The camp was built, and the men and women were settling down for the night. Lilly slipped through the tents of Ulustrah, talking to some of the women, and sharing a smile. She was welcome among the women, both as a woman and as a leader of faith. Over time she grew to know many of them, especially Taylin, the brown-haired beauty who always treated her like a dear friend.
Lilly could feel Thayle was nearby, somewhere near the edge where the women trained, probably leading them in exercises. She helped Minfe whenever possible to teach the techniques of combat and to ready them for the battles ahead.
However, it wasn't Thayle she was looking for; it was the musical voices that drew her out. Lilly loved the sound of singing in all its forms, and the camp of Ulustrah did the most. The women often gathered in groups to sit and sing over their mirrors of water, praising the goddess they served. She found those songs enchanting and loved to sneak through the camp just to hear them.
As she walked closer to her lover, she heard a strange noise in the air. I wasn't singing or chanting like the men of Astikar did. It wasn't even talking; it was more a wailing sound that rose above the others with gasping cries.
She followed the sound deeply curious and arrived at one of the large open tents the women used. She peered inside to see a dozen or so woman praying or talking as the sound echoed from inside. Lilly dared to step into the tent, her curiosity getting the better of her when one of the women turned. There in her arms was the smallest human Lilly had ever seen. It was practically a rodent, except it lacked the hair it would need. The little human mystified Lilly, with its chubby face and closed eyes. It shook stubby little arms in the air and cried with a broken wail.
The women made a fuss over it, smiling and waving to the little creature as aura's filled with love. The one holding the rodent looked up and saw Lilly watching from afar and smiled right before waving her in. Lilly carefully stepped closer, unsure of what to do as the woman continued to beckon her forward. She eventually made it close enough to see the thing clearly and was amazed by it all.
“What is that?” Lilly asked as she looked on in wonder.
Women giggled, and the one holding the rodent moved closer so Lilly could see.
“This is my son,” she said. “I gave birth to him three days ago.”
“He hatched three days ago?” Lilly asked to the laughter of those around.
The mother smiled and shook her head. “Unfortunately, we humans don't lay eggs. No, this one was inside his mother until just a little while ago. He is my pride, my happiness, and my hope for a better future. I wish his father could be here to see him.”
Lilly watched fascinated as the child continued to kick and wave while cradled in his mother's arms. There was something natural about this sight that made Lilly think of Gersius and his desire for children. He had once told Lilly that human children were born helpless and had to be cared for by their mothers for a long time. Now that she saw one, she understood why. Dragons were born fully formed and able to eat meat the moment they were free of the egg, but these humans didn't even have teeth, and she wondered what they ate instead.
The mother looked to see the women in the tent, beginning to sit and take up their bowls. “Oh, the others are going to pray, would you mind holding him for a minute so I can join them?”
Lilly froze as the woman held out her arms and deposited the child into Lillys’. She looked down at this wriggling thing in her grasp and immediately fell into the bind and screamed.
“Thayle!”
“Lilly?” Thayle called as she ran to the tent following the pull over the bind.
She saw a dozen women sitting in a circle meditating and singing with silver bowls in lap. Standing nearby was Lilly, who didn't move and seemed to be holding something in her hand.
“Lilly, what is the matter?” Thayle asked as she approached.
Lilly turned around with a panicked look in her eyes while danging from one hand was a human child that she had grasped by a single leg.
“Oh, for Ulustrah's sake, who was silly enough to hand you a child?” Thayle said as she rushed to relieve Lilly of her burden.
Lilly pointed silently to one of the women in the circle as Thayle properly cradled the child in her arms and began to smile at it.
“He’s beautiful,” Thayle said. “I can’t wait to hand Gersius a child.”
“I didn’t know they were so small,” Lilly said.
“How big did you think they were going to be?”
Lilly shrugged with a blank expression as Thayle smiled some more.
“Someday, you and I will both have babies to hand to our husband, and he is going to be the happiest man in the world,” Thayle said as she rocked the small child.
“I wonder if my children will look like that,” Lilly said.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Thayle asked.
Lilly reminded Thayle that while she could get pregnant as a human, she had to take her dragon form to lay an egg. The child would then hatch months later.
“I had forgotten that,” Thayle admitted. “Do you think your child will be a dragon?”
“I don’t know, Balisha didn’t say.”
“If it was a dragon, how big would it be?”
“Three times the size of that baby,” Lilly said. “And it will be able to walk and eat after a short sleep.”
“And you are ready to leave home by ten,” Thayle said. “Dragons are so very different than humans, but Balisha must have known this. Surely she made some changes.”
Lilly could only shrug, and Thayle went back to smiling at the child in her arms.
“Human or dragon, if I know our husband, he will love them both.”
Lilly watched as a hand waved in the air, and she reached out a finger to touch it. The tiny hand curled about her finger, holding on as if for security and comfort.
“He likes you,” Thayle said. “Probably because you didn’t eat him right away.”
“I don’t eat people,” Lilly said. “Well, not anymore.”
Thayle laughed and began to rock with the baby as it held on to Lilly’s finger tightly.
“Oh, Governess Commander, I didn't mean to burden you,” a woman's voice called, and Thayle looked up to see the mother come running.
“He isn't a burden. He is a brave man,” Thayle said and then whispered to the child. “And one day, your mother is going to tell you about the time you shook hands with a dragon.” She smiled and handed the child over the mother, who nodded in appreciation and carried the baby away.
Lilly watched him go and felt a strange sense of loss. It was quickly replaced with a sense of love as Thayle took her hand and led her from the tent.
“Wandering the camp again?”
“The women sing so beautifully, and I like to listen to them. I wish I could sing.”
“Lilly, you sing to Balisha every morning,” Thayle said. “And your voice is beautiful. The women who hear it say you are gifted with song.”
“I just know her one song,” Lilly said. “I want to know how to sing other songs.”
Thayle smiled to hear that and squeezed Lilly's hand. “I know a lot of songs, and I will teach you some. I have wanted to teach you to sing for a while now, but we have been so busy.”
“You humans do so many things that I find beautiful. You sing, you dance, you make music.”
“Hmm, how long has it been since you last danced?” Thayle asked.
“Not since Eastgate,” Lilly said.
Thayle nodded her head. “We should talk to our husband about having a party of some kind so you can dance.”
“Could we?” Lilly asked.
“We could, you and I could even dance together,” Thayle said.
Lilly looked into Thayle’s eyes and smiled softly. “I want to dance with you,” she whispered.
Thayle nodded. “Then, I am making sure he agrees to a party.”
They walked into the centerline that divided the camp by the kitchens and militia. Here they waived at people who greeted them and made their way to the meeting tent where Gersius's presence grew stronger.
“Probably leaning over more maps,” Thayle said. “That man is never done planning.”
“He told me once that a good plan was just as important as a good army,” Lilly replied.
“That’s our husband,” Thayle said as they arrived at the tent.
The two guards at the door saluted and reached for the flaps to hold them open so they could walk in. Gersius was dressed in plain pants with a white shirt tied in front, barely containing his muscled chest. His long wild hair was swept back as he stood by the tables in the center, sipping a wine lost in thought.
“He feels like he's thinking,” Lilly whispered.
“When is he ever not thinking?” Thayle asked with a shake of her head as they approached.
He looked their way when they were a few paces from him and set his wine down.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked.
“Can’t your wives come to see you without having a burden to lay at your feet?” Thayle asked.
He nodded his head and smiled before reaching his hands out to caress her face.
“You and Lilly are the ones who relieve me of my burdens. I would never have made it this far without you.”
She smiled and took a deep breath as his kind words washed over her. “You are better since the incident.”
“You and Lilly helped me get that pain out,” he said. “I am forever in your debt.”
Thayle glance at Lilly and nodded her head at Gersius.
“Should we make him try to work it off?”
Lilly smiled widely and reached out to play with a tie on his shirt. “I like how this looks on you. I can see some of your skin.”
“There will be time for you to see my skin later,” he said.
“Oh, must the war always come first?” Lilly asked with a sad face.
Thayle burst out laughing to see how pleading Lilly became as Gersius shook his head.
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“Sometimes I wonder if I am at war,” he said. “You two give me so much love I find it hard to remember that I could be fighting at any minute.”
“Then we are doing our jobs well,” Thayle said. “So, what were you thinking about?”
He picked up his wine and took another sip before answering.
“I was trying to think of a way to get the two camps talking. The rift between the two is getting wider by the day. There are incidents of insults and threats being made, and I was told this morning that weapons were drawn.”
“I heard about that,” Thayle said. “I asked Mingfe to find the women involved and bring them before the high priestesses for correction.”
“We need to find a way to relieve this pain like you did mine in the sky,” Gersius said.
“What about the party?” Lilly asked.
“What party?” Gersius replied as Thayle started to smile.
“Lilly, you're a genius,” Thayle said as she shook her head.
“What are you two talking about?” he asked.
Thayle explained how she and Lilly were thinking it would be nice to have a special event where they could dance. They planned to make it a small affair in the meeting tent for officers, but Lilly's idea was better.
“If we opened it to the whole camp, it might get them talking,” Thayle said.
“Especially if we can get them to dance together,” Lilly said.
“If they talked, it would help defuse some of the stress,” he agreed. “But how are we going to manage a party of that scale? Were cooking mostly vegetable stews every night, and our wine is limited.”
“I don't know,” Thayle said. “But Lilly and I can work on it. I bet we can find dozens of women who can cook and men who can hunt. If we time things right, we can put on a feast with some music and a lot of dancing.”
Gersius nodded in agreement and bid them to try. “If you can arrange it, I will do what I can to help.”
Thayle and Lilly smiled and squeezed hands when a distant roar interrupted them.
“That was a dragon,” Lilly said.
“Sarah and Numidel must be back,” Thayle exclaimed excitedly and squeezed Lilly’s hand.
Gersius set his wine aside and led the women to the field behind the meeting tent. They watched the skies for a moment until Lilly pointed out the distant forms of two dragons.
“They are back,” Thayle said with a smile.
As the two closed, it was apparent they were carrying things. On their backs were large saddles crafted for dragons of their size. Gersius estimated that twenty men could ride on Numidel easily, and perhaps twenty-five on Sarah. Tied to the saddles were baskets and boxes containing the things they ordered from the craftsmen.
Numidel touched down first, using the changing tent and quickly took his human form. Sarah landed in the field just outside and took her saddle off, resting it about a dozen meters from where they stood. Once Numidel was clear of the ring, she stepped over the tent wall to use it herself. She was so massive in size that the tent could not wholly contain her. However, a thick cloud of swirling black smoke obscured her form as she began the transformation. A flash of light later and the smoke started to drift away in the breeze.
They waited outside the ring, anxious to see the dragons and learn if anything had come from their mission. The smoke began to thin, and the dragon that once stood inside was gone. A human shape emerged from the tent, walking out of the cloud with graceful steps.
She stood tall with her long red hair pulled through a golden ring to drop like a tail behind her head. Her face was noble and beautiful, with eyes that blazed with red light and hinted at great wisdom. It wasn't her face or the color of her hair that captivated them, but rather the outfit she wore.
It was a dress of the most unusual manufacture. The skirt was red with white trims that reached just below her knees, leaving her booted feet visible. It was tightly bound at the waist by a narrow but sturdy leather belt that accentuated her figure. The top was red and white but layered over by a gray blouse that seemed to hug her like a second skin. It was split down the middle by a narrow neckline that plunged well below her chest, ending in a golden star emblem of Astikar. The red of the dress covered her shoulders and arms to her wrists.
Were that all that was there, it would be a pretty dress, but it wasn't done. Small protective plates protected the shoulder, and her lower arms and hands were fully encased in metal. Her right shoulder was a simple decorative plate, but the left shoulder was black with a white dragon emblem across it.
On her left chest was a diamond-shaped patch of black with a red falcon image stretched across it. Three golden bars hung below the diamond, a symbol of her rank. She was a commander of the third degree, a knight captain by today's standards.
The belt at her waist, though narrow, served an additional function. It was scaled in metal plates that were riveted through the leather. From the plates hung thin arms of metal that fell along the lines of her skirt, forming a skeleton of articulated armored spines. Golden patterns sewn into the skirt highlighted the spines, making them look a part of the outfit. The spines had carefully crafted joints that allowed them to flex and bend with the dress below.
“What is that?” Lilly asked as she saw the fantastic garment.
“An armored dress of some kind?” Thayle guessed. “It is absolutely breathtaking.”
“It is amazing,” Gersius said, his eyes transfixed on Sarah. “She looks like a warrior queen.”
Lilly and Thayle shared a glance and then looked to Gersius as he watched Sarah approach with head held high and a face carrying a soft smile. Every step seemed graceful and rehearsed, the dress flowing with her movement.
“I want one of those dresses,” Lilly said, her eyes filled with wonder.
“I want two of them,” Thayle said with a shake of her head as the regal beauty of Sarah arrived right before them. Her very presence felt powerful as if a Goddess had come from the heavens to address them.
“Hail, dragon knights and dragon,” Sarah said with a slight bow of her head, her eyes never looking away.
“Welcome back, Lady Sarah,” Gersius said with a bow in return. “We are glad to you stand with us again.” She smiled as their eyes met, both showing strength and respect to one another. Gersius adjusted his stance, standing tall and straight, with his shoulders squared as he asked the question they all wanted answered. “May we ask what it is you are wearing?”
“It’s a battle dress,” Sarah replied as if the answer was obvious.
He glanced at the women, and neither Lilly or Thayle had any clue what that was. He decided to be open and honest and admit they had no idea what that meant.
“We have never seen such a dress,” Gersius said, “Nor do I believe I have ever heard the name before, but I have to say, it looks stunning on you.”
“I agree it does,” Thayle added a smile curling her lips.
Sarah paused a moment then tipped her head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “Forgive me, I was aware you might not know what it was,” she admitted. “When we visited the city, I brought the rotted remains of several to the craftsman. Not a one them knew what I was talking about when I asked them to strip the armor and replace the dress. Thankfully I had enough left to give them the idea, and a talented woman knew how to make dense fabrics for the dress itself.”
“It’s beautiful,” Thayle said. “Lilly wants one for herself.”
“As a dragon, she should have one,” Sarah agreed. “I would be willing to allow the camp smiths to study this one to craft one of her own.”
Thayle smiled and glanced at Lilly to see the desire in her heart. “Whoever thought a dragon would be excited about wearing dresses?” she said and gave Lilly a nudge.
Gersius snickered and cleared his throat as Lilly pouted beside him and folded her arms.
“Why isn’t your chest armored?” Lilly asked as she thought of the armor worn by the other women. Surely this made Sarah vulnerable?
“It is lightly armored,” Sarah replied and touched the fabric. “This is an older form of padded armor that was good for indirect blows.”
“Wouldn’t metal be better?” Thayle asked.
Sarah turned to the side and reached up to tug at the back of her collar. They could see a strap of leather that feed through a series of loops that ran down the sides.
“It isn't plated because heavy armor takes too much time to get off. If I need to take my dragon form, I can pull this strap, and the whole outfit will come apart. If I wore a breastplate, I would have to take that off before I could take the rest off, wasting valuable time.”
“So, this cord causes the whole outfit to come off?” Lilly asked, reaching up as if she wanted to pull it.
“Lilly, leave that alone,” Thayle snapped.
“I wasn't going to touch it,” she argued as her aura showed the lie.
Hmm,” Thayle said as she studied the outfit. “If we got you one of these, I could strip you whenever I needed.”
Sarah looked at Thayle and Lilly with a confused face as Lilly met her eyes and blushed. Gersius cleared his throat again to move the topic along as Lilly swatted at Thayle. Thayle laughed and pushed her back as the two women retook hands.
Sarah watched the curious display before she went on with her description. She explained how the whole thing was designed for dragon women to give them some measure of protection if they entered a tight space. It was light, flexible, and moved with her steps easily following her form.
“Very impressive,” Gersius said with another slight bow of his head. “But how practical is that?”
“Very, if you know how to use it. It won't work like normal armor where a plate blocks the blow. With the dress, you need to know how to move in it to make effective use of the spines.”
“I am sure it takes some skill,” he admitted.
“It does, now I wish to offer my services to Lady Thayle formally.” She turned to Thayle and made a slight bow, never taking her blazing eyes off her as she smiled. “I have a proper saddle, at last. I hope you will allow me to carry you into battle.”
“I am honored that would carry me,” Thayle said with a bow in return.
“Why does her saddle have a bundle of ropes on the side?” Lilly asked as she studied it from where they stood.
“It is a rope ladder,” Gersius said. “Sarah is much taller than you, Thayle will need a ladder to get into the saddle, or Sarah will have to lay on her stomach to shorten the distance.”
“Indeed,” Sarah replied. “When you reach my age, your size can often be a hindrance when dealing with humans.”
“How do older dragons manage it?” Lilly asked.
Sarah shook her head that Lilly didn't know the answer, so she took a moment to explain it.
“Truly, ancient dragons reach what we call the quickening and grow in size rapidly. They can triple their size in a hundred years if they have the gold to feed on, becoming titans that can shake the world. When they do, they gain the power to readjust their size to appear smaller in both dragon and human form.”
“Why would they need that?” Thayle asked.
“You can see why by my height,” Sarah said. “I am slightly taller than Gersius, but a dragon amid the quickening would be twice his height or more in their human form. Without the power to adjust, they would be more akin to giants than men.”
“So, it's another gift?” Lilly questioned.
“It was part of the gift crafted by Solesta and Balisha. Solesta gifted the dragon half and Balisha the human half. A dragon of ancient age could appear to be smaller than your dragon form if it wished. As I have not yet reached that age, I will have to deal with being taller than most strong men.”
“Thankfully, you are blessed with such a radiant form,” Gersius replied.
Thayle turned to smirk at him and reached over the bind to speak silently.
“I approve of, and share your desire,” she said.
“What desire?” he replied silently.
“Oh, don't play games with Lilly and I. We see the beautiful woman standing before us.”
“I see a powerful woman of great wisdom that I respect,” he replied silently.
“Is that all you see?” Lilly asked over the bind. “You must be blinded by her radiance.”
Thayle had to cover her mouth to choke back her laughter as Sarah studied them with a curious gaze.
“Is something funny?” Sarah asked.
“I just had a random thought,” Thayle said as she glanced at Lilly to share a smile. “Please continue.”
Sarah nodded and stood tall. “So has anything of note happened in my absence?”
“A lot has happened since you left. Let us go to the meeting tent and have some wine while I tell you.” He led the way, and Sarah followed, with Lilly and Thayle bringing up the rear. Sarah immediately spotted some of the changes but said nothing as they entered the tent.
The tent was empty, and Gersius went straight to the refreshment table, pouring wine for each of the women. He handed them a glass and refilled his own as Lilly sat beside Thayle at the table. Sarah sat across from them, the armored dress easily flexing to accommodate her, as Gersius remained standing to pace. Sarah took a drink and set her glass down before asking the obvious question.
“Why is the order of Astikar in white armor?”
He knew that was coming but wanted to make sure she understood the full meaning. He began to recount the story of the raven guard and city battle. He explained how the people saw the two armies as the same force, and she nodded her head slightly. His voice grew strained when they came to Thayle's injury and worse when he got to Tull. Thayle had to take over for him when the pain became too great, and he needed a moment to gather his strength. She explained to Sarah who Tull was and specifically what he did to Gersius that day in Whiteford. She used her visions from his dreams to paint the scene in graphic detail so Sarah could fully appreciate it.
Sarah sat back her eyes on Gersius in admiration. “You suffered all that to protect a dragon?” She took a sip of her wine and looked down into the cup before fixing her gaze on Thayle. “You told me he was beaten, but you never explained it in detail. To know the full of it is hard to comprehend.” She looked back to Gersius with a stern look in her blazing eyes. “You are a great man, and you have my respect.”
Gersius took a deep breath and steadied his nerves with more wine as Sarah drummed her and on the table. It was clear the story had unnerved her, and something was now burning in her thoughts.
“Ahh there you are,” Numidel said as he entered the tent and shattered the tension. “Why Lady Lilly, you are positively glowing.”
“It's more of an afterglow,” Thayle teased, causing Gersius to chuckle into his wine as he remembered what he and Lilly had done as soon as their tent was up.
Sarah tapped her hand firmly to the table and took on a dire look. “I will not bear monsters such as this Tull parading around in a mockery of the falcons. I think it is time I started training those who are worthy of rebuilding the missing rank.”
“Actually,” Gersius said as he set his wine down. “We want to talk to you about training.”
“What about it?” Sarah asked.
“As you noticed, the men of Astikar have changed their coloring. Because of what happened in the city, Lengwin decided to reform the order under his command. He wishes to distinguish it from the Father Abbot's so that his men will not be tainted by association.”
“A wise decision,” Sarah said. “I applaud his efforts.”
Gersius nodded his agreement and continued. “As part of his plan, he has also announced that he will take any woman who wishes to serve Astikar and offer her training.” He paused to look Sarah firmly in the eyes before continuing. “He was hoping you would be willing to train them.”
“Me?” Sarah asked and looked to Numidel for support.
“That does seem a logical choice,” Numidel said. “Letting it be known that Sarah will train them should inspire many to the cause.”
“Lengwin agrees,” Gersius said as he looked to Sarah. “He is hoping you will agree to train the women and shape them into a powerful force.”
“He told them I would train them without asking me?” she questioned.
“Not exactly,” Gersius said. “He told them he was going to ask you, but most people believe that was all but guaranteed.”
Sarah nodded slowly as she considered the question. It would be easier to train women than to raise men to be Falcons of Astikar. Plus, if she taught some women now, she might be able to make falcons of them later. That would set a good precedent for the future. Not only would she restore the falcons, but there would be women in their ranks when she did.
“I accept, but where will I find women to train?”
“Several women of Ulustrah have grown frustrated. They do not see a path to war with the blessings of their goddess. They wish to serve a power with blessings that will be more useful on the battlefield. We just started to train some of them to follow Balisha, but some may wish Astikar instead.”
“I doubt it,” Thayle said. “They don't care for the order.” She paused and looked at Lilly with a smile. “But then things have changed these past few days, haven't they?” She took Lilly's hand and rubbed it gently. “You should tell the women who joined your order that Sarah will train them in Astikar if they would prefer that. There should be no shame in letting them change again. I will let the women of Ulustrah know and see if there are any more who have a conflict of faith. We will have to see what happens.”
“And we will gather more as we get closer to Calathen,” Gersius added. “We are sure to find more camps on the road.”
Sarah drummed her fingers again, her face looking sour. “Women whose hearts are so weak they can’t hold strong to their faith will make poor servants of Astikar.”
“Their hearts aren't weak,” Thayle said. “The war is changing them, and they are wise enough to know the path of Ulustrah is no longer right for them. They only wish to serve in a divine that is more attuned to their new dispositions.”
Sarah looked to Numidel, and he nodded back. “I will help you train them, of course,” he said.
Sarah nodded and looked to the others with firm eyes. “I will train any woman who will commit to learning, but I make no promises they will pass. I am not an easy taskmaster, but I will find enough to restore women to the order of Astikar, and help set these terrible crimes right.”
Gersius was pleased to hear that and took another sip of wine as Thayle rose from the table and pulled Lilly up with her.
“Lilly and I need to go see about a project,” Thayle said, standing up.
“But I want to stay and talk to Sarah,” Lilly said.
“You can talk to Sarah later. I want to start working on our project.“I hope you two will excuse us.”
“Of course,” Sarah said with a wave of her glass. “We will talk more later, and perhaps you can try the saddle. I also wish to continue with Lilly and Shadros's education. I have much more to teach them.”
Lilly let out a sad tone, and Thayle shook her head. “I am sure we can find time for you to spend with Sarah,” she said. “Now common, let's work on our task,” she said as she practically dragged Lilly away.
Sarah turned to look over her shoulder, watching them leave before turning back.
“Are those two behaving strangely?”
Gersius shook his head. “They are working on a project together to boost morale, but haven’t gotten very far with it yet.”
“Hmm,” Sarah replied and went back to her wine. “I hope they achieve their goals; the divisions in this camp are hampering its performance. Uniting them should be of utmost importance. No expense should be spared to accomplish it.”
“I can assure you, nothing is being spared,” he replied.
Gersius spent the next hour going over strategy and plans for the march. Sarah was particularly interested in reaching the other forces massing on the far side of the mountains. Once the two groups merged, they could march on the old empire and finally put pressure on false father.
Gersius was quick to caution her and point out that many of the kingdoms might resist their passage. They could end up having to carve a bloody path all the way to Calathen.
Sarah was unmoved and more concerned with the presence of dragons fighting for the Father Abbot. She wished to resume hunting the southern skies at night, hoping to bring one down and get some answers.
Gersius couldn't deny her wish, nor would he if he could. She was confident that few could challenge her power in a fight, and any dragon she removed from the battle would be a win for their side. As the night wore on, they parted company, and he retired to his chambers to sit on the edge of the bed.
A few minutes later, two women of great beauty walked in and began to undress slowly. He made love to Thayle first, then turned his attentions on Lilly, making her clutch at his back as she lost control under his touch. He then gathered his wives into his arms and held them until sleep swept the room.
As he lay there with his arms full, he kissed the top of Thayle's head and felt her over the bind. She was sound asleep, dreaming of happy things, content with their life. He then kissed Lilly's head and peaked into her dream to see her dreaming of dancing with him in a field surrounded by apple trees.