A grinning Nix watched Jun Li chase Mt down the shoreline, desperate to get even with the Aquarion after being dunked in the water several times. "She hates to lose."


    Semmi nodded and watched as the pair got further and further away. "I''ve known her for years. She''ll chase him until he decides to retreat into the water."


    Nix smiled at the blonde officer. Her wet hair hung down to her eyes, and everything she was wearing looked like it had been soaked in water and rolled in sand. "Let''s just dere our victory and hunt up some of Pon''s private stash."


    Semmi gave him a conspiratory nce before making sure no one could hear. "How did you find out about that?"


    "If I know anything, it''s old bastards." Nix walked toward the hitching post where sh and Nightmare were tied. sh had sired several foals, but he decided that once was enough after his initial coupling with the demon horse.


    Semmi leaped nimbly onto sh''s saddle, draped the reins over the pommel beforebing back her hair with both hands. "Can I have sh?"


    "I buy, beg, borrow and steal horses... What part of that sounds like I might give you my herd''s main bloodline?"


    It was Nix who spotted the ck sparrow as it swooped toward them. Itnded on the ground near the horses and then promptly morphed into his Titan form. The Inferno noted the direction. Was he still trying to prove Enigma wrong? "What''s up, Morti?"


    Searching for Nix had given the cub time to cool down. He calmly told him everything that had transpired. When he was done, he plopped down on his enormous butt. "We gonna swat some dragons now?"


    Nix nodded. "Sometimes a good smack in the face isn''t enough to solve problems."


    Morti held and oversized paw out. "We should smack them twice then!"


    "That''s a good sentiment, and these diplomacy skills will serve you well." Nix ignored Semmi''s rolled eyes. "Let''s race back to the ranch!"


    Morti took off without saying a word, the ck-furred Titan rumbled and waddled when he moved, but no one could ever call him slow. The Inferno officers held back on the reins slightly, letting him maintain a small lead.


    /Go Fish: Semmi: I love that bear.


    /Go Fish: Nix: Yep, he''s awesome.


    /Go Fish: Jun Li: Did you guys leave? I managed to catch Mt!"


    /Go Fish: Semmi: Interesting... What are you going to do with him?


    Nixughed at the discussion. She definitely hadn''t thought that far ahead.


    A few minutester, the Rat King sat calmly on the kitchen ind. A small ck sparrow was perched on his head. Shae frowned at the pair. Today was her day to be with Nix. "If you aren''t back in an hour, I''ming to get you."


    "The Rat-King admires your loyalty." Nix touched the bird on his head with a razor-sharp w. "Ready?"


    "Yep... Won''t they see me up here?" Morti''s voice was the same, minus the rumbling volume.


    "Doubtful. Don''t move or talk, and they''ll think you''re my hat." Nix ignored Shae''s chuckle and brought up his hud.


    "Right! I''ll be your hat." The sparrow settledfortably on the Rat King''s head. "Can I be a helmet instead?"


    "Sure. You''re my bird helmet." The Rat King activated the emerald dragon icon and chose Tembai Academy. "No using the Titan form unless I say."


    "I''m a helmet," Morti repeated. The two vanished from Haven Ranch, leaving the smiling smander behind.


    Shae sighed heavily, a slight smile ying on her face. "He just does whatever he wants."


    *************


    Leva waded into the Dragon Marrow pond, holding her breath against the pungent odor that she personally found repulsive. In her opinion, Dragon''s smelled bad. Fey was the only exception; she was beautiful and sweet, just like the rest of her family. Nix briefed her on their family''s recent disagreement with the dragon council and then directed her to the area beneath the floating structure. The flow of Dragon Marrow stopped shortly after she arrived. The Tembai Academy was only a few hundred meters off the ground; whatever Nix had done had caused the Academy to lose several thousand meters of altitude.


    An unseen breach opened at the bottom of therge pond; slowly but surely, the liquid level started to drop. When the Dragon Marrow was below her knees, she waded toward the shore, carefully keeping her wings out of the golden goo. Ast nce upward at the enormous hole caused the Dark Chancellor to sh a fanged smile. "We won''t be pushed around by a few dragons."


    Nix and Morti appeared where his chair should have been. Unfortunately, everything had been rearranged when the Academy plunged downward suddenly. The Rat King found his chair, several feet away from where it had been. When his eyes spotted Iriset, he decided to sit next to her. "Goodness... What happened here?"


    "Nichs the Destroyer..." Seti fixed him with a long stare before answering. "We''ve been sabotaged by the human, Nix." Her decorative bells were absent from her long horns; she had the bloodshot eyes of someone who hadn''t slept in a while.


    "Oh." The Rat King pondered for a moment as his ck nosed sniffed the air. "Where did all this smokee from?"


    "Three dorms were burned to the ground; the fire spread slightly and took out the library." The dragon waited while the rest of the members started appearing next to the misced chairs. "What is that on your head?"


    "Bird helmet," the Rat King answered like it waspletely normal for a rat to wear a bird. "Did you catch the culprit? Or maybe witness him in action?"


    "Unfortunately, no." Iriset the Blue had the slightest bit of panic in her eyes. In the space of a few hours, an incredible amount of damage had been inflicted. The Dragon Marrow that was lost would have to be reced immediately. "He made threats... No one else besides Khione would move against us."


    /Family: Nix: There''s a chance we might be separated here. If that happens, find Maric in the first years'' dorm. It''s the only one still standing. Room #212.


    /Family: Morti: Got it. Maric in 212.


    "Hmm... I see." Nix opened the Council hud and disyed the emergency session docket.


    [Return Tembai Academy to its previous position]


    Although we have resumed normal operations, the recent incidents of fire and sabotage will affect our students for weeks toe. The most pressing issue is, of course, Dragon Marrow. We will have to recover the lost resources.


    Tristan and Roz Yor were kneeling in front of the council chairs, waiting patiently while the council members continued to arrive. Nix hadn''t understood their position earlier, but now realized they were both students from Academy. If either of them walked through the campus, they would be treated with bows and respect; but they held no status here in the Council Chambers.


    Thest dragon to arrive was Gharon the ck. He motioned for Tristan and Yor to give way before taking their spot in front of the council. "There will be no recovery of the Dragon Marrow. From what I could see, the lost marrow pooled in one area but was taken before we arrived. My first guess would be one of the Dragon City Masters from the Sky Kingdom. Perhaps they tire of sacrificing their own marrow."


    The Rat King was suddenly d he didn''t have a normal face; otherwise, his jaw would have been on the floor. The Tembai Academy didn''t know about Spectrum. They didn''t realize that the Dragon City Masters no longer have to drain their own marrow.


    "We all know what has to be done," Iriset the Blue stated with a grim tone.


    [Whisper: Nix to Una] Where does the Academy get their Dragon Marrow?


    [Whisper: Una to Nix] The students'' price for attending the academy and learning higher tier skills is a portion of their marrow.


    [Whisper: Nix to Una] How does this affect the students? Isn''t that bad for a developing dragon?


    [Whisper: Una to Nix] Undoubtedly. A mature dragon can afford some marrow loss, but these dragonling students will be permanently weakened.


    [Whisper: Nix to Una] I see... Thanks.


    Gharon took a step toward his chair; the heavy thudding of his steel boots echoed in the chamber. "Going to request a closed Council."


    A request shed across Nix''s open hud.


    [Closed Session proposed. Do you agree?]


    The Rat King turned slightly in his chair and lowered his voice. "What''s that mean?"


    Seti nced at Nix''s hud, suddenly curious as to what the Adjunct Council member would vote. "We are concerned about maintaining the secrecy of our meeting. This will bring us to a secured space and require a Dragon Oath."


    "I see." Nix activated the agree icon and immediately vanished from the room.


    The Rat King experienced a moment ofplete istion, no sound in an endless sea of darkness.


    [You have agreed to a closed council session. Any unauthorized discussion of this meeting will result in your Dragon Marrow being tainted. Do you wish to continue?]


    The Rat King nodded. "Sure... Taint my Dragon Marrow; sounds like a good time."


    Nix found himself in a space identical to the previous chamber; only the other council members were present.


    /Family: Nix: You okay?


    [Communication with the outside has been suspended.]


    *******************


    Maric frowned at the two second-year females that had taken over half of his dorm room. "Shouldn''t you be in a female''s room?" The first-year students had been notified that they would have to double and triple up until the destroyed dorms could be rebuilt."


    The two young women nced at each other before focusing on him. Maric knew them only by their reputation as trouble makers. The siblings aptly shared thest name Dread. In only their second year, the entire Academy knew who they were.


    "Lulu Dread, at your service!" The smaller of the sisters bowed deeply. Her pale, delicate features werepletely overshadowed by bright orange hair that satfortably on her head in a curly, tangled mess.


    The older sister bowed, mirroring the movement. "Tifa Dread, at your service!" Most of Tifa''s tanned head was shaved, except a ck topknot that was tied with a single band.


    "What did I do to deserve this?" Right away, Maric understood. It''s not that there were no female rooms avable... No one in their right mind would want to live with the Dread sisters.


    Lulu gave him an impish grin. "You got lucky, Mar. Can I call you Mar?"


    "No. Maric is fine." Maric frowned at the younger sister. She was slightly shorter than her older sibling. "I''m going to contact the dorm Chief."


    Lulu shrugged helplessly. "Not going to work! He''s the one that sent us here after theints.


    Tifa nodded in agreement. "Crazy bitches don''t want to room with us."


    "Crazy, right?" Lulu gave him a questioning look, waiting for his response.


    "Completely unreasonable." Maric''s sharp eyes caught a small movement on his balcony. Opening the double doors, he immediately focused on the bird that perched on the railing.


    "Maric?" The voice didn''t sound like it should belong to a tiny bird; it was deep, like someone talking from the bottom of a well.


    "Hey, shut the doors! It''s too smokey outside!" Lulu was about to shut the door when she spotted the bird. "Woah... Is that your bird? I thought you had a killer rat?"


    Maric ignored the orange-haired woman and put his hand out. "Yes, I''m Maric. Who are you?"


    The ck sparrow''s head tilted slightly as he considered it. What would Nix say? "Pon the Magnificent!"


    Maric brought the bird closer, flinching slightly when it hopped from his hand to his shoulder. "Do you know the Rat King?"


    The bird nodded. "Yep. Best friends."


    Lulu followed the conversation, leaning close to inspect the bird, her pretty face inches away from Maric''s "Rat King? That sounds awesome."