A Dragon’s Tale

Kendra had retrieved her bastard sword and slipped away from The Arena without incident and now found herself stalking through Arcanum's streets with a vengeance, stomping her boots as if each stone in the pavement had done her a great personal wrong. She was alternately clenching her fists and focusing on her breathing; one to calm down, the other to magnify her rage.

It would pay.

That beast was going to pay.

For the hundredth time, she wiped her mouth trying to get the feeling of the dragon off her lips as her stomach roiled at the thought. Finally realizing that her hands wouldn't do it, she stalked into the nearest tavern.

"Give me the strongest whisky you have and an empty tankard." She ordered, dropping a coin onto the bar as she stepped up to it.

The bartender gave her an odd look, glanced out the window at the early morning sun, shrugged, then grabbed the coin and filled her order.

She got a huge swallow of whisky in her mouth, braced herself, and then began to swish it around furiously. It burned like fire, but then fire was how you eliminated darkness. She spat it out into the empty tankard then repeated the process again, and again.

It was only after the fourth time that she felt some semblance of "clean". Two more and her stomach finally calmed down. A vigorous application to her lips and they also felt clean, but burned just as fiercely. Scowling, she left both the unfinished whisky and the tankard on the bar and left. Once outside, she headed back toward Falkaan's ship, the Midnight Sun.

When she arrived, she couldn't believe who was waiting on the weather deck with Falkaan.

"What in Illuminar's name are you doing here!?" She demanded.

Luminar Kossel smiled, then glanced at Falkaan. "I thought I'd see an old friend while waiting for you to fail in your crusade."

"Dragonshit!" Kendra's eyes narrowed. "There's no possible way you could've known the beast would win. You yourself said I was one of the best you ever trained."

"I'm afraid Falkaan did more of the training, I merely helped. Though given this morning's debacle, apparently you didn't learn much."

Kendra could feel white-hot rage boiling up inside her. For the first time in many, many years, she simply couldn't contain it.

She snapped.

She used everything she learned in over a decade of training and threw all of her skill and ability into a careful and precisely aimed attack. Even in her anger, she made sure to keep her balance and her defenses up. It was as close to a perfect strike as she could make.

Then she missed.

One moment, Luminar Kossel was in front of her and her strike was about to land. The next moment, her back was hitting the weather deck and the wind was knocked out of her.

"I misspoke." Luminar Kossel said kindly as he leaned over her. "You learned much about fighting, but little about Illuminar or life in general. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so upset."

Kendra was too busy trying to get air back into her lungs to reply. Damn, that was the second time that had happened this morning.

"That... that beast it... it violated me." Kendra spat when she could.

"I was there Kendra." Luminar Kossel said conversationally. "You mean, he touched his lips to yours, seemingly as part of bringing you back from the dead?"

The Luminar offered a hand to help her up. She batted it away and stood on her own, her wind having finally returned.

"Kendra." The old priest continued. "The Book of Light tells us that Illuminar breathed the breath of life into every living creature. Perhaps Ethan was merely doing that?"

Kendra shuddered again and resisted the urge to vomit. Suddenly, that whiskey didn't feel like it had done the job.

"Regardless." He continued. "I'm actually here to help you on your crusade."

She shot him a look.

"Truly, I will help. Unless I'm much mistaken, you didn't expect to lose this morning. Therefore, you have no plan in place to track Ethan when he leaves Arcanum."

She scowled, but couldn't deny he was right.

"I will tell you exactly where he is going, on one condition."

"What condition?"

Luminar Kossel smiled. "You will make no attempt to kill or even hurt him or his companions until the sun rises in two days. To be clear, that's just under forty-eight hours."

"No deal." She shook her head. "I'll track him myself and put him in the ground before nightfall."

"How?" Falkaan asked, speaking up for the first time. "How would you track them?"

"My ship is a lot smaller than the Midnight Sun so it's a lot harder to see."

"And you think a dragon -- and a wood elf -- wouldn't spot it when they are wary of being followed?" Luminar Kossel asked.

She scowled.

Luminar Kossel smiled. "No attempt made to hurt him or his companions until the sun crests the horizon in two days. That's the price for not losing the trail. You may stalk, hunt, and do reconnaissance to your heart's desire until then. But until you see the sun two days from now, you will make no move to injure them or their allies; no move of any kind whatsoever."

Kendra scowled again, but she knew she was backed into a corner. Certainly, she could refuse and pick up their trail again later, but she'd likely lose more than two days doing so.

"Agreed?" Luminar Kossel offered his hand.

"Agreed." Kendra shook it with a scowl.

"As witness, I confirm this as an oath between members of the order." Falkaan said, reciting the official words of a witness. "May Illuminar strike dead the one who breaks this vow."

"Amen." Kendra and Luminar Kossel said together as she continued to glare at him.

Luminar Kossel chuckled. "Oh don't make that face child; you look like someone stole your favorite sweet roll." He said with an amused grin.

She was not amused.

* * *

"Wow." Ethan said as he tried in vain to scrape his own jaw off the floor after Alana had related Elder Goman's plan. "That's... That's... Just wow. He really said that?"

He was sitting on the bed in the captain's cabin with Alana sitting next to him. Rachel was leaning up against one of the two large wardrobes that were on either side of the entrance. He ran his hand over the top of his head and onto one of his horns, exactly where his hair had been a couple of months ago.

"Uh-huh." Alana nodded her head, which at the moment had the two prettiest hands in all creation covering an equally lovely face. Her engagement braid was still wrapped around her wrist, and he smiled as he remembered putting it there.

"I'd ask what you think of it, but..." He smiled wryly as he felt the almost overwhelming amount of both embarrassment and arousal coming over their bond. She seriously looked like she wanted to hide under the nearest rock. That would be hard because they were already safely aboard the Argo in the captain's cabin, but he wouldn't put it past the wood elf given the chance.

They had nearly run to the Argo and gotten away from Arcanum without incident. To ensure they weren't followed, Anthiel suggested they travel to the west until they were out of sight of Arcanum, and only then turn toward their destination. As a result, the early morning sun was streaming into the captain's cabin and casting a warm glow on the three who occupied it.

"For those of us who aren't bonded, what do you think?" Rachel asked the embarrassed wood elf.

Alana made some kind of muffled noise, but he couldn't tell what it was because she was still covering her face with her hands.

"Well, you're not throwing things so I assumed you're not entirely opposed?" The redhead asked.

Alana hesitated for several seconds before shaking her head fractionally. She stood and moved several steps so she was standing in front of the window. Her hands finally dropped now that her back was to the room.

"So, that's Elder Goman's plan huh?" Rachel mused. "You bond to a bunch of women so you can get enough magic to defeat Lord Delmar and the black dragon he's allied with. It makes sense in a slightly creepy, 'dirty-old-man' kind of way."

Ethan opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He didn't see a way to reply that didn't make him sound like a total horndog. Of course the idea of having a bunch of women bonded to him and ready to share his bed appealed. Of course it did; was there a red-blooded man -- or dragon -- to whom it wouldn't appeal?

He was having some trouble keeping his cock down enough so it didn't pop out in front of Rachel though. He pushed a bit of mana into his disguise gem, making himself look exactly like his unaroused state. He relaxed his control slightly when it took effect and his cock leapt out like a spring.

Rachel glanced at him when he activated the gem but otherwise made no comment.

As the blood rushed to his loins, quite another train of thought rushed to his head. He suddenly had visions of women kneeling before him, calling him master and existing to feed his magic. Each of them willingly spreading their legs and begging him to put his seed inside them. They would beg to carry his offspring, each offering everything -- whatever they had -- for the privilege

His dragon side loved it; he wasn't entirely opposed.

Apparently Alana guessed at his imaginings because she said telepathically: *Illuminar forgive me, but it doesn't bother me.*

*Really?* He asked.

*Really.* She nodded

"You're having another one of those silent conversations, aren't you?" Rachel said with a resigned sigh. She didn't sound annoyed or anything, just accepting that she would miss part of the conversation.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to cut you out, it was just a bit... personal." Ethan replied.

"I understand." She said. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I honestly don't know." He replied as he started thinking about it.

To the primal dragon side of him, it seemed like the perfect solution to the problem. It was made even better by the copious amounts of sex he would be having. Alana certainly seemed on board with the idea judging from what she'd said and the arousal coming from her. It actually made him want to bend her over the bed right now, but he didn't think it appropriate with Rachel there so he resisted the temptation.

"The way I see it, you have three options." Rachel offered. "One, you could reject Elder Goman's plan and remain in the Ten Kingdoms. You would probably spend the rest of my father's life -- several decades at least -- running from him and you probably wouldn't escape forever. Eventually he'd find you and then kill you, your bride, and your unborn daughter."

"Never." Ethan and Alana hissed together, though she still hadn't turned away from the window and still had her back to the room.

"Understood." Rachel nodded. "Option number two: go back to Ethan's home with Hailey when we find the slaver's camp with the portal. If you destroy the portal, it would be nearly impossible for Lord Delmar to find you there, and you could live out your lives."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Alana said.

"Oh, I'm not done." The redhead grimaced. "If everything I've heard about Ethan's home is true, there's no dragons, elves, or other non-human races. You'll be outcasts. Even if you manage to stay hidden, you'll never be able to get very close to anyone for fear they'll discover your secret. Your daughter -- and any future children -- will have the same problem."

"We could hide; we'd just need to be careful about Alana's ears." Ethan countered.

"And your children's ears, and their children's' ears, down to about the tenth generation." Rachel pointed out. "The pointiness of elven ears is a very persistent trait that lasts at least that long. Besides, can you see a child keeping their ears hidden while playing? No, you'll need to live in secret and constantly be cautious about your secret being exposed."

"On second thought..." Alana sighed.

"Yes, but at least you two would be safe." Ethan countered.

"Assuming Lord Delmar never followed you, and assuming none of you required a healer for an injury."

"I hadn't thought about doctors." He frowned. Elven physiology was likely very different from humans, and dragon physiology definitely was, which would be obvious if either of them needed a doctor.

Rachel continued. "Plus, what if a human with views similar to Lord Delmar discovers you there? Would you still be safe?"

"That's true." He conceded. "Most people fear what they don't understand." He then did his best Yoda imitation. "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate... leads to suffering."

They stared at him.

"It's from a--"

"--A movie." The ladies finished together.

"How much time did you spend on those things anyway?" Alana asked, still not facing the room.

"Uh, less than I spent watching shows on Netflix."

Rachel stared blankly at him.

"Never mind." He shook his head and then turned to Rachel. "I take it the third option is staying here and fighting?"

"And building your..." She grimaced slightly before continuing. "...your harem of women to increase your power. At least until you're a match for Lord Delmar and the black dragon he apparently follows. Then you'll have a winner-take-all fight to the death, because neither my father nor any dragon he'd follow would accept defeat without plotting revenge."

Ethan sighed. "I don't suppose there's an option that avoids lots of bloodshed and death?"

"Staying on your world."

"Yeah, but I don't think that's such a good idea." He considered what would happen if they were discovered. He was sure that he and Alana, and probably their child, would end up in some secret government facility somewhere. At least if they stayed and fought, then -- if they died -- the death would be quick.

Besides, something deep inside Ethan just bristled at the idea of hiding from anyone. In the short term to gain an advantage, or to stalk and hunt, fine. But running from someone long term -- especially a human -- as if Ethan was his inferior...

He just couldn't stomach the idea.

Or maybe the dragon couldn't. He wasn't entirely sure.

"So, you'd rather stay and build a harem then?" Rachel asked, her face betrayed no emotion at the idea, but she didn't look surprised.

"I guess?" He raised his hands and shrugged. "I mean, what guy hasn't dreamed of being told he needs to build a harem of hot women to save the world?"

"They don't need to be attractive." Rachel countered with a grin. "You could find a bunch of old grandmas."

The image that sprang to his mind was slightly disturbing. "Yeah, I think not."

"Alana, what do you think?" Rachel asked.

The wood elf swallowed, then turned to face the room. She seemed to have gotten control of her facial expressions, though her cheeks were still a little pink. She opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head and closed it. She sat down on the bed next to Ethan, so he was between her and Rachel, before speaking.

"I um... Uh, I guess I don't exactly hate the idea."

"Oh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean. If it's what's best for him-- I mean us, and the baby. With the whole Ten Kingdoms at stake, I guess I don't mind if..." She trailed off as she seemed to lose her nerve.

Ethan could tell she was simply too embarrassed to continue. It was funny; she shouted down a dragon the day they'd met and was fearless in battle, but couldn't admit she didn't mind the idea of him building a harem. Or at least, she didn't seem to mind judging from the emotions coming over their bond.

Ethan and Alana both looked at Rachel.

The redhead put her hands up as if to ward them off. "And just to be clear, no. Never."

"Never... what?" He asked confused.

"I am not joining your harem. Ever. Don't even think about it because there's no chance. Ever. Zero. None. You got that?" She added with a glare.

"Got it, I wasn't going to ask." He replied. Though, now that the idea had been mentioned... he shook his head; no sense going there.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

He considered for a minute, having no clue what to do next. Apparently, the plan was to stay in this world and fight Lord Delmar and the black dragon by building a group of women he was bonded to. For lack of a better word, a 'harem' sounded about right.

"I have no idea what to do next." He finally admitted.

"You mean where -- or who -- to start with?" Rachel asked.

He nodded.

"You've been awfully quiet Alana." The redhead observed.

The wood elf took a deep breath before replying. "I don't think we need to worry about it."

"Oh?" Rachel said.

"Yeah." Alana continued. "I mean, Ethan has already met a few along the way -- me, Beth, and Taloni -- and he didn't need to go out of his way to find us. Maybe we'll meet the right women along the way?"

Ethan nodded as his mind went to Alana, Taloni and Beth.

Beth...

"What?" Alana asked.

Ethan stood up and started pacing, though there wasn't much room to move in the captain's cabin. "I still have this feeling that something isn't right about how Beth died."

"I don't think anyone thinks it was right, but it happened." The redheaded mage replied.

"That's just it, I have this..." He frowned. "I have this feeling deep down that maybe it didn't happen. I know I sound crazy, but I just can't help it."

"We've been over this." Rachel said. "There's no possible way she could've survived. None. It's simply not possible; even one of your scientists would admit that."

"You're probably right it's just..." He looked out the window toward Arcanum. It was still visible and he could feel a pull toward the city. He didn't know why, but he knew it had something to do with Beth. Something inside of him -- maybe the bond they had shared, maybe something else -- but something was calling him.

"It's just what?" Alana asked.

"I just don't feel right about leaving her behind." He finally said. "I know she's dead, but I just can't shake this feeling."

"What feeling?" Rachel asked.

"That I can't leave her behind." He explained. "That she's out there somewhere and I need to go find her. I realize I'd be looking for a... a body. But I just... I don't feel right leaving Arcanum without her."

"You really mean that, don't you?" His wife said.

"I do." He nodded.

The wood elf made a thoughtful sound, glanced at Arcanum through the window, and then turned to look at him again.

"Then maybe we should go back." She suggested.

"You want to go back?" Rachel asked. "Is that wise?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "But something is missing here, I can feel it."

"How long have you felt this way?" The redhead pressed.

"It came on pretty gradually, so I'm not sure. I guess since Alana found me with Taloni? Around there maybe?"

Alana stood up and he stopped pacing as she smiled at him. "Hey, I can feel how much this is bothering you. Maybe we should go back and take a look."

"We?" He asked.

She nodded. "We."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rachel said. "They'll be looking for you."

"Will they?" He countered. "The Argo's departure wasn't exactly clandestine. Sure they'll be looking for me, but not in Arcanum. I can use the disguise gem and make myself look like a giant bird or something. Plus, if I go under cover of darkness there should be almost no risk."

"Do you remember what happened the last time you went flying over Arcanum at night?" Rachel countered.

He subconsciously adjusted the shoulder that Kendra had fired an arrow through only a day and a half ago.

"It'll be different this time." He replied. "I'll pick a disguise that won't stand out and fly very high and fast so it should be safe."

"I think this is a bad idea." Rachel said.

"I'll bring my bow and arrows, he'll bring his hammer and spear; we'll be fine"

"It still seems risky."

Alana smiled and said to her with a wink. "It's okay mom; I won't let the monsters get us."

Rachel shot her a look, but nodded. "Be careful though, and keep your eyes peeled."

"We will." He said.