Chapter 54: Engaging the enemy

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

* * *

Sarah stared out across the immense Bolavine River as the barge that she, Amy, and Ellis were on sailed towards a dock at a port city along the river. She had found herself spending rather a lot of time on the deck watching the peaceful lapping of water against the barge's side, or the tiny little waves made by the wind, or the wakes left by a large ship passing. She found it peaceful, serene, and a great comfort with what was going on in her life right now.

"Illuminar -- blessed be You -- thank you for taking care of me." She looked up at the bright blue sky dotted with a few white clouds that only accentuated the blueness and vastness of the sky. "Now please, please protect Fiona and Conner. Take care of them and make sure that Lady Ekthros can't hurt them. Please do something so that she'll never be able to hurt them ever again. I don't know what, but I know you can come up with something. Please?"

She closed her eyes, savoring the gentle breeze that was drifting in from the river. It smelled wonderful. The boat was gently rocking and she found the motion both calming and relaxing.

"Sarah?" Amy's voice came from behind her a few minutes later.

"Hey." She smiled at her traveling companion and possibly her future co-wife if the artistic girl had her way. She wouldn't mind that.

"You've been up here a lot the past two days." Amy pointed out as she joined Sarah at the railing.

"Yeah, I've been thinking and praying." She replied. "I like the wind and the motion of the ship, plus this is quite a sight." She indicated the Bolavine River, which was narrower than usual at this spot at 'only' half a mile wide. It was a bit wider if you included the natural bay that they were sailing into though.

"It is nice; I wish I had enough supplies to paint it properly." Amy smiled as she looked at the river. "Do you usually spend so much time praying?"

"Um, I used to." Sarah frowned at herself. "I guess it was easy to forget in Karnas because life was easy. I think I got out of the habit but I want to get back into it."

"I admire that. I always forget to pray unless something really bad happens. I kind of feel bad about that."

Sarah gave her a sympathetic smile. "I can relate. What happened..." She wanted to say 'with lady Ekthros', but couldn't with the woman's threats. "...in Karnas made me realize that I need Illuminar's help more than ever right now."

"I think it's ironic that the most devout person I know is... well, you know."

"Possessed?" Sarah whispered so that no one would hear, even though almost no one was around.

Amy nodded.

Sarah got a small smile on her face. "But wouldn't someone with my problem need Illuminar more?"

Amy nodded slowly and then cocked her head to one side. Her dark brown hair fell straight down, though it was kept out of her face by a cloth ribbon that she'd tied like a headband with an artistic knot. "You're different."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "You seem... peaceful. Relaxed."

"I'm really not right now." Sarah replied, thinking of her concerns about what Lady Ekthros might do to both Fiona and Conner.

"But you look like you are." Amy replied. "I remember when we met and you seemed almost as scared as I was." She hesitated. "I'm still that scared sometimes."

"Hmm." Sarah thought about that for several moments before replying. "I am different than I was, aren't I?"

Amy nodded. "Very."

"Good different?"

Amy nodded again.

Sarah thought about that for a moment. Her talk with Ethan a few weeks ago had given her a new way to see herself so that she didn't think she was worthless anymore. Fiona had pointed out that she didn't need to be afraid. And then everything with Lady Ekthros... Hmm, she had been through so much lately that it didn't seem real.

"I'm not sure why." Sarah said honestly. "I should be a mess right now, but I'm not."

"I'm glad." Amy said and then added hesitantly. "I've... I've never done anything like this before. Leaving everything behind, especially with someone I just met, and traveling to another country to meet someone that I've never met but might marry. It's scary."

Sarah put her arm around her friend and smiled. "Don't worry, Rindrin isn't so bad."

Amy chuckled nervously but seemed to take comfort from having Sarah's arm around her. "I'm not worried about him, just..." She bit her lip. "Thank you for being so strong; I don't think I would be okay if you weren't."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "Strong? Me?"

Amy nodded.

The innkeeper's daughter slowly shook her head, wondering what strange world she'd found herself in where someone was calling her strong. Her of all people.

"Well, I'm glad I can help." She smiled at Amy.

"Oh, I forgot." The artistic girl said after a moment. "Ellis says that we should be ready to disembark soon. He's getting the animals ready."

"Okay, let's go then." Sarah slipped her arm off Amy's shoulder and offered her hand, which Amy took. Together they headed back to their hammocks to collect their things.

* * *

"So basically, we're just here to drop me off." Selene summarized to Luminar Kossel after Ethan had explained the orc situation and how Lord Kalus was taking a week to train the orcs in preparation for the upcoming battle. Most of the crew was there listening as well.

"Yup." Ethan agreed. "After that, we're heading right back to Dotmier to finish dealing with the orc situation while Selene can hopefully deal with Gonorran and the portal situation."

"Efficient." Luminar Kossel nodded once. "I'll wait in this area for you to return from Dotmier. As Elder Goman wrote in the letter, I did bring Gonorran's portal and its control podium in case Miss Dawson is successful so it can be used to return all the men and equipment to Earth once the portal on Earth has been destroyed."

"Good." Selene said. "I wouldn't want all the Earth tech to stay here, not to mention the stranded people."

"Yes, it can be quite disconcerting to suddenly be stranded so far from home." Luminar Kossel replied.

"So, Kendra tells me that you once worked for the agency that's behind this?" Selene asked.

"Indeed." He replied. "Tell me what happened to bring you here and I'll help to prepare you for your mission as best as I can."

She did.

She recounted the story, giving as much detail as she remembered.

By the time she had finished, Luminar Kossel had a wry smile on his face. "Smithbond eh?"

"Yup, though I don't know his real name."

"I think I know the man." Kossel stroked his chin. "He was a newer recruit serving under me when I left and it sounds like he's just as incompetent as ever."

Selene cocked her head to one side as her mouth fell open. "You're kidding."

Luminar Kossel leaned an elbow on the railing of the Argo and looked back at her, an amused smile on his face. "He's not too tall but he's well built, he likes taking off his sunglasses dramatically not long after meeting someone, he seemingly has no conscience but does have a brutal streak, and he incessantly quotes movie lines?"

"That does indeed sound like Smithbond." Selene replied. "You're saying he's incompetent?"

"Yes." Luminar Kossel stated matter-of-factly and then slowly shook his head. "I can't believe they put that bungling fool in charge of anything, much less a major operation. That's a perfect example of someone being in the right place at the right time."

Selene stared.

"Incompetent?" Ethan said. "It sounds like he got everything he wanted and he took Selene apart in hand-to-hand combat. I've seen her fight and that's impressive."

Luminar Kossel shrugged. "Maybe he's gotten better, most people do after so many years, but he's only slightly better if he is at all." He looked at Ethan. "Based on what Selene has said, he's still utterly incompetent."

"How do you know?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too." Selene added.

"First, let's start with his attempt to onboard you, and remember that I used to work for them." He looked at Selene. "Instead of having you kicked out of the FBI, why didn't he have your boss call you and tell you to work with him? Wouldn't you have done so eagerly with orders from your boss?"

"Absolutely." The former agent nodded.

"Then after the mission was over, he could've offered you a chance to work with them by promoting you from the FBI with an honorable discharge. If it would've been framed that way and he had been decent about it, wouldn't you have wanted to work with him?"

"I would've jumped at the chance." Selene nodded. "Again, assuming he had been decent."

"That's how they recruited me from the Special Forces and how I recruited others." Kossel said. "I think you can see it's a better way to handle it."

"I can." She agreed again.

"That's strike one." Luminar Kossel continued. "The second strike was sending agents to pick up your friends, Jason, Melinda, and Hailey. That would've been far better handled with a soft touch. A single agent, maybe two, and a phone call personally from the governor asking them to cooperate would've done the trick."

"From the governor?" Ethan stared.

The luminar shrugged. "It worked every time I tried it."

"How many times?" Ethan asked.

"How many governors?" Selene added.

"Enough." Their guest smiled. "Beating Selene senseless to bully Hailey into revealing what she knew was, well, senseless. Yes, he accomplished the objective, but at the cost of alienating all of his most valuable sources of information. Besides, threatening a pregnant woman?" Kossel shook his head. "That's out of line unless she's an enemy asset, and even then..." He shook his head again. "Clive overplayed his hand."

"Clive?" Selene asked. That couldn't be Smithbond's name... could it?

Luminar Kossel smiled. "Special Agent Clive Eustace Humphrey."

Selene started chuckling, then laughing. "No wonder he pretended his name was something else."

Everyone else was chuckling as well.

"Do you have any operational advice?" Kendra asked.

"Perhaps, Mrs. Ejder." He winked at her.

She blushed.

"Although, I must admit that the sight of you in a dress is something I never thought I'd see outside of an undercover mission." The luminar continued. "Marriage suits you."

"She's a wonderful wife too." Ethan said with undeniable pride in his tone.

Kendra blushed even deeper. "The mission. Do you have any advice?"

"Same old Kendra." Luminar Kossel replied with something not unlike fatherly pride in his voice. "The mission always comes first."

"When my best friend is going to another world without backup, yes it does." The dragon huntress's tone was even, but fierce.

Selene felt her heart soar for a moment at her friend's response... then she remembered that she was going to leave the Argo if the mission was a success.

Luminar Kossel smiled. "Kendra, it is truly a wonderful thing to see you with friends and family."

A smile formed on her face but it lasted only a moment. "What about Selene's mission? Do you know anything that can help her succeed, and more importantly, come back safely?"

"I do have some thoughts, but perhaps we should discuss this over a late lunch?" He looked up at the sky. "Or perhaps a very early afternoon tea."

"Either is fine." Ethan replied. "The inn in the outpost nearby is usually pretty deserted and the cook is great."

*But are you referring to her food?* Alana thought to everyone with a sly tone.

Judging by his emotions, Ethan would probably be blushing if he was human. That led Selene to a thought; Ethan could sense her emotions as well. Given what had happened lately, and especially her guilt about the whole birthday thing...

Hmm.

She made a quick adjustment to her mental defenses to prevent him from sensing what she was feeling.

Yeah, that was a good idea.

"Which outpost?" Luminar Kossel asked. "I only know of one nearby and it's usually rather busy."

"Busy?" Selene frowned, then walked to the other side of the Argo and looked over the railing. Sarah's inn was still reasonably far away, but not so far that she couldn't see a half dozen horses in the small paddock attached to the inn's small stable.

"That's... strange." She said after a moment.

"I wonder why the business picked up." Ethan mused after joining her at the railing.

"Me too." The Brazilian woman replied. "Pretty much no one wanted to stay there because of Sarah, so I don't see how it would get busy as long as..."

Oh.

She looked at Ethan and saw the same realization in his eyes.

"Maybe she married that blacksmith?" Ethan said after a moment. He was obviously trying to be casual, but he was also completely failing. His posture was unnaturally stiff and his 'natural' tone sounded rather forced.

"I don't think so." Selene replied. "I last saw her, what, just under three weeks ago?"

"Nineteen days, so yeah." Ethan replied.

She chuckled. "Not that you're counting or anything."

For a second time in as many minutes, she was sure Ethan would've turned beet red if he could blush.

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Alana said as she joined them at the railing. "He's going to have seven wives; there's absolutely nothing wrong with him wanting a specific woman to be one of those wives."

"Thank you." Ethan said to his first wife.

"It seems strange that the inn is busy." The wood elf said after a few moments. "Perhaps that warrants a closer look."

"Let's go." Ethan said, turning towards the stairs to the lower decks where they kept the rope ladder.

"Ethan." Alana called out to stop him. "Maybe you shouldn't go."

Selene had been thinking the same thing but was glad the wood elf had voiced it first.

"Why?" He replied, a slightly dragon-tinged edge in his tone.

"That's why." Alana replied gently. "You and Selene haven't, uh, 'spent some time together' in over a week and it's definitely showing. Can you think of a worse idea than introducing an irate dragon to an unknown situation?"

"Isn't that how Beth died in Arcanum?" Selene added.

"Fine." Ethan almost snapped, then looked at Selene. "Downstairs, now."

"I beg your pardon." She raised her eyebrow.

The corner of Ethan's mouth twitched up slightly, like a dog's sometimes does when it's about to growl. Moments later he looked at Alana, then his expression slowly softened.

He took a deep breath and then looked at Selene. "I'm sorry. I was being a total ass."

"Yeah, your dragon side does that." She sighed. "I forgive you and you aren't wrong." She wasn't looking forward to 'holding his wing', but it seemed likely that Sarah wasn't at the inn and they needed to investigate; he needed to be calmed before that happened.

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then turned to Selene. "If you would be willing, could we retire to the lower decks for a few minutes?"

"Sure." The Brazilian woman replied, rather anxious to get to the inn and see what was going on.

* * *

Ethan sat in the storage room below the captain's cabin with the door ajar just enough that he could slip one of his wings through it so Selene could hold it. She had really nice hands. Well, she had really nice everything actually -- the woman was so beautiful that it was sometimes hard to believe -- but the Brazilian woman wasn't occupying his thoughts right now.

Sarah was.

What had happened?

The way that the innkeeper's daughter had told it, no one came to the inn because of her. If all of a sudden the inn was quite busy, then there was one obvious conclusion...

"Yeah, I'm worried too." Selene's very feminine voice came from the other side of the door. "That's why we're doing this, right?"

Ethan looked down at his almost entirely flaccid cock. Concern for someone you cared about did tend to have that effect. Having one of his wives there would surely help, but also made it hard to release the testicle that only worked for Selene.

"Yeah." He finally replied to Selene's question. "I suppose I promised to finish a certain story, didn't I?"

"Um, about that..."

When she didn't explain, he checked his bond with her to figure out--

Oh.

She had blocked him from sensing her emotions.

Huh.

He frowned for a moment, remembering how Alana doing that had led to him being unaware that she had been ambushed by Kendra when they had attacked Havorleth's lair to free Taloni. He almost told Selene that she should unblock him, but then reconsidered. Alana was his wife, but Selene wasn't. Further, Selene was about to leave the Argo and go to Earth so it shouldn't cause any problems. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't think now was the time to address it. He made a mental note to talk to her about it after they checked out the inn and hoped that he wouldn't forget.

"You were saying." Ethan prompted after several long moments.

"You put a condition on it, that I keep my fingers to myself, and I... uh, didn't."

"Oh?" He frowned.

That didn't sound like Selene at all.

She had been really into the edging/denial thing and he found it hard to believe that someone with enough willpower to train the way she did would cave. Plus, his dragon instincts told him that she would never be properly happy and sexually fulfilled unless she was being 'forced' to edge regularly. Maybe not for long periods, but regularly for short periods was something she craved.

For her to cave?

Hmm.

That didn't sound right.

"Yeah, I was really horny one night and couldn't resist." She said in a tone that was almost too neutral.

He looked at the door and his frown deepened. That definitely didn't sound like Selene.

"Okay." He said again, not sure what else to say. He had almost been looking forward to that and every once in a while had thought about which direction to take it.

*Ladies.* Selene thought to everyone. *I'm going to temporarily close my connection to the group chat; can you all help Ethan 'get there' faster so we can go check on Sarah's inn?*

There was a resounding chorus of 'yeses' from wives.

*Okay, peace out ya'll.* Selene closed her connection to the group chat, though her connection with him remained open.

*Something is bothering Selene.* Kendra thought to everyone.

*I noticed.* Alana added. *She's been out of sorts for a few days now.*

*And I don't think it's her impending mission or departure either.* Rachel added. *That's probably part of it, but I would wager that isn't even half of it.*

*The birthday thing.* Kendra piped up. *That's when it started. It seems like that bothered her deeply for some reason.*

*I noticed that too.* Rachel agreed.

*But why?* Beth asked. *She always said that she didn't want to marry Ethan and wanted to break the bond and go back to Earth. Why would it bother her if she got some confirmation from Illuminar that that's what she should do?*

*It's likely because she got that confirmation.* Ethan mused. *I'll bet that in her mind, the birthday thing was Illuminar telling her that she can't marry me and -- if she's like most Americans -- she doesn't like not having a choice, even if it's about something that she already didn't want to do.*

*Wait, she doesn't like that Illuminar is guiding her away from something she doesn't want?* Taloni was obviously confused judging by her tone.

*She doesn't want anyone telling her what to do.* Rachel explained.

*Except that she does.* Kendra interjected. *That's something I've noticed; she doesn't mind being told what to do. I think a part of her likes it.*

*I noticed that as well.* Rachel agreed.

*I have too.* Alana added.

*It would make a lot more sense if you grew up on Earth.* Ethan replied. *We Earthlings don't tend to like God telling us what to do.*

*That's strange.* Taloni mused.

*But, we have a job.* Alana thought to everyone after a moment. *We need to 'get Ethan there' so we can check on Sarah.*

Ethan couldn't help but smile.

He knew that Alana wasn't as concerned about Sarah as her words might indicate. She was making Sarah a priority for her because she was a priority for him.

*Have I told you I love you recently?* He thought to her privately.

*Every time you look at me.* The wood elf replied, and he could almost hear the smile in her tone. She then thought to everyone. *So, who wants to start?*

* * *

Alana dropped the last few feet to the ground from the Argo's rope ladder and stepped aside to make room for Ethan, who was climbing down after her. The fact he hadn't insisted on going down first so he could see up her dress as she climbed down was probably the biggest indication that he was preoccupied. Selene was already on the ground, having gone first.

"You sure you don't want anyone else to come?" Selene asked.

"I think we'll be okay; a lot of us going would attract too much attention." Ethan replied, then thought to everyone. *Beth, see anything?*

*Nothing out of the ordinary Dominus.* The blonde replied. *I did a quick circuit and didn't see anything unusual, but I don't see Sarah either.

"Nothing out of the ordinary is good, not seeing Sarah is... less good." Selene frowned.

"Come on." Ethan started walking fast enough that the wood elf needed to jog slightly to keep up. She didn't mind being short but it could be annoying sometimes. Ethan noticed her gait and slowed a bit so she didn't have such a hard time keeping up.

"Thanks." She smiled at him.

"You're welcome." He replied, but his mind was obviously elsewhere.

"I'm sure she's fine." Alana offered.

He looked at her and grimaced. "I hope so."

"You don't think she is?"

He hesitated. "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

She put a hand on his arm, hoping he would take it as comforting. He gave her a smile that was half-grateful and half-worried.

Alana didn't know what to think.

For that matter, she wasn't sure how to feel.

She would be lying if she was entirely at ease about this turn of events, and not just because Sarah appeared to be missing. Her concerns about Ethan being attracted to the innkeeper's daughter had never quite disappeared. Gotten better? Yes. But not disappeared.

*You okay?* Ethan asked her privately.

*As good as I can be.* She replied honestly.

*I know I said it before, but let me repeat it.* Ethan replied. *I really like Sarah, but I love you. You're my wife, she isn't. I will never do anything with her or any other woman that would jeopardize our marriage, or even cause you emotional pain. You're my wife, I love you, and you come first."

Alana's heart immediately felt lighter. *Thank you for reminding me.* She hesitated, then added. *If Sarah wasn't betrothed and was willing, would you want to marry her?*

*Yes, but not if it would harm my relationship with you.* He looked at her seriously. *And I mean that.*

*I know.* She smiled at him, feeling much better. *Nothing will ever change how you feel about me, will it?*

*Of course my feelings for you will change.* He replied with a slight smile. *I plan on being more in love with you the longer we're married.*

She chuckled. *I'm okay with that.*

*Good.* He smiled at her.

"Look alive folks." Selene said. "We're here."

They were.

The outpost looked almost exactly the same as it did before, only much busier. Whereas before it looked like very few people traveled through the outpost, now it was different. Before, many small plants had started sprouting up in the middle of the road and now they were gone, trampled into oblivion by the increased traffic. It was after lunch and yet a few people were milling about outside the inn.

"It used to take work to get people to stop in." Selene said as they got closer. "Something significant has changed."

"I can only think of one thing that would bring the people back." Ethan said darkly.

The three of them exchanged worried looks.

They entered the inn and it looked exactly as Alana remembered it. It appeared that everything there had been kept in service a little past its prime. The carpet was a little threadbare and you could see obvious signs of wear, though nothing was so badly worn as to be unusable. There was a fire in the hearth, but not a large one.

Alana recognized the innkeeper from her previous visit, though this time he was much more active. Whereas before he had mostly sat in a chair and grumbled, now he was up attending to his guests. He had a jovial smile on his face but she noticed that it didn't reach his eyes. There were a dozen people in the inn, which was a lot different from what Selene had described before.

*See anything Beth?* Alana thought to the group chat.

*Nothing unusual.* The blonde replied.

"Festus." Selene called loudly, probably to cut through the din of conversation.

The innkeeper turned towards them, then did a double take. "Selene? You're back."

"I am, but where is Sarah?"

The man frowned, then nodded his head towards a corner of the room. Ethan, Alana, and Selene all met him there. The air of joviality disappeared the moment his back was to the room. His brows were furrowed and his eyes full of concern as he looked between the three of them with a grimace, finally settling on Alana.

"My Sarah said you were one of the prophet's wives."

"I am." She nodded.

Festus looked at Ethan. "Would... would you be the prophet?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"You have to save my little girl." Festus whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "The Ivernians took her almost three weeks ago now."

"Three weeks!" Ethan hissed in a low voice, though at no one in particular. "She's been missing for three weeks?!"

"Almost." Festus nodded. "I doubt anyone could send her to meet Illuminar with her problem, and she had that lady from Narlotten with her defending her so I doubt she's come to real harm, but..." The innkeeper trailed off as he looked at the Argo's crew.

"What lady from Narlotten?" Ethan asked, the dread in his tone mirroring what Alana was feeling.

"Uh, lady... ek-something."

"Ekthros?" Alana breathed, her eyes widening.

"That's it." Festus nodded. "Lady Ekthros."

Holy...

Alana covered her mouth with her hand, scarcely believing what she was hearing. Her heart actually seemed to stop beating for a moment as the enormity of that sank in.

*What's wrong?* Rachel's voice came to the group chat.

*Lady Ekthros has Sarah.* Beth replied, probably having heard the conversation while on the Astral Plane.

"Fuck!" Ethan hissed under his breath as he clenched his fists.

*The demon-possessed soldiers.* Rachel thought to everyone. *Lady Ekthros is a telepath; she must've read Sarah's mind to figure out what happened when she was possessed so she could recreate it.*

*It would be hard to find that information anywhere.* Kendra added. *The Aldmiri destroy things like that whenever and wherever they find them.*

*Well, that solves that question.* Beth pointed out, but as she continued her tone was nervous, bordering on anxious. *But what about Sarah?*

"Where?" Ethan said to Festus. "Where did they take her?"

"Rindrin followed them from a distance." Sarah's father replied. "He said they went to a military outpost but I don't know where. Rindrin will know though."

Ethan hesitated for a moment and glanced Alana, probably concerned about how she felt about this.

"Go." She said without a moment's hesitation. "Go get her."

"You're the perfect woman." He replied with a half-smile. He nodded once and then strode purposefully away, exiting the inn without another word.

"She'll be okay." Festus breathed a sigh of relief. "The prophet is looking for her so she'll be okay." The man took another deep breath and let it out slowly. Unless Alana missed her guess, his eyes had gotten slightly watery and his small smile touched his eyes.

*Um, I noticed something.* Beth thought to everyone. *I'm in Sarah's room and there's some paper on her makeshift nightstand, but it's folded up and would be a real pain for me to unfold it.*

*I'll be right there.* Alana replied, then looked at Festus. "Could we take a look at her room?"

"Please." The man nodded. "Anything that might help; just let me know and I'll do it."

"We will." Selene said, then led the wood elf through the kitchen door and to the door of Sarah's room.

Alana opened it and looked around.

It was as tiny as she remembered, being square and only six feet on a side. The bed was just a mattress lying on the floor, although it was neatly made and the blankets had a pretty pattern sown into them with yarn. There was a small, one-foot-square window with some drapes that looked like they'd been made from old, threadbare clothes, but they looked nice. There was also a small vase on the windowsill with some flowers that had long since wilted.

It looked extremely nice considering how poor Sarah was.

"I wasn't here long, but I have a lot of fond memories of this room." Selene mused, then looked at Alana. "Tell me that Ethan is going to bring her back."

"He'll bring her back." Alana wasn't quite as confident as she sounded, but she knew Ethan; he wouldn't stop looking.

"Yeah, I hope so too." The Brazilian woman took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know, I'm really starting to see why you all hate Lady Ekthros so much."

Alana nodded vehemently and then looked at Sarah's makeshift dresser. It was a simple flat-topped wooden chest that likely held Sarah's clothes and personal items. On top of the chest was a very small painting of a woman who was probably Sarah's mother. Next to that was a piece of paper, which Alana picked up to look at.

"It's her measurements." The wood elf said after unfolding it. "Looks like she was being measured for a dress or something. Probably by a professional tailor too; these measurements are perfect and detailed."

"Oh." Selene sighed. "I suppose it was too much to hope that Lady Ekthros had written down her evil plans and left them in Sarah's room for us to find." She shook her head. "I guess we should be going."

"Probably." Alana was slightly preoccupied by the paper in front of her. The measurements were both precise and complete. With measurements like this, anyone with some skill in sewing could make a dress that would fit Sarah perfectly. She really should put it back, but she didn't want to for some reason.

She wasn't sure why, but she didn't.

"You ready?" Selene asked as she stepped halfway out of the tiny room.

Alana took a half step in that direction, then stopped and frowned. She looked at the piece of paper again, trying to figure out why she was so reluctant to leave it behind.

Selene looked at her, then at the paper, then at her again. "Do you want Sarah's measurements for some reason?"

Alana hesitated, not sure that she wanted to voice the thought that was running through her head. It made perfect sense to her, but she thought it would sound silly if she said it out loud. Well, Rachel wouldn't think she was being silly, but anyone else might.

After a few moments, Selene got a sly smile on her face. "You're thinking Sarah will need a dress like the rest of Ethan's wives."

"Is it that obvious?"

Selene raised an eyebrow.

Alana bit her lip. "Is that stupid?"

The Brazilian woman shrugged. "Stupid? No. Rather presumptuous? Probably. Likely to happen? Definitely."

"Really?"

"So, Sarah had a mini-crush on Ethan before she met him." Selene started explaining. "Then she met him without knowing it was him and it turned into a huge crush. Then he was super nice to her after she attacked him and she fell head-over-heels for him. Frankly, I think she'd marry him the moment they saw each other again. You know, if her father allowed it." She rolled her eyes.

"So it's not stupid?"

"Maybe a little stupid." She winked with a grin. "But it'll also probably come in handy soon. I'd bet everything that I've ever owned that Sarah's birthday is Septas seventh."

"Not Setas sixth?" Alana asked, thinking that Ethan had five wives so the sixth day of the sixth month was far more likely.

"Setas?" Selene seemed caught slightly off guard. "Wouldn't it be 'Sextas'?"

She shook her head. "It was at one point, but I'm sure you can imagine the jokes." Alana chuckled. "It was changed to 'Setas' hundreds of years ago, maybe more."

"Oh, well, I bet Sarah's birthday is either Setas sixth or Septas seventh then."

Alana tapped her foot on the floor, looking at the paper and frowning. She didn't know when Sarah's birthday was and it seemed strange to take her measurements. But still...

"I can ask Festus if you can have the paper." Selene offered. "I'm sure he wouldn't care."

"Probably not." The wood elf hesitated.

"But..." The caramel-haired beauty prompted.

"But I'm really overthinking this, aren't I?"

Selene raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

"I feel like I'll regret it if I don't have this." Alana finally said, indicating the paper.

"Then I'll go ask Festus for you." She walked away, leaving Alana standing in Sarah's room holding her measurements.

"I really hope you're a good person and I won't regret this." She whispered to the paper as she looked around the tiny room. She was reasonably sure that Sarah was, but couldn't be entirely sure. The room had obviously been put together with a lot of love and care, Selene thought the world of her, and Alana's own impression had been good as well.

"He says it's fine." Selene said as she returned. "What's wrong?"

"Am I making a mistake?" She finally said. "First telling him to go get her and now with this?" She waved the paper. "He... he won't end up liking her more than me, will he?"

Selene closed her eyes and slowly shook her head with a smile. "He literally just called you the perfect woman. I have never seen a man more hopelessly devoted to a woman than Ethan is to you." She paused. "Well, to all of his wives and you're one of them. I'm pretty sure you would need to turn into Hitler or Stalin-- Uh, I mean a mass murdering psychopath for Sarah to even get on the scoreboard. Trust me, nothing's gonna come in between the two of you."

Alana took a deep breath and then breathed a sigh of relief. "You're sure?"

The Brazilian woman nodded. "Positive. And if you think otherwise, you're either blind or dumb." She winked.

The brunette chuckled, then she carefully folded the paper, put it in her pocket, and nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

* * *

Ethan stalked into the blacksmith's shop, banging the door open as he did so. It probably wasn't the best way to approach things but he didn't care at this moment. The shop itself was a perfect example of what he'd always imagined a 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 and examining something that looked like a horseshoe.

"Where did they take Sarah?" Ethan asked without preamble.

Rindrin looked up at him and frowned. "Who wants to know?"

Ethan clicked his disguise gem off. He was wearing his armor and he imagined it would be hard to mistake him for anyone else; how many dragons had white armor?

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the horseshoe, also resting his other hand near a hammer that was on the table.

"And why do you want to know where Sarah is?" Rindrin asked.

"Lady Ekthros took her." Ethan growled, then decided to adopt some swearing that her betrothed would be familiar with. "Only Illuminar knows what that fucking Saidow spawn might do to her."

The other man grunted. "You're not wantin' to hurt her on account of her problem?"

"Fuck no!"

Rindrin grunted. "So then, you heard about her problem and you is thinkin' you can help?"

"Honestly, I don't give a flying fuck about her problem right now. I just want to make sure she keeps breathing." Ethan tried to keep his tone even, but Lady Ekthros was already the better part of three weeks ahead of him; he didn't want to waste a moment.

The blacksmith got a smirk on his face and he shook his head. "I never thought the prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- would be sweet on another man's wife.

"Betrothed." Ethan corrected. "And if you care about her at all you'll tell me where she is right now."

The blacksmith eyed him for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "You is mad right now and mad men make terrible decisions." He indicated a bench in the shop. "Sit down a spell until you've cooled your temper and then I'll tell you. Right now, you might do more harm than good and I'll not let you being rash hurt Sarah."

Ethan stared.

He could feel the beginnings of a growl forming in his throat, but the memory of when Beth had actually died in Arcanum did a good job of helping him bite back a retort. As much as he hated to admit it, the blacksmith was entirely correct.

He took a few long, slow deep breaths.

"Sit down a spell, ain't no sense standing around." Rindrin said as he grabbed the horseshoe with his tongs and stuck it into the hot coals of the forge.

Ethan did so, trying to remember that the blacksmith did have a point and that beating the information out of him was a bad idea.

Several minutes later, Rindrin pulled the horseshoe out of the forge and took several measure swings with the hammer. "I'm glad you is here." He said as he inspected his work. "I was starting to think Sarah might be in trouble, her problem notwithstanding." He set it down, grabbed another horseshoe, and stuck the second one in the fire.

"Why do you want to marry her?" Ethan asked.

Rindrin shrugged. "Illuminar's Book of Light tells us to watch out for them folk who can't watch out for themselves. Festus ain't in the best of health, so someone needs to make sure that Sarah is taken care of, on account of her being so naïve and trusting. There ain't no one else going to do it, so I will. Plus, she's a good girl; she'll make a good wife."

Ethan tried to find some angle that would make Rindrin look like a bad man for that but he couldn't. Frankly, the man was being downright noble if you took the marriage customs of the Ten Kingdoms into account. Ethan hated that. Well, he liked it for Sarah's sake but it would be a lot easier to hate the man if he was an ass or a terrible guy.

He wasn't.

"Maybe she could just become less naïve." Ethan finally said.

"That right there is a hard job." The blacksmith took the horseshoe out of the forge and tapped it lightly with his hammer. "People ain't like iron. You can't just stick 'em in the forge and hammer them into shape, 'specially not a sensitive girl like Sarah. It takes some serious hurt to beat the naïve out of someone and I ain't going to do that to anyone, 'specially her."

"Fair." Ethan nodded, feeling somewhat calmer.

About a minute later, Rindrin looked at him. "They rode most of the night, but a lot of it was tryin' to either throw off pursuers or else confuse them two ladies they nabbed. There's an Ivernian military outpost about five miles southwest of here. They took her there and loaded her up onto an airship, which then left. It was facing east when it left, but I reckon that's because of the dock because it started turnin' towards the south. It was out of sight before it stopped turning though, so I don't know where they was headed."

"Thanks." Ethan turned to leave, but the other man's voice stopped him.

"Prophet."

"What?" He turned back around.

"She'll probably cause me a whole heap of trouble after marrying her -- what with her problem and all -- but you bring her back safe and sound now, you hear?"

"You care about her?" Ethan asked.

"She's my wife." Rindrin shrugged. "She's a nice girl and Illuminar says that a man ought to be lookin' out for his wife."

"Betrothed." Ethan corrected, though he was well aware that a betrothal required a divorce to break in the Ten Kingdoms.

"Same difference." The blacksmith shrugged.

Ethan gave the man a long look before leaving. He didn't seem like the most tactful fellow, but he seemed like a good man. A part of him had been hoping that he would be an asshole so he could have good reason to hate him, but he wasn't. He had gone out of his way and ridden all night to follow Sarah, presumably to try to help her. Only a good man would do that.

"I'll do everything I can to bring her back." He finally said.

"Thank ya kindly." Rindrin nodded his head in respect, then Ethan left.

He telepathically explained the situation to everyone. *I'm coming back to the Argo to get the grenade satchel and then going to this outpost.*

*Did you want company?* Selene asked. Judging by her tone, she wasn't talking about conversation.

*I'm already prepared to help as well Drago.*

*I'm also willing to help my lord.*

*I can fly an airship there Master.*

*I can scout it out Dominus.*

*I would be happy to help too Sir.*

Ethan stopped stalking through the outpost and stood still, his heart inflating like a balloon at the outpouring of support from his wives and Selene. It was almost enough to get him choked up.

*You all are the best.* He swallowed.

*Yes we are.* Alana's slightly teasing voice replied, then it got more serious. *She's a nice girl and you love her; of course we're going to help.*

*There's no way in hell I'll let Lady Ekthros get her claws into Sarah.* Selene added. *That girl was wonderful to me when I needed help and I'm happy to repay the favor.*

*Thank you, all of you.* He replied, feeling the dread in his heart lift slightly. Well, not lift; it just didn't feel so crushing with other people sharing the load.

*My lord.* Rachel interjected. *It occurs to me that it might be best if you go first and alone. There's a chance that you might be able to resolve this peacefully if you do, but if you come with all of us armed and armored...*

*Good point.* He tapped one of his claws on the ground trying to decide. *I'll try that first and see if I can solve this in a civil manner. But if I can't...*

No one objected to that sentiment.

* * *

Sarah let herself smile as she rode along the Ivernian countryside admiring the scenery. They were riding along in a fairly level part of the country although there were plenty of rolling hills in the distance. The sun was shining in a sky that had just enough clouds to be picturesque, the birds were singing their beautiful songs, and her traveling companion was a good friend.

It made a nice contrast to the turmoil in her heart.

She just couldn't understand how anyone could ever even think about hurting Fiona or Conner, much less actually do it. It seemed like Lady Ekthros simply didn't have a heart, soul, or conscience. To be so detached and so utterly casual -- almost peppy -- about murdering someone...

She shook her head.

It was like the 'lady' simply lacked the humanity to care. Maybe she even lacked the ability? Regardless it didn't matter. As long as Sarah herself didn't say anything to anyone, Fiona and Conner would be safe. She wanted to say something though. She almost needed to say something. Sarah and Fiona were the only ones who knew what Lady Ekthros was up to and someone needed to stop her.

No one at the castle would believe Fiona because they all trusted Lord Delmar's opinion of Lady Ekthros too much. Perhaps the only person who could help was Ethan. However, Sarah couldn't tell him and Fiona probably wouldn't tell him even if she had the opportunity; the copper-haired woman was simply too furious with the prophet for killing her husband, and understandably so.

"Hold up." Ellis said, pulling his reins back and stopping his horse.

Sarah and Amy had been trailing behind him about two horse lengths and both stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a caliyon in the road." The guardsman pointed to the snake that was sunning itself on the very warm road.

Sarah leaned forward and squinted slightly. The snake was mostly a medium gray color with a lot of diamond shapes on its back. The diamonds were bordered with white and had brown centers.

"No, that's a bergoland." Sarah said. "They're native to Ivernia and look like a caliyon, but they aren't poisonous."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "Grey on brown, go around; grey on white, you're alright." She recited. "Every Ivernian child is taught that little rhyme. A caliyon has white diamonds with a brown border, a bergoland has brown diamonds with a white border."

"Okay." Ellis nodded, then dismounted and handed his reins to Sarah. He unbuckled his sword and used the scabbard to gently nudge the snake out of the road. It wasn't happy about it, but it went after a minute of prodding.

"You didn't kill it." Amy said with a smile as Ellis buckled his sword back around his waist, remounted his horse, and they all started forward again.

"It posed no threat and was merely enjoying the weather." He replied.

Sarah smiled; it was good that Ellis cared like that.

"You seem gentle for a guardsman." Amy pointed out.

He slowed his horse until he was level with them before speaking, and he had a satisfied smile on his face as he did. "Several of my sparring partners might not agree with that miss."

Sarah chuckled. "I suppose that's a good thing for a guardsman."

"My father taught me to be gentle with the gentle and ruthless to the ruthless." Ellis said after a moment. "I won't start a fight unless it's to protect someone; but if someone starts a fight, I will finish it."

"I like that." Amy smiled.

"Me too." Sarah agreed, thinking it reminded her of Ethan. She couldn't help but smile when she thought of him, even if Lady Ekthros's blackmail put a damper on it.

"Something funny miss?" Ellis asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"That looks like a different kind of smile." Amy had her own smile, but this one was sly.

Sarah shrugged and thankfully her friend didn't pursue it.

They rode in comfortable silence for another twenty minutes before entering one of the small forests that littered this part of Ivernia's countryside. Most of them weren't large, but they were common and the relief from the hot sun was nice. They had been riding in the forest for perhaps five minutes when Ellis slowed his horse and motioned for them to do the same while looking around.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not sure miss." He replied while looking around again. "Something isn't quite right here."

Amy shifted nervously in her saddle and looked at Sarah, probably thinking about the stories of bandits attacking travelers. Sarah herself wasn't very worried, at least not for herself, but if someone attacked them and she couldn't protect her friend and their guard...

Hmm.

The trio continued on, but all of them were looking around for hidden dangers.

* * *

Ethan resisted the urge to growl as the outpost appeared around the bend in the road in front of him. He'd done a quick aerial recon while disguised as an eagle before landing out of sight so he could walk up to it naturally. He flexed his fingers a few times, resisting the urge to clamp them into fists. Both Serif and Kendra had repeatedly told him that being tense would slow him down and wear him out much faster in a fight. Given that one might be coming up, he tried to take that advice to heart.

It wasn't easy.

*I'm sure she'll be okay.* Alana thought to everyone.

*Lady Ekthros has had her for damn-near three weeks now.* He did his best to keep his frustration out of his tone. *Who knows what could've happened to her in that time, and that's assuming she's still...* He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

*I doubt she killed her.* Kendra replied.

*Damn.* Selene thought to everyone. *I'm going to filet that bitch alive the next time I see her if she's hurt Sarah.*

*Get in line.* Ethan growled.

*Drago, I agree with the sentiment, but Luminar Kossel did call in that favor so we would capture her instead of killing her.*

Ethan growled again. *What the hell is his deal anyway? Can someone ask him what the story is with him and that bitch?* He hesitated, then added. *No, wait; let me do it.*

*Are you sure?* Beth interjected. *I could snap back to my body and ask him.*

Despite himself, he almost smiled at his blonde wife's seemingly inexhaustible curiosity manifesting itself again.

*I'll ask when I get back.* He replied. *Anyway, I'm coming up on the outpost now so we'll talk later.* He looked toward the outpost.

It wasn't much.

It had a palisade wall that was about eight feet high and clearly had a walkway because two Ivernian soldiers were standing so that Ethan could only see their upper chests. The door in the palisade wall was nothing special and looked like a determined force of people might be able to simply break it down. He could see the tops of two buildings and a large earthen ramp -- presumably a dock for airships -- but that was about it.

He also saw the blue outline -- visible only to him -- of his second wife's Astral form walk past the open gates. *Okay Beth, give me a sitrep.*

There was a slight pause before the blonde replied. *Sitrep?*

*Situational report.* Selene explained. *He means to tell him what you see.*

*Exactly.* He confirmed.

*There are nineteen soldiers here, seven of whom are asleep in the barracks.* The blonde began. *The two on the wall are armed with swords and arrows but no shields. The rest of them have swords and shields except for one who has a leather shield and a better-looking sword; I think he's a mage. They are all milling about looking very bored.*

*Thanks Angel.* He smiled despite the situation; it was good to have her back to her normal self after that airship fight.

*Happy to help Dominus.* She replied, and she sounded it.

*Drago, please remember what I suggested.* Kendra thought to everyone.

*Yup, I'll do it now.* Ethan replied, then stopped about one hundred yards from the outpost gates. He raised both hands for a moment, and then slowly unhooked his sword from his side. He raised it high so the guards could see it, and then slowly set it down on the ground and began approaching again.

They didn't know he could summon it and he certainly wasn't going to enlighten them unless it was necessary. Plus he had his leather shield, war hammer, and dagger/javelin while he was waiting for his sword.

One of the guards turned to face inside the camp and hollered.

*Dominus, all the men who aren't asleep are heading towards the gates.* Beth thought to everyone.

*Okay, thanks.* He replied as he walked ever closer, finally stopping about twenty feet from the gate. The two soldiers atop the walls had swelled to four.

*Dominus, the two new soldiers on the wall grabbed bows as well.*

*Thanks Beth.* He replied and then spoke aloud. "Hello there."

"What do you want?" One of the guards atop the wall said gruffly.

"Almost three weeks ago, you had a demon-possessed girl come through here and board an airship." Ethan replied. "I need to know where she went."

"Piss off." The guard scoffed.

Ethan had seen that response coming but it was still unfortunate. "I'm afraid I can't take 'no' for an answer." He replied coolly.

"How about an arrow?" The guard drew one from his quiver and nocked it, but didn't draw it. "Would that answer your question?"

"Only if you had the name of the destination on it." Ethan replied. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was trying to resist the temptation to goad the man on.

"Who the fuck are you?" Another man stepped up to the top of the walls. This one had a leather shield slung over his back, so almost certainly the mage Beth had mentioned. That was about when the gate began to shut. Ethan wasn't worried though; he could simply jump or fly over it.

"Someone who has a vested interest in where that demon-possessed girl went." Ethan replied.

The mage frowned, then raised his hand and waved it between them, almost like he was feeling for something or brushing something out of his vision, though of course there was nothing between them.

"It's him, the prophet." The mage dropped his hand and smirked.

Ethan clicked his disguise gem off. "Yup, so you can see why I would be interested in a demon-possessed girl.

One of the guards on the wall nodded slowly at Ethan's statement but the rest smirked much like the mage.

*That right-most soldier seems amenable.* Ethan thought to everyone and then started charging his warhammer, figuring that an impressive display might not go amiss here. Given that the mage appeared to be the ringleader, he targeted it at the man's head.

The mage turned and leaned towards one of the soldiers and whispered something.

*Beth?* Ethan thought to everyone.

After a moment, her blue outline appeared behind the points of the palisade wall. *They're talking about the reward money.*

*Figures.* He sighed.

After a few moments, the mage turned towards him. "Okay, but we'll only tell you because you're the prophet. Come on in and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

*He's lying.* Beth interjected. *They just want to attack you from two sides with archers.*

*Thanks Beth.* Ethan thought to everyone, and then he laughed out loud for effect. "Wow, you really think you can lie to me like that? Planning to shoot me in the back, right?"

The mage shrugged, clearly utterly unperturbed at being called out. "The front works too; kill him." He waved his hand forward and three of the archers raised their bows.

The rightmost soldier didn't, looking torn.

That was the last thing the mage ever did.

Before any of the soldiers could shoot, Ethan raised his war hammer and let the lightning bolt loose. It struck the man's face and his head was whipped backwards as the rest of him collapsed like a ton of bricks. The men who had been about to try and shoot him froze, staring at their fallen leader.

He looked at the rest of the soldiers. "Unless anyone else wants to be target practice, I suggest you don't try shooting. Now, where is she?"

The guards all looked at each other and then moving as one, they hit the deck behind the palisade wall.

"It never goes smooth; why does it never go smooth?" Ethan muttered to himself and then raised his voice so the men behind the wall could hear him. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I need to know where she went."

"Fuck you!" One of the men shouted from behind the wall.

*Beth, do you know who said that?* He thought to everyone.

*Yes Dominus.*

*Would you be okay with a little eye-poking?* He asked.

There was a slight pause before the blonde replied. *For these wolves, yes Dominus; absolutely.*

"Listen up." Ethan said loudly. "I'm not interested in anything you have except one piece of information."

"Burn in Saidow's lair you fucking cowardly reptile!" The same man called, ironically while cowering behind a wall. "We're going to skin you alive and then I'll use your skull as a chamber pot!"

*Beth, that guy.* Ethan thought to everyone after a moment.

"OWW!" The man screamed in pain a few seconds later and then Ethan heard the 'thump' sound of someone falling; probably the man off of the walkway behind the palisade wall.

"Don't hurt me!" A few moments later, two hands that were devoid of weapons shot up above the palisade, fingers spread and obviously unarmed. It looked like where the rightmost man had been standing.

"I won't hurt anyone unless he attacks me." He replied.

The man slowly stood, looking white as a sheet as his eyes continually darted towards where Ethan assumed the mage and the now one-eyed man were. His hands were as far up in the air as possible and he looked like he was trembling.

"You have something to say?" Ethan asked.

The man nodded. "We don't know where she is. They didn't tell us anything. I know the airship was turning south, but it was out of sight before it finished turning so I don't know what direction it went."

*That makes sense Dominus.* Beth mused. *Rindrin said the same thing, but where could they have gone?*

*No idea.* Ethan felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

They didn't know.

They didn't know where Sarah was.

Lady Ekthros could've taken her anywhere in the Ten Kingdoms and he had no clue where she was. Worse, he had no way to know. His best lead had just come up dry in a pretty resounding way. He racked his brain trying to think of where she could've taken her, but nothing came to mind.

South.

That was all he had to go on.

South.

That was about when he noticed the soldier still standing there trembling slightly and white as a sheet.

"That's all I wanted to know." Ethan said to him, then waved and started to turn. "Take care."

"You won't hurt us?" The soldier asked, disbelief in his tone.

"Of course not." Ethan looked at him. "Not unless you come after me or my family, but if you do..." He let that hang in the air.

The man nodded vigorously.

Ethan turned and walked to his war sword, picked it up, and reattached it since he didn't want to reveal that he could summon it to the Ivernian military. Then he started walking away, still trying to come up with a way to find out where they'd taken Sarah.

*Beth, I'll fly back to the Argo and then come get you.* He thought to everyone almost absent-mindedly while he worked on the problem.

*Thank you Dominus. Though, we really need a way for me to get around without you needing to fly me everywhere.*

He smiled in spite of himself. *So, my angel wants some wings?*

*That would be wonderful!* Beth exclaimed.

*It would!* Taloni agreed

*We'll have to brainstorm about that sometime soon.* Ethan nodded. *But right now we have more important things to focus on; where could Lady Ekthros have taken Sarah?"

No one replied.

*We don't have anything to go on, do we?* He thought to everyone after several long moments of silence.

*We can pray.* Taloni suggested.

Ethan scoffed and rolled his eyes, glad that his wives weren't around to see it because he knew what they would both think and say about his casual dismissal of prayer.

* * *

Amy found herself constantly wishing that she had the time to stop and paint the forest around her. The colors of the trees just seemed so much more vibrant and lively here in Ivernia! She had never been to the lorddom before and had assumed that the few paintings that she'd seen were exaggerating how pretty it was.

They weren't.

The small part of Ivernia that she had seen from across the river at the castle in Karnas had been pretty, but had also been urban and seemed very poor. But this? The Ivernian countryside? She thought she could spend years painting it and never grow tired of doing so.

She sighed.

"What?" Sarah asked from her horse beside her.

"It's so beautiful." Amy sighed again.

"It is." Her friend smiled. "It's funny, I haven't been gone long, and yet I'd almost forgotten how beauti--"

Sarah never finished her sentence. Ahead of them, Ellis was suddenly and inexplicably thrown bodily from his horse towards a nearby tree on the right side of the road. He hit it and crumbled to the ground, not moving.

"Ellis!" Sarah yelled.

Amy sat on her horse transfixed and unable to move, react, or tear her eyes from the fallen guardsman. Sarah scrambled off her horse and ran over to him just as Amy heard a voice from her right.

"Got him!"

She looked to see three men leaving the forest onto the road. The man who was obviously the leader was shorter than the others and he was shorter than Amy and Sarah as well. He had a seedy, unkempt look about him and he had a grin on his face that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He also looked like he needed a bath.

"Don't even think about running." The seedy man said as he raised an empty hand and pointed the palm at her. "That is, unless you want to join your friend."

Amy froze.

"Ellis is alive, I think he's just unconscious." Sarah said in a calm but relieved voice. Then she stood and looked at the three men who had attacked them. "Leave while you still can."

The seedy leader scoffed. "Shut up bitch, unless you want me to put that mouth to better use."

Amy watched as Sarah slowly shook her head and then walked over so she was standing in between Amy and the men.

"Amy, get off the horse and tie all of them and the pack mule to a tree." The innkeeper's daughter said. "Tie them tightly too; they will likely try to run..." She looked at their attackers. "...when it starts."

"Oh, you gonna scream real good for me?" The seedy man grinned. "You howl loud enough to spook horses do ya?"

"Amy, the horses. Now." Sarah said firmly.

She slipped off the horse and grabbed its reins.

"Leave while you still can." Sarah said calmly to their ambushers while Amy collected all of the reins and started pulling the animals towards a nearby tree. The horses went willingly but the mule resisted somewhat. Not enough that it didn't come, but it was definitely resisting.

"Or what?" The seedy man scoffed at Sarah. "You going to talk us to death?"

Amy started tying the reins to a nearby tree, starting with the mule.

Sarah shook her head. "No, I won't talk you to death."

The man laughed. "How the fuck would you do anything else?"

Amy had the mule and one of the horses tied up and was starting on the second as she realized what was about to happen. She was about to see Sarah's demon come out.

She gulped and worked faster.

"I'm sure you've heard the stories of the demon-possessed innkeeper's daughter?" Sarah said.

"Of course." The man shrugged.

Sarah used her hands to indicate herself.

The man laughed a deep 'from-the-belly' sort of laugh as Amy tied the last horse to the tree and then ran over to Ellis. The guardsman wasn't moving but thankfully he was breathing. Amy gave his shoulder a gentle shake but he didn't move.

"I think I might keep you around when I'm done with you; good for a laugh too." The creepy man said, still laughing. Then he motioned to the other two. "Grab her."

"Don't say that I--" Sarah's voice wavered for a moment as the other two men stepped forward, then she continued. "--that we didn't warn you."

Her voice had changed.

Suddenly, it didn't sound like Sarah speaking. There were traces of her voice but it was mixed with another one. A slightly higher, wispier voice speaking in perfect unison with her friend. Behind Amy, the horses and mule started loudly protesting and she was peripherally aware that they were fighting to get free, to get away.

Sarah moved.

Sarah moved faster than anything that Amy had ever seen. Both men were reaching for her and her arm came up and batted the one man's arm out of the way like he was a tiny painting on an easel. Amy wasn't sure, but it looked like his arm had twisted at an impossible angle, as if he had a second elbow. Sarah caught the other man's wrist in one of her hands.

"Ah!" The man screamed as Sarah's hand started closing.

Crack.

Amy heard the flat crack of the man's wrist being compressed in an impossible way. The man screamed in pain. Amy closed her eyes and looked away.

Crack.

The screaming stopped.

Crack.

Amy heard the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

Crack.

Another heavy thud.

She winced as her mind conjured up the worst possible things that could be happening. Knowing that her brain would probably conjure up something worse than what was actually happening, she peeked. Both of the henchmen were on the ground. They weren't moving. The mage was backing up as Sarah advanced on him slowly but steadily. The mage backed up into a tree and then darted to one side. Sarah moved faster and threw him back onto the road.

She actually threw him.

It almost looked like he was a rag doll with how easily the possessed girl had tossed him. The mage scrambled backwards, opening his hands and shooting an air-ram at his attacker. Sarah was knocked back, but she landed on her feet and kept coming.

He tried again with the same result.

He could blow Sarah backwards, but it didn't really seem to affect her much. Obviously realizing this, the man opened his hands and Amy could feel the air get slightly cooler as the mage created a fireball from the ambient heat. It wasn't large, but he launched it at Sarah anyway. It struck her in the chest and burned away half of the upper left side, but the skin underneath seemed entirely unaffected.

Amy would normally have averted her eyes at the sight of a woman's breast being exposed, but the horror of the spectacle kept them open.

The mage frantically threw another fireball.

And then another.

Sarah continued advancing on him, completely ignoring the fact that each of his fireballs incinerated a portion of her clothing without harming the girl underneath. After the fourth fireball stuck her around the groin area, she stopped and looked down. Her clothes were singed, threadbare tatters that were more hole than cloth at this point. It didn't take long for the dress -- whose upper half was basically gone -- to loosen. She shrugged and it slid from her shoulders and landed on the ground, leaving Sarah completely naked.

Still she advanced slowly, almost predatorily.

The mage looked terrified.

He backpedaled and finally turned to run. Sarah moved and Amy slammed her eyes the instant before the possessed girl caught up with the mage.

Crack.

The mage started screaming.

Crack.

The mage stopped screaming.

Crack.

Crack.

Amy winced with each crack, knowing what was happening and yet not knowing at the same time. She clamped her hands over her ears, hoping to drown out the sound. It mostly worked. She kept her ears covered and eyes pressed tightly shut until she was sure that there wasn't another 'crack' forthcoming.

Then she peeked.

The man was lying on the ground with a naked Sarah standing over him. He wasn't moving. Judging by the angle of his head, he never would again either.

Amy shuddered.

A cold shiver ran down her spine and suddenly her skin was crawling. Sarah turned and looked at her, only it didn't really look like Sarah. Physically yes, but her expression was wrong, and those cold, merciless, pitiless eyes...

She shuddered again.

Sarah started walking towards her, her eyes slowly softening as she did. The other woman's steps became less predatory and more normal. Amy's skin slowly ceased crawling as Sarah got close and became more herself. Finally, Sarah stopped about ten feet away from her. She blinked and shook her head like she was just waking up from a nap.

"Oh." Sarah looked down and apparently realized that her entire front was exposed and made to cover herself with her arms and hands. She looked around and then darted to her horse which had the pack with her clothes in it and hid herself behind it. Oddly, the horses that had been pulling and trying to get away when her demon was out seemed entirely unbothered now that Sarah was herself again.

Amy didn't know what to do.

She didn't know what to think.

She didn't know how to react.

Amy was still staring while Sarah dressed out of sight and when she emerged from behind the horse fully clothed once again.

Sarah bit her lip and looked down. "Um, I... uh..."

"Uh-huh." Amy replied for want of anything else to say.

The two women stood there awkwardly for several long seconds before Sarah broke the uncomfortable silence. "I'm sorry."

"You saved us." Amy replied, not sure what else to say.

Sarah tried to smile but it looked like she was having difficulty. The little success she had in doing so created a pained smile, but it was more pain than smile. That wasn't what stood out to Amy though; it was her eyes. They looked exactly like what Amy had always imagined her own eyes had looked like the night her stepmother had kicked her out of the house without warning. They were slightly watery but not wet and they resembled deep pools where the water had been replaced with pain. There was shock, anguish, and remorse there too.

"I did it again." Sarah said quietly. "I intentionally..." She swallowed hard.

"They were going to kill us, or at least hurt us." Amy countered, but she could hear the lack of conviction in her voice. No matter how bad things were, was it ever okay to look for help from demons?

Sarah sniffled slightly and then swallowed again. "We um... we should try to help Ellis."

Amy nodded, noticing that Sarah hadn't agreed with her rationalization.

* * *

Ethan had spent his flight back to the Argo, the flight out in astral form to pick up Beth, and the return trip with her on his back thinking about only one thing: where was Sarah? Nothing came to him. There were no leads, no witnesses, and not even a single clue as to where Lady Ekthros had taken her. Beth hadn't said anything during the flight either, probably because there wasn't much to be said.

He flew back on autopilot and thus wasn't paying much attention when he walked through the captain's cabin door to touch his body to return to it. He was vaguely aware that his wives were in the room and on the bed but didn't notice much else until he opened his eyes

"Hello sir." Alana said as she leaned over him with a sad smile on her face. She was leaning up on her elbow, her chocolate brown hair looking wonderful as it hung from her head.

She was also completely naked.

"Hey." He looked down and realized that the rest of his wives were naked as well, except for Beth who had just returned to her body, and Rachel who was in her underclothes. Taloni whispered something in the blonde's ear for a few moments and then Beth too began to remove her clothes.

"What's all this?" Ethan asked as Beth's royal blue dress was tossed to the floor.

"You needed cheering up." The wood elf said.

"Alana decided that the best way to do that was this..." Taloni gently ran a soft finger over his nether regions. "...while we all brainstormed how to find Sarah."

He stared at the Fey teen for a moment and then looked around at his wives. "You're kidding."

"We aren't Drago." Kendra stroked the inside of his thigh, producing a biologically predictable and inevitable response.

Ethan stared into the hazel eyes of his first wife, marveling. "But, doesn't Sarah make you feel a bit..." He paused, searching for the right word.

"Yes." The brunette replied. "But right now my husband is my priority and I know he'd never intentionally do anything that would hurt me. My husband needs my--" She smiled and looked around at the other ladies. "--our help."

He stared at her.

"Ladies." Alana said, and the others all began to touch and kiss him while the wood elf looked him in the eye. "Do you have any idea where we could start looking?"

He shook his head, still looking at her.

"Hey, my breasts are down here." The brunette indicated her chest, then leaned up so they were right over his face within easy access range. "I know they're your favorite part of me, so why don't you enjoy them?"

"Alana, as much as I love your body -- and I do love it -- it's hardly my favorite part of you." Ethan replied looking directly into her hazel eyes.

Alana's expression seemed to melt and the look in her eyes became adoring. "Move over Ladies, I'm pulling rank."

They all moved except for Beth who helped line her up. Alana let out a long sigh as she impaled herself on him and he reciprocated with a groan of pleasure. Damn, she felt wonderful, and not just because of what their hips were doing.

"We'll do whatever we can to help." Taloni added, and his other wives agreed.

Ethan felt himself getting slightly choked up at the outpouring of support.

Alana leaned down and planted a tender kiss on his lips. "We love you sir."

All his wives emphatically agreed.

"Thank you, thank all of you so, so much." He was now slightly more than choked up.

"Master, we'll always be here for you, just like you're always there for us." Taloni said and everyone else agreed.

"Now my lord, do you have any ideas about how to find Sarah?" Rachel asked.

He hesitated as he looked at Alana.

She started rocking her hips around him. "Sir, if you did marry Sarah and she was mean to me, you would intervene, wouldn't you?"

"You bet your sweet ass I would." He said with conviction and he meant it. He didn't think Sarah would be mean, but he certainly wouldn't tolerate it if she was.

"I know Master would." Taloni spoke up. "He stopped Bee and me when we were having that fight about Lord Borden."

Alana smiled.

It was an almost dazzling smile as she looked into his eyes. "Let's find her Sir." She started rocking her hips slowly, enough to keep him simmering but not enough for him to go off.

"I have no idea how." He turned to Rachel. "How about my wise redhead?"

"Almost the only thing I can think of is trying to find some towns further south that might've seen the airship a few weeks ago. However, the odds of the townsfolk remembering is low and there might've been multiple airships around that time."

Ordinarily, he would've frowned, but he found that nearly impossible with Alana tenderly riding him.

"Anyone else?" Alana asked, then let out a small sigh as she kept riding him slowly.

"Perhaps it would be better to consider where Lady Ekthros would've gone." Kendra suggested.

"She couldn't have taken her back to Narlotten Master." Taloni said. "Narlotten is north of Ivernia and the ship went south."

"Unless they went south first to throw off any pursuers." Kendra added. "That's what I would do."

"Lady Ekthros is that smart." Rachel shifted on the bed to sit Indian style and rested her elbow on her knee and chin in her hand. "But why would she think she was being followed? If she had noticed Rindrin, she might've just killed him."

"Possibly, but unexplained deaths do tend to cause unwanted questions." Kendra replied. "I would've let him live and then turned some other direction than the one I was going to throw off pursuers."

"Alana, may I?" Beth asked indicating Ethan.

The wood elf leaned down to kiss Ethan tenderly and then slipped off of him. His cock only felt bereft for a moment before the long-legged blonde teen took her place.

"Best seat ever." Beth sighed as she took up the slow pace that his first wife had set.

"Let's assume that Lady Ekthros wasn't trying to throw off pursuit." Ethan said while he ran a hand up his youngest wife's side. She shuddered in pleasure as he continued. "Where could she have gone then?"

"I don't know Master." Taloni answered. "Sarah's inn is in the middle of Ivernia. If they went south in some direction, that leaves almost half of Ivernia to search. That's a lot of land Master."

"And that's assuming that she wasn't trying to throw off pursuit." Kendra added. "They could be in Narlotten if she did that."

"Damn it." Ethan sighed, then groaned as Beth started moving her hips in small circles with him still inside of her. "You're determined to make me enjoy this, aren't you?"

The blonde grinned impishly as she nodded. "So much that you'll burst and make my waistline expand over the next nine months."

"Looking forward to it." He replied, but he couldn't help but think that he'd like to do that to Sarah as well...

"Sir, I bet Sarah would look wonderful carrying your child too..." Alana winked at him.

"She's betrothed." Ethan said firmly. "I'm going to rescue her, hopefully help with her demon, and then I'm going to let her get married and stay out of her life." He looked around at his wives, ending with Alana. "I know you're trying to help and meant no harm, but you know what my ex did to me back on Earth; there's no way I'd do something like that to another man. Not ever."

Alana nodded. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it." He replied with a smile so she knew that he wasn't upset.

"You should kiss and make up." Beth said slyly as she started moving faster.

The wood elf leaned over and gave him a scorching kiss. He could tell that Beth was trying to get him to finish so he resisted and thought to the blonde. *I think I'm feeling something, but I don't know...*

*Dom-i-nus.* She groaned as she shook her head.

Alana sat back up, her small-ish breasts poking out proudly. "Seriously though, where could Sarah be?"

Beth stopped moving so energetically. "I wonder if Lord Farbrottan knows? My father knows almost everything that happens in his lorddom, so I wonder if Lord Farbrottan does as well."

"I could ask him." Ethan said as the realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

Beth stopped riding and all the ladies looked at him like he'd sprouted a second head.

"Seriously." He continued. "We know that Narlotten soldiers have been stationed on Ivernian airships, so there's obviously some kind of alliance going on. Lord Farbrottan likely isn't an idiot so he would keep an eye on Lady Ekthros, and maybe he even gave her a base of operations or something like that."

"He'll be in his palace in Ivernia's capital." Kendra pointed out. "Even I would need some time to infiltrate it and you don't have any of my training."

"I don't need it; I can fly." Ethan replied. "I can basically guarantee that he will have a nice view, so I can just drop right onto the balcony like I did in Arcanum when I stopped Hailey from killing the Arena Champion."

Kendra frowned.

Then she stared at him.

Then she inclined her head in concession. "That... that might work."

"They will have archers and airships to protect against aerial attacks." Rachel said. "It could be dangerous."

"Not if I go at night." He countered. "I can fly high and dive fast. Even if they see me coming -- which is unlikely -- they couldn't stop me or hit me."

"Our husband is unstoppable." Beth said, then she started rocking and rolling her hips again.

"Ethan, look me in the eye and tell me that you can do this safely." Alana said.

He looked into her rich hazel eyes. "I can't promise that one hundred percent, but I can promise that I'll take every possible precaution and be as careful as I can be."

Alana swallowed, nodded, and then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. I realize you don't need my permission, but go. Just be as careful as you can be, promise?"

"I promise." He replied, then just looked at her for several long seconds.

"What?"

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" He asked, staring at her in wonder. He knew exactly how much she valued his safety and also that she was still somewhat worried about how Sarah would affect their marriage. Yet despite that, she was urging him on.

Wow.

Alana smiled back at him. "Nothing, just like I could never do anything to deserve you either."

"God you're amazing." He felt his smile grow wider, then he looked around at his other wives. "You all are."

"They are." Kendra smiled.

"I said all of you." He looked at her pointedly.

She gave him a pained smile and nodded, but didn't reply to his comment when she spoke. "I wouldn't do it tonight; Selene is..." She swallowed. "She's going to Earth in the morning."

"Okay." Ethan nodded, knowing that Kendra almost certainly wanted him around because it would be hard on her. "I can leave after she does tomorrow, fly to Paliso during the day, and then wait until it gets dark to make a move."

Everyone nodded.

Ethan looked at his first wife. "Alana, are you sure you're okay with that?"

"I don't need to be because it's your decision, not mine, but..." She hesitated a moment. "I won't pretend that I like you heading into the proverbial dragon's lair, but I think it's a good plan." She hesitated. "Or at least it's the only plan we have right now."

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "Just be careful."

"I will." He promised again, then looked at his second wife. "Beth?"

"I agree." She nodded, still slowly gyrating her hips around his cock.

"I agree too master."

"Perhaps we could do something about the color of your armor?" Rachel suggested. "Making it able to change color would help a lot." She paused. "Actually, it would've helped many times before."

"I can do that." Alana said. "It's a very low-mana-cost enchantment if I keep it to two colors, so I should be able to do all of his armor before he leaves tomorrow. How about a dark blue-grey color to help hide at night?"

"That should work." Kendra interjected. "The Aldmiri use a color matching that description for simple night-time aerial camouflage."

"Sounds good." Ethan nodded.

"Then it's a good idea my lord."

"I agree Drago."

No one spoke for several seconds, though Beth made a few soft sighs as she kept moving. He was still rock-hard and would've been far more involved and active at any other time. However, his concern for Sarah was somewhat distracting. Now they had a plan though.

"Are you okay?" He asked Alana.

She didn't answer immediately and she didn't look perfectly peaceful. However, she didn't look worried, or anxious, or nervous, or anything like that. Perhaps some weakened version of those, but it wasn't strong enough to qualify.

Alana took a deep breath. "I'm taking a leap of faith. I know you love me, I know you love her, and when you two get married--"

"Not when." He corrected. "She's betrothed, remember."

She looked at him for a long moment. "And when -- not 'if', but when -- you two get married, I don't think she'd try to come between us and I trust you enough to not let her if it happens unintentionally."

"I love you Alana, and I promise that she won't come between us."

"I love you too Ethan." She smiled, then looked at Beth with a wink. "Now, would you please hurry so I can have my seat back?"

"Okay." The blonde teen smiled, then her smile became sly. "But I would really love to cum between you two."

"Done." Ethan wrapped an arm around Beth and rolled as he sat up, half tackling Alana with Beth in his arms so the blonde ended up on top of Alana with Ethan still inside of her, sandwiching his second wife in between them. The wood elf yelped slightly in surprise, then began to kiss the blonde's neck and run her hands along her side while Ethan started making her wish come true.

* * *

"Ellis?" Sarah gently shook his shoulder trying to revive the unconscious guardsman. "Ellis, come on."

"Do we have any smelling salts?" Amy asked from beside her as the two women knelt by the side of the road.

Sarah was doing everything in her power not to look at the bodies nearby or think about what had just happened. It was just like the other times, only she didn't usually kill anyone and this time she had. She wasn't sure what to think about that. Those men had certainly been evil and they might've killed them; they almost certainly would've raped them. She wasn't sorry that they were dead, but she wished she could change her role in their deaths.

"Sarah?" Amy said, obviously trying to get her attention in a gentle way.

"Sorry." She shook her head and looked around. "Maybe among some of the supplies?"

"I'll look." Amy started to get up but Sarah put a hand on her arm.

"Let me." She didn't add that it would give her something to do besides think about what had just happened.

She rummaged around in the saddlebags for several minutes before she found what she was looking for. The entire time she was trying not to see the dead bodies out of the corner of her eye. Once she'd found the smelling salts, she returned to the unconscious man, unstoppered the bottle, and then waved it under his nose.

Ellis groaned.

He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hand on his head as he made a few moaning and groaning sounds.

"What happened?" He asked after a few seconds.

"We were attacked." Amy replied. "A mage threw you into a tree."

The man started trying to get up almost instantly, but he was clearly still woozy and lost his balance while still lying down.

"We're safe now." Sarah said quickly so he didn't hurt himself.

"Oh thank Illuminar -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Sarah and Amy echoed.

"Give me a few minutes to heal myself." He groaned again and relaxed on the ground, looking like he could use a long nap.

Several minutes later he opened his eyes and sat up, blinking and slowly shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked.

He nodded. "Lord Delmar insists that his castle guards be able to heal themselves and others; I'll live." He winced. "This headache though."

"How can we help?" Sarah asked.

Ellis looked around at the slightly mangled bodies, then at Sarah.

She nodded but didn't meet his eye.

"Brigands?" He asked.

She nodded again.

"They made it sound like they were going to..." Amy trailed off as she looked at the other woman present. "Sarah saved us."

"I have a small trenching shovel." He said after a moment. "A shallow grave is the best I can do, but they should be buried."

"I'll help." Sarah said, then swallowed hard. "You shouldn't have to clean up after what I did, especially in your condition."

Ellis stood up.

He didn't look like he was in perfect health, but he didn't waver on his feet either. "After the trials that I had to pass to qualify for Lord Delmar's castle guard, this is nothing."

"I should still help." Sarah said quietly.

"If you wish miss." He nodded.

It took longer than she thought it would to accomplish the task. Ellis picked a spot with soft earth just off the road and after some debate had allowed Sarah to start digging. She was no stranger to using a shovel and did reasonably well while Ellis dragged the bodies over. Sarah did her best not to look at them. Ellis took the shovel from her and started digging when that was done; he was very fast.

It wasn't long before the hole was large enough and Sarah insisted on helping him put the bodies in it. Since she was wearing a self-cleaning dress, she also insisted on helping him put the earth back into the hole. She was muddy and sweaty when they were done, but she felt like she needed to do this. Amy helped however she could, but there wasn't much she could do.

Ellis stowed the shovel and returned to the mounded earth. He glanced at the ladies and then began to recite the core words of a funeral service. "A man's spirit comes from Illuminar and to Illuminar it returns; blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Amy and Sarah echoed, the latter trying to keep her eyes dry. Not for the men who had died, but for what she had done.

She sniffled slightly.

Ellis continued. "As Illuminar formed man out of the earth, so we return these men to the earth. May Illuminar have mercy on their souls."

"Amen." Sarah and Amy said. If they had been burying good men, they would've said: 'May Illuminar welcome them into His rest' instead of asking for mercy on their souls. These weren't good men. Despite that, Sarah couldn't help but blink to keep the liquid in her eyes from spilling onto her cheeks.

Ellis looked at Sarah. "You are a good woman miss."

Sarah looked at him. "What?"

"Those tears are either for these wicked men or for regret at your actions." He replied. "Either speaks well of you. You insisted on helping to bury them, plus your friends and superiors at the castle think the world of you. You are a good woman miss"

"I let it out." Sarah admitted quietly, not wanting to mislead him by not saying anything. "I could've kept it in longer, but I chose not to. I let it out."

She felt her throat get tight.

It was only the second time she'd intentionally let her demon out, the other time being to protect her father not long before meeting Ethan. She didn't know how to feel about that. She had intentionally allowed a demon to manifest.

"You did it to save Amy, miss." Ellis replied after a moment. "I won't say that it was right, but I understand."

"I had more control this time." Sarah said after a few moments as she looked at the graves. "Or maybe I should say that I was less out of control. I think that's because I chose to let it out, but I was able to stop it from... Well, it could've been worse."

She swallowed, the tightness of her throat making it a bit harder.

"That changes nothing that I said." Ellis replied. "I am truly sorry for my part in you leaving Karnas." He hesitated. "I do believe that castle is poorer for your leaving it."

Sarah smiled slightly at his kind words. "Really?"

He nodded. "I jumped to a conclusion about you as I wager many others have. It is their loss. You are a good woman, miss."

"Thank you." Despite the events of the afternoon, her heart was a little lighter as they got back underway. For nearly her entire life, people had shrunk away from her when they learned about her demon. Now, she was meeting people who didn't, people who saw her demon as a problem she struggled with and not something that defined her.

She smiled as she thought about Ethan and about how he had been the first person to point out that her problem didn't need to define her. Despite the dark events earlier that afternoon, she felt better about her problem than she had in a good long while.

* * *

"Thanks, but what is it?" Ethan asked as he held the three-foot wide disc of what looked like dragon steel. Luminar Kossel had just given Ethan the gift that he had promised in his letter some time ago, right after he and his wives had emerged from the captain's cabin. It was very late afternoon bleeding into the early evening and Anthiel was starting dinner behind him.

The gift was a fairly flat ring of dragon steel with a three-foot void in the middle. It was only an eighth of an inch thick and the rim around the three-foot opening was only two inches wide. Ethan, all his wives, and Selene were all looking at it.

"Is that dragon steel?" Alana asked, her jaw dropping.

Luminar Kossel nodded. "It is."

"But that must be worth..." The wood elf stared at it.

"A lot." The luminar finished her sentence when she didn't.

"What does it do?" Beth asked.

"It doesn't do anything... without its counterpart."

"Counterpart?" Ethan and Beth asked at the same time.

"I'll get it." The luminar turned and went back to the other airship, only to return with another ring of dragon steel. This second ring was identically sized to the first one but was twice as thick. As the luminar got closer, he turned it so they could see the other side.

The other side had eight gemstones embedded in it, all equally spaced around the outside of the disc. The overall design looked rather familiar though, and it took him a moment to place where he'd seen--

"Oh!" Beth gasped as Alana and Rachel sucked in their breath.

"It's a portal." Alana said after a moment, then she looked at the two pieces. "A linked pair of portals." She looked at the one with the gemstones and then at Luminar Kossel. "I assume the primary one can only open a portal to its counterpart."

He nodded.

"Oh." Rachel lifted her head slightly. "These are for..." She smiled. "That's really thoughtful."

"I try." The luminar smiled.

"What are they for?" Taloni asked.

"Your parents." Luminar Kossel said to Ethan. "From what I've heard--" He glanced at Kendra. "--you have family on Earth that you would like to see again. These will allow that if you can get the receiving ring to them."

Ethan stared.

"You're kidding." He said after several breathless moments, trying to wrap his head around this. He could see his parents again?

Truly?

He had thought that he would never...

His jaw dropped. He could see his parents again? And maybe not just a quick visit, but actually see them again? He could spend a day with them and actually have a relationship with them? He'd thought he would never see them again, but now... He hadn't realized that he was smiling widely until his 'smile muscles' started protesting.

"You're serious?" He finally asked, looking at the portals again. They were large enough to easily crawl through but small enough not to take up much space.

"I am." Luminar Kossel replied. "The enchantments are prepared so that you will need to put a drop of deep mana into both rings. The enchantments are loose enough that anyone who is bonded to you should be able to activate them as well."

"Thank you; thank you so much." Ethan chuckled slightly, not quite believing what he was hearing but loving it anyway. He looked at his wives. "Does anyone want to meet...?" He trailed off as he realized that he had five wives. That certainly wasn't something his parents were expecting because he and Alana purposely hadn't mentioned his other wives when they'd visited.

"That will be... interesting." Alana frowned.

Rachel swallowed hard and pressed her lips together.

"Will they be okay with the fact that you have multiple wives Master?" Talon's wings fluttered a bit.

"Um, I hope so." He frowned. "They might not be okay with it initially, but once they get to know you all, I'm sure they will be..." He paused. "...I think..." He hesitated. "...I hope."

"I hope so too Dominus." Beth said. "I would love to meet them and see what they're like. I hope they like me."

"I'm sure they will." Ethan replied. "You know, once they get used to the fact that they have five daughters-in-law but only one son."

"Tell them that they will get more grandchildren." Luminar Kossel suggested. "My mother -- may Illuminar rest her soul -- would've overlooked almost any sin if it was prefaced with that."

"He's not wrong." Alana smiled as she looked at her fellow wives. "The smile on her face when she found out that I was pregnant was..." She paused, probably looking for the right word. "...well she looked as happy as most of us did when we married Ethan."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

Alana nodded. "She was very nice too. I think it'll be okay. I think."

"I can't meet them unless they come here Master." Taloni pointed out. "I fainted the moment I stepped through the portal, remember?"

"I do." He replied. "Honestly, it might be better if Alana and I can convince them to meet everyone here. They'll be so shocked by portals, magic, airships, and everything else that they won't be so shocked by all of you."

"I like that idea." Rachel said quietly.

Alana took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and the redhead looked less nervous afterwards. Ethan smiled; Alana was so incredibly good for Rachel and it was heartwarming to see.

"Drago, would it be okay if -- just occasionally -- I used the portal to visit Selene?" Kendra asked.

"It would be more than okay, and you can visit more than occasionally." He replied with a wide smile.

For the first time since they had learned about Selene's imminent departure, the raven-haired woman didn't seem like she wanted to cry. Granted she was good at hiding how she felt, but his bond with her always told the true story. She was still sad, but there was some joy mixed with her sadness to counterbalance it.

It was good to feel.

Kendra got the edge of a smile on her face and then she frowned as she looked at their guest. "And what do you get out of this? That much dragon steel would cost an absolute fortune, not to mention the cost of someone enchanting it for you."

"Ah Kendra, some things never change." The luminar chuckled. "The dragon steel I collected myself over many years, I simply pulled some from my stash. Elder Goman is both an archmage and the Ten Kingdom's foremost expert on portals, in addition to being an old friend. When I told him it was for your husband, he happily obliged."

"That doesn't answer what you get out of it." Kendra pointed out.

"I get almost nothing out of it." Their guest replied.

"Almost nothing isn't nothing." Kendra pointed out.

"I'm hoping to get enough goodwill that you'll remember the favor that I called in from you." The luminar replied.

"Why do you want us to capture Lady Ekthros instead of killing her?" Ethan asked.

"That is my business." He replied calmly as if he was simply refusing to say what his bank account balance was to a total stranger.

"And why don't you capture her yourself?" Kendra asked.

"I had the chance long ago; couldn't bring myself to take it." Their guest replied. "Now, she is too well connected and me capturing her would cause problems with some... associates of mine."

"And it wouldn't cause problems if you were holding her?" Kendra asked, clearly skeptical.

"My dear Mrs. Ejder, let me worry about that." Kossel replied. "I cannot be the one to collect her and that is all you need to know."

Ethan raised his eyebrow

Luminar Kossel looked back at him and Ethan got the distinct impression that their guest wouldn't reveal his reasons even under direct torture. He had seldom seen someone so calmly determined before. He frowned, considering for several moments before deciding that nothing had really changed. He still owed the man big time for saving him from Kendra and for instigating his marriage to Alana, not to mention the portals he had just given to them.

"And you would just get goodwill?" Ethan finally asked as he looked at the portals that would allow him to see his parents at will.

"Just goodwill."

"That's a hell of a lot of effort to put in for just some goodwill." He pointed out.

"It is." Their guest acknowledged.

"He spent the last few hours helping to prep me for my mission to Earth." Selene said. "The only thing he asked in return was that I call Smithbond 'Clive' or 'Agent Humphry' once for him."

"You want them to know you're here?" Kendra asked.

"Given everything I've told Selene, they'll know someone from the original mission survived." The luminar replied. "My term of service ended years ago and they wouldn't trust me anymore anyway." He paused. "That's assuming they could find me and force me to come back."

"I suppose that would be hard to do to Balyeera." Ethan said, remembering the nickname their guest had earned while working with the Aldmiri. Apparently it was the name of Luminar's Angel of Death, which said a lot about the man who had earned the nickname.

Kossel looked at Serif. "Someone has been telling stories."

"My apologies if I was out of line." Serif said with a tone of deep respect, bordering on reverence.

Luminar Kossel was standing close enough to Serif that their guest could reach out and smack the crewman upside the head.

Which he did.

It reminded Ethan of how Serif often corrected Raklan, and it was a total NCIS-style 'Gibb's slap'.

"Discretion Serif, discretion; we will talk about this later." Luminar Kossel chided, then turned back to Ethan and his wives.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Kossel said with an amused smile. "Where do you think he learned it?"

* * *

Kendra wandered over to the Midnight Sun after dinner as the sky began to fade from daytime into twilight. Falkaan's ship was still docked with the Argo but the man and his pilot had declined to join them for dinner. There was a single lantern on the Midnight Sun's deck, though Kendra knew the dark elf didn't need it. It was likely for Damon, his pilot.

After dinner, Luminar Kossel had informed Serif and Raklan that they were going for a walk on the ground below to discuss discretion. Serif had merely nodded, but the burly crewman looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the sweet roll tin.

It had been amusing to watch.

Kendra smiled as she stepped on the Midnight Sun; it looked much like it always had and it was good that some things never change. The navy blue paint had faded and the deck wasn't as clean as the Argo's, but the ship was in good shape otherwise. Most of the ship looked like it had seen better days, but everything important looked strong and in perfect repair.

That was Falkaan.

His ship was designed to give the impression that there was nothing on board valuable enough to bother with. Falkaan had once told her that appearances were extremely important if you wanted to go unnoticed. That was the Midnight Sun to a 'T'.

"Welcome." Falkaan said as she finished crossing the leather bridge with a stiffening enchantment that allowed it to function as a gangplank.

"We didn't get a chance to talk earlier with everything that happened." Kendra replied.

He nodded. "Might I offer you a glass of mead?"

"Always." Kendra smiled at the offer of her favorite drink: wine made from honey.

Not long afterwards, they were both leaning against the railing of the Midnight Sun's quarterdeck holding glasses. Neither spoke for a minute or two until Falkaan broke the silence.

"It's good to see you happily married Kendra." He smiled at her. "I would never have thought it possible, but it seems to suit you."

"The road to getting here was long and I didn't have much choice at some parts, but things could've hardly turned out better."

"Would you care to share the tale?"

She did.

As the sky faded from twilight to night, she told him how her life had gone since they had last met and how she'd ended up married to Ethan, though she left out the more intimate parts.

"There is a smile in your eyes and on your lips when you talk about your husband and co-wives." He observed when she had finished her tale. "I have rarely seen a woman so happily married."

Kendra let herself smile.

She let all the emotions she was feeling leak out and didn't try to conceal them. Instead, she just looked at her old teacher doing the one thing he had always chided her for: her tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve. The Aldmiri had beaten that tendency out of her very quickly, but Falkaan always had a lighter touch.

He smiled and took another sip of his mead. "Is it really that good?"

"Better." She replied, then let her face fall. "But Selene is leaving tomorrow."

"I heard."

Kendra reeled in her feelings and put her mask back up. "I lost people on missions with the Aldmiri, but not like this. I didn't know that losing a friend could hurt this much."

"Given the portal, it doesn't seem like you'll truly be losing her."

Kendra inclined her head in concession. "I'll still miss her though."

Falkaan nodded. "It's a blessing to have someone you will miss that much; I have never had that luxury."

"Perhaps it's not too late." She replied. "Perhaps you could find a wife you could trust."

He shook his head. "Even if I could, no elven maiden would want me; I've already lived half my life."

"Then perhaps a human one? Given your age, you could grow old together with a human girl and..." Kendra trailed off as she thought she caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye.

Instantly, Falkaan's eyes tracked to the same spot that she was looking. His dark elf eyes could see much better in the dark than her human ones and they widened.

"Dragon." He whispered, then nodded his head towards the enchanted leather gangplank that was currently connecting the Argo and the Midnight Sun.

It took a moment for Kendra's eyes to adjust, and when they did she saw a black dragon dropping lightly on the railing of the Midnight Sun where the enchanted leather gangplank was. Moving incredibly swiftly, the dragon sliced the two ropes holding it in place and then touched the gangplank. He must've activated it because moments later it instantly became floppy and fell off of the Midnight Sun to hang from the Argo's railing.

Then Kendra's brain caught up to what she was seeing and her eyes went wide.

*Lord Delmar is here!* Kendra thought to everyone, the enormity of that statement only hitting her after she had thought it to everyone.

* * *

Ethan's head snapped up faster than it had ever done before as he whipped around looking for the danger. It only took him a moment to find it. Or rather, Him.

Lord Delmar.

He had never seen the lord's dragon form before and it was a truly fearsome sight. He was large, almost a whole foot taller than Ethan and powerfully built. No, 'powerfully built' didn't do him justice. It wasn't like seeing bodybuilders who sometimes looked like lumps of muscle though. It was some combination of a bodybuilder with an Olympic runner or swimmer. He was a perfect combination of power and grace.

The black dragon jumped and spread his black wings, gliding towards them for barely a moment before landing on the Argo's deck without a single sound. Despite his large size and weight, he moved like a cat on the prowl. As with the previous times he'd seen Lord Delmar's human form, Ethan got the distinct impression that he was looking at an apex predator on the hunt.

He summoned his armor.

The dragon leather pieces flew onto his body and locked in place while his weapons flew to his hands. He placed himself between Lord Delmar and the women who were still sitting around the dinner fire; the pot of stew hadn't even been put away yet. He braced himself, waiting for the black dragon to spring into action.

Then he waited...

...And waited...

...And waited some more.

Lord Delmar did nothing.

Or rather, he did nothing but look. His gaze passed over all of the Argo's crewmembers, pausing a moment to look at each of them before moving on to the next. He said nothing. For some reason, the silence began to grow uncomfortable, like they were displeasing the lord by remaining silent.

It was interesting to contrast Lord Delmar with Kyrupto. Kyrupto had behaved like he owned the place while Ethan had felt like the Drago was an intruder. However, Lord Delmar somehow made Ethan feel like the lord owned the place and somehow Ethan and the rest of the Argo's crew were intruding. They weren't of course, but it felt like they were for some reason.

For almost a full minute, Ethan waited with bated breath for Lord Delmar to attack.

He didn't.

He just stood there.

In that long pause, Ethan had the time to notice things that he might not have paid attention to at other times. The first thing he'd noticed was that the lord didn't carry any weapons, but that wasn't surprising for a Drago. Kyrupto certainly hadn't needed them because his claws were plenty. But the thing Ethan noticed that seemed odd was that Lord Delmar was wearing a signet ring.

It looked like the ones he'd seen on various TV shows that people would use to impress their seal into hot wax. It looked like it was made of dragon steel -- which probably wasn't surprising for a lord -- and it just seemed odd to him. Why would Lord Delmar be wearing a signet ring -- presumably his own -- while he was a dragon? Maybe it contained his disguise enchantment? He didn't see anything else that could, although the lord could've applied the enchantment to himself since he was a dragon.

"Hello there." Ethan said when the silence became too much.

Lord Delmar inclined his head once, but said nothing.

*He doesn't know that we know that he's my father.* Rachel thought to everyone.

*Let's keep it that way.* He replied telepathically, then said aloud. "Who are you?"

The black dragon made a thoughtful sound, but he didn't reply.

"What do you want?" Ethan tried again.

Lord Delmar inhaled slowly and deeply, then exhaled just as slowly and just as deeply. "For the moment, two minutes to speak with Rachel Delmar."

"Ejder." The redhead corrected. "My name is Rachel Ejder."

The lord made a sound that was half thoughtful and half... displeased? Ethan chanced a glance behind himself to see Alana taking Rachel's hand. As usual, the redhead seemed to draw strength from that and her resolve seemed to stiffen.

"And I'm not going anywhere with you." Rachel said. Her tone was strong but not without waver. "If you want to say something to me, you can say it in front of my husband and fellow wives."

Lord Delmar took a step forward.

Ethan didn't think that the black dragon intended to be imposing, or menacing, or intimidating. However, he very much was all of those things. As he stepped, his claws tapped the deck slightly, making a 'click' sound. Ethan thought it must be deliberate, though he wasn't sure why.

The lord took another step. Click.

And another, click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

He stopped about ten feet from them and continued to look at them. For some reason, Ethan got the distinct impression that he and everyone else here was being judged. Not in a catty 'I'm looking down on you' sort of way, but in a truly judicial sense. Ethan had never been tried like a criminal, but somehow he felt like that was happening now. He felt like he was the accused in a courtroom and Lord Delmar was the judge. He wasn't sure why, but somehow he got that impression.

The black dragon looked at them for several moments longer before speaking. "Ethan Ejder, you stand accused of necromancy, the use of dark magic, and murdering numerous Narlotten soldiers." He looked at Alana. "Alana Ejder, you stand accused of murdering numerous Narlotten soldiers and aiding and abetting a necromancer." He looked between them. "Under pain of death, you are required to return to Narlotten to stand trial for your crimes."

"I'm not guilty of anything you've accused me of." Ethan replied. "You've been hunting an innocent man."

"The Narlotten soldiers attacked us without provocation." Alana said. "They set fire to my home without cause, tried to kill me, and nearly succeeded in killing Ethan."

He looked at them impassively, like a stone statue might regard someone who was talking to it. Finally, after several long seconds of silence, he spoke. "According to the laws of Narlotten, you may choose to plead your case before Lord Delmar or an impartial jury. You will have the assistance of counsel for your defense and may call witnesses for the same. However, refusal to surrender will be considered grounds for summary judgment. Surrender."

"Fuck no." Ethan replied. "There's no way in hell I'm walking into the lion's den, and I'm definitely not taking Alana there."

The wood elf nodded.

The lord's face was unreadable.

"This is your last chance." Lord Delmar said calmly, completely ignoring their protestations of innocence. "Surrender and you will receive a fair trial; refuse, and your sentence will be decided here."

"There's no way in hell I'm going to Narlotten." Ethan replied. "Even if you would give us a fair trial -- which I doubt -- that bitch Lady Ekthros would kill us long before it started."

Lord Delmar made a thoughtful sound.

He inhaled slowly and deeply and then exhaled just as slowly and deeply. His eyes flicked to Rachel for the briefest moment, and then he looked back at Ethan and Alana. For some reason, Ethan got the distinct impression that something about this conversation hadn't gone as the lord had hoped. He wasn't sure why, but he got that impression.

Finally, the black dragon spoke. "In the name of Edward Calmarane, who by Illuminar's providence is Emperor of the Ten Kingdoms, sovereign of western domains, and protector of the realm; and by the authority of Alexander Delmar, Lord of Narlotten, sovereign of the middle plains, and master of Lake Tivere; I, Dalgard, son of Teernus, do sentence you, Ethan Ejder, to death for the crimes of necromancy, the use of dark magic, and the murder of numerous Narlotten soldiers."

He looked at Alana. "And by that same authority, I sentence you, Alana Ejder, to death for the murder of numerous Narlotten soldiers and aiding and abetting a necromancer."

The black dragon flexed his fingers slightly and his claws partially slid out. "May Illuminar have mercy on your souls."

Lord Delmar moved.

He moved faster than Ethan could've ever hoped to move. His enhanced reflexes activated and Ethan was able to see the black dragon's claws dig into the deck slightly, giving him the purchase needed to drive forward at such incredible speed. Ethan readied his war sword, but the lord was too close and moved too fast for him to get it into position fast enough.

The lord punched his fist out and flowed like water around Ethan's out-of-position sword to impact him dead center of the chest. He flew backwards, slamming into the cast iron firepot and knocking it over as he tumbled backwards.

"Master!" Taloni nearly screamed.

He managed to roll in mid-air after hitting the stewpot to catch his footing and started charging his war hammer, targeting it at Lord Delmar. Ethan was vaguely aware of Beth and Selene darting past him towards the Argo's rear as he refocused on Lord Delmar, only to see him rounding on Alana. His eyes went wide as he dug his claws into the deck, hoping beyond hope to reach her before Lord Delmar did.

"NO!" Rachel shouted as her father turned, then she thrust her hands out.

Lord Delmar was lifted bodily and blown backwards.

When Ethan had crashed into the stew pot, the firepan below it had been knocked over and spilled hot coals all over the deck. Suddenly, the bright coals were snuffed out as their heat was pulled into Rachel's waiting hands. She compressed the fire into the size of a ping-pong ball and launched it at her father. The fireball streaked through the air, though the lord moved like water again, bending and twisting just enough for it to streak harmlessly by.

It was followed by an arrow.

Alana had apparently used the opportunity to draw her travel bow and release one of the incredibly powerful new arrows at their attacker. This one he didn't dodge. Well, not entirely. Thanks to Ethan's enhanced reflexes, he was able to see the immensely powerful arrow's impact. Lord Delmar -- no doubt with reflexes much like Ethan's own -- had moved his arm so that the point didn't impact his arm, only the side of the arrowhead.

The arrow skittered off and away from the lord's body, but Ethan was gratified to see that the arrowhead had left a not-insignificant mark on Lord Delmar's scales. Perhaps a direct hit would do something?

Lord Delmar started forward again, more slowly this time.

"Ladies, in the cabin." Ethan ordered.

Lord Delmar stopped, then slowly gestured as if to indicate that they were indeed free to go there. "Alana Ejder must stay." He said without moving.

"Anthiel, you go too." Ethan said, not taking his eyes off Lord Delmar.

"Aye, aye captain." The high elf herded Taloni towards the door, but no one else.

Kendra had been on the Midnight Sun of course, but Beth and Selene had already disappeared. Beth he understood -- she had almost certainly run into the captain's cabin to get on the Astral Plane -- but Selene running away from a fight?

She must've gone to get weapons.

"I'm staying." Rachel said, standing behind Ethan on his left side while Alana was behind him to the right.

The moment the door to the captain's cabin had closed and the ladies were safe, Lord Delmar again moved with incredible speed. However, this time Ethan was more ready. He already had his sword out and on point, ready to defend and attack in equal measure.

As the lord closed, Rachel blasted him with another air-ram, this one had far less effect though.

*He countered it.* The redhead thought to everyone. *He can't completely negate them, but he partially--* She cut herself off as she dove to the side as Lord Delmar came at them again.

* * *

Selene ran as fast as she possibly could towards the travel pouch that was always beside her hammock. She internally cursed herself for not having it on her already because she desperately needed the 550 grams of polymer and steel inside, not to mention the ammo.

Wham!

She tripped and fell as she hit something in the semi-darkness of the lower decks. She hadn't taken time to let her eyes adjust and she couldn't see very well so she kept hitting things. She rolled through the fall and kept moving, the lives of her friends likely depending on her speed. She stopped long enough to grab the pistol and the prototype fabric shield that was by the hammock, then turned and ran back for all she was worth.

* * *

Kendra grunted as she finished hauling one of the Midnight Sun's ballistae up from the lower decks, cursing the fact that she wasn't on the Argo. Then again, maybe the ballista would be enough to turn the tide of the fight. Falkaan was behind her, clutching several ballista bolts to his chest with his one good arm and clutching a couple more with the stump of the other.

The dragon huntress dropped the ballista into the socket on the airship's railing and spared a glance at the fight happening on the Argo.

It wasn't good.

Lord Delmar wasn't as fast as Kyrupto, but he was much faster than Ethan and it was obvious that her husband couldn't keep up. Rachel was helping with air-rams and possibly because of the mage, Lord Delmar hadn't tried using his dragon's fire, but it wasn't going well and...

Huh.

Kendra paused for a fraction of a second as she noticed something, then got back to work with renewed speed.

"He's holding back." Falkaan said from beside her as they worked together to get the ballista set up. "The black dragon I mean. He seems to want to avoid hurting Lord Delmar's daughter."

"Yeah." She said, then thought to everyone. *Lord Delmar is holding back, and it looks like it's because he's worried about hurting Rachel.*

*This is holding ba--* Ethan was cut off as he took a particularly nasty hit. He was knocked across the deck, landing flat on his back and probably getting the wind knocked out of him. He smacked into Rachel during the fall and the redhead staggered and started to fall to the deck as well, but was caught...

...by Lord Delmar.

* * *

Rachel felt the powerful arms of her father wrap around her and -- for an infinitesimally short moment -- she almost felt transported back to childhood. She remembered what it was like when she was a little girl and he would hold her in her arms. He even smelled the same. For a moment, she felt like a little girl again and everything felt so much better because her father was holding her.

Then the illusion shattered.

He was holding her too tightly, too restrictively. She couldn't move her arms and could barely move her legs. She felt gravity shift and realized that he had picked her up and--

Her eyes went wide.

He had just jumped over the side of the Argo!

She instantly started wiggling and struggling as hard as she possibly could, but it was no use. He was too strong.

She couldn't break free!

"Rachel!" Alana screamed from somewhere behind her.

*I'm okay.* She thought to everyone, though she didn't feel it. She needed to let Alana know that she--

Oh.

Lord Delmar landed.

He landed in the middle of the road below the Argo and unceremoniously let go of her, dumping her on the ground. He had landed and let her go.

Why?

"Stay." He commanded with the same calm voice ringing with authority that she'd always heard him use in her childhood. He gave her a piercing look for barely a moment before speaking again. "Lord Delmar would be livid if you were injured."

He looked into her eyes for a long moment and then waved his hand between them, almost like he was feeling for something or brushing something out of his vision, though of course there was nothing between them. The corners of his mouth raised ever so slightly, like he was pleased with what he saw in her eyes.

Then he was gone.

He spread his wings, flying upwards and disappearing over the railing of the Argo a few seconds later, surely to reengage her husband and Alana.

Oh no.

Rachel felt the color drain from her face as she realized what was likely to happen with her gone.

* * *

Ethan had only just barely managed to get air back into his lungs when Lord Delmar returned.

*Rachel.* He thought to her as he struggled to his feet, still recovering from having the wind knocked out of him.

*He let me go on the road.* She replied, confusion all over her tone.

Ethan raised his blade and pointed it at Lord Delmar. "Alana, get into the captain's cabin or below decks."

Lord Delmar didn't even spare a glance for her. He kept his eyes focused on Ethan and Ethan stared right back, each looking into the other's eyes. For the briefest moment, Ethan understood. The lord's eyes weren't like Kyrupto's which were laden with haughty disregard for everything except dragons, or like Havorleth's which were greedy and arrogant, nor even like Drousin's which were mostly bored and intelligent.

These eyes were resolute.

Lord Delmar's eyes contained a force of will that even Kyrupto couldn't hope to match. More than anything else, the black dragon was immovable and implacable. Looking into his eyes was like trying to stare down a mountain; there was no chance of winning. Ethan was reminded of the description of the title character in the movie 'John Wick' who was described as: "a man of focus, commitment; sheer will."

That was Lord Delmar.

That was one of the two lords who were determined to kill him.

He gulped and then Lord Delmar attacked again, moving faster than before. Ethan swung his sword so the point was on line, hoping to land a thrust because it would have a higher chance of penetrating the lord's scales. The black dragon modified his advance, coming from lower and more to the side as Ethan thrust out. Lord Delmar used his scale-covered arm to bat at the flat of the blade. Ethan responded by rotating his war sword so the edge made contact and attempted a draw cut.

His dragon steel blade bit slightly.

Not enough, but slightly.

Lord Delmar finished closing the gap.

Ethan tried to draw his sword back for defense or a counterattack but didn't have time. Lord Delmar shot his claws out, thrusting them towards the gaps in Ethan's plate armor.

The world slowed even more as Ethan felt the lord's claws hit a gap between the plates of his armor a fraction of a second in the future.

Ethan reacted to his dragon sense's warning, twisting his torso to make sure Lord Delmar hit his armor instead.

It only partially worked.

Lord Delmar could adjust his aim as fast as or faster than Ethan could adjust his body. Ethan winced as two of Lord Delmar's claws punched through Ethan's scales and dug deep into his torso. He dropped his war sword and called his dagger to his hand. Lord Delmar grabbed that hand as he also jerked his claws from Ethan's wounded side and wrapped them around Ethan's neck.

Ethan tried to claw at the other dragon with his feet, but Lord Delmar's scales were too hard and his claws couldn't gain purchase.

Lord Delmar began to squeeze.

Ethan was pretty sure the lord wouldn't snap his neck, but he could feel the blood flow being cut off and figured he only had 6-8 seconds before he passed out...

...and nothing he was doing was helping.

* * *

Selene made it to the top of the stairs, the fabric shield in one hand and the Glock 26 in the other. She stopped at the doorway from the lower decks, planning to use the frame as a brace to make sure that her rounds landed. A lot of people had misconceptions about pistols being easy to shoot. They weren't, especially under stress. Something to brace against would help a lot.

She looked at the situation and was glad she hadn't taken any longer stumbling around in the dark. Lord Delmar had Ethan by the throat.

Literally.

He was holding Ethan off the ground while he fought, but it didn't seem to be having much effect. The lord's back was to her and Alana had run to the front of the ship, possibly to retrieve an arrow?

Lord Delmar's head flinched slightly, then Beth thought to everyone. *His second eyelid is down; I can't get his eye.*

Selene pulled the pistol up in a firm two-handed grip and braced her arms against the doorframe, took a whole second to aim, and then squeezed off a round aimed at Lord Delmar's center of mass.

BANG!

Lord Delmar let out a strangled growl. He turned and rushed towards her before she could get a second round off. She wanted to try to shoot him as he was approaching, but she might've hit Alana or Ethan if she missed and she wasn't willing to risk that. Instead, she activated the shield and raised it to protect herself from the charging dragon.

Then Lord Delmar arrived.

She just barely saw a clawed hand slashing down towards her face and raised the shield trying to defend herself with her strength-enhancing vambraces active. She was dimly aware of a sharp pain in her cheek before she was knocked backwards into the solid wood of the entryway and the world turned almost instantly to blackness.

* * *

Alana said a silent prayer of thanks to Illuminar for Selene. The Brazilian woman had given her a chance. Not a large chance, but a chance.

One of Lord Delmar's scales was missing.

Alana couldn't tell if it had been broken off, knocked off, or something else and she didn't really care at the moment. The important thing was that right now, Lord Delmar had a chink in his impenetrable armor. It wasn't much, but it might be enough if she could get a proper angle to shoot.

Lord Delmar had swiped his clawed hand at Selene and then body-slammed her into the doorway. Now he was holding the gun, looking at it like a man might look at a cockroach. He inhaled deeply, then tossed it into the air and let out an extremely concentrated stream of dragon's fire. It impacted the pistol and there was a tiny flash like one of the grenades going off but far smaller.

Thwang!

The noise drew Alana's attention. It was Kendra. She was on the Midnight Sun and had apparently fired a boarding ballista at Lord Delmar with Falkaan's help. Sadly, the heavy and relatively slow-moving projectile proved easy for the black dragon to dodge.

Again, the lord inhaled deeply.

Kendra and Falkaan hit the deck as he let out another extremely concentrated stream of dragon's fire and struck the ballista, which burst into flames. However, nothing else caught fire since Lord Delmar's aim had been so precise. The lord turned to look at Selene once more, and that was when the perfect shot presented itself.

Alana wished that she had enough practice with her travel bow to use it at full strength with the new arrows and be assured of a hit on a target that small. She didn't dare chance it though, even with the new arrows. She just wasn't confident enough to hit the tiny chink in Lord Delmar's scale-covered hide. She instead fished one of the older arrows that she'd gotten in Timarou's capital out of her pocket since she had a lot more practice with those.

She drew her bow back, took careful aim, and released.

The arrow found its mark.

The missing scale was right in the middle of Lord Delmar's back. Her arrow had hit that spot but didn't go very deep. This arrow had a slightly broader, flatter, triangular head and one of the two points facing rearward made it under the scales, but no further. It wasn't a mortal wound, but it would be damn painful.

Lord Delmar roared in pain.

* * *

Selene was jolted back to the waking world by the most dreadful sound she'd ever heard. Right near her, the black dragon was roaring, seemingly in pain. The sound very nearly froze her very soul in her chest. This wasn't like Ethan's roars, which were terrifying enough. This one was worse. Far worse. This was on a whole other level. Comparing Ethan's roar with Lord Delmar's was like comparing a puddle to lake, or perhaps a crack in a rock to a canyon.

The sound finally ended and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

The Brazilian woman was vaguely aware of a coppery taste in her mouth and that her mouth was full of liquid. She inhaled and coughed, spitting out rather a lot of blood. She felt cold air in her mouth and a pain in her cheek, so she reached to touch it with her tongue...

And her cheek suddenly flared in pain as she put her tongue through her cheek.

It felt like someone had stabbed her cheek with a branding iron. The black dragon had apparently cut her cheek deeply enough that her tongue could go through the slit the cut had created. She touched her cheek with her hand and thankfully it seemed like the cut was the only damage, deep and painful though it was.

She spat out the blood again and started healing the wound. She staggered to her feet, all too aware of the dragon mere feet from her. Behind the black dragon, a steel-gray dragon was rising from the deck and calling his war sword back to his hand.

Selene clutched her side which seemed to have taken the impact; she started healing that too.

Lord Delmar tried to reach behind himself to grab the arrow but he couldn't. By luck, skill, or divine providence, the arrow had landed in that one spot on the back that a person simply couldn't reach no matter how much he stretched. Sadly it didn't look like the arrow had punctured the wing. It had struck between them and just to one side of the spine, but the black dragon wouldn't be removing that arrow anytime soon.

Not by himself anyway.

Selene continued healing her cheek as Lord Delmar tried to remove the arrow without success. By this time, Alana had another arrow nocked and Ethan was starting to approach. The old saying about sharks smelling blood in the water seemed to apply to dragons as well.

Well, maybe.

Given the beating that Ethan had taken, she was pretty sure that Lord Delmar could still kill everyone on the Argo easily, even with an arrow sticking out of his back.

Worse, they'd shot their only shot.

Her pistol was nowhere to be found and she doubted she'd ever see it again. Without it, she didn't think there was a way to pierce his scales.

*Selene, are you okay?* Ethan thought to everyone.

*I'm good.* She groaned as kept healing herself.

Ethan advanced on Lord Delmar, sword outstretched.

After only a few seconds, the black dragon abandoned his attempt to remove the arrow and then faced Ethan, moving so that his back was no longer to Selene.

"Leave." Ethan said, still clutching his side with one hand. There was blood coming from his side and he was limping in addition to looking a little light-headed, but there was no denying that he was still ready for a fight. Well, he was ready to fight; he wasn't in good shape for a fight.

"Those arrows are barbed." Kendra called loudly from the other airship. "The more you move, the deeper they'll work themselves in."

That seemed to give the lord pause.

He looked around at everyone slowly and methodically, then his eyes flicked to the side of the Argo over which he had deposited Rachel on the ground below. He made a thoughtful sound that seemed to indicate displeasure, but it definitely didn't sound fearful. Finally, after several more seconds, he spread his wings, looking like he was being careful not to move the area around the arrow. He leapt over the side of the Argo and began to fly away, keeping his torso relatively stiff.

*Are they really barbed to work their way deeper?* Selene thought to everyone.

*No, but he doesn't know that.* Kendra replied. *And with as stiffly as he's flying, he won't discover it for a couple of hours at least.*

There were a tense few seconds while Ethan stared after him. Selene's human eyes couldn't see the black dragon at night anymore, but apparently Ethan's dragon eyes could.

*Is he gone?* Taloni asked several more seconds after that.

*Yes.* Beth replied as Ethan staggered in place slightly.

The door to the captain's cabin was instantly thrown open and the Fey teen flew out, took only a moment to look around, and then flew to Ethan's side with her feet never touching the ground.

"I've got you Master." She put her hands on him and presumably started healing his still-bleeding wounds.

"Thanks Tee." He groaned as he sank to the deck.

"Are you hurt?" Anthiel asked Selene as the high elf exited the captain's cabin.

The Brazilian woman assumed that she must have blood on her cheek since she'd already healed her cheek completely. "Yeah, but it's just a cut on the cheek and I've already healed it."

Anthiel nodded and then turned to Ethan. "Captain, I suggest we collect our crew and depart as soon as possible. It would not be wise to be in the same location in case he returns."

Ethan nodded. "I'll pick up Rachel and Kendra when Tee's done healing me, then let's get the hell out of here."

Selene couldn't have agreed more, though in the back of her mind she was wondering who Lord Delmar could possibly get to remove that arrow.

* * *

Fiona was woken from a deep sleep in the middle of the night by Conner crying loudly. No, he was wailing loudly. She sighed; he had been doing so well sleeping through the night lately so she was wondering what had woken him.

Then she heard the knocking.

"Fiona!" Marge was calling. "Fiona, wake up! It's urgent."

"I'm up, I'm up." She replied as she tried to clear the sleep from her eyes and cobwebs from her brain. What in Illuminar's name could Marge be wanting at this time of night? Fiona rolled out of bed, straightened her nightgown, and then went to let Marge in.

"Lord Delmar needs you in his office, as quick as you can." Marge said instantly the moment the door was shut.

Fiona stared at her, sure she'd misunderstood. "What?"

"Lord Delmar sent one of his office guards to wake me." The head cook replied. "I went to his office and he told me to come down here and tell you that he needs you in his office as soon as you can be there, and that he wanted me to watch Conner for you so you could go without leaving your son alone."

The copper-haired woman blinked, then shook her head slowly and kept staring. "I must be hearing you wrong. It's the middle of the night; what could the Lord Delmar possibly be wanting with me at this hour?"

"I don't know and he told me to never tell anyone about this, but he did say it might be a matter of life and death." Marge replied as she picked up the still-wailing Conner from his crib and started rocking him. The boy quieted down rather quickly.

"Go, I'll be here with Conner." Marge repeated.

"Why me?" Fiona asked. "And why at this hour?"

The head cook shrugged, then started gently rocking Conner as his wails continued to decrease.

"I'll be needing to get dressed." Fiona pointed out.

The head cook turned her back. "Get dressed and then get going. Lord Delmar doesn't use phrases like 'it's a matter of life and death' lightly."

"Okay." Fiona finally replied. "I'm not understanding at all, but okay."

* * *

Fiona's trip to Lord Delmar's office was eerie. Surreal. She didn't encounter a single guard on her way.

Not one.

It was weird.

Not that there were usually guards all over the castle, but she couldn't remember the last time she hadn't even seen one. She frowned as she walked, trying to figure out what was going on.

It was even more strange when she arrived.

For as long as Fiona had been at the castle, there were always two guards outside of Lord Delmar's office, even when he wasn't in it. She assumed it was because he didn't want people prying when he wasn't there, but there weren't any guards there now. Not one. For the first time ever, his office was unguarded. Even more strange, he had hung some kind of a curtain over the glass window to his office and no one could see inside. That had never happened before either.

It was very strange.

She hesitated for several long seconds outside the door. A part of her thought that continuing was a bad idea, but it was the Lord Delmar. He had done so much for her that she was willing to trust him even when things were strange.

She knocked.

"Enter." He replied instantly, but something about his tone was off.

She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her.

The fireplace in the room was lit and there was a decent-sized fire in the hearth which was casting a warm, flickering, and pleasant light about the room. As usual, the room was tidy if a bit full. The lord himself was standing by his desk with one hand resting on it. Oddly, he appeared to be leaning on that hand and using it to partially support his weight. He was also facing directly at her so she could barely see his sides, much less his back.

"Can I be helping you milord?" She asked when he didn't speak.

He adjusted the way he was standing and then winced slightly. Fiona had never seen him do that before.

When he spoke, his voice was stiff. "One week ago, I tested your integrity and you refused to divulge some trivial information about Sarah even when threatened."

"Aye, I'm remembering that." Fiona replied. It would've been hard to forget.

"You are here because Lady Ekthros is presently away from the castle and I need the assistance of someone with discretion." He winced slightly, then continued. "You may refuse without consequence, but should you agree to help me, you should know that revealing what I would show you to anyone will merit the death penalty."

Her eyes widened. "Oh?"

He nodded, then winced. "Again, you may refuse without consequence, but if you agree to assist, then you must take this secret to your grave, speaking of it to no one. Ever."

"Marge was saying that it might be a matter of life and death?"

Lord Delmar nodded.

"Well, then I'm promising to not tell a soul." She hesitated. "Well, not without your permission that is."

He nodded. "I have been shot." He turned and Fiona saw--

She gasped.

He had an arrow sticking out of his back. An arrow! She covered her mouth with her hand, scarcely believing it. How could anyone...? To a great and beloved lord like Lord Delmar?

"I need you to remove it." He said.

Fiona suddenly gained a whole new appreciation for how tough Lord Delmar was. For him to be discussing things so calmly with an arrow in him?

Wow.

"I can be doing that." She said after the shock had worn off enough that she realized just how much he needed help.

"There are strength-enhancing armbands on the desk." He said.

Fiona shook herself out of her reverie and quickly moved to the desk to grab them. Thankfully, activatable enchantments all worked the same and anyone who knew how to move their mana could use them. She put them on, activated them, and then felt a slight rush of power in her whole body. The lord turned and knelt down, leaning up against one of the many bookcases in the room. It was good that he did since he was so tall; she wouldn't have a good angle to remove the arrow unless he was kneeling.

"Go ahead." He said.

Fiona stepped up behind him and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll be pulling. Try not to be kicking me."

"I won't." He replied as if it was a statement of absolute fact, like the sky being blue or grass being green.

Fiona carefully grabbed the arrow shaft with both hands after positioning her feet to pull properly. Once she was ready, she spoke again. "Ready?"

He nodded.

"One... Two..." She pulled.

Lord Delmar let out an almost inhuman growl of pain. It was a slightly disturbing sound if Fiona was being honest, and she wasn't sure how a man could be making such a sound. It sounded more like an animal growling than any sound she had ever heard a man make.

The arrow didn't come.

"It's stuck." Fiona said, though she wasn't sure on what. It felt like it was stuck on something hard, but she couldn't imagine what that could be.

"One moment." Lord Delmar stood, wincing slightly as he did, and once again she was struck by their height difference. He was a whole foot taller than she was and probably weighed twice as much, but she highly doubted any of the difference was fat.

"Turn around; I will remove my shirt and perhaps that will help."

"How can you be taking it off with the arrow?" Fiona asked.

"Do not concern yourself." He instructed. "Turn around."

She wasn't sure how he could, but nodded and did so, scarcely believing this strange turn of events. "I'm glad you are trusting me this much." She said after a moment with her back still turned. "You're been so good to me and Conner. I'm not happy you were hurt, but I'm glad that I can be helping."

"Trustworthy women are hard to find." He replied, but didn't elaborate.

Hmm.

Interesting.

"You may turn around." He said after a moment.

Fiona turned and--

Wow.

The last man she had seen with his shirt off was her deceased husband, Sean. Sean was a military man and thus had kept himself in excellent shape. He had been wiry with lean muscles that she had definitely appreciated on their wedding night and many, many times thereafter. Lord Delmar was like that, only better.

Every one of his muscles was lean, hard, and well-defined. She wouldn't have been surprised to learn that he could lift one of those bookcases with the books still on it. But it was more than that; his body almost radiated strength. He looked powerful in every sense of the word, and yet that was combined with an almost cat-like grace.

Suddenly, the copper-haired woman felt a bit warmer than she had a few moments ago; had the fire started burning a little hotter?

"Fiona, the arrow." Lord Delmar said.

It took half a second for the copper-haired woman to tear her eyes from his torso and look up into his eyes. It took another second beyond that to collect her thoughts.

She nodded. "Right."

Lord Delmar again turned around and knelt down, putting the arrow at an angle that she could reach. She couldn't help but notice that his back was every bit as nice as his front. She looked at the arrow and was about to grab the shaft again when she realized something.

The wound looked... wrong.

There was no blood around the wound even though there was blood on the shaft. It didn't even look like there was a hole in his skin. In fact, other than the fact that there was an arrow sticking out of him and he was undeniably in pain, he didn't look wounded at all.

Strange.

Frankly, everything about this night was strange.

She put it out of her mind, got herself into position, grabbed the leather arrow shaft again, and pulled. Lord Delmar let out another inhuman growl of pain but the arrow didn't budge.

"It's still caught on something milord." Fiona said, entirely unsure what to make of that fact or the impossible-looking non-wound wound. "I can't be seeing what though. It's almost looking like there isn't a wound here at all, so I can't be seeing what it's stuck on."

He nodded and then stood, wincing slightly as he did. He turned around and looked her in the eye, his gaze piercing. He did this for several long seconds, his face unreadable.

"Is there anything I can be doing to help?" Fiona asked.

"Swear to me by Illuminar Himself that you will never reveal what I am about to show you."

"I swear by Illuminar that I'll be keeping your confidence unless you yourself are releasing me from this oath." She replied instantly.

He looked at her for almost a whole minute before speaking. "I am not human."

Fiona stared at him. "What?"

"I am not human." Lord Delmar repeated. "I am a dragon using a powerful disguise enchantment."

What?

How could...

Although those noises he just made...

But a dragon?

She stared at him for several seconds, tempted to laugh at the idea but seeing no trace of mirth or jest on his face. "You're being serious?"

"I am."

The lord looked into her eyes and she could see the enormous and vast power of his will there. On more than one occasion she had found it hard to meet his eyes and dragons were reputed to be like that. But Lord Delmar... he couldn't be a... could he?

"You do not believe me." He stated.

"I'm finding it hard milord."

"I will deactivate the disguise enchantment slowly. Do not scream."

She nodded.

Over the next several seconds, Lord Delmar's shape changed. His human features morphed into a dragon's features and his trousers faded into black scales. In just seconds, Lord Delmar was gone and a black dragon of his exact size stood in his place. Something about the way that Lord Delmar carried himself remained though. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the posture and body language were definitely the same even with the different body.

On his chest was a necklace of what looked like dragon steel. It was a large disc a few inches in diameter and rather thick, and she assumed that the disguise enchantment must be housed there.

"The arrow is likely caught on one of my scales, which is likely preventing its removal." Lord Delmar said. His voice was the same as Lord Delmar's. His tone was the same as Lord Delmar's. Even his body language was the same as Lord Delmar's.

Fiona stared.

She kept staring, her mind having trouble wrapping itself around this. Lord Delmar was a dragon? A dragon? The lord of Narlotten -- the one who was so devoutly committed to the country's wellbeing, who brought such peace and prosperity, and who enforced its laws so ardently -- he was a dragon?

"The arrow, Fiona." Lord Delmar said. "Will you still remove it?"

"Right, you're still needing help." Fiona shook her head slightly to clear it, feeling like her entire world had been turned upside down. Regardless, Lord Delmar needed her help, dragon or not.

He once again turned around and knelt down, though there was perhaps a bit of reluctance in his movement this time. Did he think she would hurt him? Regardless, Fiona could easily see the problem now. The corner of the arrowhead had gotten lodged under one of Lord Delmar's scales.

She stopped.

She took a moment to absorb the utter lunacy of that statement, except that she was seeing it with her own two eyes. His voice and mannerisms were the same, but still... She teetered on indecision for a moment before realizing that even if it wasn't the Lord Delmar, this dragon was still someone who was hurt and was needing help. She intended to help him.

She took a moment to examine the wound. "Okay, I'll need to be pulling the arrow down and to the right pretty far, so I'm sure it'll be hurting."

"That is fine." He replied as if being told that he was about to be in extreme pain was a normal or mundane thing that didn't bother him.

"Okay, here I'm going." In one smooth motion, she pushed the arrow down hard enough to unhook the one arrow point from his scale and then pulled. It came, though she might've found it hard without the strength-enhancing armbands.

Lord Delmar inhaled sharply, but otherwise made no sound or motion.

"It's out." Fiona said, feeling a bit awkward.

"I'm healing." He replied as she stood, and she thought she saw the wound starting to close before he turned.

The black dragon stood and Fiona couldn't take her eyes off of him, and not in the same way as when he'd taken his shirt off... Hmm. She realized that he must not have taken it off since it was never real to begin with. Even with the scales, she could see that he was every bit as powerfully muscled as the disguise enchantment had made him look.

After a minute, Lord Delmar took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you Fiona. You may go if you wish, but I have one other thing I wish to discuss if you would be willing to tarry for a short time."

"I..." She hesitated.

It was the Lord Delmar.

There could be no doubting that. His voice, his mannerisms, his body language, the ways he spoke, the tone and cadence of his voice; everything matched. He really was a dragon. She wasn't knowing what to make of that. It felt like her entire world had shifted just slightly to learn that he wasn't human.

Still, he had done so much for her and her Conner that she didn't feel right not at least hearing him out. Besides, he had trusted her with a secret that could possibly end his entire reign; she felt like she should be trusting him in return.

"I can be staying for a minute, but I should be getting back to bed. I'm working in the morning."

"I shall tell Marge that you have been excused for the day."

"Thank you."

"As you know, Narlotten is without an heir." Lord Delmar began. "My daughter cannot produce a legitimate heir since she was disinherited and I have no wife to produce one since Helene died." There was the tiniest variance in his tone when he said his deceased wife's name. It was too subtle for Fiona to divine its meaning though.

"Aye, the whole kingdom is wanting you to marry again."

"I have not remarried because I have not found a woman whom I could trust with my secret." He then looked at her pointedly. "However, as of tonight, a woman of childbearing age knows my secret. A woman who has passed an uncommonly difficult test of integrity and discretion, and this woman is also well spoken of by all who know her."

Fiona stared.

He wasn't suggesting...

...was he?

He continued. "As a matter of practicality and not romance, would you -- Fiona McWilliams -- consider becoming the first lady of Narlotten so you could bear a son to be the heir to Narlotten's throne?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began and ended on day 102 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms. (The ending with Fiona is technically on day 103 though) I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, and they usually drop after the 2-3 day review process. Thus I'll submit the next chapter on February 28th and it'll probably drop on March 1st or 2nd.

To the two most recent anonymous commenters on chapter 52, I'm so glad that Lucien's speech helped you. :) To the one, I'm so glad you passed your test! Congratulations! ^_^

I'd like to extend a very special thanks to two of my patrons, one of whom didn't want to be credited by name. So "Anonymous" and Joseph: thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

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