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Motungo leaned forward slightly in anticipation. "What do you have in mind?"

"I can hide you from detection for a time." Gothard pointed to Mercy, "Though I will need her help, and your help. I can make a spell that should be able to make you seem like another creature, something harmless, maybe a bird of some kind. Once you are inside the Covenant, as long as you don't get close to any of their boarder towers, they'll never know you're there without seeing you."

"But that only works once I'm inside?" Motungo squinted his eyes incredulously, "How do I get inside?"

"That's where we would need your help. The spell that I would make can still be seen by the boarder towers. You would have to deactivate one of the towers before the spell would work."

"No, I can't do that. Not with that anywhere involved." Motungo nodded at Mercy.

"I won't be there when you do that Motungo." Mercy said with a hint of strain in her voice. "I will have to return to my tapestry before long. I can help weave this spell and then I would have to leave."

"How does this spell work?"

"Not by means you would understand Motungo," Mercy said, "it's a spell that I can't even do without Gothard and Argh's help."

"Alright, so let's say for a moment that I accept this, how do I get to the tower without being slaughtered by the Hunters? They will know I'm coming before I get there."

"I can distract them for long enough I think." Mercy flexed her wings for a moment.

"How many are you going to kill this time?"

"None, I don't like killing any of your kind Motungo. Especially right now, I'm trying to make up for a mistake rather than creating more trouble. Can you accept that?"

Motungo forced himself to look into her eyes. It felt like he was looking into the night sky tinted a deep red. If her jaw and the spines on her face and neck meant anything, she was telling the truth. He still couldn't read the eyes. Can I put a chance to see Cellista on those eyes? She's ruined my life, but would this ruin Cellista's as well? Mercy's been genuine as far as I can tell.

"I don't know." Motungo said, "I just don't know."

"Even if I can vouch for her?" Gothard leaned forward slightly.

Motungo turned to Gothard. Humans were hard to read. Motungo discovered that humans could mask their feelings and thoughts from being displayed in their faces and body language much better than dragons could. At first Motungo thought plain inexperience had been the culprit, but the humans seemed to have a talent for it.

But then, this was the first time he had seen or even heard of a human and a boneweaver working together. Motungo figured that this could only be one of two things. Mercy could have some sort of elaborate trick, and with the amount of work she was putting in it could only be something devastating to the covenant. The other possibility was that there was more to the boneweavers than they actually knew.

One decision would lead him to save the covenant, and the other decision could lead to finding more about the weaknesses of the Avatars themselves. He might be able to find something that the covenants in the world could use against the boneweavers. All it would take is a gamble, one large enough that the entire covenant would be at risk potentially.

A covenant that had thrown him out and already hated him for no reason he could ever believe. Just the color of the plate on his face. A color banished him from his home for life. He could gamble with a home that hated him. He could put all of them on the line for a chance to save the rest of the covenants. If the offer they made was genuine, then he could find Cellista and set things right with her, and maybe, just maybe the covenant. If this was a ploy, he would have a chance to save Cellista from the fate of the covenant.

"Have you made a decision, Motungo?" Mercy said quietly.

"Almost, I think. I'm still thinking."

Motungo turned his gaze into the fire pit before him. He let his mind go blank for a few moments, hoping that some great insight might come to him. Nothing came though, only a growing anticipation of his own answer. He took a deep breath. He locked his gaze with the mortal enemy across from him.

"I'll accept the offer."

Mercy smiled and her fins stood up high. Again, Mercy surprised Motungo by doing something he didn't think she was capable of doing. She looked happy, nearly ecstatic. He had seen the face before, only on Cellista, and for a brief moment it made a small flame of pride light in his heart. Then he stepped on the flame in revulsion.

"Oh Motungo," She said breathlessly, "I can't tell you how much this means to me. I would give my wings to hear that from you."

"Motungo," Gothard said, "you made the right choice. Trust me on that one."

"I'll hold you to it." Motungo said, "You may think I did the right thing, but it feels utterly wrong. If either of you know-"

"Motungo, I know." Mercy said, "I know it was hard. But to have a chance to do some right for you, that means more than you could know."

***

Thoradin walked into the ziggurat that the hunters used sometimes. They borrowed the whole floor once a week to discuss happenings during their flights around the covenant's lands. Being a simple herder though, Thoradin couldn't imagine why Vardelan would want him to be at the meeting.

He walked up one flight of stairs, then stepped through the doorways on either side of the next flight of stairs. Inside there was someone talking to a large group, but the voice was unfamiliar. He sat in the doorway, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the gloomy interior. He guessed there were eighty dragons in the meeting, maybe less. Finding Vardelan in the crowd wouldn't be easy.

"The north west line did have to turn back a few beasts. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as that is concerned. Like the last three groups though, I haven't seen a single boneweaver. It's like they aren't even interested in looking this way any longer.

"Despite this lull in boneweaver movements, we've kept the flights regular, and at both high and low altitudes. We suspect that this must be in preparation for some sort of larger attack."

"Ferverno," Said someone from the gloom, "have you seen any evidence of this?"

Thoradin walked further into the meeting, and a couple of the nearest dragons looked back at him. He sat at the top of the stairs that led down towards the speaking platform, and started looking around the hall.

"You're Thoradin right?" One of the dragons next to him asked.

"I am, have you seen Vardelan?"

"Back row, west side."

"Thank you."

Thoradin stood up and walked along the back wall to where Vardelan sat. He hoped Vardelan would stop him, he couldn't see the dragon anywhere.

"Furthermore," the speaker continued, "I know that the old records show that there have been full scale invasions after a period of inactivity from the boneweavers. They draw their forces back and strike in force."

"Ferverno, they do," some dragon stood near the front of the crowd, "but when they've done that in the past, that was after tampering with the towers, and a massive surge in activity in the tapestry. The scouts we've sent out to the north haven't seen anything unusual in the tapestry in the past several months."

"It doesn't change the opinion of my report. We can't trust them, and this is unusual activity coming from them. Unusual activity from boneweavers is an attack, we just don't know what this attack is going to be. Not only that we know that an Avatar is near and active. If that's the case, this attack will be a very well orchestrated attack."

Murmurs started in the gathering. Thoradin felt the familiar drip of fear enter his heart as he walked along the walls. There had been a couple times he had to fight off a boneweaver, but it had always been one of them. The idea of hundreds marching into covenant land was practically unfathomable.

"Thoradin," Vardelan said from beside him, "Here I saved you a spot."

Thoradin obediently sat beside the hunter. "Thank you sir. I um, don't know why I was called here."

"I wanted to talk to you about being a hunter actually." he said, not taking his eyes from the speaker below them.

"Why would you want me to be a hunter? I just herd animals, and-"

"You fended off an Avatar. That makes you one of the best hunters that have ever sat in these halls Thoradin."

"But it flew away, I didn't fight it off. Why would you want someone like that?"

Vardelan turned his head to him. "Thoradin, look at all these dragons. They're all scared of the idea that an Avatar has been seen right on our borders. They consider that an act of war. Something most of us can't even remember. Azerzan remembers the last one, and not very well since he could barely fly he was so young at that point. Most of these dragons think the end is coming. What they need is some reassurance. That's going to be you."

"How could I do that? I'm just a herder. I watch cows, sheep, pigs-"

"Don't worry about that Thoradin. You lived through an encounter with an Avatar, that alone is enough. What I'd like to do is induct you into the hunters' ranks. Having another pair of eyes would be nice on patrols."

"Who's going to watch the herds?"

"Azerzan can figure that out. I've already talked with him about you. He has already given us his agreement, so all that's left is for you to make a decision. Will you help me?"

Thoradin didn't know what to say. All the hunters knew something of magic, but he never could use magic. His defect would make him the most useless Hunter he thought. He didn't know much history either but he was pretty certain that there hasn't been any hunters that couldn't use magic. Vardelan wanted him to be a hunter just because he survived being around an Avatar. It didn't make much sense to him.

"You would be working with me," Vardelan said, "so I can help you through the responsibilities. I'm sure it wouldn't take you long. You would already be considered one of the best hunters we've had in a few generations."

"When was the last time an Avatar came to our borders?"

"About as many generations ago. A full patrol was going along the northern border, and of the five, only one returned."

"I don't think that I can do it. I, um, I can't actually-"

"You've more than proven yourself Thoradin. We don't need to see you try out to know of your bravery in the heat of combat now. All we need is now is you."

Thoradin didn't know what else to say. Vardelan was one of the best hunters, and he was very smart as well. He knew what was best for the entire covenant so if he wanted Thoradin in the hunters that's where he should be.

"I'll help you I suppose." Thoradin said, "As long as you tell me what to do. I don't know what to do being a hunter."