Humans ran through the streets below, like ants in their worried circles, as they brought bucket chains ashore to douse homes preemptively. They’d seen the fires before.
Draenvir, for his part, summoned magic he seldom used and flew skyward, the light glow amassing clouds around him, thunder rumbling gently so far above. They’d lose light, but a rain would help if the fates permitted.
Move!The thunder of wings streaked above as Asha, his opalescent scales glittering, streaked by with a cracked barrel in his talons, leaking white powder in a steady stream. And wherever the dust hit, the fire flared, popped, and fizzled out, smothered as if choked to death.
Gather the mortar ash from the quarry!Asha’s dragon roared as he swooped a circle over the sea and went back inland.
The biproduct of manufacturing mortar from limestone left an acrid white powder behind that they used to amend soil and clean. It made an effective laundering powder, but Asha rained it down upon the oil, and it smothered it so efficiently. And with a rain, it’d be gone.
They flew back and forth, quelling the fires until something unsettling clenched Ghreid’s throat. His own fear and anxiety wasn’t alone, and his instincts screamed at him to find his mate at once. The roars and screams, as tiny and distant as they were, met his ears or soul somehow, and Ghreid flew.
He flew toward his home, aiming toward the cliff face where their bedroom overlooked.
Over the acrid stench of smoke, he detected blood, not his mate’s. Human blood. Food. Raw meat. Death. And the momenthis head penetrated the window and eyes settled on their nest, his entire world broke apart.
Smashed eggshells, strewn yolk, viscera…My young!
His dragon wailed inconsolably, and the only human left standing, marked by Varis’s claw, earned all the fire that Ghreid had left in him in a rush.
But even that wouldn’t abate his agony. He ate. He tore apart a human and Falustus joined him, seething in realization that his own pet had taken the life of his nephews. He snatched another body and flew off, met by one of his other brothers that joined him in filling their rapidly emptying bellies.
And until Varis broke the spell of his raw hatred and fury, led him to his eggs and promised him everything was okay, Ghreid swore he would die, end it himself, crush his own heart as punishment for allowing harm to come to his mate.
And in a moment of clarity, with Falustus leaving with the boy, Ghreid realized he’d struck at his mate and children’s savior. The sour taste of incense and smoke lingered sour on his tongue.
“I’m so sorry…” Ghreid, after dismissing Falustus, managed to croak out. His throat was raw and twisted from screaming.
Varis did all he knew to do and emptied the nest of debris and waste, taking the stained and sullied blankets to pile in the corner. What was left, he brought their eggs to, and together, they surrounded them and wept. Wept for what he might have done to the boy who saved his mate, wept for what might have happened, and wept for nothing. His emotions crashed down, and all they could do was cry together.
And until stone-faced family returned, Falustus and the priest missing, they sat in misery. Naked, half clothed, wreathed in filthy blankets, they gathered with two whimpering pups. Humans outside stomped out the last of the fire.
“How did you know about the mortar ash?” Ghreid turned his attention to Asha who, despite having two shivering children in his lap, hugged one of the eggs tight to his belly.
“Grew up in Tippen Valley. The whitestone was ornamental until the latter part of the war when they were cooking it down for plaster and mortar. The ash leftover we cleaned with, but when fire touches it, it steals the breath from fire. If fire cannot breathe, it dies.” Asha, woefully uneducated in matters of science, seemed to have a layman’s grasp of it.
“Genius.” Ghreid ran a hand through his filthy hair and blinked up, glancing about.
All of his brothers, save for Falustus, sat around him in his nest in varying states of undress, leaning against one another, huddled for family and fear. Emotions were high. Rath leaned into his mate and Asha soothed the egg, which he understood had some degree of fear and anxiety eking off them. Graylan, naked as well, sat off to the side as a hatchling approached him to nuzzle his ankle.
“Alright, I’ve seen enough penis for tonight!” Draenvir stood, blanket wrapped around himself.
Asha kept his gaze on the egg, firmly locked as his cheeks burned bright pink—such an innocent. Rath didn’t deserve him.
“I haven’t.” Varis cracked the first joke, earning confused glances as he gave a raised eyebrow to Slath, whoassuredlywould agree with him.
Slath’s upper lip curled. “I might agree, but five of these are my brothers’ penises.”
“You could look at mine if it makes you feel better?” Graylan tilted his head and earned a collective growl from protective brothers.
Slath glanced over in mock curiosity. “Eh.”
The growling stopped.
Galatan, who had been a silent, brooding force in the spectacle, spoke out. “You did good out there today, Graylan. You work well with Slath.”
Grumbles of agreement passed around.
“But you’re still a dirty old man.” Varis spoke this time, lacking much, if any of the details behind their union.
