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Chapter 37
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Dinner had been good, but dessert had been even better. Cantrell couldn't help but feel strange accepting Mavis's invitation to spend the night. It was like having a vast, overwhelming craving for chocolate and someone serving you the very best strawberry cheesecake you had ever tasted. There was a lot of cheesecake. Somewhere around the third helping, Cantrell decided that chocolate might be over-rated.
"My goodness, my dear Cantrell," the beautiful elf had finally said breathlessly and with a smile on her face..."You certainly seem to be grateful for my offering you a ride"
Cantrell wasn't sure how the pretty young elf fit into his future plans, but he had to admit she seemed to have solved his Ardwella. problem. There had been a haunting ache every time he had thought of the dragon rider. Now he was just angry. His affections had waned. He didn't think she had deliberately drawn him into this situation, but Ardwella was a menace to male elves everywhere. She had deliberately turned her body into a weapon of seduction and control to accomplish her tasks. Mavis had somehow overwritten the dose of pheromones he had received accidentally, with her own natural pheromones delivered vigorously and purposefully. It had taken repeated and intense exposure to someone else to break the addiction Ardwella had created. He had to appreciate that Mavis seemed to genuinely care about helping him break free of the bondage.
Cantrell slipped out of the sleeping Mavis's bed, found his clothes, and silently left her house. He didn't intend to make this a one night stand, but Mavis was still a puzzle to be solved. How had she managed to form a bond with the water dragon Aleena? What did that mean for the rest of the lake-bound dragons as plans went forward to restore them to dragons like Candasar and Tundor?
Cantrell stood by the shore of the lake in the moonlight and thought about it. How did he fit into what was going on here? Did he really want to help the dragons, or had he been dragged into it by Ardwella's attractant powers? What was he going to do when the Emperor came calling?
The last few days must have inoculated him to surprise because he didn't even jump when a large dragon-shaped silhouette rose from the dark water directly in front of him and began to speak.
"Are you free from your addiction, or have you just replaced one with another? Came the chuckling voice of Aleena the blue water dragon. "I can smell my bond all over you."
"I think so," Cantrell said awkwardly, trying not to blush. I guess it will take seeing Ardwella in person to really know. Do I have you to thank for the special attention Mavis provided?"
The blue water dragon laughed... It was a low hissing chortle,
"Mavis is complex. Young and impulsive. She is driven by her love of fun and a fascination with the world she lives in. And, of course, she appreciates handsome elves such as yourself. She is often misunderstood. I did not interfere. You should assume that her feelings and actions are genuine."
Cantrell nodded, She was certainly kind to humor a well seasoned older elf such as myself".
"Mavis chooses who she wishes. It seems that among those who will bond with dragons, age becomes much less of an issue. Ardwella was one of the first to bond over seven hundred years ago, and yet you still desired her."
"I did indeed, but that infatuation was a terrible idea for a lot of reasons"
"Mavis and you are much closer to the same age. If you bond with a dragon, it will not matter."
"There are not a lot of extra dragons to go around. Before I left, Ardwynn and I argued about Tundor"
"That is no longer in dispute. I spoke to Candasar my cousin. Tundor has chosen Ardwynn, and they have bonded"
"How did that go? Did Ardwynn and Lothinar's relationship disappear once her feelings for Lothinar were disturbed?"
"They are still together... but there are some issues to solve. It is complicated."
"I can only imagine."
"Do you think that you are in love with Mavis?" the water dragon suddenly asked.
Cantrell paused. He wanted to be as truthful as possible. He felt gratitude for how the beautiful young elf had helped him. She was a lot more than he expected. Deeper and more insightful. He wondered how much of that was due to her new bond.
"I think I need to get to know her a lot better before answering that question," he said. "I am very grateful for her help with my difficult problem."
"It is probably wise that you did not immediately say yes; it shows honesty and maturity."
"Maturity I've got in spades"
"From what I can tell, you would be a good match for her"
"If you say so..."
"I do. but before we go any further on this subject, I would like you to meet someone. First, I would like your permission to carry you back over toward my nest, and then I wonder if I could ask you to take a short walk in the woods"
"You are not really able to go into the woods. What's there? Who am I meeting?
"My mate has come down from his hidden place in the hills. He has visited me many times over the years. It was he that watched over our eggs on the shore yesterday while I brought you and Mavis here"
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"He walks?"
"He has always walked. He is not of the water. But, he can not fly. We hope for that to change soon."
"Well, I look forward to meeting him. What's his name"
"His name is Mo-rung. "He is also a lot older than I am."
"Mo-rung... Why did that name sound so familiar?" Cantrell thought.
When they reached Aleena's nest, Cantrell jumped off her back and onto the shore.
"Which way should I go?" he asked.
"Head uphill and in the direction of Delora. You will come to some caves. It is several miles"
Cantrell was starting to wish that he had gotten a little more sleep. It had been an eventful day and evening.
"I'll be fine," he said, then thought to himself. "Everyone should have the kind of problems that kept me awake last night."
Cantrell never made it to the caves. Just a mile from the lake a huge red dragon appeared before him standing on the rocky path as it made a switchback on the uphill slope. The dragon was not as large as Esmarilla, but he was a close second in size, much larger than even Tundor. He looked a bit like Tundor had before today. He had wrinkled and unformed wings. Cantrell had expected to meet a dragon. What he had not expected was the half dozen grizzled and roughshod men that came forward to encircle him on the path. They appeared as if by magic from among the trees. The looks on their faces were not exactly friendly.
"Warden Cantrell, We meet at last," one said in the human language with a scowl.
"Yes, it is Cantrell the Warden", rumbled the dragon. "He is the one that has been in charge of discouraging your hunting deer in the forest and is largely responsible for making hunting deer for me more difficult."
"I had no idea your men were trying to keep a dragon fed," replied Cantrell, beginning to feel extremely nervous.
"I have heard that Cantrell has had a recent change of heart in that regard", said the red dragon. "Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt."
"I would appreciate that," said the warden. "It would seem a bit hypocritical at this point to write you a poaching ticket."
Cantrell heard a couple of the men chuckle.
"You could try..." one of them said gruffly.
Then the dragon surprised him again.
I hear you are friends with my granddaughter, Candasar. I would like to send her a message. Do you think you could deliver it for me?"
"She is staying in your human village in the dragon temple," said Cantrell. "I am sure I can deliver the message in the morning"
One of the younger-looking men stepped away from the semi-circle and reached forward to peer into his face.
"We would like it delivered before dawn"
"I am Irvine. Harvey was a friend of mine. I understand you were with him at the end and almost had the same fate. I will escort you there to make sure you don't get lost along the way"
"Elves never get lost in these woods," said Cantrell, then he laughed. "At least not accidentally. Can one of you get a message back to Aleena for me?"
"I will do that," said Mo-Rung. "What is the message?"
"The message is actually for her bonded Mavis. Tell her not to worry and that I'll be back as soon as I can," Cantrell replied. Also, please tell her, "Thank you!"
The dragon nodded.
"Follow me!" said Irvine. "I will make sure you get back to Delora Natine."
"I believe that I know the way well enough," said Cantrell
"Yes, but after you deliver your message, there is someone there that I want you to meet," said Irvine.
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The two elves had left. Lothinar said he wanted to take a shower. They were smiling and seemed so happy together. Finally, the dragons were alone.
Candasar looked at Tundor with a frown.
"Something has changed. I can tell by the way you were looking at Lothinar"
"Of course, something has changed. I've just bonded. You should understand this. You recently just did it yourself. Bonding is a blending."
"Yes, but you looked like you wanted to bite his head off."
"I know you needed to choose that elf to get your wings and be healed from having water dragon parts stuck all over you, but those were desperate measures. A difficult time. Are you sure that choosing him was the best idea?"
"What has gotten into you? Candasar asked angrily. Lothinar is a very fine elf. I can feel his heart. He is much more like his father than his mother. I have no regrets. Then she stopped. "What is happening, Tundor?"
"I think I may have made a terrible mistake," the white dragon said. "It is confusing because my memories tell me one thing about Lothinar, and my feelings tell me something completely different. I have no reason to feel this rage, and yet it is almost out of control."
Candasar was silent for quite a while.
"I am concerned," Candasar said. "Could it be that you have taken all of Ardwynn's repressed anger and absorbed it into yourself and, in turn, given her all your positive feelings for Lothinar?"
Tundor nodded as he suddenly realized what he had done. What he had been forced to do by necessity"
"She was so angry when we bonded, Candasar. I had to protect him. I had to protect us. She would have split us up. I told you that I would try."
"I took all of her anger and gave her back every good feeling I had for him. Now her cup is full, and my cup is empty. I am worried that she might be much more like her father than we thought!"
"You would never know that from her previous behavior." Said Candasar. "Lothinar's pheromones must have been very powerful. Well, let's hope you are strong enough to overcome that. I think you are going to need to be Lothinar's friend to survive what is coming."
"I just hope Lothinar never really makes her mad because the way I'm feeling now he might not survive it. You can never tell him about this, Candasar"
"Tundor, now that you are bonded, you must realize how difficult that will be to do," she replied.
The two dragons decided to get some sleep. The day had slipped away. It seemed forever since their walk down to the lake for the transformation. Tundor was still adjusting to it all. He had never even thought about how wings would keep you from sleeping on your back. He had enjoyed doing that, although Candasar had told him that it made him snore.
In the middle of the night, they were awakened by a soft knocking on their door. It was Cantrell. He was accompanied by a hard-looking human. For some reason, Candasar thought he smelled a little bit like Harvey, the gate guard who had died. Cantrell smelled like he had fallen into a vat of sexy female elf. That definitely brought up a lot of questions.
"What is it? she asked.
"Candasar," Cantrell asked. "Can come with me to a place outside of the village?"
"What for?" She asked.
"Your Grandfather would like to talk with you," he said without a hint of mirth.
"Have you been conversing with the dead? Warden Cantrell," she asked suspiciously.
"No," he said. "I think you will be surprised to find out that your grandfather is very much alive."
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Mavis woke up alone.
"Drat!" she said. "I thought I was off to a good start!"
She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the way Cantrell had sung her a song of faraway places and lost loves. She hoped that she would not become one of them.
"An elf like that I could really fall for." she thought.
Aleena broke into her thoughts through the bond with a message.
"Cantrell had to go and do something for me. For us. He said to thank you and for you not to worry. He said that he would be back as soon as he could"
"He's so sweet," then she smiled. "Everyone always wants seconds on cheesecake!"
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As Tundor, Candasar, Lothinar, and Ardwynn were hurrying out of the temple for their meeting with history, they passed Ardwella in the hallway. Cantrell didn't give her a second glance. She was quite surprised. "I guess Albarad wont be needing that stick...." Then surprisingly, she frowned. "I must be losing my touch,"
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