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Chapter 23
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Cantrell had spent quite a while on campsite cleanup and then hiking out, so it was quite late in the day before he returned to the warden's office in Tasumakoji. In the elven speech, the word was translated as “Fire Lake.” It had been named, or perhaps more correctly, renamed, for the liquid dragon fire that had burned on its surface over 700 years ago. Flames that could not be extinguished even as the dragon's own bodies had turned traitor against them at the behest of elven magic. The spell had caused their natural flames to run amok. They died horribly as their throats and lungs burned in their own fires.
Only by ingesting great quantities of water and then expelling it had the dragons been able to postpone a seemingly inevitable self-immolation. It must have been quite a grotesque spectacle.
The memories of those fateful events also led the local human inhabitants to rename their town. They called it Delora Natine, which means “Tears of Fire.” The surrender of the dragons that managed to survive here ended the war. They had acquiesced to the agreements that had given their race a chance at remaining alive.
Other large lakes were scattered about what now amounted to the northern fringes of the eleven kingdoms. But the dragons had made their last stand here. The history books said that it was because of the relationship of the dragons to one family who had apparently earned their trust. A family that had their ancestral home in this area. The family of the “Elven Traitor” Lothinex. The name was not that common, and it astounded Cantrell that he had somehow never made the connection. Obviously, Lothinar was his grandson.
Cantrell thought he might be excused for his blindness to the similarities in the names because of the incredible number of years since the event. No one seemed to have taken into account the vast increase in lifespan that accompanied bonding with a dragon. That lifespan had allowed a surviving granddaughter enough eventual anonymity to act methodically. She had found that, indeed, revenge was best served cold.
Apparently everyone that had participated in the killing of the dragons was now dead. They had been tracked down and killed by a vengeful Valkyrie named Ardwella. Now that Cantrell had seen Lothinar’s mother somehow restore one of the original dragons and fly on it through the sky, it all made perfect sense. Cantrell had never suspected that any of the dragons like Esmarilla had survived, but he had seen it for himself. Now, even more impossibly, she and her son had made another one by rescuing a lake dragon. He had been there and watched it happen. They had reforged a broken blade.
Tundor had been proof that the dragons of old still lived within the genetic code of the flipper-footed creatures that the wardens guarded in this lake. Something had been done to them. They were vastly changed, but the magic that flowed through their bodies was still fighting the war. It seemed these highly magical eggs had been deemed valuable by someone, and a process was in place to steal them out of their nests and take them away for nefarious purposes. Very occasionally, one of the eggs would escape detection and hatch. The young that emerged would bear a resemblance to its ancestors.
For an egg to mutate into a dragon, like Tudor, it had to be laid by the saddest of all dragons. A mother that had none of the physical characteristics of an original but the mind and spirit of one. Trapped in a body that must seem not at all her own, among creatures with which she had no emotional camaraderie. Such had been Candasar. No wonder she had been a loner in self-imposed exile from her own kind.
It was only now that Cantrell had realized that his understanding of his job title had been wrong. He had thought himself a game warden. Instead he had been the chief guard of the dragon prison. Now, somehow, he had to facilitate a jailbreak.
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Ardwynn watched Lothinar eat his soup. She had finished a bowl earlier, along with some really delicious crunchy bread that had begged to be dunked. Watching him wipe up the last of his broth with another piece of the aforementioned bread, she waited while he swallowed and only then asked,
“So what are we going to do with Jontain?”
“Well, after he followed her, my mom wanted to finish him off out in the woods. Especially after Candasar caught him looking up her dress. It was all I could do to keep them both from ending him immediately.
‘He did that? Ew. But I can’t say that I am surprised. He’s been following me around for years flirting and making lewd suggestions. It was very consistent.”
Lothinar groaned
”Why didn’t you ask Cantrell to stop it?”
”Where do you think I got all my best material to try on you? It was kind of inspirational, really.”
He rolled his eyes. ” You're making me second guess my decision to just tie him up in the barn for now”
”Do you want to tie me up in the barn? It has certain possibilities."
Lothinar just shook his head, smiling. She smiled back.
Stolen story; please report.
”I’m sure it will be fine. What trouble could he possibly bring down on us if he was to escape? ”said Ardwynn sarcastically.
“Uh, I don’t think he is getting out of there past those three dragons”
”I suppose not. Well, in that case, if you don’t need it, I can always use some good rope”
‘I don’t think so. It’s my dad’s rope. He uses it to lead Jamison around.”
‘Have your parents unpacked? I saw the wagon in the barn. Looks like they were going on a trip”
”No on the unpacking, and Yeah, they are still going, all of us, actually. Especially the dragons. Delora Natine, at the other end of the lake. They kind of have an arrangement with a priest over there. He has a big place where we can probably stay for at least a while.”
”The humans seem relatively fond of the dragons, at least the aquatic version. Did it ever occur to you that they don’t seem to have the stories of evil dragons eating everyone or concerns about that happening?” Asked Ardwynn.
”Now that you mention it…”
“Maybe because it didn’t happen the way that we were told it did…The war, I mean.”
”That’s the working theory. I really need to have a long talk with Esmarilla and get this sorted out”
”I’m going by the way,” said Ardwynn. With you”
”Are you sure? Things could get pretty rough “
”Definitely. Don’t try to resist. I thought we were past this. I wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to tie the knot with you. Did you say something about a priest?”
Then it came to him. One of the reasons she was so appealing. It wasn’t the “over the top” infatuated banter. It was that with all the uncertainty in the world, sometimes it was just nice to know where someone stood, Unequivocally. Actually, he might be feeling that from Candasar as well. Perhaps Ardwynn was finally growing on her.
“You can’t blame the girl,” Candasar had said. “You are extremely handsome for an elf, but if this kind of talk goes much further, you should consider evening out those whiter parts of yours with a little sunshine “
”I’ll need to take that slow,” he had said. “I could burn”
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Before turning in, Lothinar and Ardwella had gone back out to check on their prisoner and had found him still fully tied and unconscious. Ardwynn had gone to “pick up a few things” but said she would meet them here first thing in the morning. She had threatened him with bodily violence if they left without her. Only after Lothinar had promised not to leave her behind had she been willing to go
“I am keeping him asleep, “ said Esmarilla, looking at Jontain as they entered the barn. “He has seen Candasar but not the rest of us, and we do not want to make it any easier for those who might come looking if he talks.
“Can you do that and keep the horse quiet without taxing yourself too much?”
”The horse is completely calm now, and I’m not doing anything. Alberad came out a little while ago and brought him some carrots”
“Are carrots candy?” Asked Tundor
”Candy for horses,” replied Lothinar” “But I don’t think you would like them.”
”They do look interesting, “ commented the dragon.
The sleeping elf was bound with a rope and still remained unconscious on some straw
”We are eventually going to be letting him go,” said Lothinar.
”I still think we should have left Candasar leaning on him just a little longer, “ said Ardwella, slightly blushing. She had changed when they had gotten back to the house into some attractive but conservative pants.
”I’m turning him over to Cantrell in the morning on the way out. I’ll make Jontain the pervert his problem. That’s the right way to handle this. We are not killing him”
”Cantrell probably has a lot going on right now, even without this,” said his mother.
”I’m sure he will make time for this after I explain the alternative. But yeah, he is in an awkward position.” Said Lothinar. “But I don’t think he really wants the job anymore “
“It’s fortunate that he is a good elf and was willing to understand the dragon situation enough to help,” said Candasar
”There were many good elves that tried to help us during the war, but all of them are dead,” said Ardwella
”It must have been terrible for you, “ said Alberad, stepping out from somewhere in the back of the barn.
Ardwella jumped
”I was just rechecking the wagon,” he smiled apologetically, “Packing a few more carrots. Updating the supplies. Need a little more food since Ardwynn is coming. Didn’t mean to interrupt. You were telling us about those you lost?”
”Yes, it was terrible, “ she said, tearing up slightly.
Alberad walked over to her and gave her a hug, then held her just far enough back to look in her eyes “
”I think I’m beginning to understand, “ he said.
She choked off a little sob.
”I lost a lot of people I loved”
“Well, this is promising, “ thought Candasar through the bond. "Your father seems to be coming around.”
”Yes, it is “
”Do you think anyone else from that time is left?” Lothinar asked his mother sympathetically.
”No one not bonded could have lived this long, and as far as I know, I was the only one that saved my dragon. I sent my sister the information and hibernation spell but never heard back from her. In all these years, I have heard nothing “
“She was bonded?”
“Our entire family was. My sister's Bond was a beautiful white male dragon named…”
”Vanador.” Finished Esmarilla. He was my brother. “I just had a crazy thought, “ said Alberad. “What if somehow an elf figured out that eating dragon eggs made them live longer?”
“Well, that might explain a lot,” said Lothinar.
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‘When Ardwynn got home, only her mother was awake. She was in the kitchen getting something to eat.
”I see we are both up late, my daughter. Is everything alright?”
”I’ve got a special assignment tomorrow, so I will probably be away for a few days. I need to pack a few things”
”Your boss works you too hard. I warned you that the Wardens job was probably not suitable for a woman”
”I am good at the work mother”
”And, of course, that boy you like is there. What was his name?”
”Lothinar, mother”
“Do you know that hundreds of years ago there was a famous traitor that lived in this very town that had a similar name?”
”No, I hadn’t heard that mother, the name I mean”
”He and his whole family were killed “
”That sounds very sad”
”Just be careful, Ardwynn. About that elf boy, if he hasn’t noticed you by now, he probably never will”
”Don’t say that”
”Running around like you do, I’m not surprised he hasn’t noticed. You need to take the time to buy some new clothes, doll yourself up, and look pretty”
”It’s fine mother. I am starting to make some progress “
”I’ll tell you what, I have to send Quentin over to ask your boss Cantrell for some help on a few things. Maybe I can ask him if he would be willing to let you have a few days off. We could have a spa day together “
”Quinton’s here?”
“Yes, dear, unlike you, your brother always comes when I call.”
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