spread across the dragon’s scaly face. “Surprised to see me, my long-lost niece? Or have you simply forgotten your beloved father-in-law after all these centuries?”
“Father-in-law?” Ashley squinted at the huge red beast. “Arramos?”
Arramos bowed his head. “At least my granddaughter knows who I am, and she has never met me before.”
“If you mean harm to these children,” Thigocia said, baring her teeth, “I will fight you to the death! If you are who you claim to be, then you know I am a warrior to be reckoned with. Even if I cannot defeat you, I will exact a toll from your flesh.”
Arramos let out a deep-throated chuckle. “Now, Thigocia,” he said, in a condescending tone, “this is no time for theatrics or modern trash talk. I have come to bring enlightenment, not harm.”
“Impossible!” A shower of sparks flew from Thigocia’s nostrils. “My danger sense has never been wrong.”
“You sense danger because you fear what I have to say.” Arramos swept his spiny tail across the old foundation. “When you saw my familiar shape materializing, the sight of me chilled your heart, because you sensed that I would bear a message that would crumble the basis of your faith and plunge you into a chasm of doubt.” His eyes flamed red as he edged closer. “Thigocia, what you fear is the truth.”
Thigocia backed away a step. “I do not fear the truth! I came here to learn the truth, to find clues to what happened to my husband and my son.”
Arramos seemed to glide toward her, closing the gap. “But have you forgotten your daughter? Why do you not seek for her?”
Thigocia blinked. “Roxil? She is alive?”
“Indeed, she is. Why have you forsaken her?”
“I … I never forsook her.” As Thigocia backed away again, thin smoke rose from her snout. “I thought she was dead.”
For every inch Thigocia retreated, Arramos advanced two. “You thought the same about your husband, yet you seek him with all your heart. Have you abandoned your daughter because of her lack of faith in mankind?”
“Abandoned? But I never knew … I mean”
Arramos came within a few feet of Thigocia, his eyebeams now shooting directly into her eyes, seeming to lock the two dragons in visual combat. “Come now. You have been alive for thousands of years. You have seen the Maker rescue from floods, famines, and fire. Your own husband testified to the Maker’s rescue from the futility of Dragons’ Rest, yet you took no thought that he could do the same for your daughter.” His red scales flashed. “Perhaps your love for her has waned because of her rebellion against you and your mate. Were you so wounded by her offense that you have turned your back on her?”
“I have not turned my back, I”
Ashley stepped in between the two dragons, breaking the eye lock. “Mother, don’t listen to him! He’s attacking your character to deflect the focus from the question at hand. It’s called ad hominem, an old debate technique.”
Arramos cast his eyebeams on Ashley. “Ah, yes! My granddaughter, the genius anthrozil!” His smile returned, wide and toothy. “I must say that watching you through the years has swelled me with pride. Your amazing intelligence is becoming known around the world.”
“And that’s called bootlicking,” Walter said. “You don’t have to be a genius to see that.”
“Exactly.” Ashley stepped out of Arramos’s eyebeams. “Why don’t you just get to the point? Why are you here, and what do you want with us?”
“Very well.” Arramos switched off the beams and moved back far enough to address them all. “I have come to lead Thigocia to her daughter so we can all search for Makaidos. When we have four dragons together, we will be able to bring order to the world.”
“Bring order to the world?” Ashley set a hand on her hip. “How do you propose to do that? Four dragons can’t possibly defeat modern armies. Besides, why would we want dragons deciding what’s right or wrong?”
Arramos furrowed his brow at Ashley and slowly stalked toward her as he spoke. “Are the decisions of humans creating a Utopia? Are you pleased with constant wars, terrorism, and the killing of innocents for selfish gain? Humans are so self-obsessed, they lust after sensual gratification to the point of participating in the most debased and disgusting behaviors imaginable.” He halted his approach and spat a wad of fire on the ground near Ashley’s feet, igniting a clump of grass. “The vermin of this world refuse to stoop so low. Rats