Ezeas locked the door behind him and went above deck; the repairs were going as well as could be expected, when not in harbor. People were quiet, subdued, as they went about their tasks. The losses suffered were not catastrophic but severe enough to be felt. There was also a general unease among the crew; the chatter in the mess was focused primarily on the defeat of the pirate ship.

It seemed evenly split among those who considered the event a miracle for the ages and those who saw it as evidence that bringing the human aboard had been a fatal mistake. The officers were no help in keeping the rumors at bay and locking her up had only taken care of the most vocal protests.

He found Laelith overseeing the fastening of new sails and gestured for her to speak privately. They went to the navigation room, off the quarterdeck; it was where the mast had done the most damage, but the room was serviceable enough to offer privacy.

“I take it she's still sleeping?” Laelith asked as soon as the door closed.

Ezeas nodded. His cousin seemed uneasy.

“It's been two days. Should we be worried?”

“All testaments about those carrying the essence speak of severe fatigue, in the beginning stages, it's to be expected.”

“Still, I would have never expected the ability of a dragon to be so immense.”

“It shouldn't be. The timeline doesn't make sense.”

Laelith caught the frustration in her cousin's voice. She looked at him expectantly as he ran a hand over his face.

“This sort of joining doesn't just work, overnight, there's an adjustment period. The bonded comes into their power, little by little, as they get attuned to the dragon.”

He looked out the windows, shaking his head.

“Considering her recent absorption of the essence, she shouldn't have been able to do anything more than scorch the deck she stood on.”

Laelith picked up an oil lamp which had been knocked down by the impact and inspected it.

“Maybe you misjudged when she drank it?”

“No, the sorceress was only with her for a day, the time frame is accurate.”

She put the lamp down on a massive oak table, in the middle of the room.

“It could be a fluke. Just a response to a desperate situation,” she argued.

“That's what I'm hoping.”

She turned to him with her eyebrows knotted; then her eyes widened with understanding.

“You're worried about the Council of Houses, aren't you?”

He nodded.

“They're not going to be happy that the essence is carried by a human, not even a mage or at the very least, royalty, but a beggar from some remote town most people have never heard of. They'll be even less thrilled to learn that said human sank an entire frigate by herself, in a matter of minutes.”

“What do you think they'll do to her?”

“I don't know and that's none of my concern. However, they will be scrutinizing my work to figure out how she ended up in this position.”

Laelith sighed as she picked some books out of a shelf and looked them over.

“You got yourself into this, Ezeas. I distinctly remember warning you about bringing Lyari along. You should count the gods' smiles shining on you that she didn't accidentally hit the essence with her arrow.”

He gave her an annoyed frown and she shrugged.

“Taurom told me.”

He rolled his eyes, trying to contain his irritation at his subordinate's over familiarity his cousin. He would have to reprimand the man, later.

“I admit Lyari has a tendency to be...reckless.”

“ 'Reckless', hmm? Interesting word choice.”

“You have a better word in mind.”

His tone suggested she should decline answering but she was not one to keep from speaking her mind.

“ 'Trigger-happy Bitch' seems appropriate. 'Violent stalker' is equally accurate, I think.”

She had collected a stack of books, which were still in good condition and was hauling out the cases containing all the ship's maps, checking them, one by one.

“Without her skills we'd never have found the sorceress to begin with,” Ezeas pointed out.

“I'm not saying she's useless, Ezeas, I'm saying she's dangerous.”

“I'm not going to get into your personal issues with her. I trust her with my life, Laelith.”

She dropped a few of the maps on the desk and leaned on her knuckles.

“It's not your life I'm worried about.”

“It won't matter. Soon, that whelp will be the Mastre's burden to bear and I won't have to deal this, anymore.”

His cousin growled, more out of disappointment than anger.

“I know you just want to hand her over, like a trophy, but it wouldn't kill you to treat her like an actual person.”

“What does it matter? You've spoken to her twice, you're hardly attached.”

“She's been dragged away from everything she knows, told she's carrying part of a dragon inside her, and dumped among a foreign people who almost got her killed by pirates. Had I never said a word to her, I'd still feel sympathetic for her situation.”

“We all have misfortunes to carry, that doesn't mean the world has to cater to us.”

“The world doesn't have to do shit, but the person who deals with her might wish to remember that being on good terms with someone, who can burn a massive ship to cinders, isn't an impractical notion.”

Ezeas groaned and tussled his hair in agitation.

“I repeat: come tomorrow evening, it won't matter. This mission has been far more trouble than it's worth, I'm not going to do something as stupid as getting involved. Let the Council have their little pawn.”

He left the room and Laelith was left alone, to gather the things. She looked after him, knowing that simply wishing things to be over rarely led anywhere, especially in their family.

----------------------------------------

Saelina felt weightless; she knew she had been sleeping for a long time but had no idea how long; she was with the dragon, again, who was mildly annoyed by her presence, something she knew, just as she knew she was in awe of it.

“Must you bother me, here?”

Its massive silver body was curled up with the feathered, white wings tucked firmly against its back, its head resting in front of her with the lids halfway closed.

“I don't have much control over it.”

A heavy breath rumbled through the creature and it shifted slightly.

“You seem tired.”

“A consequence of pushing past the limits of our connection. Your own body is no better for wear, mortal.”

“So, what happened on the ship wasn't supposed to happen?”

“Not, as of yet.”

“How did you do it?”

The dragon seemed slightly amused by the question.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“How do you know to run? With time and experience, you improve on what you know and push your boundaries. This is as true for dragons as it is for mortals.”

Saelina was surprised by the mighty beast's willingness to indulge her curiosity; it made her bolder.

“Are you old? For a dragon, I mean?”

He shifted his position, again.

“I couldn't tell you. We don't put the same importance on time as you do. We're measured in what we know and how we apply it. Suffice to say I was here long before you were born, and I'll be here long after your demise.”

Saelina nodded, accepting the answer as the most natural.

“Can I ask your name?”

Another wave of mirth, though it seemed rooted in the memory of someone else, rather than brought forth by the question.

“Someone once called me Dhíanvhúr. It was the only part of my true name they could adequately pronounce. If that's how you address me, I'll answer to it.”

“Dhíanvhúr,” she repeated, trying to get familiar with the name.

“My name is Saelina.”

The dragon said nothing but she assumed that was mostly because he had no intention of addressing her by anything other than 'mortal', for the time being. She took the chance to ask something which had been on her mind for a while.

“You know Tahlisa, don't you?”

For a long time, Dhíanvúr said nothing. Saelina started wondering whether he had fallen asleep.

“I did.”

Before she could ask more, he turned his head away from her.

“Enough questions.”

She was pulled away from the scene and started sensing the heaviness of her body. With it came an intense ache in all her muscles. She opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was; there was no one else in the room, so she could not ask how the ship was doing. Grey light was cast through the windows, lighting up the rooms to some extent. With great struggle she sat up, wincing in pain. She noticed a tray with food on the captain's desk and her stomach came to life. She started cursing whomever had chosen to put it so far away as she maneuvered her legs over the edge and put them on the floor. Standing up was a far more daunting task, so much so, that for a moment she considered lying back down and just wait for someone to notice her. Her stomach immediately protested the notion and curled up on itself, painfully, forcing her to grit her teeth and rise from the bed.

It was every bit as bad as she had feared, and worse, as the pressure from her body made her leg muscles burn in agony. With tiny steps, she made her way over to the desk and looked over the food; a tankard of water, a bowl of broth and a dried pear were placed neatly on the tray, just waiting to be consumed. Saelina devoured the contents, intent on shutting up her gut.

The meal helped clear her head and she took the time to process what had happened before she fell unconscious. The screaming was the first memory to return; it erupted in her head, taking her breath away. It faded and in its place the silence filled her mind with a cold darkness. She remembered the heat, the surge of power and, above all, control. In the light of day, it was difficult to grapple with the reality of it all. Her emotions were in turmoil. She knew there should be more fear within her, a deeper concern for the allure of such abilities, but her mind kept coming up with reasons to seek out that feeling, again.

After testing the door, which was locked as stipulated by Ezeas, she started moving around, as well as she could, in the hopes of alleviating her aching body; it helped little but it gave her something to do. Being idle was a strange concept after so many years spent working every minute of the day to survive. She had to slow down when her muscles started cramping and resigned herself to stay in bed, staring at the ceiling; though it was nowhere near as bad as when she first came aboard, the waves and their effect on the ship were still making her uneasy. She dozed off, again, and when she came to, it was dark outside the windows.

She immediately knew there was someone else in the room, with her. Before she could react, a hand was clamped over her mouth and Lyari's face hovered right above hers. The sneer on the woman's face was threatening and her eyes bored into Saelina's with all the menace of someone ready to kill.

“I was right. Bringing you was a mistake. If I don't do something, you're going to get us all killed.”

A chill ran through Saelina's body and she had to fight to suppress a whimper. Lyari shushed her, almost gently.

“I know, I know, you saved the ship. And that might convince that bitch Laelith, it might even be enough for Ezeas. But it won't be enough for me.”

She wrapped her other hand around the human's throat, squeezing, slowly. Panic started setting in and Saelina tried to struggle, tearing at Lyari's clothes.

“We have to make sure you know who's in charge, here.”

There was barely any air coming into her lungs, anymore, and she was thrashing, tears flowing down her cheeks. She screamed for Dhíanvhúr in her mind but the dragon was seemingly still too tired to even hear her.

“Remember how easy it is for me to get the drop on you, human filth!”

A tingling sensation started spreading on Saelina's throat, then a shadow lifted and her attacker was gone from the room; she gasped for air and for a long moment she was sobbing quietly, trying to stop the tremors which ran through her body. She was no longer distracted from the pain and it returned, stronger than ever, crippling her physically and mentally.

When a key finally sounded in the lock, she lifted her head and instantly regretted it when tendrils of pain shot down her back and up into her skull. She groaned and sank back down to her pillow as the door opened.

“Should I take that to mean you've rejoined the mortal world?”

In an instant, she wanted to go back to sleep, so she would not have to suffer Ezeas' arrogance while being in agony. She sat up, gritting her teeth through the pain, and put her feet on the ground. He walked up to the desk and placed the oil lamp he was carrying on it, before turning around and leaning against it, with his arms crossed.

“Had a nice sleep?”

“I did, until your little soldier came in, choking the life from me.”

Ezeas looked at her, puzzled.

“Lyari? She's been busy helping with repairs.”

Saelina rolled her eyes and a shudder ran through her.

“I should have figured you wouldn't believe me.”

Ezeas came to stand in front of her.

“Lift your head.”

She obliged and he knelt down, looking closely at her neck.

“There are no marks, but that doesn't mean much. It would be easy for one of us to heal any bruises before they even appear.”

He stood and stepped back to the desk.

“It's been a rough trip, is there any chance that you were dreaming?”

Hearing the possibility, Saelina suddenly felt uncertain; could it have been her tired mind and pained body playing a trick on her? She shrugged, rather than answering and he had the good grace to change the topic.

“We'll be pulling into port in Gaerwhynn, soon. From there, we'll go straight to the Council of Houses; they'll be deciding what happens to you from here on out.”

“Happy to finally be rid of me, I see.”

“I'll be happy when I get paid.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself for yet another exhausting conversation.

“Can you at least tell me what this council wants from me?”

“They originally wanted the Dragon's Essence, to use in a war against Northern invaders. I imagine the end goal hasn't changed.”

“So, I'm a weapon?”

He shrugged.

“You sank an entire ship, without help. What else would they do with you?”

“But I won't be able to do so, again.”

He lifted an eyebrow

“The dragon told me. Apparently, we crossed certain limitations.”

Ezeas nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the information.

“Normally, the connection between you and the dragon has to build up before you can access that kind of power.”

“What happens if I'm unable to use the power?”

“What do people usually do with a weapon that doesn't work?”

She looked at him for a moment, a familiar sense of resignation settling within her. A searing pain ran through her head without warning and she hid her face in her hands, groaning. She started considering if the pain was really worth staying useful.

“Look, they won't just throw you out, the first time they don't get what they want. They will make an effort to train you and help further your progress, if that helps.”

She raised her head at him in confusion. He was looking away, and did not elaborate. It was difficult to decipher the intent behind the comment; if she knew no better, she would have guessed he was trying to be helpful.

“I've been shunned before. The only difference is, here I'll be free to do something else with my life. On the whole, that's not such a poor prospect.”

“You don't seem indifferent.”

She shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him.

“What, are you going to feign an interest, now? Just how much are they paying you?”

He clenched his jaw, obviously done with feigning concern.

“I don't see how that matters to you.”

“No? I would very much like to know how much I'm worth.”

“Don't kid yourself. It's the essence they're paying for. If anything, your involvement will drive the price down.”

She laughed, unable to stop herself.

“Oh, excellent! You kidnap me, and it ends up screwing you.”

She soon regretted the outburst when she was hit by another jolt of pain and winced. Ezeas flashed a smug smile before smoothing out his expression, again.

“Not as much as you'd like.”

She stood, proudly, despite the struggle.

“Just enough to get under your skin.”

He straightened up as well, facing her, calmly.

“It takes a lot more to get under my skin, whelp.”

It was her turn to smirk.

“And you'll have to try a lot harder, if you want to hurt me.”

He scoffed.

“Well, for one, I don't care enough to hurt you. But apparently you're more than capable of causing yourself pain for the both of us.”

Saelina shrugged.

“Not as much as you'd like.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything. However, the exertion quickly tired Saelina out and she sank back down on the bed.

“You won't have much time to rest. I'll come back when we've made landing,” he told her evenly, before moving to leave the room.

“I'll come up, now.”

She hated the idea of being alone, easy prey for Lyari or whomever else might have a grudge against her. He eyed her skeptically.

“You can barely stand.”

“And you're gonna carry me off the ship and to the council, Essy?”

He did not answer but pressed his mouth into a thin line and she nodded.

“Thought as much.”

She rose, breathing deeply, leveling a steely gaze at him. He hesitated for a moment, then conceded and grabbed the lamp before opening the door for her.

“How chivalrous.”

“I don't want to have to pick you up, if you fall.”