Goodbye

The Rurachi leaned against Akyoth's side with a sigh, "I'm beginning to think we'll never find him, Akyoth." She confided, "We've been here six years and all we've managed to find are extremely pompous people who like to throw fireballs when they're angry. For all we know, this telepath of yours is just as much of a nutcase."

The dragon rumbled low in her throat, He wasn't a nutcase when I heard him. Scared, yes, but not crazy. Though he may have become that by now.

"Are you even sure you heard him?" The woman growled, "Maybe it's all in you're head. Maybe you're a nutcase. Maybe we moved here for no reason... or you just wanted to chase monkeys."

Yenren aren't monkeys. Besides, we figured out what made them come so far south and fixed it. Akyoth pointed out, nudging her rider, I know I heard him.

"I don't know if I can keep doing this, Aky." She muttered, "Those mages are driving me insane. I mean, it's one thing to save one kid... but now we've saved just about every freak on this planet except the one we came to save. And they're giving me a headache."

I can throw fire too. Akyoth remarked.

"What was the point of saving them if we just turn around and kill them ourselves?" She growled.

Fair point. Akyoth murmured, I don't know, mine. My children are doing their best to search but this is a large planet.

"Too bad he wasn't dumped on the old gryphon site like the ones from Aere. That would've been too easy." The Rurachi sighed.

Why are you so sad, mine? You like it here, don't you? Akyoth nudged her again.

"I'm not sure anymore. I kind of miss just fighting mindless things and only dealing with a bunch of old men who liked to hide under rocks when strings fell from the sky." She admitted.

Boring. I thought I chose someone with ambition as my rider. The bronze grumbled, And now you're caving at the first sign of opposition.

Her rider scowled, "I'd like to see you deal with this better. You haven't had Ham'rath threaten to light your bed on fire yet."

I'd just light him on fire. The dragon smirked.

"That may be why I was appointed leader and not you." The Rurachi remarked, standing up.

It cheered you up. Her dragon bobbed her head, What are you going to go do?

"Tell Ham'rath to stuff it, obviously." She grinned, "I highly doubt he can rouse all the mages to act against us."

What about his demands for a hiatus? Akyoth reminded her.

"I think our sands could use a break anyway after that huge hatching." The Rurachi shrugged, "It's only temporary, we'll open back up to outsiders once we sort our our... internal issues."

***

"We demand that you leave." The man demanded, crossing his arms and scowling at the Rurachi.

Shayniie sighed and barely glanced up from her notes, "Again, Ham'rath? Don't you ever get bored of failing to take over?"

"This time I will not fail!" He snapped, his gray eyes darting nervously to the door when the Rurahu entered.

"Oh, hello Ham'rath. Being an ungrateful pest again?" Mai'nx said cheerily, walking to join his wife.

The mage looked extremely flustered, the Rurachi noted with a half-hidden grin. Six years ago, he had been just as arrogant and just as stupid. She just wished he would get bored like a normal person.

"Leave, or we will make you." Ham'rath snarled.

He had two other mages with him. His cronies, they knew, though their motives were uncertain. Most of the other mages refused to acknowledge Ham'rath as their leader, but he seemed to think he was speaking for all of them.

"Listen, Ham'rath. Most of the other mages don't think you're their leader. Why are you threatening us when you don't have enough power to back it up?" Mai'nx asked.

"You are aware that we live on what was once a volcano, correct?" Ham'rath asked casually, almost too casually for the amount of hatred in his eyes.

"Oh hell no." The Rurachi snarled.

"Oh yes." The mage grinned.

"Get out." The Rurahu commanded. "Get out or I swear I will feed you to Facinarose or Delsie or Asmaveth."

The mage grinned and backed towards the door, "Not so tough now, are you?"

"You're an idiot." The Rurahu snapped and bodily shoved the three mages out.

The Rurachi closed her eyes, "Akyoth, can you get Carara and Gravo for me?"

Already on their way to check. The bronze responded, They seem concerned.

"You mean this might be true?" She demanded.

Mai'nx sat on the edge of the desk, "The other two mages with him. Mirriytla recognized them as the strongest earth shapers of the lot."

Carara says they've opened up a new channel to the old lava bed. Gravo adds that the heat down there is excruciating. It's quite likely... Akyoth trailed off.

The Rurachi sighed angrily, "Find Kishyth, ask her how Semmal's construction is going."

"You want to evacuate." Mai'nx stated, touching her shoulder in support.

"We have to. We can't stay on what is now quite likely an active volcano with a cork on top of it." His wife sighed.

Kishyth says that they can only take some of us. Akyoth responded with disappointment in her voice.

"Only some of us..." The Rurachi murmured.

"Shintaru Weyrhold might be able to take some of us." Mai'nx responded.

"We can stick the mages in a bunch of tents at the sea-side site." She growled, "That'd be satisfying. We should have some hides or synthetics lying around. Worst comes to worst, we make the mages make them themselves."

"Itucith says they have room for quite a few, but warns that it's an Interval and they might get bored." Mai'nx told her, "I say we only send Pernese ones back there, if we can."

"Mat and Aendra can lead that group then. I'm sure the pirates will be happy to get their boat back." The Rurachi sighed, "The stranger ones I guess we'll take with us to Semmal's thing, or they can bunker down with Nydohanyth in his jungle camp until extra rooms are built."

Mai'nx looked at her in surprise, "It sounds almost as if you've been planning for this."

She met his eyes uneasily, "I had to make sure people knew what to do in case something happened. I mean, six years of death threats kind of gets to you." She looked down.

You were worried about that pompous wherry? Akyoth sounded surprised, I could have squished him for you, mine.

"Thanks Aky, but no. I had to do this... properly." The Rurachi shrugged, "He gets what he wants this way. All those who don't want to be near us can go to the old site."

Mai'nx looked like he wanted to protest, "Mirriytla is dividing the force as we speak." He said instead, "By the evening every dragon will know its options. Tomorrow morning, everyone is to inform us of their decision."

Carara and Gravo say we have at most a week. Akyoth informed her bond.

"Tell them they have to be gone in three days, just to be safe." The Rurachi responded, "We don't want to lose anyone."

Mai'nx gently rubbed her shoulders, "They'll take of the rest for tonight, love." He murmured.

She smiled up at him, "One more thing. Aky?"

Yes? The dragon responded immediately.

"Tell Facinarose to go find Ham'rath and keep him under lock and key for blowing our home up. Accuse him of terrorism if he whines too much." The woman scowled, "I hate to do it, but he's annoyed me enough."

She could hear her dragon's smirk, About time! Even the hydras hate him.

***

It took fifteen days for Ham'rath's meddling to take effect. Everyone had enough time to move all of their valuables and most of their knick-knacks. The Avengaean pair constantly reported on the state of the volcano and numerous dragons took their turns on watch duty to order an immediate evacuation. Unfortunately, in her haste to get the rest of the old paper records Semmal managed to burn most of the last hatching.

On the day of the explosion, most of the dragons, gryphons and hydras that had called E.S.D. their home took to the skies at a safe distance. A very angry Facinarose carried Ham'rath to witness his destruction, after making various oaths not to throw him into the inferno. The few that had been born on E.S.D.'s very sands watched their birthplace ripple, then expand outwards with an explosive force. Those that had founded it and helped build it were most crushed by its destruction.

The Rurachi held tight to her dragon's neck, "And so it ends." She murmured. "I never thought he'd blow it up. I thought no matter what happened, we'd always be able to come back and visit it."

It's just a mountain, mine. Akyoth responded, Our mountain, sure, and the birthplace of our children... but just a mountain. All our people are fine.

"They're not our people anymore." Shayniie responded with a sigh.

Some have been asking what Coreithel Keckorben plans to do next. You're still their leader, as far as they're concerned. Her dragon chuckled, I like that name for you.

"Themaich has been calling me that for years." The Rurachi grinned, "Maybe I should change it."

A new name for a new beginning. The bronze smirked, Just promise me we won't go deal with men who hide under rocks and only fight string. We can go help, but that would be insufferably boring.

"Oh, I don't plan to go back there." The human smiled, "As far as the World Council is convinced, the country of Enzan Shi has just changed capitals."

To what? Akyoth asked.

"Whatever Semmal's place is going to be called. I'm convinced that it won't be called "Semmal's Underground Lab of Awesome" forever." She shrugged, "And whatever the mages decide to call their place will still be under our jurisdiction. I mean, they're our refugees after all."

The dragon snorted, Can I tell Facinarose to eat Ham'rath if we're going to keep protecting the mages?

The Rurachi laughed.

And so ends the chapter of E.S.D.