The dragon collected information along with antiques. If Management could teach me about this new threat, then there would be no reason to involve my dad…“Give me a name and an address and we can start arranging his funeral.”

“He has many names, none of which you would have heard. He comes from an age before this one, when dragonkind were still young on the face of the Earth. His faction in the eternal war has been silent for a very long time. They are enemies to the Old Ones, but that does not make him a friend to you, quite the contrary, in fact. He will remake this world and it will spell your end. The presence of these signs was another motivating factor for the organization of ICMHP, for though there is much I do not care for about the human world, its continued existence provides me a measure of comfort and amusement, and thus I would prefer not to see it destroyed. I would very much like to see him stopped.”

I got off the ancient chair and made it a few halting steps toward the screens. “It’s real, isn’t it? The pattern that we discovered. There’s an invasion going on.”

“These are but the opening moves of the game. He has come forth briefly before, to test the waters, if you will, but each time before he found the world not yet ready, and returned to his slumber. However, this time feels different to me. If this is the case, then the invasion will come soon enough, and believe me, you will know. What we are seeing now is a testing of man’s defenses. There are many things that are buried deep in the world or far beneath the sea, dead but dreaming. He is waking them one by one, setting them free, all in order to watch how man reacts. I believe it was no accident that this latest creature has beset us here today.” The dragon regarded me for a long time. “You Hunters are being tested. Pray to your God of light and ask that you do not fall short. I would do the same, if my gods were still alive.” Management gave a melancholy sigh.

“I want to know everything you know about—” There was a sudden wailing noise and all of the monitors flashed red. “What’s happening?”