Chapter 2: "Viel Feind, viel Ehr" (many enemies, much honor)

* * *

Ethan felt like he was drifting in a sea of warmth. All was right with the world and he felt a profound sense of peace. It was like slowly waking up from a long nap when you were very tired. He felt refreshed and content; almost happy.

"Wake up dragon." A strange voice said. Something was shaking him, but a dragon? What did dragons have to do with anything?

"Wake up foul beast, or I'll put you down in your sleep." The voice said again.

Ethan's eyes slowly opened. He was in a dark room that was very blurry, or maybe that was his vision. The room was plain; there was no furniture and the floor was covered in grass -- a tent maybe? That's when Ethan remembered that Alana was going to meet someone from a traveling caravan.

Could this be them?

Something kicked him in the ribs. Hard.

"Wake up and answer me dragon." The voice said

"I'm awake." Ethan tried to say, but his mouth wouldn't move. It came out as a muffled sound. He looked down to discover he was wearing a muzzle; an actual muzzle -- made of rope.

"Good." The voice sounded calm but stern.

Ethan tried to move, but found he couldn't. He was strapped down to something. He tried to turn his head to see what, but it was difficult with his head also constrained.

"What did you do to Alana staff-maker?" the voice asked. Ethan again tried to answer, but the muzzle prevented him from speaking.

"Listen to me fell beast I'm going to remove the muzzle and you will answer my every question with complete honesty. If you don't, I will use your carcass as a pincushion. Do you understand?"

Ethan tried to both nod his head and say yes. Neither came out correctly, but apparently the voice got the idea. A pair of dark grey hands reached in front of Ethan and untied the muzzle.

"Thank you." Ethan said.

"Now, what have you done to Alana staff-maker?"

"What's wrong with her?" Ethan asked.

"You don't ask the questions here beast. Tell me what happened."

Ethan gave him the quick version of them being chased, which quickly led to the voice demanding that he tell him everything from the beginning. He did so, but there were many interruptions. The voice seemed particularly distressed when he mentioned that Hermair's men had burned Alana's house and destroyed her staff farm.

When he had finished, the voice was silent for several moments.

"So now will you tell me what's wrong with Alana?" Ethan asked. The voice didn't answer and Ethan could still barely move.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity -- but was probably only a minute or so -- the voice spoke.

"Alana is dying." The voice said.

"What!" Ethan's mouth fell open. "How?"

The voice made a pensive sound.

"Listen to me mister." Ethan said. "You better help her right now or I'll tear you limb from limb when I get out."

"A curious threat." The voice didn't seem concerned though. "You seem more concerned with helping Alana than freeing yourself. If that's the case, then you are a strange dragon."

"Yeah, she said the same thing." Ethan tested the restraints again. He could move a little, but not much.

"A dragon that has just reached adulthood showing concern for a wood elf. Curious. Most curious. I have never heard of a dragon that expressed concern for anything but gold."

Ethan rolled his eyes and then started actively trying to get out of his restraints. From the little he could see, it was cobbled together from boards and a few leather straps. He pushed with all his might but he wasn't strong enough to just break out. He started wriggling around to get his claws close to the leather straps. After a minute, he was almost there.

"Peace, beast." The voice said. "I shall release you if you stop struggling for a moment."

Ethan did, and a few moments later the straps holding him down went slack. He stood up to his full height and turned to face the voice's owner.

The man was clearly an elf like Alana, although with dark gray skin. His hair was almost white, but Ethan didn't think it was because of age as he looked barely middle-aged and seemed quite fit. He was wearing simple pants and shirt made from a rough fabric and had a short sword belted around his waist.

His hand was on the pommel.

Looking at the man's face, Ethan got the distinct impression that he shouldn't take this man lightly. His eyes were bright and spoke of cunning and intellect. He looked relaxed, but judging from his stance he was also a fighter and looked ready to move at a moment's notice. All of Ethan's instincts told him to be wary.

He ignored them.

He stalked toward the man until they were almost nose to nose. "Where is Alana?"

"Hmm." The man seemed completely at ease even with Ethan in his face. There were a few tense seconds while Ethan waited for a response, then finally the man spoke.

"I am Garthildur Trade-Captain. If you will follow me, I will take you to see Alana."

The elf walked out of the tent into a small encampment, Ethan following closely. The sun was low in the sky, but Ethan's excellent dragon night vision allowed him to see perfectly. The camp consisted of a half dozen tents in a rough circle with a fire in the center. The tents reminded Ethan of Native American tepees. Several women were cooking over the fire and a few kids were running about playing.

The moment he stepped out of the tent, several armed guards snapped to alert. They were armed with spears that were about eight feet long and tipped with wide-cutting blades. They pointed their spears at him the moment he appeared.

"Peace." Garthildur said. "I don't believe this dragon has hurt Alana."

The guards withdrew their spears, but didn't take their eyes off Ethan for a second. He got the distinct impression that Alana was well-liked here. He turned to follow the elf, but stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.

There was a dark-skinned elf carrying a horse.

The horse was literally on his shoulders. It wasn't a big horse, but it must've weighed over seven hundred pounds... And the man was walking with the horse on his shoulders as if the horse was a tenth of that weight.

"How in the world..." Ethan wondered aloud.

Garthildur stopped to see what he was looking at. "The horse is lame and they needed to move it; an enchanted amulet on the horse decreases its weight."

"Wow." Ethan stared for another moment, before remembering Alana and turning to follow the dark elf. He led the dragon to another tent and led him inside. Ethan barely noticed the inside of the tent because he only had eyes for Alana. She was barely breathing and her normally tanned skin was white as sheet. She looked like death warmed over.

"What happened to her?" he asked while rushing to her side.

"I believe you happened." Garthildur said. "Unless I read the battle scene wrong, you were shot in the heart with an arrow. If what you said is true, I think Alana gave you some of her deep mana to save you."

"What's that mean?" Ethan asked.

Garthildur sighed. "All living creatures need mana to survive. They draw it from the Ether and it provides life to their bodies. The excess we collect and use for spells and enchantments, but mana is still necessary for life. I believe Alana spent all of her mana trying to heal you, but didn't have enough. So instead of letting you die, she tapped into the deep mana that was keeping her alive."

"You mean she...?" Ethan stared at Alana. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was already dead. "Will she recover?"

"Not without help." Garthildur replied. "Deep mana sustains all life. Without it, her body is dying. She could normally replenish it, but she used so much that she's not strong enough to replace it fast enough. Her body will give out before she can recover."

"Is there no way to refill this deep mana back up again?"

"Not unless you know someone willing to risk his life for a slim chance of success."

"Explain." Ethan demanded.

"Deep mana is tricky and dangerous to trifle with." Garthildur said. "While on occasion a magic user will tap it, it comes with extreme risk. Using it to power a healing spell was reckless."

"You didn't answer the question." Ethan pointed out.

"No, I didn't." Garthildur paused. "Her deep magic must be replenished if she is to survive. Regular mana isn't sufficient; she needs deep mana from another living being."

"Oh, it's just like a blood transfusion. She can have some of mine."

"You hear, but you don't understand." Garthildur sighed. "Deep mana is much more than the regular mana used to power a spell. If that's all it was, I would've healed her already. Deep mana is the essence of a person's very being; of their spirit, their will, and their consciousness. Many call it the seat of the soul."

Ethan opened his mouth to respond when the enormity of what he'd just said hit him.

Wait, what?

His jaw went slack. "Alana gave me part of her soul to save me?"

"No, but not far off. Deep mana anchors a living being to life and contains the essence of a person." Garthildur said. "If you give her too much deep mana, you might die even if you save her."

"I'll take that chance." Ethan said without hesitation. "She did the same for me."

"Ah, the fire of youth." Garthildur sighed again. "Do you even know what sharing deep mana means in elven culture?"

"No." Ethan conceded.

"I thought not. Sharing deep mana with someone is a profoundly intimate act. When they share theirs back in return, it creates a strong and permanent bond. It is so intimate that the sharing of deep mana is the very heart of elven weddings."

"I thought you said it was dangerous."

"When you are both wounded and low on mana, yes." Garthildur sighed for the third time, clearly growing frustrated with his ignorance of Elven culture. "But when two people who are full of deep mana share it with each other, nothing is consumed because they replenish each other. There is no danger at all."

"Look. I don't know anything about the whole elven marriage thing. Where I come from, you're not married unless you exchange vows."

"You and Alana are both of marriageable age, so you can wed according to the laws of the land and elven tradition." Garthildur frowned. "Yet you would spit on our traditions?"

"Aren't you assuming I would just abandon my traditions about marriage and adopt yours?" Ethan countered. "Isn't that an insult to my traditions? But regardless, I can't let Alana die. I'm not saying I want to marry her, but I need to save her. So either show me how to heal her, or get out of the way so I can figure it out myself."

"Very well." Garthildur shook his head. "One last caution; to my knowledge no elf has ever shared deep mana with a dragon before, much less bonded with one. There may be additional side effects from this union."

"Noted." Ethan replied. "Let get started.

* * *

Rachel did her best not to look bored. For some reason, her father always insisted on making her sit through these endless reports. Today some boring minion was droning on about a failed mission.

"Hermair's men found the scouts dead. It appears the dragon and the wood elf killed them and escaped." The soldier said. It would have been funny how much he was shaking if she didn't know her father might kill him for the failure.

"Get out of my sight." Lord Delmar spat.

The soldier ran out of the room.

"Can I go too?" Rachel asked. Her father shot her a look that would have made a lesser woman cower.

Rachel sighed and resigned herself to spending the whole afternoon in the great hall. She had to admit it was grand. The vaulted ceilings were at least thirty feet high and the hall was at least twice that long. Elaborate tapestries and gold candle holders filled the room, leaving visitors in no doubt as to Lord Delmar's wealth and power.

His throne was even more magnificent than the rest of the room, and he sat on a platform raised so high that only the tallest of visitors would be level with his feet. Behind him, a stained-glass window depicted a rising sun and the great God Illuminar shining down favorably on the throne's occupant. From the viewer's perspective, it looked like he was bathed in the radiance of the sun and Illuminar's blessings.

Knowing what her father was really like -- and how disapproving Illuminar would be of his methods -- she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"His Excellency, Prince Vulrit of Marcadia." The herald announced loudly as he led a group into the hall. The prince entered with his entourage. Rachel suppressed the urge to sigh again; yet another stuck-up prince looking to forge an alliance with her father by marrying her. She was getting really tired of them treating her as if that was her sole purpose in life.

"My lady, your beauty is as ravishing as the sun when it rises." Prince Vulrit said with a dramatic bow.

Rachel meant to say something gracious in return, but her mouth ran ahead of her. "And by that do you mean common, because the sunrise is seen every day?"

The prince opened his mouth to respond, but he seemed to have spent all his wit on his compliment and had none left to think of an answer. He'd probably practiced that compliment for days to get it so polished. She wasn't surprised; he looked like he used his sword arm more than his brain. She could almost feel her father's glare and moved quickly to rectify the situation.

"Forgive me my prince." Rachel said feigning interest and lying through her teeth. "Your compliment was well received and I'm most grateful for your wit and charm. Many princes have come to court me, but I feel your sincerity dwarfs theirs and I would be delighted to entertain you at dinner tonight."

Only now did she glance at her father, but the mighty, all-wise, all-powerful, and oh-so-benevolent Lord Delmar didn't deign to look back at her. He kept his eyes on the prince and they started discussing some alliance, seemingly determined to bore her.

Rachel busied herself practicing her magic.

She would pull all the heat out of one of the candles in the room, extinguishing it. Then, she'd pull some heat from the great fireplace and use it to reignite the wick. She turned it into a game, seeing how fast she could extinguish and reignite a single candle.

When that became boring, she started playing with her ring. Her father had given it to her a few years ago and warned her never to take it off. She never had, but twirled it endlessly around her finger. The strange thing was, the skin under her ring started itching whenever she disobeyed him. He said it was a regular ring, but she sometimes felt like it was enchanted.

Almost an hour later, the prince and Lord Delmar finished their negotiations. Unsurprisingly, her father had walked all over the prince in the negotiations and received the better end of the deal by far.

"Clear the court." Lord Delmar ordered once the prince had left. Rachel stood up to leave, but he spoke again. "Not you Rachel."

"Come here." He ordered once the room was clear. Rachel rose from her seat and stood in front of his throne. He rose to his full and considerable height and then -- seemingly out of nowhere -- the back of his hand slapped across her cheek.

Hard.

"Ow! Father what was that--" Rachel started to say, but he slapped her again, even harder.

"I have tolerated your insolence for long enough." He said without emotion. "Your only value to me is to increase my standing through marriage."

"But father--" Rachel began, but was interrupted by his fist hitting her in the stomach and winding her. She fell to the floor gasping for breath.

"If you ever speak to a suitor like that again, I will throw you out into the cold with the peasants to teach you some respect."

A cold fury started to burn within her, but it was met with an equally powerful urge to comply and obey him. Rachel absentmindedly started twirling the ring on her finger. The skin under it was itching again. Her fury fought with the compulsion to submit and eventually her fury won out.

"No you won't!" Rachel said, standing up again. "How would your court react if they saw you throw your only child out into the cold? What would they think of you then? Who would ever want to marry into your family with a father as--"

He aimed another punch, but this time Rachel was expecting it. She dodged, only just avoiding the fist. Unfortunately, she didn't see his knee coming up at the same time. It collided with her chest and sent her over the edge of the platform. She landed on the stone floor and cried out in pain

Her father didn't seem to care.

He dropped down, grabbed her by the throat, and hauled up into the air with one hand.

"Yes. I. Would." He said, and then dropped her.

She fell onto the stone floor for a second time, this time managing to land on her feet. She immediately took several steps back.

"Your behavior today has threatened to dishonor our family name." He continued while Rachel tried to catch her breath. "I have no problem purging those without honor from my family."

When Rachel finally caught her breath, she'd had enough. She started pulling heat from all the nearby sources of fire to fuel her magic. That compulsion to obey fought her, but she pushed it aside.

"Foolish girl." Her father said, and abruptly all of the fires in the hall were completely drained of heat. He collected all the fire in his hand, then tossed it into the air above Rachel's head. From there it shot to the ground, forming a ten-foot ring of fire around her. She was trapped. Furthermore, she couldn't pull the heat from the flames. She didn't know how, but he was preventing her from doing it.

"Listen closely." Lord Delmar said. "From this moment onward, you will cease your childish ways and obey my every command. Do I make myself clear?" The ring of fire contracted a little as if to emphasize the point.

Rachel could feel the heat of the flames just a few feet away. They were almost as tall as she was and hotter than any flames she'd ever felt before. She didn't think she would survive trying to jump through them. She could feel the compulsion to obey grow in strength.

Where was that coming from?

"I already do--" she started to say, but the ring of fire closed even more.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked again.

Rachel was astounded at the display of magical power. Her mentor, the most powerful mage in the court, would have already exhausted his powers by now. Yet her father showed no signs of fatigue and the flames showed no sign of dying. If anything, they were getting hotter.

Rachel thought frantically. She knew that fire was weak to wind attacks, but she didn't think she could blow a portion of the fire out and get through before it closed again. Then she had an idea; a crazy, brilliant, dangerous idea.

She tapped her mana to grab all of the air within the circle of fire, plus the air outside of the circle opposite her father. The compulsion to obey fought her, but with a titanic effort she shifted all of the air molecules so they were pointing in the same direction. The blast of wind she created was powerful enough to lift her off her feet and throw her clear.

In hindsight, she might have overdone it.

The air blew a gap in the flames at the same time it blasted her off her feet and threw her several yards away from her father. She landed awkwardly, but -- thanks to her successfully begging the castle's sword master for lessons -- she turned it into a roll and end up in a crouch. She didn't waste a single second; she turned around and started running for all she was worth.

Before she had taken two steps, she bounced off something solid.

She fell backward, feeling like the world was moving in slow motion.

Her father was already in front of her.

It didn't make sense. How had he moved so fast? It just wasn't possible for someone to move that fast. She had thrown everything she knew at him and he had beaten her like a toddler challenging an Arena champion.

Rachel landed butt-first on the stone floor.

Lord Delmar stood over her, his face dispassionate. There was no anger or fury. He didn't scream or yell. He didn't even look amused. He looked... disappointed. Her own father looked down his nose at her and uttered one word. Just one word, but it shattered her entire world.

"Pathetic."

Rachel felt tears well up in her eyes. He had always been stern, but never cruel. Before today, he had never hit her or said an unkind word to her, though his minions weren't so lucky. Her childhood had been strict, but Rachel could always tell that he disciplined her to help her improve. She had thought he wanted the best for her.

Now she knew better.

She recognized that look in his eyes. It was the look he gave to soldiers and servants who had failed so badly that he didn't consider them useful anymore. The first time she saw that look, he had been gazing at a sword that had broken in practice. He had thrown the sword away without a second glance. He had discarded it like the useless tool it was. Later that day, the smith who forged it was exiled from the city.

He was looking at her that same way.

"Father, I--" Rachel started to say, but was stopped when the back of his hand smacked against her cheek. She felt the skin tear on one of his rings, probably his signet ring. He didn't hit her hard at all, but that single slap hurt more than breaking every bone in her body.

Something in her broke.

She could feel it.

She didn't know if it was her mind, her body, or her spirit, but she felt it. She felt like an enormous hole had been carved out of her body, out of her soul. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he had planned for this to happen. But it was a fleeting thought, quickly replaced by a profound sense of emptiness.

He still had that look of disappointment on his face.

She had seen that look on his face earlier when he had ordered that poor soldier to get out of his sight for failing to kill a dragon and a wood elf. She didn't want that. She didn't want to be sent away like some worthless person who had failed him.

The compulsion to obey prompted her to try and become useful again.

"I can prove myself." Rachel said, although now she couldn't meet his eyes and addressed her comments to the floor. "I'm not like that soldier who failed to kill the dragon and the elf. I'm better, I can do better."

"Can you?" Lord Delmar's tone left no doubt in Rachel's mind that he didn't think she could.

"Give me a chance and I won't let you down." Rachel said, though she wasn't entirely sure why. At that point, she almost didn't even care.

"Very well." He said. "But you will get no head start, no advantage, and no special treatment. If you can kill the dragon and the elf before my other men do, then perhaps we can reconsider your position."

With that, Lord Delmar turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Rachel feeling like the floor had dropped out from under her life. Despite that, the compulsion whispered that everything would be okay again once she'd fulfilled her father's wishes. It seemed to blunt the force of those feelings, like they were coming from a long way off.

Rachel shook her head trying to clear it.

She didn't want to go dragon hunting. She hadn't meant to imply she would physically hunt them down, but that didn't matter because she had a mission now. She started considering the list of people in the castle she'd need to contact in order to find them.

In the back of her mind, Rachel knew that something was wrong with her. She didn't want to kill anyone, but she didn't have the emotional energy to fight that strange compulsion right now. The compulsion wanted her to please her father by killing the dragon and wood elf. The compulsion argued that all this soul-searching could wait until later.

Right now, she had a dragon to kill.

* * *

Alana felt like someone had used her entire body as a punching bag and then strapped lead weights to her small frame. She was vaguely aware of being awake, but she just wanted to sleep. She kept her eyes closed and tried to fall back to sleep, but just couldn't do it.

She thought about opening her eyes but that felt like too much work. Instead, she just listened. Judging by the noises, she was in a town somewhere. She could hear the clip-clop of horses, the squawking of chickens, and the sounds of a busy marketplace.

How did she get here?

It slowly came back to her, her house burning, running from the soldiers with Ethan... Ethan! Despite the weariness and pain, Alana tried to struggle awake and up. She didn't succeed because her body just wouldn't listen.

"Rest easy there little one." A deep voice said. She felt a warm hand touch her forehead and thought she recognized that voice.

"Unc... Garth?" Alana managed to say.

"Yes, it's me child. Now rest."

"Eth... than..." Alana managed to choke out. Her mouth was incredibly dry. A few drops of water dribbled onto her lips and she licked them up. Her mouth felt like a desert, but there was now a slow trickle of drops moistening it.

"The dragon is alive." Uncle Garth said. "Now relax, or all his work to save you will be undone."

Alana relaxed and the flow of water stopped. Uncle Garth had always been her favorite uncle and he had never lied to her. If he said Ethan was okay, then he would live. Oddly, just the strain of trying to sit up felt like a lot of work. She was tired now and closed her eyes.

Sleep took her quickly.

* * *

When Alana awoke again, she felt much better. While her limbs still felt like lead weights, she could at least move them. She allowed herself a few more minutes of dozing before she opened her eyes.

She was in a small room built in the typical town style. She could see the exposed beams and there was a simple iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She turned her head and saw the room was simply furnished with a rough wooden table and a few dried stumps for chairs. Uncle Garth was sitting in one and leaning against the wall, snoring quietly

There was one other bed beside hers and Ethan was asleep on it. Or rather, he was mostly on it. His tail hung over the end of the bed and his wings -- normally held so close they seemed to disappear into his body -- were hanging off both sides. He looked okay, but his breathing seemed shallow; not dangerously so, but he didn't look in the best of health.

Alana looked under the covers and discovered she was still wearing her green dress. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The motion made the bed creak and Garth snapped awake at the noise.

"Iswearit'srealsilver." He blurted out as he woke. He blinked for a few moments, then saw Alana awake and smiled. He got up and handed her a glass of water, which she promptly swallowed in one go.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Alana dragon-bride."

"It's good to be--" She smiled, then stopped as his words sank in. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Alana dragon-bride."

"Now wait just a second. I hope you don't think that... I mean, I didn't mean to... We're definitely not married."

"You didn't share your deep mana with him?" Garth asked. "Or perhaps you didn't know what that means to an elf?"

"Of course I know what it means, but I only did it to save his life."

"You gave him so much of your deep mana that it brought you to the brink of death, little one. When the dragon found out, he shared his own deep mana with you to save your life. You both nearly died because of how inexperienced he was in sharing mana, but I was there when he did it. I felt the bond form between you."

"Yes, but..." Alana couldn't think of anything to say. Among elves, vows were merely a formality that weren't always included in a wedding. The sharing of deep mana tied two elves together more deeply than any vow could. Since no one could force an elf to share deep mana, the act itself was considered a vow; the creation of a marriage.

"Is the beast unworthy?" Garth asked.

"He's..." Alana hesitated. If she answered his question honestly, she would confirm it in his mind. She sighed. "He's a good man, or dragon. He saved my life and put his own in jeopardy to keep me safe. I even told him to run, but he wouldn't. That's why he got shot."

"So, you saved each other's lives, shared an adventure, and then shared your deep mana."

Alana nodded.

Garth got up from his seat, walked over to sit down beside her and put his arm around her. Alana promptly laid her head on his shoulder.

"Be happy Alana dragon-bride. You found a mate early in life and among a race as long-lived as ours. Can you feel him through your bond?"

Alana closed her eyes. Her mother had always said that bonding with her father was like having a piece of him residing in her mind and heart. She said she could sense him when he was close and even sense his mood. Alana hadn't believed it at the time and had dismissed it as romantic exaggeration.

Now she started to reconsider.

She could feel something in her mind, something that definitely wasn't there before. It was a vague, nebulous feeling, like trying to describe a dream as it was fading. It was there, but didn't seem to have much substance.

"I can sort of feel him." She said. "But it's like he's far away or not quite here."

"The bond will strengthen over time." Uncle Garth nodded, then added with a wink. "It will get much stronger once he beds you."

"Uncle Garth!" Alana sat up straight as her face went bright red and she slapped him on the shoulder. "I am not going to bed Ethan, he's a dragon for Illuminar's sake."

"We both know that there aren't any female dragons and they need other races to breed." He smirked. "Besides, if the stories are true, you'll be singing a different tune once you've tried him on for size -- or should I say 'in' for size."

Alana rolled her eyes as her cheeks grew warm, then curiosity got the best of her. "What stories?"

"You haven't heard?" Garth asked. "Well, far be it from me to spoil your wedding night, little one."

"There won't be a wedding night." Alana said through clenched teeth.

"Then there's no reason for you to hear the stories, is there?" He smirked. "Pretend I never said a word."

Alana opened her mouth to reply, but then thought better of it. Uncle Garth was a terrible tease and asking more questions about dragon stories would only egg him on.

Alana couldn't help but wonder though... were dragons reputed to have some kind of special skill in the bedroom? If so, was it merely an old wives' tale? Or was she in for a treat if she and Ethan ever-- Nope. She cut off that line of reasoning right there and refused to think about it any further.

There were a few moments of silence, which were interrupted by her stomach rumbling.

"I'll get some food for you." Garth said, standing up and walking through the door.

His head popped back in a moment later, glanced at Ethan, then at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "You need to get something warm inside of you."

"Oh. Stop it" Alana said, her face going bright pink again.

Garth guffawed and then left.

Alana yawned and stretched, and then closed her eyes and checked her mana. As she had expected, she was running on empty. Her deep mana seemed to be mostly replenished though. She groaned; she hated collecting mana in town. It was so much harder than doing it in the forest. She couldn't understand how some people thrived in lifeless towns without greenery.

With a sigh, she reached out and started drawing the mana around her. To her surprise, it was much easier than it had ever been before. It was just as easy as in the forest, and possibly even slightly easier. She tried to relax and let the mana flow into her, but the ease with which she was drawing it in made her uncomfortable.

Uncle Garth returned ten minutes later. Alana had collected more mana than she thought possible in such a short time. Her mana was far from full, but the last time she had been in town it would've taken five times that long to collect as much as she had. Even in her forest, it would've taken longer. Furthermore, she had had an easier time collecting it than ever before. While it was certainly convenient, the difference was unsettling.

"A copper for your thoughts?" Garth handed Alana a bowl of thick and hearty soup, chunks of vegetables floated in the bowl and it smelled heavenly.

"How hard is it for you to collect mana here?" she asked, then took a spoonful of her soup. It was quite good.

"About as hard as any other time. Why?"

Alana swallowed before answering. "Because I just refilled it faster here than in the forest."

"By Illuminar's light..." Garth's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "Are you sure?"

Alana nodded. "Positive. Even in the forest I couldn't do it quite this fast."

Garth looked pensive for a few moments, and then glanced over at Ethan's sleeping form. "I did warn him that there could be side effects."

"Side effects?" Alana asked after another mouthful of soup. "What kind of side effects?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of an elf bonding with a dragon before. For that matter, I've never heard of a dragon bonding with anyone before. I mean, there's always been a rumor that Ithlan held dozens of women enthralled, but I dismissed those as old wives' tales not worth considering. And besides, there are a lot of rumors that surround our first emperor which are clearly false."

Alana nodded and took another spoonful. Emperor Ithlan was a confusing topic in history and there were as many anecdotes and opinions about him as there were people; maybe more. About the only thing that everyone agreed on was that he was a dragon and he had established the first true empire in the Ten Kingdoms.

"So, you don't know what kind of side effects there could be?" Alana asked. "I mean, if it's just a matter of being able to collect mana more easily, then I could live with that."

"Hmm." Garth stroked his beard with his hand. "I did notice that the dragon seemed to do better when you were around."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been out for almost a week."

"A whole week!" Alana sat up in alarm. "I'll miss the staff buyer."

"Relax, little one." Garth said. "I found the staves near where I found you. Since you were unconscious, I met with your buyer, explained the situation and even got a bit of extra coin because you were feeling ill." Garth reached down, pulled her coin purse out of his bag and set it down on the bed next to her. It was considerably fuller than when she had last seen it.

"I couldn't sell two of them though." He said. "They had a few scuffs and if I'm not mistaken dragon claw marks, so he passed on them. They're both in great shape otherwise though, so maybe you can sell them at a second-hand market."

"Oh, thank you." She let out the breath that she hadn't realize she'd been holding. That was all the money she had for the foreseeable future. "But I interrupted you, what were you saying?"

Garth continued, "After the dragon gave you most of his deep mana, I returned him to his tent. Neither of you were doing well, and I wasn't sure if either of you would make it. Then we broke camp and I put you both in the same wagon while we were traveling. When you got close to each other, you both started doing better. That night when we made camp, I put you in separate tents and your conditions worsened again. In hindsight, it got worse whenever you two were separated."

"Really?"

Garth nodded. "I put you both in the same tent later that night and both of you improved. That's why you're in the same room now. Honestly, if you had been separated, I'm not sure either of you would have survived."

"You mean I'm going to be stuck with him forever?" Alana asked. She liked him well enough, but perhaps not that much.

"I doubt it. That's only because you were wounded. But the closer you two were, the faster you both seemed to replenish your deep mana. Once the dragon is well again, I'm sure you can go your own way."

"He has a name." She said.

"Protective of your husband?" Uncle Garth asked with wink.

Alana felt her cheeks go slightly pink. "No, I meant he has a name and you could use it."

"Fine, you can leave Ethan when he wakes up." He was trying to be casual about it, but Alana could tell he was watching her reaction intently.

He changed the topic when she didn't take the bait. "So, what will you do now?"

"With the staff farm gone, I have no idea."

"You could travel with us for a while. You have a sharp mind and I've got a few things you could do while you're with the caravan."

"I appreciate it Uncle Garth, but no. I would barely pull my own weight and I really don't want to freeload. I need to figure out what to do with my life."

"You could always go home little one."

"The staff grove and my house were destroyed."

"That's not the home I was referring to." Garth said quietly.

"Oh." Alana replied as she realized what he meant. "You know that's not a good idea."

He nodded. "I'm just saying you could consider it. And you should tell your husband about it too."

Alana sighed. "There's no reason he needs to know. Besides, everybody always changes how they treat me when they find out and Ethan... well, I like things the way they are."

"Okay."

Outside the window, Alana could hear a commotion. She turned to her uncle. "Did something happen?"

Garth nodded. "The Bank owner's children were kidnapped about an hour ago. The news is all over town. He's so concerned he has already put out a contract bounty for their safe return."

"Contract bounty?" Alana asked.

"It's a stronger version of a regular bounty." He said. "He's contractually obligated to pay, and the person who saves them is contractually obligated to accept the reward."

"Oh." Alana looked out the window and found herself wishing she could help them, but didn't see how. She looked over at Ethan and wondered what he would do.

"He will probably wake this evening or early tomorrow morning." Garth said.

"We have some time then." Alana smiled. "So, what's new with the family?"

* * *

Ethan was pretty sure he was dreaming.

He was in the middle of a large battlefield covered in the bodies of dead soldiers. They were all wearing dark armor with the image of a stylized dragon on the chest piece. The stench was unbelievable. The foul odor of decaying bodies mixed with the congealed blood and excrement rose to the heavens, acting as a beacon for the vultures circling overhead.

All around the battlefield, small fires were burning and thick smoke rose into the air. It was daytime, but the clouds were so thick it was impossible to see the sky. The smoke, combined with the light from the fires, bathed the entire battlefield in a red hue.

A black dragon stood in front of him. The dragon's scales glinted in the firelight and his teeth looked like they could rip through steel. He was holding a wicked-looking mace in one hand and a kite shield in the other. Crouched in a predatory stance, his muscles were primed and his eyes spoke only of pain and death.

Ethan was holding a large shield in one hand and the other held a strange sort of spear that was half-blade and had a cross guard in the middle. However, he felt woefully ill-equipped to fight this ebony beast. Ethan could feel the magic rolling off his opponent in waves. The sheer amount of power was staggering. Ethan held the black dragon's gaze. If looks could kill, he would've died on the spot.

Without warning, the black dragon charged.

Ethan brought up his shield to defend himself but was barely in time to block the blow. The black dragon moved faster than anything Ethan had ever seen and he knew he was hopelessly outmatched. In a few seconds, he had lost his spear, his shield was broken and he had been knocked to the ground and pinned there. The black dragon raised his mace high above his head, and brought it whistling down at Ethan's face.

"Aaa!" He screamed.

He was ripped from the dream back into the real world a split second before the mace landed. Ethan flipped into a low crouch and growled, primed and ready for a fight.

"Well, he's awake anyway." Alana said laughing.

It took Ethan a few seconds to get his bearings. He was in a small room with two beds. It reminded him of an English Tudor style home, simply furnished with a rough wooden table and a few dried stumps for chairs. Alana and Garthildur were sitting at the table talking. Or rather it looked like they had been talking. Right now they were both staring at him with almost identical amused expressions.

Ethan slowly relaxed. "Sorry, I was... Sorry."

"It's okay." Alana said. "I needed a heart attack anyway."

He chuckled. "My pleasure."

Garthildur gave Alana a look. She turned slightly pink, but ignored him.

"What had you so riled up?" She asked.

"Bad dream." Ethan replied, then related his dream to them.

Garthildur leaned back in his seat and made a thoughtful sound.

"There are rumors that Lord Delmar works with a black dragon." Alana said. "Some even say the black dragon gave him part of his power."

"Great, a lord and a dragon." Ethan looked at her. "Don't we have the best luck?"

She nodded and then turned to Garthildur. "Do you know anything that could help?"

"I'll ask around with some of my contacts, but I doubt I'll hear anything." He replied as he rose. "The room is paid up for the rest of the week. But I've already tarried too long and the caravan needs to leave before daybreak or I'll break a few appointments. Best of luck to you Alana dragon-bride."

Alana got to her feet and hugged him. Garthildur nodded respectfully to Ethan, and then he left.

"Dragon-bride?" Ethan asked when Garthildur had left.

"You noticed that?" Alana asked, her cheeks slightly more pink than he was used to seeing. "We shared deep mana and bonded, which in the elven culture means we're married."

Ethan grimaced. "I was happy to save your life, but I wasn't planning to get hitched."

"Unfortunately, elven culture is pretty clear on that point and Uncle Garth already told the rest of the camp. I have a bit of a name for making a good magical staff, and my family..." She shook her head. "Gossip follows them like ugly follows an ogre. Basically, this will be spread across the elven realms faster than the falcon dives."

"So, we're married?" out of habit, Ethan ran his hand over his head where his hair used to be as he considered the idea. "I mean you're nice and you saved my life, plus you're not exactly hard on the eyes, but..."

Alana cocked her head to one side. "Hard on the eyes?"

"It's slang from my world." He hesitated before continuing. "It means... It means you're attractive."

"Oh." She smiled after a moment. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. So, are we married?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe?" Ethan repeated. It seemed just a few hours ago that his fiancée had left him for his best friend and they had stolen the business he spent his whole adult life building. He liked Alana, but he wasn't ready for that kind of relationship again so soon.

"Perhaps? It depends on who you ask." She said. "Any elf will definitely say yes, and if we were both elves the answer would definitely be yes. However, you're not an elf and there were no vows, so many of the other cultures aren't as clear. They do recognize elven weddings though. I'm not saying I want to, but I suppose we could consider ourselves married."

"No offense, but I'm not sure I want to be married to you." Ethan said. He wasn't sure, but he thought a flicker of disappointment crossed her face for the briefest moment.

He quickly added, "I mean, you're a great girl and I could be interested, but we've only known each other for... What? Two days? Three days?"

"Just over a week." She said, working it out. "We were recovering for almost that long."

"Right. Well, I just meant we don't know each other very well yet."

"I agree." She nodded, though she didn't seem perfectly sincere. "No offense, but I don't want to be tied to you for the rest of my life just because I saved your life."

"Ditto." Ethan said.

There was a moment of awkward silence before he spoke. "So, what now?"

"I don't know." Alana said. "I had my life pretty well planned out until Hermair burned down my farm."

"I know the feeling." He nodded.

They were both quiet for a moment. Ethan noticed something in the silence. In the back of his mind, he could feel a little trepidation mixed with excitement. It was a small and subtle thing that he probably would've missed if they weren't both silent. He didn't feel that way, but he could feel those emotions were present somehow.

"Hmm." Ethan grunted.

"What?"

"I just felt a little..." He cocked his head to one side. "Were you feeling a little nervousness mixed with some excitement a few seconds ago?"

Alana narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Because I felt those emotions, but they weren't coming from me." Ethan replied. "They were sort of vague and nebulous. They were there, but weren't there at the same time."

"Illuminar save us." Alana sighed and put her head in her hands. "It's our bond."

"I wondered. Who's Illuminar?"

"You don't know of God in your world?" Her mouth fell open like such a thing was beyond comprehension.

"Of course we do, we just have a different name for him." Ethan replied, and then to change the subject, added, "Can you sense what I'm feeling?"

Alana closed her eyes for a moment before answering. "Curious and slightly concerned?"

"Pretty much." Ethan said. "This bond thing is real then."

Alana nodded.

"Is there any way to break it?"

"As far as I know, bonds are unbreakable. They might get weaker with time and distance, but they never go away until you die. What concerns me more is how fast it's growing."

"Oh?"

"Yes. My mother said it took years before she could sense my father's emotions. We've been bonded for less than a week."

"That's..." He tapped a clawed finger on his scales.

"Strange?" Alana offered.

"Hey, this whole thing is strange." Ethan said. "Remember, I come from a place without magic. The whole idea of dragons, elves, magic and now these bonds is a little overwhelming."

She ran her hands through her rich, chocolate-brown hair. "You forgot being hunted by dragon slayers and getting semi-married to a wood elf. I can see how that would all be a bit much."

He laughed. "Semi-married; strange world we live in, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"Here's the way I see it." He said. "Either we split up and maybe this bond will weaken over time, or we stick together and figure out what to do with it. Thoughts?"

"No offense, but I don't fancy your chances if we split up." Alana said, spreading her hands. "Lord Delmar is pretty fanatical and doesn't let up once he's put his mind to something. At least, that's his reputation. Without some help, I think he'll find you quickly."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Besides, I was a little lonely all by myself in the forest. You may be ugly, but you're not bad company." She finished with a grin.

Ethan couldn't help but notice that she had a great smile.

He nodded his agreement. "Also, when word of the whole 'dragon-bride' thing gets out, this Lord Delmar might come looking for you to get to me. It might be safer to stick together."

"I hadn't thought of that." She said. "But you're right."

He stuck out his hand. "Partners?"

Alana hesitated for several moments before shaking his hand, a smile appearing on her face as she did so. "Partners. So, what happens now?"

"I need to be a better fighter." He said. "I wasn't useless, but when they come for us I want to be ready."

"Then you need gold; lots of gold. If you can get a large enough hoard, you can start enchanting your body to be stronger and faster. You can also make your scales harder and tougher so weapons won't pierce them easily. They don't make armor for dragons, and enchantments will be better in the end anyway."

"I can feel some gold in that bag." Ethan pointed to her coin purse. "But I'm guessing I'll need a lot more."

"Definitely. Remember how big Drousin's stash was? Something that size would be better."

"You don't have a massive pile of gold lying around do you?"

Alana laughed and held up her coin purse. "I'm afraid this is it."

"Hmm." Ethan said. "Well, working a job to get gold will take too long. Stealing isn't an option for obvious reasons, and I really don't fancy my chances against a dragon like Drousin right now."

He closed his eyes, trying to think. He turned his mind towards gold and -- to his surprise -- now that he was paying attention, he felt something on the edges of his mind. He could feel the gold in Alana's coin purse. He didn't know how, but he could. The metal was strong, brimming with energy and he could feel its energy slowly flowing towards him in a trickle. It felt good, but it was only a trickle. He needed a flood.

He relaxed and tried to feel other gold nearby. He could feel the odd bit of jewelry or coin back and forth in people's pockets or on their persons, but there really wasn't much at all.

That's when he felt it.

It was at the edge of his perception, but it was there. It was far away, but it was massive. It was a pile of gold so large, it rivaled even Drousin's hoard. Unlike Alana's coins, it wasn't strong or brimming with energy. He could feel all that gold just laying there cold and lifeless waiting for... for... He wasn't sure what, but he knew if he got close enough he could bring the gold to life. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew.

"There's a massive pile of gold not far away." He said finally, turning his attention back to her.

"Dragons are excellent at finding it." Alana smiled. "And that's the vault at The Bank, but I could've told you that."

"The bank?"

"Yes. It's so large it doesn't even need a name. They just call it 'The Bank'. It's said that the vaults have enough gold in them to rival a dragon's hoard."

"The stories are true." He frowned as something occurred to him. "I don't need to own the gold, do I? I just need to be near it, right?"

Alana nodded. "According to my conversations with Drousin, near it is good enough. Why?"

Ethan looked towards the bank. He obviously couldn't see through the wall, but now that he was aware of the gold, it was almost impossible not to think of it. He found a part of himself coveting the gold. Suddenly, the threat of Lord Delmar didn't seem as important anymore. Nothing seemed very important except for that gold...

"Oh." Alana said, catching onto his train of thought. "Oh, that's brilliant."

He shook his head to bring himself out of his reverie. "Are they hiring?"

"The Bank? No." She replied. "It's harder to get a job there than in the king's palace. Although..."

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Uncle Garth told me that the bank owner's two children were kidnapped a few days ago. He's offering 50 gold each for their safe return. Plus, whoever saves his daughter is promised her hand in marriage, and whoever saves his son is promised a job at the bank."

"That's..." Ethan couldn't think of the right word for a moment. "Convenient. A little too convenient if you ask me."

"It gets even more convenient." The wood elf said. "The kidnappers are rumored to be hiding out in my forest."

"That's... Strange." Ethan stood up and started pacing. "I mean on the surface it sounds like a perfect answer. Rescue the kids and get access to a ton of gold. And it's in your forest so we'd even have home field advantage. But we have a saying where we come from: 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is'. I think this qualifies."

"We have a similar saying here. So, it's probably a trap?"

"You think Lord Delmar is that devious?" Ethan wasn't sure he cared very much. The thought of being near that much gold was almost intoxicating.

"He definitely is." Alana furrowed her brow and stroked her chin. "But Hermair isn't, and since he's one of Lord Delmar's lieutenants I would bet he's leading the search. But he's not that clever. Have you made any other enemies since coming here?"

"Not that I know of."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?" Judging by her tone, she didn't believe it was either.

"Coincidences usually take a lot of planning." Ethan replied. "If this is a trap, then whoever planned it is pretty devious. Do we have any other options?"

"Not that I can think of." Alana said, tapping her chin with a forefinger as she thought. "We could try a few palaces or other banks, but most people aren't much in favor of letting dragons anywhere near their gold. However, by reputation, The Bank owner here is honest to a fault. If he promised a job to whoever rescued his son, they'll get the job."

"But getting into a fight as we are now..." Ethan grimaced. "We could run. I hate the idea, but we could go far enough away that they won't find us." The moment he said it, he was sure he couldn't run. He couldn't stand the idea of not being near that gold.

Alana shook her head. "You don't understand how fanatical Lord Delmar is. He'll have his men pursue us until we're dead, no matter where we go. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life."

"So, rescuing kids from kidnappers it is then." He said, though his mind was firmly on the gold. "We're going to need weapons."

"I have my bow and arrows." She said. "I know it doesn't look like much, but the bow is enchanted and packs more punch than you might think. For you though..."

"Sword?" Ethan suggested.

Alana shook her head. "A good quality sword is expensive and it would be hard to use when you are flying. How about a spear instead? I still have my father's old spear in the storage pit near the house. We can pick it up on our way to rescue the children."

"I suppose a spear would work better if I was flying. It would give me enough reach that I wouldn't need to expose myself to attack."

"Okay, then we're all set except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"About a dozen men left to find the kidnappers a few hours ago, and they had horses." She said.

"And we don't, not that I could ride if we did." Ethan frowned. "Any ideas?"

Alana looked at him, and then shifted her gaze to look just behind him. He looked back and saw his wings tucked up against his back.

Her face took on a mischievous smile. "I do have one."

"No way." Ethan shook his head.

"It's the only way we'll beat them there." She urged. "They have horses and a head start. We are already behind in this race and would have to walk."

"You saw me trying to fly after we escaped the forest." Ethan pointed out. "I was terrible. There's no way I could fly us both there in time. Besides, I can barely keep myself aloft -- so what makes you think I could carry you too?"

"I'm a wood elf." She said, standing up to emphasize her five feet of height and slender body. "I don't weigh much and Uncle Garth finally remembered to return my weight-reduction necklace. Wearing it, I'll only weigh a tenth of my normal weight. "

Ethan remembered the elf at Garthildur's camp using the amulet to allow him to carry a horse on his shoulders. "I suppose that could work, if I could learn to fly.

"You can practice outside of town. We can circle around the mountain until we're out of sight."

"Would that even allow us to get ahead of them?"

She laughed. "You can fly as far in an hour as they can ride in a day. You could probably go even faster with practice."

Ethan hesitated, so she continued. "Think of the banker's children. They do need rescuing and we can get there faster than anyone else."

"Okay." He said, accepting her argument. "But then I need to get in some serious flying practice before I try to carry you. And speaking of that, how am I going to leave without the entire town knowing there's a dragon here."

That thought brought something else to mind. "And how did Garthildur get me into this room without anyone seeing me?

"With this." Alana produced a necklace with a small green gemstone from her satchel. "It's enchanted to create a disguise for the wearer. It can make you look like a different race or person. Though someone could tell it's a disguise gem if he had some skill in magic and was looking."

She rose from her stump seat and handed it to Ethan. It was rather pretty, and it almost looked as if there was a light inside the stone.

"I thought you could only enchant things that were once alive?" he queried, looking at the small gemstone.

"I keep forgetting that you come from a place without magic. Golems, elementals, and gargoyles are made from stone and are alive. They eat gemstones like candy and channel mana through them as they digest them, allowing the gemstones to hold an enchantment when they come out the other end.

"Oh." It made sense, but the concept was a little hard to wrap his mind around. "So, they're made of living stone?"

She nodded. "Some people hunt them to harvest the stone because it can be enchanted. As you can imagine, something made from enchanted stone is very hard to breach."

He looked down at the disguise gem. "How does it work?"

"Focus a tiny bit of mana at the gem with a general idea of what you want to look like, and it'll do the rest." Alana said.

He put the necklace on, although it took a bit of doing to get it around his horns. He was almost completely out of mana, but he directed a tiny little bit into the stone and thought about looking like an average, normal man. The stone glowed for a moment, and then dimmed again. Around Ethan's hand, he saw a vague, semi-transparent outline of a human hand. His other limbs also had the same gossamer outline.

Alana squeaked, turned bright red, and averted her eyes.

Ethan looked down to see the outline didn't include any clothes. His rather impressive dragon-sized equipment was still concealed, but the ghostly human equipment wasn't. His human cock was roughly the same size as his dragon's, but still somewhat transparent.

"Sorry." He said. He focused a tiny bit of mana at the gem again, this time thinking of a man with clothing typical for the area. Again, the stone glowed for a moment then faded. This time the ghostly outline included some rough pants, a shirt, and shoes.

"I'm decent."

Alana peeked with one eye and then uncovered the other. There was an awkward moment of silence for several seconds. That's when Ethan noticed the part of his mind that showed her emotions via their bond. She was simultaneously extremely embarrassed and a tiny bit curious.

"Something you wanted to ask about?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm good. Let's just forget it happened."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Stupid bond." She muttered. "Okay, I'm curious but I'm not going to ask so let's just forget about it."

"Okay." He said, although he couldn't help but smile. Alana shook her head as if trying to clear it. He figured he would spare her any more embarrassment by changing the topic.

"Why can I see through the disguise?" He asked.

"Because the spell is designed that way." Alana replied. "The real question is: why can I see through it?"

"Our bond?" Ethan suggested.

"Probably, though only the user is supposed to be able to see through it."

"Okay. Well, if I'm going to be flying us to the forest, I should probably get in some practice."

They packed up the few belongings they would need and left the rest in the room. Garthildur said the room was rented for the rest of the week and there was a sturdy-looking lock on the door, so it seemed like a good place to store them.

The street outside was both very different and yet quite similar to what he had imagined. He had seen many medieval marketplaces in movies and TV shows. Earth entertainment was pretty close, but way off at the same time. It was extremely noisy and filthy. There were people everywhere all clamoring to sell their wares, and it reminded him of videos he'd seen of the frenzied action on a stock market trading floor in New York.

Alana skillfully navigated through the crowd and led him to the city gates. Once outside, he turned back to look.

Gralden was nestled up against the base of a mountain, the housing getting better, larger, and more expansive as the eye traveled upward. In the distance, just beyond a building that looked like a palace or town hall of some sort, he could see a long set of steps leading up to an ornate-looking door. There were guards and plenty of men with bows guarding the single stairway. Ethan assumed -- and Alana confirmed -- that this was the only entrance to The Bank. It was well fortified and he could see that attacking it would be suicide.

Around the perimeter of the Bank several large ballistae offered a stronger defense. They looked like giant crossbows and he figured they would be handy if a dragon like Drousin ever came to make an unscheduled withdrawal from The Bank.

The town seemed to have grown up around the foot of the stairs. Near The Bank were the best-looking and wealthiest buildings. Further from The Bank, the city rapidly grew to a sprawl that resembled the slums of medieval England, though not nearly as awful. The only exception was along the main road that led to the bank; the buildings along the thoroughfare looked just as pristine as the wealthy part of town.

One thing that stood out to Ethan was how good his eyes were. The entrance to the bank was hundreds of yards away and Ethan could still make out individual stones on the top of the stairs to The Bank's vault.

The other thing that stood out conspicuously was a mast poking up from the wealthy part of town. It was complete with a crow's nest and rigging and looked like the old ships of the line from the age of sail. Curiously, Ethan couldn't see any sign of water nearby.

"Come on." Alana said after he had stared for a few minutes. "You can't practice your flying until we're out of sight of town. We have an hour's walk at least."

Ethan noticed a small clump of trees nearby and excused himself to answer a call of nature. Once he was under cover of the trees, he relaxed and his scales parted to allow his cock and balls to drop free. He had just finished peeing when he noticed something.

He had a third testicle.

He knew for an absolute fact that he had only had two a week before. However, now there was undeniably a third one just behind his original two. Furthermore, his scrotum was significantly longer than a human's and therefore looked like it had room for many, many more.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew -- he wasn't sure how he knew -- but he knew for certain that this third testicle was for Alana. Some instinct told him this third one would only ever release for her and no other woman. He thought it was because of their bond, but he certainly wasn't going to ask her what she thought about it.

He wasn't even sure what he thought about it.

Alana wasn't exactly what he would consider a runway model, but any man would agree that she was beautiful. She also had a healthy, tanned, athletic look that screamed 'fertile' somewhere in the back of his mind. Ethan loved small, petite women and she was just five feet tall with a great hourglass figure. Her breasts weren't large -- maybe a full B-cup -- but that was a plus because had never liked the top-heavy look anyway.

A familiar feeling in his groin made him look down. His cock -- previously around 6 inches long while flaccid -- had gotten even larger when semi-erect and its girth was impressive. His first thought was it was too big. There was no way it would fit inside Alana, or any other woman for that matter. The size boosted his ego, but what if it prevented him from being able to take her to bed and...

Ethan put the thought out of his mind and finished his business. He would worry about that later; right now he had a job to do.

It was time to fly.

* * *

Alana led him around the mountain far enough that they would be out of sight unless Ethan flew quite high. Once there, Ethan turned his disguise gem off and started trying to fly.

It was actually quite funny to watch for the first hour or so. He could get into the air, but it took him quite a while for him to figure out how to stay there. Then it took him a few more hours to control where he was going while he was airborne.

Alana spent most of the afternoon meditating to restore her mana.

After her initial giggles at his cursing when he didn't quite achieve his lofty ambitions, Alana found her mind occasionally drifting back to her brief glimpse of Ethan's... 'equipment'. She couldn't bring herself to consciously consider it, but her mind swung around to the topic time and time again. After what Uncle Garth had said and then seeing it in person, she couldn't help but be a little curious.

She knew it was supposed to get bigger when...

Nope. Not going there.

She decided to concentrate on refilling her mana and watching his flying. When he managed to get going, he looked beautifully sleek, his wings out and everything else tucked neatly away, including his equipment.

Her mind was once more on that enticing path and her thoughts drifted again to Ethan. She had definitely felt some arousal through their bond when he went to relieve himself. She wondered briefly if she was the source of that arousal. Then she caught herself in the thought and pushed it as far back in her mind as it would go.

She went back to meditating but found her mind wondering how in the world something that large would fit. It seemed impossible. The last straw was when she caught herself imagining how she could get it to fit. She thought it might be best if she was on top of him like a horse and rider, but she caught that thought and was mortified at where her mind went. After that, she put the topic completely out of her mind and refused to think about it any longer.

The sun was getting low when Ethan landed next to her. It wasn't a graceful landing, but he didn't stumble or look unsure at all. He was smiling so widely she could see all of his teeth.

"I assume it went well?"

"Oh Alana, it's amazing! The wind in your face, the ground far below; it's the most freeing feeling in the world. You feel like you could go anywhere, do anything."

"That's wonderful." She said, and his smile was so infectious she couldn't help but smile too. Looking at him like this, Alana had to admit that he had a good smile. It wasn't like a human's smile, but it wasn't much different either. She could see his sharp teeth and they would be terrifying if he wasn't... well, Ethan.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" Ethan asked.

"No, no." She said a little too quickly. "I was just thinking, not staring at those ugly old things."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

Alana decided she was quite tired of him being able to sense her feelings. Well, two could play at that game. She looked into that vague, nebulous corner of her mind where she could feel him and found a little ball of wonder, excitement and bliss, topped off with a hint of amusement and curiosity. He wasn't on tenterhooks, he was just wondering.

He dropped onto all fours. "Shall we get going?"

Alana was brought out of her reverie by his question, but she couldn't help but notice his emotions. There was anticipation mixed with expectation and some hope.

"You're really hoping I'll like this, aren't you?" she asked.

Ethan smiled again and nodded. "That bond thing sure can come in handy."

She bit her lip. "I've never ridden a dragon before."

"That's okay. I've never been ridden as a dragon before." He laughed.

Unbidden, the image of her riding him in a completely different context came into her head. She pushed it out of her mind as fast as possible.

"Okay, how do we do this?" she asked.

"I figure you should lie on my back with your arms around my neck." Ethan said. "That should allow you to get a good grip while still allowing me to fly. Climb on, and don't forget that weight necklace -- I doubt I'll be able to get off the ground unless you're wearing it."

Alana swallowed hard and put on the necklace. It was a small thing with a short chain and a small round gemstone in a wooden fitting. She walked up behind Ethan and felt a little silly at not knowing how to proceed.

"There's no reason to be nervous. Come on, it'll be fun."

Alana took a deep breath, lay down on Ethan's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then -- because it seemed like the thing to do -- she hooked her legs around the underside of his tail. She also made sure to keep her face well clear of the horns protruding from the back of his head.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, although she didn't really feel ready. She shut her eyes tightly and braced herself for a fall. Her breathing was much shallower than normal and she wasn't far from hyperventilating.

"Alana, look at me." He twisted his head as far back as he could. She could just look into one of his eyes. Even though they looked like cat's eyes, they were full of warmth and concern.

"I will never let anything happen to you. Trust me; even if you fall I can catch you with my legs and arms. But I won't let you fall. Do you trust me?"

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

She relaxed slightly, still worried, but feeling better. She felt safe with him. It was strange to realize that she was about to be hundreds of feet up in the air probably traveling towards a trap designed to kill them, but she still somehow felt safe and protected.

"Let's go."

Ethan smiled, and then pushed off the ground with all four legs at once. The force launched them many feet into the air and then his wings unfurled and gave an almighty flap. Alana shut her eyes tightly and held on for dear life. She could feel his wings beating underneath her and his tail waving about. But she didn't look.

A few minutes later, she started to feel calmer. They hadn't crashed yet and she was still firmly attached to his back. The wind was whipping all around her.

"You can open your eyes now." Ethan said loudly so she could hear him over the wind.

She didn't.

"Alana, try to feel my emotions through our bond. It might help you relax a little."

It took a few moments for her to find him in her mind. He was elated. His heart was joyous and free and she knew it was from the flying. There was only a tiny bit of concern, and she knew it was for her.

"Open your eyes." He repeated softly. Alana decided she wasn't going to let fear rule her, took a deep breath, and opened one eye.

It was breathtaking.

The ground was hundreds of feet below and rolling past at a remarkable pace. She could see the grass of the plains beneath her undulating like waves in the wind. It was little hard to look ahead because of the wind, but the view was worth it. She could see the plains disappear over the horizon to the right and left. In front of her, she could see her forest. It was a large green island in a tan sea.

The sun was ready to dip below the horizon and from this angle, the low-hanging clouds looked like a mosaic of reds, oranges, and purples she'd never imagined.

"Glad you like it." Ethan said.

Alana kept her eyes open for the rest of the trip, only closing them occasionally because of the wind. It took only an hour for Ethan to arrive at the clearing that had been her home, and then he spiraled slowly down, on the lookout in case Hermair had left soldiers there. Fortunately, neither of them saw anything that gave cause for alarm.

Alana closed her eyes as Ethan flared his wings to land -- not because she was scared -- but because she didn't want to look at the remains of her home. The landing was a little rough, but she managed to stay attached until his wings folded back and then she slid off his back, landing on her knees because he was so close to the ground when on all fours.

Alana took a deep breath and then opened her eyes.

She was glad she was on her knees, because she didn't think she could have remained standing up on seeing the destruction. The entire glade had been decimated. Her house was a pile of ash, the trees she'd spent hours attending every day were all gone. Many of the stumps had burn marks and the rest had been hacked apart.

Ethan crouched next to her at a loss for words. She could feel sympathetic pain from him through their bond.

"I'm sorry." He finally said and wrapped her in a hug.

Alana let herself go limp in his arms like a rag doll. "It's okay. I didn't lose anything I can't replace. I spent my life working here, but it wasn't what I wanted to do; not really. It hurts, but in a way I'm glad it's gone. I always felt like I had to keep it going, but now I'm free. I don't know what I'm going to do, but now I feel free to find something."

"Good for you." Ethan whispered, his hug tightening.

She pulled herself up and brushed off the dirt and ash from her green dress. She knew her almond-shaped eyes had to be red and her hair was a mess from the wind -- but she was okay.

"We need to get going." Alana said, looking at the darkening sky. "We both have much better night vision than humans and we should find them before the moon fully rises."

"Or...." He suggested. "We could try to get some sleep and hit them before dawn. I don't know about you, but I'm beat from all that flying. You aren't exactly heavy, but it was a lot harder flying with you on my back."

Alana considered for a moment. "Well, we could sleep for a few hours in my storage pit. There are blankets there and I usually wake up a few hours before dawn."

"Do you know where the kidnappers are?"

"I think so. There's a spot off the main road with good cover and it's quite defensible. Anyone with half a brain would use it, especially if they were laying a trap for a dragon and a wood elf who knows the area. It would only take us an hour or so to get there."

"Sounds like a plan." Ethan yawned. She could see every one of his incredibly sharp, wicked-looking teeth. Surprisingly, she didn't find them scary at all; not on him.

Alana led him to her storage pit and opened the trapdoor.

"Wow." He said. "I know I said this before, but I would've never known it was there if you hadn't shown me."

"That's the point."

The storage pit was eight feet long, and five feet wide, and maybe three feet deep. Wooden boards covered the bottom and there were several piles of blankets, food, provisions, and some arrows. Along one side -- carefully wrapped in an oiled blanket -- was her father's spear. She pulled it out and handed it to Ethan.

She hadn't seen it since she had last oiled it, but it was still in pristine condition. The spear head was leaf shaped, seven inches long and two inches wide. The shaft was well-oiled wood and the overall length was seven feet.

She watched Ethan play with it for a few seconds before asking, "Do you know how to use that?"

He smiled, and said in a strange accent, "Yes. Pointy end goes into the other man." When she started at him blankly, he added. "Sorry, line from the Mask of Zorro. It's a movie."

"What's a movie?" she asked. He often used words she'd never heard before to describe strange things that sounded like advanced magic.

"It's... like a play that's recorded so you can watch it any time." He said, then looked into the storage pit. "So, where do we sleep?"

"In here on some blankets." Alana said.

They laid a few of the blankets down to cover the wood and each took a sack of grain to use as a pillow. It was tight, but there was just room for them to sleep without touching. Alana closed the trapdoor over them and the storage pit was plunged into near-complete darkness.

"Good night." He whispered.

"Night."

For the last few years -- not counting the night in the earthen dugout -- Alana had always slept alone. She didn't mind, but she had often wished for company. Somehow, she felt very comfortable with Ethan there. Despite his claws, fangs, and very un-elven appearance, she felt safe and almost relaxed.

Through their bond, she could sense almost the opposite from him. He was a swirl of emotions -- mostly negative -- and she could hear him fidgeting next to her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm..." He paused for several seconds. "No. Not really, no."

"Should I ask?" they were a strange combination of very close, yet hardly knowing each other at all; she didn't want to pry.

"My fiancée-- I mean my ex-fiancée and I, we..." He paused. "How could she lie next to me every night -- just like this -- and yet have been planning to..." He sighed. "I just don't understand."

"I can't even imagine."

"How could someone do that, and how..."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. "I guess it's just a burden I'll have to bear."

"It'll get easier. I promise."

"Oh?"

"After my parents died, Uncle Garth told me something. He told me that nothing could ever take the pain away; that it would always hurt, but time would make it hurt less until one day I'd wake up and realize that I was going to be okay."

"I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thank you." She said. "I know she hurt you very deeply. And it hurts now, and it probably always will hurt, but one day you'll wake up and realize you'll be okay."

She heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You're a very wise woman Alana, has anyone ever told you that?"

She blushed. "Just one guy, but I never listen to a word he says anyway."

He chuckled. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

She examined their bond again and was delighted to discover he felt better after their conversation. He still felt most of the negative emotions, but they were less intense and the pain was muted. Even better -- he was feeling a new emotion: gratitude.

For some strange reason, she had the urge to lean over and kiss his cheek. Her mother had always kissed her father before they went to sleep. She briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss his scale-covered face, but then decided that would take their relationship to a place she didn't want to go right now.

"You're a good friend Alana." He murmured, half asleep.

"Thank you." She couldn't help but smile.

Not long after, she drifted off to sleep too.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began on day 2 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 8.

STORY TAGS: dragon, fantasy, elf, teen, romantic, virgin, brunette