A Tale of Dragons

Chapter 16

"Night."

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

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

"Are you okay?"

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

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

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

"I can't even imagine."

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

"I'm sorry."

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

"It'll get easier. I promise."

"Oh?"

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

"I didn't know they died." Ethan said. "I'm sorry."

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

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

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

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

He chuckled. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

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

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

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

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

Not long after, she drifted off to sleep too.

Rachel Delmar was in a truly foul mood. She was pacing back and forth near the bonfire in the center of the camp and throwing murderous glares at anyone who got too close. Not that many did get close because it was the middle of the night and they were all on lookout duty.

Her plan wasn't working. Why wasn't it working?

She was even more disturbed that she'd enacted the plan in the first place. k********g wasn't exactly her life's ambition and she found the idea abhorrent. Yet here she was -- masterminding a k********g. Although, given who her father was, she wasn't really couldn't be too surprised at the plan she'd come up with. You learned a few things being the daughter of a brilliant but malevolent asshole.

But why had she acted on the idea?

Rachel absentmindedly played with her ring. Why was she being such a horrible person?

"My lady." One of the lookouts interrupted her thoughts.

"What!" Rachel whipped around to stare at him. Behind her, the fire flicked ominously.

The lookout dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry my lady, but Wurven is growing impatient. He said the mercenaries are..." the lookout trailed off at her glare.

"Wurven can go f**k himself." Rachel retorted. In the back of her mind, she wondered when she had become so mean. She had never been like this before.

"That sad little man isn't in charge here, I am!" Rachel snapped. "Did he arrange for the children to be kidn*pped? Did he smuggle them out of town? Does he even have the brainpower to come up with a plan like this?"

"He's... He's our leader and... and..." The lookout stammered trying to respond but Rachel cut him off.

"I don't give a flying f**k what Wurven wants." Rachel said. "All he needs to do is stay out of the way until the dragon and the elf show up, then do some killing. Now get back to your post before I decide I need to practice fighting them now."

Rachel pulled some heat from the fire and formed a small fireball in her hand. The lookout ran away as fast as he could while trying to pretend he wasn't actually on the verge of soiling his breeches. Rachel let the fireball dissipate and resumed her pacing. She really hated that dragon and elf...

Rachel stopped.

Something was definitely wrong. She had never hated anyone without meeting them before. She didn't even know what they had done to deserve her father's ire. She shook her head. This wasn't right. There was something that wasn't right. She shook her head trying to clear it.

The skin under her ring was itching again.

Rachel had just decided to give up the whole hunt, when she reconsidered. It was almost like another person was in her head telling her how great it would be if her father was pleased with her. It spoke of a warm welcome and him calling her his little girl again.

Rachel kept up this mental battle with herself for almost an hour. On the one hand she wanted to leave and scrap the whole plan. On the other, she felt like she had to finish it.

"Please could I have some water?" A female voice called out from the captive's tent. Rachel looked around; she was alone. Everyone else was either sleeping or on lookout duty. She huffed, grabbed a skin of water and walked into the tent.

The captives were still tied to the center pole with their hands behind their backs. The boy was asleep, but the girl -- almost a woman really -- was awake and alert. She had long, golden-blonde hair that reached almost to her waist. Her face was small and round with a touch of natural red in her cheeks. Her blue eyes were alert and attentive, but young and full of questions with no trace of fear in them. She couldn't be much older than eighteen.

"Thank you." The girl said as Rachel tipped the skin up to her mouth.

As Rachel looked at them, she wanted to release them right now. She should release them. What had they done to deserve this? Rachel had half decided to untie them when the other voice almost commanded her to leave them alone. They were part of the plan, and she couldn't hurt the plan because Lord Delmar wouldn't like it.

Rachel hovered with indecision for a few moments. The skin under her ring itched again and she twisted it on her finger.

"That's a beautiful ring." The captive girl said. "Where'd you get it?"

"What's it to you?" Rachel snapped back.

"I'm just making conversation. I heard you threaten the bandits not to... um... 'have their way with me' earlier and I wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome." Rachel said, and again she wondered why in the world she was holding this girl captive. She had just decided to release her when the other voice made a powerful argument to keep her here. Rachel was hovering on indecision when the blonde girl interrupted her thoughts.

"Your ring just glowed a little." The girl said. "Is it enchanted? It looks enchanted."

"Of course not." Rachel said. "My father said it wasn't enchanted so it's not."

In the back of her mind, Rachel heard her own words and knew they sounded false, even forced. She wondered where this absolute conviction in her father's word came from. She had seen him lie often enough to know he was a master at it.

"Who's your father?"

"Lord Delmar, and you ask a lot of questions."

The blonde girl smiled. "I always have. My father eventually taught me to read so I could find the answers for myself instead of always asking him."

"He sounds nice." Rachel's mind went back to the fight with her own father in the great hall. Without another word, Rachel left the tent. One of the lookouts was standing nearby, trying not to look as if he was eavesdropping. A glare from Rachel sent him scurrying away.

It didn't make her feel better.

* * *

Ethan woke up to a warm weight draped across his chest. His dragon eyes could see just well enough to know it was Alana. It was strange, he hadn't known her for very long but for some reason her snuggling up to him like this felt very natural. Through their bond, he could sense she was feeling happy and content.

He wasn't sure how he felt.

Alana had saved his life, plus she was kind, sweet and beautiful. Everything in him wanted to nurture and pursue his budding attraction to her. However, every time he thought about taking things in that direction, his mind drifted back to his ex.

He didn't want to go through that again.

Lying there with her on top of him made him reconsider, but he just couldn't do anything about it. The wounds were still too fresh. Eventually he decided it would be best to gently roll her off of him before waking her so she wouldn't know she'd been snuggling with him.

It was a great idea in theory, but in practice he was having a little trouble with it, simply because he liked having her there so much. He lay there with Alana sleeping pressed against him for another ten minutes before he worked up the willpower to wake her.

"What?" Alana said sleepily after Ethan gave her a gentle shake.

"It's time to wake up I think." He said, pushing the trapdoor open and sitting up. The full moon was past halfway through the sky. He guessed it was about four in the morning.

She stretched and let out a loud yawn. In the moonlight, with her hair a complete mess, she was absolutely gorgeous. Ethan caught himself staring and quickly looked away.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "No, why?"

"Oh, I just felt... Through our bond I mean, I thought you were... Never mind."

Ethan grabbed the spear and stood up. "Shall we."

"If we must." Alana said through another yawn. "How's your mana?"

"It's... Wow, it's partially refilled since yesterday." Before they had left the inn, he had checked and his mana was almost empty. However, there was definitely more now than before.

"Hmm. We haven't been near any gold." She noted.

"I know, and there isn't any gold nearby." He replied, using his dragon sense to scan for any in the vicinity.

"Well that's odd." She said, and then glanced up at the moon. "I'd love to talk more about it, but we should get going. We want to be there before the sun starts coming up."

"Lead on."

He fell into step behind her. From there, he couldn't help but admire her hair. It was still untidy from the wind during their flight, but they way it cascaded down her shoulders was just so attractive...

He started on all fours, but his head was at about the level of her butt, and he found himself staring at it a little too often -- although in his defense she did have a perfect bubble butt. Thereafter, he reverted to walking on two legs.

Alana set a fast pace, but he was able to keep up with her without difficulty. After an hour, she slowed. Through the trees just ahead, he could see a bonfire burning. It looked like it was set on the peak of a small rise in the ground. The area around it had been cleared of trees and several tents had been set up.