Annan felt a little relieved. It seemed Illymoyas's kin still approved of him and hadn't seized the chance to raise their price.
Another pile of gemstones appeared before him. "Is this enough?"
"My daughter certainly judged you well..." Illymoyas's mother looked more pleased with Annan by the moment. "When do you need our help?"
The Crimson Princess was paying, but Annan was earning the friendship. Then again, he was solving the Crimson Princess's problem in the first place.
"The sooner, the better."
"I'll tell the elders."
Illymoyas's mother reached out a dragon claw. The illusory claw suddenly became solid as it touched the two piles of sapphires, sweeping them away and leaving a dragon scale behind.
"Take us! Take us!"
The three young dragons bounced eagerly around Annan. He couldn't possibly let them onto a battlefield, so he picked three more sapphires from the Magic Ring and gave them one each.
Before they could celebrate, the illusory claws swept over them too, taking the sapphires and leaving three gold coins in their place.
"I'll keep them safe for you..." Illymoyas's mother said, and her image faded.
Now Annan knew where Illymoyas had learned that habit.
The three young dragons stared blankly at the single coin each had received in place of dozens, then began rolling around on the ground.
Annan ignored them. He picked out another sapphire the size of a pigeon's egg and returned the Magic Ring to the Crimson Princess. "There's still four-fifths left. That wasn't too much, was it?"
"You did well..."
The Crimson Princess looked at the miserable young dragons, hesitated, then took out three slightly smaller sapphires and held them out.
"Hide these. Don't let anyone find them."
The three young dragons stopped crying at once. They grabbed the sapphires and made to race back