Raina looked up at Toragon. "He would not scheme without you, would he? You are the reason he won."

Toragon shrugged "He is the lord of this realm, he will do as he pleases. He has no one to reign him in that i know of. He knows though that i or most of the army are in no place to march to war. He will summon me when he has need"

"The elves do not properly appreciate the dragons, I think," Raina said quietly. "I waited my entire life and after to see a dragon."

He smiled "I do not think there is one who respects or understands Dragons more than Lomien. He fought with us, he's fought against renegade Dragons. In fact he's gone so far as to bond with one. That being said he knows i rarely partake in the worlds' quarrels"

"What I would give to not take part in the world's quarrels," Raina said. "Lomien is a good man..." There was a but to that statement, but Raina kept it in her head.

"And?" Toragon asked inquisitively

"And he seems to be distracted recently." Raina shrugged. "More so than normal."

"In what way has he seemed distracted? I know Areli's return has given him something to think about. Is that it?"

"Is that it? I am not sure." Raina ran her hand up her other arm, looking at Toragon.

"She's an old friend and i think they where romantically attracted to each other back before she dissappeared anyways...someone like that all of a sudden showing up in the middle of a armed conflict can be quite offsetting"

"Kind of like..." Riana trailed off. She was about to say 'you and Lire' but decided against it.

"Like what?" he was hesitant to ask

"Nothing," Raina said, smiling at him suddenly. "Forget it. So, why do you not live up with the other dragons?"

"It is something i chose not to, despite my standing many have ostracized me for the wars and divisions that run rampant. Those i would have considered my friends are now dead, either slain or having grown weary of this world and surrendered their lives" his voice sounded heavy

Raina looked at him. "They would ostracize you for your choice to defend the home they now claim?"

"For enforcing a peace between the Dragons and the other races. Well before this war began the Dragons sought genocide on many of the races they veiwed as worthless" he cut himself off "Needless to say a grudge dies hard"

"That I know is all too true," Raina said with a sigh. "I still do not understand all of this, though."

"What don't you understand?" he asked quietly

"The Sirens have no central alliance of any sort. We just sort of either stay on the island, side with someone, or avoid battle all together. We have no sense of togetherness apart from the sisterhood we all feel. Most refuse to kill another Siren or work with a person who has killed a sister. Dragon society confuses me."

"There are the elders as you know, and then each element has its' own heirarchy and sociatal tendancies. In essance each element is as good as its' own race. The Elders where intended as a unifying bridge of the oldest Dragon from each caste.....but that has fallen apart now, what i wouldn't give fore things to change and settle down" he sighed shaking his head. The approached a walled off mansion, he knocked once at the gate before entering.

"Then the elders...do not breed? How do new elders get made?" Raina was trying to put it all together in her head, but it just wasn't working.

He smiled holding the gate open "It is a very rare thing, but in answer to your question we do breed, not with each other but we do" he shook himself free of a memory "An Elder Dragon is in fact a race seperate from the other Dragons and yet not entirely so. There used to be many different races of Dragon, namely the Sun Dragons and the Moon Dragons. The Moon Dragons are what you see now. An Elder is one who is a descendant of the Star Dragons, he or she bears their blood. Meaning three things must happen. First both parents must carry traces of Sun Dragon lineage, secound the offspring must be a master at their element, and third they must preform an act that warrents the existing councils' attention"

Raina moved through the gate, looking back at Toragon. "What kind of traces of Sun Dragon lineage can a non-dragon have?" she asked, her mind more confused now.

"The Sun Dragons where destroyed many centuries ago when they went to war with the four Chaos gods. They thought they and they alone could defeat them, they very nearly did. Some of the Sun Dragons gifted with for-sight saw this path as a potential outcome of their war, so they chose mates from the younger Dragon races. One of the gods, the god of deciet and avarice tricked the remaining Sun Dragons into a civil war and thus undid what they could have otherwise acheived" he paused "The war claimed all except my mother, who entrusted me to the leader of the lesser Dragons"

"So you are the last of your kind?" Raina asked, somewhat sad.

"Yes and no, it's somewhat complicated actually because the Sun Dragons are merely the first born of the Dragon race, but in answer to your question no i am not. The other elder Dragons are also Sun Dragon" a note of sadness at mentioning his fellows touched his voice





Lomien shook his head "I will not render the old realm a combustable wasteland"

"Why not? The old realm would turn to decomposing rot an ruin. The remains would serve as fuel for you to remake it entirely!"

Areli shook her head, shocked. "All? Even the animals? The plants?" With her connection to the forests, it seemed unreal.

"Everything with a beating heart. It wouldn't even affect the entire old realm. It has a limited radius and dies out almost immidiately after the host is dead"

"Foolish plan." Areli shook her head again. "They will become undead. Undead like Sirens are undead, or like..." She shivered, not wanting to speak of vampires.

The Deamon gave her a hungry look "No, as i said their entire body dissolves into nothing, but it is flammable"

"Everything is already flammable," Areli said. "This would kill everything."

"That is the point" The Deamon smiled "Anything with a heart beat within a fourhundred mile radius of Yvresse would die. Plants and animals would live though"

"Animals have a heartbeat!" Areli said loudly. She turned, having heard enough from the deamon.

"I will not use it" Lomien said firmly "And i don't even want to know your price for it" The Deamon dissapeared.

Areli turned and looked at Lomien. "Thank you," she said shakily.

He looked troubled "Your welcome" a thousand thoughts and questions raced through his mind

Areli sat down. "I do not want you to make decisions based off of me."

"Areli, i may want to win this war but i will not turn the entire mainland into a mass grave most of whom have nothing to do with this war"

"They will, given time," Areli said sadly.

"What?..no, Toragon i know wouldn't, and nobody here would either when they realized just what that would do to the world"

"If Ullari got his hands on it?" Areli asked, keeping her voice even.

"They have their own weapon they could use, not that they would because i think they already know i have turned down the offer but still have access to it" he said slowly, looking at the sealed container "Guards, get this out of my sight" four men came in to remove it "I won't use it, and unless Ullari has changed then he won't resort to such measures"

"Lomien, I know he is your brother, but look at all he has done already. Do you even want to take the chance that he might get his hands on such a weapon?"

"Which is why i am keeping it here, Ullari knows i have it and won't use it. I think it will serve as a deterent for the time being" even then he sounded unsure of himself "Though quite honestly i wish i had another alternative"

"There is one other alternative," Areli said, her voice quivering. "You could entrust it to me."

He raised an eyebrow at her "I could do that, but whatever would you want a contagion such as that for?"

"I could...send it to a realm no one but I have access to," Areli said quietly.

He thought for a moment "Let me think it over"

Areli nodded and continued perusing her diary.

He sighed "Just don't hurt yourself ok? I lost you once, and i don't intend to again"

Areli looked up at him again. "I will not go anywhere."

"I know you won't, but will it hurt you in doing so?"

Areli nodded. "Only slightly. I must have contact with the forests to truly be one with the guardians." She sighed. "But a plant, any plant, will do the same in a bind."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I should go walking to the forests here, to properly commune with the guardians of the forest, however, if I am not allowed to leave, the gardens will do for now."

"Areli you are not a prisoner, of course you are free to go" he sighed "I will have the poison brought up to"

"I do not wish to cause you trouble by disappearing again," Areli said, closing her journal and giving him her full attention.

He smiled "I know that you are alive Areli, and like i said you are not a prisoner here. You are free to come and go as you wish, though the asking is much appreciated" he finished with a slight laugh

Areli smiled again and nodded. "I am grateful you did not forget me in the time I was gone."