CHAPTER 9: ...But satisfaction brought her back

"I don't feel like it," Taloni replied while trying to shoo Pralya out of her shack, but she wasn't going easily. She slipped around the Fey and into the room, standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Prayla said in her annoying sing-song voice. "You've been moping all afternoon and some fun will do you some good."

"I don't feel like dancing," Taloni countered. Outside, night was fast approaching and she could hear the miners preparing for what was sure to be a marvelous party.

"Since when has a Fey not felt like dancing?" Prayla said, then she cocked her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing,"

"Dragon shit," Prayla replied. "You've been moping since that cave-in this afternoon. It's not like anybody died - mostly thanks to your healing magic - so what gives?"

Taloni opened her mouth, then shook her head and flopped down on the makeshift roll of blankets that she used for a bed. The cave-in earlier hadn't been bad, but it was bad enough that a lot of men needed patching up. She checked her mana levels for the dozenth time and - sure enough - she was basically depleted.

She wouldn't have any mana for the dragon.

Prayla's body language softened, and she came over, sat next to Taloni and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Prayla asked. "I promise I won't tell a soul."

"You'll think it's stupid."

"Maybe, but I promise I won't laugh,"

"I'm worried about-" she just couldn't bear to say it. She looked wistfully out the doorway.

"You're not still thinking about that dragon are you?" Prayla asked. Surprisingly, there was no hint of derision in her voice.

"He's dying, and because of the cave-in there's nothing I can do about it," Taloni replied. "I'm out of mana and don't have any to give him."

"What do you mean?" Prayla asked, so Taloni explained about the dragon giving up its gold and slowly running out of mana.

"You shared your mana with a dragon?" Prayla asked when she had finished.

"Not deep mana," the Fey said a little defensively. "Just regular mana because he was dying; he is dying."

Prayla gave her an odd look. "I know I teased you about boning the dragon, but you actually care for it don't you?"

"Him," Taloni corrected.

"Huh?"

"He's not an 'it'; he's a he," Taloni said. "And he tried to protect me from Thaltien's men even though he was exhausted, tired, and he'd just met me. Nobody's ever done that before."

"Huh..." Prayla said slowly as she put on her 'thinking face'. "Now that you mention it, he did almost seem protective."

"Yeah," I didn't know dragons could be like that."

"You're sure it wasn't an act?"

Taloni gave her a look.

"Okay, I was just checking," Prayla said. "I wish I could help Tee, I really do. But I don't know anything about magic or mana. For that matter, I barely know anything about dragons."

"It's okay," Taloni replied. "I just wish I could help him."

"Yeah, but I don't see how you could. It's not like you'd share your deep mana with him right?"

Taloni didn't answer.

"Right?" Prayla said again, this time a little more insistent.

"Of course I wouldn't," Taloni said. "I mean, who ever heard of a Fey sharing deep mana with a dragon? It's preposterous."

Prayla narrowed her eyes. "Your words say one thing but your tone and body language says something else. You're not seriously considering that are you?"

"I don't know," the Fey said honestly. Before Prayla had said something, she hadn't even considered it. Sharing your deep mana was profoundly intimate. The last thing she wanted was to bond with a dragon, assuming dragons could bond of course.

"But isn't it dangerous?" Prayla's eyes widened.

"I know where my limits are; I could give him some and I'd be fine," Taloni said. "I mean, it wouldn't help anyway. It might buy him a few hours at most."

"But you're only eighteen," Prayla said. "I'm all for you getting some action between the sheets, but isn't sharing deep mana like marriage among the Fey?

Taloni nodded.

"You'd get married and promise to only sleep with one man your entire life? At your age?" Prayla seemed incredulous.

"I don't want to marry him, just keep him alive," Taloni said, but she could tell Prayla wasn't convinced.

"He's really that good of a dragon?" her friend asked.

Taloni bit her lip and nodded.

Would she be willing to bond with the dragon? In her short life, she'd never met anyone like him. Certainly if she had to pick anyone to bond with out of all the people she knew, she would pick him.

"Then you should at least say goodbye," Prayla said. "I mean you said he's dying and might not live until morning right?"

Taloni nodded.

"Then you should say good bye," Prayla said firmly, and her voice shook a little. "Trust me, you'll kick yourself and regret it for the rest of your life if you don't."

"How do you know?"

"I just know okay?" Prayla said. There was a slight sadness in her voice that Taloni had never heard from her before. She was usually boisterous and flighty, and this seemed like a rare moment of seriousness.

"What happened?" Taloni asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Prayla said dismissively, if not convincingly. "Just trust me, make sure you say goodbye or you'll regret it."

"Okay," she nodded.

They got up and left the shack. It took some doing to avoid the guards because of the nearly full moon. However they spent most of their time searching the skies for dragons, not the ground for young women. They made it out into the forest without being seen and walked in silence for several minutes.

Taloni was wracking her brain trying to figure out what she could do to help the dragon. Everything she thought of was a temporary measure at best, and that list consisted of only one item: Giving the dragon some of her deep mana. She didn't think he would burn through as quickly as regular mana, so it might buy him a fair bit of time.

But not enough.

A few minutes later, they reached the top of the rise before the dragon's ravine. When they arrived, Prayla stopped near the boulder they'd hid behind the first time they'd seen him.

"I'll wait here," Prayla said.

"Coward." Taloni chuckled.

"No, I just thought you'd like a moment," Pralya replied, though she was far from convincing.

Taloni nodded, then started toward the dragon. The light of the full moon illuminated the whole ravine as she climbed down the shallow sides. The dragon was still laying there and his breathing was even more labored than the previous night. He was out cold. Taloni put her hand on the dragon's scales checked his health.

It wasn't good.

His mana was completely gone and his deep mana was significantly depleted. Not enough to be dangerous yet, but definitely lower than was healthy. She was pleased to see her original guess was off and he'd live longer than she thought. He certainly wouldn't survive until the next evening though.

Taloni did a few mental calculations. If she gave him a little of her deep mana he would probably live until the next evening. If she spent the next day collecting mana and nothing happened at the mine, she could keep him alive a little longer.

She didn't know what to do.

She certainly could help him. It wouldn't take much deep mana to keep him alive for a little longer. If she was honest with herself, she loved the idea of giving him a little of her deep mana. He was so nice and caring with her, and it just made her heart melt.

Taloni looked over her shoulder.

Prayla was peeking out from the boulder. She must have seen something on the Fey's face by the light of the moon because she suddenly looked concerned.

"Let's go," Prayla mouthed.

"He's out cold," Taloni replied loud enough for her to hear. "And he won't wake up any time soon."

Prayla hesitated for several moments then slowly made her way down the ravine. "Don't do it," She said when she was closer, though she was still a good ten feet from the dragon.

"Do what?" Taloni asked.

"You're here to say goodbye and that's all, remember?" Prayla said. "Don't give him your deep mana, not to a dragon."

"But he's not just a dragon," Taloni countered. "He's a good dragon, and he'll die if I don't help him."

Prayla looked apprehensive. "But would you give one of the miners your deep mana to save them?"

Taloni let her shoulders drop and shook her head.

"Then why would you help a dragon?"

"Because..." Taloni hesitated. "Because he's just... I don't know, there's something about that's just... I can tell he's good. I haven't met any truly good men and I don't want to lose this one."

"You do know he's a dragon right? Not a man?"

Taloni nodded, then put her hand on the dragon again. She wasn't sure when she decided to give him some of her deep mana, but she knew she had. She closed her eyes and gently pushed a measured amount of her deep mana out of her body and into the dragon.

The instant Taloni's deep mana touched the dragon, he welcomed it with open arms. His body seemed to rejoice and welcomed her mana. It flowed into him like water flowing into and filling cup. There was no resistance of any kind and no barrier. He accepted it completely without reservation.

Taloni felt her heart soar.

Something about the way he welcomed it seemed to be a complete acceptance of her; not just her mana, but her too. Then, just as she stopped the flow of mana, she felt something else.

His deep mana.

The dragon had taken a small portion of his already depleted deep mana and was pushing it toward her. It brushed up against her hand, but she didn't let it in. She couldn't. She was only eighteen, she had her whole life ahead. She couldn't let herself bond.

She just couldn't.

And yet...

There was something wild about his deep mana that she could feel when gently brushed up against her hand. It was at once powerful and primal, yet also kind and tender. It was full of deep love and joy, yet also profound sadness and loss. It had amazing strength; yet also profound weakness. It was wild and powerfully primal, but also had an air of sophistication and grace.

It was a paradox; like 'hot ice' or 'bright darkness'.

She found the combination fascinating, almost captivating.

Her curious Fey nature wondered what it would feel like to accept that mana; to be joined completely to this powerfully primal force of nature with a good heart. The idea was intoxicating. She felt almost light-headed. She resolved to remove her hand, but it didn't want to listen.

What if...

"Curiosity killed the Fey," She reminded herself silently, and yet...

And yet...

Her instincts and curiosity were united in one direction; her will pulled her in quite another. She felt he was a good man - or dragon - and she felt like bonding to him would be wonderful. Her cautious brain urged restraint and caution. But she was a Fey. When her curiosity and instincts were united, her willpower was no match.

Curiosity won.

She stopped resisting and let the dragon's deep mana flow inter her. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced.

No exceptions.

Taloni felt their deep mana touch, and then meld together into one. She couldn't explain it, but it was like they were no longer two different people but rather two parts of a single person. It was profoundly intimate, intensely loving, and too wonderful for words.

The instant she accepted his mana, it was like his entire soul was laid bare before her. For a brief instant - not even a second - she could see his entire being laid out before her, just like she imagined a bird could see the layout of a city. She could see all the crisscrossing pathways and complexities that made the dragon who he was. She could see the shining thoroughfares he was proud of, along with the dark alleys he was ashamed of.

She could see the totality of his being and he was amazing. Buried underneath The scaly hide and obvious sadness - which seemed to be caused by a dark cloud over his thoughts - he was an amazing person. He cared deeply about people and beat himself up whenever he hurt someone. He wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place.

That was the moment Taloni fell in love.

She saw who Ethan really was at his core and her only choice was to fall truly and deeply in love with him. He was such a good man; so noble, so brave, so selfless. She admired and respected him more than she could've ever put into words.

Then the moment ended.

Taloni was left with a vague impression of Ethan; of what she'd seen in his soul. But it was enough. Her heart swelled and she released an unconscious sigh.

Then something happened she didn't expect at all. She felt an intense desire to be closer to Ethan. She wanted to be joined with him as fully and completely as possible. She felt blood rush to her loins. She moaned softly as an unfamiliar - but very pleasurable - sensation washed over her brain and senses.

She was a Fey, and she knew Fey never fully felt attraction or arousal until they'd bonded, but she was completely unprepared for the magnitude of the feelings. She'd barely felt a twinge before, and then only when Prayla had explained a few of the finer details of... of doing 'it' with a man. For the first time, the idea held great appeal for her. She luxuriated in the thought for several seconds.

"Tee, are you okay?" Prayla whispered.

"Hmm, what?" Taloni shook her head as she came out of her reverie.

"You looked kingdoms away for a moment," Prayla said.

"Only a moment?" Taloni asked. It had felt like nearly a lifetime. She was tired, which she assumed was a side effect of giving away some of her deep mana. Otherwise she felt fine though.

"Yeah," Prayla replied. "I'm just saying, I wouldn't share your deep mana with a dragon. Even if he's a good dragon, you haven't know him long enough."

Taloni smiled as the memory of Ethan's soul being bared to her came to mind. "I know him well enough."

"You..." Prayla stared intently at Taloni for a moment. "You did it, didn't you?" You gave him some of you deep mana?"

Taloni nodded with a huge smile. "And he returned the favor. I can't describe how wonderful it was."

Prayla covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm so sorry Tee, I shouldn't have brought you out here."

"No, it's okay. Really,"

"It's not," Prayla looked at her like she was an alien from another world. Her eyes looked like they were getting watery. "I'm have to go."

Prayla looked at Taloni for a few moments, then hung her head and began to half-run, half-climb up the shallow sides of the ravine. The Fey watched her go but didn't know what to say. She almost went after her, but felt very tired. It had been a long day and after giving some of her deep mana, she was exhausted.

She put her hand on Ethan's scales again. She didn't get the same rush or look into his soul, but she liked it. She thought about following Prayla back to the camp, but she just wanted to sleep.

She yawned, leaned up against Ethan, and rested her head on his scales. It was surprisingly comfortable. She decided to rest there for a little bit before going back to the mining camp. That was her last thought before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Alana climbed down the Argo's long rope ladder to the ground, then stepped out of the way so Rachel could get off too. They had climbed down into a clearing in the forest near to one of the larger streams in the area. The early morning sun was shining and gave the entire glade a peaceful luminesces. She ran her hands through her chocolate brown hair and sighed.

"What?" Rachel asked. Her red hair gradually faded to blond at the tips, and with the way it caught the early morning sunrise and the breeze, it looked even more like flame than usual.

"You're head's on fire," Alana smiled.

Rachel laughed and struck a sexy pose. "Well, I need to stay hot somehow."

Alana chuckled and Rachel said. "That's the first time I've heard you laugh in days."

"Yeah, it feels good," Alana replied then nodded her head toward the river they'd seen from the Argo. "Come on; let's see if the third time is a charm."

Rachel nodded and they set off into the forest. The wood elf relaxed a little with all the greenery and vegetation. She just felt so much better when she was surrounded by nature and green trees.

"So what will you do when we find Ethan?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," Alana said. "Slap him? Hug him? Maybe both?"

It was Rachel's turn to chuckle. "Sounds about right," she seemed to hesitate for a moment, then continued. "So, what about after all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about endgames lately," Rachel said. "Let's say we defeat my father and the Black Dragon. What's next? I mean, assuming we live through it, there'll be a life on the other side. What do you want your life to be like after this is finished?"

"That's a really good question," the wood elf admitted. If she was honest with herself, she didn't have a clue. "What about you? What's your endgame?"

The redhead sighed. "I'm not sure either."

"Oh?"

"Well, there are things I'd like to do," Rachel said. "I've always loved magic. I've been drawn to it since I was a little girl. What's more, I think I'm good at it. I never got any formal training, almost everything I know about magic is self-taught."

Alana stopped and looked at her. "Really? I remember dodging a few of your fireballs. You're pretty darn good with those spells of yours."

"Practice," Rachel shrugged. "I pestered the mage at our castle until he would teach me some of the basics. But when my father - Lord Delmar - found out, he forbade the mage to teach me anymore."

"Why?" Alana asked.

"He said it wasn't proper," Rachel replied. "He wanted me to be a lady and worried that my learning magic would put me in danger. Ironically, he wasn't wrong. Even more ironically, it was him that put me in danger."

Alana nodded, and they started walking again. "He doesn't sound like his reputation, your father I mean."

"Yeah, I know," Rachel replied. "Growing up was confusing. On one hand, he was always kind and tender to me; but on the other he was ruthless to anyone else. It was almost like growing up with two completely different fathers."

Alana noticed that Rachel was unconsciously feeling the finger on which her will-breaker ring had been worn.

"You think there's a reason for that?" she asked.

"Maybe," Rachel replied evasively. "But if there is, it almost doesn't matter. Any affection he had for me is long gone."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too"

They walked for several more minutes in silence. Alana really wanted to say something to help, but didn't know what. She had a really hard time imagining what Rachel was going through. She thought back to her childhood and realized she could count on one hand the number of times her father had lost his temper. He wore a smile most of the time and always called her his little princess.

"You never said what you wanted when this is all over," Rachel said after a few minutes.

Alana thought for a few moments before answering. She thought back to Ethan's description of the orphanage the day after they'd met. She loved the light in his eyes when he talked about the children and could see it made him so happy. It had stirred something within her she didn't realize she had.

Finally, she spoke. "I know it sounds cliché, but I want to have a family and raise some children."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with that," Rachel said with conviction, then added in a cautious tone. "Any ideas about the father?"

"I wish. I don't really want to raise a clutch of dragons you know."

"Yes, well that limits your options doesn't it?" Rachel replied with a wink. "It's not like there are any non-dragons in the world, who'd be interested in marrying a kind, loving wood elf like yourself." She added with a dose of good-natured sarcasm.

"Thank you," Alana smiled, then added. "I know there are more men, It's just... I wish dragons could father non-dragon children."

"Maybe they can."

"Oh?"

"You know that Lord Delmar is obsessed with dragons right?" Rachel asked. Alana nodded, so she continued. "Well, I overheard him one time telling someone that dragons can choose the gender of their offspring. They just always choose to make them males."

"But there are no female dragons," Alana said. "Do you think it's possible that female dragons exist?"

"My father didn't think so," Rachel answered. "He was having a very heated argument with a woman on the topic. The woman was very insistent on knowing if a female dragon could exist. Lord Delmar was crystal clear that they couldn't."

As Rachel finished speaking, they reached their destination. It was either a very large stream or a very small river. It was 7 or 8 feet across and looked to be 3 or 4 feet deep at the deepest part. Alana put her questions about dragons out of her mind to focus on the task at hand.

"You ready?" Alana asked indicating the stream.

Rachel nodded, so Alana walked up to the bank of the stream and put her hand into the water. After a few seconds of concentrating, she sent a small pulse of mana through the water. She was careful to keep it very small; it was better to knock twice than appear to be beating down the door.

Less than a minute later, a head appeared above the water a few feet from where Alana was crouched. The naiad was extraordinarily beautiful. She had pale skin, red hair that was almost maroon, and very large eyes. Her face didn't look very old at all - maybe early twenties - but her eyes made it clear she was a LOT older.

Alana took a deep breath, then launched into what she remembered was the proper way to greet a naiad.

[Esteemed naiad of this beautiful river, you do me honor by granting me an audience.] Alana said with a small bow.

[Not many know the old ways and customs.] The naiad observed in the Fey tongue. [Fewer still observe them. It has been long indeed since a non-Fey has requested an audience with me, much less done so properly. What do you wish?]

[To speak with one of your sisters and request her aid.] Alana replied in the Fey tongue. [Her name is Nalithea.]

The naiad narrowed her eyes at Alana before replying. [Nalithea was all in a tizzy about a fortnight ago about meeting...] The naiad cocked her head to one side. [Could you be her?]

Alana nodded. She briefly considered bluffing her way through this, but this naiad looked much older, wiser and more clever than Nalithea. [Technically I have no authority despite my family's status. I come to you not as their daughter, but as a fellow woman of magic who is in desperate need of help.]

[Oh?]

Alana smiled. It was always a good thing to make a naiad curious. [Yes, I need Nalithea's assistance. It could be a matter of life and death.]

[What could be so serious?]

[If you will be so kind as to find Nalithea, I would happily explain to you both.]

The Naiad narrowed her eyes. [Are you sure I can't be of assistance?]

Alana pretended to consider while she inwardly smiled. The old Elven proverb 'curiosity killed the Fey' was ringing true as ever. This was going better than she'd hoped.

[Honored naiad, I'm sure your assistance would be extremely helpful, but it's more proper for me to ask Nalithea. I wouldn't dream of insulting you by asking for a favor on our first meeting, whereas I've encountered Nalithea before and she offered her assistance should we meet again. In thanks, I would allow you to hear my request of her.]

[Very well,] the naiad said with a resigned sigh, then disappeared beneath the water without so much as a ripple to mark her departure.

"I take it that went well?" Rachel asked.

Alana shrugged. "We'll see when they return, it shouldn't be long though. Naiads can travel at incredible speed through the water. The royalty among the wood elves employ them to ferry messages for that reason."

"So now we wait," Rachel nodded.

They didn't wait long.

Abut fifteen minutes later, two heads poked above the water. The first was the maroon-haired naiad they had just met, the other shared the same pale skin and large black eyes, but also had black hair. The former looked grumpy while the latter looked eager to please.

Alana smiled at her, then bowed and spoke in the Fey tongue. [Esteemed Nalithea, you honor me by granting my request for an audience so quickly. I will not forget your consideration or kindness.]

Nalithea nodded. [I am honored that you called up me in your time of need mistress. How may I be of service?]

[I formed a bond with someone who now finds their life in grave danger.] Alana replied, then baited the 'curiosity hook' even further. [But he's not my spouse.]

The two naiads looked extremely confused for a moment, which was part of the plan. In the Fey language, the word for 'bonded' and 'spouse' were the same word, because Fey marriage was formed by two Fey creating a bond. To the Fey, 'bonded' and 'spouse' were the same thing.

[Forgive your servant mistress, but I don't understand.] Nalithea said after a few moments. [How could you form a bond with a man, and yet not be his spouse?]

Alana smiled, purposely making it a: I-know-something-you-don't smile to further peak their interest. [I will explain that if you can find him.]

[Wait,] the other naiad said. [You formed a bond, but didn't marry? How can that be? Has your Nalfigar blood led you astray, or could the great house of Kalon have finally produced a scandal?]

The Naiad looked at Alana pointedly before adding. [Well, another scandal that is.]

Alana raised her eyebrow

[Adorelle!] Nalithea chided. [That's no way to speak to a member of-]

[Peace, young Nalithea,] the other naiad - Adorelle - said, then turned to Alana. [Forgive me mistress, I meant no disrespect.]

[You are forgiven, but your breech of discretion will not be forgotten.] Alana said as imperiously as she could manage. [How could I trust someone with so little discretion? I must ask your leave to discuss the matter with Nalithea alone.]

Adorelle glared at the wood elf, but nodded. [I hear and obey my lady.] She disappeared beneath the water, leaving Alana alone with Nalithea.

[Adorelle is out of earshot mistress,] Nalithea said, then added. [But I don't believe you have made a friend of her.]

{I am greatly saddened to hear this, and I shall do my best to make amends.] Alana replied in as formal an apology as she could remember how to make. [However, I still do need your assistance, and time is of the essence.]

[Yes mistress, what would you ask of me?]

[I'm trying to find the man with whom I formed a bond.] Alana said. [I know he's around this area somewhere, I just don't know where.]

[You've lost your bonded? Interesting...] Nalithea seemed lost in thought for a moment before continuing. [I will help you find him mistress. I can scour every waterway within a hundred miles before the day is out. What does he look like?]

[I will need an oath of strict confidence before I tell you; I can entrust this information to no other.] Alana replied. It was a formal request, and a Fey bound by such an oath wouldn't tell another living soul, not unless the king of the wood elves himself nullified the oath.

[I would be happy to give one,] Nalithea replied. [What does he looked like?]

Alana smirked at the attempted evasion. [You said you'd be happy to give an oath of strict confidence, but you haven't actually given one.]

Nalithea's face fell slightly. [I was hoping you wouldn't notice that. Very well mistress, I give my oath of strict confidence that I won't tell a single soul of this.]

[Good.] Alana said. [He is a steel gray dragon.]

The naiad's eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock. It took several minutes of deflecting questions and refusing to answer before Nalithea got the hint. When she finally realized she wouldn't get anything out of the wood elf, she set off in search of Ethan.

Mission accomplished.

"I take it that went well?" Rachel asked once the naiad had left.

"Better than I'd hoped," Alana replied. "Now all we have to do is wait."

Alana sat down on the bank and her mind drifted to Ethan again and her earlier conversation with Rachel. What if dragons could have non-dragon children? Dragons could make elves have dragons, which are non-elf children, so why not? Maybe?

"Do you really think a dragon could father a non-dragon child?" Alana finally asked after spending several minutes working up the courage.

"I don't know," Rachel replied. "My father was adamant that female dragons couldn't exist, but he also seemed convinced that dragons could choose the gender of their child. Put the two together logically and..." She held up her hands as if to say the answer spoke for itself.

"I suppose your father would be the man to ask about dragons," Alana said, then added. "Unless you had an actual dragon to ask."

"Maybe even then," Rachel chuckled. "Ethan is a great guy, but he's pretty clueless about a lot of things; especially magic."

"Now I wish I would've asked Drousin when I had the chance," Alana said.

"He probably would've thought you were propositioning him," Rachel replied. "I can't imagine that ending well."

Alana shook her head and suppressed a shudder. "I can see how that could be taken the wrong way."

"Yeah,"

"While we're on the topic, there's something you should probably know," Alana sighed, then told her what Elder Goman had said about one of Lord Delmar's mages - probably an Arch Mage - trying to turn regular people into dragons.

"By Illuminar, was he serious?" Rachel said when Alana had finished.

"Unfortunately, I think he was."

"That's just what we need, but does the magic even exist for that?"

"Elder Goman seemed to think so," Alana replied. "Why?"

"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and difficult of the magical arts. I can't imagine how he would do it. Of course, I'm no expert and certainly not an Arch Mage. But, I've tried transfiguration before and it's devilishly tricky. It takes a lot of magic too, though an Arch Mage wouldn't be limited that way."

"I wouldn't know," Alana said. "I can enchant anything you want, but I'm pretty useless at spells."

"If it helps you feel any better, I'm terrible at enchanting,"

Alana raised her eyebrow.

"It's true," Rachel said. "I've tried a couple times and never could get the hang of it."

"I could help if you want," Alana said. "There isn't much I can't do when it comes to enchanting."

"I appreciate the offer but no thanks," Rachel said. "Honestly, enchanting never interested me anyway. I always preferred spells."

They sat on the bank in companionable silence for a few minutes enjoying the scenery. The sun had risen and was shining in a cloudless blue sky. The birds were singing and there were wildflowers scattered all around the stream. Occasionally they would catch a glimpse of some deer or other wildlife. It was a little slice of heaven on earth.

It made her miss her forest.

"You never said what your endgame was," Alana mused after several minutes. "It sounds like you really like magic, were you planning to do something with that?"

"It's just a hobby," Rachel said, but Alana could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Rachel, it's perfectly fine if you don't want to say. You're under no obligation to. But please don't say it's nothing when it's something."

"Okay," Rachel replied. "You'll laugh though."

"I promise I won't,"

Rachel took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then spoke. "I want to become an Arch Mage."

"That's brilliant," Alana said with a wide smile. "You should totally do that."

"Really? You don't think it's dumb?" Rachel had pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she spoke. She reminded Alana of a little child who was afraid of a scolding.

"Of course it's not dumb," Alana said. "Why would it be?"

Rachel didn't look at her when she responded. "I told someone in the castle when I was growing up. They gossiped about it and everyone teased me for weeks. Nobody thought I could do it."

"Well, I think you can," Alana said. "In fact, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you can. That's one of your dreams Rachel; don't ever give up on your dreams."

"Thank you," Rachel said. She wiped the corner of her eyes and Alana thought she saw something wet. "No one ever believed in me like that before."

Alana scooted over so she could put her arm around Rachel. It was slightly awkward with the height difference, but neither seemed to mind.

"Well I do," Alana said. "If you work hard enough and long enough, there's no reason you can't become an Arch Mage."

"Thank you," Rachel said. "I needed that."

"Any time," Alana beamed.

* * *

Beth felt like she had been walking forever.

She didn't tire on the astral plane, though she still needed to sleep, but the constant walking become tedious long days ago. Equally monotonous was the fact that literally everything - except Gabriella - was some shade of purple.

The one good thing was she didn't need to avoid obstacles. Gabriella had led her through the city walls and various buildings to shorten their travel time. It occurred to her she might need to be careful when she was alive again not to walk into walls because she was getting used to walking through things; not around them.

"We're here." Gabriella announced as they crested the ridge of a small and shallow ravine. Down below, Ethan was laying on his side sleeping soundly with-

"Who's that?" Beth asked, eyeing the young woman curled up against his side. She had a pleasant smile on her face, long golden-brown hair, and wings on her back. Perhaps one of the Fey?

"That is Taloni," Gabriella said. "A thoroughly delightful Fey who's made the best of a very hard situation in life."

Beth's eyes narrowed. "Why is she snuggled up to my husband?"

"A dragon forced Ethan to surrender the gold in his gullet and he was slowly dying without gold nearby. Taloni saved his life by bonding with him."

Two very conflicting emotions warred within Beth. On the one hand, she hated the idea of sharing Ethan with yet another woman. To think of Ethan taking another wife made her mad... almost. She wanted to be mad - or even upset - but was having trouble summoning up the emotion.

On the other hand, the Fey was rather attractive. A perfect mother for some of Ethan's brood.

What?

Beth shook her head trying to clear the thought, but it didn't want to go. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded. She remembered the first time Ethan had taken her to bed. He was so strong, masculine, and virile; of course she wasn't enough to satisfy a powerful dragon like that. Of course he would need other women. It just made sense.

Or at least, it made sense to a tiny part of her brain. The rest protested strongly, especially the part that wanted to be present when he was bedding these other women.

"Copper for your thoughts." Gabriella said with a knowing smile.

"I... Uh..."

The luminous woman laughed. "It's okay, those feelings are perfectly normal after bonding with a dragon."

"But I don't... those feelings aren't... they aren't me... Are they?"

Gabriella chuckled. "You might be surprised to know that Alana is going through the same thing, and Taloni will be shortly."

"Really?"

"Yes. Though Taloni will be much quicker to adjust."

Beth frowned. "But, but you're one of Illuminar's servants right? How could He possibly be okay with that?"

"You've read the Book of Light. What does it say about it?"

She racked her brain and couldn't think of anything in the Book of Light that even mentioned women being attracted to one another. Nothing. Not even a single verse.

"It doesn't say anything about it, does it?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, but it does say the following: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, Illuminar will add to him the plagues described in this book."

Beth grimaced.

Gabriella continued. "Beth, be careful about adding to the commands of God. Be especially careful about condemning as wrong something that Illuminar - blessed be He - hasn't condemned as wrong. Has he condemned it as wrong?"

"I mean, I can't think of a place where the Book of Light does," she frowned. "So, He's okay with it...?"

"Consider, you know the Book of Light allows men to take multiple wives. What if a man wanted to bed two of his wives at the same time? Would it make sense to forbid that?"

"I guess not."

"So then why forbid the wives from pleasuring each other as well as their husband?"

Beth had no answer. It made sense, but given her upbringing and her father's insistence on monogamy only, it went against everything she'd been taught.

What she felt on the other hand...

She was definitely feeling more than mild arousal at the thought. If she still had a body, she would be quite wet between the legs right now.

"Beth, Illuminar created sex," the luminous women said kindly. "He made it so the existence of the human race - and every other race too - depends entirely on them having sex. He isn't ashamed of his creation. God wants men and women to enjoy sex, preferably lots of sex."

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Gabriella replied nodding her head. "Why would God make sex vital to the survival of every race and make it the most pleasurable thing you can experience, if He didn't want you to enjoy it?"

"Um, I guess I never thought about it that way." Beth was trying to reconcile what Gabriella - who was almost certainly an angel - was saying about sex with the way she was taught growing up.

They didn't mesh well.

"To be sure, Illuminar - blessed be He - wants you to enjoy it only inside of marriage. But inside of marriage, He'd prefer you have as much sex as you can handle." Then she added with a wink. "The world won't populate itself you know."

Beth laughed, then thought for a moment. "So, it's really okay that I think another woman is attractive?"

"Absolutely, and your husband won't mind you thinking that either. But we've tarried long enough on this topic, pleasurable though you find it," Gabriella said. With a twinkle in her eye. "Right now, your husband needs your help.

"Right."

Beth half climbed, half slid down the shallow side of the ravine then walked to Ethan's side. The dark halo around his head had grown even larger and stronger since she'd last seen it. It was now thicker than her arm and much more solid. It seemed less like a wispy, shadowy halo and more like a solid torus, or a large version of those "doughnut" things that Ethan had described.

"He's getting worse, isn't he?" she asked Gabriella, who had appeared at her side.

"He is, and he will need you to help him."

Beth had spent the last few days trying to remember everything she could about dispelling enchantments. It wasn't much. She reached a hand forward toward the dark halo, only to have Gabriella's hand clamp onto her wrist with an iron grip.

"Don't touch it," she said fervently. "This spell was created by Saidow's minions, and the effects it can have on you are... unpleasant."

Beth nodded and Gabbriella released her hand. Now that was another pickle. How in the world do you remove something without touching it?

* * *

Ethan drifted back to consciousness slowly and against his will. It felt like he'd woken up from a nap and his groggy, brain-fogged feeling of exhaustion was hanging on like a leech. He managed to drift to sleep again but not for long. Something bright was in his eyes and wouldn't let him stay asleep. He moved his hand to cover his face, then opened one of his eyes.

It was just after sunrise. The sun was shining onto his face through the trees, the birds were singing, and the sky was cloudless blue. It was a little slice of heaven on earth. He would've enjoyed it more if he wasn't so tired.

As he woke up, he noticed something warm cuddled up against his side. He could hear the sound of relaxed breathing and the scent that filled his nostrils was heavenly. Adjusting his head, he could see Taloni had curled up next to him and snuggled against his body.

Dear God in heaven she was gorgeous.

Ethan had noticed she was attractive when he'd first seen her, but somehow he'd missed her true beauty. Her skin was absolutely flawless, without a blemish in sight. Her long golden brown hair looked like a professional stylist had made it look 'bedhead messy' because it looked perfect in its chaos.

Coming from her back between her shoulder blades were two sets of wings. They looked like a cross between a dragonfly and butterfly and somehow gave her an ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty.

Her figure was absolutely perfect. She was so petite, Ethan thought he could wrap his - admittedly long - hands around her waist if she sucked in her gut. Her perfect waist flared into wide, sensual hips. Her breasts weren't very large, but they were full and shapely.

But more than that, he found the look on her face irresistible. She looked so peaceful and serene laying there against him. She had a subtle smiled and looked contented with the world.

Ethan - despite his exhaustion - felt the blood rush to his loins. He wasn't sure what it was, but suddenly Taloni looked like a succulent morsel he wanted to sample.

Wait, what?

He shook his head and stood up, being careful not to disturber her too much.

He looked at her again and was struck by how innocent she looked. She was a vision of young beauty. Ethan literally felt his mouth water. With that perfect figure, he couldn't wait to put his brood in her and-

"What the hell," Ethan said trying to clear his mind again.

His brain wouldn't let go of the image of Taloni pregnant with his- Ethan closed his eyes and tried to think about something else; anything else. What in God's green earth had prompted such a dramatic change in how he saw her? The only other time that happened was when he bonded to Beth.

Bonded...

"Uh, Oh,"

He looked down. His cock and balls were out and the former was semi-hard. A quick glance confirmed he was back up to four testicles again. His fourth had previously disappeared without a trace when Beth died. But in its place was a new one. One that felt like it belonged to Taloni.

"God damn mother fu-" Ethan started to say loudly, but stopped when he saw Taloni stirring.

"Whu, huh?" She mumbled as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

She was a vision of feminine perfection in Ethan's eyes, though previously he considered her merely cute. She yawned again and looked around bleary eyed. Ethan had just enough presence of mind to position himself so his cock and balls were out of site before she turned his way.

"You're okay?" She beamed when she saw Ethan, and a smile appeared on her lush, full lips.

"Well, 'okay' is a relative term," he replied while stifling a yawn. He was still felt a like a mile of bad road and he was exhausted... and very horny. He tried to push the visions of pinning this lovely young woman to the ground and taking her forcefully. He wasn't sure he had the energy anyway.

The young Fey stared at him for several seconds. "How are you so awake? Your mana was so depleted yesterday night."

"Uh, this may sound strange, but I think we bonded."

"I know," Taloni blinked a few times, stifled a yawn, and then continued. "But, why would that matter?"

"When a dragon is near someone they're bonded to, they can regenerate their mana like they're near gold."

"So, I'm like gold to you now?"

"Since we bonded; pretty much," Ethan replied. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, and I don't even know how it happened."

"You're sorry you bonded?" Her expression didn't change much, but there was a subtle difference in her body language. Ethan had enough experience with women to know he had just stepped into a minefield. Rather than traverse it, he tried going around.

"Do you know how we bonded?" He asked.

She nodded. "You were going to die and I was out of regular mana so..."

"Wait, you did it on purpose?" He cocked his head to one side; that didn't make any sense. "Why would you do that?"

"I couldn't let you die."

Ethan didn't know what to say. He was truly at a loss for words. He had just met her a couple days ago. What could possibly have made her willing to share something so profoundly intimate as her deep mana?

"Why?" Ethan asked after several seconds. "I don't understand."

"I know you don't, but that's okay," she said. "I got a glimpse of who you really are when we bonded. You really don't think you're anything special, but you're wrong."

"No offense, but you have no idea what I've done," Ethan said, and he could feel the dark cloud creeping over his thoughts again.

"No offense, but you have no idea who you are," she replied. "You're the most amazing man I've ever met."

"I appreciated the compliment, but I'm just a normal guy. I'm not who you think I am."

"Actually you are," Taloni said with absolute conviction. "I thought you felt the same way about me, that's why I let your deep mana... But if you aren't... I mean if you don't want..."

"It's not you Taloni," Ethan said quickly. "You're wonderful, but I live a dangerous life. I have a powerful and deadly lord after me and I don't want to put you in harm's way because you might get hurt..." His mind went to Beth. "Or worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Of the two women I bonded to sine I arrived-" He started to say.

"Wait," Taloni interrupted. "You're bonded to two other women?" she covered her mouth, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Only one right now. The other... didn't make it. I'm sorry Taloni, but yes I'm bonded to another woman."

She sniffled and wiped away a tear that was about to fall before speaking. "I didn't think my husband would be... I'm sorry I didn't realize."

"Husband? But we're not married."

"In the Fey language, the word for bonded and the word for spouse are the same word," Taloni said. "To a Fey, there's no difference between bonding and marriage. I think it's the same for the elves."

Ethan nodded, recalling what Alana had said on the topic all those weeks ago. "But where I come from, things are different. I come from a world without magic. Where I come from, people exchange vows to get married. The whole concept of bonding is really new to me."

"You're a dragon and come from a world without magic?" Taloni looked curious despite her obvious emotional pain. "What do you mean?"

Ethan gave Taloni a short version of how he had arrived. "Where I'm from, it's the vows that make a marriage because we don't have bonding."

"So it's like the humans." Taloni said. "I never really understood how you can have a mirage without a bond."

"That's how I grew up. I don't dislike you or anything, but bonding means something different to me."

"Is that why you married - I mean bonded with - two women?" Taloni asked.

"Well, my bond with Alana wasn't quite on purpose either," Ethan admitted, then explained how he and Alana had become bonded.

"I just don't understand," Taloni said. "You obviously cared enough for each other that you both risked your lives to save the other. You shared deep mana, but you won't call yourself married. How can you be bonded but not married?"

"Well, there were no vows,"

"And do vows bind people together more strongly than sharing deep mana?" she countered. "You know they call deep mana the seat of the soul right? You're saying that sharing your soul with someone isn't as binding as vows? How does that even make sense?"

There was something about the simplicity of Taloni's explanation that made an impression on Ethan. Her guileless explanation cut through the complication and made everything seem simpler.

"I guess you're right," he admitted. "That doesn't make sense."

"So we're married then," Taloni asked.

"I mean, maybe? Please remember where I come from. It just wouldn't feel right to me without vows,"

"Oh," Taloni replied. "I guess I kind of understand that. I mean, elves often include vows in their weddings so I suppose it makes sense."

Taloni bit her lip and looked at the ground. Ethan just shook his head and remembered that Alana had once said they were 'semi-married'. How in the world did he end up semi-married to two women?

Again.

"So what now?" Taloni asked still examining the ground.

"I have no idea," Ethan replied. "If I'm married to you, then I'm certainly married to Alana."

"Oh," Taloni said. She didn't look up.

"I'm really sorry Taloni," Ethan said. "I would never hurt you on purpose."

"Do you love her?" Taloni asked.

"Who?"

"Your other wife, I mean your other bonded," Taloni replied.

"Yes, I do."

"And she loves you?" Taloni asked. She glanced up, but then looked down again. Ethan thought he saw her eyes getting watery again.

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah, she does."

"Then I shouldn't get in the way," Taloni said. "The Book of Light says that loving someone means doing what's best for them, regardless of what it costs you." she looked Ethan in the eye. "I'm going to do what's best for you, regardless of what it costs me."

"Taloni, I..." Ethan said, but voice caught in his throat as he realized the full implication of her words. It didn't make sense to him; how could she care for him that much after only meeting him a couple days ago?

"It's okay," Taloni sniffled and wiped away the tears that had started forming again at the corners of her eyes. "I'm a slave anyway and my master would never let me go."

"Maybe I could buy your freedom?" he offered.

"I want that more than anything," Taloni said. "But I doubt you have the gold. Certainly a dragon wouldn't give up gold for me." Taloni stood up and looked toward the direction she'd come from the first time Ethan saw her.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

She shook her head, then turned and walked out of the ravine. He almost called after her, but didn't know what to say. He could hear her soft sobs, but he couldn't think of anything he could do to fix it.

Ethan flopped to the ground exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. He could tell the physical exhaustion was because his deep mana was still low. Not dangerously low, but low. He dropped to the ground and let out a huge sigh.

Why did life keep getting more complicated?

* * *

Taloni made it a hundred yards away from the ravine before she dropped to her knees and broke down sobbing. She had never cried so hard in her life.

Not when her parents died.

Not when she'd been sold into slavery to pay their debts.

Never.

Curiously, she wasn't as upset about him being bonded to another woman as she thought she would be. She didn't like it, and would've preferred to be Ethan's only wife. But it didn't truly bother her, not in the way she thought it would. No, the problem was that he was going to leave and she couldn't go with him.

She'd see how jealous the miner's wives were when their eyes wandered. She'd seen the strife it caused and she couldn't do that to Ethan. She couldn't ruin his marriage like that. Besides, what woman would even think of sharing Ethan with a slave like her?

She had to let him go.

She didn't want to and she hated the idea, but what choice was there? She'd seen just how jealousy could poison a couple - both husband and wife - and she couldn't do that to him.

She cried for quite a while.

Eventually she was cried out, and the early morning light of the sun brought her back to her senses. Thaltien would be furious if something happened at the mine and she wasn't there. The day shift had been working for a few hours now and it wasn't likely, but still. She took a few seconds to make herself presentable, then ran back to the mine as fast as her legs would carry her.

* * *

Beth was ready to scream in frustration.

She couldn't think of anything that would remove the dark halo from Ethan's head. Nothing. Not a single thing. Not one scrap of information she'd read in all of the books she'd devoured in her life helped at all. Gabriella wasn't any better. No matter how much she pleaded for help, the luminous woman would simply smile and say that Beth had to figure it out herself.

She would've thrown something if she could pick up anything to throw.

The purple hues of the astral plane were also starting to grate on her. Everything was the same thrice-damned purple color. Well, everything except the dark halo and Gabriella. She was laying down on her back apparently asleep. She wore white robes, had blond hair, and perfectly flawless fair skin with a touch of rosy pink in the cheeks. Plus she refused to help her save Ethan.

"Bitch," she thought, glad that at least her thoughts were her own.

"It's not polite to call people names Beth," Gabriella said without opening her eyes.

Shame and embarrassment flooded Beth's mind as her cheeks got hot. She imagined they would've gotten red too if she wasn't on the astral plane and its damned purple colors.

"I'm not mad," Gabriella clarified sitting up. "You are still very young, and teenage girls often have issues controlling their emotions. However, please try to remain calm. I promise you'll solve this much faster if you are calm."

"I'm sorry," Beth said after a minute. "I'm really trying to be awful, I'm just so frustrated. I want to help Ethan and I just don't know how to!" She groaned in frustration.

"Actually, you already know everything you need to know, and I've shown you everything you need to see. You just need to put the right pieces together."

"Really?"

Gabriella nodded. "Remember, I said my responses were limited, you just needed to ask the right questions?"

Beth nodded. "And when I asked what the right question was, you said that was the right question."

She nodded. "You can do this Beth, you just need to ask the right questions. You've been asking questions your whole life."

As she thought about it, Beth realized that she hadn't really been asking questions. She'd been trying to remember everything she knew about enchanting, but what if that wasn't the answer? What if the answer was to focus on what she knew, rather than what she might not know?

She looked at the dark halo again.

It had long since become solid. It's 'color' - if you could call it that - was the absence of color. It was black as midnight in a moonless sky or the depths of a great pit.

What did she know about it?

She knew it suppressed Ethan's positive thoughts and fed him negative thoughts. She knew it was an enchantment, and that Saidow's minions at least had a hand in creating it. She knew it grew stronger over time

What else?

As she stared at it, she tried to remember what else she had seen that was similar. Only two things came to mind: the strange creature in the room right after she'd died, and the tendril that had stopped her from floating into the light.

The tendril...

Now that she was thinking about it, the dark halo and the tendril did look remarkably similar. Of course, she hadn't been able to do anything with the tendril either. Her hands couldn't make it budge an inch. The only thing that seemed to affect it was...

"Gabriella, can I borrow your sword?"

The luminous woman stood up and clapped her hands together slowly with a massive grin on her face. "It's not my sword, but yes little one. Yes you may use this sword." She drew it from its scabbard and held it out hilt-first toward Beth.

It was a few inches shy of three feet long and lighter than she had expected. It seemed perfectly weighted for use in one hand and the round pommel balanced very nicely for that purpose. It looked very similar to the typical one-handed arming sword that her father's men carried, only the tip was slightly more pointed. Like Gabriella, it retained its normal color even in the Astral Plane.

It also glowed.

Well, not glowed exactly, but it seemed to shine with an inner light that she didn't think anyone or anything in the universe could extinguish. Something about it felt righteous; holy.

There was a moment when the hilt first touched her hands that she felt a slight burning sensation. When she looked at her hand, she saw the dirt had been 'burned' away everywhere the hilt touched it, yet there was no pain. Those parts of her hand were cleaner than she'd ever seen them before. It seemed that nothing could sully the purity of this blade.

"It's name is 'Aharown', which means 'light-bringer' in one of my Lord's favorite languages." Gabriella explained.

"A-har-own," Beth repeated, making sure to get the pronunciation right. "Whose sword is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes. "Whoever they are, would you thank them for me?"

"No, but you can thank them yourself. In fact, my Lord wishes for you to hold onto that blade until you find its rightful owner."

"Why me?"

"I'm sorry, my responses are limited, you must-"

"-I must ask the right questions; I know." Beth sighed, rolled her eyes, and then turned toward Ethan with the sword in her hands.

Not having much experience with it, she swung it a few times experimentally to get a feel for it. It was light and easy to wield, even for her relatively weak arms. However, she didn't feel like she had enough experience to actually swing it around her husband's head.

He was either sleeping or unconscious and therefore unlikely to move, but she didn't want to chance it. Not with this blade. Instead, she walked up to Ethan's head, and gently prodded the dark halo with the sword's point.

The effect was instantaneous.

The dark halo started "bleeding" darkness. It oozed out like a liquid, but then seemingly turned to vapor and began to "boil" away like water in a pan.

At the same time, a horrible eerie wail came from the dark halo, emanating from the point the blade's tip touched it. The sound seemed to pierce her very soul and filled her with a despairing dread. Beth backed up and tried to cover her ears - which was hard enough while holding the sword - but that did nothing to silence that horrible wail.

"The only way out is through," Gabriella said over the dreadful sound.

Beth screwed up her courage, adjusted her footing so she wouldn't hit Ethan if a thrust over-penetrated, and thrust with all her might.

She missed.

Only by a hair, but she missed. The sword went flying out of her hand due to her over-powered thrust, which was also probably what made her miss. Feeling a little silly, she retrieved the sword - noticing it still didn't have a speck of dirt or dust on it despite its fall - and got back in position to try again.

This time, her aim was true.

The blade sliced through the dark halo like a hot knife through butter. The eerie wail intensified, so she skewered it again, and again, and again. Finally, on her seventh thrust, she made enough wounds to cut it in two.

The dark halo seemed to melt and slowly burn away, like water boiling out of a pan. It writhed and convulsed as it did so, but it began to fade nevertheless. The sound slowly subsided as it finished boiling away. However, the vein-like tendrils that were attached to Ethan's head were still there.

"Well done Beth," Gabriella said wrapping her in a hug while carefully avoiding the blade. "My Lord is very pleased with you."

When their hug broke, Beth asked "But what about those?" indicating the vein-like tendrils that had crept over Ethan's face, neck, and upper shoulders.

"It's not wise to perform surgery with a sword; you might do more harm than good. Besides, with the source gone they will dry up and shrivel over the next few days, gradually taking their influence with them. Congratulations Beth; you just saved your husband's life."

"So he'll be okay?"

She nodded. "He will. The weakened effects will linger for a day or two and gradually fade. Soon, he'll be right as rain."

"But what about the gold cube?" Beth asked. "It was enchanted, so couldn't he simply get cursed again?"

"Can a trap be sprung twice without someone to reset it?" Gabriella countered. "No, the cube is harmless now as its curse is already spent. Otherwise, anyone else who touched it would be affected. Now here, you'll want this."

Gabriella unbuckled the sword belt with attached scabbard from her waist and offered them to Beth. She took them, sheathed Aharown, then buckled the belt on herself. For some reason, she felt the weight comforting.

"So what do I do now?"

"I'm glad you asked." The luminous woman smiled. "I'll tell you when we get there, but first we have a lot of walking to do." She glanced in the direction of Arcanum.

Beth felt her shoulders slump.

"If it helps, we're on the way to save your husband's life again," Gabriella said with an apologetic look

Beth sighed, then nodded. "Okay; lead on."

As they started walking, Beth couldn't help looking back at Ethan. She missed him so much, and couldn't believe how much considering the short time they'd known each other. As she looked around the vast, monotonous violet landscape, another thought popped into her head.

She never wanted to see the color purple again as long as she lived.

* * *

Taloni had an awful day.

It was long, slow, uneventful, and dragged on forever. She had nothing to distract her from how she was feeling. The only thing that gave a moment's respite was dodging Prayla. She didn't want to talk to her and especially didn't want to hear the "I told you so" Speech.

The only thing she really wanted to do was see Ethan. It made no sense and she knew it. There was no good reason she should want to see him, not after the pain their relationship - or more accurately the lack thereof - was causing her. But she did want to see him again. She spent most of the day sorting through her feelings and trying not to cry.

It was a truly miserable day.

He was such a good man, she'd seen it when they bonded. She missed him already, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Because of him, her heart had shattered into a million pieces... and yet all she could think about was spending a little more time with him. It was stupid and she hated how she felt, but she couldn't hate him.

The worst part of the day came right after lunch, when Taloni remembered that Ethan was only okay because she'd been around to help him collect mana. She wasn't sure how it worked, but she knew she needed to be near Ethan for it to happen.

On the positive side, she had a good reason to go see him again.

On the negative side, she had a good reason to go see him again.

She fought with herself all afternoon, but eventually decided that he needed her. He might die without her, so she would be there. After dinner, she snuck out of the camp. She paused a moment to roll her eyes at how comically bad the camp's security was. If she intended harm, she'd have no trouble sneaking in and wreaking havok.

Twenty minutes later, she peaked her head over the boulder looking into the ravine. Ethan was a laying asleep near the stream. The moment she saw him, she felt better. She didn't know if it was because of their bond, or just because she liked him. She did know that despite the pain he'd caused, it just felt better to be near him.

She snuck down the ravine's shallow sides and gently touched his side to check his health. His deep mana was a little low, but certainly not dangerously low. Taloni laid down on the soft earth a few feet away from him. She could hear him breathing as she lay on her back looking up at the beautiful reds, oranges and purples of the clouds at sunset.

Even with all the emotional turmoil and pain, Taloni definitely felt better being near Ethan.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked just in time to see a pale face with large eyes and black hair disappear into the stream without a trace or ripple. She dismissed it as a trick of her mind, or maybe the light, and went back to stargazing.

As she lay there, she thought about Ethan and the fact that he was in love with - and bonded to - another woman. She knew Illuminar's Book of Light allowed men to take multiple wives, but that practice had long since died out among the Fey. A few Fey men still did, but they were rare and somewhat shunned by most of Fey society.

It was sad to admit, but she would rather be around Ethan while he was married and bonded to another woman than be away from him.

She hated that.

But it's what she wanted.

She just wanted to be around Ethan. That was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Hailey paced the weather deck of the Argo, having just enjoyed a beautiful sunset. The sky was currently the indigo and navy colors of twilight as she marveled at her luck. A few days ago, her life had been a bleak, barren desert devoid of hope. Now, she was on an airship with some good people and they might even be able to get her home.

The only thing that bothered her was her former owner. More specifically, the fact that he was still breathing. He was still walking around this world and almost certainly inflicting the same misery he'd rained down on her to the rest of his slaves. Well, the women got the worst of it.

Hailey had the sudden urge to shower, then remembered there weren't any showers on this God-forsaken world.

What she wouldn't give for five minutes alone in a room with him tied to a chair and her holding a knife. Hailey put the thought out of her mind. They were too far from Arcanum for her to walk and they had no reason to go back. She felt a pang of regret that the bastard wouldn't get his comeuppance.

If only...

Despite the impossibility, she found herself dwelling on that scenario. She was still dwelling on it a few minutes later when Alana and Rachel returned from their mysterious errand that kept them occupied for the whole day.

"Well?" Hailey asked as Alana's chocolate brown hair appeared at the top of the Argo's rope ladder.

"We found him," Alana beamed.

Her smiled couldn't have been wider if she been appointed the queen of the universe. Just behind her, Rachel's flame colored hair appeared as she too climbed onto the weather deck.

"We have directions and he's not far. But with the wind is contrary it'll take until dawn to get there," Rachel said.

"So, are you going to read Ethan the riot act when you find him?" Hailey asked Alana.

They stared at her blankly.

"I meant are you mad and going to yell at him?" Hailey said, wishing for the billionth time that people here understood Earth's idioms.

"I don't know what I'll do," Alana replied, though Hailey could see she was very frustrated. "I can't decide if I want to kiss him or kill him."

"Been there, done that," Hailey replied, then added with a wink. "You could always do both."

Alana laughed. "Yeah, I'd rather not take up necromancy."

"Is that really a thing?" Hailey asked. "I've heard of it, but it seems like a bogyman story."

"Who's the bogyman?" Alana asked.

"He's a mythical bad guy from my home," Hailey replied with a sigh.

"Oh," Alana said. "To answer your question, yes necromancers exist."

"Their magic does nasty stuff to the user though," Rachel added.

"Like what?" Hailey asked.

"Well, necromancers don't collect magic the same way everyone else does," Rachel answered. "We all collect what's left behind by living creatures. Necromancers collect mana that's left behind when something dies."

"I'm not sure I follow," Hailey replied.

"When a living creature dies, all the mana it held is released," Rachel said. "However, the charge is reversed when the creature dies. As a result, it leaves behind negatively charged mana. By contrast, the mana left behind by living creatures is positively charged."

"Negatively charged mana isn't good for you at all," Alana said. "It has a bunch of nasty side effects and just kills your health."

"If it's so bad for you, why use it?" Hailey asked.

"Its easy access to a lot of power," Rachel replied. "I've heard you can completely fill your mana in seconds just by killing a small animal. Plus, only negatively charged magic can reanimate a dead body. Positively charged magic just can't do it."

Hailey put on her best Emperor Palpatine impression and said. "The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural."

Alana and Rachel stared.

"It's from a movie on my world," Hailey explained.

"What's a- Nevermind," Alana said. "Your world sounds like a really strange place."

"To me, it's normal and this place is strange; but point taken," Hailey replied, then sighed. She really did miss her home, and especially the people - well, person - that made it home.

"Don't worry, we'll get you back there," Alana said.

"Thank you," Hailey repleid, and she meant it. "At least you found Ethan right? You'll get to see him again, so that's good."

"I'll do a lot more than that when I find him," Alana said, then stalked off towards the quarterdeck.

Raklan saw her coming and got out of her way quickly. Hailey suppressed a laugh; it was funny to see a 100 pound wood elf scare the 250+ pound muscle-bound Raklan out of the way.

Hailey was glad she wasn't Ethan.

She looked out towards Arcanum one last time before going below deck to sleep. Somewhere out there, her former owner was probably torturing some poor girl after his loss in The Arena. Hailey shuddered and wished she could find a hot shower. After several seconds of hate-filled longing, she went below decks to sleep.

Her dreams were filled with images of revenge.

* * *

"ETHAN!"

Ethan started awake at the sound of his name being shouted. He was still in the ravine and felt much better, other than being startled awake. It was before sunrise, though it was definitely quite bright. Nearby, Taloni seemed to have been started awake also. He looked around for the source of the voice and his jaw dropped.

Alana was nearly finished climbing down a rope ladder that was attached to the Argo. She had found him? How had she found him?

Why had she found him?

"Ethan!" Alana said as she dropped the last few feet to land at the bottom of the ravine a mere twenty feet from him.

She was furious.

Her cheeks were red, her hands were curled up into fists, and you could probably boil an egg on her forehead. Her hair looked slightly wild and there was a primal intensity about her that he had only seen once before: when she yelled at Drousin. Alana marched right up to him and poked him hard in the chest.

"You owe me an explanation," She hissed. Her face was a mask of barely controlled fury.

"Well, I wanted-" Ethan started to say, but was interrupted by Alana slapping him across the face.

"That's for leaving," Alana said.

She stared pure murder at him for several seconds, then threw her arms around him and gave him the best - and tightest - hug of his life. After several seconds, she snuggled closer and gave him a little extra squeeze.

"I was so worried about you," She said, and her voice cracked a little bit. Ethan thought he heard a sniffle and possibly smelled some tears.

"I'm okay," he said.

Instantly, Alana broke their hug and slapped him across the face again. Hard.

"Ow, What was that-" hestarted to say, the irate wood elf cut him off.

"Oh no you don't," She said, and her voice was shaking. "You don't talk, you listen. Got it?"

He nodded.

"What in Illuminar's name gives you the right to treat me so disrespectfully?!" She half shouted.

"What?" Ethan was confused. "I didn't-"

"Oh yes you did," she cut him off again. "You left because you were worried about my safety if I stayed around you right?"

"Well, yeah, I-" Ethan started to say.

Alana slapped him again. He beat a hasty retreat, but she didn't give up that easily.

"Am I some child that you can treat that way?!" she half shouted again. "Am I so incapable of making my own decisions that I need you to make them for me?!"

"I just thought-" he started to say.

"No you didn't," her voice got quiet; deadly. "You didn't give one second's consideration to what I wanted. You decided that you knew what was best for me and made the decision for me unilaterally without even talking to me. You didn't even ask me what I wanted, and when I tried to say you literally jumped out of a window to avoid me."

Ethan hung his head.

"Is your opinion of me so low that you think I can't make decisions for myself?" She asked in that same quiet and deadly tone.

"No,"

"What gives you the right to run my life?" Alana asked. "What gives you the right to decide who I spend time with and who I should avoid?!"

Ethan opened his mouth, but closed it again. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm a grown woman," Alana said, and she was back to half shouting. "I can take care of myself and you have ZERO right to make my decisions for me. If I decide to march right into Lord Delmar's castle and turn myself it, I can. There's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Alana didn't let him get a word out.

"No you don't," Alana said. "It's my life and I'll spend it how I choose. If you don't want to be around me because you don't like me, that's your decision. But don't you dare," She poked him in the chest again. "Don't you ever dare even THINK of deciding who I will or won't spend my life with."

"Okay," he said as he looked her in the eye. Damn if she wasn't beautiful when she was angry.

"I know being around you comes with risks," she said more softly. "But I decided to take those risks. That was my decision. That's what I chose."

Ethan nodded.

"I can put up with the danger, the running, and the heartbreak, but I cannot - and I will not - put up with you treating me like a child. Are we clear?"

"I'm sorry Alana," he nodded again. "You're right. I didn't realize what I was doing and I didn't mean to treat you that way. I promise in the future I'll do better. Will you please forgive me?"

"Of course I will you idiot," Alana said, then her face softened. "I meant it when I said I love you. I'll always forgive you."

"Thank you,"

Alana smiled, walked up to him and put her face close enough that he couldn't look away without being rude.

"You're welcome," She said, then wrapped him in another hug.

He had missed her.

God he had missed her.

Having her there next to him again felt like all was right with the world. He breathed in her scent and it smelled heavenly to him. She smelled like the forest after a spring rain mixed with a hint of lilac. He was absolutely convinced that there wasn't a more perfect woman for him in the whole universe,

The moment of perfect, incandescent happiness was interrupted when Ethan noticed Taloni standing there with her mouth agape.

"Um," Ethan cleared his throat. "You should probably meet someone."

"Who?" Alana asked, then didn't so much pull out of the hug as roll to the side with her arms still around him so she could see.

"This is Taloni," Ethan indicated the diminutive Fey. "She saved my life."

Alana dropped her arms from around Ethan and swept Taloni up in a huge hug, which was funny to see because the Fey was actually an inch or two taller than the wood elf.

"Thank you," Alana said. Taloni looked unsure of herself, but awkwardly returned Alana's hug anyway. Despite her awkwardness, Taloni looked pleased with the genuine affection from the wood elf.

Ethan took a deep breath. "Um, you should probably know how she saved my life too."

"Oh?" Alana ended the hug and eyed him suspiciously.

Ethan told her about leaving and getting attacked by the other dragon who was nearly twice his size. He then told her he was forced to give up the gold in his gullet.

"Wait, you survived four days without gold?'' Alana asked. "But you seem fine now... Which means you had..." Alana looked at Ethan, then Taloni with realization dawning on her face. "Oh no, you didn't."

"In my defense, I was unconscious at the time," he replied.

"Dragon shit," Alana said, though she sounded much calmer that Ethan expected. "There's no possible way you could bond while unconscious."

"Um," Taloni said.

"Yes?" Alana turned to Taloni.

Taloni said something, but she was so quiet he didn't hear what it was. Her shoulders were hunched over and she was looking at the ground. She seemed like she was trying to look as small as possible.

"You need to speak up." Alana said

"He was unconscious," Taloni said.

Alana looked back and forth between them several times. "You're kidding me."

Ethan shook his head.

"You bonded with someone in your sleep?" her jaw dropped. Ethan opened his mouth to reply, but Taloni beat him to it.

"He was dying," The Fey girl said. "He was so depleted of deep mana that he lost consciousness. I couldn't just let him die."

Alana sighed, then looked at Ethan with a dopey grin. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

Alana looked at Ethan, then tapped the side of her head with her finger. Ethan concentrated on the fortress he'd erected inside his mind and imagined a small door for Alana's voice to get it.

*Why in Illuminar's name aren't I getting mad about this?* Alana asked telepathically.

*Come again? You sounded pretty mad.* Ethan replied.

*You bonded with another woman, and I'm a little upset but...* Alana replied. *It should make me furious. I hated it when you bonded with Beth, but for some reason it just doesn't bother me anymore."

*It doesn't?* he cocked his head to the side

Alana shook her head. *I don't exactly love it, but I'm not mad. My head isn't a fan, but my heart doesn't seem to mind.*

He just stared at her.

*I'm serious,* Alana said telepathically. *It felt horrible after you married Beth, but now...*

Alana looked at Taloni. Ethan wasn't sure, but he thought he felt a tiny hint of arousal coming from the wood elf.

*I just felt something really strange over our bond...* he said telepathically.

Alana went slightly pink. *I'm not attracted to her and I have no interest in women if that's what you thought. It's just...*

*Just what?* Ethan asked.

Alana's cheek got even redder. *I'd rather not talk about it.*

"Please say something," Taloni asked.

Alana turned to Taloni and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you so much for saving him. I'm in your debt."

It was slightly odd to see the smaller Alana comfort Taloni who was a couple inches taller. Neither of them were very large of course, but the contrast was funny.

Ethan breathed a huge sigh of relief.

*What?* Alana asked telepathically.

*I thought you were going to be furious about me bonding with her.*

Alana looked at Taloni and smiled. *I can't be. She saved your life and anyone who'd share their deep mana with someone they just met to save their life can't be that bad.*

"So, I guess you'll be leaving soon?" Taloni asked. She kept glancing up at the airship.

"Not yet," Ethan replied. "I have a Fey to rescue first."

Taloni looked confused.

"You saved my life," Ethan said. "The least I could do is free you."

Taloni's big eyes got even larger. "You can't be serious?"

Ethan looked at Alana and raised his eyebrows, or what would've been an eyebrow if he was still human.

Alana sighed, then nodded. "Of course we're serious. We take care of our friends."

Taloni looked dumbstruck. Her mouth fell open and she gaped at them. She looked at him, then her, then back at him. Her mouth moved soundlessly, as though she wanted to speak she just couldn't get the words out. Then she looked up.

"Is that your airship?" She asked.

"Pretty much," Ethan replied. Though technically it belong to Beth's father, and he wasn't sure how Lord Borden would react when he found out his daughter was dead.

"Can I go on it?" Taloni asked.

"Absolutely," Ethan replied.

Taloni looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

* * *

Rachel couldn't help but smile as she watch Taloni practically prance around the Argo. Her enthusiasm was palpable, and her knowledge of airships quite impressive considering she'd never been on one before. She knew the name and function of every rope, sail and control on the entire ship.

"How'd she learn so much about airships?" Rachel asked Ethan after she had welcomed him back.

"She works with a bunch of miners, and I think some of them used to work on airships." He replied. "It's pretty impressive what she knows."

Rachel nodded. "That might be a very useful skill soon."

"Why?"

"I've had almost a week to consider the implications of Beth's death." Rachel replied. "I'm pretty sure Lord Borden will want his airship back."

"Yeah, I can see that." Ethan looked around the ship and his eyes settled on Alana. "I just hope that's all he wants."

"I don't think he'll want revenge if that's what you're thinking." Rachel said. "But I wouldn't consider him an ally anymore."

Ethan hung his head. "It's hard to blame him."

Rachel grimaced. He needed to be snapped out of this and she didn't think Alana was the one to do it. Alana was too good; she couldn't really understand Ethan's feelings about this. Her on the other hand...

"Ethan," Rachel said after taking a deep breath. "Do you want it straight or sugar coated?"

"Straight," he replied, without looking at her.

Rachel took another deep breath before speaking. "You losing control to your dragon instincts probably caused Beth's death. But that doesn't mean you need to blame yourself. No one else does."

"I don't think Lord Borden would see it that way." He seemed somehow smaller - like he was trying to fade into the woodwork.

"It doesn't matter how Lord Borden sees it," Rachel replied. "You made a mistake Ethan; mistakes are part of life. Everyone makes them. What matters is what you do afterward."

"Most people don't get their wife killed,"

"Ethan, I kidnapped your wife, plus tried to kill you and Alana several times," Rachel said to finished laying her verbal trap. "Do you blame me for that?"

"Of course not," Ethan replied. "It was because of the will-breaker ring. You didn't want to do any of those things."

"Did you want to kill Beth?"

"Of course not. I wanted to save her, I just couldn't."

"So you're saying that a magical influence - your dragon instincts - made you do something you didn't want to do," Rachel said. "In fact, you wanted to do the opposite but couldn't because of a magical influence. Does that sound about right?"

"Yeah, I-" he stopped, and finally looked her in the eye. "You're a wise woman you know that?"

"Illuminar's Book of Light tells us to be shrewd as snakes and pure as doves," Rachel replied. "I never put much stock in it, but there's some good stuff in there."

He nodded.

"Feel better?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I do," he replied, and he looked like it. "It just feels like I cause an awful lot of harm."

"You rescued Alana on your first day here," Rachel replied without hesitation. "She'd be dragon food if you hadn't intervened."

"And then destroyed her home and livelihood," he countered. "Kind of evens things up a bit."

"You freed Hailey and me. I was about to spend my entire life as a slave to someone else's will and a blind man could see Hailey's owner was abusive."

"True, she doesn't seem that happy though." He glanced over to where Hailey was pacing; every few minutes she would throw a murderous glance in the direction of Arcanum.

"You noticed that too huh," Rachel said. "She's seems happy to be free, but she's clearly not happy at all."

"She tries to hide it though," he observed.

She nodded. "Most people do."

They stood there leaning up against the railing of the Argo for several minutes in silence. It's wasn't exactly an uncomfortable silence, but neither was it comfortable either.

"Doing the right thing occasionally backfires," Rachel finally said. "Does that mean you should stop trying?"

Ethan shook his head. "It doesn't make it easier when it does backfire though."

"No, it doesn't," Rachel agreed. "Life is hard."

"And then you die,"

"That sounds kind of bleak," Rachel replied. "Is that really how you feel about life?"

"I don't know," Ethan's gaze lingered on where Alana was talking with Taloni and a smile crept onto his face. "Sometimes... sometimes it's not bad at all."

"Speaking of, I hear you're bonded to two women; again,"

Ethan groaned, "Don't remind me. It was bad enough the first time, I don't want to put Alana through that again."

"You bonded to three women in less than two months," Rachel observed. "That must be some kind of a record."

"You know what the sad thing is?" Ethan said. "I know dozens of men back home who would jump at the chance to be married - or bonded - to a bunch of women."

"And that doesn't appeal to you?" Rachel raised her eyebrow.

"Of course it appeals to certain parts of me," Ethan replied. "But overall, not really. I always wanted to get married, but I was thinking more a 'one woman for life' kind of deal. I could barely handle my fiancé and myself, how in the world could I take care of another woman?"

Rachel nodded and suppressed a smile. Ethan was truly a unique man. She had known many men who would jump at the chance to bed multiple women; nearly every man she'd met her whole life in fact.

"So you think it would be too hard?" Rachel asked for clarification.

"No- well that too," Ethan replied, then ran his hand over his head and onto his horns. It looked like a human running their hand through their hair. "I'm not sure I can take care of more than one woman. I mean, I want to give all of myself to one person, not split my attention between them. That's just not fair to them."

"You are a unique man Ethan,"

"I'm just trying to do the best thing for them."

"That's precisely what makes you unique," Rachel repeated. "You are more concerned with the well-being of the women in your care than how many you can take to bed. I... I can't even explain how rare that is."

Despite herself, Rachel felt a slight flutter in her heart.

She took a deep breath and shut that part of herself down instantly. There was zero sense nurturing those thoughts, and even less sense in allowing them to develop into feelings. Yes he was the best man she had ever met, and he cared deeply about his friends, and he had a certain animal magnetism; but his heart clearly lay elsewhere. She had no bond with him, and no interest in joining a harem.

She put it out of her mind.

"So what are you going to do?" she finally asked.

"Taloni made a pretty compelling case that bonding is just as intimate and binding as marriage vows. Maybe if I would've made an honest woman out of Alana, Beth would still be alive right now."

Rachel cocked her head to one side. "You think Alana is dishonest?"

"Oh, sorry," Ethan said. "It's slang where I come from. It means to marry someone."

"Your world seems like an interesting place."

"Yeah, something like that."

"I guess congratulations are in order then," Rachel said with a grin.

"Maybe," he grimaced. "I'm just not sure what to do."

Rachel nodded and looked over the side of the Argo to the small stream below. About a hundred yards downstream, it split into two smaller streams. Looking at them, Rachel was reminded about something her father always used to say.

"When two roads diverge - and neither is appealing - forge your own path," She recited.

"Huh?"

"It's something my father used to say," Rachel explained. "Often times in life we are presented with choice to do one thing or another, yet there's a third or fourth option hidden somewhere. My father always used to say there's a way out of every situation; you just have to work hard enough to find it."

"Despite the fact that he's dead set on killing me, he sounds like a wise man... Like his daughter"

Rachel blushed slightly before chuckling at the irony. "Thank you, and he was wise. I just wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Ethan asked.

"What happened?" Rachel said, and she started subconsciously feeling the finger her will-breaker ring had ridden on. "I told you before it was like growing with two completely different fathers who shared the same body.

"You have a theory?"

"Maybe... I don't know," Rachel glanced over at the quarterdeck. "We should probably get Taloni back to her mine and see about securing her release. Slave owners tend to get upset when slaves go missing."

Ethan looked at her curiously, but thankfully didn't ask about her theory. It seemed so farfetched; impossible even. But it was the only explanation she could think of. She shook her head and put it out of her mind.

Right now, they had a Fey to free.

* * *

Ethan felt his jaw drop. "You can't be serious?"

He could feel the shock from Alana through their bond and was positive it was mirrored on Rachel's face as well.

Thaltien crossed his arms and glanced at Taloni. "That little Fey saves me a lot of coin by keeping my miners patched up. With her gone, I'd need to hire a healer from Arcanum and they don't come cheap. With that damn dragon gone, I'll stop losing men and gold in transport, which will more than make up the difference."

"But it's suicide," Ethan countered.

"That's your problem," Thaltien shrugged. "I like Taloni well enough and know she'd probably give her left wing to live on an airship, that's the only reason I'm even considering selling her."

Ethan bristled at the casual way Thaltien talked about selling Taloni. He had the strangest urge to bite the man's head off - literally - for treating his mate that way.

Wait, his mate?

Where did that come from?

He glanced around the mining camp to clear his mind. The camp was a series of flimsy shacks and large tents clustered around a single large, well-constructed building. The overall appearance reminded Ethan of a shanty town, only not as dilapidated or dirty. On the outskirts, a large windmill was spinning gently in the breeze.

Several horses were tied to posts near the large building, which was guarded by men in armor. Beyond the large building was the mine entrance. It looked like it had started as a natural cave of some kind. It was large, nearly big enough for Ethan to stretch a wing across the entrance.

A hundred yards away from the camp, the Argo was floating with its lower mast just above the treetops.

"That's my offer; take it or leave it," Thaltien said. "Either way, I have work to do," With that, he turned and walked back into the large building.

Ethan turned around to look at Alana, Taloni, and Rachel. "Thoughts?"

Taloni looked crestfallen. "It's okay, thank you for trying," The corners of her eyes looked watery and she was blinking a lot.

"We haven't tried anything yet," Ethan said.

"But you can't," Taloni said. "That dragon has already beaten Ethan once and left him for dead."

"He got the drop on me and I was alone," Ethan said. "Maybe we could beat him if we attacked together and had the element of surprise."

Rachel grimaced, "I want to help, but let's not be too optimistic. From what I hear, he's twice your size."

"The bigger they are..." Ethan said. Everyone looked at him blankly so he finished it "The harder they fall; it's a saying form my world. Come on, there must be a way to kill a dragon that's twice my size. I know he beat me before, but there must be a way."

"Maybe..." Rachel said, but didn't sound very sure.

"It's okay, really," Taloni said. She was trying to hide it, but she was very far from okay. "I appreciate you wanting to help, but there's no sense in you getting killed for me."

"Except I won't get killed," Ethan replied, then turned to Alana. "You haven't said much; time to weigh in."

Alana looked deep in thought and kept glancing between Taloni and Ethan. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

*What are you thinking?* Ethan asked telepathically.

*Taloni is a great girl and we'd be lucky to have her on the Argo,* she said.

*But?*

*I don't see how we can kill a dragon twice your size,* Alana replied. *I don't want you to die trying,* She looked around at their small group. *I don't want anyone to die trying.*

*Me either,* Ethan frowned, then looked at Taloni. She had done so much for him. She had saved his life, healed his wounds, and she had barely known him at the time. He had promised to help free her, and he just couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her.

His choice seemed to be between certain death and crushing Taloni's dream of being free. He couldn't do that to her; not after everything she'd done for him. On the other hand, he couldn't knowingly lead the crew of the Argo to their deaths either.

It seemed hopeless until Ethan remembered something.

Something that he and the crew of the Argo had literally shoveled shit to get. Something that could make all the difference in the world. Something that was nearly complete on the Argo right now.

Something they could use to fight:

Something they could use to win:

Gunpowder.

TO BE CONTINUED...