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Alrighty, here we go, the next chapter of the Knights of Juno. I hope you enjoy it.

As always, comments are appreciated.

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Continued from 'An Atrocity Answered...'

Karen lay back with her hands behind her head, staring upward, trying to catch a glimpse of the stars through the smoky haze that hovered over the ruined city of Stuttgart. She and the other knights of her flight were laying with their dragons in a courtyard of a large ruined building in the southwest of the city, and from the objects scattered about the ruins, it might once have been part of a university. But, the war had claimed the building and the surrounding area, laying it to waste. The mixed company of EU soldiers and Chimera members that they were supporting was scattered about within the nearby ruins, on watch so the knights could sleep. The young knight looked over at the other members of her flight and smiled slightly. Most of the knights lay beneath blankets around a campfire, glad for its warmth in the chill that had settled over the city. Their dragons were all curled up near to their riders, and Twilight and Karen alone sat apart. Karen smiled and shifted over a bit so she was resting more comfortably against Twilight's side. Twilight was curled up in his true form and Karen was lying on her back on his tail, resting comfortably against his side, one of his great black wings covering her from her neck all the way to her feet, perfectly warm and content. The heat of the dragon's scales and his wing made her far more comfortable than any blanket could have. Twilight was still awake, his head resting on his wing, beside where Karen was lying.

In a little less than a week, the young rider and her dragon had gone from green novices to hardened veterans of battle. It was a measure of how much they had changed that when they had arrived, they had stopped into a nearby hospital and found that it was a carnal house, so packed with wounded that they filled every room, and all the halls as well. The sight of so many soldiers laying wounded, their cries of pain and fear, and the smells of blood and death that hovered around the building had even turned the stomach of Twilight. But a few days ago, they had returned to help with the healing once more, and found that the same things no longer bothered them as they had before. The fighting in the city, which had been stalemated for days, had been hard, fierce and close. But the stalemate had been broken with the arrival of the dragons. Now, the Knighthood and its allies were taking back the city.

The troops of the Light of Truth had dug in tight, and were giving ground only grudgingly, but they gave ground. House by house, and block by block, the city was being freed. Wherever a strong point resisted attacks, the dragons were called in to reduce it, and the dragons never failed. With a combination of their railguns, the most powerful weapons in the world, and their great magic, not to mention their fiery breath, no position withstood them. But they had not been without casualties. Karen's flight had just received word that night that an entire flight from another wing had been wiped out in the northern part of the city when they had been ambushed by magic users. And, to look at the expressions of the raven headed knight and her dark scaled dragon, one would think that they were thinking about the deaths of their comrades, but in truth, their thoughts lay elsewhere.

'Why do you think the Light of Truth started this campaign?' Twilight asked, speaking with his mind to his human mate.

'I don't know.' Karen replied, speaking in the same way. 'It doesn't seem normal does it? I mean, they had to know that as soon as we found out about what they were doing, we would come in force to stop them.'

'There has to be more to it than just an all or nothing recruitment drive.' Twilight stated and Karen nodded her agreement. 'Maybe they wanted us to come after them? Maybe they are planning on attacking the mountain.'

'Maybe, but ever since the raid on the mountain centuries ago, the mountain has been protected by hundreds of spells, not to mention all the dragons and Knights who are still there, along with our allies.' Karen replied, 'I don't think that is it. I have a feeling it has something to do with this city, or this region. They wanted us to come here, to commit ourselves.'

'We will just have to keep our eyes open.' Twilight said, then glanced around the clearing to ensure that no one was watching, before giving her a kiss on the lips. She returned the kiss with a smile, hugging Twilight around the neck with her arms. When the sweet kiss ended, the pair closed their eyes, preparing for sleep. The advance would continue tomorrow, when they would replace another unit that was pulling back for rest. Karen sighed deeply and put such dreary thoughts out of her mind, drifting off to sleep within moments...

***

Early the next morning, when the haze above was starting to lighten with the coming dawn, the company that the dragon-mounted knights were supporting marched northeast, striding across the last intact bridge over the river in the middle of the city, headed for the enemy occupied eastern half. The dragons had decided early on in the battle to walk with the rest of the soldiers rather than fly, as to do so would reveal the positions of the troops they guarded. While they marched, they passed a battered company retiring for a rest, the very one they were going up to replace. Karen nodded to the knights and their dragons as they passed, a gesture they returned. One of them, her old roommate during training, tapped her mount's shoulder and the pair crossed to the line of advancing troops, pulling up to a stop beside Twilight and Karen. Her old roommate's dragon was Orian, though his golden scales were now dusty and covered in scuffs, the only damage that the many bullets fired at him had done. She and Karen leaned close so they could speak without being easily overheard.

"Be careful when you get up there." Her old roommate said, jerking her head in the direction she had just come from. "The enemy to the front seem to be fighting harder than usual to keep us out of the block they are protecting."

"Any idea why?" Karen question and the girl shook her head.

"None." She replied. "But they also have many magi within their lines. Whatever they are protecting must be important."

"Thanks for the warning." Karen said.

"Good luck to you." The young woman replied, and Orian plodded off down the road after their company. Twilight continued on his way as well, he and Karen already pondering what the soldiers could be guarding. Orian and her roommate had been right, it must have been important for them to fight so hard. A few minutes later, the soldiers of the company had filed into a line of ruined buildings that formed the front line. Out in front of their positions was a rubble strewn space that was once another highway, but what was now a no man's land between two armies. The soldiers of the Light of Truth were just across it, and, though they could not be seen, Karen could sense them readying for the assault that was massing behind the ruins. When the company was in position, Karen slipped off of Twilight's shoulder while the black and violet dragon carefully crept up to the edge of the ruined building they crouched behind. The soldiers that waited there wisely moved out of the way as the dragon lay on his belly, mimicking the prone shooting stance many snipers shot from. He placed the rail gun hard into his shoulder and sighted it on a building across the way, aiming just over the edge of the rubble. Karen could see the other dragons supporting the line of soldiers do the same and she placed a magazine of enchanted rounds into her rifle and worked the bolt, ratcheting a round into the rifle's chamber. She was crouching at Twilight's side, aiming her rifle on the enemy positions as well. All they waited for was the signal.

They waited, and waited, remaining perfectly still, as the minutes ticked by with glacial speed, the patience of the Knights and the Dragons infinite. The soldiers around them began to shift nervously for the silent waiting before the attack was starting to wear on them. All at once, the sounds of battle broke out, far off to their left, in another portion of the line. The whine of rail guns could be heard even from where the pair waited, followed by a crescendo of small arms fire. A minute later, hundreds of voices were raised in a yell as the soldiers swarmed out of their buildings, advancing quickly. All the way across the heavily defended salient that Twilight and Karen were preparing to attack head on, a similar assault would be taking place. The goal was to cut off the hardened position from reinforcements, and then attack it from all directions. The soldiers that waited around the dragons began to settle into position, knowing that their turn in the assault would be coming soon. And then, after a few moments more of silent anticipation, Karen and Twilight heard the voice of their wing leader, Captain Duncan, in their minds.

'Fire.' The captain commanded and Twilight complied instantly with the order, a bright lance of light connecting the tip of his rail gun with the building across the road. Karen waited a half second for the rail gun round to explode before firing as well, three well placed shots flying into the enemy line. The smoke and dust thrown up by the rail gun shot was suddenly lit from within as the magic rounds ignited. The rounds she had selected carried a special spell upon them, designed to activate when the rounds reached a certain distance. These particular rounds sent bolts of lighting out from their bullets, filling entire rooms with mini-electrical storms. By silent agreement Twilight had targeted the central position of the building front with his shot while Karen had fired on the windows flanking that room. When the smoke and dust cleared, the troops around them cheered, for the entire building was silent when the rest of the line replied to the sudden assault with their own fire.

But, moments later, their cheering quieted, for the air was filled with the sound of rockets lifting off. Dozens of rockets shot from their positions, from all sorts of launchers, answering the railguns. Karen reacted in an instant, throwing up a shield before her and Twilight, swatting three rockets out of the air. The warheads hit the ground instead and exploded, but their explosions accompanied bright flashes of magic, for they had been tipped with magic crystals. For a brief moment, there was silence on the battlefield, then both sides opened up on each other at once. It wasn't even a close contest. The attackers, supported by dragons and magic armed knights, vastly outgunned the defenders and the volume of fire showed that. Within a minute of opening fire, the buildings forming the defender's front lines had been virtually annihilated. Pierre LaRoche's voice came over the radios of the infantry, giving the order to advance. With a cheer, the soldiers climbed from their defenses and swarmed across the battered highway, covered by the knights and dragons behind them...

***

Little more than an hour later, Karen and the rest of her flight were advancing together through the ruins of a large building near to the center of the salient. The advance of the allies of the Knighthood had been swift and very eeffective, but now, the pocket once occupied by troops of the Light of Truth was now at least a dozen smaller pockets, each surrounded by the allies. Karen's flight had been supporting the attack on one of these small pockets when word had come through that LOT soldiers had appeared behind them, from within an area that had already been cleared. Lieutenant Connors, the flight leader, led the way through the rubble of the building a few meters ahead of her, his rifle up and ready. His dragon companion, an all black male named Onyx, stood a pace behind him in his hybrid form, hefting his scaled down railgun carefully. With friendly soldiers on all sides, they couldn't often use the railguns, for fear of hitting their allies, so the Dragons typically used magic to defend their riders while they used their rifles. Karen walked along slowly in the middle of the line, Twilight a pace behind, and the young knight felt comforted to know that her mate was so close. Something about this building made her uneasy, as if it carried a hidden secret somewhere within it; like a dark presence that watched them hungrily.

Just when Connors turned a corner, a piece of rubble shifted, causing a small landslide off the left and Karen jumped, sighting quickly in that direction with her weapon. Nothing was moving except a few small stones, which quickly came to a stop. Twilight laid a hand on her shoulder gently, speaking across their mental bond to her.

'Calm down my love.' He said, 'I can sense no enemies around here.'

'I know.' Karen said, lowering her rifle and continuing slowly onward down the ruined passage. 'That is what worries me.'

A few minutes later, the small group of warriors came out of the ruined passage into a courtyard. It was reasonably intact, though a few of the passages into it had collapsed and the riders and dragons spread out as the neared the center, each pair looking in a different direction. All was silent for a moment, then Lieutenant Connors spoke quietly with his mind.

'Everything looks clear to me.' He said, 'Anyone see anything?'

'I cannot see anything, but I can feel something here,' Karen replied, speaking in the same manner. 'It feels like a great, dark cloud. Something is very wrong here.'

'Lets move out.' Connors said, nodding, but looking around warily. But, just as they started to move, the air all around the courtyard seemed to shimmer, and like ice sublimating into vapor on a hot surface, the invisibility that had cloaked nearly a hundred soldiers dressed in the uniform of the LOT drifted away. The knights instantly raised their weapons, firing before the soldiers could react, but more magic shimmered into being around the troops, and the rifle rounds bounced suddenly off magic shields, raised before the circle of soldiers. Even the enchanted rounds of the Knights' weapons were not enough to pierce the spell. And, almost as suddenly, every soldier around them opened fire, and the dragons sprang into action, their shielding spells deflecting the enemy fire as easily as the enemy's had, but through the sparking magic that destroyed the bullets of the enemy, Karen saw a quartet of men dressed in robes instead of uniforms and armor, their hands glowing with magic.

And then, all fell silent once more. It was clear that neither side would be able to harm the other this way, and both stared at each other for a few moments. Then, without a word, the Knights dropped their rifles, their hands going for the swords that they wore. The LOT troops charged inward, intent on overwhelming the knights, but Karen ignored them for the moment. While she drew the Katana-like sword she carried, Karen and Twilight reached across their mental link in unison, the two tendrils of thought twining together with practiced ease. And, in an instant, the pair ceased being a knight and a dragon, instead, their minds joined so they were as one creature, split between two bodies. Moments later, Karen slashed with her sword, sweeping aside the bayonet tipped rifle of the LOT soldier in front of her, while she herself stepped past him altogether. Her black bladed sword sliced open the next soldier in line from shoulder to hip while a slash from Twilight's sharp claws killed the first.

The flight of Knights and dragons were soon forced apart by the sheer numbers of the LOT ambushers, but Karen and Twilight stood back to back, soon surrounded by the enemy soldiers. The pair fought as one, linked by their minds, weaving a dance of death together, never hindering each other. One soldier advanced suddenly towards Karen, ahead of his fellows, and the rider stabbed hard with her sword, spitting him on its end. Another trio attacked Twilight and the dragon deflected two strikes with his scale covered arms, going low under the third and striking at the first two soldiers. Karen whirled quickly, her black blade scribing a perfect arc that sliced the head from the third soldier, even as Twilight felled the other two with his claws. More soldiers advanced, a mad rush all at once and Twilight ducked down while Karen spun quickly, her sword at arm's length, driving them back just long enough for Twilight to use his magic. Twilight punched the earth at his feet, a bright circle of energy surrounding both Karen and Twilight's position, glowing for a brief second on the ground, and, just as the soldiers closed in again, the earth rippled as magic blasted through it. The soldiers were thrown up into the air, all crying out in surprise as the spell threw them off balance. While they were in the air, Karen wielded her blade with both hands, drawing seven circles through the air about them with it, each one striking flesh, each one signaling the end of yet more of their attackers.

When the flash of magic faded, the soldiers around them had all fallen, but more were charging forward at them again, firing as they came. Rider and Dragon acted instantly together, a shield forming around them. The bullets did not penetrate and soon, the attackers found themselves facing Karen's sword and Twilight's claws as their fellow's had done, and not fairing any better than they did.

But, none of the other riders in the flight shared as close a relationship with their dragon as they, and so they could not link their minds as Twilight and Karen had. Malcolm and Turquoise too were standing back to back on the other side of the courtyard but they were having a hard time of it. Malcolm had endured a slice from a bayonet which had gotten through his guard, leaving a long bloody cut in his torso which he could not heal while fighting, and Turquoise had been struck by one that had been sheathed in magic, slicing even through her scaled hide, leaving a bloody slice across her back. But neither wound was life threatening, and they still fought onward. But then, moments later, an anguished cry cut through the air, a cry that all knights and dragons recognized. It was the cry of one who has just lost their companion. The voice had been male, a voice that they recognized as belonging to Connors. Malcolm and his dragon companion wanted to charge off to the assistance of their commander, but the four mages who had stood back watching while the fanatical soldiers had swarmed the dragons, chose that moment to start casting spells. The first, a bolt of lightning in eye-hurting red lashed out form the palm of one, striking several soldiers while it crossed the distance between the castor and Malcolm. Turquoise raised a shield only just in time, the magic dissipating as it struck it, leaving the unfortunate soldiers who had gotten in the way as smoking corpses on the ground, horribly burned

But, yet more spells started to fly towards them, and it was impossible for even a dragon to withstand such an assault. The attacks came so fast that Turquoise couldn't hold the shield against all of them. Malcolm was struck by a bolt of raw energy that left him twitching in a heap on the ground, but it did not kill him. A moment later, Turquoise suffered a similar fate. Shiriki, the other knight in the flight, a descendant of the Pawnee tribe of Native Americans, and his copper scaled dragon Shrike, were no where to be found. They had been close at the beginning of the fight, but no more. Malcolm lay twisted uncomfortably on his side, staring upward. It looked like the day would end badly for his flight of dragons, and suddenly, an LOT soldier stood above him, Malcolm's long sword in his grasp, its glittering point poised above his chest. Malcolm lay frozen, longing to move, longing to fight back, to do anything at all, but unable to do more than watch, as his death approached. But it was not to be. A second later, just as the soldier tensed to stab down with the sword, the tip of a black, curving blade scribed an arc through the soldier's torso, shoulder to hip, slicing through body armor, skin and bone alike. The soldier wavered for a moment, his eyes open wide, then he fell backwards in two pieces, to be replaced by Karen, her black and violet scaled jumpsuit spattered with red blood. Malcolm wanted to speak, wanted to thank her for his life but his voice did not work. But, as he watched, she turned her back on him and stood side by side with Twilight, facing the four mages.

Karen and Twilight both knew that the magi were too strong for either of them to withstand alone, but there was something they could do, a skill that few knights or dragons ever achieved. Karen and Twilight clasped their hands, their magic flowing together between them. A shield of magic grew about them, strengthening, brightening, until it was a dome of shimmering energy, protecting both the castors and their injured comrades behind them. The four mages began to cast spell after spell, filling the courtyard with bright light, but none of them could penetrate the shield that the pair were generating. Bolts of lightning, balls of fire, shards of ice, blasts of wind and on and on, all assailing the shield at once, and all were defeated by it. The ground around the glimmering dome of the shield began to crack and melt as the magic tortured it. And then, in the span of single heartbeat, as the spell castors were preparing to cast their spells together, concentrating their efforts into a single attack, four bright lances of light shot out of the sky, each spearing one of the four magi. And, before they had cleared, four more spears shot form the sky, and four more after them. For a moment, everything was still, and then the dozen rail gun rounds exploded, sweeping the courtyard with fire. Karen rode out the explosion within the bubble of the magic shield, squeezing Twilight's hand, reassured by his confidence. If the shield failed under this atmospheric assault, the quartet would die without exception. Only a thin layer of magic stood between them and a fiery death.

After a few brief moments, the light from the explosions faded, leaving fires burning around craters where once enemies had stood. Nothing remained of the magi and the ambushing soldiers. Karen and Twilight let go of the magic fueling their shield, the dome collapsing in the silence around them. The pair stood still for a moment, shocked by the destruction about them, and then, they reluctantly stepped back from their mental link, separating themselves once more. Malcolm and Turquoise, gradually recovering their faculties, stared up into the sky, seeking the dragons that had saved them. For a while, neither could see them, but then, far above them they noticed four small dots that were gradually getting larger. And then, details began to appear as the dots descended towards them. Against the bright haze of smoke and cloud, colors were impossible to discern at this distance, but the flight was easy to identify all the same. The dragon flying lead in the flight was massive, several times larger than any other. The flight leader was Argil, the leader of the entire dragon race, the mount of Lord Mikael, the head of the knighthood. The flight that had saved them was the lead flight of the command wing.

As Malcolm and his dragon watched the leaders descending towards them, Karen and Twilight were moving about in the courtyard, checking for signs of their missing comrades. Shiriki and Shrike looked tired but perfectly fine. It turned out they had been forced out of the courtyard by the LOT's soldiers, but they had fought their way back just after the rail guns hit. Not so their commander. Both Lieutenant Connors and his mount were dead, sliced open by bayonets or magic. Onyx appeared to have died first, for several dead soldiers lay atop him, and without the dragon's help, Connors had simply been overwhelmed by his enemies. The rest of the flight was still alive, and the riders healed each other's wounds while they waited for the command flight to land. Soon, the flight of four had descended enough to be identified by their colors.

Argil, the huge white and silver dragon in the lead, was easy to identify. His brother, Nixarian, was also white and silver, but his scales were a different shape. He was one of the few dragons who had lost their riders who never sought another. His rider had been Sir Daelin Darkblade, one of the great heroes of the Knighthood. Nixarian was also unique among the dragons in that he was not very skilled in using his magic, for a dragon at least, but he was an absolute artist with railguns. None could match his precision and accuracy; even at the maximum range for the weapons, he never missed his target. Also in the flight were Scarlon, the red and gold scaled mate of Argil, and the last ancient dragon in the world. Several millennia old, she was the wisest of the dragons, and the greatest teacher of history. The last member of the flight was Skye, Argil's second in command, his scales very strange, for they shifted in hue as one looked at him. When the flight was low enough, the three knights slid from dragon back, landing easily on the ground. Once they had landed, the dragons shifted into their hybrid forms so they would fit in the courtyard, all save Argil. He never took hybrid form any more, and many of the young knights and dragons often speculated on why. The huge dragon landed in the courtyard anyway, taking up most of the space and inadvertently toppling a few piles of broken stone.

"My lords." Karen said, bowing to Lord Mikael and Argil. "Your aid is greatly appreciated."

"Our pleasure." Argil replied, then the huge dragon looked down upon the body of Onyx and shook his head sadly. "A shame, he was a good warrior."

"How are the rest of you?" Mikael asked, looking on the remaining members of the flight. When he saw that they were alright he nodded. "Well, it would seem your flight has need of a new leader." He looked around, considering the three knights. His gaze finally settled on Karen and he nodded, speaking. "Karen, you and Twilight's performance in this fight was without flaw. You are now the flight leader. Congratulations, Lieutenant." With that, the Lord remounted onto the shoulders of Argil and the pair lifted off, sweeping a dusty wind everywhere with the dragon's great wings. "Get your fallen comrades out of here and then return to the company you were supporting, victory is almost in our grasp."

"Yes my lord," The new officer replied, flushed with surprise. Mikael's flight took to the skies once more and, when they were gone, Twilight embraced his secret lover.

"Congratulations Karen." He said, releasing her as the other survivors of the flight came over to offer their own words of celebration. But the lighthearted moment passed swiftly. A nearby explosion reminded them that they were still in a war zone and Karen issued her first order as a lieutenant.

"Malcolm, Turquoise, carry out Connors and Onyx, we will act as guards." She ordered and the wounded knight and his dragon nodded, moving over to carry the bodies out with their magic. And then, the flight, with its new commander, headed back out to the friendly positions...

***

Later that night, the flight stood in the ruined university's courtyard once more. Originally, the plan had called for their company to remain at the front for longer than a day, but the enemy had launched a vicious counter attack late in the afternoon, slamming right into their company. When the attack had ended, just before sundown, the company was well below half strength. But they had held back an attack force much larger than them for hours, for which they were proud. Finally, they had marched out of their positions and back to the place where they had spent the night before. The three knight and dragon pairs left to the flight sat around their campfire once more, staring up at the sky. Shiriki was laid out on his bedroll beside Shrike, both sleeping off the injuries they had sustained during the final assault. Karen sat back against Twilight's side once more, for her dragon had curled up next to the fire in his true form, framing her in throne of black scales. She resisted the urge to look down at the rank insignia that now decorated her jumpsuit. It was shaped like a European long sword with dragon wings curving up from the hilt to the point, rendered all in silver, marking her promotion to lieutenant.

"So Karen, have you given any thought to what I asked you?" Malcolm asked, his voice cutting through her thoughts with ease, destroying the hope that he would forget his desires for her for the time being. Karen turned her silver eyes towards him slowly and evaluated his gaze in an instant. It was equal parts curiosity, ill-disguised desire and shared friendship. He wanted her to be with him, that was clear, but she did not know how he would react to flat out rejection, so she phrased her response carefully.

"I have." She replied and he looked at her expectantly. His look was filled with such certainty that she would acquiesce to his desires that it almost made her want to lash out at him. She was surprised at the emotion, and recognized it as the desire to protect her relationship with Twilight. "I am sorry Malcolm," She began, and his look turned to one of dismay, "But my answer is no. Please understand, I care for you deeply my friend, as deeply as any friend could care for another, but my feelings go no farther."

"But Karen, is that not enough of a basis for a relationship?" he asked, his tone almost pleading. But Karen shook her head.

"Malcolm, do not make this more complicated than it needs to be." Karen said, her silver eyes beginning to narrow. It was an expression that Malcolm recognized form his long association with her. It was the look that she only wore when the other in the conversation was near to making a verbal blunder. "Leave it alone."

"Fine, be that way." He said bitterly, kicking a chip of stone into the fire, making the wood hiss and spit as if it were angered by the intrusion of the rock into its domain. "Be a bitch then! I thought you cared more than that for me, but I guess I was wrong. I hope you burn in hell!" With that curse, the dark skinned knight rose to his feet and turned his back on his friend, heading towards where his dragon, Turquoise, had lain, watching the exchange.

"Malcolm, come back!" Karen called, but he ignored her. But then, she caught site of the winking silver rank on her jumpsuit out of the corner of her eye and a kind of fiery resolve woke in her. She got to her feet and called after him again, her voice filled with the strength of a command. "Sir Malcolm, Stay where you are!!" To her surprise, he stiffened and halted in place, his body quaking slightly. He turned back to her and drew himself instinctually up to attention. "Believe it or not, Like it or not, I am still your friend Malcolm." She said, advancing slowly towards him. "But be that as it may, I am an officer now. And you are a knight under my command. When I give an order, it must be obeyed, and at once. Are we going to have a problem?"

"No Ma'am!" He spat, venom filling his tone. "I will obey your orders Ma'am. Permission to be dismissed?"

"Granted." Karen said, her voice softening. But Malcolm did not seem to even notice. Instead his eyes held nothing but malice as he threw her a salute that was so filled with sarcasm that it was almost like a physical blow to her. She returned the salute and Malcolm turned around again.

"Goodnight, Lieutenant." He said, imbuing her rank with all the contempt that a human could muster. With that, he strode away into the darkness, away from Turquoise, who watched him go, her liquid green eyes intractable. As he passed the scale-covered mound that was his dragon, he made a waving motion on either side of his head with his hands, as if warding off a buzzing insect. Turquoise turned away from him, obviously offended and the knight strode out into the ruins. Karen sighed and walked back past the fire, towards where Twilight lay. His eyes were looking in the direction of Turquoise and the two dragons appeared to be carrying on a silent conversation that the knights were not invited to. As Karen sat down beside Twilight again, she heard his voice in her mind.

'That could have been handled better.' He commented, his voice without the emphasis of either criticism or sarcasm. 'Still, at least he took you at your word.'

'Indeed.' She replied, watching the dancing flames that were reflected in the violet eyes of her dragon while she stroked his neck with a hand affectionately. 'I don't want to talk about it right now anyway.' Twilight nodded in acceptance of her answer and fell silent for a few moments as Karen stared into the fire. She did not want her friendship with Malcolm to end, but she knew that she could not afford to have her orders disobeyed. If his insubordinate attitude persisted, she would have to request that he be transferred to another flight. Then, a moment later, Twilight's voice returned and she looked at him, silver eyes staring into violet.

'I almost forgot.' He said, a hint of mischief creeping into his mental voice. 'I have yet to give you a present to celebrate your promotion.' Karen smiled, and shook her head, for she could afford to show what she was truly feeling. Inside, where only Twilight could see, she was aching for him, trembling in desire for his embrace. Twilight flicked his eyes in the direction of a reasonably intact portion of ruins that was almost totally dark. Despite the fact that they were in the middle of a war zone, surrounded by death on all sides, she found herself desirous of what he was suggesting. With a calm grin, Twilight shifted into his hybrid form and walked off into the shadows beyond the fire, his dark scales vanishing almost instantly into the night...

***

Malcolm stormed off from the campfire and his friend, feelings of anger and betrayal fierce within him. At first, he headed for where Turquoise lay, and as he did so, he reached out with his mind toward her, wanting to hear and feel the same things from her. But, when their minds touched, he felt shock and disappointment there instead.

'I cannot believe you just said that!' Her voice said, speaking into his mind through their link. 'Malcolm, just because she does not share your feelings, does not make yours go away. You should apologize.'

'I don't need your opinion.' He snarled in reply, his tone so fierce that his mount drew back from the contact slightly. 'I thought you of all people would understand, but I guess I was wrong! Leave me alone!!' As he shouted this last sentence, he closed his mind to all contact, rebuffing her gentle mental touch, waving his hands through the air in irritation as if to brush away her contact like a strand of a spider's web.

Malcolm stomped off angrily for a few seconds, then he lashed out hard against a stone wall with his boot, kicking it again and again in rage. But, as this only served to hurt his toes, he growled at the obstinate wall and climbed a nearby pile of rubble, settling himself on the stone at its pinnacle. At last by himself, he sat alone with his thoughts. True, the survivors of the company that they were supporting were laying mere meters away, huddled in blankets for warmth, but they ignored the rider seated on the rubble, as he ignored them. His thoughts were all black, dark and brooding. Everyone was against him, it seemed. Even Turquoise, the dragon with whom he shared his deepest thoughts, had tried to tell him that he was wrong. Karen had refused him, had not even returned the slightest sliver of the feelings he felt for her. Her dragon, whom she was never separate from, was certainly against him as well. He watched them sit together, watched Karen stroke his neck affectionately, looking at each other and he seethed with envy and anger, thinking that they were probably laughing at him. A blind, unreasoning anger was steadily building to climax within him, fed by his dark thoughts, and with it came a surge of magic. He felt the urge to let loose with spells against those who were almost certainly conspiring against him.

He felt himself wavering, the words to the spell hovering on the tip of his tongue, about to be spoken aloud. And then, just when he almost gave into that urge, his mind rebelled. It was the magic itself speaking to him, warning him. If he used the power this way, he would be forever lost to himself. And worse, if he used the magic against another rider, the knighthood would certainly kill him for it. The anger began to cool somewhat, releasing him from its clutches slowly. No matter how angry he got, he still cared very deeply for Karen, for Turquoise and even Twilight. They, as well as the other members of his flight, were like a second family, and no matter the anger he felt, he would not raise his hand against them. He sighed, placing his chin in his hands, releasing the magic within along with the anger and looking down at the firelight once more. As he sat there watching Twilight and Karen, a sudden realization hit him, and it was so stark and obvious that it was like a bucket of ice water being thrown in his face. He had let his pride get the best of him. He had become so sure of himself, so vain and arrogant, that he had wanted, no, had expected Karen to automatically agree with his feelings. Turquoise had been right.

He sighed deeply and reached out to her slowly, softly, like a small animal approaching a mighty one. He touched her mind, and she allowed the contact, but he could feel the stoic coldness within her mind. He tried to find her eyes, but she had turned her pretty blue-green head away from him.

'Turquoise?" He asked, his voice regretful. 'I am sorry Turquoise. I don't know what I was thinking.' She still did not look his way, but he felt the cold towards him thaw a little. 'You were absolutely right. You know me better than I know myself, it would seem. I am sorry I acted that way, I had no right. I am sorry for what I said too. Please, I need your advice.'

'I accept your apology.' Came her reply, but her voice was still a little distant. 'Though Karen is the one you should be apologizing to.'

'I don't know if I could find the words.' He admitted, looking once more at Karen. He was surprised to see a transformed Twilight walk off into the darkness, with Karen watching him go. 'I didn't mean what I said.'

'I know that.' Turquoise admonished, 'But does she?' Both watched as Karen rose, stretched, and walked off in a different direction then her dragon. 'Go talk to her.'

'I will.' Malcolm said, coming to a decision in that instant. 'Thank you, old friend.'

'Any time.' She said and the knight rose, headed off towards the point where the new Lieutenant had left the fire light. He stared off into the darkness after her, but he knew he would not easily find her with his eyes, what with her dark clothing and raven hair. He reached deep instead, bringing his magic to the surface once more. He would track her by that means if he had too, to say what needed to be said. For long minutes, he wandered the ruins, following her path slowly, but soon, he was picking his way carefully through crumbled timbers and stones, headed for a dark corner of the ruins where no light fell. But as he approached the dark corner, his magic enhanced senses failed. He froze in place instantly out of instinct, for only a very powerful magician could block magic like that. He peered forward, straining his senses for any sign of hidden enemies. He could see nothing at first, but then, his ears caught a faint sound, the rustle of cloth as it is brushed by a hand. Then, as his eyes adapted to the full darkness, he could make out a strange apparition standing in the darkness ahead of him. It appeared to be humanoid in shape, or roughly so, and it was moving, but what it was doing did not seem to match anything in his experience. And then, the details of the image began to resolve themselves more clearly as his eyes finished adjusting and he concentrated, trying to make sense of the image he was seeing.

It appeared, at first glance to be a darkly scaled dragon in its hybrid form, but it was so oddly shaped, that he could not imagine what form it might have taken. But then, just as he realized it looked like two dragons in hybrid form, his eyes caught a faint gleam of metal from the inside of the figure. And then, like a lightning bolt searing his mind, he knew what he was seeing. Twilight and Karen were standing very close to each other in the shadows, but not just close, they were pressing against one another. The scale pattern of her jumpsuit had confused his eye into thinking that he was looking at a second dragon. Their arms were around each other, and it had been the sound of Twilight's claws trailing along her jumpsuit that he had heard. Her rank insignia had glimmered, reflecting some faint light, but all that was secondary. It was not a pose of the embrace of friends. Twilight was kissing her neck, his arms stroking her back and sides and the look on her face was one of pleasure and outright desire.

The implications of what Malcolm saw were so shocking that he could not react at first beyond staring at them in amazement. But then, as the pair began to kiss, their tongues twining together, he let out a tiny gasp of shock. It was barely any sound at all, barely a whisper of noise, but in that instant, the pair were aware of him. Instantly, they stepped apart, two pairs of hands glowing as magic flowed within them. So powerful was the surge of magic they called on that their eyes themselves were glowing, silver and violet. Out of fear, Malcolm turned back and tried to run, but he ran head long into a field of magic as hard as a stone wall, and yet it gave slightly, so it did not injure him. He frantically beat upon it with his fists for a moment, but it was much too powerful a spell for him to undo. He turned back towards Twilight and Karen once more, wishing suddenly that he had any defense. He knew he was no match for their magic alone and he looked on them with fear as they stood, hands glowing with magic and eyes blazing with anger...