The days passed quietly, making a marked change for the three. They led the camp down the road day after day, growing closer to the lands that made up the old empire. Gersius continued to insist that Lilly train with a sword and now spent every morning and night guiding her through the forms. While she was annoyed at needing to learn how to fight as a human did, she was also grateful. The training kept her mind busy and helped distract her from a thought that plagued her mind.
She carried this burden ever since her encounter with Balisha. It was easy to put it away in the beginning because so much was happening, but as the days wore on the thought grew, and she found it increasingly hard to deny.
In the past few days, it had become a deep inner turmoil. She knew this was partly because of how long she fought to deny it, and partially because of Shadros. Her encounters with him made her look inward and struggle to accept the beast she once was. This image was in contrast to her secret and called to her to deny what she had become.
Thayle and Gersius began to notice her struggle. Thayle commented on how her thoughts were often random or pained. Lilly would use a weak excuse about how she was thinking of her sad life as a dragon. It was part of the truth, so the aura sight would not reveal it as a lie, but it was a lie after a fashion.
Thankfully her lovers would wrap her up and take her worries away. They would drown her in affection and give her relief from what she hid within. It worked, but she was starting to break. The other day she boldly asked Gersius if he would rather she had his children. He said he wished they both could but was grateful to have them with Thayle. Lilly accepted that answer but could feel him over the bind. Just the thought of her having children for him made his heart swell with joy. She wanted to tell him right then and there, but what about Thayle?
She couldn’t live with this anymore. That night when they made camp and Gersius was out, she went to find Thayle. Thankfully Thayle was in their private space where they would be alone. She took a deep breath and pushed herself to do what needed to be done.
Lilly looked across the room at Thayle and instantly felt uncertainty. Thayle was her best friend and her lover, and Lilly once scolded the woman for keeping secrets. Now Lilly herself kept a terrible secret from her. She knew the only path forward was to admit what she had done and ask Thayle to forgive her.
Her heart raced when Thayle looked over and smiled then returned to the book she was writing in. Lilly couldn't live with the torment anymore; she had to tell her, but still, she hesitated.
Thayle closed her book with a firm thump and turned to face her. “What is it that has you so twisted in knots?”
Lilly silently scolded herself. Of course, Thayle could feel her. Lilly's emotions were all over the place, and Thayle was only ten paces away. There was no going back; she had to admit what she had done.
“There is something I want to talk to you about, and I worry it will make you mad at me.”
Thayle tilted her head to the side and took on a slight smirk. “What could you possibly have to say to me that would make me mad at you?”
Lilly walked to where the Thayle was sitting and knelt on the floor beside her. She laid her head in Thayle's lap and took deep breaths as Thayle began to pet her head gently.
“I have been keeping a secret from you both, one that is starting to eat me up inside.”
“Secrets have a way of doing that,” Thayle said. “But why would you keep one from us?”
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Thayle’s hand paused a moment, but quickly resumed its gentle strokes. Lilly closed her eyes in fear as she felt Thayle’s emotions begin to stir.
“Lilly, what have you done?” Thayle asked gently.
Lilly steadied herself and decided to tell her the whole story.
“When I was with Balisha, she offered me a gift, one desire of my heart. She said she had been saving up her power, and she knew what I really wanted.”
Thayle continued to pet her and gently pressed her fingertips in firmly to rub at her scalp. “We know, sweetheart, it's how you got your wings back.”
Lilly pressed her eyes tighter and tried not to cry out in frustration. “Thayle, I didn’t ask for my wings back.”
Thayle’s hand came to a stop. There was a long silence as Lilly twisted in pain.
“Then how did you get your wings back?” Thayle asked to break the tense moment.
Lilly hesitated to answer until she could speak clearly. “Balisha is a dragon, and she can absorb magic from metals like all dragons can. I gave her the coins Numidel gave me so she could use them to heal me.”
“So that’s why you gave her your coins,” Thayle stated as the understanding dawned on her.
Lilly nodded but didn’t reply as Thayle’s emotions took on a cold distance.
Thayle's hand began to pet again slowly, and a long moment went by before she spoke. “So, what did you ask for?”
Lilly started to cry, and she had to cover her face as she sobbed.
“Lilly, your starting to frighten me. What did you ask Balisha for?”
Tears ran down Lilly's face as she shook under Thayle's touch. She knew the secret needed to come out, and Thayle, more than any other, needed to know the truth.
“I… I asked her… I asked her to give me children with Gersius,” Lilly wailed.
Thayle froze in shock and considered what Lilly had just said.
“Children?” Thayle echoed. “But, you are already going to have children.”
“Not through you,” Lilly whispered.
Thayle felt like a storm over the bind, but then it cleared, and she felt curious.
“You mean, you can have his children now?”
Lilly felt the pain swell now that the truth exposed, and she admitted her guilt.
“Yes! I am so sorry, Thayle, I didn’t mean to steal this from you. I just wanted so badly to have a baby for him.” Lilly kept her face covered as she cried out the words.
Thayle felt a strange mixture of shock and relief. She was free of the burden of having children for both of them. She could step back and let Lilly take the lead and have the children instead, but then she felt a strange emptiness. Over the past weeks, she had come to love Gersius and share his bed. She had made love to him many times now, and she honestly wanted to make him happy by having children with him. Besides, she was married and committed to them in her heart. She was going to have his children, no matter how things changed.
She looked down at Lilly, who was afraid that by being able to have children, she was somehow making Thayle, a lesser partner. It was a silly thing to think, but she understood why Lilly might think she had wounded her. Thayle smiled and resumed stroking Lilly’s hair.
“You can stop crying now, I am not at all mad at you,” Thayle said.
Lilly sniffled and struggled to get control of herself. “You’re not?”
“Lilly, you are my wife, and Gersius is my husband. That you can have children means we will have more children than we originally planned. I am still going to have children with Gersius, and now so will you. This is wonderful news!”
“You’re happy for me?” Lilly asked.
“Lilly, get off the floor and kiss me,” Thayle demanded.
Lilly did what she was told and stood before Thayle with red-rimmed eyes. Thayle stood and leaned into her and pressed her lips to Lilly's. She held the kiss for many moments, her hands holding Lilly by her arms so she could not escape. When the kiss finally ended, Thayle looked her in the eyes and smiled.
“Do you still think I am mad at you?” she asked Lilly.
Lilly blushed and looked away shyly. “No, I just thought it was going to upset you because you had already agreed to have them.”
“I am still going to have children with him, and any children I have will be our children. You will be their mother every bit as much as I will. nothing has changed.”
Lilly wrapped her in a firm hug. “Why are you such a wonderful human?”
“Why are you such a sweet dragon?” Thayle asked in return. She stepped away from Lilly ending the hug and was suddenly lost in thought.
“Tell me, when Balisha offered you this gift, had you already asked her to heal your wings?”
Lilly shook her head. “No, I didn't even think about it. I told her I wanted to be able to have children with Gersius. It wasn't until after the blessing was granted that I thought about my wings, and then I remembered what Numidel said.”
Thayle thought back to the dragon in the temple. “He said you would know what to do with it when the time came.”
Lilly nodded. “And he said it was a small price to pay for my happiness.”
Thayle looked into Lilly’s eyes. “He did say we needed to go there after he saw your wings, that old dragon planned this!”
“I think he did,” Lilly agreed. “He made sure I had enough metal to feed Balisha so she could heal me.”
Thayle suddenly froze, and her mouth fell open. Lilly hadn't asked for her wings until after the blessing. She acted out of her love for Gerisus over her own needs.
“Lilly, you gave up a chance to heal your wings to honor Gersius! Does he know what a sacrifice you made for him?”
Lilly shook her head. “No, I told you I have been keeping this a secret from both of you.”
Thayle stepped back as the entire picture became clear. The dragon who loved to fly and who cried over the loss of her wings chose to go without them to honor the man she loved.
“He must know, you need to tell him!” Thayle said, moving to take Lilly's hands.
“I don’t know,” Lilly said timidly.
“Lilly, Gersius needs to know what you did for him.” Thayle paused again and looked at Lilly. “Are you… are you pregnant now?”
Lilly blushed and shook her head. “Balisha said I would only be able to get pregnant for a short amount of time once every year. She said I would have far too many children otherwise.”
Thayle was confused. “Why once a year?”
Lilly smiled and lifted a hand to play with Thayle's hair. “I will still lay eggs. I have to have the children as Azurastra, but I can become pregnant as Lilly.”
“This is so much to take in. I don’t know how to react. How many children will you have at once?”
Lilly wrapped a curl of Thayles hair around a finger. “One at a time. She said it had to be limited, or I would have too many children.”
“How would that cause you to have too many children?” Thayle asked.
Lilly laughed as Thayle tried to understand it. “Because if I could get pregnant like a dragon does. I would be pregnant every time he made love to me, and I would lay as many as a dozen eggs. As often as he likes to make love would mean quite a lot of children.”
It was Thayles turn to blush. Gersius did indeed enjoy the company of his wives.
Lilly looked distant as she pondered a thought. “I would need a really big cave.”
Thayle laughed at the thought of Lilly filling a cave with eggs. She let the image swim around a bit before coming back to the matter at hand.
“Lilly, you need to tell Gersius about this. He will be so moved by what you have done.”
“I don’t know,” Lilly said. “He has so much on his mind. He worries about so many things. I felt I needed to tell you because I had hurt you.”
Thayle nodded and held Lilly by the arms. “I understand why you might have thought that. Now you listen to me. I am glad you can have children. Now we both can share in the joy with our husband.”
Lilly nodded gently, and Thayle went on.
“And this knowledge will be a great relief to our husband. You need to tell him and let him share in this joy.”
“But he always says we can't have children until after the war. Whenever he talks about it, I can feel a pang of sadness on his heart,” Lilly insisted. “Why burden him with this if he can't act on it?”
Thayle went to respond but couldn't think of a good reply. He would undoubtedly be happy to know, but would he also be sad?
“You're worried he will want children now, but because he can't have them now, it will make him sad.”
Lilly nodded, and Thayle released her to pace the room.
“Even if he did want to start now, you can't. How will you know when this time comes?” Thayle asked.
Lilly shook her head. “Balisha didn’t say.”
“Of course not,” Thayle remarked as she continued to pace. The more she thought about it, the more she felt Lilly was right. Gersius would be overjoyed at first, but then the war and the long road ahead would steal that joy. Having to wait so long to embrace the blessing of Lilly would wear him down.
“Are you sure you’re not mad at me? You feel aggravated.”
Thayle turned back and did her best to control her tone.
“I am not mad at you. I am mad at this whole situation. You made a great sacrifice for our husband, but even I question the wisdom of telling him right now. Family means so much to him, and he already agonizes over not being able to start with me. Adding you to that burden will likely make it worse.”
“That’s why I wanted to tell you alone. I will tell him when the time is right.”
Thayle felt torn over it still. Gersius needed to know, but did he need to know right now? The idea of keeping it from him felt wrong, but Lilly’s concerns were valid. She had no choice but to agree.
“I will keep your secret,” Thayle said. “But, to be honest, I wish I didn't know either.”
“I needed to tell you; I thought I was hurting you.”
“I understand, sweetheart,” she replied. “But it is a burden to us both now.”
“Did I do wrong telling you?” Lilly asked.
Thayle turned and smiled back. She opened her arms and beckoned Lilly into an embrace that Lilly didn’t hesitate to accept.
“No, I am glad you told me. I have never been in a situation like this before. I feel deep in my heart you should tell him despite the worries, but you're right; it will probably pain him in the long run.”
Stolen story; please report.
“I promise I will tell him when I am ready,” Lilly pleaded. “I just don’t want to distract him with this now.”
“Lilly, I will honor your wishes, but don’t keep this too long. Our husband is very good at hiding his emotions even from us. We can’t be sure how he might be suffering inside over this.”
“But he has you,” Lilly insisted.
“I know he does, but it will mean so much to him to have a child with you.”
“I will tell him when the time is right, but my heart tells me that it isn't now.”
Thayle hugged her firmly and took a deep breath.
“You’re a very loving dragon,” she said as she cradled the tender woman.
Lilly smiled and melted in the embrace.
“Do you feel better now?” Thayle asked.
“I do feel better, but there is something that is starting to bother me.”
“You don’t like to keep secrets,” Thayle mused.
“No, it isn't that. Lilly struggled to identify what was wrong. “It is something to do with love in general. I know I feel it now, and I can't imagine a life without you, but when I talk to Shadros, it's different.”
“How is it different?” Thayle pressed.
“He reminds me that I was perfectly content to be alone. He makes me realize that if none of this had happened, I would be in that valley right now, and I would be more or less happy.”
“Oh, sweetheart. You can’t worry about what you were. You’re a new being now, with a purpose and a family that loves you.”
“Only because I was lucky,” Lilly said.
“Because you were chosen,” Thayle corrected. “The divines chose you for this task because you were special. Gersius has said it a dozen times; you were never as unreceptive as Shadros was.”
“I know your right,” Lilly began. “But when I talk to Shadros, I can't help but think of what I was, and how close I came to always being that.”
“But you didn't,” Thayle said. “Lilly, you need to learn more about humans. You see us, and you think our lives are filled with purpose and meaning. The truth is many of us have no idea what to do with our lives. We wander aimlessly searching for something to give us meaning.”
“You do?”
Thayle nodded and took Lilly's hands. “The truth is we humans can live a lot like dragons. Lonely, empty lives that don't seem to have a purpose, but sometimes that is the purpose.”
“I don’t understand,” Lilly whispered.
“You need more time with us to understand this. All you need to know now is that what happened to you, and how it changed your path, isn't unique. Many people are just as lost and empty inside until a moment comes where their path is altered forever.”
Lilly nodded, and Thayle released her.
“You should pray to Balisha to guide your heart on this. Tell her you want to know what your true purpose is. You will see that all those years you spent alone in that valley were preparing you for it.”
“I will,” Lilly said softly.”
“And ask her to guide you about when to tell Gersius,” Thayle added.
“I will ask her.”
“Good, now no more secrets. You punished me for keeping them, so let's not keep anymore.”
Lilly nodded, and the two women parted.
“I want to go pray to her now,” she whispered.
“Do you want me to leave the room?” Thayle asked.
Lilly shook her head. “I will go outside the camp to be alone. I always feel like the guards around the tent hear us when we pray.”
Thayle nodded and leaned in to kiss her.
“Don’t be long, Gersius will be back in an hour.”
Lilly smiled and turned away to head outside.
She crept out the back, using the exit from her changing ring. There were guards every twenty feet, but they immediately recognized her and only nodded as she passed. Like a shadow in the night, she walked barefoot toward some distant trees where she hoped to find isolation.
She crept quietly into the darkness and stumbled on a branch. She smiled at her silliness as she looked at the ground. Ever since the night with the fireflies, Lilly spent most of her time with human sight. She hardly ever used her dragon sight now, preferring the beauty of the darkness and the lights that twinkled in it.
She blinked to switch and restore her sight, but something was wrong. She blinked again, and her vision became blurry with streaks of light. The world around her suddenly became much darker, and she started to panic. She turned around and stumbled across the ground heading back for the tent as her eyes began to hurt.
“Thayle!” She called as she approached the tent and then cried out in alarm when she saw a guard. He was surrounded in a fire of light, and she had to look away as her eyes burned.
“My Lady, are you alright?” he asked as she stumbled.
“Thayle!” she cried again as the man tried to help her.
He reached down to help her up when Thayle’s voice answered.
“What happened?” Thayle asked as she came to Lilly’s side.
The guard shook his head. “She ran back to camp, crying and calling your name.”
“It’s my eyes!” Lilly cried. “It’s the light.”
Thayle instantly understood and ran to her side.
“Keep your eyes closed, sweetheart,” Thayle said as she took hold of Lilly’s arm.
“Is she alright?” the guard asked as he helped Thayle lift Lilly to her feet.
“She is fine,” Thayle said. “This was expected, but keep this to yourself.”
The man nodded, and Lilly was led blind back into the tent.
“I can’t see anything,” Lilly said in a panic.
“Lilly, calm down. We all knew this was going to happen soon.”
“Why does it hurt?”
“Because your eyes are not trained to see it. I hate how you two are getting this at full strength with no ability to control it.”
Lilly was led across the meeting tent, alarming several of the acolytes and the two guards at the other door.
“Out, all of you,” Thayle instructed before turning to the guards at the door. “One of you go find Gersius and tell him Lilly needs him.”
With a nod, a woman ran off as Thayle led Lilly into the private chambers.
“Sit here,” Thayle said as she helped Lilly to the edge of the bed.
Lilly struggled not to cry as tears ran down her cheek, and her hands trembled.
“Lilly, calm down, you haven’t gone blind.”
“But it hurts to open my eyes!” she wailed.
“It only hurts because you're looking at auras,” Thayle insisted. “We will start like I did with Gersius and have you look at the floor.”
As she mentioned his name, he came through the doorway with a deep look of concern.
“What is wrong with Lilly?”
Thayle held Lilly's hand and put up her other one to calm him. “The aura sight has finally arrived, and it scared her terribly.”
“I can’t see,” Lilly cried.
“Lilly, you need to calm down. You can see just fine. All you need is a little practice in how to attune your vision. Gersius can put it away when he wants now.”
“I do not use it most of the time,” he replied. “I still find it hard to hold a good aura.”
“It is so much harder to learn when you start so strong,” Thayle said. “What were you doing that it suddenly came on you?”
“I was out in the dark, so I wanted to use my dragon sight. When I tried to switch, everything went blurry.”
Thayle sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Sweetheart, take some deep breaths and relax. You're not blind. Your sight has actually gotten stronger.”
“Then why does it hurt?”
“Because now it is so strong you can’t use it without training,” Thayle said.
“I’m scared.”
“Oh, Lilly. Listen to me. You're going to be fine. It just took you by surprise when you were all alone. You're safe with us now, and with a little practice, you will be just as good with it as me.”
Lilly leaned into Thayle while keeping her eyes tightly shut, and Thayle cradled her.
“I suppose we won’t be flying out later,” Gersius said.
“It can’t be helped,” Thayle said as she rubbed Lilly’s head. “I am sorry I bothered you. She was so panicked I thought she would feel safer with you here.”
“You did not bother me; she does need me,” he said as he knelt before her. He put his hands on her knees and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I was scared when it came on me,” he said. “But it is a wonderful gift, and you will not regret having it once you get control.”
Lilly took deep breaths and nodded gently. “I got scared is all. I suddenly went blind while I was alone outside the camp. I felt so helpless.”
“Of course you did,” Gersius said. “But you're in our private room surrounded by people who would do anything to help you. You practiced a little when Thayle was training me, so you should have a good start. You will see, this will not take long to fix.”
Lilly let out a deep sigh, and her shoulders sank. “Why has my life changed so much? I depend on you two for everything.”
“Says the dragon who has saved my life three times now?” he joked.
“Four,” Lilly replied and wiped her nose with her hand.
“We depend on each other just like a family would,” Thayle said. “This is why people form families because we all need somebody we can depend on.”
Lilly nodded and sniffed slightly.
Thayle smiled and looked to Gersius. “I ran the acolytes out of the tent in a fury. You might need to talk to them and let them know everything is alright. Who knows what they might think is wrong.”
Gersius nodded and kissed the top of Lilly's head. “I will talk to them and put an end to any rumors. I am going to tell them Lilly has received the blessing of Ulustrah's sight and that she was overcome and needed a moment.”
“That sounds fine, but don't tell people she can't see. If there are any spies in the camp, such a weakness might provoke an attack of opportunity.”
Gersius stood as he tried not to think about that possibility. “I will make no mention of it.”
Thayle waited until he was gone to turn back to Lilly and begin the exercises. For the rest of the night, Lilly practiced looking down and slowly lifting her sight until she saw the edge of Thayle's aura.
She struggled just as Gersius did and complained about how bright it was. Thayle could only assume it was a side effect of Lilly's dragon nature that made it brighter. It wasn't until after Gersius returned and could take her place that Lilly made progress.
Just as she did with Gersius, she held Lilly's hand and focused on the aura around him. Lilly looked through the binding link to see what Thayle saw.
“It's pretty,” Lilly sighed. “But, all I see is a blazing light when I do it.”
Thayle wasn't sure why it was so bright, so she asked Lilly to look at Gersius's aura while she looked through Lilly's eyes. She almost laughed when she saw the problem.
“Sweetheart, you're looking with your dragon sight. Use your human sight instead.”
Lilly blinked a few times and went back to the looking at the edge of the aura.
“Oh, that’s much better.”
“The dragon sight was making it worse?” Gersius asked.
“It's making it brighter. Her sight makes even the darkness look like daylight, and a bright light looks like the sun.”
“I have never tried to use the aura sight while using my dragon sight,” he admitted.
“I have, but then I have years of training,” Thayle said. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“At least we know we can use both then,” he said.
Lilly looked a little higher and had to squint.
“It's still bright, and it makes my eyes hurt after a few seconds, but it isn't blinding.”
“That will go away when you can focus it and see the ring instead of a cloud of light. For now, we will work on teaching you how to dismiss it. Then you can go about your normal days while we train the rest.”
“Do you keep this sight all the time?” Lilly asked.
“Most of the time,” Thayle admitted. “I am so used to seeing it, that the world looks abnormal without it.”
“I want to look through your eyes again.”
Thayle nodded and fixed her gaze on Gersius. Lilly smiled and squeezed Thayle’s hand.
“I like how much light he gives us,” she said.
Thayle looked to him as he gave them a curious expression.
“It's a sign of his love. He loves us both dearly, and he radiates it out to us.”
“The red lines are the binding?”
Thayle nodded and moved her gaze to the golden light between them.
“And that is the point where they all join. I have never seen it before you and Gersius.”
“I wish we knew what it was,” Gersius said as he used the sight to look at it as well.
“I think it’s our solus,” Lilly said.
“Our what?” Thayle asked.
“You humans call it your spirit or soul. A dragon calls it the solus. If the ancient magic is right, we share one solus now. That light is probably it.”
“That’s our spirit?” Thayle said as she gazed on it with new appreciation.
“It would explain why we share our gifts,” Gersius said. “Our gifts come from the spirit, and we are one in spirit. Didn't you say it got bigger the day you joined the bind equally?”
“It did,” Thayle said as she remembered. “The day my spirit was added to it.”
“Hmm,” Lilly said as she looked through Thayle's eyes.
“What?” Gersius asked.
“We dragons work our magic by tapping into our solus. I change forms by doing it. If we all share one solus, what’s to stop you from doing the same?”
This must be how were using her power to boost our blessings,” Thayle said.
“I want to try something,” Lilly said. “Would you get me three gold coins?”
“We gave the chest to Shadros,” Gersius reminded.
“I have a handful of coins in my pack,” Lilly said.
Gersius went to get the coins and fished them out. He handed them to her, and she folded her hand over them.
“What now?” he asked.
“Watch the golden light,” Lilly said. “I am going to feed on the coins rapidly.”
Gersius and Thayle watched the light as Lilly began to concentrate. Suddenly the binding that looped around her flowed with golden sparkles that traveled to the center, causing the light to pulse and flare-up.
“By the goddess!” Thayle cried. “What does this mean?”
“My dragon nature is feeding you two,” Lilly said. “As I absorb the magic of the world you are sharing in it. You are for all intents and purposes dragons.”
She held open her hand to reveal three badly corroded coins that had turned to a white powder on the edges and were now pitted badly.
“You can eat the coins?” Gersius asked.
“It’s how we power our magic,” Lilly said. “But it’s a waste of the power of the metal. The metal gives off power like the sun, slowly drifting into the etherius. A dragon who sleeps on the metal can absorb it slowly without harming them.”
“Then what did you just do?” he asked.
“We can pull the magic out forcefully and get a quick burst of power, but doing so causes the metal to break down. You get far more power by letting it flow naturally. To do it this way is a huge waste of the energy. We only use the metal this way when we want to work a large weave or salandri”
“What is a salandri?” Thayle asked.
“It's the dragon word for what we do. It's like a blessing, but it comes purely from our solus.”
“Like a divine,” Thayle said.
“I guess,” Lilly replied. “It’s how we lay the wards that protect our layers.”
“Every day, it seems our lives get more amazing,” Thayle said.
“Lilly is a never-ending river of gifts and wonders,” Gersius added.
They both jumped when the golden lights returned to Lilly's red cords as she consumed the rest of the metal. When she opened her hand, there was nothing but white dust that she poured from her palm.
“This is so amazing,” Thayle said. “I knew we shared one soul, but to sit and physically look at our shared soul is breathtaking.”
“My mother said there were metals so rare that a handful of it was more powerful than a hill of gold.”
“Some metals are more magical than others?” Gersius asked.
Lilly nodded. “Silver is the weakest; gold is a little stronger.”
“Silver and gold are the weakest?” Thayle said in shock.
Lilly nodded again. “Isaliskium is the most powerful.”
“I have never heard of that,” Gersius said.
“It’s the name I know it by. I have no idea what you humans call it. My mother said it was a green metal.”
“A green metal?” Gersius said as he looked at Thayle.
“The sword!” Thayle gasped.
“Where is it?” he asked.
“On the table beside the bed,” Thayle said as she pointed.
Gersius went to the table and carefully drew the ornate weapon they recovered from Shadros's cave. He brought it back to Lilly and held it out. Thayle looked down at it so Lilly could look through her eyes.
“Is this the metal?” Gersius asked.
Lilly lifted a hand over the blade and ran a single fingertip down the length. Purple smoke trailed in the wake of her finger, and the bind was alive with what looked like lightning.
“It's so powerful,” Lilly gasped. She trembled for a second and pulled her hand away. “Take it away; I feel a deep need to feed on it.”
He quickly moved off and returned the sword to the table as Lilly took quick breaths to clear her mind.
“We tell nobody what metal that is,” Gersius said.
“I don’t think anybody would understand if we did,” Thayle said. “How many humans know about ancient dragon metals?”
“There are historians and seekers of lost knowledge. The order of Astikar used to have a whole branch dedicated to hunting for artifacts. All it will take is one person who knows of the metal to hear we have some.”
“That’s funny, Ulustrah had artifact hunters too. It was disbanded a long time ago. I don’t recall ever being told why,” Thayle said.
“Shadros must not know,” Lilly said. “He will crave it.”
“How can you be sure?” Gersius asked.
“Reach over the bind,” Thayle said. “Feel her.”
Gersius reached for Lilly and was struck by the deep hunger that he felt. There was a consuming need that was almost overwhelming.
“But the sword was in his cave all that time?” Gersius said. “Surely, he knew what it was?”
“It was warded,” Lilly said. “I didn't feel it at all in the cave. To be honest, it has been right next to me here a dozen times, and I never noticed. I had to touch it to unlock its taste.”
“But you touched it in the cave,” Gersius pointed out.
“When she grabbed it in the cave, the ward must have prevented her from detecting it,” Thayle suggested.
“He must have spent time looking at it, though. It is a very unusual metal. If he knew the rare metal was green, he must have suspected.”
“I looked at it here and never realized it, and his mother may have died before she explained the magic of metals to him,” Lilly offered.
Gersius was at a loss to come up with another argument and let it go. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down on Lilly.
“What is important right now is we get Lilly’s sight restored. We will keep the sword out of sight and not speak of it as anything more than a decorative weapon. Nobody ever sees it unless your in combat anyway.”
Thayle nodded. We can explore the nature of our share soul later when we have more time.”
They agreed on the plan and went back to working on Lilly's sight. Somehow their lives managed to get more wondrous and complicated all at once. Gersius went and informed Lengwin they would be staying with the camp for the night and made arrangements to deal with the acolytes in the morning. Thayle put her morning chores in Mingfe's hands so they could spend all night and morning working with Lilly.
With any luck, she would learn to put the sight away as Gersius did and be able to function while she learned control.
Lilly did her best, but in the back of her mind, she could feel the presence of the sword now. She could feel the metal calling to a primal nature to consume and grow more powerful.