Epilogue
Rowe
“What is your conclusion then?”
He looked up around him. The Council of Elders was seated in full, all ten members, one from each of the races of dragons.
Crimson, Onyx, Ice, Emerald, Azure, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Brass, and Copper. The eldest of each race, it was this group that would decide the future of dragon kind.
And they would do so based on Rowe’s opinion. No pressure.
“I believe that based upon my interactions with the other dragons and the humans, that the threat they claim to face is…” he paused, partially for breath, partially for dramatic effect, and partially because he was scared out of his mind to commit to this course.
“Yes, go on,” Darrnom, the gold dragon and eldest of all dragons urged.
“This is real,” he said at last. “The Outsiders are real. The world is in grave danger, and though human technology is coming along swiftly, they will need time before they can develop enough of it. In the meantime, mated dragons are the only answer to the threat of the Outsiders.” He looked around at the other members, one by one. “We cannot stay hidden like this forever. If the Outsiders come, they will find us, and if they aren’t contained, their numbers will be too great. We should combine our forces with those the human military already has, including their awakened dragons.”
“You realize you are putting our entire species at risk.” That was Camareene, the azure dragon.
“We are already at risk, ma’am,” he said respectfully. “This is the right thing to do. We need to get involved. They have nine dragons. Twelve, since my patrol will be staying to fight with them regardless of what the council decides. Twelve dragons, against a horde of hundreds. We will do what we can, for as long as we can, but it won’t be enough.”
The elders fell silent, contemplating his words.
A dragon with scales of brilliant silver spoke next. “You feel strongly enough about this that you wish to stay? You, Rowe, who argued the loudest against being sent in the first place?”
He looked down, ashamed now of the things he had once said.
“It may be because I am younger. But in all truthfulness, I have found a certain enjoyment from living among humans that I never found here in the enclave. I don’t say that to mean I dislike being here, but simply that each has its merits. The humans are a race with good and evil, just like we are.”
The council shifted uneasily at the mention of the other dragons. Their evil cousins had resurfaced a few decades before, and were rumored to be causing trouble, though he had yet to hear anything about it. The shadow dragons and their allies were not his problem, he’d been told.
“You speak passionately about the humans.” The crimson representative glared at him balefully. He was stringently against getting involved, and had even argued against sending Rowe’s mission in the first place.
He was also an asshole.
“I found my mate among them. My true mate,” he said forcefully, so that they would know what he meant. “Both the other members of my patrol did as well.”
That wasn’t news, but hearing it spoken aloud still had an impactful effect.
“Please wait while we discuss this,” Darrnom asked, gesturing with a wave of his wingtip.
Rowe nodded and launched himself into the air a good distance away, while the dragons talked quietly among themselves. He settled in, knowing this could take a long time, curling up around himself, preparing to sleep. Hopefully they could figure this out inside a week.
“Rowe.”
He jerked. It had been barely twenty minutes. They must need more information.
Lifting off, he glided back over to their platform inside the mountain stronghold that was the enclave’s home. “Yes?”
Darrnom lifted his head above the others. Crimson, azure and brass dragons stared at the eldest dragon with malevolent hatred.
“We have spoken, and took a vote.”
He blinked. Holy shit, they were taking this seriously if they were moving that fast. Breath caught in his throat as he waited for the announcement.
“You spoke passionately, and you spoke intelligently. Your opinions are well formed, and your analysis excellent. You should be proud of yourself, Rowe. Although we are not in complete agreement, the matter has been decided. The humans shall have the full weight of our forces when the time comes.”
YES!
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This concludes Dragon Craving, Emerald Dragons Book 3.
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