The Dream Keeper's Dragon

2.4 Right. Witches.

Redayrans sure took their celebrations seriously. Black cats and cauldrons were painted on the windows of houses. The lanterns that hung outside of the houses shone with either green or blue lights. The women wore big, ugly, paper noses, and long, pointy hats, and the men long cloaks and hunched backs.

"Why the celebration?" Aurelie asked.

"Well, when your King killed the last dragon to take his power, the witches panicked. They thought that their magic was next," he stepped on his toes to look over the heads of a crowd at one of the festival stalls, "they weren't wrong. So they fled to Redayrah because we don't kill witches or steal their power—

"Alright, alright, dragons are bad," she interrupted. "Get to the point. That still doesn't explain all the fuss."

Nick chuckled. "There were three big covens in Highfire; Halbrook, High Talon, and the Lydia Anne Coven. While we gathered witches from all three of them, it was mainly the Lydia Anne coven that came over. Their leader gathered all the witches outside our border and came to negotiate a deal with the leaders of Redayrah. It had to be one that made it worthwhile for us to potentially become enemies with Highfire."

"Did they off you their firstborns?" Aurelie scoffed. It would have had to have been a big promise to make an enemy of a newly empowered King.

Nick laughed. "Almost but no. Tamara Dae, the leader at the time, offered the unattainable. She said that they would become invaluable to Redayrah in three months' time, and if they didn't, then they'd all be gathered in the same space and the leadership could hand them over to Highfire and not only keep the alliance but strengthen it through the apprehension of their enemy."

Aurelie walked passed a woman in a green hat and a layered black, transparent skirt. She sipped on a hot drink that steamed bright green and gave her upper lip a slight tint. "But how would that work? Wouldn't the witches just flee again before the three months was over?"

"They made a blood oath. If the leadership gave them up before three months, their bloodlines would be eviscerated, and if the witches fled without waiting for the verdict that same would happen to the council bloodlines of the Lydia Anne coven."

Aurelie widened her eyes. "Right. Witches." She shook her head, trying to understand how anyone could put their entire family on the line like that and not die from anxiety and fear. "What did they do to earn their stay?"

"They assisted in the apprehension of thieves and murderers, caught just about every single bugger with their magic. Basically tripled the production of our vegetation and saved it during dry months by summoning rain. They helped us with infrastructure, introduced us to herbs that we hadn't even heard of and began growing them so that they could heal our sick. They earned their keep, and we celebrate the day they ran from you and came to us."

"What did you give them?"

"Some ground for shops and homes. Peter lives in the witch quarter. Had to tell them all that Donahue hurt his niece by accident since he didn't know you were arriving. They believed it. The man is mad enough." Nick raised an eyebrow. "If they heard a dragon was nearby, they'd probably kill you. There's nowhere else to run."

Aurelie nodded. "Thanks, I guess," she said.

The town center was packed with chairs, and a large stage was at the end, lit up by cauldrons of purple fire. Temporary shops stood around the stage, with queues that looked like they'd last all night. People walked around in feathered masks and pastries that were shaped like fingers, ears, and toes.

"Aurelie," he said after a moment as they neared one of the stalls. "My father hasn't told anyone about you yet, not that I know of."

"Okay," she said slowly and carefully, waiting to hear what he meant by that.