Nikulas flew as high as he dared, peeking over the tips of the mountains surrounding them. The cool air teased his scales, urging him to fly higher. But he was already above the altitude his mother insisted they stay at. Still, he couldn’t get high enough.

His brothers struggled with their containment too. They hovered either side of him, two blue shadows, letting him decide how high they went.

His jaw clenched, and he forced his wings to relax. Even as dragons, they were taught to fear the perils beyond their valley. Yet seeing the tree-covered expanse, Nikulas couldn’t imagine it was that dangerous. Surely the humans out there couldn’t be either.

He and his brothers circled the rim of their valley. The circuit seemed smaller as they grew. Rather than cocooning them, it constrained them. The three had been happy living with their mother, but as they aged and learnt to shift into their human forms, they felt the absence of their sister more. Born a human rather than a dragon, she had been condemned to leave the safety of their valley and grow up with their human father. Now they waited for her to come of age and find them.

His brothers broke off, descending back to the valley. Nikulas lagged behind the other two, knowing their mother wouldn’t be pleased. But he had to stretch his wings. The peaks pressed in on him. He peered at the dark lands beyond, The distant horizon called to him, begging him to explore. The restrictions grated on him. This was the sixteenth summer since they’d hatched. Sixteen summers of waiting within these mountains. They should be free to soar wherever they wished. They should rule this nation. They should be able to go and find their sister. But their mother forced them to remain in the valley's safety.

Reluctantly, he returned to their arena where his mother and brothers waited. As expected, she stood, hands on hips, waiting for him at the edge of the arena.

“You are risking our very future and the future of this entire world. If the humans find out we exist, they will hunt us down.” She lectured them again. “We have a responsibility. We can’t risk compromising that.”

His brother, Vincenc, rolled his eyes. He was the largest of the three, and also the scraggiest with longer hair and beard.

Artur stifled a yawn. His hair was shorter, though all three of them were a similar dusty brown.

They had heard this speech with increasing frequency over the years since they had started to fly on their own. Nikulas barely listened anymore.

He leant forward, pleading with his eyes. “Mam, we just want to see what’s out there. You’ve been there, and it’s your choice to stay here. But can’t we find out for ourselves?”

“It’s not safe. They only leave us alone because they don’t know we’re here.” Varvaara stood rigid, only her dress moving in the breeze.

Nikulas sighed. “Please?”

“I’ve told you numerous times what happened to my sister and the other dragons. We may be bigger, but there are more of them.” She looked each of them in the eye. “And they know our weaknesses.”

The three brothers shared glances, shuffling their feet.

“What about Birgith?” Artur tried a different tack. “How long will you leave her alone with the humans? Shouldn’t we find her?”

“She will find us. Rupert will look after her. When the time is right, she will make her way here.” Her faith in their long-ago aggreement never wavered.

“This is ridiculous.” Vincenc slammed his fists on the nearest boulder. “This is our land. We should be free to go where we want, not hiding in a valley until some slip of a girl gets here. And even when she does, how will that change things? There’ll just be another one of us stuck in this valley.” He stormed off towards their cave home.

“Vincenc, if I have to, I will bind you here.” Varvaara’s voice raised to carry to his retreating back.

“Let him go,” Artur said. “He’ll cool off quicker on his own.”

Varvaara watched Vincenc march away. “I mean it.” She stared at her hands. “It is dangerous out there, however much none of you believe me. I will bind you to stop you from putting yourself in danger.”

Nikulas scanned the surrounding ground. The special sort of grass they used to produce their flame grew abundantly in the valley. One type for burning, one for healing and another for binding. Their mother hadn’t bound them as children, but threatened them with if when they got restless. It was her final resort to ensure that none of them could leave her, or the safety of their hideaway.

He turned towards the southern peaks. “But Birgith -”

“Will need you, all three of you, when she arrives.” Their mother shook her head. “I don’t know why she is blessed with three brothers, but there must be something in her future that will require all of you to guard her.”

Artur narrowed his eyes. “What if the reason there are three of us is to rescue her from the humans now?”

She held his gaze. “Birgith doesn’t need rescuing from your father. He promised to look after her and I don’t doubt him.”

With that, she followed Vincenc inside. The desire to protect their sister burnt in Nikulas’ belly like dragon flame. If she didn’t return soon, they’d fulfil their duty and find her.

“We must do something.” Nikulas sat, arms crossed, glowering. The autumn had set in. Still, there was no sign or word of Birgith.

His brothers perched on two of the chests that filled the storeroom. The denselt packed space had become their unofficial place to hide from their mother.

Artur put his hand on Nikulas’ shoulder. “When Birgith arrives, we can work on Mam. Let’s keep the peace for now.”

“It’s been weeks since the summer solstice, when we all counted as adults. Why hasn’t she come?”

Artur shrugged. “Maybe she’s preparing what she needs. Or finishing some other responsibilities. Or already on her way here.”

Nikulas frowned. “Or maybe she’s not coming. Maybe she’s not able to come. Or dead. How would we know? Mam trusts our father, but a lot of things could have happened in the time since she left Birgith with him.”

Vincenc glowered. “I just want to get out of this valley.”

“I know, bro.” Artur clapped him on the shoulder. “We all do. Though the idea of a sister that we’ve never met is intriguing, too.”

“Ugh. I’ve had enough of this.” Nikulas stood and paced the narrow pathway between dozens of chests and cases, tributes from when the dragons had ruled and protected the land. A time when humans respected dragons. Before they betrayed them, and slaughtered all but their mother.

Their family was the last hidden remnant of the once mighty queens. Sheltering in a sliver of what should have been their birthright. Well, Birgith’s birthright. It was their duty to stand at her side as brother-guards. But how could they do that if she wasn’t here?

The large room closed in. Nikulas slowed to study the tapestry of one of the mighty queens. Their future couldn’t begin until their sister returned. He was determined to find her, whether their mother approved or not. Surely the humans had forgotten how to capture a dragon, having not seen one for hundreds of summers. He’d studied their methods. He was aware of their tricks, so he wouldn’t be easily caught if he went alone.

He faced his brothers. “Mam will be watching us like hawks. Best we lie low for another week. If Birgith hasn’t found her own way here, we’ll need to take a different approach.”

They nodded.

Nikulas led the way out of the storeroom. He had no plans to wait. But with his brothers throwing themselves into chores and studies, their mother would let her guard down.

Nikulas rose before dawn and crept out of the cave. With the first rays of sunlight, he was over the mountains and on his way to find his sister. He’d barely slept, envisioning her re-taking this land from the humans with their help. To live as dragons, not like frightened rabbits hiding from the world.

The land flattened out. In the early morning sunrise, he was unlikely to be spotted. Still, he monitored the movement below him, avoiding a large collection of houses at the end of the pass. Better to check the less occupied areas first.

As the day warmed, Nikulas landed in a copse of trees. More comfortable as a dragon than a human, he settled under a covering of leaves to camouflage himself and wait out the day. The autumn sun warmed his skin, lulling him into a doze.

A group of girls danced under a tree near his hiding place. He searched for a connection to any of them, but felt nothing. His heart sunk. They continued twirling, oblivious to his presence. Part of him was relieved, but another part desired their adoration.

Once the day darkened, he resumed his search. Areas of shorter grass gave way to taller, golden grains. With no sign of his sister, he began to doubt his ability to identify her. There would be a connection, or a feeling, that made her presence different from the other humans, wouldn’t there?

He was committed to this now. He’d search the whole of Kaitstud if he needed to. Without her, he couldn't return to the valley.