***I self-edit and admit editing isn't my greatest skill. I apologize in advance for anything I missed. ***

***IMPORTANT NOTE: I didn't realize that Ethan's conversation with Illuminar last chapter would come across like Illuminar violated free will. That was never my intent and I apologize for the lack of clarity. I added a small section to that conversation to make it clear that He doesn't violate free will. (You can also look at Kendra's conversation with Luminar Kossel way back in chapter 11, which makes the same point in a more obtuse way.)***

CHAPTER 28: Stone walls do not a prison make...

* * *

Kendra stared at Lady Ekthros, a white-hot fury building inside of her. What she wouldn't give to have her strength enhancing vambraces back and have the woman's neck in her hands. Suddenly, she was a lot more sympathetic to the parts of Ethan's story where he'd flown off the handle in a dragon's rage; she was imagining snapping the woman's neck like a twig. Not only for her threats against the lovely Taloni, but also for what she was trying to force the dragon huntresses herself to do

"You can't be serious." She nearly growled at the prospect of being forced to bond to any dragon; even Ethan.

"I am." The arch mage said with a smug smile. "Your future punishments will serve as an example to those who might cross me, but this... this is because you ruined my plans more than once. Bond to him."

A low dragon's growl came from behind her.

Ethan was crouched like he wanted to pounce despite his obvious exhaustion, and Kendra was ready to join him. His claws were out and his teeth were bared; if that rage had been directed at her, she would've done everything in her power to flee. Lady Ekthros seemed unperturbed, and Kendra got the distinct impression that her calm demeanor had nothing to do with the iron bars separating them.

Kendra's eyes met Ethan's, and she was instantly sure that he had zero desire to bond to her. He looked like he hated the idea nearly as much as she did. For some reason, that stung slightly. The dragon huntress turned back to Lady Ekthros, ready to lay into her verbally since she couldn't physically.

"You have one minute." The arch mage said.

"What?" She blinked in disbelief.

"You have one minute to bond together, else your precious Fey will be carrying a dragon's brood -- and not this dragon's brood -- by the end of the day."

Kendra looked at Ethan.

He looked at her.

They both glanced at Taloni, who was cowering behind Ethan, then back at each other and stared for several seconds.

"Forty-five seconds." Lady Ekthros called.

Ethan growled at the woman, then extended his hand towards the dragon huntress.

Kendra couldn't believe it.

It wasn't possible.

After all the time she spent hunting dragons, she was going to bond to one? She shuddered. Literally the only thing she would've hated more were Lady Ekthros' threat towards Taloni. That was it. Literally nothing else would have ever have induced her to even think about potentially considering this.

Nothing.

Anything else she could escape.

She could escape any other prison, any torture, any nefarious scheme that the arch mage could cook up. Every prison had a weak point and every jail had a way out. But bonding... that was permanent. That was life-long with no way out. It was the worst kind of prison; one with no stone walls and no iron bars. She would be trapped for the rest of her life, bonded to the most vile, despicable kind of creature ever to walk Illuminar's green Earth. It made no difference that it was Ethan either; the best example of the worst species was still the worst species.

"Thirty seconds." Lady Ekthros said.

Kendra looked at Ethan's outstretched hand, then at Taloni. She couldn't not do it. She had to in order to save the Fey girl.

"For the record, I hate you." Kendra said as she took Ethan's hand. His scales were warm and smooth, but made her shudder anyway. It took a second for her to realize that this was the first time she'd touched him -- touched any dragon -- without the intent to kill, and she was doing so to bond to him.

She shuddered again.

He frowned. "For the record, I'm only doing this to save Taloni and I still don't trust you."

She gave him an almost-smile, which he almost returned. At least they could agree that they didn't like or trust each other. Yes, that was a wonderful foundation for a marriage. Wait, a marriage? It was only at that moment that Kendra realized that she was effectively about to be married. She would be wed to a dragon.

She shuddered in disgust yet again.

"Ten seconds."

Kendra gave him one last sneer, then took a deep breath and pushed a tiny drop of her deep mana into him as she felt a similarly small drop of his deep mana be pushed into her.

* * *

Selene followed behind Sarah as they returned to the inn where she would hopefully find out how the outpost's blacksmith -- Rindrin -- fit into the mystery surrounding this place. The girl had seemed disappointed and resigned to whatever his visit entailed, but strangely she also seemed grateful too.

It didn't make any sense.

"Yes father?" She said as burst through the door to the inn's main room with Selene in tow.

There were only two people in the room, sitting across from each other at a table. The first was Sarah's father, the second was a large, gruff looking man who was nonetheless not unattractive. He had a full beard, was powerfully muscled, was wearing a leather apron, and looked like he'd been born near a charcoal fire because his face and clothes had a fine layer of soot on them. If she had to guess, she would've said that he was the blacksmith, Rindrin.

"Get Rindrin an Ale." The innkeeper instructed and then turned back to the other man.

"Thank you Festus." Rindrin said. "Now, as I was saying, I think you're shooting a bit high."

"Why high?" Sarah's father, Festus, asked. "It's a good price. She comes from good stock if I do say so myself."

"Yes, but consider the other problem." The blacksmith countered. "That one isn't so easy to deal with, and it could be dangerous even to me."

Sarah came back out holding a pitcher of ale. Her hands were shaking slightly and Selene was worried she was going to spill half the drink before she'd delivered it.

"I'll take it to him." She offered, but the girl hesitated.

"I should do it." She said with resigned air, though she still looked anxious. She continued on while focusing on not spilling it. She managed and set it in front of him.

"Thanks." He gave her an acknowledging nod and then turned back his conversation with her father.

"And strong offspring means more work; she's a good worker." The innkeeper said, probably returning to his earlier comment.

"That's good, but consider how long I'd have to wait." Rindrin countered. "Besides, I'm planning to have at least two; I mostly just want to get started on the kids now."

"Is your father selling a goat or something?" Selene asked, knowing that baby goats were called 'kids'.

Sarah wouldn't meet her eyes she shook her head.

"I think five silver is a fair price." The innkeeper stated flatly.

Next to her, Sarah seemed to deflate like a balloon, though Selene couldn't figure out why for the life of her.

"I think four is more fair." Rindrin replied. "Consider her problem, and look at her."

Both men turned and looked at Sarah, then her father spoke. "Stand up straight girl and turn slowly."

Selene's jaw dropped.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Sarah stood up straight and slowly turned on the spot.

"She's a bit skinny and fairly plain, plus there's that problem to reckon with." The blacksmith pointed out.

"But she'll make a wonderful wife." Sarah's father countered. "She cooks well and her mother didn't have no problems with kids. I'd be swimming in children if she hadn't taken the fever."

Selene felt like her entire body had locked up in shock. What the hell was going on here?! It sounded like Sarah's father was actually selling his daughter into marriage; selling her! She knew that this sort of thing happened in remote places on Earth -- and the monks had mentioned it only last night -- she but couldn't believe that she was watching it.

Rindrin pursed his lips. "How about, four silver and ten coppers. That's fair for Sarah's bride-price."

"Done." The other man replied, then Rindrin counted out some coins and gave them to the innkeeper.

"She'll make a fine wife." The innkeeper said as he counted out the coins the blacksmith had just given him.

"I hope so." Rindrin replied. "I'll take good care of her Festus, you know I will, but I definitely want to get another wife later."

Selene almost reached into her leather pouch and shot the man right then. She wanted to shoot both of them, but didn't want to do it in front of Sarah.

Sarah...

The girl looked to be on the edge of tears as the two men walked out the front door, neither having seen the girl's reaction.

"Nine nights." Sarah sniffled.

"What?"

"I'm only worth nine nights." The girl swallowed hard and looked like her hopes and dreams had just been crushed and trampled into the ground. It took a moment for Selene to realize that she was referring to the cost to stay at the inn. Four silver and ten coppers would buy nine nights at the inn.

The girl got choked up as she continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful that Rindrin is willing to marry me; I'm so incredibly grateful. It's so generous of him and I never thought anyone would with my problem, but..." A tear that had been collecting at the corner of her eye started falling. "I'm only worth nine nights."

"Sarah, you're worth much more than that."

The girl either didn't hear her or the words hadn't registered.

"He's a good man, and I'm lucky he's willing to marry me. But only nine nights?" She looked like her entire sense of self-worth -- or at least the little that remained -- had completely evaporated.

"Come here." Selene pulled her into a hug which she didn't resist. As much as the ex-FBI agent wanted to rant and rail about how unjust this was and how little she should pay attention to their negotiation, something told her that's not what the girl needed.

Selene heard voices outside the front door and steered Sarah through the kitchen and into the girl's room so no one would see her in this state. They sat down on the bed, and the girl threw herself down on the bed, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. Selene's own eyes landed on her sword, which Sarah had offered to let her store in her room. She had half a mind to go carve both men up with it, but didn't think murder was the right solution.

"He basically gave me away." She finally said after five straight minutes of crying. "I hear a good man will pay thirty silver as the bride-price for a virtuous and pretty girl." She sobbed. "Can you imagine Selene? Can you imagine a man being willing to pay so much for you?"

"Not really." Selene replied honestly, though probably not the way the girl was thinking.

"I've heard that prettiest girls like you are worth a whole year's wages." Sarah said wiping her eyes. "I wish I was a pretty girl."

"You are." Selene said, and she meant it.

The smile on her face when she'd been talking about her herb garden earlier in the day was infectious, and no one in their right mind wouldn't have called her pretty then. True Sarah was a bit on the plain side, physically speaking, but certainly not unattractive.

"Rindrin is a good, honest man and I'm grateful; I really am." She whispered. "I just wish I was worth more than nine nights."

"You are." Selene replied firmly, not even able to comprehend how this girl's value system got so screwed up. A girl shouldn't value herself based on what a man would pay to marry her.

"It's my fault." Sarah finally whispered quietly.

"It is not your fault." Selene replied emphatically.

For some reason, Selene didn't get the impression this was low self-esteem talking. The girl certainly had low self-esteem, but this didn't seem like it stemmed from that. It seemed like this came from something more real and more tangible; something very specific that Selene could only guess at: probably her 'problem'.

"It is my fault." She said, trying to wipe away the tears that were still coming. "The monks were right about me."

"Right about what?"

"I..." she faltered, seemingly ashamed of herself. "I... I can't say." She swallowed hard and then started crying again.

The Brazilian woman had no idea what to do.

She got the distinct impression that Sarah wouldn't share whatever the monks had said, and yet it seemed to be the source of her horrible self-image. She would've loved to 'take care of' the girl's fiancé, but doubted that would make a difference at all. The damage had already been done, and she somehow doubted it would make a difference in the long run. She briefly considered helping the girl run away, but doubted Sarah would go for it and wasn't about to try kidnapping.

Not knowing what else to do, she tried to comfort the poor girl.

* * *

Kendra had never felt anything like it.

The instant she and Ethan had exchanged deep mana, she felt... it was like she could feel a part of her mix with a part of him. It was a part from each of them that was truly deep, intimate, and personal. She had long heard that bonding with someone was like sharing your soul with them. She had long scoffed at the idea too, but now she wasn't so sure. She felt herself connect with him somehow, and in a way that she couldn't quite understand or explain.

As the connection finished forming, she felt it flare up for a moment, burning incredibly bright. Bright enough to illuminate him.

All of him.

It was like everything he'd ever thought, felt, or done flashed before her eyes all in an instant. It was like looking at a city from above and seeing every bright spot and every dark alley; every bastion of hope and goodness mixed with every stronghold of despair and malevolence. All of it -- all of him -- was laid bare before her for a split second.

She could feel his noble side which strove toward goodness while being weighed down with doubts, fears, and insecurities. She saw his darker side tinged with both human and draconic elements. She saw his desire to protect and love contrasted with the impulse to control and dominate. The former outweighed the latter, but she'd never realized how hard he must have to fight to restrain his base instincts, especially from his dragon side.

Seeing it gave her a whole new appreciation for just how good -- well, maybe 'not bad' -- of a dragon he was. She couldn't imagine struggling with that every day and still being like him.

Then it was gone.

She blinked.

As the bond finished forming, the sight vanished from her mind leaving only a vague impression of the totality of his being. She couldn't remember anything specific, only broad generalities, and even those were nebulous and ill-defined. She physically stumbled slightly and took a step back, the force of the darkness and light inside of him overwhelming her slightly. She looked at him, trying to decide how one man could contain so much of both at the same time, and especially wondering how the light shone brighter than the darkness.

Then she realized that he might've gotten a similar glimpse of her as well, and instantly hardened her mental defenses.

* * *

Ethan had bonded before, but not like this.

It wasn't like Alana who had eagerly accepted his mana, welcoming it as a lover might. It wasn't like Beth who was full of hopeful optimism coupled with boundless curiosity. He couldn't remember bonding with Taloni much at all, having been unconscious. However his dragon side preserved some memory fragments of the tender innocence and profound trust that made her so delightful. It wasn't like Rachel who'd offered no resistance when he'd saved her from the will-breaker ring.

This was different.

There was a sharp edge to Kendra's deep mana that was hard and abrasive. He could actually feel her disgust for him, and for the fact that she was being forced to bond with him. He could feel her hatred for all dragons -- including him -- permeating her deep mana. It had a visceral force to it that was frankly shocking.

Then they connected.

That hard, abrasive part of her mixed with his own deep mana. Had they been one mere ounce more different, they probably would've mixed like oil and water. As it was, they mixed, but almost reluctantly. He could feel both of them instinctively resisting the inevitable results. He felt the same profoundly deep and intimate connection that he'd felt when bonding to his other wives, but much differently in this case.

Their bond flared for a moment as it finished forming, and he caught what he'd been waiting for. All of her laid bare before him. Her entire personality, her memories, thoughts, emotions all impacted him at once.

But he was ready.

He'd spent a lot of mana enchanting himself to improve his reflexes. He concentrated on using those improved reflexes to slow the deluge down so he could actually see what made her tick. As a result he could 'see' these things much more clearly than he had with his other wives. The images, memories, and feelings were less jumbled, less fragmented, and more orderly.

He could see Kendra as a young girl, cowering under something as the world around her was engulfed in dragon's fire. Her young eyes stared from a distance as her home was immolated. He could feel her terror as she searched the windows for the two people within... two people she dearly loved but would never see again. He could see her cold and lonely at the orphanage. He could see the relentless hours of training, the countless life-and-death fights, many against dragons, and the pain of losing her comrades.

But he saw one thing above all else:

Loneliness.

Powerful, black, dark, all-consuming loneliness. It permeated every memory, every thought, and every action from the moment her parent's house had burst into flame. It hit him like a tidal wave, almost sweeping him away in a cocoon of isolation the likes of which he'd never felt before. He felt himself physically stagger backwards at its force...

Then it was gone.

The bond completed, her memories and feelings faded from his mind and he breathed a sigh of relief.

*Ethan! Are you okay!* Alana called.

*Dominus, what happened!?* Beth thought to him.

*I'm okay, I'll explain in a minute.* He replied as he tried to maintain a semi-upright position despite his exhaustion and the last remnants of the overwhelming sensation of loneliness that he had felt from Kendra.

Lady Ekthros eyed both the dragon and the dragon huntress, then reached her hand out towards them as if feeling something he couldn't see. After a moment, she smirked.

"I'll let the happy couple get acquainted." And with that, she strode out of the room.

Kendra looked at him like she was trying to decide whether to kill him or hug him. She settled for an icy glare while backing as far away from him as she could and sitting down on the floor with her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

Taloni bit her lip, then stood, walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Thank you Kendra. I know how much you don't like dragons."

The dragon huntress grunted, but otherwise didn't answer. She didn't seem to be able to meet his eye either.

Curious.

Given what he'd just learned about her, her hatred of dragons suddenly made a lot more sense than before. It was hard to imagine her nothating dragons with what she'd gone through.

He couldn't quite shake the crushing burden of loneliness either. It was hard to imagine walking around feeling like that all the time. He literally couldn't imagine what that would be like. He hadn't been married very long, but with Alana, Beth, and Taloni around he never felt lonely. Other things yes, but not lonely.

If that's what Kendra was feeling like all the time...

He looked at her.

She only met his gaze for a moment before looking away pointedly, clearing not wanting to speak to him, or even look at him. He wished he could do something to help her, and he previously had no idea what she had been going through. She had tried to kill them, but had apologized and probably saved their lives on the dock the previous night.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what to make of her now.

After bonding to his other wives, he'd felt a sudden rush of attraction to them. He didn't feel that for her, but he could definitely feel his attitude towards her softening. It wasn't attraction though. Not that she was unattractive -- she wasn't -- but he definitely wasn't wanting to tear her clothes off either. It was more like sympathy; a sense of understanding about what made her tick that made it much harder to dislike her.

"Kendra." He said softly.

"What!?" She snapped back without looking at him, but then her tone softened to merely one with an edge. "What?"

"I'm sorry we had to bond; I know you don't like dragons, and I don't blame you."

Her head snapped up and there was an accusation in her eyes. "You 'don't blame me'. Why?"

"When we bonded, I got a glimpse of..." He trailed off as the look in her eyes when from accusatory to enraged.

Her volume rose. "Stay out of my head you motherfu--"

"Kendra!" Taloni interrupted sharply.

Everyone else looked at her in shock. He had never heard her raise her tone like that to reprove anyone.

Ever.

Not even once.

Suddenly the Fey looked bashful. "Um, Kendra, please don't talk to master that way."

"Besides." Rachel added wearily from her seat on the floor. "Didn't you get a glimpse of him when you bonded too?"

The dragon huntress nodded in concession, hanging her head as she finished. Ethan felt like such a sucker for what he felt next, but he wanted to comfort the dragon huntress. He wasn't sure why -- the new bond probably -- but he wanted to. He couldn't decide how to feel about that.

*Master, you might want to tell your other wives.* Taloni suggested.

He nodded, then thought to all his wives. *Lady Ekthros just forced me to bond with Kendra by threatening to do horrible things to Taloni if we didn't.*

Silence.

Shock.

Confusion.

He felt all of these for several seconds before either of his first two wives replied.

*What?* Alana seemed to be in shock. *She... she what?*

*But how did she...* Beth trailed off, bewilderment all over his bond with her.

He explained, and then added. *And I think I forgot to tell you earlier, but Rachel gave me some of her deep mana last night to save my life, and she still had some of mine left in her, so...*

More silence.

More shock.

More confusion.

*Five?* His first wife near whispered mentally. *You have five wives now?*

*Wow.* Beth echoed.

*Yeah, sorry.* He replied. *I'm definitely not sorry about Rachel, but Kendra...*

*Please don't say that master.* Taloni looked sad. *She really is a wonderful person.*

He didn't answer.

He didn't know what to say.

His glimpse into who Kendra really was had been highly illuminating. Frankly the fact that she'd been able to get over her hatred of dragons long enough to stop trying to kill him was impressive. The fact that she had apologized was even more impressive, and spoke volumes about her character.

*How did Kendra take it?* Alana asked after a few moments.

*Not well. I could actually feel how much she disliked me; I mean, feel in in her mana. It was sharp; biting even.*

*Her hatred for dragons must run deep then.* Beth mused.

*Yeah.* He nodded and then his gaze fell on Rachel.

The mage was still sitting on the floor, still looking completely exhausted. Her deep mana was still low, which was probably why she hadn't chimed in much. He pulled himself to his feet, went over to her, and sat down next to her.

"Hey, how you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected I guess." She yawned, then shrugged. "You were just talking to the others, weren't you?"

He nodded, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "You know, you could probably try to join in now that we're bonded."

She nodded. "I would, but this collar makes it damn near impossible to move my mana around." She touched the leather collar on her neck that their captors had put there.

"We need to get it off of you then." He frowned, and popped out the claw on his index finger.

"Not sharp enough." The mage replied, looking like she wanted nothing more than a long nap.

"Hmm, maybe I could enchant it to be sharp enough?" He whispered in case there were guards about.

"May..." The redhead yawned. "Maybe."

She looked truly exhausted and her eyelids were drooping. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He'd noticed before, but it was like someone had put a soft focus filter on her; she looked amazing. Amazingly tired, but amazing.

"What?" She asked.

"You're beautiful Rachel."

She got a dopey smile on her face. "Really?"

"Really really." He replied, trying and failing to do a good impression of 'Shrek'.

She smiled.

Ethan considered for a moment and then reached out, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a gentle pull towards him. She resisted for only a moment before leaning up against him, both of their backs against the cell bars. She laid her head down on his shoulder and completely relaxed into him.

"I'm..." She yawed again. "...I'm just going to rest my eyes a minute. Then I'll..." Another yawn. "...I'll..."

He leaned over and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep."

"Yes m' lor..." She never finished her sentence, but dropped off to sleep on his shoulder not long afterwards. He smiled. Tired though he was, it felt really go to have Rachel relax into him like that.

*Master, look at Kendra.* Taloni thought to him.

He did and saw a strange expression on the dragon huntress's face. It was some combination of disgust and longing. He raised an eyebrow, but she just looked away.

Was she really that lonely?

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Selene said trying in vain to wrap her head around the concept. "You're telling me that you don't mind that your father just literally sold you into marriage. What you mind is that he didn't sell you for a high enough price?"

Sarah sniffled, then nodded. "How would you know what you're worth to your husband unless you know how much he's willing to pay for you?"

The Brazilian woman opened her mouth to respond, worked it for a moment, and then closed it. "I don't even know how to begin answering that."

The girl laid back down on her bed, her eyes still a little puffy and red from crying earlier. The room was so small that Selene could stand next to the bed and touch all four walls. Despite that, it really was well decorated. There were fresh flowers on the windowsill, the blankets had a pretty pattern sown into them with yarn, and a very small painting of a woman who looked like her mother sat on the chest were she kept her clothes.

"But, why would you want to marry a man who would literally buy you?" She finally said.

"Why would I want to marry a man who wasn't willing to pay for me?" Sarah countered. "I mean, if he doesn't want me enough to pay for me, why would I want him?"

Selene stared.

There was so much wrong with that statement that she didn't even know where to begin. "What if your father sold you to a horrible man?"

"Betrothed." Sarah replied. "He didn't sell me, he betrothed me. And Rindrin isn't so bad. He's a little gruff but he's honest and a good man." She looked down and mumbled something that Selene didn't catch.

"What was that?"

Sarah glanced at her and then looked down again. "My father got me the best husband that he could." She smiled faintly. "He's good that way."

Selene's jaw dropped.

"You father betrothed you to a man who outright said he only wanted you to be a housekeeper and have kids, and he wants another wife later!" Selene replied, trying to keep her temper in check.

"I hope she's nice." The girl said, hiding her face with her hair. "I would hate sharing a husband with another wife if she was mean."

Selene took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Only if she was mean?"

The girl nodded.

"You don't mind your husband marrying another woman as long as she nice?" The ex-FBI agent asked incredulously.

Of course not." Sarah looked at her, confused. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- said that men could have multiple wives. Who am I to disagree with the God of Light? Besides, it might be nice to have another woman around to help with cooking, cleaning, laundry and such. And if she was really nice, we could be like close friends; even sisters." She sighed. "I always wanted some sisters."

"Okaaaaaay." The Brazilian woman finally said, realizing that she wouldn't be able to change the girl's mind.

Sarah smiled, then her face fell again. "I hope I'll be a good wife."

"I'm sure you will be." She replied, not adding that she doubted this Rindrin would be a good husband.

"Will you be there, at my wedding?" Sarah asked hopefully. "I don't know when it will be, but I'd like you to be there. You're my only friend and I'd really like to have a maid of honor. Would you do it? Please??"

"I... I would be honored." Selene replied, not having the heart to say no.

However, she did think a word with that blacksmith was in order. Maybe putting the fear of God into him would help make the girl's marriage a little less miserable.

* * *

Kendra sat in the far corner of the cell wishing that she was anywhere but here. Literally anywhere. The depths of Saidow's liar sounded nice, or perhaps a nice torture chamber. Her emotions were a whirlwind of contradictory things and she wasn't sure how she could possibly separate them out enough to start dealing with them.

She was married.

She had never thought it would happen and previously had dearly wished that it would, but now she dearly wished it hadn't. She shuddered as she thought about spending the rest of her life tied to an animal. Okay, Ethan wasn't actually an animal, but he was a dragon and that was almost worse. She resisted the urge to shudder again.

She sat there silently fuming at not only that, but also at the threats made against Taloni. Given the chance, she was ready to literally tear Lady Ekthros limb from fucking limb.

That was the moment.

Exactly then.

That was the moment when she suddenly realized exactly how Ethan felt about his wives. He'd made the exact same threat against her and for the same reason; their loved ones were being threatened. But for him to feel the same depth of emotion that she herself did...

Could a dragon do that?

Objectively speaking, she knew that dragons were theoretically capable, but... she frowned. She thought back to the moment they'd bonded and couldn't deny there was love in him. Not for her, but it was there.

She glanced at him.

Rachel was leaning up against his shoulder and she couldn't help but imagine herself leaning up against him like that. Not that she wanted to of course, because; dragon. Nevertheless, she felt a surge of jealousy for the affectionate way Rachel was conked-out while resting on his shoulder. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was, and wanted nothing else than to feel what the redhead was feeling...

But not with him.

Not with a dragon.

Rachel chose that moment to let out a soft sigh in her sleep. She truly looked contented where she slept, leaning against her brand new husband; their brand new husband. She was so disgusted by it that she shuddered as her stomach roiled and her brain conjured an image of her on his other side.

Wait.

She shook her head; that wasn't right.

Not with him.

Not with a dragon. There was no way she would ever let him near her. Ever. She stole another glance, and despite everything she thought and felt, she couldn't help but be a little jealous of Rachel anyway. Sick to her stomach, but jealous nonetheless.

* * *

Alana stood on the Argo's weather deck rooted to the spot.

Five.

Five wives?

She had always wanted sisters to be sure, often wishing for six so she could be one of seven sisters. Her fellow wives did feel a bit like sisters, but she was quite happy with just the two she currently had. She had only really wanted for Rachel to join them and then everything would've felt complete. The redhead had joined -- which was wonderful -- but Kendra too?

"I..." Beth started to say, and then closed her mouth.

"Yeah." The wood elf nodded. "Just... just wow."

"Uh-huh." The blonde nodded her head. "We're going to need a bigger bed."

"Rachel will fit, but I'm not sure that Kendra..." She frowned.

"I don't think she will, even if she wanted to. Besides, I'm not sure that Ethan would want her there."

"I could see how a dragon wouldn't sleep well with a dragon huntress on board." Alana nodded. "But we can worry about that later. Right now, we really should be more concerned with finding and freeing Ethan and the rest of them."

"Is that such a good idea for you?" Beth bit her lip. "I mean, the bounty is on you too right? Won't they be looking for you?"

"I hadn't even thought about that." The wood elf put her hand protectively over her womb. "Damn it, I love carrying his child but..."

"But you don't want to put her in danger." The blonde came over and gave her a hug. "I could look for them."

"Lord Delmar knows you married him though. If he wants me, he might want you as well."

"Not if he can't see me." Beth broke the hug and her eyes twinkled. "Astral Projection; I can search anywhere without anyone knowing."

"I totally forgot." Alana clapped her hand to her head.

"I just remembered. Also, I don't need to sleep on the Astral Plane. I can search until I've found them; I can look in every airship in the city if I need to."

"When can you start?"

Beth grinned. "As soon as I can get to the bed in the captain's cabin."

Thirty seconds later, Alana felt a small double tap on her shoulder after the blonde had only been laying on the bed for a few seconds.

*Wish me luck.* The blonde thought to the group.

*Luck for what?* Ethan asked.

Alana explained, and was surprised at what she felt from her husband after she had. *What wrong?*

*Be careful.* He thought back. *I don't even like that you're in the city right now. I'd prefer you left and went someplace safer.*

*But where's safer?* Alana countered. *Lord Delmar knows we're here. The Argo is fast, but it doesn't have any weapons suitable for fighting other airships. With just Serif, Raklan, Anthiel, Beth, and I, we could never hold off a boarding force. Whereas right now we're in the middle of the docks we're much less likely to be attacked because there'll be witnesses.*

*That's a good point master.*

*Yeah it is.* He conceded.

*I promise we'll be careful.* The wood elf said.

*Okay; just make sure you are; I don't want to lose any of you.*

* * *

Selene pushed open the door to Rindrin's blacksmith shop, scarcely believing what had brought her here. The very idea of a man buying his wife from her father was so... so... There were no words. It seemed so degrading and dehumanizing. She wasn't sure she'd ever understand Sarah's desire to be purchased to indicate her worth to her future husband.

The shop itself was exactly like she'd always imagined a medieval blacksmith's shop would be. There were various farming implements everywhere, a small assortment of tools, and of course a large forge. The blacksmith himself was standing near a rough wooden table with many tools on it.

"Did you want something?" The blacksmith asked. He was running a file over a tool and occasionally checking it for something; smoothness maybe.

"Sarah." The Brazilian woman replied. "Why do you want to marry her?"

"Kids, and she'll make a decent wife." He replied. "That's even taking into account her problem."

"Her problem?" She interjected. "What problem?"

"You don't know?" He raised his eyebrow and put the file down.

"That's why I asked."

"Sorry, I'll not be gossiping. You'll probably find out soon enough anyway."

"I don't think you realize how hurt she was by your... negotiation."

"Facts is facts; not liking them don't change nothing."

Selene eyed him. She knew the type. He wasn't a mean person, just blunt and didn't think about how his words would affect others. He wouldn't intentionally set out to hurt anyone, but he would speak his mind regardless of who would be hurt by his thoughts. The only upside was that she got the impression he would be honest to a fault. At least that was something.

"You might want to be a little more considerate of your future wife."

He shrugged and picked up the file to continue working. "Maybe you ought to consider her marriage prospects before you come all up in here shooting your mouth off."

"I beg your pardon?" She'd always heard that this phrase was the English equivalent of 'what the fuck did you just say?', and that's exactly how she meant it. She didn't conceal that in her tone either.

"You really haven't thought about it have you?" He shook his head. "Just like a woman; always thinking with her emotions instead of her brain."

Selene stared.

What.

The.

Fuck.

"You see, it's like this." He said as he carefully ran the file across the tool. "She ain't got no marriage prospects. None. Any men in this outpost that might'a married her were scared off long ago by her problem. She's not enough of a looker to catch the eye of a passing traveler, and she doesn't have one of those magnetic personalities to attract them either. She nice, just not magnetic. Plus, any man who might vie for her hand would be scared off by her problem."

He blew the iron shavings off the tool and scrutinized it. "So really, I'm literally the only man in the Ten Kingdoms who would marry her."

"She's really lucky then." Selene said sarcastically.

"You pretty women ain't got no sense about you, thinking every other girl can get a man same as you can." He shook his head as he set the tool he had been working on down and picked up another. "I've lived in this here outpost my whole life, same as she. She's honest, nice, and a hard worker, but that don't mean nothing to most folk with her problem."

Selene stared daggers.

"You probably ain't even given no consideration to what she's put her father through, have you?"

"Huh?" The Brazilian woman cocked her head to one side. "What she put her father through?"

"Yup." He nodded.

"What the hell do you mean?"

He looked confused at the world 'hell', but shrugged. "This here outpost used to be brimming with folk. Men from all over would travel through here going places. But that all changed when talk of Sarah's problem got out. The travelers slowed to a trickle, like they is now. Her father used to be a wealthy, cheery fellow running a damn fine inn."

Selene didn't get the sense that Rindrin was lying -- quite the opposite in fact because the town's past-its-prime look fit his description perfectly -- but she did find it hard to believe. The innkeeper seemed dead in the eyes and like someone who'd given up on life. She found it hard to imagine him being cheery.

"What happened?"

"He's a good father, even with Sarah's problem; wouldn't turn his daughter out or give her to the jailers. He kept her with him at the inn, and doomed the whole outpost while doing it. All his friends turned on him because of that and they eventually left the outpost. He used to be popular, wealthy, and cheerful; now because of Sarah's problem he's poor, alone, and near friendless besides me. He still won't give up on her anyways though. Like I said, he's a good man."

Selene found herself wondering what kind of problem Sarah could possibly have that could bring such ruin on the small outpost. Regardless, she was a kind, sweet girl who really didn't deserve all this misery that was being heaped upon her. Besides, Rindrin's story strained credulity to the breaking point.

"Yeah, I see you not believing me and all." He shook his head when she didn't answer. "He is a good father though, and where his fortune went proves it. He spent it traveling with her to every major temple of Illuminar trying to help his little girl."

She frowned. "Why temples and not doctors?"

"Cause what ails her needs a holy man to fix. Ain't no doctor that can do much good for her."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't know much about the medieval period, but it seemed like they spent a lot of time blaming perfectly normal things on superstition and then punishing people for it. Burning witches at the stake came to mind. At least no one was trying to do that to Sarah. Still, Rindrin was being an ass about his future wife.

She scoffed. "You know what could also 'do much good' for her'? Her betrothed being more considerate."

"I am being considerate." He replied firmly. "I do feel bad for her, and that's part of why I'm doing this thing here, marrying her and such. You know what'll happen to her if I don't?"

"Oh, this'll be good." She retorted.

"No, it really won't." He shook his head sadly and picked up some other metal tool and began working it slowly with the file. "She's too nice and her father isn't in good health. I give it five years before he croaks and leaves her the inn. She's too sweet and naïve to be much good at running it, and some fellow or other will cheat her out of it before the year passes."

Selene pursed her lips; he probably wasn't wrong. Her father didn't look healthy and she could certainly see Sarah being taken advantage of that way.

Rindrin continued. "So then she'll have no income, no marriage prospects, and she's already not welcome at any temple or monastery in the land on account of her problem. Word of her has gone out, so no one will be taking her in either. She'll be out in the cold, all alone, and will probably starve to death. I am being considerate; I'm marrying her to save her life."

"You're kidding me." She glared, but didn't detect any untruthfulness in him.

"Believe what you want." He shrugged. "You don't like me so you won't hear me 'cause you a woman, and thinking with your emotions instead of your brain. Frankly, she's lucky to have me, cause ain't no one else going to marry her on account of her problem."

"I'm not sure she's the one with the problem."

He glanced up at her, frowned, then pulled the bent poker that had come from the inn out and dropped it on the ground at her feet. "You tell me that ain't no problem."

"It's a bent poker." She replied. His implication that Sarah had bent it was obvious, but also ludicrous. The girl had petite arms and no muscle definition to speak of. It simply wasn't possible that a girl of her size could've bent the iron poker.

"I wish your brains was as good as your body." He shook his head. "Still, you shouldn't have a hard time finding a husband with them looks. You probably won't make smart kinds though."

The ex-FBI agent set her jaw, reminding herself that the local constabulary would probably frown on murder. She didn't have her sword anyway, and he wasn't worth wasting a bullet.

A part of her was tempted though...

"She'll make a good first wife, and I figure I'll marry a real looker later. Now, I won't divorce Sarah nor nothing and I'll be real good to her cause I do like her a bit, and Illuminar says husbands should be good to their wives. Plus, she'll be a good homemaker. I figure that I'm a pretty good guy for marrying her, what with her problem and not no one else being willing to. I already told you what I'm saving her from, and I don't appreciate being made the bad guy for doing good."

He looked at her pointedly. "And you'd see that if you had half a brain."

That was the point where Selene decided she needed to leave before he said something that pushed her over the edge. She didn't want to find out firsthand how they punished homicide here. She turned without a word and walked outside. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and remind herself that murder wasn't the answer to terrible people.

No matter how appealing the idea was.

It was getting towards evening, and the sky was just starting to turn the pretty pinks and purples of sunset. She watched for a moment, trying to figure out how to help Sarah.

The sad thing was, she wasn't sure Rindrin was wrong about the girl's marriage prospects, not if everyone else thought what the monks did. Despite the rude manner of delivery, everything that he'd said made sense on balance. Her father certainly wasn't in the best of health, Sarah probably would be cheated out of the inn, and if she really wasn't welcome in any temples or monasteries because of 'her problem' -- and if no one would take her in because of the gossip about her mysterious 'problem' -- it was possible that the girl could starve. Maybe Rindrin was actually saving the girl's life by marrying her.

Maybe.

Hmm.

He was still an ass though and she thought that Sarah deserved someone better.

The Brazilian woman clenched her fist. It didn't seem fair that a sweet girl like Sarah would be stuck with an ogre like Rindrin. Probably the best thing she could say about him was that he seemed honest and didn't look like the type to abuse a woman. That wasn't exactly high praise though, and unfortunately it wasn't hard to imagine Sarah being somewhat neglected. That went double if he got a second wife. Plus his terse, brutally honest manner could really hurt the girl emotionally. She highly doubted he would do it intentionally, but also highly doubted that it wouldn't happen.

She took a few deep breaths, calming herself and resisting the urge to go back in there and pound him.

It was tempting.

She glanced around and saw the bird that had been shadowing her since that first morning sitting on a nearby rooftop. As usual, it was staring at her. It gave her the feeling of being watched and she didn't like it. However, there was nothing she could do about it. Hitting a target that small and that small away was hard under ideal conditions, and she didn't want to waste a bullet.

A minute or two later she saw someone ride up to the inn, and figured she should go start her first night at her new job. At least it would provide a much-needed distraction. She shook her head as she walked; she had a master's degree and was basically a waitress on an alien planet.

She sighed.

Wasn't life strange?

* * *

It had taken Beth until twilight to do a quick run through every airship at the docks. Being able to run through walls and not needing to breathe or rest on the Astral Plane had sped things up considerably. She wasn't sure what she could do once she found her husband, but she was going to find him. The obvious place to start looking was Lord Delmar's airship, but he didn't seem to have one at the docks. At least, not one bearing his flag. Rather annoyed by this, she simply started checking every airship one by one.

He wasn't there.

Not in any of the airships.

She plopped herself down on a convenient wine barrel that was waiting to be loaded onto an airship. As she sat down, the sword that Gabriella had loaned to her -- Aharown -- tapped against the barrel and the blonde looked at it. She dearly wished she could find everyone and free them. Sadly, a sword -- even a sword that had been loaned to her by an angel -- didn't do much good without an opponent to fight or bonds to cut.

*Well, now I don't know what to do.* She thought to everyone. *He's not in any of the airships at the dock.*

*Hmm. That makes sense I suppose.* Ethan replied. *Even while docked the Argo moves slightly. Now that I think of it, I haven't felt that. Sorry for not thinking of that earlier.*

*It's okay, but where am I going to look now?* She said. *I can't look in every building in Nalatia; that would take forever.*

*Maybe you could narrow it down?* Alana suggested. *He probably isn't holding them near heavily populated areas.*

*Unless he had enchanted the wood paneling to not let sound through.* Taloni countered. *Then we could be anywhere.*

*Ugh, I just wish I could find you!* Beth huffed. She really missed feeling his arms around her and it had been an entire day now.

*I miss you too angel.* Ethan replied mournfully. *And you too princess.*

*Very funny.* Alana replied. Her tone was slightly amused and slightly annoyed, but mostly concerned. *hang on.*

*What's wrong?* Ethan asked.

*Nothing is wrong, but a runner just came up to the Argo with a message. Hang on.*

A minute later the wood elf spoke again. *It's a letter that was portalled here from Arcanum.*

*Who's it from?* Ethan asked.

Another pause, and then. *It's from Elder Goman. It says... Oh wow.*

*What?* Ethan, Beth, and Taloni all asked at the same time.

*It says we need to check the portal stone that he gave us more often; apparently we haven't responded to a few letters.* The wood elf replied, talking slowly as if she was reading something. *Hang on, let me go look.* There was a minute's pause, and then the wood elf continued. *Yeah, there's a recent letter alright. It says..." She trailed off.

*Says...?* Ethan prompted.

Beth sighed. She couldn't sense Alana's emotions at all since they weren't bonded, but Ethan could. That made it somewhat confusing when he reacted to an emotion that she couldn't feel.

*Um, apparently there's another portal to the Ten Kingdoms from your world.*

Stunned silence.

*What?* The blonde asked.

*It says here the Elder Goman has had people watching anther portal for a long time now. Apparently he'd used it go to Earth decades ago while he was experimenting with portal research.*

*That makes sense.* Beth nodded. *He's probably the Ten Kingdom's foremost expert on portals.*

*Oh? I didn't know that.* Alana mused. *Anyway, some people came through the portal a few days ago, he says we might now know one of them, who apparently mentioned you. Her name is... Oh wow.*

Beth didn't need to be bonded to the wood elf to tell she was shocked. *Who?*

*Her name is Selene, she's drop-dead gorgeous, and has caramel-colored hair.*

There was stunned silence for several seconds, then Ethan replied. *You're kidding.*

*Who's Selene master?*

*She's law enforcement from my world.* Ethan replied. "But how the hell did she follow us here? Why did she follow us here?*

*I don't know.* Alana replied. *Apparently she was kidnapped, knocked out, and only woke up after a long ride. Thus she has no idea how to get back to the portal. Oh, and she took a job at an inn.*

*Selene is here?* Beth wondered. *But how did she get the mana to open a portal?*

*Gonorran.* Ethan said after several seconds. *It must be right? We took the control stone for his portal, so no one else went there after we left. Plus, what are the odds that someone unconnected with our visit just happened to send her here?*

*She's working with a necromancer?* Taloni said faintly; she sounded scared.

*Hmm. Something doesn't add up.* Ethan mused. *What else does the letter say?*

*Elder Goman asked if we could go investigate and gave her location.* The wood elf paused. *Anthiel says she knows the area and can get us there. It's about a four day journey with a normal wind.*

*But we can't leave without Ethan.* Beth said, her heart sinking at the mere thought of being separated from him for four whole days; eight counting the return journey. She slumped on the wine barrel.

*Master will think of a way to get us out.* Taloni said with absolute confidence. *Plus Kendra has a fast airship, I'm sure she'd be happy to give us a ride.*

*I wouldn't bet on it.* Ethan countered. *You've seen the looks she's been giving me.*

*There's a bit more to the letter.* Alana said after several seconds of rather awkward silence.

*Go ahead.* Ethan replied sounding tired. Unless Beth missed her guess, he wasn't fully recovered from having his deep mana nearly obliterated.

*He says that Selene is stranded and by all indications she never wanted to come to the Ten Kingdoms in the first place. He says she could really use some help.*

Beth sighed, stood up, and started walking. *I'm heading back to the Argo.*

*I'll tell Anthiel to make read to sail.* Alana added.

*Have a safe trip, I hope we'll see you soon.* Taloni offered.

*Uh, ladies.* Ethan said sounding slightly confused. *We haven't made a decision yet.*

Beth stopped as she realized that was true. *Dominus, I think we just assumed that you would stay true to form and help her.*

*True to form?* Ethan asked, and Beth could just imagine him raising his eyebrow.

*When have you ever turned down someone who needed help?* The wood elf asked.

*Plenty of times.* He replied.

*Can you name one?* Beth asked, not able to recall one herself.

*Uh... Um...* He mused.

Then silence.

*Master, we all love that about you; how you want to help everyone. It's okay, we would never want you to change, even if it's hard sometimes.*

*She speaks truthfully Dominus.*

*I agree too sir.*

There was a momentary pause, then he spoke. *Yeah, I guess you're right. But wait for the cover of darkness to leave; I don't want Lord Delmar or his men following you. And hurry back.*

*We will Dominus.* Beth said vehemently. *I don't want to be parted from you for a moment longer than I have to be.*

There was a general chorus of agreement from everyone.

* * *

"And you're sure you don't mind?" Selene asked as she tipped the last of the dinner leavings into a small barrel to feed the chickens in the morning. Turns out they ate almost everything, at least according to Sarah.

"I'd love it." The innkeeper's daughter assured her. "I always wanted a sister, and while you're not quite a sister, you make it easier to imagine having one."

"Well, I won't turn down a bed." The Brazilian woman chuckled slightly, grateful to not be curling up on the stone floor next to the kitchen fire that night to sleep. A few minutes later, Selene and Sarah were tucked into the latter's tiny bed, which wasn't much larger than a twin-sized bed on earth.

"I'm going to say my evening prayers, is it okay if I say them out loud?" The girl asked.

"It's your room and I'm a guest. Please don't let me stop you."

"Okay, I just want to make sure I won't bother you."

"You won't."

"Okay." She closed her eyes and folded her hands. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be you -- please make me a good person, and thank you for bringing my friend here to stay for a while. Please help her wherever she goes, and with finding her friends. Amen."

"Sarah, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." She turned to face her while smiling brightly.

"Why do you ask that God will make you a good person?"

Her smile faded. "I... Um..." She bit her lip and fell silent for several moments. "Because I want to be." She finished quietly while not looking Selene in the eye.

"Are you sure you're not a good person already? You seem like a good person to me."

"You only say that because you don't know." Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I hope you aren't afraid of me when you find out."

"Why would I ever be afraid of you? You're a really sweet girl and I doubt you'd ever intentionally hurt so much as a fly."

"I..." Her voice seemed to fail her and she fell silent.

Moments later, she turned away from Selene to sleep on her side. The Brazilian woman got the distinct impression she had turned to hide her face, not to be standoffish. For some reason, Sarah seemed determined to think that she was a terrible person and Selene couldn't figure out why. The girl also seemed to think that she might be afraid of her, but Selene couldn't imagine how that was possible.

The one clue was the bent iron fire poker. However, it strained credulity to imagine that Sarah had bent it. The only other clue was Rindrin saying that her father had taken the brown-haired girl to temples because she needed a 'holy man' to fix her problems. She rolled her eyes at that. Even if Selene had believed in God -- and she didn't -- the idea of a 'holy man' fixing something like this was laughable.

* * *

Rachel gradually returned to consciousness feeling much better than the last time. Much of the reason was that her body no longer felt like death warmed over. Clearly Ethan had donated more mana to her while she was sleeping because she was nearly full on deep mana. There was a little ways to go, but her body would naturally take of that rather quickly, even if she didn't speed it along.

The rest of the reason she felt good was Ethan.

She couldn't help but smile as she felt his shoulder against her cheek. She'd fallen asleep that way and slept better than she had in a long time. Her neck felt slightly achy because of the angle, but otherwise... otherwise it was wonderful. She was beginning to understand why his wives were always in such a good mood if this was how they woke up regularly. It reminded her of that time in the restaurant on Earth, or the time in the lower deck of the Argo.

She just felt better.

Her extremely active brain started reminding her that pretty soon, she would have to deal with the new dynamic; the inevitable loss of her personal autonomy. Pretty soon, she would need to talk with Ethan about how that was all going to work. She decided that 'pretty soon' didn't mean now though, and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Good morning." Ethan whispered, and then she felt his lips press gently against the top of her head.

"Morning." She mumbled back, then started to yawn.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Much better." She said as she snuggled a bit closer to him.

It was true.

Her mana was nearly completely replenished. She couldn't imagine how that was possible unless Ethan had donated a ton. Sure enough, she could tell that much of her current deep mana had once been his. Unlike last time though, his mana didn't sit hard like a stone; it mixed freely and unreservedly with her own. However, despite how full she was, he didn't seem drained. So how...?

She opened her eyes and saw an exhausted looking Fey in a lilac dress slumped against Ethan. The mage could tell just from looking at her that she must be beyond exhausted. She'd heard someone use the phrase 'sleeping like the dead' before, and this was the first time she thought it applied. The redhead reached out and touched her, checking on her health. She was in perfect health and her deep mana was nearly full, just like hers and Ethan's. She must've been cycling deep mana for a long time to first replenish Ethan's mana and then produce enough for the dragon to replenish her own.

"Thank you Taloni." The redhead whispered.

"She's pretty incredible, yeah." Ethan said fondly as he gently stroked the sleeping girl's honey-blonde hair. "I finally had to order her to stop and rest. She was doing that well into the night."

"Night? What time is it?"

"About an hour past sunrise." A sullen voice came from the opposite side of the cell. Of course, that meant the dragon huntress was only about ten feet away, but that was as far from Ethan as she could get in this cell.

"Are you sure?" Rachel replied

Kendra gave her a look, but didn't explain herself.

"She says it was part of her training." Ethan frowned at the dragon huntress, then turned to Rachel. "So, we never really got a chance to talk since... the other night. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled, but didn't have anything more to say on the topic.

"I'm sorry you ended up bonded to me though." He sighed.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so well at all. Her throat got tight and her heart seemed intent on digging hole straight down to Saidow's lair.

"You're... you're sorry?" She got out.

"For you, not for me." He said as he yawned, clearly oblivious to her inner turmoil. "I'm tickled pink that you bonded to me; I just know that you didn't want it."

"Oh." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm... I'm not sure I'd say that."

"Say what?" He looked at her.

She glanced at him as her mouth curved into a small but contented smile. "I wouldn't say that I didn't want it."

* * *

Ethan blinked at her.

Rachel's blue eyes were shining in both happiness and uncertainty, but there was no denying the look she was giving him. The chorus of the country song "must be doing something right" started playing in his head. All he could think of as he looked at her was the line in the chorus that talked about "those deep blue 'need you' eyes."

He cocked his head to one side as he looked back at her. She was looking at him now similarly to how his other wives did, yet completely different too. He saw the same loving expression, but also a fierceness too. That tender vulnerability that she'd show him only a few times before was back. However, this time it didn't seem so... so raw. It was open and vulnerable, but unlike the previous times her strength didn't seem to have faded either. On the contrary, it was like he was looking through a small window into an impregnable fortress; a window that was open just for him and no other.

He couldn't sense her emotions -- the bond was too new -- but she looked like she was happy.

Hmm.

"Why Rachel Delmar, If I didn't know better I'd say--" He stopped as she gently put hand on his chest.

"It's not Rachel Delmar anymore, is it?" She looked at him hopefully.

He couldn't have stopped himself from smiling even if he wanted to. "No Mrs. Ejder. No it's not."

She smiled sheepishly, but there was no mistaking the shining happiness in her eyes. "Could you say that again? Please?"

"Mrs. Ejder."

She closed her eyes, sighed softly, and then rested her head on his shoulder again. "I like that."

"Yeah." He replied softly, smile still on his face. "Yeah it's pretty great."

A noise to his other side made him look, and he saw Kendra looking like she was about to vomit. Seriously; the dragon huntress looked very green around the gills and she was actually holding her mouth shut. She looked like she was purposely trying not to make noise, but couldn't help it. She wasn't acting either.

She was dry heaving.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

She closed her eyes and held up her hand, indicating she just needed a minute, while continuing to hold her mouth shut with the other. At least she wasn't throwing up like she did in the Arena; that would be a disgusting mess in this cell.

"Sorry to ruin the moment." Kendra said after a minute when she looked slightly better. "But please warn me next time you do... that."

Ethan and Rachel looked at each other, and he had the sudden urge to kiss the redhead just because of the dragon huntress. Though, he wasn't sure if he would be doing it to tease or out of spite. Either way, he surely didn't want his first kiss with Rachel to be for either of those reasons.

"Why do you hate dragons so much?" Rachel asked.

The image of a house burning with dragon's fire flashed into his mind, but he didn't think it was his memory to share, so he kept silent.

"I'm not fond of plagues either." Kendra retorted.

Ethan looked at her. The first several times they'd met she had been such a threat he hadn't bothered no notice anything beyond rough details and weapons. Now he was really looking at her for the first time.

She was wearing clothes very similar to what Rachel used to wear; practical and sensible slacks and a blouse, though not un-feminine. Her hair was jet back and pulled back into a ponytail. If it had been loose, it would probably fall to her armpit. She was attractive, but somehow it seemed like she'd purposely played that down. Given her profession, he wasn't surprised.

He found himself wondering what she would look like if she was all cleaned up and wearing something nice. He guessed she would be an attractive woman, but more the 'girl-next-door' type of attractive. She had a slim, athletic figure and appeared to have medium-to-small breasts. She had a deadly grace in how she usually moved too that his other wives didn't share.

"What?" Kendra said with an edge as he looked at her.

"Just looking." He sighed.

"Well don't." She glared at him and then turned away, or at least as much as she could in the small cell.

That thought about closeness made him think of the two wives who weren't there. He felt his shoulder slump as he realized that by now they'd be out of the city. He reached out through his bonds to them and could feel them, but could also feel that they were far away.

It created an almost physical ache.

He could feel both his human heart and dragon instincts bristling at his wives being so far away. He hated it. The dragon hated it. His human side and dragon side rarely ever fully agreed with each other, but on this they were completely united. He could feel his dragon half almost seething at the separation, and a lot of that was trying to spill over into his mood. Life just wasn't the same without them around.

"Ethan." Rachel whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sorry I bonded to you." She said softly. "I had a choice and I made it. I'm not sorry I did."

He smiled. "Good. But...?" He prompted; it sounded like there was a 'but' coming.

"But I can't be like your other wives." It almost sounded like she was apologizing. "I'm going to be... difficult. I won't try to be, but I think I will be."

He shrugged. "That's what makes you, you."

"And that's okay?"

He nodded. "Rachel, I like you; not because you're like my other wives, but because you're you."

"Okay." She gave him a half smile. "But we should talk more about this later." She snuggled against his shoulder again. He could tell she wasn't completely mollified, but didn't want to push it here. This was a conversation that should take place on the Argo with some privacy.

"It's a date." He nodded. "And speaking of being difficult, how about we figure out how to be difficult to keep in this damned cage?"

Her smile turned into a grin. "That I can do."

* * *

Kendra sat with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face as she listened to Ethan and Rachel try to figure out how to escape. She chimed in occasionally, but mostly with a terse comment or to point out the stupidity of some new idea they'd concocted. She did the latter with Ethan more than was strictly necessary.

Taloni was still fast asleep with her head in her husband's lap, just as she had been all morning. She looked content; happy. Similarly, Rachel and Ethan were also sitting next to each other in an undeniably affectionate way while they were planning. She couldn't help but imagine being in either of his wives positions and felt herself shudder in disgust whenever she accidentally did so.

He being so sweet and kind to the redhead and affectionate with the sleeping Fey girl.

Asshole.

His bond must already be affecting her. The dragon huntress had been taught how to shield her mind from attack. Part of that was sensing what was going on in her own mind. As a result, she could sense things long before anyone else would be able to.

She could feel him.

It was tiny, it was faint, his presence was absolutely miniscule... but it was far too much. If she concentrated extremely hard, she could start to feel the flickers of emotions from him. They were barely more than an insubstantial, ghostly impression; but even that was far too much. She remembered her training and built the most powerful mental fortress she possibly could around it to keep him out of her head.

There was no way she was going to let a dragon influence her.

Ever.

"Any ideas?" Rachel whispered to her, probably to prevent being overheard by any of Lord Delmar's men who might be nearby.

Kendra shook her head curtly and then resumed her brooding, stoic silence.

Ethan frowned, then whispered. "So, dragon fire is out because I can't do it and we'd light the room on fire, burning us alive. The bars are too strong to bend, and Rachel, you can use magic because of the collar."

"Pretty much." The redhead replied equally quietly.

"So all roads point to one direction; we need to get that collar off of you." Ethan finally said, taking a closer look at her neck.

He wasn't looking at her collar.

He was looking at her neck.

To be sure, he was looking in the general direction of the collar, but the light touches he placed around it while 'examining' it left Kendra in no doubt that he was equally interested in the redhead's slender neck. Judging by the contented smile on the redhead's face, she was no less interested in his touches. Kendra felt the urge to vomit again as she accidentally imagined what it would be like for him to touch her neck like that.

After looking at it for a bit, Ethan looked at Rachel in the eye and whispered. "Do you trust me?"

The redhead hesitated a moment, then nodded.

He raised his index finger and slid his claw from its sheath. Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but didn't move. Instead she closed her eyes, nodded to him, and arched her head back exposing the sensitive skin of her neck completely, and apparently trusting him completely. He carefully slid the tip of the claw between the sensitive skin of her neck and the leather collar, with the sharp tip of his claw facing away from her neck, and then dragged his claw outward, trying to cut the collar.

It didn't work.

"That collar is very tough." He said when he'd looked closer.

"Yeah, they're usually made from dragon leather so they have enough room to hold the proper enchantments. Regular leather won't do it." Rachel sighed.

"There are different grades of leather for enchanting?" He asked.

"Do you know nothing?" Kendra said with a scoff.

Ethan and Rachel stared at her.

"What?"

"Anyway..." Rachel pointedly turned away from Kendra. "Yes there are different grades. Regular leather can take an enchantment, but not much of one. Higher grades of leather where the animals were specifically raised to make their hides ideal for enchanting can usually take two decent ones. Most enchanted leather that you see will be of this grade. Often it's a self-healing enchantment paired with a hardening enchantment that stiffens the leather and make it hard to cut. It's not quite as good as steel and it's much more expensive, but it's lighter and more portable."

"Ah, that's why you don't see it much."

"Yup." The redhead nodded. "Anthiel's shield is almost certainly of this grade. It's not as good as a steel-clad shield, but slightly better than a wooden shield and lighter than either would be. Though of course, an enchanted leather shield is far more expensive than a regular wooden shield."

"Her shield isn't always stiff." He pointed out.

"It's an enchantment you can activate or deactivate, like your disguise gem."

"Ah, okay." He nodded. "What about dragon leather then?"

"It has far more room to hold an enchantment." The mage turned to Kendra. "I'm guessing your vambraces are made from dragon leather?"

She nodded, not adding that much of her equipment was enchanted in one way or another. Dragon hunting was dangerous, and required the best equipment money could buy.

"That's why her vambraces can not only act as armor, and I'm guessing they're also self-healing?" She looked at Kendra again.

The dragon huntress scowled, but nodded.

"So they can hold both the usual enchantments, plus one that increases her strength." Rachel explained.

"I've got to get me some of those." Ethan mused. "It would've helped a lot against Kyrupto."

"They don't make you that strong." Kendra rolled her eyes and scoffed again.

They ignored her.

"So your collar is almost certainly made from dragon leather." He said to Rachel as he looked at it again. "So, it clearly has a hardening enchantment, but does it have a self-healing enchantment?"

"No idea, you'd have to ask Alana."

By now, Kendra was learning to recognize when Ethan was telepathically communicating with his wives. He tended to tilt his head just slightly and his eyes would go slightly unfocused. She couldn't understand how anyone could let a dragon into their mind. Of course, he truly did seem to care about his elven wife... and his blonde wife... and Taloni, and Rachel...

Asshole.

"Alana says it probably does self-heal, but said that if I made my claw super sharp and worked quickly, I could probably get through it faster than it could repair." Ethan said a minute later. "But my claws can't cut it."

"Yet." Rachel said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Ethan grinned. "I sense an enchanting opportunity."

"You have no gold to get mana." Kendra pointed out, not even trying to hide her annoyance.

Ethan opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. He seemed to think for a moment, and then turned to Rachel. "I could use regular mana donated from you three."

Rachel and Kendra both chuckled.

"What?"

"Dragons can't enchant themselves with mana from someone else." Kendra sighed. God he was ignorant.

"To be fair they can, it just won't stick very long." Rachel countered. "A few hours maybe."

"Same difference." The dragon huntress retorted.

"Why won't it stick?"

"Remember how dragons make gold resonate to draw mana from the Ether?" Rachel asked.

He nodded.

She continued. "Well, the resonance frequency from a dragon's gold is different from all other mana, and each dragon is different from every other. As long as a dragon is alive, it's constantly using mana of that frequency and it pushes out mana of any other. You can get an enchantment to stick using other mana, but it will be wiped away in short order."

"Okay, I'll use my own mana to make a razor sharp claw tip then." He said, looking at the index finger of his right hand. "Might take a few days to get the mana though."

Kendra shook her head at his stupidity.

"What?" He asked.

"There's no gold." She said with a sigh. "How in Illuminar's name are you going to get mana for enchanting without gold?"

"That's for me to know and you to wonder." He grinned at her. "Give me a few days and you'll see."

* * *

Ethan smirked slightly at the confused expression on Kendra's face. He was getting rather tired of her constant badgering. He could almost hear how Taloni would be asking him to be nice to her if she was awake. Then he remembered the loneliness he'd felt from Kendra when they bonded and the reason she hated dragons. It didn't make her behavior better, but it help him understand a bit.

Shrugging his shoulders, he focused on his mana and the very tip of the claw on his right index finger. He knew by now that all he needed to do was focus on what enchantment he wanted and his dragon side would handle the details. He may not be able to enchant so much as a piece of leather outside his body, but inside anything was possible.

Once it was done, he tried cutting into Rachel's collar again. His claw definitely made a mark, but it disappeared fairly quickly. He figured his initial guess was right; it would take a few days. Fortunately, he had three wives -- well, two wives plus Kendra -- to feed him mana.

He grinned.

He could only imagine what Kendra's reaction would be if she found out that she was helping him to collect mana just by being around him. He almost wanted to tell her just to see her reaction, but still didn't trust her enough.

The next few hours were extremely boring.

Taloni woke up and settled in next to him, which was wonderful. A soldier gave them four bowls of unappetizing slop to eat. They did because they were famished, but it was pretty gross. The hole in the prison floor leading to a pit that functioned as their toilet thankfully didn't stink as much as he thought it would, but the smell certainly didn't improve the eating experience.

He guessed it was about lunchtime that Lady Ekthros re-entered the room. The devious look on her sharp, angular features made him slightly nervous.

"Good morning to the newlyweds; enjoying the honeymoon?" She asked.

Everyone glared at her.

"Why are we here? And frankly, why aren't we dead?" Kendra said without uncrossing her arms or removing the sullen expression from her face.

"You aren't dead because you will be made an example to all those who would defy Lord Delmar." She turned to Rachel. "You aren't dead because your father still refuses to give the order, despite having promised to do so." For some reason, Ethan thought the woman looked slightly annoyed at that.

Lady Ekthros turned to Taloni. "You're still alive because you'll prove very useful in keeping your friend compliant."

The Fey teen gave her a withering look, which didn't affect the other woman at all.

"And you Ethan." She smiled, and not from mirth. "We have great plans for you."

"Plans?" He asked, getting a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Oh yes."

She didn't elaborate.

"So what brings you here on this unpleasant afternoon?" Rachel asked dry.

"I find that having something to look forward to can help in hard times." She replied. "I'll return in a week and move you to your respective destinations, and away from my other valuables." She turned to Kendra. "You're going to be such a wonderful mother to all those little dragons; you'll be such a boon to our dragon breeding program."

Kendra clenched her fist so hard her knuckles turned white, but didn't reply.

"I also wanted to see how the happy couple was getting along." She said as she turned to leave. "Enjoy what's left of the honeymoon."

And with that, she strode out of the room.

"Bitch." Ethan growled when she had gone.

"That's an insult to bitches everywhere." Kendra breathed.

Everyone stared.

Despite the situation, Ethan found himself chuckling. Moments later, Rachel and Taloni joined him. Even Kendra cracked a small smile.

He looked at the claw on his index finger; at least he would be done by the time she returned.

"What did she mean by her 'other valuables'?" Taloni asked.

"Lady Ekthros is pretty paranoid." Rachel replied. "She has storage facilities all across the Ten Kingdoms where she stores valuable things. I think her idea is to prevent a single location from becoming her weakness."

"Hmm." Ethan tapped his clawed foot on the wooden decking and then grinned. "So you're saying we should take a look around on our way out; see what we can find."

"Yes, that's exactly what that means." Rachel grinned back.

"Okay, just give me two or three days to sharpen my claw; then we'll go on a little scavenger hunt." He whispered with a touch of excitement. If all went to plan, they'd be gone long before the arch mage returned. Even better, they would be heading towards Alana and Beth.

His excitement faded a half hour later as two guards were posted inside the room where the cell was. With the arch mage gone, apparently whoever was guarding the location wasn't taking any chances. It wasn't an unworkable problem, but it was going to make getting the collar off of Rachel more interesting.

* * *

Selene woke the next morning to the sound of a rooster crowing and found herself desperately wishing that this world had coffee. Sadly, it didn't. Groaning, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, trying to get back to sleep.

"Good morning." A cheery voice said from nearby.

The Brazilian woman groaned in response.

"Come on, we need to get breakfast started." Sarah said, gently nudging her shoulder.

The Ex-FBI agent sighed and then pulled the covers down. Judging by the light from the small window, it wasn't dawn yet. Worse, it was barely light in the sky. She groaned and sat up, lamenting the earliness of the hour.

"I'll be back in a minute." The innkeeper's daughter said.

Selene rolled out of bed a minute later, trying to remember that she needed this job to eat. She slipped on her shoes and walked into the kitchen where Sarah was fussing with the large cast iron pot. She did what she could to help, which mostly meant taking directions from Sarah about food prep. The girl was absolutely committed to making the food taste great, and wouldn't accept anything less than perfection from herself. She was much more lenient with Selene though, which was nice. Selene admired her work ethic, she just wished she knew how to be more helpful.

Once breakfast was served to the inn's few patrons, the two girls went back to the kitchen and began eating.

"That was really good." The Brazilian woman said when she'd finished.

Sarah beamed. "I'm so glad. I hope Rindrin likes my cooking."

"I'm sure he will." She replied, trying not to get angry at the unfairness of the girl's situation. It was even more frustrating because the girl herself didn't seem very bothered by it. Well, unless someone brought up her low bride-price. Doing that could reduce her to tears in moments.

"Good, then all my learning hasn't been in vain." She smiled, though her eyes also looked a touch sad.

"Wait a minute." Selene said as the girl's word sunk in. "Are you saying that you try so hard to be a good cook because of your future husband?"

"Of course." Sarah looked at her like this revelation was akin to realizing that water was wet. "Shouldn't an unmarried woman be preparing to serve her husband?"

Selene stared.

"What?" The girl asked.

"I... I just grew up a little differently that's all."

Sarah frowned. "Doesn't the Book of Light say we should apply ourselves diligently to whatever task is at hand? I want to be a wife, so I'm preparing to be the best wife I can be now."

"But he'll be a terrible husband." Selene countered.

"But why does that matter? Even if he is a bad husband, I still want to be a good wife to him; I really do."

"You want to marry Rindrin?"

Her face fell slightly. "I mean, not really. He isn't who I want to marry."

Selene leaned forward. "Then, who do you want to marry?"

Sarah turned bright red almost instantly. "Um, no one. I mean... uh..."

"What's he like?" Selene pressed.

"Um, I don't know."

"You don't know what he's like?"

"No. I mean yes, but no. Not really. I've heard what he's like, I just... I've never met him."

Selene suppressed a grin, thinking of only one person who could fit that description. However, she decided to play dumb. "If there's another man that you want to marry, then why marry Rindrin?"

Her face fell further and her eyes started to get watery. When she answered, it was in a small, mousey voice that had no confidence but spoke with full conviction. "Because no one else will have me."

"Why?" Selene asked. "All I've ever seen from you is a wonderful girl who'd make anyone a wonderful wife. What could possibly be so wrong with you?"

Sarah didn't meet her eye as she replied. "I hope you never find out, and won't hate me if you do."

Thereafter, the girl was so morose that a nothing would pry a single additional syllable out of her.

Selene again found herself wondering what could possibly be so wrong with such a sweet girl that no man would want to marry her, or even be attracted to her. To say that she was very average in terms of physical attractiveness wasn't an insult, just a fact. However -- in Selene's opinion -- her personality more than made up for it. She was absolutely delightful.

What could possibly be so wrong with her?

* * *

"Alana, Alana wake up; you have to see this." An excited voice said as the wood elf felt someone -- probably Beth -- gently shaking her.

"Go away." She moaned in return, pulling the covers over her head. She hadn't slept very well the previous night and was in no mood to get out of bed for several hours at least.

"Please, trust me; you'll want to see this." Beth said again.

"I'll see it later." She yawed in reply.

"Come on, it'll cheer you up."

The sleepy elf felt someone grab her hand and give her a tug. She considered resisting, but in her sleepy state decided to just let her weight do the work. Then the covers were pulled off of her. Fortunately, she was still wearing her dress. It seems she and Beth only pulled their clothes of when Ethan was next to them.

"Alana, seriously; you need to see this."

"Fine." She groaned, rolling over to see the blonde standing by the edge of the bed.

"You're not moving." Beth sighed.

"It's an ungodly hour of the morning." She mumbled.

"It's been light for ages." The teen replied. "Please come see? Trust me, you'll be glad I dragged you out of bed."

Deciding that the blonde wasn't going to be dissuaded, she finally crawled out of bed. She hadn't slept well the previous night without Ethan there; not at all. She knew Beth hadn't either. Once on the floor, she started trying to get up.

"Okay what... what's..." She yawned as she stood. "...what's so important?"

The blonde nearly dragged her out of the captain's cabin and over to the Argo's railing. "Isn't it beautiful?"

The wood elf wiped the sleep out of her eyes, yawned again, and then looked.

Her jaw dropped.

Wow.

Just wow.

She was looking at the most beautiful countryside she could've ever imagined. Everywhere she looked was a vibrant, verdant green. She was looking out onto a sea of rolling hills dotted with small cottages and interspersed with groves of trees. Yet more trees which seemed to follow the winding path of many small streams and brooks. Small herds of cows and sheep were grazing in pastures that created a picture of idyllic tranquility.

The sun had just risen, and pockets of pillowy clouds nearly covered the sky, reflecting a gorgeous mosaic of reds, oranges, pinks, and purples. The little bit of sky that poked through the gaps in the clouds was clearest blue. In the far distance she could just make out the outline of mountains with snow-capped peaks.

It was paradise.

"Where are we?" She breathed, the resplendent sight nearly having taken her breath away.

"We crossed into Lord Farbraton's lands during the night." Anthiel said from the ship's wheel. "Ivernia is quite the sight, isn't it?"

She nodded mutely at the sublime beauty before her. Alana looked towards the rear and could just make out the wood elven forest which was about to disappear over the horizon.

"Ivernia." Beth said from beside her as if feeling how it sounded on the tongue. "It's beautiful."

Alana smiled in agreement. Ivernia; even the name was pretty.

*Ethan, I think I'm in love.* She thought to him, not quite believing what she was seeing.

*Oh?* He replied with amusement.

*This land, this countryside is just... just...*

*Lovely?* He suggested, amusement coming over their bond.

*Yes, but I need a much stronger word than that.* She sighed. *I can't wait until you can see it.*

*I hopefully will soon.* He replied. *I've been enchanting my claw and in a couple more days it should be sharp enough to cut Rachel's collar off without the guards noticing.*

*Good, I can't wait to see you.*

*And I you.*

* * *

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Selene asked, purposely sounding slightly coy at the passing travelers, but also trying not to come off like she was propositioning him. It was late afternoon and the innkeeper had sent her out in a lady's straw hat to attract any passersby to stay at the inn. He was shamefully using her looks to attract customers; she was fine with that as long as he didn't ask her to do more.

The man on horseback looked at the late afternoon sky, then at the drop-dead gorgeous Brazilian woman. "Ma'am, I'd like to. Damn, I'd pay a pretty copper just to eat a meal in the same room as you... but not at that inn. I'd like to stay on Illuminar's good side if you know what I mean."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I'm afraid I don't, could you explain it?"

He glanced at the inn, then shook his head. "I'd love to ma'am, but you know it's not right to speak of such things."

And with that, he tipped his hat to her politely and urged his horse on, only slowing down once he was a good hundred yards from the inn.

The next man did much the same.

In fact, of the half dozen men that passed through in the next hour, not one of them would stay at the inn. All of them spoke obtusely about what they were scared of, and none would venture even a single word of explanation. Only one passerby did go to the inn before sundown, and he seemed like the sort of fellow who was oblivious to everything. It wasn't until it was nearly dark that a few men stopped. Most seemed fearful, the rest oblivious.

Could all this fear be because of Sarah?

* * *

Three days.

Ethan had been enchanting this one claw for three days to make it sharp enough to finally cut through collar faster than it could repair itself.

"Okay, tenth time's the charm." He whispered to her.

She nodded, then looked around the room. The two guards were still stationed inside, but mostly ignoring them. They were talking amongst themselves, comparing the 'assets' of various barmaids in the nearby vicinity.

Kendra was still in the far corner, as far away from him as she could be. She'd barely spoken a word unless asked a direct question, and then mostly deflected. The guard's presence had a dampening effect, muting any conversation that might otherwise have taken place, but the dragon huntress was extra quiet. Even Taloni wasn't her usual cheery self, and he could feel her getting antsy through their bond.

Rachel laid herself over Ethan's lap with his back to the guards so they wouldn't see what he was doing. In doing so, she leaned her head back and exposed the soft, sensitive flesh of her neck. Something about the movement -- or perhaps the way she did it -- seemed to be significant, but he wasn't sure why. He was painfully aware that his now razor sharp claw would be right next to her jugular vein, as that was the only place with enough slack to fit his claw. He had only enchanted the underside of the claw to be sharp so he was less worried, but still.

"Ready?" He whispered.

"I trust you." The redhead replied, her hair fading from a red at the roots to blond at the tips, making it look like her head was on fire. Right now, it looked more like a cozy hearth-fire than a raging bonfire.

He gave her a smile, then popped out the claw the index finger of his right hand. He very carefully slid it between her delicate neck and the stubborn collar. She closed her eyes and didn't move at all, trusting him completely. Moving only his finger so as not to attract attention, he started slowly sawing it back and forth against the collar.

It worked.

A few minutes later, he had created a small slit in the collar. He could've gone much faster if he wasn't worried about attracting attention from the guards, but that was indeed a concern. It also could've gone a lot faster if the damn thing wasn't slowly trying to heal itself the whole time. Thirty minutes later he was halfway through. An hour later the collar fell from her slender neck to land on his thigh.

She grinned at him. "Thank you."

"Anytime." He replied, and before he realized what he was doing, he did what he would've done with any of his other wives; he tenderly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She froze, then a small but contented smile began to play at the corners of her lips.

She had great lips.

She looked a bit conflicted but happy, so he did it again. She smiled again, though also looked more conflicted. He decided to quit while he was ahead and nudged her up. She sat up, facing away from the guards so her hair would cover the fact that the collar was gone. The guards probably wouldn't notice anyway, but there was no sense taking chances.

Ethan flicked his eyes to the guards, and then to the iron bars.

"I've got this." She whispered, then flicked most of her hair to the front as she turned to look at them. She leaned forward, sitting Indian style with her head resting on her hands, and thus her hands and hair obscured her lack of a collar. She got a look of intense concentration on her face for a full ten seconds, then rapidly moved her index fingers closer together.

Clunk!

The two guards had been leaning against the wall, their heads about a foot from each other. Suddenly, they entire upper bodies -- especially their heads -- jerked towards each other at terrific speed and they clunked each other in the head. They fell like sacks of potatoes, except that just before they hit the ground another focused air ram hit them, greatly slowing their descent. They still made noise when they hit, but not nearly as much as they would have otherwise.

"Bravo." Ethan said quietly clapping.

She smiled under his praise, then looked more practical. "I think I can pull enough heat to weaken the locking mechanism, but I can't melt it. You'll need to hammer the door once it's weakened to break it."

"Done!" He said getting to his feet. They'd spent near five days in this damn cell and he was getting very sick of it. He placed himself directly opposite the door and braced one foot against the bars to give him more speed and force.

Rachel took a deep breath, then closed her eyes concentrating.

The lights in the adjoining room, which he assumed came from torches, dimmed significantly and he felt the room grow several degrees colder. Conversely, the lock portion of the cell started to radiate heat slightly. It wasn't long before he saw the iron deadbolt begin to change colors. It started to glow a faint, dull red, then slowly got brighter as the temperature in the room dropped a bit further.

"Now." Rachel said through gritted teeth.

Ethan pushed off the bars and slammed into the door.

It didn't budge.

"Hang on.' Rachel said gritting her teeth more. The glowing metal changed, with the glow becoming less diffuse and more concentrated on the small iron deadbolt.

"Try again." She said, starting to pant.

He did, but it barely moved.

"Kendra, help me." He said to the dragon huntress.

She scowled, at him, but jumped up and braced her herself against the bars as he was doing. They were rather close, which for some reason he found he didn't mind. She seemed to mind though, and shuddered when they almost touched.

"On three; one, two, three!" They both pushed off hard and slammed into the door at almost the same time.

It gave.

The superheated metal of the latch bent out of shape and broke, stretching like plastic as it did so. The door swung open and made a resounding clanging sound as it slammed into the cell when fully opened. The lighting level in the next room returned as Rachel bent over, resting her hands on her knees and panting slightly.

"Well done." He beamed at her.

She looked quite pleased with herself at his praise.

*We're out of the cell.* He announced to his other wives telepathically. *We'll probably have to fight our way out though.*

*Be careful.* Alana replied worriedly.

*Yes, please do.* Beth added.

*So you know, we're about to arrive at Selene's location.* His first wife added.

*Okay, be careful.* He turned to those in the room. "Now, let's get the hell out of here."

"You keep on using that word 'hell'." Rachel observed as she caught her breath. "Someday you'll have to explain what it means."

"Will do." He grinned, taking a step towards the entryway leading into the larger adjacent room while Kendra made for the unconscious guards, probably to scavenge a weapon.

His first impression of what he could see through the doorway had been correct. It appeared to be a laboratory of some kind, rivaling even Elder Goman's quarters. The room was arranged with at least a dozen tables, all of which were covered in various chemistry equipment. None of it was active and all the beakers were empty, but it was clear that some serious research had taken place here at one point.

A door at the far end opened and a couple of soldiers walked through, stopping dead when they saw the escaped prisoners.

"They're loose!" One of them shouted, drawing his sword.

Ethan dropped into a combat stance while looking around for his weapons. As he did so, Rachel walked up from behind him and wound up like an Olympic shot-put champion. She then thrust her arm forward and the resulting air-ram threw the leading fellow bodily into the men behind him.

Ethan called his weapons, but they didn't come. He could feel at least one of them though, and he could hear a small 'thump' sound coming from a chest nearby. He ran to it, flicked the latch open, and his war hammer flew into his hand. He looked around for his spear, but didn't see it anywhere...

Nor did he feel it.

He tried calling it again, but to the same result.

He couldn't feel his spear at all.

He felt his heart sink as he realized what that probably meant. For some reason, he felt a profound sense of loss at its destruction. It had been a wedding gift from Alana and saved his life countless times. He didn't have time to dwell on it though because the men that Rachel had thrown were getting up. He did spot his disguise gem though, and threw it on to make sure he didn't forget it.

Kendra pushed past him and looked in the chest, pulling out her strength enhancing vambraces moments later. She quickly put them on, then pulled her own sword from the chest, dropping the one she'd scavenged from the guards as she did so. She drew her sword from its scabbard and turned to face the incoming soldiers.

Ethan picked up the sword she'd dropped. It was smaller than the one's he'd trained with, being about three feet long and clearly designed for one-handed use, probably with a shield. He found himself very glad that Serif had made him start learning the sword.

"Stay behind us." He told Taloni, who was watching from the doorway looking a bit scared.

He, Rachel, and Kendra started forward towards the guards. They clearly weren't the same caliber as the ones who had attacked them when they were captured. Two of the four looked a bit afraid, so he decided to help with that fear.

He took a deep breath and roared.

It was a piercing, soul-chilling cry of an enraged primal beast of nature. The sound reverberated through the room, freezing everyone except Kendra to the spot. The dragon huntress took advantage of their enemies' stunned immobility and leapt onto one of the tables, then across two others to attack. Two of the soldiers went down before they had come to their senses from his dragon's roar, and the other two didn't last ten seconds against the dragon huntress.

Damn, she was good with a blade.

He couldn't help but notice that the blood didn't stick to her blade. It rolled off like water off a duck's back. Now that he looked at her sword properly, it didn't look like a regular sword. Something about the color was off. It was darker than regular steel and something about the surface didn't seem right either, but he couldn't place it. It resembled her Dragon Slayer bow.

Kendra gave her sword a little flick of the wrist and all the remaining blood came off, then she sheathed it. "What are we waiting for? I'm pretty sure the exit is right here."

She gestured into the room where the guards had come from.

"I want to see if I can find my spear, plus Rachel said there's probably some good loot around." Ethan said almost feeling like a character in a video game about to ransack a dungeon he'd just cleared. "We made quite a racket when we broke out and those four are the only ones who came, so I doubt there's many more guards around."

"It's just a spear." Kendra countered. "I'll bet that wood elf can enchant another one for you."

"It was a wedding gift." Rachel volunteered. "Alana gave it to him when he married Beth."

"I'd rather not lose it." He said firmly.

The dragon huntress gave him a strange look. "A sentimental dragon?"

He shrugged. "Sue me."

She cocked her head to one side, opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it. She hesitated and then spoke. "Why do you care so much about it?"

"You ever been married?"

"We're not married; we're bonded." She said coldly. "There's a difference."

"Not according to Gabriella." Taloni said meekly. "She said they're the same thing."

Ethan could almost see the biting retort that Kendra was holding back, and somehow knew that she was only holding it back because it was Taloni. She almost certainly wouldn't have held her tongue for anyone else.

"Go find your spear." She finally said to Ethan with an edge in her voice.

He gave her a look, but went about searching anyway. There were four doors off of the laboratory; the first contained the cell but nothing else. The second was the one the other guards had come through. He went to the third door and opened it.

"Holy shit." He breathed when he saw what was in the room.

"What?" Rachel said as she came up behind him.

The redhead inhaled sharply as she looked over his shoulder. He could feel disgust and revulsion flare up in Taloni as she looked too. The Fey turned and clutched her stomach.

"What's the problem?" Kendra asked while she tapped her foot.

"You kind of need to see it." Ethan replied, not believing what he was seeing.

He heard footsteps and then the dragon huntress breathed. "Dear Illuminar in heaven."

There were many disturbing things in in the room, but one stood out the most. In the middle of the room was the perfectly preserved remains of a... he wasn't sure what to call it. It looked vaguely human, but too much of it just... just wasn't.

The head looked all wrong. The area around the nose and mouth looked misshapen and elongated, like a human who was half-transformed into a werewolf, except the elongation was lopsided. The one half was more elongated than the other. His arms too were misshapen. They were strangely elongated and his fingernails looked like they'd half turned into something resembling claws. His legs also looked strange, looking halfway between a dog's leg and human's leg.

But the clincher was the vestigial tail.

It sprouted from the tailbone and wasn't very long -- maybe a foot -- but it was covered with a smattering of small scales and ended in a flat diamond shape....

Just like Ethan's own tail.

That's when it hit him.

It wasn't a wolf's snout or dog's legs; it was a dragon's snout, a dragon's leg, and a dragon's tail. This poor man, whoever he was, looked like he was halfway transformed into a dragon and had died in agony from it. That made something click in his memory; Elder Goman had said that Lord Delmar was experimenting with turning men into dragons. He must be looking at one of the failed experiments.

"Holy shit." He breathed.

CHAPTER 28 EPILOUGE

Falkaan sighed heavily as he leaned on the railing of his airship and looked out across the Arcanum docks. He'd spent the last two weeks considering his conversation with Kendra before she'd left for Gralden. He was glad his protégé was getting out of the life, but he was a bit jealous of her. He wished that he was young enough to find a woman and settle down, but didn't think it possible.

As he was pondering, he realized that something was off. It took him a moment to realize what though.

When he did, he spoke aloud. "I must be getting old; no one would've been able to sneak up on me like that ten years ago."

Someone stepped out from behind a group of crates to his right. He was still too far away to launch an effective attack, but the fellow was much closer to the Midnight Sun than he liked. He sighed; he really was getting old.

"Come on; we'll go below and talk." Falkaan offered.

The man walked forward and up the gangplank and then followed the dark elf below decks, though he declined a drink when one was offered.

"What can I do for you?" Falkaan asked.

"Your protégé, Kendra has been making some... interesting choices lately." The man said evenly.

"Oh?"

The man nodded. "She appears to be following a dragon who's become... 'of interest' to the emperor."

"How did he manage that?" Falkaan asked.

"A dragon who has the popular support of the people? Who appears to have used lightning and raised the dead? And he now courts the wood elven king?"

"Ah, the Aldmiri being as paranoid as ever." Falkaan nodded. They investigated everything they thought could be a threat to the emperor, though few turned out to be real threats.

"We believe that Kendra has been compromised and joined this dragon. If he gains more support among the people -- who believe him to be a prophet of Illuminar -- he could become a grave threat. That would be serious enough for a human, but for a dragon..." The man shook his head. "The Emperor doesn't like how things around him are shaping up. A rebellion led by a false prophet stands a chance of destabilizing the peace."

Falkaan made a thoughtful sound; religious fervor had been at the helm of many a rebellion over the years. "I'm not sure he's the type, though I can't say for certain. I don't see much chance that he would become a threat to the emperor."

"There's always a chance." The man replied. "And as you know, we don't like to take chances."

TO BE CONTINUED...

***I had planned to give everyone a peek at what's coming down the pipeline after I finish ADT (we're still in act 3 of 5). However, something has come up and I might not be able to publish chapters as often. Follow me for updates.***

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean