The situation in the village was noticeably improving, Thora could easily see that. Everyone, more or less, could notice it, but for members of the Council like her who had a general vision of things it was even more evident.
The infection rate was finally going down. The functioning water system, the division of the sick, the post-infection isolation period, the medicines, even the general morale boost thanks to being able to communicate with their loved ones, and all the other safety measures they had taken were finally paying off. The number of daily infections was visibly decreasing and it was expected that within a week or two the number of patients treated would exceed the number of newly infected. With these premises, there was a very good chance that within two or three months the epidemic would completely disappear. Ironically, it almost seemed that the disease had brought more benefits than disadvantages: not only had no one died apart from a few unfortunate victims in poor health, and therefore the impact on the population had been minimal, but now the village was equipped with an extremely efficient water system that provided clean water for everyone and prevented some people from having to cross the entire inhabited center to reach the lake every time they were thirsty. Cleaner water would also have led to stronger health and lower rates of intoxication and infections. They also had two new water basins which besides raising fish could have been used for other purposes. We had also obtained a greater awareness of the risks deriving from diseases and as you had already mentioned, many members of the Council agreed on the need to build a suitable building to counter a possible future new contagion, which would also be used for other types of diseases. And even the government system of the Council, even if only slightly, had achieved innovations that Thora was sure would in the future transform into a faster and more efficient decision-making system than they previously had. Of course, there was still a lot to do to be able to make the most of everything, but in any case the future looked decidedly rosy.
Thora was somehow proud that this dramatic improvement was due to her husband. If only a few years earlier they had told her that Zamor, the placid and peaceful fisherman she had fallen in love with, would become a person everyone trusted and who was always on the front line to guide others in times of difficulty, she would never have believed it. She probably would even laugh. Destiny was truly something impossible to imagine and could lead to such extraordinary and absurd futures that no one could have predicted in any way. From a calm man who would never hurt anyone, Zamor had transformed into an indomitable warrior with great charismatic abilities who had led more than twenty thousand people to safety and a new home, and who was now doing the same a second time against a smaller and more subtle enemy. Thora couldn't help but be proud of the man her husband had become, even if she sometimes regretted a little the quiet lizardman who spent his days fishing for fish in the swamp and came home with a bouquet of orchid flowers in his hands for her. However, even though he had changed so much, Zamor still behaved the same way with her; surely he would never go back to being a fisherman and never show up on her doorstep with a bouquet of flowers, but he still remained loving, kind and understanding towards her and did whatever it took to make her happy. Thora couldn't be more enthusiastic about this, because she knew well that when men changed so much they tended to become more arrogant and haughty even towards their loved ones, while Zamor, at least with her, had remained the same she had fallen in love with so many years before.
However, Thora was well aware that all the results they had obtained weren't due only to Zamor. Her husband had inspired courage in them all, guided them, mediated disputes, and spurred them on to build their new home… but the real mastermind behind all their successes was someone else. Someone that neither she nor Zamor nor any sane person in the world would ever think they'd do business with. A creature known for its cruelty and fury, who knew no empathy or morality, and who would stop at nothing to get his way. A creature commonly called a dragon, which bore the name of Haku. Thora knew that without her help none of them would have managed to be there that day. Zamor was a very reliable leader, fair, charismatic, and attentive to the needs of his people, but to be able to bring everyone to their new home had required something that he didn't have: a strategic intelligence superior to that of any other mortal. And Haku had provided it for him. It was thanks to his plans that their people were finally free and at peace and thanks to him they were now managing to fight off the disease. His help had been providential, a real godsend for all of them.
Thora knew how much Zamor relied on Haku, and now it almost seemed to her that her husband expected the dragon to act in a certain way. As he himself had told her, once his goal was clear, it was easy to imagine what actions he would take... even if there was still a lot of unpredictability. But despite this assurance, Thora knew that her husband actually deeply feared his most important ally. And this fear was well founded: if one day Haku decided for any reason to turn against them, they would have no hope of opposing him. Haku was on a completely different level from theirs, not only in intelligence but also in strength and magical potential. Zamor seemed to want to do everything to prevent this from happening, and for this reason he always tried to find a solution that could please the dragon, and when this solution didn't work he became worried. Thora, however, didn't just want to make sure that Haku was always happy: she wanted to be able to do something more, to really tie him to that community, or at least to dissuade him from hurting them even if an enmity had arisen between them. And that was why she had gone to the sick camp that day, hidden from her husband and prying eyes, and there after a short search she had finally found the person she was looking for: a very petite half-elf who was doing her best to help the sick. "Miss Misune?"
The half-elf turned to her and slightly shifted the cloths covering her face. "It's me. How can I help you?"
"My name is Thora. I'm sure you know me" the lizardman said. "Can we talk in private? I won't take more than a couple of minutes, I promise"
Misune nodded. She knew who Thora was, as she had seen her many times, and then they all knew the wife of the brave leader who had led them across the desert. So the two left the building where the half-elf was working; as they walked among the sick, Thora clearly noticed that their health seemed to have improved somewhat. "You're doing a really good job" she said as soon as they were outside.
"Thanks to all the improvements that have been granted to us" Misune replied with a smile. "Thanks to the fact that we now have all the water we want, we can keep this place spotlessly clean at all times, and we can also wash the patients better. And since we have now divided the patients into different types and that they can talk to their loved ones, it is much easier to keep them jovial. And with the beds on wheels it is very easy to move them quickly if there are problems. These and many other innovations allow us to take excellent care of them even though there are so few of us. Haku was really brilliant when he came up with all these solutions for problems that we didn't even know how to start solving..."
"Yeah, that's right" Thora murmured. Zamor had told her that he, Haku, and Tzegorn had discussed those upgrades in front of Misune, so it was only natural that she knew they were the fruit of the dragon's genius mind. "It's really him I wanted to talk to you about"
The half-elf looked confused, but there was also an eerie awareness in her eyes. Clearly after the initial amazement she had already understood the situation. "You fear he might become your enemy, aren't you?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Thora nodded. "You know very well that he doesn't give a damn about anyone in this village. All that he values is his family, and it is for them that he is helping us. Otherwise he would have already abandoned us long ago" she said, then she looked Misune straight in the eyes. "You're the only person who isn't a dragon that he really cares about. The only one that he has developed a strong bond with. So, I know I'm asking a lot of you, but... could you tell me how you did it? If I knew, maybe I could make Haku bond with this village the same way he bonded with you... and then we won't have any more reason to be afraid of him"
The half-elf sighed. "You're not the first to ask me, but the truth is... I don't know either" she replied. "I don't know why he decided to see me as anything other than a funny little animal, or a tool for a purpose. It just... happened. I don't think he knows why either. All I can do is guess"
"That's enough for me. Even just a guess could be helpful" Thora exclaimed. Seeing that her interlocutor seemed hesitant, she tried to insist: "Please... it's important for..."
"I think it happened because Haku never had anything" Misune said without giving her time to finish. "I won't go into details... but let's say his life hasn't been easy at all, and he's never owned anything, at least nothing important to him. And the same goes for his siblings. You only have to look at them to realize it: every time they have the opportunity to get something, they take it. They hoard stuff they don't even need with the excuse that 'maybe one day it could be useful'... but the truth is that they want to own something. Anything that doesn't make them remember that they have nothing". The half-elf let out a sigh. "All Haku and his siblings ever had was themselves. Family was the only thing they owned. That's why the bond between them is so strong. And when Haku was imprisoned, the family was no longer with him and he went back to owning nothing. The only thing he had was me, his slave girl. I think he tried not to get attached to me, but subconsciously he did it because I was the only thing he felt he had close. And so it happened, almost by accident and for no apparent reason". She shook her head, then she looked Thora straight in the eyes again. "If you want Haku to bond with this village, then make him understand that now me and family are not the only thing he has anymore, but that this whole village is. If he starts thinking of these people the way he thinks of me or his brothers and sisters, he will protect them with his life"
Thora was silent for a moment, mulling over the half-elf's words. "Thank you" she finally said.
"Okay. I should get back to work now. Goodbye" Misune replied, then turned and walked away before the lizardman could reply. Thora stood where she was for a moment, then she turned and walked away.
Meanwhile, in a nearby building also full of sick people, a very elderly tigerman woman was lying on a bed, staring at the ceiling without any emotion in her gaze. Suddenly a figure entered her field of vision. "Elder Leyia, I have come to visit you"
The woman smiled slightly. "But lo and behold, a member of the Council is here. And an important one at that" she laughed hoarsely. "To what do I owe your presence here, Tzegorn?"
"You are one of the oldest remaining of our people, and I know that in your youth you were an adventuress who traveled many lands. I imagine you know many things" Tzegorn replied.
Leyia nodded. "I may know something, yes. What do you need?"
Tzegorn's eyes narrowed. "Tell me everything you know about sandstorms"