Julia

  Some sidered going to the creek to freshen up. But the wind was freezing. The risk of catg a cold was high and they had no medie with them. Julia didn't know enough about diseases to cure them. Now, far from the prote of her home, Julia uood the bes of magic. Yes. It would be very helpful if she could already use her full magic. But she had to wait for that. But how was she supposed to learn to use her magic appropriately? There was no one here who could show her this. For the first time, she was what she always wao be. A normal girl. At least that's how she felt, and she didn't like it. Why was she so helpless? Without the dragons, her brother would now be dead. She almost lost him. And she felt guilty. Her brother was rescued, but for many elves of the vilge, there had been no rescue.

  An older elf with snow-white dragonfly wings approached her to thank her once again for her itment. "We don't deserve your kindness!", he said. "Some of us were vihat it was right to take advantage of a child. Not all, no. But the eldest was a good, wise leader for a long time. No one dared to stand in his way... We should have do, but we were cowardly. Uain. I regret that."

  Julia didn't know what to say to him. She felt as if she had abahe vilge. She wao save them all.

  "I'm gd you're with us now, child." The elf smiled. "But I regret the circumstances. You shouldn't be here. Children belong to their parents."

  "The queen is not a mother", Julia finally replied. "And thank you very much. I wao save you all. But I couldn’t."

  "But you saved us, child." The elf wi her. "My name is Thilo. And I thank you for my life." Then he left, leaving Julia back to her thoughts. Julia sighed. Did she deserve the elf's thanks?

  "Juli!", she heard Finn call. He and Marko approached her. The two wolves looked excited and Finn broke away from Marko to rush to Julia as fast as his feet carried him.

  "What's wrong?", she asked, catg Finn as he threateo stumble into her arms. He grimaced hurting. "Is everything ok?"

  "No. But that it be... My left foot hurts... But he's healing again." He g to her and buried his fa the fabric of her clothes. Marko looked at him with pity and stroked his hair.

  "We smelled tolves. They are on their way here", Marko expined.

  "Here? Refugees?" Why were wolves here? A few years ago, her mother had forbiddeo leave their towns and vilges except to go to work. Just like the elves.

  "We don't know yet. But it is to be assumed, yes. They must have smelled Finn and me long ago. That's why they e here. One adult and one child."

  "What's wrong?" Leopold, who had been pying with little Cudia until just noroached her. "You look worried."

  "Werewolves. We're getting visitors," Julia replied. "We don't know what they want. Maybe they're on the run, too."

  Leopold nodded. "I'll inform my parents." He gave Julia a fleeting kiss on the cheek, then hurried away.

  It wasn't long before two wolves approached them. A forty-year-old, pale man with dark brown wolf ears and equally brown eyes, and a six-year-old boy with brown ears, light brown skin, frizzy hair, and almost bck, dark eyes. Julia khe boy. It was the other child from her vision. But she still didn't uand why she had seewo children in visions.

  Fiete stood protectively with Julia. Josefine reached for Julia's hand. Finn g to Marko, who had tilted his head curiously. Leopold brought his parents with him aer stood behind her. Most of the group stayed behind them, but Flora and Hanno approached the two wolves.

  "Hello", Flreeted them. She seemed a little uain. "We didn't expect to enter two wolves."

  "What gives us the honor?", her husband added.

  The wolf looked at the group seargly until he spotted Marko and Finn. "I smelled two wolves and hoped to catch up. My wife and I wao flee across the border into the marshnd. Together with our son. We left our pack." He stroked the boy's head. "But there were soldiers statio the border. My wife tried to find a ast them... But... Pepe and I escaped them. My name is Liam. Noant to go to the steppe... And to join anroup... You're on the run, aren't you?"

  "The bigger roup bees, the harder it could be to cross the border!", shouted Ilse. "We are already a big group. We don’t need more people!"

  "What?", now Gisele's indignant voice could be heard. "You want to send them away?"

  "Quiet!", shouted Hanno and turned upset to the two women. "We certainly don't turn anyone away who needs refuge!" Then he smiled at the wolf. "You and your son are wele here. I am sorry for your loss. We also lost many."

  "We want to go to the steppe." Julia now took a step forward. If she had seen both children, surely that meant something, didn't it? And even if it was just a ce, she didn't want to abandowo wolves either. "With a bit of luck, the border to the steppe will still not be heavily monitored. Soldiers are posted there, and the Queen has often pihat there are still too few..."

  "And you have me and my uncle", Josefine whispered to her. "We help."

  "I know!", she squeezed the younger girl's hand. But would Fiete want to help them? With Josefine nearby? She had experienced how risky it was... And would the young dragon be able to hold back? She didn't know.

  How many soldiers were statio the border? She had never been ied in the exaumber. Did they stand a ce? Julia looked at Leopold, who looked no less worried.

  "Thank you!", said the wolf, Liam. He she air. "You are an iing group. I had followed the smell of wolves. Of course, I also smelled humans and elves... But there is another smell. Fire. Smoke. Ash. Danger." His gaze wao Fiete and Josefiwons? Am I right? Both male..." He frowned. "The child smells more disturbing than the adult. Why do you travel with dragons?"

  Josefine snorted angrily.

  "They belong to us", Flora answered the question. "Both." "That's iing." Liam lifted his son, who yawiredly. "Well. If you trust them, I will do that too."

  "Dragons?", the boy murmured. "I don't see dragons."

  His father grinned. "Yes. They are just disguised."

  Agathe

  Lea was still angry. Agathe hadn't seen her in a while. Her daughter refused to leave her room. Agathe felt dull. Exhausted. Restless. Should she try to talk to Lea again? But she was so tired...

  Had Cleo found her little one? Was she on her way home?

  Had the elves paid?

  She also missed her husband. Friedrich. She needed him by her side. The wedding should be over by now. Soon he would e home. And by then, maybe Julia was back. And if not, then they could fear together. Hope.

  No. ust have reached Julia by now. They are on their way home.

  But... What if not?

  Agathe had woken up with an uneasy feeling. She had a vision. Asleep. She saw fire and Cleo. That's all she had seen. Was the task done? Or had something gone wrong?

  Friedrich

  Coletta drank a gss of wine. She sat in his bed and smiled dreamily at him. "What do you think about leaving the queen? And to get into the marshnd? I liked our little meetings before the wedding and now. Here we could meet from time to time and... Have fun." She wi him.

  Friedrich grinned. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the vampire tentedly. "I am gd that I have lived up to your expectations."

  "More than just that." She put the gss of wine on the bedside table. "You surpassed them. You are my first human. Further meetings would certainly be both of us."

  "I 't leave Agathe. Not now. One of my children has disappeared. I'll leave home ter."

  "What a pity."

  "Certainly." He had also ehese two meetings. And what he liked most about it was that Agathe would never know. Weren't vampires like elves and werewolves? Never would another unpleasant surprise e through his door. Not with a vampire, no. "But maybe we'll see each ain? After all, my... Son married your here will certainly be opportunities."

  "Ah. Yes. I almost fot. Surely there will be occasions. How gratifying." She stretched out and gri him. "Unfortunately, I'm tired now... Maybe you'll help me fall asleep?"

  "I would like nothing more than that."

  Agathe will never know. Coletta is a vampire.

  Little did he knorong he was. The surprise was already on its way.

  sasi