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Keith stared at the robed woman who had silenced him many times in the past. In fact, he was silenced right now. He cleared his throat, but no sound came out; Keith wasn’t even sure if his neck had vibrated. A dark expression appeared on his face. All he did was say, “Hello. I see you’ve been domesticated as well,” upon seeing his companions. Why had he been silenced for saying a simple, true statement? It wasn’t right, and if he could speak, he would’ve definitely claimed his companion’s usage of the silence spell as an abuse of power.

“What happened to you guys?” Joseph asked. He stared at the group of mercenaries. Half of them had bloodstains covering their torn clothes. The fabric had been dyed reddish-brown from all the blood that had spilled, but strangely enough, not a single one of them had injuries on their bodies. Their eyes did seem a little empty though as if their souls had been struck by a wraith.

“We were educated by the mighty holy dragon,” the robed woman said. Her robes were tattered and covered in bloodstains. “After we were beaten to the brink of death, we were brought back to full health. Then, we were beaten again. I don’t know how long the cycle lasted; it could’ve been ten minutes or twenty years. It only ended after we were enlightened.”

“And now you’re here because…?” Joseph asked, taking a look at the ballistae that were being set up in strategic points in the surroundings of the farm. “Are you thinking of getting revenge on the dragon that beat you?”

The robed woman shook her head. “We’re here to help her shoot Grimmoldesser full of holes,” she said. “Apparently, even though the holy dragon is Grimmoldesser’s mother-in-law, she has a major grudge against him for stealing her daughter. I don’t know if she plans on killing Grimmoldesser or just teaching him a lesson.” She shuddered. “Either way, it’s not up to use to question the motives of the mighty matriarch. Asking questions only leads to beating and pain. Followers don’t have to be curious.”

Joseph stared into his companion’s dead-looking eyes. Although her eyes met his, it was like she was looking through him rather than at him. Joseph leaned to the side, observing the state of the rest of the mercenaries. “So…, you became followers of the holy dragon?”

The robed woman nodded. “My body has never been in better condition after becoming her follower.”

“Right,” Joseph said, his brow furrowing. “And where’s Mary? Was she beaten too?”

“Mary was the first to flee,” the robed woman said and shook her head. “She might not be capable of killing a dragon by herself, but she can certainly run from one that isn’t trying hard to catch her.”

Joseph scratched his head. His party and the mercenaries they hired were free from Mary now, but they had ended up in the paws of dragons instead. Luckily, it didn’t seem like the dragons intended on killing them. Unluckily, they were still at the mercy of dragons, and after this new group of brainwashed individuals attempted to shoot Grimmoldesser full of holes, who knew if they’d still be kept around to manage the dragons’ farm. Speaking of which, Joseph had no idea before now that dragons consumed so many grapes. Joseph watched as the mercenaries loaded the ballistae and got into position. “When is Grimmoldesser coming out?” he asked.

The robed woman shrugged. “I told the mighty matriarch we’d need at least an hour to set everything up. She promised us there’d be enough time, and after everything was in place, we should wait for him to come out. At the first hint of black scales, we’ll fire.”

***

“I told you so,” Gloria said, glancing at Ramon who was trudging forward with his head hanging low. “Didn’t I say you’d get in trouble?”

“I didn’t get in trouble,” Ramon said and snapped at his sister. “I only got scolded a little. Why didn’t you help me ask for food like I told you to?”

Gloria rolled her eyes. Ramon was the one that blabbed when their mom asked why he wanted to eat so early. Gloria hadn’t even been given a chance to speak! “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll go to the farm and get some grapes for you. With all the humans there, they should’ve gathered a whole lot. The last time Grandma Kondra and Grandma Gren fought, they only stopped because they bumped into Vur. Since Vur’s not here anymore, they should still fight for a while. There’ll be plenty of time to watch.”

Ramon made a face. “There’s only fruits at the farm,” he said. “When are we going to raise some bears? Even rabbits will do. Rabbits should be easy for humans to raise, right?”

Gloria shrugged. “It’s better to eat fruits and moonlight,” she said. “That way, our food doesn’t have to suffer.” She headed towards the exit of the palace, and despite his protests, Ramon followed her; after all, it was better to munch on grapes than to munch on nothing. At least they could quench his thirst.

“No wonder why they’re fighting,” Ramon said as he walked along the trail of mud that Kondra had trekked into the palace. He couldn’t help but glance at his sister who was wiping up the trail with her tail. “What are you doing?”

“Cleaning,” Gloria said. “Maybe if the mud is gone, they won’t fight anymore.”

Ramon’s head tilted to the side. “Don’t you want to watch them fight?”

“There isn’t much to see,” Gloria said. “They aren’t even fighting for real. Vur told me real fights involve meteors. When dragons bite and scratch, they’re only playfighting.” After sweeping the mud towards a wall with her tail, she stood on her hindlegs. She pressed one of the bricks with her front paw, and the wall slid downwards, revealing the exit cavern. Her tail brushed against the ground, shoving the mud outside. She patted it into the ground and blew some fire on it, baking the mud into place. When she was done, she nodded to herself and continued down the cavern towards the farm where her grapes were waiting.

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