting and given cause to be enraged. The enemy had foolishly created an army of angry priestesses, adding tens of thousands of soldiers to Gersius. Now those women lent their prayers, strength, and desire for justice to the army, turning it into a near-unstoppable force.

Lilly stepped over dead until she reached a blue dragon about her size lying dead on the battlefield. Judging by the holes in its wings and where scales had been blasted away, it had been brought down by a battery of blessings. The fatal wound was a dozen deep stabs from the cavalry lances, several of which were broken in its hide. It had died a violent painful death to prevent the return of Balisha.

“I am so sorry,” Lilly cried as she put a hand on the dragon. “I am so sorry you didn’t get a chance to know love.” She sniffed as her eyes filled with tears. “Dear sister of the scale, I promise to fix this and save the dragons who are left.”

The body lay motionless where it had fallen from the sky, and Lilly began a prayer to Balisha, bidding the goddess to welcome this dragon into her heaven. She prayed over every fallen dragon, hoping they would find peace in the heavens and perhaps forgive her for not saving them. For Lilly, the price dragons were paying was too high. There were so few of them, to begin with, and every death was a catastrophic loss. As the sun set, she prayed over the large blue that Sarah had killed, the beast still clutching the black spear it had tried to impale Sarah on.

“You should have been able to take your place as an elder,” Lilly said as she bowed her head to the fallen creature. “I am sorry so much has been lost for so petty a reason. I am sure you would understand if only you could know the feeling of love for just a few moments.”

“Lilly?” Ayawa called as she walked up. “Child, you should not be so far from the army. Alayse is reforming and preparing to march south as we speak.”

“They need to be blessed,” Lilly said, lifting her head high. “I can't bare the sight of so many dragons dying. I don't like the humans dying either, but at least your kind won't risk going extinct from it.”

“We all know how you feel about killing your own kind,” Ayawa replied. “Even Sarah doesn't care for it, even if she never says so.”

“I know she hates it,” Lilly said. “I can feel it in her heart sometimes. She regrets having to fight them, but she knows she has to go on.”

“That's all we can do,” Ayawa said. “The sooner we destroy the heart, the sooner the war will end, and if we are right, the curse will be lifted.”

“Why does it have to be this way?” Lilly asked. “How can so many beings, humans and dragons be so sure they are right that they are willing to kill thousands?”

“This is about more than being right,” Ayawa replied. “This is fear and desperation. This Gorromogoth believes he is saving your kind by eliminating the gift given through Balisha. In his own way, he is the hero of this story. He and his cohorts probably ask the same questions. Why are so many willing to die to protect a goddess who was trying to cripple the dragons?”

“So this isn’t about evil intentions?” Lilly asked.

“No, child, very few conflicts of this scale are,” Ayawa said. “This is about the future of your kind and if they will return to the old ways or forge a new path beside humankind. I am sorry to say, but when the human form was given to your kind, they were not given a choice. It was simply bestowed, and they were left to figure out what to do with it. When the consequences of those actions came to light, the divines divided over the issue. Some saw it as a blessing, others as a curse, and a conflict that slew gods, shattered a world, and angered the mother of creation ensued.”

“I am glad I did not see such a conflict,” Lilly replied. “This one is terrible enough.”

“I am sorry you had to see this one,” Ayawa said with a hand to Lilly's leg. “But let us pray that when it is over, we can all find that home to be safe and raise our families.”

Lilly nodded as she thought of the little home Gersius had promised to build for them in the valley. All she wanted was to be there right now, sitting beside a fire in his arms. How had a dragon come to love a man so completely that she desired his embrace more than gold, or food, or a long month of sleep? Her heart ached for the life that seemed more dream than reality, and then she thought of her daughter and the star low in the sky.

“Come, Lilly,” Ayawa urged and turned to lead the way.

Lilly lowered her head and followed, being careful not to step on a body. They may be the death of her enemy, but she felt a sense of pity for them. They were dying to protect the dragons who were sure Balisha was a curse on their kind. This entire conflict was fought to prevent dragons from knowing love and potentially sharing with a human. Ayawa spoke as they walked, explaining how the Doan had moved away from the border and were flooding south. She reasoned they were forming one massive army to make a last stand before their destination. Of course, Gams capitalized on the situation forming a new army to take the field. Now the empire had a second army marching along their flank, driving the Doan toward a final confrontation.

She joined the army and walked near the rear, her head watching as the terrible scene receded from view. Alayse didn't even bury the empires dead. The need to get to the heart was the most pressing matter, and delays for burial and funeral rights were not permitted.

That night she sat around a fire with her knees drawn in, listening to the distant women of Ulustrah singing in prayer to their goddess. Ayawa and her family were on hand, as were Mingfe and Shadros sitting together like she used to do with Gersius. Thayle sat beside Alayse, the two talking about their past when they had been lovers. They joked about mistakes that were made, but none of it lightened the mood in Lilly's heart. She waited until it was late, then slipped away, heading for the edge of the camp where a thick line of sentries stood watch. She used a nearby copse of trees to sit and meditate, closing her eyes as she focused inward. For weeks she had been practicing entering the dream at will but hadn't quite mastered it. Still, she had a purpose now and all night to make it work.

Sarah said that visualizing a location with deep emotional meaning to a person helped send the consciousness to its mirror in the dream. So Lilly focused on her destination as her breathing slowed and the darkness of dragon sleep fell over her. She never felt herself move, but she knew she was thousands of miles away. Before her was a great cave entrance in the side of a mountain gap. It was close to the ocean but hidden behind jagged hills and thick forests. Still, she could smell the scent of salt carried on the breeze that blew in from the water.

It was a place that held significant memories for her, but one she hadn't visited often. She prayed that Sarah was wrong about the next portion of her lessons, that the person she came to speak with would need to be waiting for her.

She put that thought aside as she pondered the first mystery. It hadn't been her intention to arrive outside the cave. She intended to arrive in the chambers below where her goal hopefully lay asleep but waiting.

Her hand touched the surface of a rock, and she noted how the dream felt as real as the world she had just left. Slowly she climbed the cliff face in her human form, stumbling her way up narrow ledges and jagged tracks to the towering opening. Thankfully it was set low, and she went to enter the maw when she hit what appeared to be a wall.

“What?” Lilly questioned and put up a hand, feeling a surface as hard as a stone that was impossible to see. “What is this?” She looked all around for a possible cause but could find nothing that even hinted at why she couldn't enter. She beat her fists on the unseen barrier and called out, hoping something would change.

“I know you can hear me!” Lilly shouted. “I refuse to go away until you speak to me!”

In an instant, something flashed, and the air before her seemed to tear. Lilly held a hand up as magical fire split as if a gate were opening, then died away, leaving her feeling for the wall. The barrier was gone, and Lilly stepped inside, making her way into the darkness beyond.

She walked for what seemed like hours down a tunnel large enough for their army to maneuver in. As she progressed, her mind went to the past and the moment of pain when she thought she would never see this place again. Around a bend, she came out at a ledge and was startled to see a vast empty chamber. This wasn't the place she remembered, but then something moved, and the far walls of the chamber were gone. Lilly turned around and realized she was no longer in the cave. Now she stood in an open field with a thick band of trees separating her from a distant mountain.

“You should not have come here,” a voice rumbled like the sound of an entire mountain collapsing.

Lilly spun around as the world was suddenly bathed in darkness as if the sun had been swallowed. She could see the stars above, and then, to her amazement, it began to snow. She reached out a hand to catch some of the thick flakes as an understanding formed in her mind.

“Why are you here?” the voice demanded.

“I needed to talk to you,” Lilly shouted after she snapped out of her stupor.

“You need to talk to me?” the voice bellowed. Lilly looked around, trying to see the source of the voice, but all she could see was the darkness. Even her dragon sight didn't reveal the speaker's location, so Lilly stood tall and answered.

“It’s time we had an honest conversation,” Lilly insisted.

“Oh, you finally wish to speak to me as an equal?” the voice questioned. “I tried to teach you everything you would need to know, but like all of your kind, you spurned instruction.”

“I was cursed,” Lilly shouted. “You know that.”

“And what are you now?” the voice questioned.

“I am free of the curse,” Lilly stated. “And I know about love.”

“Love?” the voice laughed, causing it to echo. “You can’t know love until you know the pain of loss. Tell me, little dragon, have you learned the true meaning of loss?”

“Have I learned the true meaning of loss?” Lilly mumbled as the pain of how it all started welled up. I lost everything! My home, my hoard, my wings. I was crippled and dying when salvation chanced on me and made me a slave. I was dragged into captivity to face life as a human pet until I realized the truth. I had only lost my illusions; only now was I seeing the world for what it really was.”

She felt the ground shake as a great shadow moved overhead. If not for how it blotted out the stars, she might not have seen it. It towered above the forest, like a mountain come to life, before two eyes of blue fire appeared to glare down at her.

“Maybe you have learned,” the voice said. “But that doesn’t explain why you are here.”

“I am here because it is time you and I had a talk,” Lilly said as she folded her arms.

“And what do you wish to talk about, little dragon?” the shadow asked.

“I want to talk about you,” Lilly replied. “It’s time you told me why you set all this motion. It’s time you told me the truth.”

“Then steady yourself, little dragon, while I tell you the secrets your divines do not want you to know.”

An hour later, Lilly opened her eyes to see the forest around her and remembered where she was. With careful steps, she stood to stretch her legs and made her way out of the trees heading back to camp. Her mind was full of chaos and storms, but she did her best to clear it as she approached her loved ones. Without a word, she went to Gersius and put her arms around him, kissing his neck, and she whispered that she loved him.

“I love you too, my beautiful dragon,” Gersius replied, stroking her head. “But what is weighing on your mind? You feel more tense than usual.”

“How long?” Lilly asked. “How long until the final battle?”

“How long until we reach the heart, you mean?” Gersius asked and looked to a nearby table where a map lay open. “Two weeks if Alayse keeps pushing as hard as she is. Gams is also on the march, sweeping anything on our left flank out of the way, so he will join us for the final battle.”

“But the Doan are trying to delay us,” Lilly pointed out. “They keep laying in wait with their monsters and small forces.”

“Yes, they are, but we are paying the price in blood to keep the pace,” Gersius replied. “Provided the Doan do not mount an organized counter-offensive, we should be there just before the eclipse.”

“Where all the remaining Doan will be waiting for us,” Lilly said. “Plus all their remaining dragons. It will likely be the biggest battle of the war and the one that decides how it ends.”

“We will have two armies for that battle,” Gersius pointed out. “Gams is on the march, his army growing as he pushes south, and they are not needed to defend the walls. With our two armies and the aid of the divines, the enemy cannot possibly hope to hold us back.”

“Good,” Lilly sighed and hugged him tighter. “I want this to be the last battle, so no more humans or dragons need to die. I hate how this has to end.”

“Lilly, has something happened?” Gersius asked as he began to stroke the back of her head.

“No,” Lilly replied. “I just had a conversation, and it made me realize how much you mean to me.”

“You mean everything to me,” Gersius replied. “I could not take another step forward without you by my side.”

“One day, you may have to,” Lilly said, looking into his eyes.

“No,” he said firmly and shook his head. He took her by the arms and held her out so he could look deep into her eyes. “Lilly put that dream aside. I will order you to fly back to your valley and wait for our return if you harbor this fear a moment longer.”

“I’m not afraid,” Lilly replied. “I know we will win. I know because we were meant to do this.”

“I am glad to hear you say that,” Gersius said, stroking her cheek. “Trust in the divines to guide our steps as they always have. They have brought us through many trials and given each of us the strength we need to do what must be done.”

“I know,” Lilly said with a little smile before laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. “I know each of us will do what needs to be done, and it will all end once and for all. You have taught me a lot about duty and how sometimes you must do what needs to be done.”

“Lilly, I know you want all this to be over, and you don't want to return to Calathen to rule the empire,” Gersius said. “But I promise you. I will build our home in the valley. We will have the life we have been fighting for.”

Lilly smiled as a tear ran down her cheek, the only sign of her swirling emotions. She focused her thoughts on her dream of having a family, but that only made the tears more profuse. She held him for a long moment before Sarah and Thayle entered the tent. Lilly went to each of them and wrapped them in a hug, promising each that she would never stop loving them.

They spent the night together, sharing in the joy of their binding and the passion of human flesh. Lilly was unusually passionate, wishing she could bear Gersius a second child. Sarah scolded her for such a thing and assured her there would be time for that in the years ahead. Lilly smiled again and settled into Sarah’s arms, closing her eyes to let the world melt away. If only Sarah knew the truth. If only she knew how little time they had.