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FIFTEEN
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Tundor and his two blue dragon children landed at the stockyard of the Ronniflass dairy. Cantrell, who arrived with them astride Tundor’s massive back, and looking over the place from the air, thought milk must be in short supply. The number of cows was vastly depleted. The last time he had been here there were over two hundred head. Now there were just over seventy.
Tundor’s arrival had created a lot of attention. Cantrell had obviously updated Esmarilla about his new size and Mavis had told Mo-Rung. Mo-Rung had informed Vanador, so he knew what to expect. Seeing another huge white dragon land and take up so much of the yard was difficult to process. Tundor had only been of average size a few weeks ago. Siophra had obviously felt him coming and was one of the first to run outside. She grabbed onto his large foreleg the moment he stumbled to a stop and hugged him tightly.
“You look amazing Tundor! I think Vanador is actually going to be jealous.”
Tundor had an unfathomable look on his face as he stared down at the pretty blonde elf.
"I thought that I had lost you! That was terrible! Then you saved my daughter! You even let her borrow your body! "
"We are partners Tundor. For life. You would have done the same for me. Someday you probably will. Well, maybe not the body part, but who knows!" Then she laughed out loud.
She smiled up ant him before letting go, immediately running to greet and hug the two small dragons, Vigilant and Constance. They were looking around the yard in amazement.
”So many cows!” Said Vigilant.
”You two have grown so much as well!” She said, looking at them.
”I ate six weasels! But nobody has grown as much as daddy!” Said Vigilant.
“Aunt Siophra,” Constance sang. “We’ve brought someone special to seeee yoouu!”
Siophra squinted a little, looking up into the morning sun toward Tundor’s back where, on top of him, not one, but two handsome male elves were sitting. Cenderick leapt down and landed a few steps in front of the beautiful green eyed elf. He stumbled toward her and grabbed her in a tight hug.
Cantrell also dropped from Tundor's back, landing in a shock absorbing crouch before straightening and walking over to Ronni, who had just emerged from the barn. She whistled. It sounded like a tea kettle losing steam.
”My goodness! What have you been feeding him? He’s bigger than Vanador!”
”I’m sure you’re mistaken “ said Cantrell.
‘Then Vanador came around the backside of the barn and Tundor was!” Bigger, that is, but just barely.
”Wow,” said Cantrell, finally observing the two dragons side by side. “Your right!”
Vanador saw Tundor and began to bristle. He started flaring his wings and shoulders as if trying to make himself appear larger. He growled. Tundor stopped in shock and grew wide eyed. A few seconds passed and then Vanador started shaking. Then peals of extremely noisy dragon laughter came from him. The cows in a nearby pen shifted away and began mooing nervously.
”Oh my! You should have seen your face.” Vanador wheezed while trying to catch his breath. “That look!”
All of the elves except Siophra had frozen and initially been riveted on Vanador’s display of dominance. They seemed to suddenly relax and Cantrell even heard a chuckle or two.
“You had me going” said Tundor. “I almost pooped right here. I thought you wanted to fight me!”
Vanador moved towards Tundor and bumped him shoulder to shoulder. That got everybody’s attention again.
“No, but a little wrestling might be fun. Since my sister has been gone I haven’t had a good spar. Nobody’s been my size.”
”That will have to wait boys!” Said Siophra testily. “We have more important things to do right now.”
Cenderick was standing there looking a little lost. Cantrell observed that Cenderick’s emotionally charged reunion with Siophra had been delayed or completely derailed by the older white dragon’s fake display of dominance. . He suddenly wondered if the whole spectacle had been enacted by design. Vanador had vastly more experience dealing with Siophra’s hidden hurts and fears than Tundor actually did. He was her friend even though Vanador was not her current bond.
It occurred to Cantrell that his friend Cenderick had been put off before, although apparently gently enough not to dissuade him entirely. He had chosen to offer his heart to a very old and mysterious elven beauty. She had been through unspeakable things and had not emerged unscathed. He walked up his friend and touched him on the shoulder. Cenderick tore his gaze away from Siophra to meet his eyes.
”You can’t rush things my friend. She just barely got Zinariya out of her and she was almost killed just before that.”
”I know” said Cenderick sullenly. “She needs time again. I get it.”
Ronni who had been standing there suddenly broke the awkward moment by asking a question.
”So did you two manage to safely lock up my house before you left?”
”House and barn are locked tighter than a drum” answered Cantrell, handing her the key. “But I do need to compensate you for one of the bedspreads. Some of Argents relatives bled all over it. It’s probably ruined.”
”They were in my house?” She practically shrieked.
”No their blood was all over me when I carried a dying Siophra inside. It was second hand blood.”
”That’s terrible. You must have had an awful time up there!”
”The really bad part was over rather quickly and Mo-Rung did all the killing. But yes it was a rather unpleasant time. There are three dead elves buried just outside your pasture in the nearby forest. It could have been much worse actually.”
”Which one was it?”
”I beg your pardon? Oh it was Thelma, and her husband Malick. Probably their son too.”
”The quilt.”
He looked at her without comprehension.
”The quilt. Which one got ruined? Was it the one with the flowers or the sailing ships?”
”Uh, the flowers I think.”
”Well, that’s bad but not a disaster then.”
”Do I dare ask why?
”The sailing ship quilt has special memories for me. It’s the one I was under with Lothinar.” She blushed. “On our first special night.”
Cantrell shrugged.
”Definitely the flowers then.”
”Wait a minute! You don’t sound sure. Do I need to go up there?”
”Honestly, you do need to go up there. I think it was the flower quilt, but with all the blood and dying....and dragon babysitting that I’ve been doing, I can barely remember my own name right now!”
Ronni was looking at him in shock. Then her face softened. She hugged him.
”I’m sorry Cantrell. That was extremely inconsiderate of me. I lost all perspective on what you and Cenderick have just been through. The quilt obviously doesn’t matter. That you all survived is what is important.”
”Hey, I got there after all the bloodshed.” Said Cenderick jumping in. “I didn’t even have to bury anyone. I just had to watch Tundor inflate like a balloon. I did shoot a couple of deer. That always makes me feel a little guilty for some reason….”
”That’s right! You were in the house” said Ronniflass putting her arm around his waist and steering him away and back toward the barn. Do you remember for sure what quilt it was because Cantrell….”
Her voice faded away as they walked into the large building.
“Well at least she distracted Cenderick from his Siophra troubles.” Thought Cantrell. “I wonder where King Enderline and Pricilla are? They seem conspicuously absent.”
He looked back over at Siophra who was still showering attention on Vigilant and Constance.
”Hey! Which one of these dragons is Zinariya?”
Something bumped into him from behind causing him to almost fall before recovering. He turned around. A shiny silver colored dragon much larger than the two little blues was glaring at him. He immediately noticed that her eyes were strangely golden.
“Don’t just yell something like that out loud!” She hissed.
Cantrell placed his hands on his hips. He scowled at her.
“You shouldn’t go around ambushing someone from behind!” He said angrily. “It’s very rude.”
”You shouted my name! Not everyone knows that it’s actually me wearing this body. It has awkward implications.”
”I’m assuming then, that the dragon wearing it before you did not give it up willingly.”
”She did not. We should not speak of this out here in the open”
“It’s been my experience that If you feel embarrassed about what you did then you probably shouldn’t have done it. Are you embarrassed Zinariya?”
”I think you were nicer to me when I was a sexy elf.”
In spite of himself, Cantrell felt himself blushing.
”I think Siophra’s influence gave you better manners!”
She seemed to pause and think about that for a few seconds.
”You’re probably right” she said. “This dragon was pretty rude. I’ll have to be careful about that. It might be a hormonal thing.”
He raised his eyebrows
“Listen Cantrell," she said. "Some things have obviously changed. I’m going to need your help.”
He looked at her skeptically.
"With what exactly?"
"You have done research on Argent's daughters. You know what they look like and even met most of them."
"Briefly." he said. "But they know me. I'll be useless if you're trying to get close to them. They will see me coming a mile away."
"But you won't be a mile away. You'll be right in their bedroom while they are sleeping, or slipping something poisonous into their kitchen supplies!"
"I'm not an assassin! You should talk to Ardwella."
There was an awkward pause.
"You already did, didn't you?"
"Yes.” The dragon looked frustrated. ‘She turned me down."
"I'd like to say that doesn't surprise me, but it actually does. She has no love for Argent's family.”
He thought for a second
“What about Siophra?"
"Siophra and I have a strange relationship right now. She also said no."
"I would think that after the recent attack she would want a little revenge."
"With my mother away, Siophra said that she needs to help my father with Constance and Vigilant. She told me that she has given up her sword and that she was tired of killing. I guess she actually meant it."
”Perhaps,” thought Cantrell, “There is hope for Cenderick yet.”
He looked around for his friend but he was apparently still undergoing Ronnie’s quilt identification interrogation.”
"So I'm your third choice?"
"Fourth actually."
"I'm trying not to be offended, but at the same time actually relieved that I'm so far down on your list. Who was third?"
"My mother's bond Lothinar. He's obviously too far away at the moment."
"How far can you teleport someone?"
"I'm not really sure. Certainly not Sivantra. Range creates risk. Maybe when I'm fully grown. If we were in the capitol, I could probably get you in and out of Argents daughter’s strongholds."
"Probably isn't exactly a word that inspires confidence" said Cantrell.
"I pulled a dragon's brain right out of her body last night. It went really smoothly."
"Probably not for her." said Cantrell with a morbid chuckle. "How does that really work anyway?"
”It’s actually pretty hard to describe. I focus on what I want to move…”
”Like a dragon’s brain?”
”Yes, Or a snarky elf. But that brain moving was far easier than moving myself out of a broken egg and into the body of an elf. That was actually pretty hard. Plus I had to share.”
Cantrell was exceptionally tired. He suspected that he could use some sleep or at least a nap. He nodded.
”If you say so. The whole thing sounds very improbable and dangerous to me.”
”You don’t trust me. Do you want me to show you my magic?" asked Zinariya. "Where do you want to go?"
There was really only one place he really wanted to be. His heart thought the word and his lips moved before he even had time to think about how far the destination actually was.
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"Mavis."
The dragon looked surprised. Then she scrunched up her face with obvious effort.
"You don't start small do you? That's a fifty-fifty chance of success at best. Ok hold onto your boots. This might hurt."
"No wait..."
There was gut punching explosion of air and Cantrell felt himself starting to scream before his body realized that there was no air to do it with. His body was buzzing like he was made of bees. He felt like he was falling and it went completely dark. Then he smacked into something that felt like a hard floor. The lights came back on. His eyes filled with tears against a sudden glare. Finally he pulled in a tortured breath. He blinked and looked up.
Mavis was eating breakfast at a small table in the citadel cafeteria. He was laying on the floor next to her. She glanced down and saw him laying there. She yelled and jumped straight out of her chair.
”Hi beautiful!” He croaked.
Then he lost consciousness.
———————-
Night-Sky still hadn't come home and Enderline was sulking.
"What is that dragon thinking?" he said angrily.
Pricilla was teaching Ivy tricks in their suite. She was teaching her to 'roll over.'
"I'm sure that Night-Sky will be back soon dear!" she said.
"What are you doing with that dragon?" he said grumpily. "Your going to have her breaking a wing if you keep that up."
"She tucks her wings in, and it's cute" said Pricilla. 'She is highly treat motivated. She really likes this barbecued bear meat I got ahold of."
"Where did you get something like that?"
"One of the street vendors was selling kababs. Ivy smelled them and almost went crazy. So I bought her some."
"Your spoiling her."
"At least she pays me some attention. You've been so lost in your own thoughts lately."
Enderline sighed.
"I think we need to get back to Sivantra. Courtney's last message sounded like several things were piling up. We can just leave the baby dragons here. We can come back later and fly them home when they are big enough."
"I'm not leaving Ivy. Just because you don't feel the same way about Night-Sky...."
"Night-Sky and Snow are on a whole different level than your dog trick green dragon. They are playing a far different game!"
"Ivy hung her head."
"You've hurt her feelings Enderline! Apologize!"
"I've apologized enough this week for my entire lifetime." he said. "It's not very Kingly and I'm not going to start apologizing to your dragon for saying what's true."
"Are you saying the Ivy isn't smart?"
"Well, she is a lot smarter than a dog. You are probably insulting her intelligence with those kinds of tricks."
"We are just having fun together. These dragons are still young. They still like to play. Almost all the other dragon bonded humans play with their dragons in some way or another!"
"Except for me you mean."
"I know it's different for you. You're the king and have appearances to maintain. But I never thought you would isolate yourself from your own people like this. You're missing out."
"On bear kababs apparently."
Pricilla frowned.
"You should get out among the people more often. It's good politically to be seen. You've been holed up in here for days now."
"And everywhere I go the people will be saying. 'There goes poor King Enderline. He's the guy whose dragon doesn't love him anymore!'"
"They won't. But you should go over to Ardwella's and at least try to talk to Night-Sky. I'll go with you!"
"Ok, fine."he said. "After breakfast. Do you have any more of that bear meat?"
"I do" she said.
"is it fresh?"
"The freshest!" she said. "I had it delivered this morning. I'll fry some of it up for you, sliced thin and cooked crispy. It's like bacon."
Enderline looked at Ivy. He waited for Pricilla to run off to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry." he said mouthing a whisper.
Ivy began wagging her long lizard like tail.
-------------------------------
Ardwella was feeding the baby. Her blouse was open and she had a soft blanket loosely covering herself and baby Charity.
"She seems fine!" said Muina. "It's almost like it never happened."
"Except that Charity was born almost two months early." said Ardwella. “That platinum dragon should never have done that.”
”You explained to me what happened and I know she probably deserved it, but that’s an awful way to die.”
"Candasar's daughter is scary.” Said Ardwella. "Plop! She just teleported Platinum’s brains out onto the floor."
”It guess it was quicker than burning to death” said Mavis. “I think it’s time to talk about that.”
Ardwella gave her sister a pained look. “We probably should at some point. You know, It never occurred to me that you might know that spell.”
”Argent had the scroll in his personal things. I couldn’t exactly just leave it there. Not stealing it might have lost us the war.”
”Yes, but then you read and memorized it. You know if you were anyone else...."
She gave her sister a meaningful look.
”Yes, I know. You broke your assasins oath by not killing me."
Ardwella shook her head.
"I made that oath to protect the dragons, but look at me now. Last night I set off to kill a dragon myself." said Ardwella.
"Being bonded myself for so long, It never occurred to me that I would ever use it that spell.” Said Muina. ‘Then that dragon attacked us on our trip. I felt so defenseless. I don't think you really realize how terrifying that was!"
”He was probably just young, hormonal and unwilling to back down in front of his girlfriend.” Said Ardwella. "He couldn’t have been as narcissistic as Platinum."
“He was a lot bigger and pain enraged. Albarad put several arrows in him trying to defend his horse.”
"Better that dragon be dead than you and Albarad. I would have had to hunt him down myself if that had happened."
"He did kill the horse."
"I do miss Jamison." said Ardwella. "At least he was avenged. Let's hope he's the last horse that Albarad loses. He's actually going up there again."
Yes, he's going to try and find that other dragon and give her a decent burial."
"You don't have to candy coat the situation with me. He's going up there to hide the body." said Ardwella with a sigh. "I don't think Albarad would go to that much trouble if he wasn't concerned about protecting you. Killingsworth hasn't let this go."
"I'm regretting killing that second dragon quite a lot actually. She wasn't a threat. She was running because she was afraid."
"She kept bad company. Sometimes things like this happen to those that hang around with fools." Ardwella said. She moved the baby to the other breast. The two sisters sat In peaceful silence for a few more minutes until Ardwella gently pulled the baby away from her chest.
"She's full" she said putting the baby against her shoulder and gently beginning to pat her on the back. "I don't think I told you the rest of my conversation with Zinariya last night." she said suddenly.
"I'm intrigued. You didn't mention anything."
"That's because Albarad was there. It would have upset him."
"What did she say?"
"She asked me for a favor. She want's me to go with her to the capital and help her kill the rest of Argent's daughters. She wants to end this madness once and for all.”
"Oh! What did you say? That’s a pretty big favor.”
"I told her no, but I've reconsidered."
"That also sounds dangerous. You have a new baby and responsibilities here." said Muina.
"I do, but I agree with Zinariya that this situation requires decisive action, and I have the skill set for the job. Besides when I said no she said that she was going to ask Cantrell to do it! He wouldn't know how to hurt a fly."
"I think you may be underestimating him. Cantrell seems pretty competent." said Muina. "Mavis thinks so." Then she blushed. "That's not what I meant."
"Yes, he probably competent at that." said Ardwella. "But if Cantrell straight up murdered Argent’s daughters it would break him. He probably couldn't live with it."
"And you can?"
"You should know better than almost anyone that I have a switch. Let's call it the bitch switch. When I flip it, nothing seems to bother me."
"You say that, but... I'm your twin. I don't have that switch. Sometimes I wish I did.”
"And that's why you are the best choice for Albarad if I don't survive this" said Ardwella.
"I need you to do me a favor Muina." said Ardwella.
She handed her the baby. Then she reached up and took a fancy blue sword down off a display on the wall.
Looking Muina in the eyes, she said "Tell Albarad that I'm sorry, and I'll try to come back."
She turned around and walked out the door.
----------------
There was a loud pop and Siophra looked over to see what it was. Cantrell had been talking to Zinariya, but now he was gone.
"What did you do!?" she yelled, running over to where Zinariya remained standing. Tundor followed her. He towered over them and peered at the platinum dragon. He blinked in brief surprise after seeing her eyes. Then he leaned in to sniff her. She allowed it, standing there quietly.
Tundor looked at Siophra with puzzlement.
”Yes, this is your daughter, Tundor. “She left me and joined with an existing platinum dragon. I told you about this.”
She turned her attention back to Zinariya.
”Where is Cantrell? He was just here?” She asked with concern.
He asked me to send him to Mavis, so I did." the dragon said mater-of-factly. "Don't worry. He made it. I think. Phew! That was tougher than I thought. I should have worked up to something like that!"
“That sounds irresponsibly dangerous! Where is Mo-Rung? We are going to need to have him ask Mavis if Cantrell arrived in one piece.” Said Siophra.
“I’m telling you that he did.”
”If something bad has happened to Cantrell then you are going to be in a lot of trouble” said Tundor, in a parental tone.
He looked at Siophra.
“Are you sure this dragon is really my daughter?” He asked.
Siophra suddenly looked thoughtful.
”Yes?” She said , her voice rising like more of a question than a confirmation. “I was there. Zinariya definitely jumped out of me and into her. Look at her eyes! Platinum definitely didn’t have golden eyes.”
”I can see her eyes, but she doesn’t smell right. Something's different." Said the white dragon.
“She is a mixture. Besides how could you possibly know how she should smell. She was joined with me the first time you smelled her.”
”Well, it wasn’t quite the same as when I joined with you Siophra.” Interrupted Zinariya. “I shared your body leaving your mind unconscious but intact. I completely evicted this body’s previous owner. It’s just me in here.”
”I appreciate the intact aspect a great deal. The unconscious part, not as much.”
“I am explaining this so that my father understands.”
”I understand” said Tundor. “But I’m still saying you don’t smell right. I remember how the egg smelled. It smelled like Candasar and me.”
Siophra seemed to be considering this for a few moments. She looked at Zinariya.
“If the attack hadn’t happened and your egg had not broken, how long would it have been until your original gold body would have naturally hatched?”
”it would have been a few more weeks until I could start absorbing the egg shell. Metallic dragons don’t traditionally hatch. Then at least three more days after that.”
”So you could be a month away from surviving on your own without a host?”
”Are you suggesting that I should throw away this completely adequate body and go back to being a puny little baby dragon again, once I’m able to do that?”
”Isn’t that exactly what you were going to have to do with my body? Give it back to me? Or were you thinking you might actually keep it?” She asked accusingly.
”Going back to being that small again would be very inconvenient for me, at least for now.” Zinariya said. Looking down at her new body. “I really want to get started on finishing off Argent’s daughters. You and I would have made the perfect team for that.”
”I noticed that you didn’t answer my question.” Said Siophra.
There was a very awkward pause.
“Ardwella is coming” said Tundor suddenly. They all turned and watched the stunning elf approach.
"Hello sister!" said Siophra. "I want to thank you again for what you did last night."
"Zinariya did most of the work, but you are welcome." said Ardwella. "I wanted to say again how glad that I am to actually have you back"
"I am as well." rumbled Tundor.
Ardwella looked at the huge white dragon.
"My Goodness Tundor! You are as big as Esmarilla!"
"He's actually bigger than Vanador" said Siophra. "A little bit at least."
"He ate my egg shell" said Zinariya. "Lots of magical vitamins. It's too bad I couldn't use them myself. But I was an elf at the time."
"Have you seen his other two children, Constance and Vigilant? They are blues." said Siophra, trying to change the subject. "They are right over there." she said pointing.
"I'll be glad to meet them soon," said Ardwella. "But first I need to speak with Tundor's other child."
"You mean me?" asked Zinariya. "We just spoke last night. You turned me down remember?"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've reconsidered."
"It's too late" said Zinariya. "I've just Cantrell on ahead. I'm going to be leaving to join him soon."
"Cantrell just isn't the right person for the job. I am. You know that. That's why you asked me first."
"Me using Siophra's body would have been the best person for the job, but after last night, that ship has sailed." said Zinariya. “My plans are ruined as badly as that bloody quilt with the pretty boats all over it”
"This is going to be dangerous Ardwella!" said Siophra. "You don't have to do this. You have a family and a new baby at home! You have already done enough for this war!"
Ardwella stepped in close to her sister and surprised her by pulling her in for a hug.
"They attacked and almost killed you Siophra. I almost lost you. Argent's daughters won't ever quit. They will keep coming back. Right now they are weak, but eventually they will start getting a hold of eggs. I need to do this now."
"Exactly!" said Zinariya. "I'm glad someone finally understands what I've been talking about!"
"Then choose me," she said. "Instead of Cantrell. I want to help. I have the skills. We can do this!"
"You've convinced me." said Zinariya.
Ardwella grunted as the platinum dragon began to sag like a puppet with its strings cut. It dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Nooo!" yelled Siophra.
"What's happening?" asked Tundor in alarm.
"Your daughter just inserted herself into Ardwella's body! Just like she did to me!"
"Can she do that? What about the platinum dragon?" he asked.
"She's already dead Tundor." said Siophra. "Her brain is gone. Zinariya was the only thing keeping that body alive."
Tundor looked at Ardwella's pretty face. Her previously blue eyes were glowing with a golden fire!
"I'll be back as soon as I can father." she said. "I will win this war!"
There was a loud pop and Ardwella disappeared.
"I don't think that's what Ardwella meant by wanting to help." said Tundor.
"Definitely not." said Siophra.
Mo-Rung landed in the yard. He had a pair of small dragons with him. One was black and the other, white. He ran over.
”Is that you Tundor?” He asked.
“Of course it’s me.” Said Tundor. “I’ve just grown.”
”How did that happen so fast?”
Siophra interrupted before Tundor could answer.
”Mo-Rung! You are still in contact with Mavis right?”
”Hey, you’re back to being Siophra again!” Said Mo-Rung. “Where is Zinariya?”
”Well, first she teleported into that platinum dragon that’s lying there….” Said Siophra. “Then…”
”Teleported?” Hey you are not going to believe this but a couple of minutes ago Mavis and Mandel picked Cantrell up off the cafeteria floor, back in the capitol. Did Zinariya do that too?”
”Yes, Zinariya teleported him there.” Said Tundor. “Is Cantrell alright?”
”Mavis said that he seems to be fine, but that he passed out. He woke up again, He seems ok, but now they are letting him rest.”
”I’m glad Cantrell is alright.” Said Siophra. “Teleporting must be exhausting.”
”Well that probably explains why Zinariya is unconscious as well” said Mo-Rung. “It looks a bit strange for her to be just lying there like that. You know, before you explained it to me, I thought she was dead. It just didn’t make sense that you both would just be standing here so calmly if that was the case.”
Tundor and Siophra just looked at each other.
“Did Mavis see my sister Ardwella anywhere around there yet?” Asked Siophra.
”I don’t think so. She probably would have mentioned that.”
---------------------
Albarad had set off on his journey to bury the female dragon on a horse he named Quest. Heirwynn had followed riding Star. Her two dragon escorts Night-Sky and Snow were tagging along behind. Albarad was using the opportunity to spruce up her horsemanship skills and they chatted incessantly about it as they rode. Heirwyn was a quick study.
The trip into the mountains went far easier than the previous one. They didn't meet any wild dragons on the way up to the place where the conflict had originally occurred. It had been a big relief to Albarad when Night-Sky had explained to him that, not only did they understand Muina's need to defend herself, but that they actually supported trying to end the investigation. It was nice to have practical dragons in the family. This new generation was certainly more reasonable.
When they had reached the place where Jamison had been killed, Albarad actually wept. Some sort of animals, probably wolves, had finished off most of the remains and there wasn't much left to bury but bones. Albarad did it anyway. Heirwynn helped. Albarad never found the saddlebags or the teapot. The small dragons maintained a respectful silence as he worked.
They moved on to the place where Muina had burned Rolf. The charred bones were still there and there were numerous other dragon foot prints all around so Albarad steered a wide path around the scene. Albarad took a bearing and began leading the group through the woods in the direction that he had seen the dragon named Penelope flying before she crashed to the ground. He found the female dragon's burned body again fairly quickly. He had actually put out a small fire at the site the day Muina shot her out of the air.
"This is it." said Albarad. "The last resting place of a dragon named Penelope."
He slipped off Quest and began to reach for his shovel.
"I was wondering if you would have the nerve to come back up here!" said a voice from behind the trees. It was Killingsworth.
He was dirty. Filthy in fact. He was also thinner. It didn't look like he had been eating well.
"Of course” thought Albarad. “It would be difficult for him to hunt or reach water while his wings were not working."
Initially startled, Albarad set his face in stone and answered him.
"What do you want me to say Killingsworth? They attacked us first!"
"That might be true for Rolf, but it looks to me like Penelope was trying to fly away when she went down." he said.
"Mistakes were made on both sides." said Albarad.
"I think what bothers me the most" said Killingsworth, "Is how Muina just lied to me with a straight face about her involvement in this."
"What good is the truth going to do now?" said Albarad.
"Perhaps it would bring Penelope some peace." suggested Killingsworth.
"She has all the peace that she's ever going to have at this point" said Albarad. "Bringing Muina to some sort of imaginary justice is just dragon pride talking!"
"Perhaps you are right." said Killingsworth. I have heard the stories of what she did to try and stop Argent and free my people. I should probably let this one go."
"But you're not. Are you?" asked Albarad.
"No I'm not." said Killingsworth.
The big dragon bellowed and ran out of the trees straight toward them. Suddenly his front legs folded up and he planted his face in the soil, rolling over to a stop. He began whimpering.
"That's far enough!" said Night-Sky. Snow was shaking. Heirwynn jumped off Star and ran over to her. She began hugging her.
Albarad looked at the dragon siblings in confusion.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Snow applied her existing tweak. She amplified it." He has a severely pinched nerve in his back. It kept him from flying. Now it's keeping him from walking."
"Is Snow alright?" asked Albarad.
"It upsets her to use her healing like this." said Night-Sky. "I convinced her."
"She doesn't look convinced. She looks intimidated." said Albarad.
"Hey! I just saved you. I'm on your side! You should be more appreciative." said Night-Sky.
Albarad sighed.
"I suppose I'm grateful." said the elf. "But what are we going to do with him now?"
"That's up to him." said Night Sky. "Let's try again and see if he can be more reasonable this time."
"I won't be!" said Killingsworth through clenched teeth. He began thrashing about.
"Now that's going to be a problem." said Night-Sky. "A problem that you won't survive, grey dragon.”
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Zinariya swayed on her feet and reached out for something nearby to steady herself. It was a bedpost. The room was dark but filtered light bled through a small gap in the curtains. She heard soft snoring. As her eyes adjusted she could finally discern Cantrell’s face sticking out of the covers. There was nobody else in the room. She suddenly felt exhausted. She swayed alarmingly.
”All this teleportation must be catching up with me” she thought. “Maybe just a quick nap.”
The other side of the bed was empty and untouched.
“Five minutes” she said, moving to lie down. The long blue sword bumped at her hip. She fumbled for the belt only to have the sword clatter to the floor, unfortunately followed by her traveling pants. She frowned.
”These elven clothes are so awkward and hard to understand.” She thought. “Someone with a body as beautiful as Ardwella’s shouldn’t even wear them.”
She lifted the bed coverings and slipped in between the sheets.
“Ah, at least the elves do this part right. When I’m done killing all those bitches I need to work on having a great big dragon bed made. I’ve gotten spoiled. Sleeping on barn straw is way too uncomfortable.”
Zinariya drifted off to sleep while accessing the many memories and ways that Ardwella knew how to kill people. This elf was surprisingly creative.
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