After the turmoil of restoring the temple had settled down, Ardwynn had slipped away into a quiet corner of the courtyard, where she sat down wearily on a bench. Looking around once again, she marveled at the beautiful design of the building. When it had been destroyed by her cousins, Argent’s daughters, in their evil attack, it had been an unfathomable tragedy. That was not even considering the terrible and needless loss of life. Ardwynn’s intervention had been impulsive and risky, but looking again at the temple’s innate beauty and seeing the smiles on so many grateful faces reassured her that she had made the right decision. It was clear to her, however, that the power she had used to manipulate time and bring the temple and its contents forward from its previously undamaged state was full of paradoxes. There would be a price to pay, and there would undoubtedly be further expectations. Ardwynn’s experience showed that people always seemed to want something more from their gods. Suddenly, being perceived as one made her a bit uncomfortable. At least for now, they were willing to give her a few minutes to herself.
The beautiful blonde elf in the robust hiking boots suddenly found her eyes drawn to the statue-like figure of the dragon Platinum, whose body was perfectly preserved but unlike the others that had been frozen, empty of life. She had heard the story of how the body of the deceased platinum dragon had been cooked and consumed so that her now-dead cousins and their minions could eat the dragon’s flesh and appropriate the latent magic stored within it. Due to her intervention, the dragon’s body was here, uneaten, and returned to suspension, just as before the insurrection.
It had turned out that most of the still living frozen with suspension magic had not survived their thawing. After coming to terms with the situation that dangerous mercenaries had been haphazardly kept in one of the temple's storage rooms, the humans of Delora Natine had chosen to act swiftly. There would be no second chances. The immobilized bodies of Emperor Argent's soldiers had been taken from the storage closet, still immobilized, and dragged outside for a final Coup de Grace. They had been dispatched in a silent but grizzly ceremony of justice, never allowed to regain consciousness. Ardwynn could hardly blame them and had intervened only once. She had requested that the young human priest Starett's body be set aside and placed near the platinum dragon. The grateful humans had been surprised but willing to acquiesce to the request. They certainly owed her one. Ardwynn gazed at Starett's immobilized body sadly. At one point, she considered him a friend to Lothinar and her. In light of what she had observed of his character, his betrayal had been a considerable surprise. Ardwynn had been unsuccessful in trying to puzzle it out. She had talked to people about Starett's behavior during the attack. Only the human girl Heirwynn had interacted with him before the temple burned. From her brief account, Starett had done what he could to try and help her. It wasn't enough to exonerate his actions, but it might be worth further looking into. Ardwella had frozen the priest mid-stride, trying to flee their confrontation. Ardwynn could understand that. Her mother-in-law could be terrifying! Because of Starett's unnatural position, his body would not stand; he had been propped up and was now leaning in the corner. There, it would stay until Lothinar returned, and they could sort it out together.
Ardwynn had once been subject to the freezing spell while pregnant, flying home from Silvantra. She had entered labor, flying on Candasar's back. Lothinar and Michelle had joined their powers and placed her and her unborn child in magical stasis to delay the baby’s delivery. Ardwynn remembered absolutely nothing of that time, but the use of the magic had spared her a lot of unnecessary discomfort. She hoped that Starett, who, despite his allegedly traitorous actions, was not suffering. As far as Ardwynn knew, Starett was the last person still under the power of Ardwella's blue sword. Being frozen like that and still conscious would be unbearable.
Ardwynn heard the noise of hurried footsteps and looked over to see Lothinar's mother entering the central courtyard. She beckoned her over. Heaving a weary sigh, Ardwella sat down beside her daughter-in-law. "That's all of them, except for Starett," she said. "And the platinum dragon," She gestured at Starett. “What are you going to do with him?”
“I’m not sure,” Ardwynn said, scrunching up her face. “I have questions. I’m having difficulty understanding how Starett could have been convinced to betray all he stood for. The dragons and.. well, us. It just doesn't make sense.”
“It surprised me too,” Ardwella admitted. “I can assure you, though, that he worked for Argent there in the end. If I hadn't stopped him, things would have gone very differently. At least you can have me thaw him to ask your questions. You won't be able to do the same with the platinum dragon.”
"I understand the dragon is dead," Ardwynn said, “Didn't Zinariya remove her brain?"
"That's correct. Zinariya was using Siophra as a host at the time. Siophra began asserting herself and thought Zinariya should move along. After it became necessary for Platinum to die, the plan was for the young golden dragon to use the platinum body instead of an elven one until her body could finish developing. Zinariya’s original egg was damaged during an attack. Platinum's personality and powers were found to be twisted and extremely dangerous. After Zinariya was forced to kill her, she borrowed the recently dead body; It turned out that she didn't keep it long. Zinariya wanted to move aggressively against Argent's remaining family. We decided to work together at that point, and allowing her to inhabit my body made more sense. Platinum's body was left behind. It was only because Vanador froze the body that it didn't immediately begin to decay.”
"Well, we seem past that point now," commented Ardwynn. "Zinariya certainly isn't going to be needing it. Why keep it around?”
"The humans want to keep it.” Ardwella grinned. “ It seems natural to have a dragon back in the temple courtyard. My bond, Esmarilla, sat there, hiding in plain sight for hundreds of years. Of course, she was much larger."
"Knowing the body is not just frozen, but dead, I find it rather morbid. Vanquish lost her dragon body. I wonder if there is any way Vanquish could reinhabit Platinum? She could live as a dragon again?” Ardwynn thought out loud.
"That's a complicated question," said Ardwella. "What would become of the human Michelle? She would be separated from Vanquish. They've become rather accustomed to one another by now."
"I don't see why Michelle, as a human, could not remain bonded with Vanquish in that Platinum dragon body. " Ardwynn thought out loud.
"Platinum's body is missing a brain and spinal cord. That will make things considerably more difficult if someone else wants to use that body," said Ardwella. "If not impossible. But do you have other reasons for suggesting that?"
"It certainly would help solve one of my dilemmas," admitted Ardwynn.
"Ah!" Ardwella nodded. Were you having second thoughts about the other females surrounding my son?" Ardwella asked with widening eyes. "You think if Vanquish could somehow inhabit a dragon body again, she might be more willing to return to her relationship with Vanador and quit her claim on Lothinar?”
"It crossed my mind. I must admit that I'm irritated about so many clamoring for Lothinar's attention. I will probably have to share him more than I would like to if things stay as they are."
"What does Lothinar think about that?" Ardwella asked pensively. "Have you talked about it?"
"We have, to a point. And it's strange. With all the female attention he gets, Lothinar has only ever been intimate with me. For a male, he's been surprisingly resistant to others taking things that far." Ardwinn said. “He is also so kind that it’s hard for the others to tell when he’s making excuses. Now that she can take human form, Firestorm has aggressively tried to push him into that kind of relationship.
"I think you might have forgotten about Ronniflass kidnapping him," Ardwella said with a sympathetic smile. Then, her face grew harder. "That was right after you left him. You broke my son's heart!"
Ardwynn winced. "You know that I'm sorry for that. The person who did those things no longer exists. I don't think FIrestorm has ever really forgiven me for hurting Lothinar. That's part of the problem now."
"And a young dragon's passions can be powerful," Ardwella said knowingly. "It's not like she isn't already in a deep personal relationship with him. They are bonded. Candasar was out of connection with him at that time, but Firestorm felt all of Lothinar's hurt and confusion,"
Ardwynn frowned. "I don't think other wives have to deal with such things."
"Most people don't live with dragons! Bonding changes everything." Ardwella smiled sympathetically. "Now that Firestorm has found a way to join with him physically, I don't think you will be able to prevent that forever, even if Lothinar has been able to stall up until now. And with all of my son's many strengths, he has one great weakness," Ardwella said cautiously. "He hates to hurt anyone’s feelings. Especially those he loves. You should be glad Candasar is more of a traditionalist with her eyes on Tundor."
"I understand Firestorm's feelings. Ardwynn nodded, then suddenly asked. "But What about my feelings?"
"Perhaps you have not made your position as clear as you believe," Ardwella said, smiling slightly. "If you are struggling, perhaps you should remedy that.” She looked about cautiously. “It also can not have escaped you that your new powers might help you change things a bit."
"What do you mean?" Ardwynn asked, suddenly standing and beginning to pace back and forth.
"Look Ardwynn. I've made many mistakes over the years," Ardwella said bitterly, "But letting those troops loyal to Argent live, somehow thinking they were redeemable, was one of my worst. But now you've changed everything. You've reset things. I and the people of this town owe you a great deal for that. You must carefully consider what you will do with your new godlike powers. Perhaps it's time to do something for yourself."
"What do you mean?" Ardwynn asked suspiciously.
"So, regarding time. How far back can you go?" Ardwella asked.
Ardwynn shook her head. "Are you suggesting I further change the timeline? That sounds dangerous!"
"Of course it is, but you already have!" Ardwella said suddenly. "This temple and the lives you restored by bringing it here are not supposed to exist. Yet they do. I'm not telling you what to do, but I probably couldn't resist making a few changes to make my life happier. You might not be able to change Firestorm's affection for him, but you might be able to change how she expresses those feelings.”
"If I were to do that," Ardwynn looked distressed. "Go back and change things..." Ardwynn faltered. What would happen to my son? What would happen to Harvey?"
"That's certainly a concern," Ardwella admitted. "I guess you'll just have to get used to sharing then. Forget I said anything."
Ardwynn frowned. "You're after something yourself, aren't you? That's what this is all about, isn't it?"
"I could solve some of this." Ardwella suddenly said quietly. "Perhaps all of it. What if someone with my skills could travel back and kill Argent before he came to power? I could save all the dragons that were burned alive! I knew quite a few of them. We could even save my grandfather! I’d volunteer for that!"
Ardwynn clicked her tongue and shook her head slightly.
"It's far too risky. Changing that much could have extreme repercussions, especially when dealing with someone as influential as Argent. Would you have bonded with Esmarilla without Argent's war on the dragons? You might not have married Albarad or given birth to Lothinar. If we do these things, this world will be vastly different, even unrecognizable. I must consider this and tread carefully."
"Clearly, I do not understand," said Ardwella somewhat crossly. "In this instance, except in this specific location, you didn't change that much. My mind still remembers the burning of the temple and the deaths. How can that be the case if you moved it forward in time before that happened? When Argent's daughters Preen and Junderyn were plotting to sneak in to murder the temple workers and free the soldiers, what did they see? Did you move the broken stones and burned beams back simultaneously? You were certainly standing on the fallen roof this morning."
"I don't have the answers you seek." Ardwynn shrugged. "This is the first time I have done this! What I did came from a place deep inside me filled with complex emotions, not logic. It is magic, after all."
"How convenient!" Ardwella said, rolling her eyes. "Telling me that you don’t know what you’re doing isn't exactly filling me with confidence! And I won’t be alone. Other intelligent people are going to begin asking the questions that I am. It would help if you started thinking logically about what you did and how you did it. It's going to be critical for the next time."
"I never said there was going to be a next time," Ardwynn replied.
"I just want you to think about it," said Ardwella, looking disappointed. “Or could it be that you don't trust me?”
A temple acolyte cleared her throat. The young human woman was one that Ardwynn had pulled forward through time. She looked at the two elves nervously, and it was clear she wasn't eager to interrupt them.
This bird came for you," she said. "I wouldn't usually bother you, but I'm pretty sure it's from King Enderline." She gazed at Ardwynn with genuine and unmistakable reverence. Ardwynn suspected that one of her relatives must have told her of her fate in the other timeline. Had she not brought the temple and its contents forward, the acolyte would have been ruthlessly murdered or died in the fire. Preventing this sincere young woman’s death, along with the other dragon temple acolytes, was the most satisfying part of what she had done.
Ardwynn contemplated these things as she took the note. She looked at it and handed it back. She smiled, deciding to proceed as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
"Can you read this?" she asked. "It's total gibberish to me!"
The young acolyte looked surprised and then laughed. "Of course. We use a form of shorthand code," she said. I'll have to teach it to you." Then she lowered her eyes. "If you wish it," she added respectfully.
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The human maiden laid the strip of red paper out on the table and examined it. "This symbol here is the royal identifier. The next is a request for a meeting. I'm assuming symbols three, four, and five are the first three letters of Lothinar's name. See here 'L. O. T." That's probably Lothinar. OH! she gasped. I think this part means that the King is coming back here! Didn't they leave for Silvantra?"
"They did. And Firestorm didn't mention anything. She dropped Michelle off about halfway there. Something must have happened!" Ardwynn said with surprise.
“The message continues.” said the girl. “It says ‘Red Sword Recovered.”
Ardwynn looked at the acolyte who had brought her the message. "Thank you. I'll be sure to tell Lothinar that Enderline is back and looking for him, "she said. I'm sure he will find that red sword part interesting."
"It's probably not as fascinating as what you did to the temple this morning," the pretty acolyte said. Are you going to be taking the job of high priestess? "
"I may have someone else in mind," said Ardwynn. She looked over into the corner where Heirwynn and Snow were sitting. Heirwynn was seated in a chair while Snow was curled up contentedly by her feet. Heirwynn was holding and looking at little Harvey. She had the most sweet and tender smile as she gazed at him. He giggled and grabbed her nose. She pulled back, surprised, but continued smiling at him. Then, Heirwynn suddenly realized that Ardwynn was looking at her.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm giving you a promotion, Heirwynn," said Ardwynn. "I would like you to assume control of this temple."
"Who me?" she asked with surprise. "But I was planning to help care for Harvey!!" she protested.
"You still can, but you are passionate about this town, and I think you would make an excellent high priestess for this temple."
Heirwynn frowned. "Thank you, but that's only part of what I hoped..."
"Yes, yes... Lothinar. I didn't forget." muttered Ardwynn. "But remember, that's up to him."
Ardwella smiled at her daughter-in-law. "Something tells me this conversation isn't exactly over," she said.
-------------------
Daisy looked down at a pristine mountain lake from the black dragon's broad back.
"We are stopping here for a little while," said Esmarilla through the wind.
"Is this where Lothinar is?" asked Daisy.
"No. But it's a nice spot about halfway to where Lothinar is." The black dragon explained. "And like I said before, I'm hungry. I need a deer or two. And after that, I'd like to have a bit of a chat. Trying to communicate while in the air is difficult."
"You seem to be doing fine. I can hear you great," said Daisy.
"That's because my words are deep and rumble a bit." said the dragon. "You, however, are shrieking into the wind. Even though you're behind my ears, I'm not enjoying the experience. I promise it will be a conversation worth your time."
"Not much I can do," said Daisy. "I'm bumming a ride as it is."
‘Exactly," said Esmarilla, landing softly. "Now get off."
"You wouldn't leave me here by this lake in the mountains all alone, would you? you?" Asked Daisy, suddenly suspicious.
"No, Cantrell is already upset that I brought you this far in the first place. He seems to have taken on a strange and unnatural interest in your well-being. He's strongly suggesting that I bring you back to the Capital."
"Is that what you're going to do?" asked Daisy.
"It depends on how our conversation goes," replied the dragon. If I'm going to risk making my bond angry, I'm going to need to chat with you first."
"I see," said Daisy, climbing down. "It is a pretty spot."
"The water's safe to drink or bathe in, if you choose."
Daisy shuddered. "I've had enough bathing for a while, I think," she said.
"Well, make yourself comfortable," said Esmarilla. "I'll be back soon."
The black dragon leaped into the air and flew off across the lake. Daisy could see her flying a search pattern over the forest on the other side. Suddenly, the black shape flashed down, disappearing behind the trees. She must have spotted a deer. Daisy suddenly felt entirely alone. However, it was a pleasant day, and sitting in the sun for a little while wouldn't make her too hot. A large, smooth piece of granite jutted out from the shore, and Daisy made her way there, looking at the water. It was quiet and peaceful here. She hadn't spent any time to speak of outside the Capital. She suddenly wondered what kind of town or village Lothinar lived in. She must be crazy to follow after him without knowing anything about him or his life.
The thought struck her like a lightning bolt. What was she doing? All last evening and this morning, she had nothing on her mind except Lothinar. Now standing here, she began to question her motivations. His smiling face came quickly back to her mind. What was going on? She felt nauseous and strange. It was suddenly very hot. She stripped off her clothes and jumped into the calm mountain lake, belatedly remembering that she wasn't much of a swimmer. Sputtering and choking on water, she thrashed her way back to shore, climbing back onto the rock and lying panting and naked in the warm sun. The lack of sleep the night before suddenly caught up with her, and she felt incredibly sleepy. She closed her eyes.
"If I were a wolf, you would look like a tasty treat." said the dragon. "It's a good thing I know elves taste awful."
Daisy jerked awake. She shrieked. Esmarilla was looming over her.
"Hey! Calm down!" said the dragon. "I thought you didn't want to go swimming!"
Daisy reached for her clothes and hastily put them on. Luckily, the rising slight breeze hadn't blown them very far.
"I'm not feeling very well," said Daisy. "I feel hungover, and I didn't even do any drinking!"
"That's not surprising at all," said Esmarilla. "I think what you might be feeling is Lothinar's pheromones finally passing out of your system."
“So is this going to get worse, this Lothinar poisoning?”
Esmarilla laughed out loud. Her voice was a deep rumble of mirth.
“The fact that you are calling it something like that is probably a good sign that you are almost done with it,” Esmarilla answered. "Now that I’ve filled up on a few deer, your answer to my next question will tell me for certain. Here it is: Do you want me to continue bringing you to Lothinar, or do you want to go home?”
“Home? You mean the Capital? "Daisy asked. "Do you think Cantrell has given away my room?”
The dragon laughed again. “No, but he's having it thoroughly cleaned as we speak. All the bedding, sheets, pillowcases, and the like have been removed and burned. He doesn't want you or anyone else to come into contact with those addictive chemicals.”
“That elf is just walking around infecting people like that? He’s a hazard!”
“Believe me, he knows. He usually tries to keep to himself or associate only with folks that are bonded to dragons. Being dragon bonded makes you immune to the effects.”
"I'm not getting anywhere near him again!" Daisy exclaimed. "Take me home!"
"I guess that means that you pass the test. You're free of Lothinar." Esmarilla laughed. "Congratulations! You may be the first to get over him that quickly, and without bonding with a dragon to do it."
"Then I feel very sorry for the others." Daisy grimaced.
"Lothinar's really not a bad guy," Esmarilla said. "He's actually kind and quite amazing. You could probably be friends if you were dragon bonded. Perhaps I should reintroduce you to my brother Vanador. He has a soft spot for pretty blonde elves that look like you."
"I've met him," said Daisy, climbing up on Esmarilla's back. "He's got some serious problems to solve before I could ever get involved with a dragon with that much baggage."
"You're probably right," said Esmarilla, leaping into the air and unfurling her great wings. "But every dragon I've ever met has problems. Don't rule out bonding altogether. It doesn't always work out terribly. Sometimes, the right elf and dragon can make a great team. I'm pretty satisfied with Cantrell but don't ask me about my first bond. That was a disaster!"
"Who was that?" Daisy asked.
"Believe it or not, it was Lothinar's mother! She's the one that killed most of Argent's family."
"Well then, she can't be all bad," said Daisy. "They needed killing."
"I tend to agree, but you might change your opinion of her when I tell you that she is the one who decided to give Lothinar those powerful pheromones. She has them herself."
"I think I might be a little too close to the situation to be objective," Daisy said, leaning forward to yell into the black dragon's ear. "What does Cantrell think of her?" Daisy suddenly asked.
"He's not a big fan of Ardwella." Esmarilla chuckled. "And neither am I."
The black dragon turned in the air and began her flight back to the Capital. Daisy wouldn't be stalking Lothinar. She couldn't help thinking that she might have saved Lothinar some considerable trouble.
Now that she was free of the compulsion to get back to Lothinar, Daisy could concentrate on the experience of flying on a dragon. It was amazing. She found herself thinking that she could get used to this!
————————-
The air shimmered in the front yard of Ardwynn’s house, and there was a resounding pop. Two figures appeared. Lothinar reached out to steady Zinariya as she swayed and almost fell over.
"Easy there!" he said. "That was a long teleport! Especially since there were two of us this time."
Zinariya grimaced.
"Ouch!" Zinariya complained, shaking her right hand back and forth. “I didn't expect it to hurt!”
"I should have probably warned you about that," said Lothinar. "Your claw won't be able to fully heal until you retake dragon form. We've only worked on this when you have been an elf. You should probably change back and stay that way for at least a few hours. That should finalize the healing process."
"How do you even know these things?" Zinariya asked crossly, staring at Lothinar. Do you have an owner's guide for Dragons you've been reading behind my back?" She suddenly noticed Firestorm staring at her with a strange look in her eye.
Knowing Lothinar was about to return, Firestorm had been watching with nervous anticipation as Zinariya successfully teleported Lothinar and herself back to the place from which she had left—the front yard of Ardwynn's house.
"Welcome back from the moon, Lothinar," Firestorm said stiffly. The red dragon was still in her dragon form. Zinariya was suddenly acutely aware of how big Firestorm had grown. It was somewhat overwhelming while Zinariya was standing here in the form of a young blonde elf. Up to this point, while being hosted by both Siophra and Ardwella, Zinariya had spent most of her life in this shape. She found herself wondering if she would ever feel normal being a dragon. Perhaps it was because Lothinar was an elf and had infused her mother's egg with so much of his own image, but the young dragon still found taking the form of a dragon somewhat perplexing.
Firestorm cleared her throat. "You are clinging to him, Zinariya. "Are you not feeling well?" Then Firestorm scowled. It had been phrased as a question, but it didn't sound like one to Zinariya. It sounded more like a challenge. Zinariya reluctantly let go of Lothinar.
"I got him home, didn't I?" retorted Zinariya. "I obviously have brought him farther distances than you have!"
Firestorm snorted. "You had to cheat!"
"Stop it! This is not a competition between you two!" Lothinar interrupted. "We are all bonded. I share both of your thoughts and Candasar's as well. I will have to insist that you two get along!"
"I know that I'm new to this common bond and telepathy, but shouldn't I be able to hear Firestorm's thoughts right now?" asked Zinariya.
Lothinar's face grew puzzled. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I can't even hear her right now. she's been silent for quite a while. Are you shutting us out, Firestorm? Why would you want to do that?"
"I wanted you to come here first so we could talk and not go straight to the temple," Firestorm said.
‘Temple?” Lothinar asked. His face revealed his confusion.
Firestorm opened the mental door that allowed her thoughts and memories to flow to Lothinar once again. He blinked quickly as he got caught up on the last few hours and began processing the information Firestorm had been keeping from him.
"The temple is back! That's amazing! Ardwynn manifested her power.” he finally said. "Don't you think that what she did at the temple today is something I should know about Firestorm? Why did you keep that from me?" he asked.
"You had a lot on your mind, Lothinar, and I didn't want to distract you," Firestorm said, looking down somewhat guiltily.
Zinariya, although new to the bond, instantly knew that there was something more going on.
Firestorm seemed frustrated and upset. She might even be considered angry. Feeling another dragon's emotions through Lothinar's bond was new to her. Lothinar, however, was more accustomed to sharing his feelings through dragon telepathy. He waited about thirty seconds, processing the images and emotions before he spoke.
"I'm disappointed," he said.
"So am I! You kissed Daisy,” she retorted.
"She extorted me," he explained. "I really needed her loose change."
"That's ridiculous! You are too nice! You should have just turned her upside down and shaken the coins out of her pockets. Nobody would have stopped you!"
"Now, wouldn't that have been a sight," he said. Me, shaking that poor girl by her feet. You have to be joking."
"I'm jealous," she said angrily.
"Ok! Now we're getting somewhere," he said. At least you're finally being honest!"
Zinariya watched this back and forth, bantering with amazement. Suddenly, it dawned on her: She knew what this was—It looked like a lover's quarrel.
The air shimmered, and the red dragon vanished. In the place where she had stood, a beautiful red-haired elf appeared. She was crying!
"Another blonde!" Firestorm lamented. "How could you? I'm not blonde, but I love you!" she sniffed.
Lothinar closed the distance between them and opened his arms. The red-haired elf fell into them, sobbing on his shoulder.
"Zanaria c-can teleport and n-now Ard-w-wynn just became very p-powerful. Where does that leave me L-othinar? I'm going to be the l-last one i-in the pecking order again! I think y-you have even k-kissed this complete stranger, Daisy more times than m-me!"
Lothinar frowned. "There is something you might not have thought through, Firestorm," he said. "Candasar and Tundor spent the night together as elves. Candasar immediately became pregnant. Now, she is stuck in elf form until the baby is born. That means no more flying,"
"Are you planning to get me pregnant, Lothinar?" Firestorm asked, pushing him back but holding onto his hands. She gazed into his eyes. "Because I'm willing to take that risk!"
"This is really terrible timing!" Zinariya said for no reason except that she knew it would annoy Firestorm.
“Look, Zinariya,” Firestorm seethed, “You’ve had him all to yourself for most of the day. I’m just asking for an hour or two.”
"We don't have time for that kind of thing right now!" Zinariya almost shouted. "Marg is still out there somewhere. We need to deal with that first! Remember, she probably still wants to kill you all, and she doesn't really even know about me yet!"
"You're right," said Lothinar. We need to go to the temple and see if they know anything more. I also need to talk with Ardwynn."
Candasar broke into the conversation through the bond.
"We're almost back, Lothinar. Despite his uneven and jerky flapping, Tundor seems to have made good time. We now know about the temple too! We'll all meet you there! Make sure Zinariya comes along. I need to talk with my daughter."
"Oh, that's great. Another Lecture, I suppose." Zinariya said as she shimmered and changed forms. She turned back into a dragon.
Lothinar watched the transition. He'd seen it many times now, but it was still amazing. Back in dragon form, it was even more obvious to Lothinar how young and small the golden dragon really was. Her golden scales, however, were quite beautiful. Lothinar gave her a second look.
"What?" she asked self-consciously.
"I suppose that I'm just more used to you in elf form," he said softly.
"I was just thinking the same thing myself," she replied. "Do you like what you see?"
Still standing next to Lothinar, Firestorm switched back into dragon form herself with a red shimmer.
"Get on, Lothinar!" she growled, side-eyeing the young golden. "Let's go see what Ardwynn has to say. The sooner this gets resolved, the sooner I can have some time with you alone!"
Lothinar leaped up on the red dragon without replying. Privately, Zinariya wondered how the new Ardwynn would actually feel about that.
As Firestorm jumped into the air, Zinariya realized that the time she had spent in dragon form and actually flying was actually limited. She jumped off the ground and flared her much smaller wings. It was obvious that the mechanics of flight took some practice.
"I suppose I should probably get some practice being an actual dragon," she thought to herself. However, she soon realized that Firestorm had not waited for her.
"Ha!" She said to herself. "You can't leave a dragon that can teleport behind!" Once in the air Zinariya teleported, closing the gap and targeting the air off to the side of the quickly disappearing Firestorm. She exited the teleport parallel to the red dragon. Wincing, she tried to ignore the sharp pain in the toenail of her front claw. She was suddenly regretting allowing Xerxes to live.
At her appearance, Firestorm jerked a little in surprise but recovered quickly. The temple wasn't far and was already in sight. Both dragons flew down for a landing. There was a crowd of humans outside. When they saw Lothinar and the two dragons, they bowed their heads in respect.
Lothinar suspected that someone must have informed those inside of their arrival because a minute or two later, Ardwynn stepped out the front doors. Behind her, with a concerned look on her face, was his mother, Ardwella.
"Come inside, husband," she said. "Bring your dragons. We need to talk."
Firestorm and Zinariya looked at each other.
"Ooh. that sounded scary!" Firestorm said suddenly.
"Candasar and Tundor will be here soon," said Lothinar.
"Tell them to meet us inside," Ardynn said, her face was troubled. "I have asked for food to be prepared. We can eat while we talk. There are decisions to be made."
Lothinar reached out and gathered Ardwynn into his arms, pulling her close. "Nice job on the temple, Ardwynn," he whispered. "I'm proud of you. This is quite a surprise!"
Warmed by his praise, Ardwynn looked up into his eyes. "Wait till you get my bill," she said with a dark chuckle. "It might be more than you are willing to pay."
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