Thayle opened her eyes to discover the world was not how she remembered it. Around here were dark trees, and above was a clear sky full of stars. She felt warm and deeply loved as she lifted her head to discover she was in Lilly's arms. Lilly stood barefoot in the forest beside the camp cradling Thayle wrapped in a blanket.
“Lilly?” Thayle whispered. “Sweetheart, what are you doing?”
“Showing Balisha my treasure,” Lilly said softly.
Thayle was confused for a moment before she realized she was the treasure.
“Oh, Lilly,” Thayle said softly and nestled into her neck. “Did you carry me all the way out here?”
Lilly nodded, and only then did Thayle notice the tears.
“Lilly?” she said again as she lifted a hand. “Why are you crying?”
“I don’t want to live without you two,” she said. “I can’t live thousands of years missing you being in my arms.”
Thayle felt the pain now over the bind and wrapped her arms around the upset dragon.
“Sweetheart, I would stay with you forever if I could. I never want to be apart from you, but you and I don’t get to make that decision.”
“That’s why I was talking to Balisha, maybe she can help,” Lilly said. “She wanted us to love each other, well I do, and I don't want to lose you!”
“Everything has it's time, and when its time is done, it has to pass on,” Thayle said. “Even dragons pass away eventually.”
“It's not right,” Lilly sniffed. “Your lives are so full of meaning and purpose, and yet they are so terribly short. My life will go on for longer than most of you remember your history, and it will be empty and pointless.”
“Nothing you ever do will be empty or pointless,” Thayle said. “You will continue to grow and become something even greater than you are now.”
“A life without you and Gersius is pointless,” Lilly said. “I look back on the life I had and realize how wasted it was. Now I look ahead, and I realize that someday I will be alone in that cave again dreaming of the love I once had.”
“Stop,” Thayle said as tears came to her eyes. “Lilly, we promised we weren’t going to talk about this anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Lilly replied as she held Thayle tight. “I just wanted Balisha to know how much you meant to me.”
A snap of twigs caused Lilly to turn and see a shirtless Gersius standing in the dark of the woods.
“I followed the sudden pain in the night,” he said. “What has my wives so upset?”
Lilly lowered her head as Thayle caressed her cheek.
“Lilly is asking Balisha to keep us together,” Thayle said. “She doesn’t want to live without us.”
Gersius walked up and stood before Lilly, who kept her face down as she started to cry.
“My wife, I will never leave your side,” he said.
“You don’t know that,” Lilly replied. “You have nearly died three times since we met. If the war doesn’t kill you, time will, and I will be without your love to give me purpose.”
“You don't need me to have a purpose,” Gersius said. “And you will have something that will always remind you of us.”
Lilly looked up with wet eyes. “What?”
Gersius put a hand to Thayle's stomach. “Children,” he whispered. “You will be their eternal mother, and no matter how many years may come, you will always have descendants of our family to look after.”
“But they won’t be you and Thayle,” Lilly said with a shake of her head.
Gersius reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Sometimes you encounter things that are beyond your control, and you have to accept the pain they bring. You can't hold on to us forever, Lilly. We would stay if you could, but only dragons live for thousands of years.”
“Why do you humans love if it causes such pain?” Lilly asked.
“Because love is what drives the human heart,” he said. “Without it, we have no reason to exist.”
“I wish I knew what drove a dragon's heart,” Lilly said. “Because we have no reason to exist.”
Gersius wrapped his arms around them both and held them firmly.
“You exist so I can have the pure and untainted love I always wanted. That wells up from a deep pool of innocence whose waters are as clear as the night sky.”
Lilly smiled as his words began to soothe her heart, and she let out a deep sigh. Gersius cradled her head to his and held her until she relaxed.
Thayle smiled and folded her arms even as Lilly cradled her stared at Gersius.
“Is something wrong?” he asked when he noticed the stare.
“I hope you have a good reason for loving me,” Thayle questioned.
“You are part of that same love,” he teased.
“Uh, huh,” Thayle said. “But my love doesn't well up from a deep pool of innocence, does it?”
“No, your love is more like that of a great and wise woman. She has seen all the failings of love and the weaknesses of men. She will not give her heart away except to the man who can rise above all the others. So you are like a crown to my head, because you have chosen me to love.”
“Alright, I will accept that answer,” Thayle said with a smile.
“Besides, you are hardly innocent,” he said.
“Hey!” Thayle cried. “I will have you know I am still innocent. I’m just not as innocent as Lilly.”
“You two say I am innocent, but I don’t know what that means,” Lilly said.
Thayle ran her hand down the back of Lilly’s head softly.
“Sweetheart, that you don’t know is part of what makes you so innocent. Your heart isn’t full of scars from loves that went wrong or lovers who betrayed you. So many people carry terrible wounds deep inside because of love that failed. May you never carry a single one.”
Lilly smiled and cradled Thayle tighter as Thayle stroked the back of her head.
“How long have you been holding her?” Gersius asked.
Lilly thought back and decided it had been about twenty minutes.
“And, your arms are not tired at all?”
Lilly shook her head gently as she gazed down on Thayle. “She is very light.”
“Thank you,” Thayle said with a pleased smile.
“Lilly, even my arms would be tired by now. You must be holding on to her some other way.”
“What are you saying?” Lilly asked.
“You wanted to know why Thayle and I can draw on your power, but you can’t. Maybe this is you calling on your dragon power,” he said. “Your love draws it out so you can carry your Thayle.”
Lilly smiled and looked down at the women in her arms.
“I love my Thayle,” she said softly.
“You do know there are more Thayle’s in the world than just me?”
Lilly nodded, “But those aren’t mine.”
“Well, at least I get to be the only Thayle who is loved by a dragon.”
“We should head back to the tent,” Gersius said as he looked through the trees.
“Why?” Lilly asked as the wind rustled the branches above. “None of us needs to sleep. Why can’t we stay out here and share our love?”
“Share our love how?” he asked.
Lilly smiled and swung Thayle down, planting her feet on the damp ground. She then ran her hands over Thayle's shoulders and pulled the blanket away, revealing the naked woman inside.
“Let’s play with my Thayle.”
“Do I get any say in this?” Thayle asked, feeling very exposed.
“We can stay here until just before dawn,” he said. “Then we need to sneak back to the tent to begin our morning routine.”
“Wait, how did we get out past the guards?” Thayle asked.
“I told them I was going to pray,” Lilly said.
“You carried me naked passed the perimeter guards?” Thayle asked, alarmed.
“You weren't naked. I had you wrapped in a blanket.”
Thayle covered her face as Lilly handed the blanket to Gersius. He spread it out on the ground, and Lilly guided Thayle down.
“I can’t believe you are a dragon,” Thayle said as Lilly laid her back on the blanket. “You hunger for affection like no woman I have ever known.”
“I have five hundred years of affection to catch up on,” Lilly said. “And you are going to give me all that time back.”
Thayle closed her eyes as Lilly pounced on her and was joined a moment later by Gersius. For the next few hours, her only purpose in life was to bring her lover's pleasure. A purpose she sincerely hoped always to be needed for.
When the morning came, they lamented the need to rise from each other's arms. They made their way back to camp with Lilly carrying Thayle again. The guards took note of the strange arrival but only nodded and walked on.
They cleaned and dressed with Thayle taking time to braid Lilly's hair into a series of loops. They then went about the morning chores of training acolytes and leading prayer services. The morning meeting brought news from the scouts that the soldiers would arrive by late morning. Gersius decided to break down the camp and add them in to march immediately. Enough time had already been spent here, and they needed to get moving. The last orders of supplies were placed in the city, and the camp fell into a bustle of energy as tents came down, and wagons were packed.
Gersius took time to spend with both Lilly and Thayle to practice the sword. He wanted to teach Thayle a particular combat style that he thought would help her. For Lilly, it was basic sword maneuvers and how to place her feet. He wanted her to train with a long slender sword that was suited to graceful combat over brute force.
He decided to work with her by standing beside her and going through some basic steps so she could mimic them. She did her best to follow his movements with the delicate sword in hand. She commented twice that he made them look easy, as she tripped over her own feet.
“Why do I need to learn this?” she asked in frustration.
“You need to know how to defend yourself.”
“I do know how to defend myself,” Lilly said. “I claw people apart and breath ice on them.”
“You can’t go into buildings as a dragon.”
“I can tear the roof off,” Lilly replied.
“Think of how you were stuck outside of Lengwin's tower,” Gersius reminded her. “Not to mention, you never know when the danger might come. You may be caught indoors in your human form.”
“I suppose,” she said as she gave the sword a few quick swings. “Why is my sword so much thinner than yours?”
“That is a saber,” he said. “A light fast sword best used against lightly armored opponents.”
“What if I have to fight somebody heavily armored?”
“You can still defeat heavy armor. It just takes some skill to find the weak points.”
Lilly held the blade out and tried to remember the steps he showed her. She took three paces while working the blade in a tight circle.
“How was that?”
He tossed his head. “Better, but you look ridged in your motions.”
“I never dreamed I would need to know how to fight with a sword,” Lilly laughed. She made another quick slash and looked at her empty hand.
“Do I get a shield like Thayle?”
“You will fight open-handed,” Gersius said.
“Why?”
“It suits the blade better. This is a fast weapon better suited to being on the attack. A shield is more for styles that focus on defense.
“Oh,” she said and tossed the blade to her other hand. “So, why not use two swords?”
He smiled at the honest question. “That is a complicated fighting style to master. Most people find two blades very difficult to use.”
Lilly shrugged and walked through the steps swinging the blade with her left hand.
“It feels the same,” Lilly said.
Gersius raised a brow as he saw her fluid use of her left hand. “Wait here a minute,” he said and left the tent. He returned a few minutes later with a second saber and handed it to her.
She smiled and slashed both blades in the air in a scissoring motion. “So, how does this change the steps?”
He took up a second practice sword and showed her how to hold the second blade as she walked through the attack. To his amazement, she followed it perfectly though still rigidly.
“Let me show you another maneuver,” he said as he stood before her.
She watched as he went through a back step slashing with his left hand while his right hand was out, then stepped forward, cutting up with his right hand as his left rotated back. He made a series of five quick cuts by switching between weapons.
Lilly tried to mimic the attack and stumbled the first few times. He showed her again, and she quickly got the steps and began imitating the rapid slashing attacks.
“You are equally balanced with both hands,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you do not favor a hand. Can you write with both hands?”
Lilly nodded. “Can’t you?”
“No,” Gersius said with a laugh. “Most humans favor the right hand, with a few favoring the left. Very few humans can use both hands equally as well.”
“So, what does that mean?” Lilly asked.
“It means you should train with two weapons because you have a natural skill for it,” he replied.
“She looks very unbalanced doing that,” Thayle said from where she sat watching.
“She is stiff in her movements,” Gersius replied. “When she gets the hang of it, she will look much more fluid.”
Lilly took the stance again and walked through the steps. Her timing was off, and she was thinking every motion out, but she had them in just a couple of examples. More so, she was swinging two blades without them hitting one another or tangling herself up.
“We need to spend more time working on this,” he said. “You have a talent that will make you an excellent sword fighter. However, right now, I want to work with Thayle a little.”
Lilly shrugged and handed the swords back to him.
He practiced with Thayle showing her the moves he wanted her to learn. She too picked up the steps quickly, but she was no stranger to sword fighting. They went over the techniques until the acolytes arrived to pull down the meeting tent. With a kiss, they parted ways to check on the camp and the readiness of the march.
As the morning started to fade, the pikemen arrived to join the army. He greeted them with a speech and informed them of the challenges ahead. He then met with Lengwin one final time before walking to where Lilly and Thayle sat near the rear. They planned to fly ahead and visit some towns in their path and the surrounding countryside. Riders were dispatched to many of these days ago, but Gersius wanted to make sure they were progressing on schedule.
Lilly was already in her dragon form wearing her saddle. She sat close enough to Shadros that he kept looking at her as if annoyed to see the saddle on her back. He fumed at being forced to march again, but at least he was quiet. Mingfe stood on hand to keep him in order, and she spoke to him quietly as he glanced at Lilly in irritation.
“I can feel your anger,” Lilly said, interrupting them. “Why does carrying my lovers bother you so much?”
“You demean yourself,” he said. “They are beneath you.”
Lilly let out a sigh and didn’t look at him.
“You only say that because you don't know the truth. One day you may understand, and you will wish you had done the same.”
“I would never behave as you do.”
Lilly did look at him now with narrow eyes. “Then, you will spend the rest of your life as you began it, Pointlessly.”
He growled, but Mingfe shouted at him, and he turned his head to look away.
Gersius saw the exchange as he walked up in his dragon knight armor. Thayle stood by also in her armor, silently shaking her head. He could feel her concern over the bind, but Shadros's simmering anger overshadowed it.
“Let us go,” he said to push things on. “The sooner we are away from him, the better.”
They climbed up, and Lilly spread her wings, taking to the sky. A few moments later and the column faded behind them, and thankfully so did Shadros's presence in the bind.
“I think we should let him go,” Lilly said.
“Mingfe says she is making progress with him,” Thayle said. “We should give her more time.”
“I will endure him a little longer if you think it will help,” Lilly said. “But I have no faith he will change.”
“He does seem to be taking more interest in what is going on around him,” Gersius said. “I think he lashes out at you because you are a dragon.”
“His constant anger at my loving you is starting to make me dislike him.”
“He is a caged animal being forced to learn something he has no interest in learning,” Gersius said. “He also feels he is so far above us that we couldn’t possibly have anything to show him.”
“But he sees me and my interactions with you,” Lilly said. “Shouldn't that mean something to him?”
Gersius nodded. “I suspect that is why he lashes out at you. You are living proof that he might be wrong, and your existence torments him. So long as you freely associate with us, he can not convince himself he is right. He must say that you are sick or behaving like a fool.”
“Well, whatever his motive, I am growing tired of it,” Lilly said with a sigh.
“Why does he bother you so much?” Thayle asked.
Lilly was silent a long moment before she turned her head to look back and answer.
“Think about last night and how much you two mean to me. I was upset and crying over the thought of you two, passing away and leaving me behind. I see him and his petty anger, and I wonder how other dragons will ever break free.”
“We will give Mingfe a little more time,” Gersius said. “If he was meant to be here, he will show more progress. If not, we will set him free. That is all we can do for him.”
Lilly nodded and turned back to watch the sky as she flew.
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“So, what are we flying out for?” Thayle asked. “I thought Lengwin sent riders to the nearby towns.”
“He did,” Gersius replied. “But I want to make sure they are progressing as we expect, and visit two of the farther ones that did not get riders.”
“How big does our army need to get?” Lilly asked.
“Trust me when I say this is not a big army, and it is certainly not big enough to take Calathen.”
“Do you have a plan to take Calathen yet?” Thayle asked.
“I have one in mind, but it is still too soon to discuss. I need to know what I am working with before I make any solid decisions.”
They let the topic go as the first small town came into view. They landed much to the dismay of the locals who feared Lilly despite the news of her being friendly. Gersius and Thayle went into the town to find it only had a temple of Ulustrah, and that was empty. The locals say it was cared for by one woman who received their letter and left the day before with all she could carry.
“We will likely run into her on the road then,” Gersius said as they climbed onto Lilly’s back.
The next town was larger and had a temple to both divines. Here the two temples were working to make ready but showed clear signs of distrust. Thayle spoke to the two women who ran the temple and assured them the priests of Astikar could be trusted. They begrudgingly agreed to travel with them and promised to be on the way soon.
The next two towns were the same with only a tiny number of people to send on. Once this was done, they flew far the south and east, looking for a large town known as Harpsburg.
“This town is far from our intended path but should have a large temple to both orders,” Gersius said.
“I believe I have heard of the temple here,” Thayle said. “It is large enough to host guests and does local training. It could have a dozen members and some acolytes.”
Lilly flew high, searching ahead with her dragon sight to spot the remote town. She eventually found it and drifted lower as they approached a sprawling collection of buildings.
Below them, a dark cloud came into view that seemed to rise from the town. As they got closer, they could see it was smoke billowing up from some of the buildings.
“There is a fire below!” Gersius called out. “Lilly, get closer and fly around it.”
She nodded her consent and flew lower, going into a long slow circuit around the flames.”
“Ulustrah, protect!” Thayle said in a fading voice. “It's the temple of Ulustrah burning.”
They all saw it now. A large stone building that ended at a rounded wall was burning away. Around it was dense groves of ornamental trees and what might once have been flower gardens. All of it was alight with churning flames casting embers into the air. As they drew closer, they saw an orange flash race across the ground and slam into something with a shower of sparks.
“They are still fighting!” Gersius called out.
“That poor temple!” Thayle gasped. “They have destroyed it!”
“These insects need to learn not to attack my wife’s temples!” Lilly roared as she folded her wings and dived for the temple.
“Lilly, what are you doing?” Gersius squeaked as they took on a terrible speed.
There wasn't a safe place to land that put them close enough to the battle. She was either blocked by tall trees or flames or both. She had a burst of inspiration as she closed and veered for the flat roof of the temple. With a gout of ice, she silenced the flames and kicked up a cloud of frost and smoke. She landed on the roof and stalked angrily to the edge.
People below yelled and screamed as the temple was engulfed in a cloud of freezing white snow, and steam. The cloud obscured their view as Lilly leaned out over the top of the roof.
There were at least a dozen priests of Astikar most of them in a rough formation with swords in one hand and the other empty to call on the power of Astikar more easily.
Against them struggling to hold their ground were seven priestesses of Ulustrah. Two of them were down already, and several of the others were battered and bleeding.
The priests from both sides looked to the temple as the cloud erupted with a deafening roar. From the mist, two flaming blue eyes appeared, causing blood to run cold.
“The next one of you who dares to attack a follower of Ulustrah dies!” Lilly roared in her dual voice as the steam and haze began to clear, revealing her fearsome form.
Gersius stood on her back with Thayle at his side and glared down on the men below. His silvers dragon armor reflected the light of fires all around him and made him look grand. Thayle stood beside him with a deadly stare and frowned at the devastation below.
“Priests of Astikar stand down!” Gersius ordered.
The men below stepped away from the great and terrible beast on the top of the temple. Several of them dropped their hands as hammers began to form.
“You throw one hammer, and I will freeze you all where you stand!” Lilly roared.
Gersius breathed a sigh of relief as the hammers ceased, and the men stepped back a few more paces.
“Who are you to order us?” one of their number asked.
“We are the dragon knights!” he called down to them. “We are here to restore the Dragon Empire to its glory. We are going to unite the empire and win the war against the Doan.”
One of them took a step closer. Gersius could see two gold bars on his shoulder plate, designating him a captain.
“There is only one dragon knight,” the man said in a firm voice. “And he is a priest of Astikar!”
Gersius jumped down from Lilly’s back and made his way to the edge of the roof. He stood tall in his shining armor as he glared down the captain.
“What do you know of the dragon knight?” he asked.
The Captain threw his head back and laughed. “The order of Astikar lives and breaths the prophecy. Every man here can quote it, and we all know the single dragon knight is a man of Astikar!”
“Even though I wear the armor the dragon knight, and have flown in on the back of a dragon, you refuse to accept who I am?”
The captain scoffed and stood tall. “Even if you were the dragon knight, we have orders from the Father Abbot himself. The faith of Ulustrah is to be eradicated from the land. All her temples burned, and all her priests taken into custody, or slain if necessary.”
“It’s escalated,” Thayle said with a whisper.
Gersius heard her pained words but kept his focus on the captain below. He tried to study him, but the full-faced helm made any such efforts fruitless. Instead, he decided to play the man's words against him.
“Why would such an order be given?” he asked the man.
“Because the faith of Ulustrah supports the vile betrayer Gersius! The one who attacked Whiteford and tried to kill the noble Father Abbot.”
He felt a spike of rage from the women behind him. Thayle felt shattered, but Lilly felt like she was about to attack. He reached over he bind to soothe her nerves.
“Be still, Lilly. He has said what I wanted him to say,” Gersius told her silently. When Lilly didn't try to kill the man, he assumed it was safe to continue.
“Tell me, why would the faithful of Ulustrah support Gersius?”
“What do you mean?” the man sputtered.
“You know exactly what I mean. Ulustrah's is a gentle faith that has always worked with Astikar in harmony. Her blessings include the ability to see the truth of a man's heart. They know when one is lying to them, or telling the truth. How then could this Gersius have deceived them? How do you explain why they are supporting this man if what is said about him is true?”
“I do not know why they support him, and I do not care. I follow my orders,” the man said.
Gersius nodded as Thayle walked up beside him. He took her hand and looked out over the burning scene.
“You have suffered terrible losses with the Doan already. Your forces are spread too thin to wage a new war against Ulustrah across the kingdoms of every land. You stare ultimate defeat in the face, and the architect of that defeat sits on the golden throne of Astikar. He has ordered you to abandon mercy in the name of violence. To abandon reason in the name of obedience, and to abandon your selves to serve his agenda.”
“You know nothing of our order, and I will not hear your vile remarks about our Holy Father!”
“I know nothing of your order?” Gersius repeated. “All of you hold on to hope that the dragon knight will return and save the land. He will justify all the terrible things you have been doing and save your faith from destruction.” He paused to let his words sink in. “Well, here we are, and we tell you that you are to stop this violence against Ulustrah at once!”
The man looked up at him with unflinching eyes. “Nobody has walked through the golden gate of Calathen or lifted the dragon banner. You are not the dragon knight! You are a pretender and a friend to Ulustrah!” With that, the man reached out, forming a hammer of faith and hurled it at Gersius. A green shield formed over him and absorbed the blow in a shower of sparks.
“I regret you will not be there to see the empire saved,” Gersius said.
With a roar, Lilly blasted the line of men with ice. Half of their number died instantly as the other half scattered to avoid the carnage. She threw herself off the roof her mighty jaws leading the way and chased down the closest ones. The remaining men tried to regroup, but the sight of Lilly bearing down on them broke their discipline and kept them scattering.
Gersius and Thayle followed her down and charged in after her. Thayle went to aid Lilly while Gersius ran directly for the captain, who refused to stand down.
“You are a fool following a wicked man!” Gersius yelled as the man's sword met his in the dance of blades.
“I follow my orders, I do not question them!” the man shot back.
As they danced, a second priest attempted to aid him but was cut off by Thayle. He tried to work around her, but she locked him in a sword battle he could not escape.
The captain spun in his dance, trying to catch Gersius in a rapid slice, but Gersius opted not to play his game. He reached out for Lilly's strength and grabbed the man's hand, and punched him square in the breastplate with his sword hand. The impact bent the metal and hurled him back, throwing him to the ground.
Gersius looked to the right to see Lilly twisting and lashing about. At least five of the other priests were down, probably dead judging by the amount of blood. The remaining men were throwing hammers at her and channeling strength to try and get their swords through her hide. She was bleeding from several places but was in no danger.
Thayle worked Glitteroot in her own dance, spinning and cutting as her opponent tried to find an opening. Several times their blades met, and in a quick move, he spun around calling out a word of power and producing an orange ring that raced away from him. Thayle had her green ward up even as he called out, and the ring and warding shield met in another shattering clash.
She followed back in pressing the man keeping him on the defensive until finally, he backed up to a burning stand of hedges. Thayle channeled, causing the fiery hedge to grow. The flaming branches suddenly reached out, engulfed the priest, causing him to cry out. When he tore free of the flames, he stumbled out and was met with Thayle's blade and crumpled to the ground.
The defiant captain tried to get up from where he fell. His helmet had been knocked clear of his head, and Gersius could see his face. He was older with shoulder-length brown hair that was streaked in places with gray. He wore a curled mustache and had intense dark eyes.
He groaned as Gersius put a foot down on his chest, pressing his buckled armor into the bruise he knew was beneath.
“Order what is left of your men to stand down!” Gersius barked at him as Lilly tore another one apart.
“Never!” the man growled. “Astikar will protect us!”
Gersius felt his heart sink at the man’s words. He was a fanatic wholly devoted to the lies that permeated the order. He would never yield, or give up trying to follow the orders of his Father Abbot.
“More than half your men are dead already, Astikar is not protecting you at all!” Gersius yelled into his face.
He saw the orange light forming in the man's hand and knew he was making a hammer. Gersius slashed his sword out and sliced the hand open, spoiling the blessing.
“Surrender, please!” Gersius begged.
A light formed in the man's other hand, and a long orange rope raced out and wrapped around the handle of the dropped sword. The line pulled it to him, and it nearly reached his fingers as Gersius drove the tip of his sword through the man's armor.
He died with a gurgle and a curse drowned in blood.
Gersius was stunned by the need to kill him. He looked to his right to see the last three remaining priests desperately trying to flee Lilly, who froze them all on the spot with another gout of white ice. He glanced around to see the destruction both to the temple of Ulustrah and human life over a lie. As pain welled up in his heart, he lowered his head and started to cry.
Thayle felt his pain, and it tempered her rage. She took a moment to look around herself and realized that this was a scene from a nightmare. Around her, the sacred groves of her goddess burned. The temple smoldered, and smoke crawled out from inside. There were bodies scattered all over and wounded were being dragged away by the priests of Ulustrah.
She felt her heart racing as she saw the last three priests of Astikar die to Lilly’s breath. How had this gotten so out of control? How had this evil man twisted such a noble order to do such barbaric things?
She heard panicked prayers and looked at the faithful of Ulustrah as they tried in vain to summon up enough strength to work a rain ceremony.
Lilly thundered nearby sniffing at fallen bodies, and Thayle had an idea. She knew they were trying to douse the fire in a storm, but they were too weak from fighting. It usually took a dozen strong priestesses to work together to call a storm. But Thayle could tap into the power of a dragon! She threw her weapon and shield down and began the chant, calling out to Ulustrah to send the blessing of rain. She felt the blessing take shape, but it was not strong enough. She reached out to Lilly and drew on the power of her spirit and channeled it into her chant.
As hands lifted high, she called to the heavens, and thunder rolled. The skies above darkened and a wind fanned the flames. Greenlight formed around her hands and then turned a bright blue nearly white as she called for the rain.
The skied opened up, and a downpour saturated the land. Thunder rolled again and shook the ground as it deafened them all.
Fires hissed, and smoke billowed in the wind that blew in gusts. In moments flames began to beat down as the rain intensified at Thayle's urging.
Lilly felt an almost burning sensation as Thayle drew on her strength. She could feel something physically leaving her and flowing out.
She looked to Gersius, who was slowly getting to his feet, his sword stuck through the metal of the captain's breastplate.
The rain soaked everything, and in moments the fires were beaten back. The gardens were reduced to blackened trees and piles of ash. When Thayle felt it was done, she called out in a loud tone, and the rain stopped.
For a long moment, everything was quiet except for the sound of water dripping from branches and the rooftop of the temple.
“By Ulustrah, who are you?” came a broken voice of a woman.
Thayle looked up, and all were staring at her. Even Gersius and Lilly looked at her with interest.
Thayle quickly recovered and turned back to regard the speaker. The woman was a priestess of Ulustrah with short curly hair of soft golden color. It was red on one side from blood and soaked from the rain. On her face was a dark bruise from a punch. She looked at Thayle with wide eyes almost cowering with the rest of the battered members of her faith.
“It would have taken twenty of us to call down a storm like that!” one said in a gasp.
“She came on the back of a dragon!” another said in a loud whisper.
“The man said they were the dragon knights.”
Gersius walked up to stand beside her. They were both soaked, and Thayle's hair stuck to her face as she looked down at her own hands.
“Thayle, are you alright?” he asked her quietly as he studied her. She had drawn on Lilly so strongly he felt it. Even more alarming was the fact that her eyes now glowed with a soft blue light. Not like Lilly’s did with actual fire, but a noticeable light none the less.
“I just wanted to put the fires out. I never meant to call such a powerful storm.”
“You channeled Lilly's power and boosted your call. You just took too much, we both need to practice how to draw from her without overdoing it.”
“I agree you do need to practice. I felt her pulling on me, and it hurt.” Lilly said, walking up to stand behind them with her head looming above.
“Oh, sweet Lilly, I am so sorry!” Thayle cried out, turning to face her.
Lilly was a mess. In a dozen places, there were cracked or missing scales where hammers of faith had battered her. In two spots on her legs, swords managed to bite deeply enough to draw blood, and she had a gash on her lip.
“Sweetheart, please, let me heal you,” Thayle said as she saw the wounds.
Thayle lifted her hands to try and embrace Lilly's head, but Gersius stopped her.
“Thayle, go and tend to your people. Lilly needs to learn how to heal herself.”
Thayle looked at him and nodded. “I am sorry. I forget she is a priestess now. I will miss having to take care of her.”
Gersius smiled. “None of her injuries are severe, but two of your priestesses are still down. Go and see if you can help them. I will instruct Lilly on how to channel a blessing of healing.”
Thayle nodded and turned to walk to the other followers of Ulustrah.
“Lilly, it is time you learned how to heal.”
“I heard you, but I don’t know how it is done.”
“Come down here so I can reach your face,” he told her.
She lowered her head until it was level with his chest. He carefully put a hand to her head and studied the gash, a nasty sword blow from a man she as probably biting in half.
“All you need is put a hand to the injured person and chant the words of healing while opening to the divine.” He demonstrated by starting to sing a simple chant in a clear but quiet voice. Golden light formed under his hand, and the wounds began to close.
“It will heal the wounds that are the most severe first. If you want to heal a particular wound instead, you need only put your hand directly on the wound. But keep in mind, if the person you are healing has a fatal wound, the healing will focus on that wound regardless.”
“This is why you could not heal my wings,” she said, remembering.
“Yes, you had several fatal and crippling wounds. By comparison, your wings were not so important. I was not strong enough to heal so many terrible injuries.”
“So, I hold my own body and use the same chant you just used?”
“Yes, put your hands to your stomach and chant the way I did, but remember to open your heart to the divine. The words alone are meaningless if you are not channeling the blessing in.”
Lilly considered it a moment and then looked directly in his eyes. “But Balisha said she had no power to give. She couldn't even call to us and had to use others to do it. How is she going to grant healing power?”
Gersius smiled. “You and I have been opening our hearts to her daily, and now so are most of our Acolytes. We have been channeling power to her for days. She should have more than enough for this.”
“But the acolytes are using power to practice the blessings.”
“You just saw me begin the healing. If it worked for me, it will work for you.”
Lilly sighed. “I know we are praying to her and giving her strength, but I worry we are taking just as much back. I hate to think of her as being so weak.”
“Lilly, you yourself are a source of power. If need be, you should be able to channel some of your own energy into the heal.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“You were doing it this morning with Thayle.”
“But we only think I was doing that to carry Thayle,” she said.
“If you can't do it, I will heal you myself. Just relax and try the chant.”
Lilly still wasn't sure, but Gersius was far more knowledgeable in these matters than she was. She closed her eyes and tried to open her heart as she put her hands to her stomach. She started to chant as Gersius had and suddenly felt a warm tingling running through her body. The feeling was amazing, and she felt the wounds closing all over. The sensation suddenly stopped, and the pain faded away.
“Well done, you are fully healed,” Gersius said, looking over her. He had a sudden idea and turned the priests of Ulustrah. “Let's see if there is anybody else you can heal.”
Thayle approached the seven, who even now regarded her with fear.
“Do not be afraid. I am Grand priestess Thayle of Ulustrah. I can help you with the healing.”
“Derris has broken ribs,” said a short woman of slight frame. She pointed to one of the two lying on the ground.
The man was unconscious, and blood trickled from the side of his mouth. Thayle knelt beside him putting her hands to his shoulder and began to channel the healing flows. She borrowed from Lilly again, and golden light filled the man's body. With coughing gasps, he started to stir and turned his head to spit out the blood in his throat.
She moved from him to the next person, who was a tall woman with a deep gash in her leg. With ease, she fell into her healing and mended the woman's leg.
“How are you doing this?” the woman with curly hair said in a voice of disbelief.
Thayle looked up and saw the blood matting her hair.
“Are you still hurt?” Thayle asked her.
He woman absentmindedly reached up to touch her wound and came away with blood on her fingertips.
“It is a minor cut, I did not want to waste the strength to heal it,” she said in a trembling voice.
“Here, let me do it,” Thayle said, putting a hand to the side of the woman's head. The woman stepped back, breaking the link before she could mend the wound. Thayle took note of the woman’s eyes as they locked on the black tears on her face.
“Does that trouble you?” Thayle asked as she put her hands down.
“How is a priestess who wears two marks more powerful than all of us combined?” the woman asked.
“I am a grand priestess of Ulustrah and a dragon knight. I am bound to the dragon you see, and I can draw on her strength to help my blessings,” Thayle answered honestly. There was no point in trying to conceal the truth; they would see it in her aura.
“You are bound to the dragon?” another woman said, her voice shocked and cracking.
“Yes, we three are each bound to another and can share in our power. Now, who else is injured?”
None of them replied, and several of them began to back away as Lilly appeared over Thayle's head.
“Do not be afraid of her, she is my wife, and she is very kind.
“The dragon is your wife!” several of them gasped. Others muttered the name “Gersius,” With dread.
Thayle saw the situation getting out of hand. She turned to Lilly and pointed at the women with the head injury.
“Can you heal her?”
Lilly looked down at the shocked woman and nodded.
“I think so,” Lilly said, trying to soften her otherwise powerful voice.
The woman put an arm up and cried out as Lilly towered over her. Thayle was at her side in an instant, whispering encouragement.
“The dragon obeys you?” the woman asked as Lilly lifted an arm.
“She is sweet and gentle despite what you saw her do her. Remember, she protected you and your temple just now.
The woman nodded as she looked up, and the shadow grew over her.
Lilly carefully put a massive claw over the woman’s head. The woman trembled, but Thayle squeezed her hand and whispered. “It is all right. You are safe.”
Lilly channeled the power of healing again, and golden light swam over the woman's head, healing the wound and stopping the pain. When the massive claw moved away, the woman looked up at and just nodded her thanks.
Thayle stepped back and ushered the woman over to the others.
“I am Thayle, Grand priestess and Governess commander of Ulustrah’s army,” she said, addressing them all.
The curly-haired woman touched at her head with a hand and bowed slightly.
“I am Larissa, head priestess of the temple here in Harpsburg. We are honored to be in your presence.”
Thayle bowed back to them and tried to look strong.
“I am sorry I did not arrive sooner. As most of you heard, I am a dragon knight. This is my husband Gersius, the first dragon knight, and soon to be emperor of the dragon empire.”
They all bowed and greeted him with honors, though some more muttering did occur.
This is Lilly, the ice dragon, and soon to be the empress of the dragon empire.” Again the gathered group bowed gently but trembled to behold her. “We are here because of this very thing,” she said, holding her hands out to encompass the devastation around them. “The father Abbot of the order of Astikar has decided to wage war on our order. He has refused to allow us into the city of Calathen, and is determined to kill both Gersius and Lilly.”
“But the priests of Astikar have been waiting for the dragon knight to return for hundreds of years?” one of them called out.
Gersius stepped forward and put a hand to Thayle's shoulder. “We know, I was a priest of Astikar. My name is now infamous with murder lies and deceit. All of you study my aura now when I tell you that all the Father Abbot has said about me is a lie.”
Every one of them looked shocked, and some faces looked confused and lost.
“But they are killing us over you! They say you are a betrayer!” Larissa said. She turned to look at Thayle. “The holiest man in the order of Astikar is the one who is lying?”
“I am afraid so. The man is struggling against us with all his might to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled,” Thayle said.
“Our temple is ruined, and our groves burned, all because a madman sits at the head of Astikar?” The woman looked absolutely beside herself, her eyes starting to brim with tears. “What do we do?”
Thayle hardened her face and looked down at the woman. “You and your faithful will march with us to Calathen. You will join my army, and with the aid of many others, we will take the city of Calathen by force!”
“We are at war?” the man she had healed earlier said.
“Look around you,” Gersius cut in. “Is this not war?”
There were sudden shouts and cries from behind them. They turned to see the townspeople who had been hiding from the battle slowly crept out to see the aftermath.
“Dragon!” Somebody shouted, and it was followed by screams of panic.
“We cannot stay here long. This town is not ready to meet Lilly. We need to leave before its people fall apart,” Gersius said as he watched the people gathering on the distant streets.
Thayle took a breath and nodded. “Just give me a few minutes to give them instructions, and we can get on our way.”
Gersius nodded and turned to walk back to the bodies of the fallen priests of Astikar. He knelt beside the body of the fallen captain and recovered his sword. He then offered a prayer to Astikar to honor the man for his loyalty. Even as the chant left his lips, his heart sank in pain. A gentle presence loomed over him, and a snout nuzzled his side.
“Are you alright, my love?” Lilly asked.
Gersius put a hand to the man's chest and looked into his dead face. “Go in peace to the god you serve. Know that I will avenge what has happened to you.”
“Why are you so upset?” Lilly asked.
“This man died because he believed in a lie. His faith and sense of duty were so strong he could not bring himself to believe me,” Gersius said, his voice shuddering. “I killed a man for being a strong servant of Astikar. I wonder how many more like him will need to die to get to the Father Abbot.”
“I killed most of them, and I have to admit to you, Gersius, I do not feel an ounce of remorse. Maybe that is because I am a dragon, or maybe that is because outside of you and Lengwin's men, all the priests of Astikar have been awful to me.” she rubbed her head on him gently. “The only way to save lives now is to get to the Father Abbot as quickly as we can and put a stop to his madness.”
“I know, but my heart will be heavy with every good man I have to kill,” Gersius said, his eyes looking at the face of the dead man. “This man is now with Astikar, and he is aware he died for a lie. I can't imagine he feels anything but rage.”
Lilly looked around at the men she helped kill. “All these men are probably angry, but you are the instrument of their rage now. They are probably calling you to avenge them as we speak.”
Gersius nodded. “I look forward to building our house,” he said in a sudden change of topic.
Lilly turned her head so she could look at him and caught his eyes. They looked deep and full of concern, and she hated to see such worry burdening him.
“You mean the temple to Balisha?” she asked him.
He smiled a moment and shook his head. “I mean, our house in your valley. I want to be alone with you and Thayle far away from this war and the burdens of the leadership.”
Lilly tried to understand it. The whole idea of leading people for any purpose was hard to grasp. She was doing it herself with her acolytes, but she knew it was far different for Gersius. He had so many decisions to make, and so many people asking him for answers. As she pondered the idea, she felt something from him and looked back.
“You have not thought about that in many days. Why bring it out now?”
“Why not? I am dreaming of a better time when we can be a family together. This is the desire of my heart that keeps me moving forward,” he replied.
Lilly felt sad now and turned to glance at Thayle before going back to him.
“I know Thayle has agreed to have your children, but would you rather I had them?” she asked him with a sideways glance.
Gersius struggled back to his feet and turned to face her.
“Lilly, you and Thayle are both my wives. I would rather you could both have children. I am glad to know I will have some children, but I wish you could have some as well.”
Lilly felt a sense of inner turmoil, and she struggled to contain it even as she knew he must be feeling it.
“Are you upset by this?” he asked.
“Yes, I wish I could give you what you wanted. I don't know how to control any of these feelings I now have. I am a dragon, and I spend time worrying about how I can't give a human man a child.”
“I do not mean to bring you any of my pain,” Gersius said.
“You are my pain, Gersius. You and Thayle are my everything. I feel you both so strongly that I sometimes wonder if I am you. I woke up the other day and thought I needed to pray to Ulustrah.” She shook her head. “I was feeling Thayle so strongly her thoughts were riding over my own.”
“I sometimes feel you both like that. I keep imagining I can fly like you sometimes. I forget I am not a dragon.”
“I wish we could go to my valley and start having children and never have to kill another innocent man again,” Lilly said, looking down at him.
“You two need to stop whatever it is your doing,” Thayle said as she walked over. “I have felt nothing but sadness and regret for the past few minutes.”
Lilly looked around at Thayle and frowned. “Gersius was feeling guilty about having to kill these men, and I was feeling bad about children.”
Thayle glanced at them both with a shake of her head. “Look at me, both of you!” She demanded, drawing both their eyes. “You two need to put that away.” She held up her arms to draw attention to herself. “Here I am. I have already agreed to have your children. I am sleeping in your bed and sharing your love. It is time to stop dwelling on that and focus on what is important right now.”
Gersius nodded. “It just came up when I felt guilty for having to kill these men. I thought about running away from the war and focusing on starting our family.”
Thayle glared at him and took a breath. “Of course you look forward to happier times, Gersius. This is all a terrible burden on you, and I don't envy your position at all. But I am tasked by my order to go to Calathen now. I have my own reasons and convictions, and I need you two to focus on what needs to be done first.”
“It isn’t his fault. I was the one lamenting not being able to have children.”
Thayle saw her aura register the truth. “Sweetheart, I am not giving up on the possibility that we might find a way for you to have children. I promise I will never cease looking for a way to help you with this.” Thayle walked over and put a hand to Lilly's head. “When I have our baby, I want you to be the first one to hold him or her. I want you to be the first person our baby sees to know you are its mother.”
Lilly looked into her eyes, and moisture gathered in her own. “How many babies do you plan to have?” Lilly asked in a whisper.
Thayle smiled and leaned her head against Lilly's and cradled her jaw with her arm. “However many you want.”
Lilly felt her warmth on the side of her face through her scales. She could swear she could feel Thayles love and warmth radiating out. Tears welled in her eyes as she considered the woman's love. “I am a dragon!” she yelled to herself in the back of her mind.
“Who is in love with a human man and woman,” Thayle answered in her thoughts, reminding Lilly they could read each other surface thoughts.
“Ladies, we need to get out of here before the town forms a mob.” Gersius reminded them.
Thayle broke away from Lilly and looked to Gersius. “These followers of Ulustrah will meet us on the road. I have given them all the instructions they need.”
“Then let us return to the caravan. I do not wish to do more traveling tonight, and we could do to spend some time teaching the acolytes,” Gersius replied as he moved to Lilly’s side and offered a hand to Thayle to help her up.
Thayle took his hand with a smile and allowed him to push her up to the saddle.
“I would like to spend some quiet time with you both,” Lilly said sadly. “I want to sit someplace alone and lay quietly in your arms.”
“I would like that too,” Thayle said with a smile.
Lilly spread her great wings and took to the sky, amazing the people below as she soared away.
In their hearts, they were weary over what had happened. Despite the riders and their efforts to reveal the truth, some priests were going to stand against them. They would honor the Father Abbot and blindly follow his lies, even to their deaths. With heavy hearts, they returned to the emptiness of the sky, the one place they could truly be alone.