It wasn’t snowing so hard that they couldn’t see, but it made visibility low, only adding to Taekwoon’s worry. Talk to me, he urged his dragon, staying as flat as he could to try and avoid the worst of the wind.

            The new white has mate. Mine following, he promised, head turning from side to side as he listened to the low calls rumbling around them. He opened his mouth and bellowed something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Report!’ the sound vibrating through the dragon’s body and into Taekwoon.

            Who was the new white dragon? Chaerin’s group?

            Priest’s, Jonghyun clarified distractedly.

            Taekwoon’s nostrils flared and he stared harder, feeling his dragon half come to the fore with little effort. Dragon eyes cut through the veil of white between them, helping him to see just a bit more. The white dragon... another blue… and a bronze. What’s happening, Jong? He got the general gist, but he didn’t know the why. Not that it mattered, but he needed to talk or something to help keep him from panicking.

            Dragons not listening. They won’t answer. Can’t hear from the others, but mate says he will get yours back, he promised, redoubling his efforts to make up for lost time.

            With a glance back, Taekwoon confirmed there were a handful of dragons at their backs, but few had riders. Friends or foes? he asked, just to make sure.

            Friends.

            Good. Go for Jinki, he commanded, a desperate need filling him to get his other half back safely. He felt Jonghyun’s understanding and the shift in their flight pattern, but they both flinched when the dragons peeled off, splitting into different directions and aiming higher. “Shards!” Taekwoon scowled, head swiveling from side to side. What were they up to?

            Jonghyun’s disgusted feeling of frustration was impossible to miss. White is faster…

            Try harder, he answered immediately, knowing it wasn’t fair.

            Am. He actually slowed for a heartbeat and sighed. Trust mate. He will do this, he promised before turning to look at the blue. Fei was desperately chasing it, but making no progress, and they were the closest to them. Can catch blue, he hissed, muscles bunching under him already.

            Fear and uncertainty gnawed at the rider as he watched Jongup catching up bit by bit. It pained him they couldn’t join that flight, but they had other battles to wage as well. Go Jong! he urged, holding tight as he focused on his new target. It didn’t take him long to remember they were gaining on Ken, Wonshik’s dragon. The rider did not appear to be on the dragon but he was very much carrying someone… Had to be Chaerin with the way Fei was trying to catch up, but the gold was not meant for sprinting speeds. Neither was Jonghyun but he had moons of training under him to help make up for it.

            Fei gave a desperate sounding cry as she continued to fall back. Taekwoon looked over at her when they drew abreast and nodded before they started pulling ahead. Bahamut, it was cold though. The wind bit through his riding leathers like sharp fangs and he could already feel his fingers starting to go numb. And they were only going up too, which meant it was going to get colder. But they were gaining all the same. The dragon’s head peered back briefly and unless Taekwoon was mistaken, he actually looked a bit surprised.

            The blue banked up sharply, almost flying straight up. Taekwoon hugged tight as they mirrored the pattern, feeling gravity and wind pulling at him dangerously. He might have said something except in the next moment he noticed something falling at them quickly. He just didn’t see it immediately because he was focused on the blue.

            Rider!

            Catch her! Taekwoon shouted, belly clenching when Jonghyun leveled out and then started flying after Chaerin when she fell past them. They’d learned not to try and catch anyone in free fall directly, and then it was a race. They had to reach her before Fei tried to catch her from the other direction.

            Jonghyun called out to her with a roar and she roared back. The hair on the back of Taekwoon’s neck prickled and he looked back just in time to see the blue swooping down on them.

            Roll!

            Marks of practice and relying on each other allowed Jonghyun to do as asked without question. It was the only thing that kept a lone claw from snatching him up. It did not save him from being knocked off, however. Ken’s grab missed and hit him with the side of his claw instead, sending him tumbling from Jonghyun’s back.

            Cold air sliced at open patches of skin, burning his face. Jong!

            Watch out for gold!

            Shards… he cringed reactively, flailing to try and find where Fei was. Oh- there.

            She tried to catch him reactively and missed with her claws though he careened into her larger body and bounced off. Stunned again, he went ragdoll and his body tumbled in the air as he blinked hard to try and center himself. Coming around just enough, he flailed frantically and righted his body, squinting against the wind burn in his eyes. The ground wasn’t too close yet. The gold was above him and trying to make up for her miss. He didn’t see the blue and Jonghyun said he was just above with Chaerin.

            Little help… he trailed off.

            Coming, he promised quickly, wings flapping hard when Taekwoon looked up to see.

            “Oh come on…” he grimaced as the blue reappeared in his periphery, almost as if he was pacing himself beside Fei. Maybe he was, for it didn’t seem as if Ken was focusing on Taekwoon. The blue said something to her that Taekwoon couldn’t catch but then she stopped chasing him and lunged for the other dragon.

            Rider!

            He didn’t know if it was a warning or an outraged cry but his world shifted again when an entirely different dragon appeared, plucking him out of the air with firm but careful pressure. Strong claws pressed him against warm, bronze skin and Taekwoon flattened himself against the body heat, shivering and soaking up as much as he could. Who?

            Gunwoo, his dragon answered, soothing Taekwoon’s worry.

            Jinki?

            Safe. Mate has and taking back now.

            Fei?

            She is alright. More dragons arriving to help.

            What about the other bronze dragon?

            Unsure, Jonghyun mumbled, drawing abreast of the bronze carrying him so he could see Taekwoon eye to eye.

            You okay? he finally asked his dragon now that his mind was catching up with everything that had happened.

            Better than you, came the almost playful reply, only it was actually serious this time.

            Chaerin?

            Jonghyun’s neck bent so he could look at the woman in his claws from an upside down vantage before answering. Sleeping but alive.

            Good. You’re sure Jinki’s alright? he asked again, turning to look as if in doing so he could find his other half.

            Promise.

            It wasn’t enough for Taekwoon but it would do for the moment. He could still feel the panic in his chest at not knowing what was happening or if he was alright. It was entirely different from the panic he felt when falling. More biting, sharper. And beyond all of that, he had no idea why it had happened. He was going to need answers when they got back. It couldn’t have been just random and if someone had orchestrated it, that changed everything about what they were hoping to get ready for. Forces on the outside were easy. Forces on the inside… not so much.

            The Aerie was full of panicky, confused energy when they finally returned. All the Healers were present and waiting to assess damages and treat people and dragons as needed. A paler than usual Satoru was also there standing surprisingly close to Eric. Dragons and riders patrolled the skies alertly, searching for any signs of danger and most of the residents had been ushered indoors for their safety.

            Taekwoon brushed off any immediate concerns as he stumbled to Jinki first and foremost. His other half was unconscious but didn’t seem to be particularly hurt and was already being attended by Himchan. He was, however, very pale and cold.

            “He has no obvious injuries,” Himchan assured him with a quick glance to the side. “It’s likely he’s just suffering from shock and cold sickness at the moment. We’re fortunate, sort of…” he amended, “that there were so few riders who went into the air.” He finished his statement by looking up to check and see if there were any others that had come in when he wasn’t looking. “I’ll bet that Chaerin is in a similar state,” he mused as he sighted on the downed woman being attended by Henry.

            When Taekwoon followed his gaze and saw her, Chaerin did seem to be in a similar state. But then she was blocked from his sight by Insoo coming to check on him. “Couldn’t get ready in time so some of us sent our dragons on ahead. Glad Woo found you,” he breathed in obvious relief, now in full riding gear that he didn’t need.

            “It was a good catch,” he whispered, raising one hand to take Insoo’s gratefully. They’d practiced it often enough that his wing at least knew what they were doing. “Do we know what happened?”

            Insoo shook his head with a frown marring his face. “We’re still putting the pieces together. Everything was fine until it wasn’t and then those three just… moved,” he explained as if watching a memory play out again. “It was the strangest thing. I swear they were fine one moment and the next, they all just… grabbed someone and took to the skies.”

            “I saw Jinki and Chaerin. Who was the third?” he asked, glancing around to try and find them.

            “That priest, Junsu,” Insoo answered, chewing on his lip. “I’ve no idea why though.”

            “We haven’t seen him yet. Who’s trailing him in the sky?” Himchan asked, glancing between the riders.

            Taekwoon shrugged automatically since he didn’t know, but Insoo had a better idea. “Probably Jiho and N. Those two are never far apart and I’m pretty sure he was on wall duty today.”

            “Anyone else?” Taekwoon asked, remembering how the dragons had acted. He was fortunate there had been more than Jonghyun as they might not have gotten away so easy otherwise.

            Would have been fine, Jonghyun muttered in the back of his mind.

            So you say, Taekwoon responded with the ghost of a smile. He could be right but they wouldn’t know at this point and he’d rather be on the safer side.

            Insoo looked around as he tried to answer the question. “I know Junho got off the ground without Wooyoung, but I’m pretty sure Taeyeon managed to follow on Seohyun. Jungkook and V are in the air now. As are Jinyoung and JB.”

            “Good to know. And thanks,” Taekwoon murmured, turning his attention back to Jinki since he hadn’t been shooed away yet.

            “Of course,” his Wing Leader flashed a quick but weary grin. “It’s what we do.”

            “And what you should do is go check on your dragon so Master Hyesung has less work to tackle. He really should choose a trainee,” he sighed under his breath with a glance to the side, the comment obviously not for their ears but unmistakable all the same.

            They followed his gaze and winced at the same time. There was a white dragon nearby and a young woman crying over him. Oh no… That was Jiyeon. “Will do, Healer Himchan,” Insoo nodded with a depressed shrug before he stepped away.

            Taekwoon watched him go before he focused on what else was happening with the dragons nearby. Jonghyun and Jongup weren’t far, fortunately. Hyesung was looking over all of them quickly and since those two weren’t particularly injured, he was largely ignoring them. They didn’t seem to mind. Fei appeared to have a pretty nasty claw wound on her side that needed more immediate attention and the blue was injured but unconscious. It was easy to see he was alive by the misting air escaping from his nostrils. Still… he couldn’t help but look back at the white dragon. Taemin was it?

            Crashed, his dragon explained without being asked.

            Jongup? he wondered, figuring the blue might take such a thing fairly hard.

            Fortunately, or not, Jonghyun shook his figurative head. No. Krystal.

            Jongin’s dragon? When did she get there?

            White dropped Jinki like blue did and she had time to make up. Mate caught yours and she hit white before could get mate, he explained quickly, one wing extending over Jongup protectively.

            Taekwoon nodded in understanding, grateful and surprised. Despite her previous injuries, it seemed as if she’d worked hard to compensate for them. He was going to have to thank her and Jongin later. But he wasn’t given too much time to think about it before he was guided into the Healing Hall with the other humans. Hyesung got the dragons to move to a nearby cave where he could monitor them better.

            As suspected, Taekwoon himself didn’t have any major injuries. He was bruised for sure and he knew he’d hurt tomorrow, but for now, everything was within acceptable limits. Jinki came around before too long and was, as expected, mostly diagnosed with cold sickness and shock. The same could be said for Chaerin, though she seemed particularly stricken by what had happened. The worst patient was actually Junsu who came in a bit later. The dragons had been able to track him down and bring him back despite JR making it a fair distance away, but when Junsu returned to consciousness, it was pretty clear something was still wrong. Physically, he wasn’t that bad off, but his mind seemed to be more hurt. Only time would tell for sure.

            Since nothing was particularly life threatening, none of them needed special treatment. However, they were all required to stay in the Healing Hall overnight just to make sure there were no underlying conditions. Sedated, Junsu slept well. Needing no such salves, the other three current patients were not so fortunate with sleep. Taekwoon shared a bed with Jinki who did manage to fall asleep in the circle of his arms, head pillowed on the rider’s chest. But that left him and Chaerin awake and staring at each other.

            She broke the silence first. “Thank you.”

            Taekwoon wrinkled his nose and looked away. He hadn’t meant to be the one to save her, but it had worked out that way. “You should thank Jonghyun. He caught you.”

            Chaerin nodded slowly and nibbled on her lip as if something was bothering her. “Fei is worried. Is she alright?” she asked, glancing at the door longingly. Almost as if her thoughts woke him, Henry sat up from his doze and focused on them.

            “Can’t sleep?” he wondered softly, keeping his voice low.

            “Just talking,” Taekwoon urged with a gentle shake of his head, much to Chaerin’s apparent relief.

            “Ah,” the young Healer sighed and stood up, peeking into the water pitcher with a frown. “I’m just gonna go get some more water then,” he explained with a mild grimace as he also looked at the door. It was cold outside.

            “Thank you,” Chaerin offered under her breath, the blankets pulled close around her.

            They waited for Henry to leave before they continued their conversation. “Jonghyun says Fei is fine. A bit banged up but her wings are good and she should heal soon.” The relief on Chaerin’s face was almost palpable. But then worry of her own took its place and she gripped the blankets harder, pulling them up as if to cover . “What?” Taekwoon asked as he watched her, almost able to feel her discomfort.

            She glanced at him with a guilty expression and hung her head. “Part of me feels that whatever this was might have been my fault.”

            Taekwoon took a small breath and blinked at her with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean?”

            twisted as if she had tasted something bad. “Because I… haven’t done what I was supposed to do. Because I’m here and… he could reach me even in this place,” she sniffed, pulling her knees to her chest. “I thought here at least… we could maybe be okay.” Her face crumpled as she fought tears and shook her head.

            Taekwoon was really getting tired of hearing about this ‘he’ figure. “Who is he, Chaerin?” She looked up at him with watery eyes and then dropped her gaze again, holding her silence for some reason. “Fei mentioned a ‘he’ too.” Chaerin’s head rose up and outrage burned bright. Taekwoon ignored it and pressed on, “She’s worried about you. She was trying to tell me something before this. She suspected something was going to happen and she’s sad she can’t protect you.” His words made the other woman fold quickly and she sank back into the covers. “What are you trying to protect each other from?” If he knew, at least he’d have a target or something. Anything was better than this vague man figure.

            Chaerin swallowed hard and closed her eyes as her defenses finally seemed to crumble. Defeated by what had happened today, she whispered, “The High Priest.” Taekwoon tensed slightly, even though he had half expected him. “I think you’ve started to suspect already, but… he is our father.”

            “Our?” he blinked in confusion. He had only suspected her of being his daughter.

            “The other riders,” she explained softly, holding his gaze.

            “All of them?” he asked in surprise, brows rising to mirror the feeling. When Chaerin nodded, he shook his head and frowned. “But… Jinki said the Priests weren’t known for that.”

            Chaerin pursed her lips and shook her head, a pained expression on her face. “He is not like what you’d expect. He is… so much more,” she explained, her voice cracking on the words.

            There was so much left unsaid in that statement, but the fact that Chaerin seemed broken made his inner dragon stir. “Did he hurt you?” he asked carefully, arms tightening just a touch around Jinki’s shoulders.

            “No,” Chaerin shook her head and looked away. “Not yet anyway. He threatened… promised,” she corrected with a pained grimace. “He would take my Fei from me if I didn’t at least try to do what he wanted,” she explained, swallowing hard as she wiped at the corner of her eye with the side of her hand. “And I was ready to try. In the old aerie,” she went on, jaw clenching as she stared at a point on the floor. “But then you had him,” she nodded at Jinki. “And you loved your dragons like I love mine. And,” she laughed now, a bitter, broken sound. “You just aren’t affected by me like most men are.” She glanced at him quickly and then away. “I thought I could change my mind if I had to. See what the Aerie had to offer, but everyone was so kind… and then the runes…” she trailed off, anger and pain warring in equal measure. “I’ve been so stupid,” she cried at last, ducking her face against her knees.

            Taekwoon wrinkled his nose and gave a small sigh. He didn’t like Chaerin and he knew there’d been a reason for it, but even he couldn’t have predicted this. He could tell that Jonghyun had been listening but was remaining silent for now, and he rather thought he could use Jinki’s insight right now. But… he also knew Henry was due to return any moment and they would lose what privacy they had. Barring something else happening, which was not out of the question but also not likely, he figured they’d at least have until tomorrow to find a time and place to speak more freely. He knew he was tired from the day and he could tell that she was too, if for no other reason than that she’d effectively broken down.

            And while she hadn’t told him everything, not even close, it was a start. “Thank you,” he whispered begrudgingly, keeping his eyes trained on her until she picked her head up to look his way. She was surprised and with a fair bit of reason. “For finally being honest with me.”

            “It doesn’t matter anymore anyway,” she muttered, looking down again. “I’ve done nothing but dig myself deeper into a hole,” she scowled, angry at herself.

            Taekwoon’s mouth thinned and he tried to think of something to say. This was usually Jinki’s forte but… he at least tried to channel him. “A hole doesn’t mean much when you have wings,” he shrugged, knowing that didn’t come out as smooth as he wanted it to when she just looked at him.

            He was even more alarmed when she started laughing. And not normal laughing either, but strange body shaking convulsions that made her lean over her legs as she tried to keep it moderately under control. “I’m sorry,” she finally gasped thickly, her voice strangled by tears and laughter. “I just can’t decide if that was brilliant or idiotic.” He made an affronted face at the choices and she continued, “But thank you.”

            Taekwoon was mildly miffed when she chose that moment to turn on her side and face away from him, apparently ready for sleep. Well, he was too for that matter. And really, their conversation hadn’t ended a moment too soon as Henry returned not long after. He took longer than usual in the doorway as he cleaned his boots of snow as quietly as he could and then shuffled into the interior, glancing between his patients curiously.

            “Everything okay?” he asked, seeing that Chaerin was now lying down and turned away.

            “Well enough,” the rider responded, one brow rising as if to indicate he wasn’t entirely sure but it was okay for the time being.

            “Huh. Well, let me know if I can help with anything,” he offered, wandering close to peer at the sleeping Jinki. “He looks comfortable.”

            “He should be,” Taekwoon smiled, the expression this time warm and genuine.

            Henry chuckled and nodded. “Good night, Taekwoon.”

            “Night, Henry.”

            Of course, it seemed that peace was not to be had regardless. They were woken fairly early by the scowling Master Dragon Healer Hyesung. Henry was just as surprised, waking suddenly when the other man brushed inside without so much as a warning. “I have been told you can read runes,” he stated in Taekwoon’s direction as he started to come around.

            “Huh?” the dragonrider blinked, very much confused.

            “Can you read runes?” he asked again, sharper but slower this time, as if Taekwoon himself was a bit slow.

            “Yes,” he grumbled in response, not particularly caring for the other man’s approach.

            “What’s wrong?” Jinki asked, sitting up and trying to make sense of things as quickly as possible.

            “Can they move?” he asked of Henry without paying much attention to the patients themselves.

            “Yes,” Henry nodded automatically, frowning when the word escaped him before he could even think about it.

            “Master Hyesung!” Jinki snapped, summoning his Aerie Master voice.

            To his credit, the Dragon Healer flinched and then turned to see Jinki, blinking as if he was noticing him for the first time. “My apologies,” he murmured after a brief pause, giving a slight bow. “I have discovered something that I have determined cannot wait, given what happened the other day, and Taekwoon appears to be in command of skills I am in need of.”

            Well… when he put it that way. “I’m good,” Taekwoon soothed, pressing a hand against Jinki’s back reassuringly. “Let me get the rest of my clothes and I’ll be right there,” he answered, looking at Hyesung now.

            “Good,” the taller man nodded, stepping back and out of the way as he waited impatiently for the other to start moving.

            “Why are you worried about runes?” a newly awakened and just as confused Chaerin asked, blinking at him.

            “Because I have discovered some,” he answered succinctly.

            “Where?” she chirped immediately, but frowned when he ignored her. “If you won’t tell me, then I’m coming too,” Chaerin grumbled, getting out of bed immediately even as Henry moved his hands like he was going to stop her. She stumbled a touch and caught herself on the edge of the bed. “Ow…” she scowled, knees trembling slightly before she got them under control again.

            “Sudden movements and after effects of shock and your ordeal don’t mix well,” Henry cringed semi-apologetically. She gave him a mute glare but said nothing as she started moving to catch up to Taekwoon. Jinki was getting ready too, his presence uncontested even if it wasn’t asked for.

            “I guess I’ll just stay here with Junsu then,” Henry mused with a shrug as he took his seat again. “Don’t push anything too hard though,” he warned at the trio getting ready to leave.

            “We won’t,” Jinki promised, hovering close to Taekwoon as they gathered in front of Hyesung.

            “This way,” the Dragon Healer summoned, turning on his heels and leading the way out.

            Taekwoon took point with Jinki right behind him and Chaerin bringing up the rear. They walked quickly in the cold but bright early morning and made their way towards one of the caves nearby. There was but a single dragon body within – the white that had crashed.

            “Taemin,” Jinki winced, not having seen the results first hand. “Is Jiyeon alright?” he asked of Hyesung automatically.

            “She is unharmed,” the Dragon Healer responded by rote, moving closer to the dragon body and carefully lighting one of the glass candle lamps. When he could virtually feel Jinki’s annoyance towards him, he sighed and turned his head to look. “She has just lost her dragon. Bonded or not, it hurts. Of course she is not alright.” Jinki winced and Taekwoon stepped forward slightly as if to challenge him, but was waved over anyway without even a blink of concern from the other man. “Look here,” the Dragon Healer pointed as he lifted Taemin’s wing to reveal a rune etched into his skin where it would not be easily seen or found. “I was looking to see if there was any indication of why they acted the way they did and I found these…” Hyesung trailed off, frowning.

            Taekwoon’s nostrils flared even before he summoned his dragon sight. This was not a good rune. “Control,” he swallowed once, reaching out to brush his fingers against Jinki’s arm.

            “How cruel,” Hyesung sighed with a shake of his head. “Dragons are not meant to be controlled,” he added as he set the wing down and shifted again, this time picking up Taemin’s front arm. In the crease where the joint met the body was another rune. “This one?”

            “Obedience,” the dragonrider growled, not liking where this was going.

            “Bahamut’s teeth,” the Dragon Healer exhaled, shuffling to a back foot. “I found another here,” he explained, grabbing the limb and hefting it up.

            “Three?” Chaerin murmured, biting her lip uncertainly.

            “That I saw,” Hyesung clarified. “What is it?” he asked, looking at Taekwoon expectantly.

            The dragonrider shivered and winced. “Binding.”

            “Like Symbiosis?” the older man asked, brows rising in surprise.

            “I think this one’s different,” he exhaled, knowing that it felt different. This one seemed more… controlling. Not as symbiotic. “And…” he trailed off, still using his dragon sight which meant his instincts were sharper. Something was itching against his skin. “There’s another I think,” he whispered, turning his head from side to side as he tried to pinpoint it.

            “Where?” Hyesung asked, standing up and stepping back to look over the body again.

            Focused, Taekwoon inched closer and let his hand drift in front of him, slowly moving towards the dragon’s head. He touched the cold face, wincing internally at the sensation, and then drifted up to the horns. His fingers brushed against something that made his skin tingle and he looked closer, under the arch of the horns. “Here,” he glared, able to see the marking even without the light from Hyesung’s candle. “Sight.”

            “Sight for the dragon?” he wondered aloud, not as up to speed on these matters.

            “For someone else,” Chaerin answered, exchanging a look with Taekwoon.

            “But who?” the Dragon Healer asked honestly, shaking his head in confusion.

            Taekwoon saw Chaerin start to open to answer but Jinki beat them to it. “That is a good question,” he interjected quickly, emphasizing the first word to catch their attention as fast as possible. “Have you tried looking at Ken and JR yet? Do they have these markings as well?” he wondered, almost deftly setting the Dragon Healer’s mind on another focus.

            “I haven’t. Do you think they’ll have them too?” he asked with interest.

            “I do,” Taekwoon agreed, glancing at Chaerin again before focusing on the Dragon Healer.

            “It might be a good idea to confirm while we go speak with Master Satoru about what we’ve discovered. If you have new information, it would certainly be helpful to the Aerie Master,” Jinki encouraged, bowing politely towards Hyesung in what was obviously a subtle dismissal.

            Hyesung didn’t seem to mind or particularly notice as he moved to immediately follow the other trail of thought. “The injured dragons didn’t have any markings. Why these ones? I wonder if they’ll be the same,” he muttered as he walked by quickly.

            “Well done,” Chaerin blinked in surprised amusement.

            “It’s what he does,” Taekwoon shrugged with a proud nod at his other half.

            “Not all the time,” Jinki countered, though he was pleased by the attention all the same. “But in all honesty, we do need to speak to the Aerie Master.”

            “Will he be awake?” Chaerin asked, obviously nervous.

            Taekwoon listened with half an ear as he brushed against Jonghyun to confirm what had just happened. What does this combination on the dragon mean? I have no doubt the High Priest is behind it, but how and why do they work?

            Jonghyun thought for a moment before he offered any sort of explanation. The obedience and control work close. But from far away, not as well. Binding would make ties strong enough. I think. And sight… so they can see through dragon eyes. Like me with you, but other way, he explained, clearly frustrated. If the unspoken emotions were any indication, he was likely a bit distressed too. Or Jongup was. Or both.

            So the High Priest gave us spies and treachery in the forms of dragons? Taekwoon clarified, hands balling into fists as they moved from the cave and in the direction of Satoru’s office.

            Yes.

            Bahamut curse him, the rider scowled, hating the priest even more for the harm he was causing. Could riders know?

            Unless they are like you… no, Jonghyun responded pityingly.

            None of them deserved that. Wonshik, Jiyeon, Aron… Wonshik especially had been so happy to have a dragon. Ken was still alive but unless they could figure out how to undo what was done to them, he couldn’t be trusted. The thought made him pause and he frowned harder. Binding. We were bound. If the High Priest was responsible, would it be possible for him to make us do something too?

            Jonghyun clearly didn’t like that thought. No! It was a knee-jerk reaction and they both knew it. After a few heartbeats, he admitted in a quieter tone, Unsure. No control or obedience runes. But… maybe.

            The response and possibility made Taekwoon shudder. Jinki noticed and leaned close. “You alright?”

            “I’m not sure,” he admitted softly, glancing at Chaerin who was watching them.

            “Come on. Let’s hurry. Master Satoru will have to have some answers,” Jinki explained as they hurried into the foyer. The mural was more uncovered since the last time Taekwoon had seen it and he could start to see what the image beneath was like. Bahamut was probably bound in that frame and around him, he could see what might have been priests… But then he turned to look at Jinki as his other half knocked on the door. “Master Satoru? Are you here?”

            It would be unusual if he wasn’t. The Aerie Master practically lived in his office, especially since he had a bed to sleep in nearby in addition to his private room in the Living Quarters. Jinki knocked again when there was no answer and then tried the door. Not unexpectedly, it was unlocked and it swung open easily enough. The room was dark and only the early rays of the morning light came in through the single opaque window.

            Jinki stepped in and stopped suddenly. “Master Satoru?” he asked quietly, prompting Taekwoon to step inside and see for himself.

            His gut twisted when his dragon half smelled something metallic. “Blood,” he exhaled, sharpened sight honing in on the Aerie Master’s seated body leaning over the desk, one arm splayed out strangely and a dark stain marring the surface as it dripped to the floor. He heard Chaerin gasp behind him.

            “Master Satoru!” Jinki shouted, bolting to the desk before Taekwoon could react fast enough to stop him. He had almost reached him before he stopped short and backpedaled in horror, eyes fixated on a point beyond the desk.

            Now Taekwoon caught up to him, grabbing his shoulders in firm hands and pulling him close as he took in the sight. “High Dragon Commander Eric…” he whispered, horrified by the ugly, yawning wound in his throat. His hand clung to a bloody dagger.

            “By Bahamut, they’re dead,” Chaerin whimpered, coming around and hovering close enough to Taekwoon that she could actually touch him. For once, he didn’t mind. The scene before him made everything else seem small in comparison…