“What are you doing?” I rushed into the room when I saw Raven lift a hand coated in flames.
The Dragon King paused, turning to look at me. He stood in the center of the glass cases, moths and their babies to either side of him. I had gone looking for him to ask if he would meet Sevarin's demands. Thank the Gods, I had found him in time.
“I'm destroying the moths,” Raven said as if it were obvious.
“Yes, I see that. Don't!” I slipped between him and the cases on the right.
His face creased into a scowl. “Why not?”
“They're just insects.”
“Precisely.”
“No, I mean, there is no evil inherent in them.” I waved a hand at the white emperor moths.
“They feed on flesh.”
“So do I. So do you.”
The Dragon King blinked. “Yes, but we're not insects.”
“So, it's all right for us, but not for them because we're bigger?” I shook my head. “They exist for a reason. It's not their fault that Bara found a nefarious use for them. Besides, these are not all the emperor moths in existence. Are you going on a rampage to exterminate all white emperor moths simply because some asshole used them to do horrible things?”
Raven nodded. “I see your point. I just thought it would be best to dispose of these since they've fed on flesh.”
“Dispose of the discarded cocoons, but release these innocent insects.”
The Dragon King chuckled and shook his head.
“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Insects. You're defending insects. It's adorable.”
I sighed and released my arms. “I can't stand to see anything innocent pay the price for Bara's cruelty.”
“And Nahel's.”
“Yes, and Nahel's.” I paused. “Speaking of which. I may have found someone to heal the Okon warriors.”
“What? Here? You found someone in the fortress? A captive?”
“Yes. He's an alchemist.”
“An alchemist. Nahel had an alchemist here and didn't know it?”
I shrugged. “I don't think he cared what his captives did for a living. Although I'm surprised that Nahel didn't take an interest in Sevarin. He's a Volper.”
“A Volper? From Sconheit?”
I nodded. “He came here looking for ingredients for his project.”
“A project, eh? That sounds awfully close to an experiment.” Raven rolled his eyes.
“It will take someone willing to experiment to help those Okons.”
“And he's willing to help the men who held him captive?”
I chuckled. “For a price. He wants you to get him the ingredients he was here looking for. That's just for trying to help them. Then, if he's successful, he wants three silvers for each man he saves.”
