Binding Before War

Chapter Four

Naomi Jones

When I first started working on the Dragon Council, 11 years ago at 13, Allenia was amazed to hear that we did not meet in a cave and speak to people through a puddle like tv of water. At the time, she seemed to think that dragons were somehow inept at anything moderately technological, and the truth was far from that. The Council consists of 6 dragons from around the world, and to conduct frequent meetings we use video chat. When I first started I still shared a small room with Allenia, so I had to kick her out during the private meetings. At 24, with my own room, I simply locked my door and pulled out my laptop.

As per usual, everyone logged into the session from their own home or office. Julia McDounah, a 78 year old dragon from the only family larger than my own, usually conferenced in from her home office in London. Unlike me, she was strong in belief that dragons needed to tell humans about the existence of magical beings. She liked humans, like me, but was not in support of full integration- or mating- with humans. She and I didn't argue frequently, but I also wouldn't feel comfortable asking her a favor. She, like me, was a full timer, meaning she didn't have any other job besides council work. We both spearheaded the council, leading like our mothers before us and their mothers before them.

Li Na was in Bejing, China and despite the fact that she was a fervent hater of all things human, we got along fairly well. The 81 year old dragon ran a cafe much like my family's bar, a hot spot for dragon and other magical beings to meet and hang out without worry of humans. I visited her frequently and always enjoyed my time there. In place of my mother, she'd taught me how to use my dragon's speak, or roar. She held a soft spot in my heart for that reason. Still, we argued. It was hard not to with her prejudice and hate against humans.

Unlike Li Na, Salma Bello had no redeemable qualities. At 62 she was angry and bitter. Also unlike Li Na and Julia McDounah, she was not about to retire. Salma not only hated humans with all of the heat she possessed, she honestly believed we should overthrow them. Constantly riling up the Council wasn't enough for her, she also made a point to take a dig at my human-integrated family as much as she could. I'd grown capable of dealing with her antics, but as a child we'd clashed frequently. Salma ran a small dragon school in Aswan, Egypt that only accepted her extended family. She was known to put up quite a fuss if her family did not attend.

Antonio Giménez was new to the council, though I'd known him for years through his father. He was only 29, which was an average age for someone to take their parents role in the council. (I had taken it so young because 13 was the youngest you could take it, my my mother passed when I was 5.) Antonio came from the only prominent patriarchal dragon family, but having been friends with me since I was a teenager, he'd known how to respect matriarchal families before he'd joined. We agreed on much when it came to the Council, he didn't want to tell humans about dragons either, he wasn't a fierce specist against humans, and he respected the family-run 'government' of dragons as much as I did. He lived in Loma Planta, Paraguay but traveled a lot for his work running The Giménez Gazette, or just The Gazette, which served as the 'New York Times' of dragon publishing.

Finally there was Liza Petrov, the no nonsense headmistress of the largest dragon school. Draco Dracones est Academy was located in Krasnokamsk, Russia and accepted students from all over the world. She was only 56, and I had a feeling that she would be running Dracones until the day she died. She was the swing vote of the group, and though we didn't always agree, I had always respected her. Unable to have children of her own, she'd run the school like a large family, and graduates were excellent additions to the dragon community.

After a Council meeting ended, I put up my laptop and pulled out my phone, calling Antonio. We usually did this, talked for a couple of minutes after a meeting to see what the other was thinking, because we were allies most of the time. I did the same with Li Na, though we exchanged meeting notes via email.