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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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Ardwynn's Perspective.
Ardwynn heard a horrific sound as a large section of the bedroom wall was violently removed. She screamed. A red dragon's long neck snaked through the opening. It coughed and shook its head, scattering plaster dust. Smoke and a small flame emerged. It blinked trying to clear its eyes. While he was distracted, Ardwynn had mere seconds to move. She grabbed her son and dove under the bed. Unfortunately but not surprisingly , the child began to cry. His wailing stirred her soul. It also told the dragon exactly where they were.
Above her the large bed was dragged away, its wooden frame snapping while the overlying mattress was torn to pieces. The room was suddenly filled with feathers. The dragon peered down at her. His face was a mask of fury. Time slowed as the dragon's long sinuous neck began to propel the mouthful of razor sharp teeth forward.
Unbidden before her eyes a spell appeared. Its ancient ornate text shimmered behind her eyelids. She had seen it before. This time, though, she knew exactly what it did. It was the dragon burner! Ardwynn felt she had no choice. She opened her mouth to invoke the spell but hesitated. She wondered, in a split second of clarity, what igniting a dragon on fire in a room filled with flammable drifting feathers would do to her and the baby. Suddenly the attacking red dragon dropped like a marionette with its strings cut. His lower jaw actually bounced off the floor where she had been standing, just before she had reflexively jumped back. She heard rapid footsteps from down the hall. Lothinar burst into the room. He was carrying Michelle. She was unconscious. Right behind him was Lothinar’s mother Ardwella.
”Ardwynn!” He called anxiously.
“You were almost too late!” She said angrily. “I was really afraid!”
She made her way toward Lothinar. He smiled at her apologetically.
”I’m truly sorry.” Said Lothinar, gently laying the human female down. “I was distracted by visitors. Guests actually.”
”Do I know them?”
“Yes, you should. They are Candasar’s family, including two of her children, and Tundor of course.”
“Tundor’s here? This is going to be awkward until we can explain what happened to me in Silvantra.”
”That’s why I thought it best to bring Vanquish along. She can help by explaining what she did.”
”What happened to her?” Ardwynn asked, peering at the still unconscious human girl.
“I seem to have undergone a developmental change of some kind.” He said awkwardly. “I sent out a pulse of magic that knocked everyone out including Vanquish.”
”But not her?” Ardwynn asked, looking behind Lothinar at Ardwella who was standing behind him with an indiscernible look on her face. “When did your mother get here?”
”She came to warn me about Mo-Rung’s vengeful intentions. Unfortunately they arrived here at almost the same time.”
”I’ve been in the capitol all week killing off many of Argent’s nasty relatives." Interrupted Ardwella. "I’m going to need a good reason why Ardwynn here shouldn’t be on that list.”
Lothinar looked at her with surprise. His face grew hard.
‘Which one of you is asking?” Replied Lothinar, once again obviously furious. “I might have two very different responses depending on that answer.”
Ardwynn gripped his hand tightly. She had been afraid of something like this.
"We need to wake up Vanquish." she leaned in and whispered to him.
Lothinar nodded imperceptibly.
Behind her, Ardwynn heard Michelle let out a soft groan.
"What did you do this time Lothinar?" Ardwynn heard her ask.
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Zinariya’s Perspective
After her warning about Mo-Rung and while still standing on the porch, Zinariya had been hit with an immensely powerful pulse of magic. It obviously originated from Lothinar. Yet somehow it was strangely familiar. Instead of stopping, however, the power kept coming. It was like standing in a brisk wind of magic. It was cool and invigorating.
“This must be what it would have been like to absorb my eggshell!” She suddenly realized. "No, it's more powerful than that!"
Strangely, instead of causing discomfort, Lothinar’s magical flood of power seemed compatible with her own. Instead of it overwhelming her, she opened herself to it, absorbing everything that she could.
She watched with some concern as one by one, everyone in Lothinar’s vicinity was overcome with the tsunami of powerful magic and dropped to the ground. Even Tundor, as large as he was, couldn’t long endure the magical onslaught. He did hold out long enough to enact a slow roll to the side, softly tossing his rider Siophra free and onto the grass of the pasture before finally collapsing himself, well clear of crushing anyone. Zinariya's siblings and even her mother Candasar, went straight down.
Lothinar himself seemed to not even notice her. He was just standing on the porch with his eyes closed. Zinariya had just met him but the Ardwella part of her knew his facial expressions well. His handsome visage was strangely twisted. He was angry. At last he turned to her.
"Thank you for the warning. I have dealt with Mo-Rung, at least for now." he said.
"You didn't kill him did you?" Zinariya asked.
"No, for Mavis's sake, I held back."
"He is the one that helped defend Siophra and I when we were attacked." Zinariya said. "I know he has a temper, but he does have some redeeming qualities."
"I suppose." said Lothinar. "Candasar would also be quite upset if I dispatched her grandfather."
Zinariya only nodded.
Lothinar turned to her and intensified his glare. He seemed to be looking deep inside her. What he suddenly saw there changed his countenance somewhat. He blinked slowly. His frown disappeared. Finally he spoke.
”You are a unique dragon Zinariya. When I have more time, I would like to speak with you again. By the way, you are drawing from my power right now. Are you aware of this?”
”Yes! It’s the only way that I’m still standing right now! I'm not really sure why that's even possible." She answered. “You might want to do something about that because the force is so strong that most of your favorite people are lying on the ground in the yard!”
He grimaced and seemed to notice everything all at once. The dragons lying about. His Aunt Siophra lying in a heap near Tundor. He bent over and gently scooped up Michelle from where she lay fallen on the porch. He lifted her effortlessly.
“They will be fine. First I have to check on something.”
He moved back into the house still carrying the unconscious human female. Zinariya curiously followed. Moving down the hallway he turned into a bedroom.
Almost the entire back wall was missing. The red dragon Mo-Rung was also down. His head and neck were in the room, but the remainder of him was still outside. His body could only be seen through the missing part of the wall.
"Ardwynn?” He called out.
The golden dragon watched as Lothinar gently laid Michelle down. She listened with fascination as the lovers discussed the situation. He smile was so warm and tender towards her.
She was becoming increasingly agitated that Lothinar was giving Argent’s niece so much attention. The frustration erupted as she opened her mouth to speak. The words were blunt.
“I’ve been in the capitol all week killing off most of Argent’s nasty relatives. I’m going to need a good reason why Ardwynn here shouldn’t be on that list.”
That must have been the wrong thing to say because she suddenly felt the wonderful flow of of magic emanating from Lothinar stop. She had quickly grown used to its comforting embrace. It’s absence felt like an ache. The handsome elf frowned.
“Which one of you is asking?
Zinariya realized that the question had been entirely hers. Her feelings were jumbled and confused. Ardwella was not happy that she had asked it. Challenging Lothinar over his bride had undoubtably been a mistake. Mo-Rung had just learned that the hard way.
"Could it be that I am actually jealous of Ardwynn?" the golden dragon asked herself.
“I have two very different responses depending on that answer.” He said glowering at her.
Zinariya tried smiling to reduce the tension. It didn't work. Ardwynn stood by him and took his hand. She whispered something in his ear.
The girl on the floor began to stir. She opened her eyes.
"What did you do this time Lothinar?"
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Lothinar's Perspective
“I can't believe that I'm having mother in law problems already?” Ardwynn whispered.
”More than you know.” Said Zinariya with a smirk. She had obvious heard her.
Michelle stood up and moved next to them. She was looking at the red dragon. Mo-Rung wasn't moving. Her eyes seemed to be searching for signs of life.
"He's just knocked out." said Lothinar. "He's not actually dead."
"But we were on the porch." she said. "You were able to take down a full sized dragon from the front porch without lifting a finger?"
He looked embarrassed somehow.
"Yes, but it would have been easier to just kill him. I really didn't want to do that."
"But how?"
"I pulled out his dragon seed. Just for a second or two. Then I put it back. He probably should be fine."
"Ah, said Vanquish. Your other powers have awakened. I've been expecting this."
"It reminds me of when we planted your dragon seed in Michelle." he said. "But it seems that I have more control over it now."
"We can explore your expanded powers later." said Vanquish. "First what is happening here with Ardwella? I feel like I walked into an argument in progress."
"Not quite yet, but it's getting close." said Ardwynn. "We need your help. There are going to be others that don't know about the changes. you made in me. They are not very friendly."
Vanquish sighed. "It was, of course inevitable. I will do my best to help set their concerns aside."
"Thank you Vanquish!" said Ardwynn.
"Lets start with this young golden dragon that is walking around in your mother's body then." began Vanquish. "I'm sure she's pretty confused about all of this."
"How does this human girl know so much about me?" asked Zinariya.
"She may look human, but she is actually Vanquish the blue dragon." said Ardwynn.
"Now isn't that convenient." said Zinariya actually not believing any of it. “You expect me to believe that Vanquish the senior blue dragon now inhabits this mere human girl?”
"There were some unforeseen events" said Vanquish. "I accidentally got myself killed. My dragon body is gone."
"Zinariya?" said Lothinar.
She turned to him.
"Yes Lothinar?"
"She is Vanquish. At least part of her. I transferred her there myself, rather, my power somehow did. Having occupied someone else yourself, this should not be so hard to believe."
"I thought I was unique." Zinariya finally said, sulking a little.
"The parts of me that were connected to Argent’s lineage have been removed. Vanquish saw to that." said Ardwynn.
"Did you modify her child as well?” asked Zinariya.
Lothinar looked at Vanquish, who answered.
"Yes, him too. In the womb. Both Ardwynn and her son are both clear of Argent’s taint.
"That is difficult to believe." said Zinariya.
"I tire of this." said Lothinar. "I'm not even sure who I'm actually talking to here. Are you my mother or Zinariya right now?"
"Does it matter?" she answered, shrugging.
"Get out" said Lothinar.
Zinariya shook. There was push. Somewhere deep inside she felt a tearing. It was almost irresistible. She tried anyway.
"Wait! I'm not ready" she pleaded. "I like being an elf!"
"It's time to be born as you were intended to be." said Lothinar. "I've more than replaced the magic your shell would have provided. Leave my mother!"
Zinariya felt her claws skitter on the hardwood floor. She drew her first real breath in her own body. She was a newborn dragon! Suddenly instead of looking eye to eye with the handsome male elf, she was looking up at him from near the floor. She was tiny! This wasn't what she wanted at all! Next to her she saw her previous host lurch and almost fall. Lothinar caught her.
"What kind of power allowed Lothinar to order her about like this?" she wondered.
"She's cute!" said Ardwynn.
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Lothinar laughed.
"Looks can be deceiving. I wouldn't underestimate her. Even now, in that small body she is quite powerful." he said.
Ardwella sighed.
"Are you alright mother?" he asked. Her eyes had returned to their normal blue color. She looked down at the little golden dragon.
"She's going to be a handful, be careful son." she replied.
"I can see that." he said. "
Ardwella looked frustrated. Zinariya suspected that things had not worked out as she had planned either.
"What can I do for you mother?" he asked.
"I've done my part. I want to go home. I left your baby sister with my sister Muina. I need to check up on her."
"Why did you even get involved with this in the first place mother? You obviously had other things to do."
She looked embarrassed about something.
"I was trying to save your friend Cantrell. This dragon was asking him to do something he was totally unprepared for."
"Did you succeed at saving him?"
"Yes, although I don't think he's very grateful for the help." she huffed.
"There is a bit more to that story." said Zinariya from her place on the floor.
"I'd rather you not spread rumors about me." said Ardwella menacingly.
"We can call this one a draw." answered Zinariya. "Thank you for your help."
Ardwella nodded.
"That's probably best." she said. She turned to her son.
"Lothinar, can one of the dragons outside take me home. It's not that far." she asked.
"I'll teleport you." said Zinariya. "It's the least I can do."
"Well, thank you then...." Ardwella disappeared with a pop before even getting to finish her sentence. Lothinar thought it was probably for the best. His mother could drive him crazy and he still wasn't sure how she felt about Ardwynn.
Your mother is a difficult and complicated female." said Zinariya.
"Well, we agree on that much." said Lothinar.
Suddenly Mo-Rung groaned. A thin line of smoke came out of one nostril.
"What are you going to do with Him?" Ardwynn asked nervously, gesturing toward the red dragon. The way he tore the wall off the house, I don't think he's interested in listening to reason!"
Lothinar propelled a heartfelt sigh through his lips.
"For Mavis's sake, I suppose we do need to try." he finally said.
He looked at Michelle. "What do you think I should do with him?"
We had better decide if Mo-Rung can be reasoned with. Release him.” said Michelle.
”Wait!” Yelled Ardwynn. "Look at his face! You have only seen him unconscious on the floor. You didn't see him when he was coming after me and little Harvey.”
Lothinar appeared stunned.
”Your naming our son after the city guardsmen that was killed fighting your father?”
”It seems a fitting tribute. I hope you don’t object.” Said Ardwynn.
Lothinar grinned. “Ok Harvey” it is!" he said, looking at the child. “Let’s finish waking the scary dragon.”
”I’ll be ready to teleport him away, just in case.” said Zinariya, finding her small dragon voice.
”Can you do that?” Asked Ardwynn.
”Probably." Said Zinariya. “I sent Ardwella home, Lothinar has filled me with so much power I could probably send him to the moon! But that doesn't mean that I don't want more!"
"I thought as much." said Lothinar under his breath.
”Sending him back to Mavis is far enough.” Said Lothinar. “Perhaps she can talk some sense into him if we can’t.”
Lothinar allowed Mo-Rung to wake up. He jiggled his dragon seed.
The red dragon shook his craggy head displacing dust and feathers. His eyes sought Ardwynn and found her. In spite of the fact that Lothinar now stood between them, Mo-Rung roared and began to lunge.
Power sizzled and sparked from Lothinar’s outstretched hand as lightning shot out and hit Mo-Rung in the face. The red dragon yelped in surprise. He jumped back. Then he cried out again as through the hole in the building, Zinariya could see his huge red wings whither and shrink.
”You are forgetting who gave you back your wings Mo-Rung!” Lothinar shouted. “I understand that you want vengeance and think you are justified in this, but there are things you have yet to understand. The only reason I’m giving you a second chance is because killing you would hurt Mavis!”
The red dragon howled in rage and tried to shove his head back through the wall again, despite his wingless condition.”
”He does have a bit of a temper “ said Michelle.
”He was the one that killed those elves that stole my egg.” Commented Zinariya. “His rage can be pretty useful if he’s fighting on your side.”
”I can't get him to listen” exclaimed Lothinar. “Perhaps sending him to Mavis is best for now”
A very loud pop ensued. More of an explosion really. Everything was suddenly quiet. Then the remainder of the bedroom wall fell over with a crash.
"See, I told you!" said Ardwynn.
"Yes, I've never seen it from this perspective before." admitted Vanquish.
"Yes, thank you Zinariya. Now where were we?" asked Lothinar.
"Discussing our future?" she asked hopefully.
"First you can tell me what you were doing with my mother's body. " said Lothinar. "I really want to know."
"Like I said, We killed most of Argent's relatives. I did everyone a favor."
"What are you going to do with the rest of your life?" asked Ardwynn.
"I don't know yet," answered the little golden dragon. "I'm just getting started. But I think a lot of that is going to depend on Lothinar."
He sighed. "Why do I keep collecting females?"
"It's what you do darling." said Ardwynn. "Your so good at it."
Lothinar looked down at his son.
"Don't you think he's worth all the trouble." asked Ardwynn with a big smile.
The handsome elf nodded.
"Lets go wake up the others." said Lothinar. "I really want to explain to Tundor why Ardwynn and my son are no longer his enemy."
"Your welcome." said Vanquish.
"Did I never say thank you?" asked Lothinar.
"It must have slipped your mind." she giggled.
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After Ardwella had teleported away, and their conversation in the cafeteria, Cantrell was walking with Mavis. They were holding hands. Suddenly she stumbled. Her knees had buckled. He scooped her up before she fell. She felt light in his arms.
“It’s Mo-Rung!” She moaned. “He had cut off communication but I just felt something bad happen!”
”Is he alive?” He asked urgently.
”I…don’t….know…” she managed to relay before totally losing consciousness. She fell limp in his arms.
Cantrell adjusted his grip and changed direction. He began running toward the stables. He needed Esmarilla and Vanador. If Mo-Rung was actually dead then this was going to be very bad. His wife might not survive the breaking of the bond. He hadn’t actually thought Lothinar would go so far as to kill Candasar’s grandfather. Perhaps his previous assumptions about Lothinar’s tolerance for Mo-Rungs divergent opinion about Ardwynn had been optimistic. Whatever the outcome, the red dragon definitely seemed to have overplayed his hand.
Racing into the area of the palace that housed the two large dragon siblings Cantrell shouted to his bond. "Esmarilla! Mavis is in trouble! I think Mo-Rung might have actually attacked Lothinar!"
"That would not be wise" said the black dragon. "I'm sure he was trying to get to Ardwynn. If Lothinar has actually brought her back then Mo-Rung should have listened to his reasons."
Esmarilla and her enormous white sibling Vanador began pouring healing energy into his unconscious bride.
"This feels way too familiar!" The black dragon sent. "It feels like the kind of void that we were trying to fill when Aleena died!"
Cantrell bit his lip. He remembered how close Mavis had come to death at that time.
"But she wasn't physically wounded this time" he said, desperately trying to think of the reason his wife had collapsed. The previous time Tundor had actually broken her neck. Aleena had given all her own magical power to keep her bonded elf barely alive.
Mavis moaned again. Her head lolled.
Then suddenly he could feel waves of relief coming off his dragon.
"We've got her Cantrell. Your right! It wasn't as bad as last time. She just suddenly lost her bond with Mo-Rung. It was a shock to her system. Vanador and I have restored a proper balance."
"Is he dead?" he asked out loud.
"I have no way of knowing, but Mavis is coming around." rumbled the white dragon. "Perhaps she can tell us herself."
Her eyelids fluttered then suddenly few open.
"OUCH." she said softly. "Whatever hit Mo-Rung, I felt it all the way over here!"
"Can you tell us anything more?" asked Esmarilla. "Is Mo-Rung alive?"
”Yes,” said Mavis tentatively. “But he’s definitely unconscious.”
”That’s a relief” said Esmarilla. “Now when he comes around I can have the pleasure of killing him myself! Seriously! Attacking Lothinar was entirely foolish!”
Mavis gasped.
Cantrell heard the words that the black dragon said, but his connection to her through the bond told him that she felt otherwise. Esmarilla loved the red dragon, passionately. His death at Lothinar’s hands would have put an immense and permanent strain on her affection for Lothinar. Even though he was Ardwella's child, the black dragon loved him like a son. He was, after all, grown for a specific purpose with vast amounts of black dragon magic. He meant much more to her than merely Ardwella and Albarad's child.
Suddenly there was a loud pop. A huge amount of air had obviously been displaced. Mo-Rung appeared. He was down and in an unnatural position, but at his arrival he groaned and shook his head. He stumbled to his feet and looked around in confusion. For some reason he was covered in feathers.
“How did I get here?” He managed to croak out.
”I’m just going to venture a guess.” Said Cantrell, “But I suspect Zinariya sent you.”
”Probably to save your life you impetuous fool!” Snarled Esmarilla. “What were you thinking?”
”But Ardwynn was there…. I was so close." Stammered the red dragon.
”I don’t think any of us has enough information yet to make a decision about what to do about Ardwynn." said Vanador. I'm going to recommend we wait and talk to Vanquish about it. She will probably know what to do."
"I'm sure your right brother." said Esmarilla. "Has anyone seen her since they got back?"
"Perhaps she was detained." said Vanador. "She's pretty hard to miss."
"Uh, Mo-Rung?" said Mavis. "What has happened to your wings?"
"Mo-Rung began to howl again."
"I can fix them, you know." said Vanador.
"Let's wait a while." said Mavis. "Lothinar obviously wanted a little more time before we visit."
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Lothinar had awakened the unconscious dragon family at the front of the house, including Siophra, Vanquish then explained to Tundor how she had modified Ardwynn to remove Argent's curse. The white dragon seemed dubious at first but finally accepted the story after giving her a good sniff.
"She does smell totally different." he testified. Of course the two young blue dragons had to smell her too. They wrinkled their noses but offered no comment. Privately Lothinar thought that the baby might need changing at this point, but he wasn't about to volunteer for that yet if Ardwynn hadn't noticed. Finally Siophra offered him a knowing wink and gently took little Harvey into the house. When she came back, he smelled quite a bit better. His aunt was obviously a saint.
Lothinar was finishing the tale of how they had convinced Michelle's father to allow her to come with them on the flight over the ocean. When he brought up the rocs and the lost sword he got a lot of questions.
"Are you going to try to get it back?" asked Constance?
"They will never find it. The ocean is huge!" said Vigilant.
"Vanquish mentioned bonding with a Sea Serpent." said Lothinar. "That's an interesting possibility."
"Stupid primitive beasts" retorted Vanquish. "Only one out of a hundred could even form a coherent thought, let alone a bond." she exclaimed.
Lothinar filed that away for later discussion.
Just then Firestorm came walking out of the barn. She was yawning.
"Hey guys! Welcome back! Did I miss anything?" "Hey who's this?" she yelled spying Zinariya and her siblings. "Hooray I'm not the smallest dragon anymore!"
Lothinar didn't have the heart to explain how poorly her father Mo-Rung had been behaving but Vigilant told her anyway. Firestorm ran around the back of the house to look at the damage.
"Do you know any carpenters Lothinar?" Firestorm asked.
"Perhaps Mandel can spare a few from the Capitol after the war is finished." Zinariya said. "He's always got a few extra. They can also make a new bed. That's very important."
"Dragons don't sleep in beds." said Candasar.
"This one does!" said Zinariya. "That's one thing I won't give up."
"You are going to outgrow the use of a bed very soon." Tundor said with a frown.
"I refuse! " Said the young golden. "I'm going to stay small enough to sleep with Lothinar!"
"I don't even get to sleep with Lothinar!" said Michelle. "And not for lack of trying either! I might add. What would that mean for us?"
"There's an us?" asked Siophra with surprise. "Lothinar have you been sleeping with this girl? Did you have relations with Vanquish?"
"I have not" he replied.
"Not for lack of my trying." said Michelle. "I tried very vigorously in fact. Unfortunately he's been a perfect gentleman."
"Nobody is going to be sleeping with Lothinar except me." said Ardwynn firmly.
Lothinar looked at the group.
"I must agree with Ardwynn." he said decisively. What Zinariya doesn't realize, and Candasar probably doesn’t either, is that Zinariya is actually my daughter.”
”WHAT?” Said Ardwynn.
Zinariya snorted a laugh. Then looked at him. “Wait! Your serious?”
”Well Candasar and Tundor obviously helped.” He said awkwardly.
"How is that possible?" asked Zinariya.
"I really wish your mother had been around when you were born." Lothinar said. "That's my fault. Perhaps she would have told you about how your egg was actually made. Then this might make more sense to you."
"I'm listening" said Zinariya.
"I would certainly like to hear this too." said Tundor. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm not her father."
Candasar had a strange look on her face. Siophra did as well.
Lothinar gave out a heartfelt sigh.
"You're definitely the father, Tundor." said Lothinar. "But both Candasar and I seem to share the roll of mother."
Ardwynn laughed but no one else did.
"Wait, is that even possible?" she asked. "Lothinar is definitely male. I can promise you that."
"I am male, but my magic is not specific about these things." Lothinar said. "My elven magic infused Candasar's egg and made some very powerful changes. It made the egg very special."
"That's why I'm a golden dragon" exclaimed Zinariya. "And," she seemed embarrassed, "why I seem so comfortable being an elf!"
"You don't know what you're missing." said Michelle. "The dragon part of me would really like to be a dragon again."
"There is probably a way to make that happen again." said Zinariya.
"Then there is a decision to be made." said Siophra. "I assume you are going to tell her about Platinum's body? Not that you were a very careful custodian of it when you were wearing it."
"I was in a hurry!" said Zinariya.
"You are lucky that Vanador was more considerate of the body. He thought you might need it back." said Siophra.
"I like being an elf." said Zinariya.
"You can't just keep someone else's body." responded Siophra. "We've been over this. My sister has her own life to live. As did I!"
"What if I gave her Platinum's body for the human body that Vanquish is wearing right now? I could try being human. It's not that different."
"It actually is." said Lothinar.
"Actually, it's probably not," said Vanquish. "for the dragon at least. Most of what a human lacks in telepathy and lifespan, the dragon host more than makes up for."
"You can't just start trading bodies away!" scolded Lothinar. "Platinum and Michelle must have some opinion about this. We need to talk to them about this."
"I don't remember Vanquish asking Michelle for permission in the first place." Ardwynn said, "It all happened pretty fast as I recall."
"It's still not right." he insisted.
"As far as Platinum is concerned, she's not using it" said Zinariya. "And she never will again."
"Who is Platinum?" asked Michelle, showing sudden interest.
"A dragon that hatched from the ancient eggs." said Siophra. "She had some personality quirks that created some severe problems. Her nervous system was excised but the body was saved. Zinariya used it for a short time after leaving me and before moving into Ardwella."
"Other than her brain being removed, her body is in perfect condition" said Zinariya. "You should really try it out." said Zinariya hopefully.
Vanquish cleared her throat.
"Did you say that my beloved Vanador saved this body?" she asked eagerly. "Perhaps this is my fate after all."
Lothinar seemed conflicted.
Zinariya seems to hold ownership or Platinum's unoccupied body, or at least Vanador does. Either way I do not see much of a conflict here. However, I can not just give Michelle's body to you Zinariya. She is still occupying it and deserves autonomy if she wishes it. "
"Blah blah blah. Make yourself feel better Lothinar, but you know she's going to do anything you ask her to." said Firestorm.
"It's true." said Ardwynn. "She was exposed to his pheromones back in Silvantra. Even before Vanquish started sharing her body. She's totally committed to Lothinar."
"I can only imagine." said Siophra with a strange look at Lothinar. "It makes more sense now... I mean, why you brought her back with you."
"I'm just trying to do the right thing here." said the elf.
"I can't believe she would decide to return to her old life" said Firestorm.
"We shall see." he said. "I need to talk to Michelle first. The real Michelle. Can you make that happen Vanquish?"
The human girl rolled her eyes.
"Fine. I'll step back." she said. "She's all yours!"
Lothinar watched as Michelle's eyes turned from blue to green. The look on her face grew very concerned.
"Hello Michelle" said Lothinar.
"Are you trying to get rid of me again?" the human girl suddenly asked.
"No, I'm not." he said.
"I can tell that Vanquish wants to be a dragon again. She will leave me and become a dragon if she can find a way to do it."
"That doesn't mean that you would have to leave." said Lothinar. "It just means that you would be your original self. Without a dragon inside you."
"Vanquish is old. This other dragon is much younger. Do I understand this correctly?" she asked.
"Yes, she is very young." Lothinar admitted.
"I think in that way we would be more compatible." said Michelle. "We could learn about life together."
"I suppose." said Lothinar. "But she could get you into trouble. She seems a bit impetuous." he added.
Tundor suddenly coughed.
"I'm not trying to be prudish here, or unnecessarily blunt, but don't your elven, or even human customs make it taboo for Zinariya to inhabit her?" asked Tundor. You are claiming Zinariya is at least partially your daughter after all. Michelle here obviously wants to take things further in that direction."
"On that point I must disagree." said Candasar. "Zinariya's not your daughter Lothinar, in any way that actually matters, regardless of what you may be thinking. You providing additional magical power does not mean she is biologically yours. She is completely Tundor's and mine. That doesn't mean that I would be ok with the rest of this though. She is just a child."
"From my perspective, so is Michelle." said Lothinar. "She's barely a human adult. That's one of the reasons that I never took advantage of her or this situation."
Michelle stomped her foot.
"I'm not a child. I'm of legal age in Silvantra."
"I think the foot stomping hurts your argument" said Ardwynn. "Look, I am obviously very interested in the outcome of this conversation, but I need to go feed the baby. Perhaps first, you should go let Vanquish take a look at the Platinum dragon and see how she feels about it. I'll wait here. I think the threat of someone arriving to murder me is past. "
"I'll wait with you." said Siophra. "Plus I get to spend time with my new grand nephew."
"We should teleport." said Zinariya. "It's must faster."
"I'll stay here with the kids" said Tundor.
"I'm going to get some sleep." said Candasar. "Zinariya....?"
"Yes mother."
"Don't make any decisions about Michelle until I speak with you again."
Zinariya just looked at her.
"I'm serious. You have time. The direction of the rest of your life is in the balance here. Do not rush this."
"Yes mother." the golden dragon said.
Lothinar just shook his head. All he had ever wanted was a simple life.
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The teleport went smoothly. Michelle, and Zinariya were suddenly in the temple. They terrified one of the acolytes in attendance badly enough for him to drop a candlestick, but no one bothered them. Michelle looked slack jawed at the platinum statue in the center of the room. It still stood upon the large dark marble slab that Esmarilla had occupied for those hundreds of years.
Zinariya had not seen the platinum dragon on display, having left the empty body in the. yard when she occupied Ardwella.
"Someone did a nice job with her." she observed. "So what do you think?"
"What did she actually die from?"
"I removed her brain and spinal column." said Zinariya. "Death was instantaneous."
"That's going to be a problem then." said Vanquish who was now back in control. "I don't actually have one of my own, like you do."
"Then we need a white dragon." said Zinariya with a grin. "They can probably heal you right up! I know just where to find one!"
"I'm worried." Vanquish suddenly said. "What if Vanador doesn't accept me in this new body?"
"Love will find a way." said Zinariya.
"Love obviously hasn't had much success so far." said Vanquish.
For once Michelle seemed to agree.
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