Kozav by Celia Kyle, Erin Tate

“The opposition was determined to separate themselves and make war on us. They did not want to just establish their own skies. They wanted to rid the planet of the Haclu line completely.”
    Stupid males and stupid posturing, as his dam once said.
    Grace rested her cheek on his chest; giving him more strength to push on.
    “The Haclu were happy to let them go. To allot them land and the skies above. To let them rule themselves. Preors do not seek to lay claim to the clouds but if they wished to no longer be a part of us, they were sent off with good blessings. The emperor wants what all Preors want—peaceful skies.”
    “It wasn’t enough for them,” she whispered.
    “The opposition wanted the skies but didn’t like being told they were ‘allowed’ to do anything. They felt no one should rule absolutely over another. Ever.” He sighed, snippets of speeches teasing his mind.
    “A lot of people have that opinion on Earth. Their opinion is right and everyone else has to have it too.”
    Kozav nodded. “It would have been more accepted if the Haclu neglected their people, but we flourish under their rule. We always have. They are fair and fiercely battle any corruption within the government. Our laws balance what is right with the actions we take due to our inner natures.” Everything the Knowing would reveal to her supported his words. Millennia of rulings and lawmaking. Millennia of peace. “And the opposition…”
    He swallowed hard. “They struck first—at the borders. Borders they wished respected. But for a people who’d lived without them for so long…” He bent over farther and buried his face in her hair. He let her scent soothe the raging emotions inside him. “A family, a sire and dam along with their two dragonlets, were out enjoying the air. The treaty was recently signed and the four drifted into opposition territory.”
    He shuddered. The vids broadcasted from aerie to aerie still haunted him. “They were torn apart. The dragonlets and dam ripped from the sire’s back. He had deep gouges along his spine, bone and flesh cut from his body. Reports said the dam and dragonlets perished before reaching the ground, but the sire …” Roars and sobs, the male battered and destroyed by the attack. “He claimed he heard his mate screaming for him as she fell.”
    He’d never seen a fierce male brought so low. He’d had eight hundred years beneath his wings—an old dry scale if there ever was one—and the events crushed his spirit. “He took his final flight the moment he was released by the healers.”
    “What does that mean?” Grace’s voice trembled and he cursed himself for revealing Preor’s history. But it was knowledge she needed to hear, from his lips and not the Knowing.
    “I touched the very edge of space when I caught the syhri . He did not stop. He flew and flew until he was taken from Preor by the stars.” Kozav had nearly succumbed to such a flight after he’d failed his dam and sister. Nearly. In those early days…
    He turned his head and pressed his lips to her neck, savoring her scent and a hint of her taste. “That was the first battle. One of many. For every attack, we retaliated. For every death, we claimed a life of our own. We would not go to war, but we would defend our people. Until…”
    Until. Until that day. Until that time. Until he’d been too slow to stop…
    “I’d only just been granted warrior status. I was young. A mere sixth warrior. Barely worthy of fetching items for the others, but I was a warrior, none the less.” Cocky. Brash. Stupid. “I served a powerful male, a Primary Warrior of our region. I was responsible for running messages. I was young, light, and quick.”
    Grace snorted and tilted her head back. Sadness clouded her eyes, but a grin teased her lips. “I don’t think you’ve ever been light . You’re massive.”
    He strained to meet her small smile. “Lighter, then. I was to simply convey a message, but I saw a male from the