[coronatiger]

After a while, Illoro came closer and asked if I mentioned a dragon earlier. “Yes, it was part of the prophecy,” I reminded him. Illoro asked if the dragon was my main concern, but I told him the demon was worrying too. Xipil added that two dragons would come, not just one. Illoro said he was more uncertain now than when we spoke before; he didn’t know if it was this place that unsettled him, or if it was us.

Xipil and Illoro spoke about the sun showing the truth as well as the importance of the sun god in Xipil’s homeland. Illoro eventually declared that he believed we could affect what happened in Byblos. Neither Xipil nor I commented, and we sat in silence until the sun started its descent.

Illoro prayed a short prayer and I saluted the dying day. Illoro asked me if it was all right if he lit a candle. “Are you afraid of the dark,” I taunted, but Illoro responded cryptically that he preferred darkness in which he could see. I reminded him that the moon was nearly full and that the stars would shine too, but if that wasn’t enough, he could by all means light his candle. Illoro promised that he’d blow it out when the moon and stars shone. He pulled a tallow candle from his pocket, lit it, and placed it on the floor.

It didn’t take long before Illoro declared, “The Hunter is up.” He picked up his candle and looked through its light at Xipil, me and then the Azura priestess, before blowing it out. He paced the room until the first stars were visible through the hole in the roof. Then he sat down in front of the priestess, looking expectantly at her. She gave a deep sigh and shifted in her seat, as if the starlight allowed her to be more comfortable. She still stared up at the sky with her blind eyes, though.

Illoro asked Xipil and me if we intended to remain. We said yes, and amazingly, Illoro didn’t protest. Xipil moved closer to the priestess to get a better look directly up. Illoro asked when I thought the priestess was ready to speak. I said she would tell him herself.

The priestess turned her face towards Illoro and said he was right. She could secure her way forward, perhaps unlike him. Illoro gave me a look before turning back to the priestess. “Are you saying I must destroy you to protect myself?” he asked. The priestess didn’t reply; she just looked up at the stars.

“Can’t we all just be friends?” I asked. Illoro nodded at me, but there was something critical in his gaze. We had a short discussion about what being friends meant. I explained that there was no need to go out drinking together, or start a knitting circle or a book club, but if we all stopped thinking of each other as enemies and started treating each other with respect, that would go a long way. Illoro told me he could make arrangements that my surrender would release the imprisoned Ashtarites, but I informed him of Your instructions not to give myself up.

Xipil and Illoro spoke of the coming winter, of how it was predicted to be colder than usual and how that would affect the land. Illoro hoped the cold would stop hostilities, but Xipil believed in Lord Mir’s superior ability to move his army.

Illoro asked what we intended to do when the dragons arrived. Xipil said we were going to hunt them, but I thought for myself that I would like to snuggle up with Yana in a safe basement somewhere. Illoro seemed to detect my sentiment, for he said he believed only Xipil and the troll would hunt. Xipil claimed we all would take part, though. Illoro thought he was arrogant.

Grogg and Wolfram came sneaking up the stairs. How they expected to reach us undetected was a mystery to me, for Wolfram carried a lantern. Xipil told Illoro to ask Grogg to confirm his statement. Grogg said they came because they heard us talking about dragons, and he warned us that everyone was going to die when the dragons arrived, before closing the hatch and taking Wolfram back downstairs.

Illoro asked if Grogg meant to have the dragon kill people, but Xipil said no. It was more like the other way around. From the way Xipil and Grogg had spoken, Illoro began to believe we could actually interact with the dragons, and that made things worse. Xipil called Grogg’s name, and our big friends returned. Illoro asked Grogg if he was the troll that could catch the attention of dragons, and Grogg said that if you grabbed their tail, they looked at you. Illoro asked if he knew how dangerous that was, but Grogg said it was more dangerous to let them follow their plan. Illoro opined that the best thing to do when they arrived was to hide in one’s basement. Grogg illustrated that danger was a part of life: It was dangerous to sit on my knife or get in the way of Wolfram’s club.

Illoro wondered if we would ally with those from the north or those from the south, but he didn’t get a reply from any of us. “Do you mean to stay here and let the city burn around you?” he continued. Grogg shrugged and said there was a demon that needed handling too.

Grogg asked Xipil if Illoro only wanted to talk about how dangerous dragons are, just as Wolfram asked me why I brought him to the tower in the first place. “Because he asked for it,” I said. “In return, he will investigate Tivito and discover how evil they truly are.” Wolfram thought having Illoro present was a bad idea, for he didn’t trust him, and he accused me of displaying poor judgment. Grogg shot in, “To think there is an Ashtarite with poor judgment!” I told Wolfram I didn’t want to discuss people in their presence. For instance, it would be silly of me to say that I brought Illoro to kill him in a remote location, far from his friends. Wolfram wanted me to join him downstairs so we could talk, but I told him I wasn’t going to leave the clerics; we could talk later.

Wolfram sat down and stared up through the hole like everyone else. Even Grogg looked at the stars. I kept my wits about me, though, and remained alert. The others were so distracted by the stars that I could have killed each and every one of them, had You requested it. Wolfram snapped out of it soon enough and began playing with his knives.

Nothing happened until around midnight, when Illoro gave a big gasp. The Azura priestess looked around and said we could leave. Illoro knelt before her and thanked her sincerely for everything she showed him.

Illoro climbed down to the floor below and I followed. He picked up and gave me the lantern that Wolfram left there, and I gave him the blindfold. Illoro wanted to tell us something before putting it on. When Grogg, Xipil and Wolfram joined us, Illoro said he wanted to speak where we wouldn’t disturb the priestess, and allowed himself to be blindfolded and carried to a suitable location. I brought everyone to one of the rooms in the basement and removed the blindfold once the door was closed.

Illoro said that what would happen next seemed to be up to us, and all he could do was to offer his help. He said he could help us kill one person in Byblos. I thought he sounded sincere, but something was nagging at me. Wolfram asked what had motivated him to help us. Illoro replied that he had been shown things. I asked if we could find him in his office, but Illoro said we could just as well name the person now.

We wanted to discuss this privately, so we left Illoro in the room and went outside. I asked Wolfram if he had a name to put forth. “Elanus Larma must have many evil schemes planned, and if we killed him now, we will foil them.” I knelt down and asked You if killing the Tivito leader was acceptable. Being in someone else’s temple, I couldn’t establish a full connection to You, but You still got across that You didn’t oppose this. Xipil and Grogg agreed too.

“We have a name for you,” I said when we were back in the meeting room with Illoro. “Elanus Larma.” Illoro startled at the name, but he said he could get it done. It would be hard, for Elanus had grown paranoid recently. I hoped we could get it done soon, for we were approaching that time of the month when I wasn’t as functioning as I normally am. I asked Illoro if we should meet up in his office, but he gave Wolfram a small stone and said it would show the way. He warned us it would only work in places where the sun had shone and that Wolfram should check on the stone every hour.

Illoro said he wanted to leave this place above the ground and I accepted, commenting that it was no secret to anyone that he knew where we were. He wanted me to show him to the hole in the hedge, though. The others waited in the basement. When I got back, Grogg was just spitting a copper coin out of his mouth and giving it to Xipil. Disgusted, I chose not to ask what that was about.

We followed the tunnel to Your temple and ascended into the gate tower. I explained to a sleepy guard that we were leaving the temple district, and he unlocked the back door for us. We hurried to the wagon shed. One of our drivers was asleep, but the awake one recognized us and nodded. I entered the wagon to check up on Yana. She was still sleeping with the healing needle in her neck.

Hylda, Grogg and Wolfram decided that the earlier confusion of who was who had passed. I listened to Yana’s heartbeat and examined where Wolfram had stomped on her. She seemed in much better shape than she had been before I left her. Xipil thought she could do with some food, so I removed the needle and slipped it into my pouch. “That’s not yours!” growled Grogg, so I gave him the needle. Yana thanked him for the loan.