Julia

  In the m, Marko walked bad forth in front of the bed. He was restless. The full moon roag. Finn had curled up uhe duvet and looked longingly out of the small window. Julia stroked his back. The door to the bathroom opened aer came out. His hair smelled freshly washed. "I'm grateful that we got fresh clothes, but..." He tugged at his simple clothes. "A little mmour wouldn't hurt!" He wore his wedding jewelry and tried t some shape into his hair.

  Julia grinned. "What would you like?"

  "An evening dress, probably!", snorted Marko. "I have to get out of here! I'm going crazy inside!" He kicked the door. Finn pulled the b over his head with a sigh.

  "Hm..." Peter grabbed some grapes from the breakfast that Leopold's mother had probably brought them before they woke up. "I would like an evening dress... What do you think ... A red dress with rubies?"

  "Midnight blue", Julia suggested.

  "I'd like that." He poured himself a cup of cold coffee.

  Marko kicked the dain. "Let me out!", he shouted angrily.

  "You should calm down", Peter admonished him. "We 't get out of here!"

  "And what do we do now?" Finn peeked out from uhe duvet.

  "I had a vision. The pn of the elves will not work. I o talk to Leo. Or the elder!" Julia petted his hair. "We have to get out of the vilge."

  "Out of here?" Marko now sat down on the bed and carefully pulled Finn towards him. "Why?"

  "Soldiers will e and burhing down." She sighed. "I have to warn them."

  "What for?" Peter sat dowo the dresser. "The elf betrayed you."

  "And that's why the elves deserve to lose their homes? Their life? We're not just talking about him! His parents, friends, children..."

  "His parents are holding us captive here..." Marko looked out the window. "I want to get out!"

  "Flora seems nice", Finn interjected. "I like her... I think."

  Julia nodded. "If I 't talk to Leo, maybe I talk to her. And don't worry Marko, we'll get out of here. I don't know how, but we get out of here."

  "Did you see that?"

  "Yes. I did!"

  Marlon

  He looked out the window of his rge room. Light fog y over the marshnd. Two shadows flew in the distahe dragons. He had never mao approach them. Every time he tried to track them down, they were untraceable. Should he try again? Maybe he was lucky...

  His own dragon... Before his sister came back with her weak fiancé. That would bring him oep closer to his goal. But which of the twons should he choose? The mother or the cub? The mother would defend her child.

  Yes. He wao go hunting a dragon!

  Satisfied, he strolled to the room with the red door. He was thirsty.

  A group of people was sitting there. They watched him with bored eyes.

  "You there!" He poio a young woman with short hair. She followed him to one of the sofas and sat down on his p without resistance. He into her throat without hesitation. Warm blood gushed into his mouth. Delicious.

  He drank until his thirst was satisfied. The woman whimpered from time to time, but he didn't care. When he was done, he sent her back to the other mortals. Without a word, he left the room and got ready for the hunt. Sturdy clothes and shoes, as well as a strong rope that resisted fire and a khat he had dipped in a stroive made from herbs. Hopefully, this would be enough.

  Vampires were fast and quiet. He didn't need a horse, even if he could ride. The horses in the snds were used to vampires. Other horses shied away from them. He crept over the moss that gave way under his feet until he came to some trees. Here he had seen the dragons flying. They might still be around... Otherwise, he would have to look at the mountains...

  He roamed the forest, sometimes he heard something rustling, but non was to be seeheless... He felt watched. Were they close? Marlon looked around cautiously. The soil was soft, the trees damp, the leaves dense... It smelled of moss and mushrooms... And of... Reptile? Fire? Where did the smell e from? Marlon followed his o a small clearing. On the damp earth, he found se footprints. Dragon. They had been here... He khe clearing. He couldn't go too far, or he would sink into the s... Marlon looked around... The feeling of being watched did not leave him...

  "Where are you... Where are you hiding..." Dragons were shapeshifters... They could take the form of a horse or a mouse... It was hard to spot a dragon if it didn't want to. Marlon looked around very carefully. In the air was the acrid smell of a dragon. They smelled of fire, ash, and blood. Vampires had fine noses, but the smell of the dragon seemed to be everywhere. Were the dragons long gone and only their smell remained?

  No. Impossible. Then the smell would already slowly evaporate... But it doesn't! At least one of the dragons is still here...

  Something rustled in the bushes. He quickly turned around and caught a glimpse of a wild rabbit. In a fsh, it disappeared into the undergrowth. Marlon slowly crept bato the forest. He looked at every tree, every bush... Where are you? But nothing was to be seen.

  He walked on, off the path he had taken before. Leaving the paths was dangerous. Ss and bogs ran through the try and its forests. Marlon paid close attention to the floor, which was often as pliant as a mattress. The tall, old trees gave way to tall shrubs and much thinner, small trees until he came across something. Some shrubs and trees were bent. A path of destru led to a dragon lying motionless on the surface. Marlon carefully climbed up to the rge animal. The dragon was huge. His body was snaked and long with bright scales. The wings were partly feathered. The long partly feathered tail of the dragon sank with its short hind legs in the s. Marlon climbed up to the dragon's head. A slender, fine head. The eyes of the animal were closed. The dragon was dead. Its white scales were dull. What had it died of? Weren't they as durable as the witches and wizards? He stroked the beautiful head. Had the animal gotten sick? The dragon had no horns. A female. Where was the other dragon? The young one? He looked around. He still felt watched. It had to be nearby.

  Marlon moved away from the dead animal. A dead dragon did him no good!

  He searched for another hour until he gave up. The sky darkehere would be a thuorm. He could not stay in the forest. So he made his way back to the castle. But he was determio find the other dragon.

  Wheurned home soon after, he could hear the dragon's sad calls betweehunder of the thuorm.

  Leopold

  "Did you talk to her?" His mother looked at him reproachfully. "I think you owe her an expnation! Her hair has been cut off!"

  "And?" He looked at her provocatively. "You could have asked me about it yesterday. This m! Why is it important now!"

  "I was hoping you would tell me on your own what happened. But no. She's a young girl! What were you thinking?"

  "You think it was me?" Leopold looked at his mother stunned. "Me?"

  They sat in their small living room by their firepce. It had gotten cold. His father was outside colleg the st herbs and flowers of the year so they could dry them for ois, and teas.

  "I don't know what to think!" She shook her head.

  "It was Inga. Franz needed a strand of the princess's hair for the letter to the queen. Inga exaggerated."

  "And you didn't e up with the idea of stopping her? Why are you joining this pn? Leopold! Why! This is an i girl."

  "I tried!", he defended himself. "But... Don't you want to live in freedom?"

  "Not like that." She shook her head. Again. "You should talk to her. She deserves an expnation, don't you think?"

  "I don't think Juli wants to talk to me anymore."

  "Juli?" His mother smiled. "That's a cute niame. You've called her that before."

  "Finn gave it to her."

  "So you didn't have to address her formally?"

  "No." He leaned against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. "None of us had to. She defended us when we were treated badly... She gave us breaks. Privacy. I think Finn sees her as a member of the family. She's... wonderful. Even if I didn't uand it at first."

  "You like her."

  "More than that. But what does that matter? I made my decision."

  "You ge your mind." His mged him to her. "And we really should let them out of this room. I heard it crash several times today... As if someone had kicked against the door."

  "That robably Marko. Tonight is a full moon. The elder won't let us let them out."

  "I don't care what the elder allows! Franz has gone ihe queen is more likely to send an army here than to allow herself to be bckmailed!" His mother snorted. "Such a fool!"

  He ughed softly.

  "Talk to her", his mother repeated. "Please."