Lou

  Lou stumbled after Harper. The dragon led him along a narrow path. "Unfortunately, the cave is difficult to reach on foot!", the dragon growled. He held Lou's hand and hurried along the path as if he were running away from something. Or as if he could hardly wait for something.

  Although they could have reached the cave by air as well, the thought of being carried by a dragon again displeased Lou. He didn't want to be carried around like a doll. He wanted to use his own feet. Even if this meant stumbling at the moment.

  He didn't want to feel so terribly helpless...

  "Hm", Lou replied slightly sourly and concentrated on Harper's colors. Brown-red hair, colorful clothes. Harper walked too fast. "Hm!"

  "What's the matter?" Harper stopped and looked at Lou. "Is something... Oh! I'm too fast, huh? Sorry. I'm walking slower now." Somewhat embarrassed, the dragon pulled at his hair. Lou could vaguely see the movement.

  "Good." He had held a dragon cub in his arms. The memory of it made Lou strangely dazed. The tiny dragon had been soft and warm, with the cutest little wings.

  "It's not far anymore."

  "Good." Lou didn't see how high up they were, but he felt the dizzying height. And he heard Harper's soft ugh. Confused, Lou grimaced. He didn't understand what Harper found so funny.

  It didn't take long for them to reach the cave entrance. And as promised, Harper's steps had slowed down. Lou was about to ask how far it was when the dragon stopped. "Here it is!" he announced triumphantly and pressed a fleeting kiss on Lou's cheek. Lou, on the other hand, nodded nervously. In front of him, he saw only darkness.

  "This is a cave? Are we visiting someone? The cave is dark", he murmured, tentatively touching the spot Harper's lips had touched earlier. "I can't see anything in the dark."

  "Don't worry. There are torches. I don't know why. We dragons don't need the torches, but they are there. Come!" Harper pressed another kiss on Lou's cheek, catching Lou's finger as well, and then pulled him into the darkness. With one hand he held Lou, with the other he reached for a torch and lit it with fiery breath. Lou blinked and stopped in shock.

  "Oh."

  "I'm a dragon!" Harper replied amused. "No matter in what form. There's nothing human about me, Lou. Come on. We're almost there! It's something special."

  "Hm."

  All Lou saw was the flicker of the fire as he followed Harper through the cave. Hand in Hand. The dragon's hand felt increasingly moist. Was he nervous? They didn’t walk for long. The air was cool and humid and it smelled of something that Lou couldn't cssify.

  "We're here!" Harper finally whispered, his voice in awe. "This is our sanctuary. Here y all the eggshells, of every dragon that was ever born in these mountains. Every eggshell is precious. Indispensable. A sacred heritage."

  "Oh." Well, still, Lou saw nothing but the fire. But he felt a kind of holy calm that ran through the cave like a veil. "Eggshells... Do they sparkle?"

  "Some?" Harper ughed softly again. "Come on. I'll show you my eggshells!" He gently pulled Lou through the cave until he stopped and held the torch close to something dazzling in which the light of the fme was reflected. "My sparkles definitely!" he said.

  Lou dared to lean forward slightly to see the iridescence better. But he kept his distance from the devastating fires, the warmth of which reminded him of nothing but pain. Slowly he got used to having fire nearby again. The fear remained and was only kept in check by Lou's curiosity. The iridescence of the eggshells was pretty. Magical. Especially in the dancing light of the fmes.

  Harper let go of Lou's hand and reached for one of these shells. For a small fragment. "Here. Take it." He held the piece out to Lou.

  Hesitantly, Lou stretched out his hands, so Harper pced this small piece of cool eggshell in his hands, it was about the size of his sparkling stone. Maybe a little bigger. Lou felt the eggshell, it was smooth. Then he held it close to his face. In the light of the fme, he clearly recognized the shape of the piece and the wondrous patterning of the stone-like and yet strangely soft material. It looked a bit like a heart. ?It's beautiful. Here. Better put them back."

  When Lou wanted to return the piece of shell, Harper stopped him. "Keep it. I'll make you a neckce with it."

  "What?" Lou shook his head and held the piece out to Harper. "That's not possible! You said the shells are precious! I can't keep any of it."

  "Yes. You can. It's only a small piece. Most of my eggshells stay here. But this piece? It shall be yours."

  "Why?"

  "Why?" Harper picked up one of Lou's strands of hair to py with. "Because I like you very, very much. No one will mind if I give you something from ME." Then he put the torch on the cool stone floor and pulled Lou to him. "May I kiss you?"

  "Yes?" Lou held the small piece of the treasure in one hand and pressed it to him, he wrapped his other arm around Harper. His fingers clung to the rough fabric of Harper's clothes. "Please."

  Laughing, Harper put one hand on Lou's neck. The other rested on Lou's back. He pulled him even closer and kissed him.

  Louise

  Louise had arrived at her parents' house in the middle of the night. The next morning they were surprised to find Louise in her old room. The room had remained as it was. Louise was asleep, with her old doll in her arms.

  Everything smelled familiar here. Nice. Secure.

  Now she sat in the main room of the house and helped Nina paint ceramics. Her parents sold goods at the market. Coughing and tired, they had left the house. The two girls were worried. Their parents did not feel well. Although they pretended to be fine, both looked weak and pale. Louise had suggested buying medicinal herbs, but the two declined. Her mother said she had enough magic to get rid of the cough. But why did they still cough then?

  "What are you going to do now?" Nina asked after Louise had kept quiet for a long time.

  "I don't know", she answered, drawing a pale red flower on a simple cup. The work was monotonous and easy. She did not exert herself. Unlike the tasks of a priestess.

  "They'll be looking for you here."

  "I know."

  "Maybe they'll treat you like a traitor."

  "I know."

  "Maybe..."

  "Nina!" Louise, annoyed and full of misfortune, put the cup back on the low kneeling table. "I know."

  "If you know all this, why did you run away? Hm? Do you want to go to the mountains? To Lou?" Nina raised her fine eyebrows. "Mom and Dad would be in despair if you disappeared too. Although they know that he is safe, but... Since the incident... I think if you leave too, they won't survive that. Mom once said grief affects magic. Surely the two are still sick because of it."

  "Possibly. But, can I just go back to the temple? Even though they lied? Even though they are superstitious and fanatical?" Louise shook her head. "They are cruel, Nina. They are the traitors. Not me."

  "All of them?"

  "Possible?" Sighing, Louise closed her eyes. "I don't know."

  "And... If you apologize? So far, they've believed you everything. You were angry and had to sleep at your parents' house for one night. To rethink everything. Tell them that. That would be a good expnation for your behavior, don't you think? Pusible. Believable." Nina rolled her eyes. "If they've believed you so far, why should that change? Maybe they are not wise, but stupid!" Her little sister giggled happily. "The Stupid, not the Wise. Sounds refreshing!"

  "I don't understand what you find refreshing about it. Our city is ruled by fools. Power-hungry fanatics. That's not refreshing. They wanted to sacrifice Lou." Out of a false faith to which they cling. And out of greed for power! They misuse the name of the gods for their power games! Can I go back? "What do you think? What would be the right thing to do? At the dragons, I could take care of Lou."

  "The dragons are already doing that", Nina grumbled. "I think you should apologize and return to the temple."

  "That would be very risky." Louise reached for the cup again and continued her work on it. "If they don't believe me, death could also await me. Now that they no longer shy away from execution. In the attack of the dragons, a few priests and some of the Wise Men were killed. The situation is tense. They don't dare to go to war against the dragons yet, but it's probably only a matter of time. The dragons will not approve of their demands. That would be the death sentence for all of us. And for what?"

  Nina rolled her eyes. "Lou, his death, and the diamonds, right?"

  "Right. They want to gain even more power with the diamonds. Influence. It may not even be about Lou. He is just a pawn in their games. I can't stay here!"

  "What do you want to do then? Crossing the desert and hoping to find a civilization somewhere?" Nina shook her head. "Persuade Lou to go with you? If you go to the temple, you might be able to convince some of the priests of Lou's innocence. You just can't get caught. And what about us, Louise? This is our home. Where are we supposed to go? Hope to survive the desert and find a new home far from here?" Nina stared sadly at the cup she was painting. Red-colored ceramics, which she painted with brown paint. The patterns looked slightly smeared.

  "If only it were that simple... Maybe it's best if I go to the dragons", Louise grumbled dejectedly. "But... What am I supposed to do there? Usually, they don't accept humans around them. Lou won't want to leave there, even if it would be safer far from here. For him. Hopefully."

  "I want to see Lou!", Nina said suddenly. "Do you think we can go there? Please! I have to apologize to him!"

  Louise smiled when she heard this. "Lou would be happy. I think he misses you. Yes, but first I have to..." She sighed. "I have to go back to the temple. Maybe I can actually make a difference there. I just hope you'll be right. That they believe me. Otherwise, we will not see each other again until eternity. Meet me tomorrow evening at Lou's former hut. If I'm not there, don't try to go to the dragons alone! Do you hear?"

  Nina grimaced.

  sasi