At the Altar of Dragons

Session 32 | Chapter 5

After ducking down the side hall of the dojo, I slip into one of the rooms about halfway down the corridor. The space isn’t large–a grass matt floor fills the area, with a short table in the center. It’s surrounded by floor pillows, and candles are lit throughout the space, bringing a dim, ambient light to the room. When I turn, it’s no longer the platinum drake trailing me, but Lendys in his older human form.

He closes the door behind us and asks, “What did you want to talk about?”

His tone is remarkably calm given our circumstances, and I walk over to one of the tables, leaning against it to keep from pacing. I grip the edge of the wooden surface, grounding myself as I ask, “Are you actually okay?” I bite the inside of my cheek, worry building in my gut, and I fold my arms across my body in a vain attempt to hold myself together.

Lendys moves to the wall, sliding down it to a seated position on the floor. He crosses his legs and I meet his eyes, trying to keep the worry from bubbling over with each passing moment he doesn’t answer. “Honestly?” he asks.

My jaw clenches–this is it. He’s going to tell me he’s not okay, that he regrets his decision. My mind races, and I close my eyes briefly to calm myself. I meet his gaze once more, and, more confidently than I actually feel, reply, “Of course.”

He lets out a long sigh before saying, “Yes, I’m fine.”

It’s not until he actually says the words in a room with me alone that I realize I’ve been holding my breath, literally and metaphorically. Since he awoke, not knowing exactly how he is has been eating away at me; I’ve been wondering if it was just a show put on for Layna and Markus. But in the privacy of this room, I let out a long breath, relaxing and so relieved that I could start crying. My voice shakes slightly as I observe, “You didn’t seem like it out there.”

A smile lights up his face, his clear blue eyes shining in the candlelight. “Well, I did just have a pretty in-depth conversation with Bahamut and my brethren about you.” He laughs lightly, as if remembering the conversation, then adds more seriously, “And they weren’t exactly thrilled.”

“Oh,” I whisper, the moment of relief replaced immediately with a knot in my stomach. My back slides down the edge of the table, coming to sit on the floor opposite him. Working my jaw, I gather the courage to ask, “What about me?”

Lendys’ gaze drifts from me, staring at the floor in front of me instead, as he says, “They wanted to talk about our union this morning, and–” He pauses briefly, “Well, our mission.”

I pull my legs into my chest, and wrap my arms around them, doing everything I can to hold myself together. Admittedly, this morning my thoughts hadn’t been on the repercussions that could follow at a divine scale from our union, or however Lendys referred to it. My thoughts hadn’t been on anything except him, and I don’t regret it for one second. But if this choice makes things more difficult for him with his family, with the other gods–

I shut my mind off, unwilling to even entertain the idea, and mutter, “Oh…that had to be fun. I take it they think this is a problem for the mission?”

He chuckles at this, and my eyes snap up to him. He’s smiling as he says, “No, they are actually happy about it to be honest.”

“What?”

He continues laughing lightly at my surprise. A moment later, he gathers himself and asks, “What? Did you think they would be opposed to it?”

I release my legs and adjust, crossing them and putting my hands in my lap, still unsure exactly what all this means. Still, I’m comforted by how relaxed Lendys is. I shrug and reply, “Um–I didn’t exactly expect the reaction to be happy given everything…”

“They see it as another reason to use us,” Lendys elaborates. His jaw tightens slightly, and he begins to rub his knees nervously.

“Use us?” I ask, then sarcastically add, “Oh, so it’s not like an ‘awww we’re so happy you’ve found each other–best wishes to the happy couple’ kind of support?” My body instinctually leans towards him, and I rock back, trying to keep my composure. Everything in me is telling me to curl up in his lap, to allow him to wrap himself around me.

He holds out his arms, gesturing for me to come to him, and I immediately scramble over. “They were happy,” he says, “But, they are pragmatic, and as they said, ‘mortals have their uses’.”

I curl into his chest, and he wraps his arms around me, holding me together in the way that I kept trying to do since the explosion. His words send my pulse racing slightly, and I mutter, “Oh I see. So how are they wanting us to be of use?” I’m unable to hide the bite that comes out with ‘use’.

“Well,” he pauses briefly, caressing my hair gently, brushing a few strands out of my face. He kisses the top of my head and continues, “They want us to kill the abomination that says it is Crim’s brother.” He wraps his arms around me once again, hugging me tighter. “But that wasn’t everything.”

I snuggle into him deeper, my mind starting to drift away from the anxiety, away from the chaos surrounding us as the scent of pine and incense envelopes me. “Okay, that was probably high on our agenda anyways,” I comment absentmindedly. “What else did they say?” I take a deep breath, preparing myself.

“Well, they fucked off after delivering that message, and then only Bahamut remained,” he states, tightening his hold on me a little more. His hold has been comforting up until this point, relaxed and natural. Now, his grip has an undertone of fear, and I open my eyes at this realization. “Bahamut had some lessons for me,” he elaborates.

It takes everything in me to keep my breathing steady, to not startle him with the worry that I feel as he reveals each layer of what he experienced during the trance. “Okay?” I ask, “What kind of lessons?”

“Not the good kind,” he says, voice shaky. “And he didn’t let me go until I understood just how bad this could be.”

The shake in his voice sends my blood boiling–the thought of him going through lessons meant to instill fear, or make him rethink his decisions...

“How bad this could be?” I repeat, fighting to keep my own voice even. “What-what did he show you?” I try to pull back from him, to look at him and let him know I am with him wholly, but his grip on me is unyielding. “Lendys, please let me look at you,” I whisper, hoping he complies.

His grip releases, and I find his expression pained, brow furrowed and eyes stormy. “I can’t tell you, Maire,” he declares, clenching his jaw and swallowing after the statement.

For a faint moment, I can’t hide the sting of his words. Our trust has begun restoring to our relationship prior to learning his identity, but that wound is still raw, lingering beneath the surface, festering at the idea that he could be hiding something else from me. No–the fear only wins for a hint of a moment before I push it away, refusing to allow it any ground, any credibility. He has shown me in countless ways who he is, and that I can trust him. Even immediately following the revelation, the only person I was drawn to was him–he is home.

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My eyes never leave his as I raise my hands to delicately hold his face. Leaning in, I lightly kiss him, restraining myself from giving in to his touch, the taste of him, because I can’t allow myself to get lost in him completely right now. When I pull back, I meet his eyes squarely, smiling lightly. “I can handle it. Lendys, we’re in this together. I’m yours and you are mine. We are one.” I pause briefly before shaking my head and adding, “I can’t stand the thought of you carrying something without my help.”

He closes his eyes, pressing his forehead to mine. The closeness sends my heart racing more than any of the fear or worry I’ve experienced today. Quietly, he replies, “This is the one and only time I will keep something from you, but I swore to Bahamut that you would find out on your own.” He kisses me back briefly, his lips leaving mine far too quickly to ease the tightening in my chest. He closes his eyes, leaning into me once more, and hugging me tighter as he says, “I’m sorry.”

“F-find out on my own?” I can’t keep the emotion from coming through in my words now. I bite the inside of my cheek as my mind works through the possibilities of what Bahamut showed him. Coming up with nothing, I lean into him once more. Whatever this is, he will be by my side as I figure it out, and that is enough for now. I nod my head and finally say, “Okay–okay, I trust you.”

His body relaxes around me, and I feel a light smile form on his face as he replies, “I’m glad you trust me.”

I close my eyes, choosing to savor this moment in his arms. Just as my mind begins to drift, I lazily ask, “Is there anything else I should know?”

He shifts, leaning down to whisper in my ear, “That highly depends on what you’re looking for, Ranger.”

His breath, the gravel in his voice, sends chills down my neck. My breath hitches slightly, and a smile forms on my lips. I try to think of anything to say, anything in particular to ask, but the brush of his lips against my ear has left my mind blank. “An-anything life threatening or li-life altering?” I stammer.

“Plenty, but all of that is sealed until you find out yourself,” he replies, his tone playful as his breath tousles the loose hair around my ear. “What else?”

My mind spins, trying to remember all the things I’ve wanted to ask him, wanted to know about him, but everything is blank. The scent of soot and juniper intoxicates me, and I resort to thinking about the day’s events. Layna and his suspicion of this mystery partner of hers is the only thought that completely forms in my mind, oddly enough. “What do you think Layna is lying about?” I ask, now working to keep the shake out of my voice for a different reason. “Who was this ‘Silvyr’ you were talking about earlier?”

“Ah, something I can talk about,” his voice is low and relaxed as he leans back against the wall behind us. Once more though, he leans in, his breath hot against my skin as I curl further against him. “I thought you wanted to wait ‘til later tonight?” His voice is thick with innuendo, and it causes my skin to heat.

Unable to not touch him any longer, I turn my head just enough to brush my lips against the stubble on his cheek, shifting the way I’m sitting in his lap. My breath catches at the rough sensation, the feeling of my lips against his skin like this. “Bu-but we’re at war right? Why wait?”

He turns towards me slightly, hovering his mouth just out of reach; I can nearly taste him on my tongue as he lingers there. My eyes get heavy as his scent consumes my senses once more, but then he pulls back, and the mere inches he retreats is jarring. A grin plays on his face, filling me with so much joy, and he asks, “Are you sure?”

I don’t move, remaining exactly where he left me, lips parted slightly, half drunk on just the idea of him, as I nod once. “Tell me.”

Lendys leans in, teasing that he will bring his lips to mine finally, but instead, he shifts, brushing his lips against my left ear. He drops his voice back to whisper, low and heavy. “What would you do if I made you forget about me?”

Goosebumps prickle my skin as his breath plays against my skin again, the memory of his lips against me flashing through my mind. It takes far longer than it should for me to register what he asked, but when I do, I pull back, the spell momentarily breaking. I meet his gaze squarely, eyes wide as panic threatens to overtake me. “You what?” I ask, at a normal volume.

He grabs my chin firmly, eyes fierce, and mouths, “Quiet.” His expression softens as he begins whispering once more, “Let me change the question–what would you do if I made everyone except you forget about me?”

I blink, still stunned by what he’s asking me, but I quietly respond, “You’d better have a damn good reason…”

The corners of his mouth lift playfully, a gleam coming to his sky blue eyes. “I’m getting there, Maire.” He pulls me back into a hug, and my arms wrap around his neck, fingers playing lightly with his hair. Lendys trails his mouth from the crook of my neck, allowing only the barest of touch from his lips to my skin as he makes his way to my left ear once more.

As his mouth grazes along the edge of my throat, just under my jaw, an involuntary sound escapes me. “Lendys..” I sigh, a slight challenge in the word.

In a breathy, hushed tone, he explains, “That’s what her lover, Silvyr, did last night.”

I swallow hard, trying to get a fucking grip and focus on what he’s saying rather than just his touch. “Okay…” I mutter, “And his reasoning?” My voice is ragged as my pulse races, desire threatening to overtake my mind at any moment.

His lips linger by my ear as he utters a single word. “Love.”

At this, I turn into him, grazing my lips along his jawline, and I come to hover against his mouth for a change. I can taste his breath–it’s not enough. I want the feeling of his mouth on mine, his hands gripping my waist, his body against mine, pressing fully. This isn’t enough, but I hold myself back as I allow our lips to only graze, repeating, “Love?”

His breath gets hotter, the smell of soot flooding my nose, intensifying and building before he murmurs, “The only thing that matters.”

My breath is shaky at this–the double meaning of the words not lost on me even in this state. “Okay,” I mutter, eyes fluttering almost closed as his scent consumes me. I don’t want to hold it at bay anymore; the tension between us is something ravenous, something untamed, and I don’t want this moment to end. “Then why is it a problem?” I manage to ask, remembering the conversation we’re using to dance around our desire.

His hands move, trailing down my back to stop at my hips, gripping firmly–a declaration. Still lingering just out of reach, his lips move as he sighs, “He broke a taboo, like I did.”

Chills run down my back in the wake of his touch, and I arch against him, feeling his clear appreciation of the tension building between us. I sigh once more, his name escaping my lips in a breathy plea. Careful not to let our lips touch, though at this point it physically pains me to not kiss him directly, I swallow and let my hands drift to his jaw, cupping his face. “Okay? But you’re still here…” I observe. Because he is still here; if this Silvyr person did the same thing Lendys did, then I’m not sure why there’s a problem. Lendys is here, very tangibly in my arms, and unforgotten by all around us.

His grip tightens on my hips, and he begins to lean forward, moving me to my back. I shift my hands to his shoulders and around his neck, gripping the rough area of scales as he tips me. Excitement shoots through my body, tightening my core as he continues to speak against my lips. “I am and will always be here, but he left her.” He pauses briefly before adding, “We don’t know why.”

“Fuck–” I sigh, in equal parts at his words and his actions. I blink, gathering myself slightly to ask, “Does she know?”

“I don’t know that as well, but I intend to find out,” he declares. Lendys trails his hand along my body and to my face, before tracing his thumb across my bottom lip. My tongue ever so slightly grazes it, and the taste of him has my eyes nearly rolling back in my head. “Would you mind helping me when we have the chance?” he asks, holding my heavy lidded gaze with his darkened eyes.

My lips part further as he has me fully on my back now, touching me and pressing against me in a way that I could see myself becoming obsessed with, craving constantly like a drug. The way he’s including me in this plan, as an equal, a partner, sends fire through my veins, and I hold his gaze firmly, “Of course, just don’t be too rough…” My voice trails, knowing the undertone isn’t lost on him, then I add, “I don’t think that would go over well.”

His lids grow heavy as he holds my gaze. “I was going to let you question her, since I tend to be rough.” He pauses, turning his head away from me to look at the door. Lendys groans, a deep guttural sound from his chest, “She has to appear now, of all times.” He turns back to me, and caresses my face so tenderly that my eyes flutter closed again. “Maybe next time,” he sighs, moving off of me and coming to a seated position beside me.

“Thank you,” I mutter quietly, appreciative that he would not jeopardize my friendship with Layna over this crusade. But at the moment, I can’t help but be annoyed at her timing. With a groan, I sit up next to him and brush myself off. Taking his hand lightly, I smile cheekily and confirm, “Next time.”

Without another moment, Layna bursts through the door, almost sending it off its hinges, her eyes alight with frustration.