Egg of the Amphitere

By Solitaire Parke

In Book Seven of the Dragomeir Series, Tanis manages to impress with one of the new Amphitere dragons, increasing his family to four. Queen Mother manages to procure the last of the Crystal Keys, which she believes will keep the hordes from Hell locked on the Provinces forever. Unfortunately, there are secrets yet to be revealed that could threaten their survival. A mysterious group of people called the Savants appear at the mountain, and Tanis learns of a Gate system called The Hearths which could end the isolation of the Dark Lord and bring destruction to Mt. Drago. Tanis and Queen Mother must find out how the Dark Lord plans to use these devices and stop him before their world crashes down around them. Are the Savants friends or foes, and are The Hearths a technology of the future or the end of mankind? The Amphiteres may be the answer to the dragons’ past, but what must they do to survive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781435790414

Solitaire Parke

Solitaire Parke is an author of Science Fiction/Urban Fantasy, Poetry and Larger World books. He is a lover of dragons, the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, and has a large collection of science fiction books and movies. After becoming an award winning photographer and earning a degree in music theory, he worked in graphic and web design, but he always returns to writing.When he is not writing, you can find him reading, watching a sci-fi television show or movie, or researching a new “techno gadget” on the internet. He now resides in Arizona with his family and two very spoiled dogs!

Book preview

Chapter 1

A man, unassociated with Queen Mother, had been in Mt. Arcadia for over two weeks and not one person knew.  The man walked out of one of the back caverns, introduced himself, and subsequently called a lot of attention to his presence.  He was a prospector, an independent, and quite wealthy.  Queen Mother cared for nothing of these things; she knew he wasn't supposed to be there and was concerned enough to not do something permanent . . . yet.  His name was Larry Larson, and he had a pet kangaroo named Bruce.  Larry and Queen Mother were presently having a not so quiet war of wills about the possibilities of leaving, and the poor man had not yet realized the severity of the situation.

Look lady, you have no right to hold me here against my will, not to mention, you guys are the single most important discovery since the wheel.  The world needs to know you're here.  I'm the one who should tell them.  You got any idea how the world would react to this kind of find?

Queen Mother pinched the bridge of her nose.

Yes, I know exactly how they would react.  The same way they always react to things they fear . . . they'll kill them.  I've spent the bulk of my life trying to protect them and you want to go to town and let everyone know so you can benefit from your discovery.  How is that supposed to help the dragons?  Traditionally they've been hunted because mankind never took out the time to understand them, and now you think it's going to be different just because Larry Larson is the one to tell the world?  What kind of idiot are you?

Larry looked around and saw that no one was going to see it his way; everyone here was so serious about everything.

I don't know; how many kinds of idiots are there?

Queen Mother regarded the man for a moment and then made up her mind.

Tell you what, Larry Larson . . . stay a few more days, let me show you around so you can get a first hand view, and after that if you think it's not important enough to stay, then we'll talk about how to get you back to civilization.  Does that seem fair to you?

He looked dubious, but finally agreed.

I personally thought that out of all the ideas I'd ever heard, this one might be the most recent, but certainly not the best.  But hey, nobody asked me.

The first order of business for Mr. Larson was to retrieve his core samples, and I had to admit some curiosity as to what he'd found.  I also wanted to find out how he washed his hair in the raging torrent that constituted our river.  Well don't laugh, my head itched.

Queen Mother and her guest began walking off in the direction of his stash of core samples, closely followed by Bruce, the pet Roo.  I didn't anticipate seeing them again for awhile and I had been given the go ahead to return to Mt. Drago, so I made my way over to the now working Gate.

I cast out mentally to Demi and she responded instantly, telling me where she and Bubo were playing.  She played bells, a sure-fire way to make me laugh too.  They would rendezvous at the Gate as soon as Bubo could be dragged away from chasing shadows in the stalagmites.

Bubo is very young and delights in pretending that he flies through unpopulated caverns.  It’s more like hopping through the caverns, but in his mind, he soars, dips, and swoops at enemy troops.  He always saves the day, defeats the demon hordes, and successfully mates with a female Aguiva.  Of course, he does.  I've discovered that dragons, for all that they're different than us, are far more similar than you might imagine.  They have goals and aspirations and ups and downs just like us two-legged mammal critters.  They can be moody as well as up and positive, and the youngling dragon pretends just like his/her human counterparts.  They just grow up faster, and within five years . . . no more youngling.  No more baby that wrestles with you on the floor, thank God for that, and they gain massive amounts of size during those five years, not to mention strength.

After that, you learn to play in different ways; still fun, but you don't want them trying to sit on you.

I chatted with the Gate crew while I waited and learned that the older Amphitere, Ambrosia, was coming through with her rider, Skyhook. We would have to wait for their arrival before going to Mt. Drago.  Behind her were the three younger rescued dragons from an earlier mission.  Mt. Arcadia was to be their new home.

The Amphiteres constituted the third variation of dragon I had seen since coming to Queen Mother's mountains.  They were literally a perfect marriage of the previous two sub species, Wyvern and Aguiva.  The Wyverns were the typical Western European variety, scaled and on four legs.  There were both winged and non-winged versions, and in a rainbow of colors.  The Aguivas on the other hand, were more like Pterosaurs and have a leathery skin devoid of scales.  They have back legs only, the front ones having been incorporated into wings, that in the rest position fold up and in rather than back and down.  The front hands or feet are positioned at the elbow joint of each wing and are used to hold themselves upright when on the ground.  The Aguivas also have a top spike facing up and back from the rear of their heads.  The two sub species are recognizable early in their development using the top spike for classification.  If the spike has a ridge running up the front, they're designated as a Ridgeline sub species and non-Ridgeline if they don't.  The Non-Ridgeline at full growth are remarkably smaller in stature than their counterparts.

Unlike the Wyverns, all of the Non-Ridgeline Aguivas, also known as Warbirds, have been a solid tan color without exception.  The Ridgeline, however, have been tan and black in all cases except for two that were born grey with black insets.  My little Warbird, Bubo, is one of those two.

The Amphiteres are what a Wyvern and an Aguiva would look like if blended together.  Somewhere in the distant past, these two types of dragons mated, and their offspring became the first of a new species, the Amphiteres.  The newest subspecies has the overall look of the Wyverns right down to the scales, but with the body configuration of the Aguiva.  In both cases, Aguiva and Amphitere, the front legs are incorporated into the wings, forcing them to walk on their elbows when on the ground.  Their hands, or front feet, have the same configuration as the Wyverns and are surprisingly strong considering how limited the movement is, trapped between joints on the wing.

Both these types of dragons are understandably awkward on the ground, but once in the air . . . nothing more graceful exists anywhere.  Evolution has demanded that they develop incredibly strong back legs since they couldn't run if their lives depended on it.  Every one of the Amphiteres and Aguivas I have encountered are capable of vertical takeoff's, easily springing fifty feet into the air when they jump.

Before long, I could see Demi and Bubo making their way to the Gate area where I stood.  Demi strolled along at a fraction of her normal pace so that Bubo could keep up.  His version of mobility was actually more of a series of waddles and hops, as he corrected for almost every move he made.

The air around me shimmered, and the noise coming from the Dimensional Gate could be felt and heard as a low, pulsating vibration.  The Gate here in Mt. Arcadia is a temporary one and will be used until all of the parts are sent over to manufacture the larger and definitely more permanent one.  Ultimately, the main Gate will have two half moon apparatuses, the larger part of each curve facing each other and butted up to a blank rock wall at a distance of about twenty feet.  A Gate room will also have to be dug out somewhere in the mountain, but for now the smaller one opens up onto the common area.  Queen Mother likes them to be a great deal more isolated and private.

The temporary Gate is, like I said, a bit smaller but still capable of allowing something as large as one dragon to pass through.  At the moment, it was thundering through the windup cycle, until a hole appeared between Mt. Drago and Mt. Arcadia.  We had been cut off for the last few days as a result of sabotage. The guilty parties were identified and our security re-established.  The bodies of the saboteurs were to be sent back over to Mt. Drago for autopsies and full body scans.  Queen Mother wanted to be sure of their origin and species.  I think she expects to be attacked from time to time, but not on the Gala Grand Opening of Mt. Arcadia.  It's just rude.

Ambrosia's Rider, Skyhook, suddenly appeared and moved quickly over to one side, allowing his dragon room to amble through.  He scanned the surroundings as if he was sure something would jump out and attack.  Glancing back to Ambrosia, he signaled for her to follow.  Can't say that I blame him; it's been a seriously bad few days, and how do we really know it's over?

The younglings waddled in behind them and milled about as if they didn't know where to go.  Skyhook called to them, and they all began making their way toward the center of the common area.

Demi and Bubo got to my location just as the Gate began to wind down.  I spun around in disbelief at having missed the window of opportunity.  That's when I noticed the elevated activity at the event horizon.  Ordinarily there is quite a bit of noise, but it's a steady drone when the Gate is open.  The noise it was making now was by no means the same.  It sounded more like a cyclic grind and was spitting out sparks that made the inner Tanis want to move quickly in the other direction.

Demi grabbed Bubo, reared up, and turned all in the same basic motion just as a visible shock wave blew toward the center of the cavern.  That wasn't meant to be metaphorical either, by the way.  The blast shot forward knocking down everything in its path, which was considerable at this time of the day.  Bubo, Demi, and I missed being in the path of the emission because we were on either side of the Gate when it blew.

As quickly as it started, the noise went away, and the torrent of the blast just stopped.  The silence was louder than its bellowing predecessor, and all encompassing throughout the cavern.  I knew we had just dodged another bullet, and I was thankful for being at the right place at the right time.

Over a dozen people were beginning to get up, shaking their heads and stumbling around disoriented.  Two men were lying still, apparently having knocked their heads on the floor when they went down.  Others were in progress getting to the fallen, and voices could be heard in the distance as even more came to their rescue.  It was a foregone conclusion that I wasn't going back to Mt. Drago until the Gate was repaired, and there was no way to tell when that would be.

This is one of the reasons I don't like the Gate out in the open.  It isn't the most stable of devices and tends to be finicky at the worst times.  The Gate at Mt. Drago is tucked away in a depopulated area of the mountain where it can misbehave without any serious consequences and does from time to time.  The area has yet to be determined here at Mt. Arcadia where the permanent Gate system will be housed, and as a result we get situations like the one that just transpired.

I started making my way to the center of the common area, checking on each of the downed personnel as I got to them. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, just minor cuts and bruises, but the level of confusion made up for it. Even the two that had been knocked unconscious were beginning to come around.

Glancing around told me that the medical crews had made it to the scene and were feverishly working to catch up with the injuries.  Off in the distance, the figure of Queen Mother emerged from out of the gloom in a dead run and would be here in moments.  She still had Mr. Larson in tow, along with his pet, Bruce, although no one seemed to pay any attention to either of them.

Queen Mother stopped at several of the workers that were slow to get up, checked to make sure they would be alright, and then headed for the Gate generator.  I doubled back to meet her there, after telling Demi to get Bubo and herself to a safe area away from the Gate and its smoking electrical components.

I knew there were teams at Mt. Drago, Queen Mother's main mountain and home base, working on the problem of transporting between facilities.  It was still frustrating, to say the least; this is not my home, nor is it Demi’s and Bubo’s.  We had no place to rest except out in the open, and the food supply wouldn't last much longer either.  We did have water; the raging torrent at the end of one of the adjacent corridors ran through the mountain as if it was angry.  It was equally as dangerous as the Gate, but it gave you plenty of warning if you got too close.

Mt. Drago is the biggest of the three mountains, but let there be no mistake, it's a perspective thing.  All three, Mt. Drago, Mt. Femmes, and Mt. Arcadia are huge in their scope.  Mt. Femmes is a tad further along than Mt. Arcadia and has had people living in it longer, but like this new mountain, has no real grottos established yet.  They both have caverns and room to spread out, not to mention some major subterranean fissures that will need exploring, but no grottos.  A grotto, in Queen Mother's eyes, is a carefully thought through and designed set of caves laid out in such a way that many people and dragons can call them home.  Each rider has his or her privacy and accessories to make it as much like a home as a cave will allow.  They will spend a great deal of their lives there as they grow with their dragons and learn to become a family.  Another aspect of the grotto is whether it can be defended.  All of the grottos in Mt. Drago have been created to be defended if a worst-case scenario begins to play out.  In defense of Queen Mother’s Mountain security, I have to admit we've never been invaded, but it's something everyone thinks about from time to time.

It's difficult to think accident when there's been so much sabotage lately but listening to the techs told me that this particular event was a lot less disastrous than it looked.  A minor part malfunctioned causing the machine to overload, until the onboard failsafe mechanism forcibly shut it down. Had the Gate been in a permanent position within the mountain, it would not have been able to cause the small disaster we just suffered.  Woulda, shoulda coulda, right?

In the last few days, both the blast doors and the dimension generator were rendered inoperable, and if that wasn't bad enough, the Wizards turned on us unleashing several hundred demons just outside our front door.  I'm part of the Wizard Clan, but my long-term dislike for those clowns has been well documented.  The Elder Council has been contacted about their behavior and it doesn't look good for my superiors.  There's a possibility they'll all be demoted or executed, and that leaves a job open closer to the top than I've ever held.  Most of me doesn't want it, but the level of control over the machinery is attractive.  Wizards use machines in the Larger World. I'm a Machinist, and I'm trying not to be swayed by the seductive lure of technology previously denied to me.

The Wizards have never been fond of Queen Mother's pursuit of technology, especially since she develops it outside of their jurisdiction.  She dislikes being told what to do even more than I do, and admittedly that sentiment has bitten me in the butt too many times throughout my life.  Undoubtedly it will bite me again in the near future, which is an inevitability I will have to deal with when it happens.

I find it difficult to wrap my head around anyone who could kill for the sake of controlling technology.  Have we learned nothing in the last two thousand years? Apparently, the Wizard Clan hasn't, and the worst part, at least for me, is that they turned on one of their own.  That hurts my feelings, and yes, I'm aware that most people are unaware that I have any.  It's better that way and in the long run saves my feelings.

The Gate tech was relieved to hear no one had been badly hurt, and assured Queen Mother the problem was a minor one to be fixed quickly.  She glanced pointedly at the remaining carnage in the common area but chose to refrain from comment.  The tech looked thankful as she moved away from the again nonfunctional device.

I caught up with Demi and Bubo who had moved about a hundred yards away from the danger area.  Queen Mother had been muttering to herself as she left the immediate proximity, about this taking another hour out of her day.  That sounded like good news to me, as I was anticipating the delay as potentially much longer.  Maybe it was still possible to get home tonight after all.

Almost exactly one hour later, the three of us stepped through the Gate and emerged at Mt. Drago intact.  Intact being the operative term. The Gate lately seemed to be based on an unstable wormhole which doesn't equate to dependable travel arrangements.  All's well that ends that way.

I hurried Bubo away from the immediate Gate area as quickly as I could and from the speed Demi was moving, she was as paranoid as I was.  The floor is marked to show the safe distance away from the Event Horizon, and we didn't slow down until crossing the yellow line indicator.  Man, it was good to be home.  Even the air smelled cleaner, and there was that feeling that everything was running as it should.  Since the attack on Mt. Arcadia by the demons, it has smelled of burned flesh and ichor, neither of which I have ever found pleasing.

We didn't really talk about what to do next, our momentum just carried us to the river and a bath.  The water, moving at a respectable rate, was just warm enough to be comfortable and we luxuriated, allowing the dirt to just float off.  Afterwards we meandered toward the cattle pens where Demi and Bubo finally got a full meal of beef.  I enjoyed a New York cut steak while I watched my two dragons gorge and listened to them laughing at each other as they ate.  It was relaxing, and the aroma of searing beef was almost overwhelmingly pungent.

Hundreds of new dragon eggs had been delivered only a few days ago and were positioned, most of them anyway, against the North wall at Mt. Arcadia.  They had been liberated from the Provinces in a raid performed by the riders here at Mt. Drago.  The unborn Amphiteres were the main reason the new mountain had been established.  Queen Mother doesn't like putting all of her eggs in one basket, pun intended.  It was also the reason there were so many glitches in the outcome.  Not enough research in the mountain, not to mention the outlying area, had almost been the mountain’s undoing in the first few days of occupation.

It occurred to me as I sat there staring at my empty plate, that the time zones from Australia to Mt. Drago in Arizona were pretty massively different.  My onboard mental clock had suffered a very subtle kick to the head, and I realized how tired I was.  Perhaps we'll refer to it from now on as Gate Lag.  Seems only fitting, not to mention . . . accurate.

It was time for shut eye, especially since I had to give a report to the other Section Leaders here at Mt. Drago immediately thereafter.  I would get help from the others that had also been at Mt. Arcadia during the last few days.  A very small number but help none the less.  The Section Leaders here at Mt. Drago consisted of Elfred from the Red Grotto, Ariel from the Gold Grotto, Thomas from the Blue Grotto, Nina from the Brown Grotto, Rebecca from the Green Grotto, Famill from the Grey Grotto, Gypsy from the Harlequin Grotto, Raven from the Precious Metals Grotto and me with the Emerald Grotto.

Famill had been instrumental during the battle at Arcadia, along with his Grey Wyvern, Tanicur.  At the moment, he was still at Mt. Arcadia, and obviously didn't need an update since he'd been there for the whole show . . . well the important parts anyway.  The rest, however, would need a detailed account of the events that transpired during the gala grand opening of Queen Mother's newest mountain.

Sean, leader of the Dragos and Head Steward, brought us an electric cart to get us to the Emerald Grotto easier and quicker.  Demi and I could have done it expediently, but Bubo was too young to manage it.  Behind the cart was a standard anti-gravity sled, complete with a sliding ramp.  Bubo had no trouble waddling his way up and onto the sled, waiting patiently for the ramp to be put in place.  Once done, we climbed in. Demi was in human form in the back seat and I in the passenger front seat.

A few minutes later we disembarked at our area within the Emerald Grotto and headed for our sleeping mats.  I had a full belly, a legitimate place to sleep with real fake furs, and the company of both my dragons.  I slept like a baby for the first time in a week.

The Emerald Grotto has what I affectionately call a den mother.  Her name is Betty, and she is intelligent, engaging, slightly overweight, school marmish, prim, proper, and quite frankly we couldn't do without her.  She also has the most irritating habit of waking me up when I'm on the verge of oversleeping.  Foundationally I realize this sounds like a contradiction in terms, but I personally don't know anyone who wants to be awakened by a voice that could peel paint.  If I'm lucky I'll hear the click clack of her orthopedic shoes as she barrels her way down the corridor outside our area.  When I do, its rear ends and elbows in the attempt to appear as if I'd been up prior to her arrival. It's the twenty first century, so who wears orthopedic shoes?

You can see where this is leading, right?  Suddenly the furs are yanked until they're airborne and she says,

What, are you going to sleep all day?  You've got things to do young man, and you shouldn't keep your dragons cooped up in here either.  They've got important stuff to accomplish, cows to eat, worlds to save, and other some such dragon achievements. If you continue to lolly-gag, you'll be solely responsible for the lack of all the above.  Up and at em, Atom Ant.

Wasn't the first time, I assure you and it wasn't going to be the last either.  Demi played bells in my head and Bubo honked happily as I dragged my tired body off the mat.

I looked around at her and tried to appear annoyed.  It wasn't difficult.

You know if you're going to wake me up like this, the least you could do is bring me coffee.  Bubo likes cherry candy, and Demi could probably go for a donut.

Betty chuckles.

This isn't room service, Mr. Theatra.  Now get your brood ready to go, there are people waiting for you out in the corridor.

She strode out of the room, and I could hear voices muffled by the stone walls.  I threw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, hand combed my hair, and laced up my boots.  Demi helped Bubo extricate himself from his sleeping mat and we, with some degree of grogginess, left our area.  Betty was right about the visitors; the meeting had obviously started without its key person.  That would be me.  They needed me to give the report about activities from Mt. Arcadia and I had slept right through the beginning of the event.  Oops.

All in all, it went down okay though. We just had the meeting in my area.  Demi and Bubo went to locate cherry candy and a donut while I caught the other Section Leaders up on all things Australia.  And no, I didn't get my coffee.  The one surprise was the attendance of Skyhook.  This six-foot, muscular man with long brown hair, was a member of the clan known as Dancers, and as such, earned the classification of mentally deranged.  I don't say that with any malice, now mind you, it's just one of those facts that is accepted by almost everyone.  The Dancers are talented and exceptional fighters; they're also one can short of a six pack.

Skyhook was officially given control of Mt. Arcadia, only answering to Queen Mother. Isn't that like letting an inmate run the asylum?  His part of the meeting was to educate the rest of us in the care and handling of the third subspecies, the Amphiteres.  To date, he had the most experience with them and was the first to impress.  As with all dragons, the bonding or impression is for life and encompasses every facet of their lives.

We already knew what they looked like, and I had watched them fly under pretty adverse conditions.  They were strong and flew more like Wyverns than Aguivas.  That was probably because their eyes faced forward, not to the side like the Warbirds.  What we didn't know was their penchant for violent behavior.

Each and every one of the Amphiteres names themselves after an emotional response.  These responses can be from the sublime to the ridiculous and gives an indication of what kind of temperament you as the rider can expect.

Skyhook's dragon was named Ambrosia, and that roughly works out to a near state of bliss that she feels most of the time.  This is not to say she can't work up a good mad and become hostile, but her normal demeanor would be very casual and uplifting.  Good to know.  When she got to the mountain, we couldn't convince her to take the binding chain off that she had worn for the entirety of her life.  Somehow even after her escape it gave her a sense of comfort that we collectively didn't want to damage.  The chain had been around one of her back legs and then transferred to her neck.  It was heavy and unattractive, but hey, that wasn't the point.  Hopefully we can take it off in the near future when she doesn't feel the need to wear it anymore.

The other three Amphiteres were younglings, and to the best of my knowledge had not announced their names yet.  I wondered idly what emotions were locked up inside those little impressionable minds, but to date they had been quiet and very shy.  It was difficult to watch them and think violent, but it's possible they haven't gotten over their initial fear.  Perhaps the darker side of them doesn't manifest itself until they impress with a rider.  Only time will tell.

Skyhook told me that Ambrosia was afraid of humanoids because they are fragile, and as much as I disagree with that assessment, compared with dragons there is a modicum of truth to the sentiment.  We are talking in comparison values of course, because while I don't feel fragile, I guess I am when compared to my Wyvern, Demi, in her natural dragon form.  Not all dragons can shift their form, but the ones who can, may not be any more fragile regardless of the shape and size they present.  It might all just be an illusion.  Demi tells me she loves being in human form because she can go into places that dragons won't fit.  She was referring to the pub at Mt. Drago, The Ugly Duckling, where dragons are simply too large to enter.

To date, only a very small percentage of Wyverns have been able to perform the transformation from dragon to human, and none of them Aguivas. The Amphiteres haven't been around long enough for us to know yet and once again, only time will tell.

All of this was important because it gave us clues as to why the Amphiteres were the odd species out; at least they believed they were.  It was also a road map leading us inexorably to conclusions as to why they leaned toward violence in their behavior.

They had the Wyvern look, well sort of, but not their grace.  They had the Aguiva shape, but not their innocence.  They had some of the collective memories of the Wyverns, but certainly not all.  The species as a whole felt slighted and passed over, with no real history among the existing grottos.  Now that doesn't mean a lot to me, but then again, I'm not a dragon.  That one condition gives them no actual place in the dragon hierarchy.  They are simply both species, and pragmatically neither.  If I felt like that, well, I'd be pissed too.

These traits, if looked at correctly, gave us something else that was even more important than anything else to date.  Their fear of people in general was a manifestation of their violence.  They truly didn't want to hurt anyone.  Their anger drove them to violence, but according to Skyhook, they referred to it as playing.  The downfall here was the humanoids inability to play at that level; hence we are fragile, equals . . . the anger stays inside and festers over time.

A plan began to formulate in my mind that I was sure would work and was just as sure Queen Mother wouldn't like.  At least not at first.  She appreciates the level of technology we Machinists bring to bear but advances toward it in a slow methodical way.  I was about to suggest every Amphitere rider wear a type of Encounter Suit to balance the playing field when they play.  Not an advanced version, but a more basic type known as the Primary Encounter Suit.  It will take more impact than an Amphitere can dish out, has virtually no offensive weaponry, and can stayed powered up almost indefinitely.  The Primary is worn in the same way as its counterpart and donned using the reticulation method.  When not in use, the suit is de-reticulated into a disc which is housed on a harness.  The harness is worn at all times in case of emergencies.  The Primary Encounter Suit takes approximately four seconds to cover your body from head to toe, power on, and establish its own environment inside at a comfortable seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit by default.  The temperature can then be changed to accommodate the individual wearing it.

My Encounter suit has an on-board Artificial Intelligence named Walter to help me during every use, whereas, the Primaries are self contained, computer programmed, and hermetically sealed when in use. Perfect for playing with an angry Amphitere.

According to Skyhook, the Amphiteres are mentally communal like the Wyverns, which means that once any one of them has learned something they are all probably up to speed with it.  I've come to grips with the concept, having lived with it for quite some time.  There are no secrets at Mt. Drago.  It looks like Mt. Arcadia will be the same, and in this case, I'm glad if for no other reason than the emotional aspect of the Amphiteres.  It should level the playing field once they see that the riders aren't as fragile as they appear.

I know from experience that Queen Mother won't allow any hardware during an impression sequence with a dragon.  I had anticipated wearing my suit during the impression with Demi but was shocked when told that wasn't going to happen.  What you get to use is your intellect, intuition, and survival instincts.  I've seen a lot of impressions during my tenureship, and none of them have been usual or the same.  When impressing with a baby you're just as likely to have the dragon crawl up in your lap and fall asleep as any other eventuation.  My own was more of a mock fight than anything else.  I don't think Demi wanted to harm me, but there was a jockeying of which one of us was going to be in control.  Whatever the dragon needs, is what you as the candidate have to provide, and you don't have very long to figure it out once the impression has begun.  I wasn't aware that an impression sequence was in progress the day I impressed with Bubo, my little grey Aguiva.  I was attempting to stay away from the baby dragon when, despite my best efforts, he crept up from behind and bit me.  The bite constituted the entire impression.  He seemed satisfied and life went on.

The Primary Encounter Suits wouldn't come into play until after the impressions, and if the Amphiteres are as dangerous as Skyhook implied, then I feel sorry for their potential riders.  First days for those men and women portend themselves to be exciting if nothing else.  Under the worst-case scenario, it could also be fatal.

The other Section Leaders had the same look on their faces as I'm sure mine did.  Utter disbelief mixed with a dab of dread.  No one was ready for a species of violent dragons.  All of us were used to the giant reptiles being philosophical, peaceful, and smarter than us.  What do you do with an entire species of violent, intelligent, psychos?  Skyhook seemed to think it was possible, but what if the emotional response was on the wrong end of the spectrum.  What then?

Chapter 2

Nothing stands still for long at Mt. Drago, trust me on that note.  All work being done by the Corp of Engineers ceased, and the entire lot of them went through the Gate to Mt. Arcadia.  Eight to five will get you ten; they're feverishly trying to calm the river there to accommodate the needs of the staff living in the mountain.  The rest of us in both the other locations will just have to make the best of what we have until the Corp comes back.

Queen Mother's Corp of Engineers is an elite group of professionals that take care of every building project inside all three of her mountains.  There used to be seventy-five of them here at Mt. Drago and seventy-five at Mt. Femmes.  That got cut down during the scouting of Mt. Arcadia and left each of the first two mountains with fifty each.  It must be an engineering nightmare over in Australia because all of them are presently there.  I heard through the grapevine that they're also going to be away from us for the foreseeable future.

When I got to Mt. Drago, Demi and I had to stay in the Green Grotto, aka The Nursery, until the Emerald Grotto was built.  It took time and a lot of effort on the part of the Corp of Engineers to finish it.  While I was somewhat impatient at the time, it looks different to me now. I understand how much back breaking work it takes to accomplish feats that I know are close to Herculean in their scope.

I walked into Commons, the heart and soul of Mt. Drago, to see if the activity there was up to normal standards because it seemed strangely quiet.

Several Aguiva dragons were flying training maneuvers and there were a few teams standing by to help them.  No one was at what we call the Wheel, so I started walking in that direction.  I was hoping to see Demi and Bubo somewhere on the way.  Except for an occasional Aguiva screech, the whole area only had a fraction of the number of riders and stewards usually seen.  Even most of the dragons had stayed in their grottos today.

The quiet was a treat, especially after the last few weeks, but as always once you think that something jumps up and bites you hard.  I couldn't have been much more than fifty yards from the wheel when Skyhook and Ambrosia shot out of the main corridor on the North wall.  They were followed by Queen Mother and Invectum, but four other dragons from the same number of grottos emerged moving fast.  They were all headed for the Wheel, and I got the distinct urge to turn and run the other way.

Demi was suddenly in my head, and she informed me that Bubo was being taken to the Emerald Grotto and we had to fly.  Four clutches of youngling Amphiteres had been sensed by Ambrosia, and we needed to go and show them the way to freedom.  Ambrosia was close to being frantic and I think the reason was due to her not going.  Since her arrival at Mt. Drago, the dragon has been going through counseling to help with the atrocities experienced while on the Provinces.  I don't think Queen Mother trusted her actions if she managed to return.

A clutch was comprised of six dragons, so it didn't take a rocket scientist to come up with a total, and twenty-four dragons is nothing to sneeze at no matter where you come from.  I had to admit a bit of surprise that Ambrosia could sense other dragons from here or Mt. Arcadia, but Queen Mother obviously had no doubts, so who am I to question?  It's just that the Provinces are a very long ways away.

So much for peace and quiet.  Four seconds later I was suited and waiting for Demi to land.  We were both excited for being chosen to help with the rescue, because typically The Ariella says Demi's too young to fly onto the Provinces.  All things subject to change without notice, eh?

I touched minds with Bubo, and he told me to be careful.  Isn't that cute?  A baby telling me to be careful as he toddles off to go to his area, and just when I thought Aguivas couldn't get any more adorable.  I made a mental note to give him extra beef when we got back.  Demi played bells as she landed, having heard the interchange with Bubo.  Every little Aguiva needs a big sister, it would seem.  That's when I heard laughter from the approaching riders.  The mental network will get you every time.  The Emerald Warrior getting mushy about his dragons is a tad awkward, and I was glad I had the suit on.  Thank God they couldn't see how red my face was.

I wasn't sure about the wisdom of only sending one squadron to help the escape of that many Amphiteres.  Through the ensuing conversation it was apparent the dragons were already airborne and that made all the difference in the world.  Theoretically we wouldn't even have to land, at least not until we could find a safe area close to the river.  They would require water and a short rest period during which we should be able to protect them.  Counting the riders, that would make twelve of us, more than enough to give them a drink and some air defense while they rested.

We assembled at the center of Commons in the area known as the Wheel and waited for the Drago stewards to bring the containers of water we would take with us.  I could already see them coming, pulling multiple sleds behind their electric carts.  A quick glance told me there were twenty-four bags of water, one bag each for the youngling Amphiteres.

The other dragons landed and took their place at the Wheel, waiting for the stewards to load the water bags into the harnesses.  Our saddles weren't usually equipped with them, but they were easily installed at times like these.  Demi had already been saddled with the harness so all I had to do was wait for the water.  I took the time to activate the switch and reticulate my armor around me in preparation of our departure.  It would also aid me if I had to help lift the water bags.

Our crew would then consist of Queen Mother with Invectum, Demi and myself from the Emerald Grotto, Ariel and Arraness from the Gold Grotto, Thomas and Casseil from the Blue Grotto, Gypsy and