Nina

  My parents weren't just angry. No. That would be an understatement.

  They had thought I had run away from home. Or I would have been kidnapped, murdered... Whatever came to mind. But none of this had happened. No. I had only spent the night in a cave.

  Between gigantic reptiles. And with my brother.

  And now I was sitting at the breakfast table while dad coughed badly and mom cried. Both looked tired and emaciated. Exhausted. I was very worried.

  "Maybe Louise can buy more medicine?" I suggested. "Or bring it from the temple? As soon as she's back here?" Whether she was well or not, I didn't know. But I didn't want to worry my parents any more. So I had cimed that seeking out the dragons was my idea alone. Luckily, Sally hadn't mentioned my older sister either.

  So until now, they had no idea that Louise was in trouble. But I was sure that Lou's dragons would quickly end this unfortunate circumstance. Louise wasn‘t in danger. They would not allow that. So I stayed silent.

  "I don't need any medicine!" growled Dad. "I need a good daughter who doesn't worry me."

  "I'm sorry. I wanted to see Lou. And then it got te. The dragons didn't want me to walk through the darkness," I whispered.

  "And we are grateful to them for that! But Nina! What if something had happened to you? Dragons do not tolerate humans. And you could‘ve fallen off the cliffs! Or be discovered by the city guard! I can't watch again how a child is taken from me." Mom wiped a tear from her face. She pushed some old dates to me. We didn't have much more that morning. Only old dates and a small amount of dry bread, which we dipped in goat's milk.

  "You haven't lost me. I'm fine", I contradicted her slightly defiantly. "Yes, it was stupid! I’m sorry. I've been worrying you. But I just HAD to see Lou."

  "Is he really okay? Isn't he afraid?" asked Mom. "The girl, she was also a dragon. Sally? Right?. Her eyes and teeth were terrifying."

  I could only agree with that. The glowing eyes and her many, pointed teeth had frightened me very much, too. "They love Lou. No matter how scary they are, they treat him well. He is pampered there. Lou ughed."

  "Laughed?" Papa shook his head. "That's not good. He isn‘t allowed to do that..."

  "No. The curse is a lie!" I hissed. "The dragons could smell it if he was cursed. Louise said that magic would stick to Lou then. But the dragons don't smell anything. There is no curse. Lou is just different. He looks different. Like me! Nothing more."

  "No curse?" Mom stared at her hands. "That can't be. The Wise Men have told us so. The priests saw it. And... There has already been such a case once. It was a curse."

  "No." We had been deceived. Lied to. "Lou is not cursed. The Wise ruined his life. That's what they did for him. For us! They ruined our lives. The dragons are sure. There is no curse. And they are huge! Up close! Real MONSTERS! Harper, Lou's friend, protects him. Like a watchdog. And he also has another friend there. Nour. She's as old as I am, I think. No one can hurt Lou there. We were by a creek. High up in the mountains. They had a water fight. Like little children."

  How rude Nour had been, I did not say.

  "Lou has friends?" asked Mom. Another tear rolled down her cheeks. "Friends who py with him?"

  "Yes", I confirmed. "But I think Harper wants to be more than just a friend." How he had looked at my brother! Full of love. And... Ew. I didn't want to see or know anything about that... "They have arranged the cave like a house, and the paths are secured. At least partially. The dragons like Lou."

  "Do you think we can see him too?" Mom chewed her lower lip. "Do you think they'll let us see him?"

  "Honey!" Dad banged angrily on the table. "Don't be silly! We would all be considered traitors! No curse? How are DRAGONS supposed to know that? And Remy has disappeared. There was a fight. Fire! We must stay away from the dragons. Nina also shouldn‘t go there again. Lou is doing well. We have to be satisfied with that." Now Dad cried too. "He's fine. Our boy. He is safe. He is loved. He has friends. Everything we can't give him. We’re not allowed..."

  Then Dad coughed again. And this time it sounded very terrible. He needed medicine!

  Louise

  She was bored.

  Although Nanette kept her company, her friend behaved strangely since Louise was under house arrest. Louise didn't know why. And Nanette cimed that everything was fine.

  But it wasn't.

  Nothing was fine.

  Louise could only hope that among all the visions there would be clues to the lies. The Wise Men should admit that they had tormented Lou. That it was all a big lie. Superstition. If not... Louise feared that there might be a fight between dragons and humans.

  The atmosphere was tense and the Wise Men became more and more greedy.

  Louise didn't have a good feeling.

  sasi