The Conquest of Mytheyr
Chapter 7

It was fortunate that Morgan found a trade caravan headingtowards the desert. They were going to a trading town a good way into it, andthey invited her to travel with them, provided that she entertain their youngones. Morgan agreed to travel to the town with them, though she told themlittle of her business.

“Don’t tell us nothing, lass.” Thehead of the caravan had said, “With that fell pretender in the castle, the lesswe know the safer for us.”

“Agreed. But perhaps you could help me with a disguise?”Morgan asked.

“Aye. We can replace something.”

So that’show Morgan ended up in Dark Elven desert garb, a loose tan shirt and pants, anda long, wide strip of brown cloth that wrapped around her head and shoulders. Underneath,she wore her dragon scale tunic, and she bound her wings so they were kept flatagainst her back. She also kept her own boots, as they were so plain and genericthey could probably fit into any world or time period. She used a glamour tomake her skin appear gray.

“There werefifteen of us, and each of us had brought a dragon. We had just survived thebattle I told you about last night.” Morgan told the enraptured children, andto a few adults who were listening in.

“The one with the wraiths?” one child asked.

“Oh, aye. There were three wraiths; all mounted on these…mockeries of wyverns. We were in the air, trying to keep them away from thehuman troops. We were fifteen Dragonkin Elves on a battlefield of Men, and theonly other Fey was Tyrus, the Wood Elf and Orson, the Dwarf. The battle wasfinished. Their army retreated, well, it was more of a rout actually. We onlysaw two of the wraiths flying away. All the dragons touched the ground. Do you,little one, know what the Dragonkin do after every battle?” Morgan turned to ayoung white-haired boy.

“No, miss,I don’t know.” The boy said, shyly.

“How old are you?” she asked the boy.

“Thirty…. six! No, thirty-seven now. My birthday was a monthago.” (That’s about six in human terms.)

“What do they do after battle?” An older girl interrupted.

“They call each other’s names.” Morgan said, “Kind of like aroll call. You yell for your friends until you hear them answer. We all soonfound each other, calling the ones who were unaccounted for until we foundthem. But… there were fifteen dragons… and only fourteen elves. One wasmissing.”

“Who!?” exclaimed the older girl,“Who was missing, Sil?” Morgan was going by her favorite alias, Sil, since shedidn’t want to put the families in the caravan in any more danger then theywere already in.

“The one who was missing… was none other then the queen!”Morgan exclaimed. The children gasped. “We kept calling her, but there was noanswer. The dragons started trying to sniff her out. I don’t know how Tyrusfound out we were looking, but he found her first, unconscious and trappedunder the mount of the third wraith. She had killed it, the wraith I mean, notjust it’s mount, and was now poisoned for her trouble. Tyrus carried her to thecity.”

“Was she alright?” the youngest boy asked.

“Oh, yes.” Morgan assured him, “She was back on her feet ina week. Sometimes wraith poison takes months to heal.”

“Have you ever been poisoned by awraith?” one of the adults listening in asked.

“Aye. Not pleasant.” Morgan nodded.

“Miss Sil,” started the older girlhesitantly, “if the Queen loved Tyrus so much, why’d he go away after the war?Why didn’t he stay with her?” Morgan couldn’t remember saying the Queen, or,let’s just be honest, she loved Tyrus. Well, it was true, but when did she sayit? Ah, it was an innocent enough question.

“Well, she loved Tyrus, but he didn’t feel the same way.Yeah, he loved her, but in a brotherly way. So she let him go, and they partedas friends. Besides, he didn’t leave forever. He’s a Mahero, and his home is inIrideth. Well, he actually lives in Zore, but you get what I mean.”

“Does the Queen still love him?” the girl pressed.

“Why so nosy?” Morgan asked. “Of course she does, as asister loves a brother. I told you, she let him go. Now, if you’ll excuse me,I’m going to sleep.”

“Aww…” thechildren groaned in unison. Morgan clambered onto the roof of one of thecarriages, and slept under the stars.