Deneve walked through the Shadowland. This was the place where the spirits of summons dwelt. The summon was the one who had the power here, and Deneve was no fool. She trod carefully but confidently as she drew closer to the great black Dragon. “What do you want?” She asked with a snarl. “Have you come with that infernal ball to take control of us like the Lord of Darkness’ pawns did?”

“No,” Deneve said, shaking her head. “I come with an offer.”

The Dragon tilted her head curiously. “As you have not used the bead yet, I will listen to what you have to say.”

“I didn’t need to come here to utilize its power,” Deneve stated plainly.

“This is true, which makes me more curious about you, human. My name is Garzar.” Garzar seemed to look at the area around Deneve for a moment before refocusing on her. “You seem to have many spirit friends. Some I recognize, and others I don’t. You are no stranger to the Shadowland. Intriguing.”

“I have a proposition for you.” Deneve explained, holding the bead, “There are those who are afraid of this power and many who would use it for their own gain. One of my own kind wishes for your power as well. I know you and your herd have been used by Kzarka in the past. I don’t want that to happen again.”

The Dragon snorted, but it wasn’t a sound of laughter or anger. It seemed to genuinely be in shock. “I admit I am even more interested in your offer, but I have a request first. Will you listen to our story?”

Deneve nodded as the Dragon gestured to a rock that suddenly became a large pillow. This was not surprising to her. This was the Shadowland, after all, and the summons in charge can change things at their whim. She smiled as she settled on the comfortable pillow looking at the Dragon attentively.

“Many eons ago, a large meteorite fell on Valencia when it split apart, red dust fell. Our species were just simple brown newts in Yalt Canyon at the time, but the red dust made many of the newts start acting strange.” The Dragon explained as she shifted her wings.

“The red dust caused many of our kind to die. I alone survived, growing larger and smarter. My skin hardened and turned black. I started consuming smaller creatures for sustenance.” She continued. “The humans were terrified. They named me Garzar. The word means evil spirit in Old Valencian.

“People tend to fear that which they don’t understand,” Deneve said.

“I can’t say I blame them,” Garzar admitted. “Once my eggs started hatching, the black dragons became a herd. We craved the black stone more and more, which caused conflict with humans. This also made us an easy target for Kzarka and his troop of darkness. Kzarka….he tortured me. By forcing me to obey him, the herd followed.”

“That’s horrible,” Deneve said, shaking her head as she stood. “No one should ever be able to use this power again.” She held out her hand, calling on Marg. The flame started small at first, becoming more and more powerful. Arne stepped in to ensure Deneve didn’t get burned as she melted the bead into liquid and burned the liquid to ash.

Garzar watched curiously without a word. Deneve wiped the ash between her hands, sending it to the ground. “No one will be able to torture you again,” Deneve said with relief.

Garzar was puzzled. “That was your only bargaining chip.”

“I don’t care,” Deneve stated firmly. “The red dust seems to be similar to the dark energy or black spirit I have within me. Maybe they are related, I don’t know. It’s not your fault you are this way. And I can tell you are aware enough to take care of your own. People are greedy, just as the energy is. The entire time I was destroying that bead, the black spirit was yelling at me for doing so.

“Yes, the compulsion can be controlled,” Garzar said, lifting the corners of her mouth in almost the human semblance of a smile. “You have earned my trust and my gratitude, human. I would like to offer you a boon. What would you have of me?”

“Originally, I was going to ask you to commune with me as a way to keep you safe from those who would use you and to keep you from hurting others,” Deneve replied with a small smile. “But I don’t think that is necessary. I believe your judgment is sound and that you don’t need guidance.” She turned to walk away.

“Wait,” Garzar requested, “You have a long road ahead of you in dealing with the spirit. I would like to come…commune with you, I mean.”

Deneve looked at her curiously. “You would be giving up the freedom you just got from the bead being destroyed if you do that. I wouldn’t want to chain you down after destroying the bead.”

“I’ve seen your other summons,” Garzar said, giving Deneve a curious look. They are happy with you. In fact, they have genuine affection for you.”

Garzar walked over to Deneve. “I also think that since the spirit and red dust both are looking for black stones and power, maybe they are the same entities in a different form. So that your hypothesis may be correct, and they are related in some way. By dealing with your spirit, we may find something to help my herd as well.”

“I will only agree if this is something you truly want,” Deneve said, “I will not force any creature into submission.”

Garzar dropped to the ground and bowed. “This is my wish.”