A Dragon’s Tale

Rachel was leaning against the railing on the quarterdeck, acutely aware of what was going on beneath her. She could tell that Alana was trying to keep it down, but that wood elf had quite a set of pipes. It wasn't that she was making a lot of noise -- she wasn't -- but every so often, the unmistakable sighs and moans of a woman on the heights of ecstasy drifted up to the quarterdeck from the captain's cabin below. This was often interspersed with growls and grunts that sounded distinctly dragon-like.

And then there was the movement of the bed...

She could've moved to the front of the ship to avoid hearing them, but something kept her there. It wasn't jealousy or even curiosity, though she was curious what it was like to share a man's bed.

She really didn't know what kept her there.

She was extremely happy that her friend had found wedded bliss and was almost as happy for Ethan. They really were wonderful together. Their personalities fit like two pieces of a puzzle, their strengths and weaknesses covered each other's perfectly, and a blind man could see the deep affection they shared.

Another moan came from the captain's cabin, though it was more of a combination between a strangled moan and groan. The third one in as many minutes, only this one was followed by a deep throaty growl that went on for several seconds.

Despite herself, Rachel felt her cheeks grow warm and she knew they'd gone an embarrassed shade of pink.

"That sounds like the end of round two." Anthiel said with an amused smile. "Ah, young love." As usual, she was sitting on the quarterdeck playing an instrument. Today it was a small, round stringed instrument that Rachel didn't recognize.

"I suppose so." Rachel nodded

"Copper for your thoughts?" The kindly elf asked. She was the picture of refined beauty, managing to make leather breeches and a casual blouse look suitable for a royal ball.

"I wasn't... I mean I was just thinking."

"About our rather vocal newlyweds downstairs?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Anthiel chuckled. "Only to someone with ears. They are rather hard to miss. But why do they occupy your mind? Jealousy?"

The flame-haired teen shook her head. "No, not jealous. I'm really happy for them. I just wish..."

"...that you could have the same?"

"Not the same, but similar. That would be nice."

"It is nice, wonderful even, but marriage is hard work." Anthiel said. "It's incredible, but don't romanticize the effort required. Be happy Alana has found a man like Ethan, but no one is perfect and they'll have their struggles."

"But at least they'll go through them together, me on the other hand..." She cast a glance down towards the captain's cabin.

Anthiel cocked her head to one side. "How long have you had feelings for him?"

"I don't."

Anthiel raised her eyebrow.

"Okay, yes he's a good guy, but he's Alana's guy. I wouldn't dream of doing anything to come between them."

"I didn't say you would. I'm quite certain you would rather die than harm either of them..." She got a sly smile on her face. "...but you didn't answer my question."

"I don't know. I mean, I don't have any." Rachel said, and only after she'd said it aloud did she realize it wasn't quite as true as she wished it to be.

"Okay." Anthiel replied, yet she didn't sound convinced. Quite the opposite in fact; that sly smile hadn't left her face.

Rachel didn't pursue the conversation further because they both knew the score. She had long ago decided she would never lie to herself and didn't intend to start now. Sure, she might like Ethan, but she would never, ever, do anything that might possibly come between herself and Alana, or adversely affect the wood elf's marriage in any way.

Out of curiosity, she closed her eyes and checked her deep mana. The large chunk of mana Ethan had given her to save her life several weeks ago was still there. It was definitely smaller, but still there. She nudged it experimentally, but as before it refused to move.

It felt strange, she had a part of Ethan -- well, his mana -- inside of her. For some reason, that made her feel better. She almost felt guilty for feeling better, but she did.

She was brought back to the real world by the sound of the door to the captain's cabin opening.

Moments later, Ethan and Alana came up the stairs to the quarterdeck. The wood elf appeared to be walking slightly oddly but had a dopy grin plastered all over her lovely face anyway. She even appeared to be trying to hide or downplay it, but there was no denying she was among the happiest people Rachel had ever seen.

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Morning." Ethan said to Rachel and Anthiel. "Is Hailey up yet?"

"Only Just." Hailey yawned as she walked bleary-eyed up the stairs. "I couldn't sleep with the racket you two were making."

Alana's face went beet-red but Ethan just grinned.

"We'll try to keep it down next time." He replied, not sounding the least bit ashamed. "For now, we to get started on the grenades. I'd like to finish them by day's end if possible."

"How do we get started?" Rachel asked.

"First we need to make some molds for the iron." He turned to Anthiel. "Could you get some of the supplies from the hold?"

Anthiel turned to leave and he turned to Rachel. "Can you weld something together using magic?"

"I'll need a pretty hot fire nearby to pull heat from, but yeah. If you leave the breakfast fire going it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good, does anyone here know how to make a mold?" He asked.

"I do." Serif replied, making Rachel jump. He had somehow ended up on the quarterdeck without her noticing him arrive.

Lastly, Ethan turned to Alana. "Could you get started on those fuses. I'd like for them to take about five seconds to start a fire."

The wood elf nodded, and Rachel couldn't help but notice the twinkle in her eye.

"Perfect, then I'll get started mixing the gunpowder. Let's get to work."

* * *

Kendra decided that this was the most confusing dragon she had ever hunted. It was mid-morning and she still had another twenty hours to wait before she could kill it. However, the way it was spending the day was just so confusing.

Through her spyglass, she could see the crew of the dragon's ship gathered around a fire. It appeared that the redheaded mage -- Lord Delmar's daughter -- was using the heat from a charcoal fire to melt iron ingots into the clay mold they had been working on since they got up that morning

The molded iron looked like a small rounded cup, at least until the mage welded a small iron disc to the open end, sealing it completely. Just before she welded it shut, the wood elf would drop a small bit of leather into it. Then the dragon used a funnel to pour a dark powder in through a small hole. Finally, the mage carefully sealed the hole.

What in Saidow's lair were they doing?

She grimaced; it was never a good sign when you didn't know what your quarry was up to. That introduced an unknown element to any hunt, and it was the unknowns that got you killed.

As she watched, she saw the wood elf with chocolate-brown hair regularly giving the dragon an affectionate touch or caress, occasionally even a kiss. Kendra had never been in love before, never known a man's touch before, but looking at that tiny wood elf...

It looked appealing.

Not with a dragon of course. That thought made her want to vomit. But the way the elf was so hopelessly captivated by the dragon... she wanted that. She wanted it so badly that it almost hurt. She knew she could never have it, but she wanted it so much. There was just no way she'd ever be able to trust anyone that much. Not after everything she'd been through.

She resumed watching the dragon's airship to take her mind off of it. The longer she watched, the stranger it became. She'd done recon on many dragons before and they were all the same with a few minor variations. Any humans around them were uncomfortable and scared, usually being forced to perform some service or other.

But this one was different.

It seemed to interact genuinely and genially among the other crew. There was no hint of fear from any of them and it had clearly earned their respect. The longer she looked, the more she came to one inescapable conclusion: this dragon was unlike any she had ever met before.

That made him unpredictable.

Dangerous.

There was no such thing as a good dragon, no matter what façade they put up. They were all predators who considered themselves as far above humans as humans considered themselves above cattle.

She would need to be careful.

Very careful.

It was late afternoon before something interesting happened. The airship had struck its sails and come to a relative stop. The dragon took one of those strange metal objects, held it over the side, and then dropped it into the forest below.

Five seconds later, Kendra heard the unmistakable sound of distant thunder. She looked at the sky, but it was cloudless. No indication of anything on the horizon, much less the kind of clouds needed to make thunder.

She resumed watching the airship.

Everyone on the airship was looking at the dragon with awe and a bit of reverence. The dragon was oblivious, looking over the side of the airship with a broad smile on his face. He held out his hand, and the flame-haired mage handed him another one of those strange metal canisters like it was made of porcelain. He held it over the side, then dropped it.

This time, she followed the canister's trajectory until it disappeared into the forest below. Moments later, one of the small trees appeared to shake violently. Moments later she heard the sound of thunder again. Kendra stared for several seconds before her brain put it together in the only way that made any sense.

No.

No, it couldn't be.

Not thunder.

It wasn't possible.

First lighting and now thunder? This dragon was quite possibly using the only two things that were forever beyond the reach of mere mortals. He was using Illuminar's own weapons? A dragon? It must be some kind of trick; it had to be. There was no other explanation.

She looked back at the airship through her spyglass, but they seemed to be done dropping those things for now. The wood elf grabbed the dragon's hand and nearly dragged him inside the captain's cabin. The significant looks the other crew gave each other left Kendra in no doubt as to what the dragon was about to do to the elf.

She shuddered in disgust.

The elf must have been enchanted or tricked.

There was no other explanation.

Right then, Kendra vowed to herself that she would free the elf and everyone on that ship from whatever spell or enchantment the dragon had cast on them. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure they would never be free as long as that dragon lived. Fortunately for them, she only had to wait another half-day; then they would be free and the dragon dead.

"Hang on; help is coming." She murmured as she observed the crew of the airship.

* * *

Ethan laid back on the bed in the Argo's captain's cabin and breathed a sigh of relief. The sun was past set and the dark bluish greys of twilight were visible through the enormous glass-blocked bay window. He was lying on the bed and marveling that the grenades had actually worked.

To ensure they wouldn't accidentally kill themselves, he had made sure the walls were fairly thin steel so the shrapnel would be lightweight and far less deadly. He was hoping the explosion itself would be the primary source of damage and it seemed to work. He'd gone down and inspected the trees where they'd dropped the test grenades. They'd made a mess of the underbrush and there wasn't much shrapnel, at least that he could see.

He sighed

It had been a long day, but thankfully they had finished the grenades without incident. He'd been a little worried about Rachel putting the final weld so close to the hole through which he'd poured the gunpowder in case the gunpowder ignited. But true to her word, the rest of the grenade hadn't even gotten warm as she dripped a few drops of molten steel to close the hole.

It was... well, magical.

It was also pretty damn amazing to watch Rachel work.

The redhead was completely devoted to her work when she put her mind to it. She'd spent several hours magically moving heat around with a look of fierce concentration. She'd done everything with the utmost care and frankly, she looked amazing with the charcoal smudges on her face she'd gotten from tending the fire. It was beautiful to watch, and not just because Rachel was a beautiful woman.

The door to the captain's cabin opened and Alana came in, closing the door behind her. She looked cheerful, but tired and lovely.

"Anthiel says she's dropped anchor. We're near where Thaltien's men said the dragon's lair is. We can start looking first thing in the morning."

"I'm looking at something pretty worth seeing now though..." He winked at her.

She smiled, bit her lip then pulled off her signature green dress that resembled leaves. She stood there in all her naked glory for a few moments before slipping into the bed beside him.

He pulled her closer still and kissed the top of her head. "Today went so well, I just hope tomorrow does as well."

"Me too." She nodded and snuggled her naked body up a little closer against him. As her skin rubbed up against his scales, he was three-quarter tempted to ravish the diminutive wood elf again.

They'd already done it three times today, but he was feeling only mostly satisfied. Not that Alana hadn't been amazing -- she had been -- but he had one testicle that belonged to Taloni that was still full. It would never release for anyone but the Fey girl; ever. Unfortunately, that meant his horniness never completely went away. He was pretty sure it wouldn't until he'd taken Taloni to bed.

He looked around at the bed. It was larger than a queen size, but not quite as large as a king size. As long as Alana and Taloni didn't mind being close, the three of them could comfortably sleep on this bed together. He hoped they were up for that.

"What'cha thinking about?" She asked as she snuggled up closer to him.

"Something very practical and unsexy."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, sleeping arrangements when Taloni joins us."

The wood elf glanced at the bed. "I think there's room for the three of us right here."

"As long as you both don't mind, that's exactly what I'd prefer."

"Me too." She nodded. "I'm not sure I could sleep in a different bed after sharing yours."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "I don't know if it's your presence, your scent, your warmth, or just you being you; but I have never slept as well as I have these last few nights. Being your wife is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world and all in contains."

"I would." He said as he felt his impish side rising.

She instantly leaned up and gave him a startled, somewhat hurt look.

"You're in the world right?" He winked at her.

Her expression changed to one of amused exasperation. "I love you brat-brat."

"Brat-brat? Is that my new official nickname?"

She sighed, snuggled back down beside him, and gave his arm a squeeze. "Best husband ever."

"Oh, is that my new nickname? Because I thought--" He started, but was cut off by a sudden shout from the weatherdeck.

"DRAGON!!!"

"DRAGON INCOMING!!!"

Moments later, there was a burst of red-orange light outside the window; light that looked suspiciously like it had come from a burst of flaming breath. That's when Ethan realized his mistake. Of course the dragon was here; it was a dragon and dragons could sense nearby gold. They had parked near-ish to its lair so it could sense what Ethan had hidden the first night on the Argo.

The gold cube.

It had sensed it and come to collect it. Ethan's temper flared. Not only was the thrice-damned dragon after his gold, his wife and unborn child were here on the Argo, not to mention Beth's still-frozen body locked safely below decks.

But it was too soon.

They weren't ready.

The grenades were in the hold, Rachel was low on mana, and the entire crew was exhausted from working all day.

Plus, the Argo was made of wood...

"By Illuminar." Alana breathed beside him.

They locked eyes for a moment, then both scrambled out of bed. Alana took a moment to pull on her dress and grab her bow and arrows while Ethan called his warhammer and spear to his hands. They looked at each other again, resolute looks on both faces as they knew what must be done. Ready or not, willing or not, they couldn't run and would have to fight.

It was time to slay a dragon.

(End of chapter 13)

Note: This chapter began on day 49 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 50.