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Chapter 6

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Lothinar returned his brother and his aunt Mavis back to his parent’s house. Mandel suddenly seemed happy to stay there. At least as long as Emerald also did, AND she remained very close by. That required making a place for both of them to sleep in the barn. They moved Lothinar's old bed out there and actually put it in Jamison's old stall. Mandel seemed quite pleased with that. Emerald had never slept on hay and deemed it quite comfortable. Albarad had been a little nervous with the green dragon bedding down with the horses that still shared the barn, but Emerald quickly assuaged his fears.

”It’s good that the lake is not too far,” she said. “I have a problem with my teeth and can only eat fish and small animals.”

”Your teeth? Perhaps I can have my friend Tundor help heal them. He is a white dragon.”

‘Emerald laughed. “It is not necessary to trouble your white dragon friend. All of my tribe have teeth like mine. They are hollow in the center. See?"

She opened her large mouth, and much to Albarad’s horror, Lothinar stuck his head inside to take a look. Her fangs were long and sharp, but in the center of each one was a tiny hole running from the tip, down into the tooth.

“Ok,” said Lothinar. “That’s a bit different.”

‘Mandel had looked over with concern or, even more likely, jealousy when Lothinar had stepped up close to the green dragon. Muina had been trying to ask him questions about his time at the Capitol in an attempt to stimulate his memory. When Lothinar removed his head from the dragon’s mouth, Mandel reluctantly returned his attention to his mother.

”If Emerald prefers fish, then we shouldn’t suggest she develop a taste for larger animals.” Albarad said to his son as he flared his eyes wide and gestured toward the horses with a couple of quick jerks of his head.”

Surprisingly the dragon picked it up. “I will not attempt to eat your beasts of burden, Father elf. That would make me a very poor guest, would it not? I prefer to swallow my prey whole.”

Albarad chuckled. “Yes, you would have to be substantially bigger to swallow a horse whole.”

”These horses," She licked her lips. "Their young are smaller?” Asked the dragon.

”Yes, but…” Albarad looked at his son in alarm. Lothinar, however, had seen Emerald’s wink.

“She’s just messing with you, Dad,” he said, laughing.

"I never joke about dragons eating horses!" Albarad said testily.

Giving up Lothinar’s old bed to the barn had relegated Heirwynn to a legless futon that they pulled out of a closet. The unflappable young human girl insisted that she didn't mind. Albarad promised her that he would soon make more permanent arrangements regarding the furniture. Having Mandel in the barn also gave Albarad a little more peace of mind regarding Heirwynn's safety. Lothinar could tell that something about the potential interactions between Heirwynn and Mandel was troubling him. Seeing Lothinar's questioning look, his mother pulled him aside and explained things.

"I think Heirwynn had a bit of a fantasy crush on Mandel. That was, of course, before she actually met him. She admires your father very much and perhaps hoped..."

"That Mandel would be like him." finished Lothinar.

"It didn't hurt that he was still single and going to be the Emperor, I suppose." said his mother. "But now..."

”His strange behavior is a bit off-putting for a crush.“ said Lothinar.

”Exactly.” Ardwella replied.

Lothinar scratched his head. "I think you are actually seeing more of Emerald's core personality coming through than Mandel's at the moment. His brain is pretty scattered. I took a look in there and even I can't figure out what’s going on.”

"You didn't tell Muina this did you?" his mother asked with concern.

"I did not. I didn't want to needlessly upset her. There is nothing she can do except provide love and support. Whole sections of his brain remain in a comatose condition. They may be retrievable at some point, but I would like some time to think about this before I start mucking around in there. I was hoping that those damaged sections might eventually wake up on their own. Especially with someone familiar around to stimulate his memory.”

"Leave Mandel with us, Son. You have enough on your plate at the moment. But do check in. I miss you."

"I know our relationship has not been great lately," said Lothinar.

"I let you down. I didn't protect you. There were so many things I could have done better." said his mother.

"I survived, and I'm stronger for it. Some day we will sit down, and I'll tell you about it. All of it. But right now, my dragons want to get back. Candasar in particular. She has some concerns about her kids at home."

"Zinariya?" asked his mother.

"I may want to consult with you about what you two went through together."

"I understand Lothinar. Better than you think. And I won't be running off anywhere for a long time. I will be available. Those days are behind me."

He gave her a questioning look. "I've heard some things."

She grimaced. "I'm sure you have. We both have stories to tell."

Lothinar nodded and headed out the door.

Heirwynn ran outside just before he climbed on Firestorm.

"Goodbye Lothinar!" Come back soon!"

"Terrific!" said Firestorm. "It seems that you have another fan."

"She's a nice kid. My son is named after her brother."

”Harvey is a very nice name.” Said Candasar.

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When the dragons finally got Lothinar back to Ronni's cabin, Ardwynn, Michelle, AND Zinariya were gone. Candasar was quite upset about that. She soon returned to elven form and began pacing back and forth in the living room. Rose was sitting on the couch. Lothinar was convinced that she was practicing her 'come hither' look on him. Especially now that Ardwynn wasn't around.

"I let that girl out of my sight for even a few hours, and she disappeared. I told you she can't be trusted!"

"I'm sure it's fine," said Lothinar. "Hey, look! They left a note on the table." He picked it up and read it.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he exclaimed after a few seconds.

"Did the note say where they went?" asked Candasar.

Lothinar smiled, then tapped his finger to his temple. "Are you using unnecessary and redundant questions to try and seem more elf-like? We all knew what the note said the second after I read it via bond telepathy.”

"It has crossed my mind that our instant communication through the bond might be confusing to others without the same ability," she said, blushing slightly. "I'm just practicing good manners! Now that we can transform, we will likely share small spaces with others more often. If Michelle or Ardwynn were here, they would not be able to hear our mind speech.”

"But it's just us three here right now!" said Lothinar, laughing. "Rose knows what the note says too."

Candasar coughed. "Just like I know that she wants to drag you into the front bedroom the moment I walk out the door," said Candasar. "Did you get that message, Lothinar?"

His smile faded, and he looked a little concerned. "I saw her sultry smile, but no. She somehow shielded those specific thoughts from me. He turned to the redhead. "Rose, we've talked about this!" he said.

"But that was yesterday!" she protested. "It's part of my plan to eventually wear you down."

Candasar interrupted them. "Don't you think you should try to find a nice male dragon for your first time? I can tell you that once. you've been with a real dragon you will never..."

"How would you even know? Shouted Firestorm. "You've never had sex in your elf body. You might be missing out on something great. I'd be willing to share him. How about it, Lothinar?"

Lothinar sighed heavily.

"The note." he said, reminding them, “indicates that Ardwynn and Michelle have gone to Tasumakoji. Specifically Ardwynn's old house. They say that they are going to try on some clothes. Zinariya is with them. She consented to transporting them there.”

”But I told her to stay here.” Protested Candasar. “With her siblings and father!”

“I did ask her to take Cantrell back for me,” Lothinar said, looking at the note again and reading further. “Someone at the Capitol made a rude remark, and she got irritated. Michelle said in the note that they were just trying to cheer her up.”

”Now see!” Said Candasar. “That’s what I was trying to explain to her earlier. The social nuances of trying to act like an elf and knowing what to do are extremely complex. At least we,” she said, pointing to herself and Rose, “we both have your bond to help us navigate these strange elven social problems. Zinariya is on her own. That’s why it’s better for her to stay in dragon form right now. And that’s why I didn’t want her teaching my other children how to do this. They all could get into a lot of trouble!”

“So you think only bonded dragons should be able to form shift?" Rose asked.

”I think" said Candasar," that the social rules and expectations of unbounded dragons are quite different. You probably don’t fully realize this, Firestorm..."

"It's Rose right now." she interrupted.

"Rose," Candasar nodded condescendingly, "You don't fully realize this because you were bonded just a few days out of your egg. I had to grow up as a wild water dragon fending off unwanted physical and sexual attacks almost weekly. Lothinar saw one of those. He and Tundor defended me from two nasty males that came after me. Dragons that could shift into elves and lack proper social guidelines would be….”

”Wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Finished Lothinar. “They might even make Argent’s family look tame. You’re right, Candasar. We need to try to establish some rules before this gets out of hand!”

"I'm glad you finally understand," said Candasar. "I'm starting to think that Zinariya might actually NEED a bond, Lothinar. I would normally say it was too soon, but she's already out there. She is likely to come into contact with many elves.

Rose snorted. "I knew this was going to come up. That's fine, but it shouldn't be Lothinar."

"Why not?" asked Candasar. "It would help me keep my eye on her, and it would certainly help her understand my concerns better. I'm not suggesting that she get into a physical relationship with him like you are attempting, of course, but a strong and kind bond like Lothinar would help her."

"How are you going to keep her from wanting more from him?" Rose asked.

"I certainly don't want MORE from him," stated Candasar.

"Are you sure? Rose asked skeptically. "Because I can actually read most of your thoughts. He can too, you know!"

"I appreciate him. Yes, I even love him. I'm sure that's what you are feeling. But unlike you, I consider him off-limits. He's more like a brother. And I'm sure," she said looking at Lothinar, "That he would consider my daughter as 'off limits' as well.

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Lothinar froze. It felt like someone had cast the "Letta" hold spell on him. He suddenly knew what one of Tundor's early deer had felt like, staring at a predator. He shook it off and kept his thoughts to himself.

Rose side-eyed him. "Native dragons, as you know." said Rose, "Often live in small, tight-knit communities. Genetic interbreeding between extended family members is pretty common. I'm actually YOUR grandfather's daughter, lest you forget."

"And Aleena, your mother, was my cousin. Yes, of course, I know this." Candasar acknowledged.

"So I don't know why you are so sure Zinariya won't..."

"She won't because Lothinar respects me! My wishes. Especially since MY standards for this kind of thing actually come from his values and upbringing. I have adopted an Elven mindset, being bonded to him. And I am going to suggest that if you continue to parade around as an elf in public, you should, too. Your wanton behavior is going to cause him problems."

Rose slumped back on the couch and frowned. "I'll think about it." she finally said.

Lothinar had listened to the conversation with an impending sense of dread and concern. He didn't like it when his two bonds argued. He was really struggling to keep his thoughts perfectly neutral. He didn't want to hurt either of them. They both had valid points and obviously cared deeply for him. Perhaps he should try and change the subject.

"I obviously totally forgot that Ardwynn inherited a big house from her parents."

"Right," said Candasar, smirking. She was obviously picking up on his attempt to relieve the tension. "It's a good thing they didn't have time to change the will before we killed them all."

“We only killed her father, Candasar. Esmarilla killed her brother as he was attacking her, and well, her mother was a group effort, if you will remember."

“Yes, I do. The dragons of the lake tore her to pieces,” said Candasar. “But she totally deserved it.”

”Sometimes I wonder how some elves can be so evil.” Said Lothinar. “Being one myself.”

” Argent's brood were definitely the worst. We have seen that over and over again. You must realize that if Vanquish hadn’t done what she did for you….”

Lothinar looked resigned. “We never would have been able to let an unchanged Ardwynn live. Seeing all that death in Delora, I understand that more than ever. And that was just the last two of Argent’s daughters. Your daughter and my mother Ardwella took care of the others.”

"Zinariya needs a bond." Candasar reaffirmed. "It will probably help her deal with the aftereffects of that. I shudder when I think that my little child got dragged into it. She's probably emotionally scarred."

"Tell me more about the house!" said Rose. "I assume it's much bigger than this place."

"I've obviously never been inside," said Candasar. "Have you Lothinar?"

"No," he admitted. "Ardwynn moved back after we split up. Every time I went there to try and work things out, she didn't actually let me in. I do know they have a large barn. Tundor stayed there for a short while. My father claimed their horses. He actually rescued them."

"Of course he did," said Candasar. "We know how Albarad loves horses."

"It probably would feel strange sleeping in that house," said Lothinar. "They were a strange and terrible family."

"Ardwynn wasn't exactly the girl you would normally bring home to mother either," said Candasar. "She sure had us all fooled."

"I do remember you specifically pulling me aside and suggesting I get more involved with her, Candy."

"I had hopes and dreams, Lothinar. I was already with Tundor and wanted you to have someone too. And I felt sorry for her. She had been chasing you for so long. That was long before I had even heard much about Argent. I had this fantasy that the four of us would be this double happy couple forever. I'm really sorry."

"I wasn't trying to make what happened your fault. You more than paid the price with what you have given up for me. What you continue to do for me. I love you, Candasar. We are going to be together forever."

"Now it seems that I'm going to have even more company," she said ominously. "First Firestorm, then at least possibly Zinaiya..."

Rose glared at her again.

"How many dragons can you even bond with Lothinar?" Rose asked apprehensively.

"Well, Marg said one is normally the limit," he replied. "But we are already past that."

"But how will you decide? What kind of criteria will you use? You seem to prefer females...."

"You know, when the subject of bonding first came up, I thought he might choose Tundor," Candasar said. "You and he were friends first. We got off to a difficult start."

”I'm not really interested in additional bonds right now,” Lothinar said.

“But Zinariya needs guidance…..” said Candasar. Her voice had a slight pleading tone to it that concerned Lothinar.

"Hey!" said Rose suddenly. "Has anybody talked to Tundor about turning into an elf? She suddenly seemed to be willing to leave her question and the discussion regarding Lothinar’s bonds unanswered. “That might solve some of your more difficult size discrepancy problems, Candasar." She wiggled her eyebrows in what she must have believed was a lecherous fashion but didn't really pull it off. It looked more like two skinny red caterpillars dancing. As soon as Lothinar thought that, the two female dragons in elven bodies laughed.

When they finally stopped Candasar spoke. "Tundor is too wrapped up in trying to raise our children right now to think about sex with me."

"Don't kid yourself Candasar." said Lothinar. "He's thinking about it. Probably a lot. He just doesn't know how it could possibly be accomplished with the size differences. I think you should listen to Rose on this one."

Candasar managed a grudging smile. "I'll consider it." she finally said. "If Marg ever does come back."

"She will," said Lothinar. "I might have to get angry and try to break something with magic, but she will come back. In fact, for your sake, I will make sure of it!"

"Let's go look at dresses!" shouted Rose.

"You don't really need dresses," said Lothinar. "Don't you just make what you want from magic?"

"I need ideas Lothinar." said Rose. "I wonder if they have any Lingerie?"

"If my daughter is with them, they had better not be trying on Lingerie," said Candasar.

"I bet they are..." said Rose. "They grow up so fast. Especially with Lothinar's magic around."

"Let's go find them," said Lothinar. "But you two have to go into the house first."

They walked back outside and right into Esmarilla.

"Cantrell wants to know what's going on," she said, watching with great interest as Candasar and Rose changed back into dragons. They were shaking out their wings, preparing to fly.

”Mandel is doing a bit better.” Said Lothinar as he climbed onto Candasar. He tried not to notice Firestorm's little pout.

“Hey, what do you know about green dragons?” He asked Esmarilla.

“Oh be careful with those!” Said the black dragon. “They can be quite poisonous!”

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Michelle twirled across the floor. Her dress swirled with her.

"This is NICE!" she said happily.

"I'm sure my mother didn't buy that locally. It's from one of the exclusive dress shops in the capitol."

"Look! The tags are still on it!" beamed Michelle.

"I told you! Here! Try this one on too!"

"None of these are actually going fit me" complained Zinariya. The front part is too big and poofy. The last one I tried looked saggy and misshapen on me. Again, it comes down to breasts!"

"I'm not sure about elves," said Michelle. "But human girls continue to grow them all the way through their teen years. Sometimes it's quite stressful because girls think they are going to be flat as a board, then suddenly, one summer, pow!" Mine grew quite suddenly. I went to school one day, and one of my female teachers pulled me aside and told me to go buy a bra. My nipples were showing through my clothes."

"What has this got to do with me? Zinariya asked. Dragons don't nurse their young. We usually don't even have breasts!"

"But now, by a miracle of your magic, you do," said Ardwynn. "They are very useful." She was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding little Harvey. She had just finished nursing him.

"I wonder if these are even functional?" asked Zinariya.

"Well, they aren't just window dressing, sweetie. Tell me, do your lungs pump air in and out?" asked Michelle.

"Zinariya took a couple of deep breaths. Then, she suddenly grew self-conscious.

"Yes, they do," she said awkwardly.

Michelle chuckled. "Then I'm going to suggest that all of the other various parts that make you look like an elf actually function. Just as if you were an elf. This is not illusion magic. It's true transfiguration."

"If I got pregnant as an elf and then switched into my dragon form, would I then lay eggs?" she asked suddenly.

"I think you are still a bit young to be worrying about things like that," said Michelle awkwardly.

"I think that's something that I might need to know." insisted Zinariya. "Um, Not right now, of course." She suddenly got busy looking at another dress.

Michelle and Ardwynn looked awkwardly at each other.

Michelle reached over and took Zinariya's hand. "We should talk about this," she said.

"It's nothing," Zinariya said.

"Did something happen in the Capitol this morning? I know you weren't gone that long, but if someone tried to touch you or did other unwanted things..."

"What?" No! Well, some guards were threatening to stab me, but that was with swords." She blushed. "Metal swords! Cantrell sent me away quickly after that. What? did you think I got sexually assaulted or something?"

"You were the one talking about pregnancy," said Ardwynn.

"You must be kidding! Can you imagine an elf trying to take advantage of me that way? I'd shift and scare him half to death! Then I'd probably kill the other half!" she laughed.

"Someone could drug you or hit you in the head," said Michelle. "It's been known to happen."

"Oh! I hadn't thought of that," said Zinariya. She looked somewhat chastised. "Do you think I need to be conscious to maintain the shift? How could I test that without having someone actually knock me out?"

"Do you revert back into a dragon when you sleep?" asked Ardwynn.

"No. And I prefer to sleep in a bed too. I stay elf-shaped until I wake up." She giggled. That would be a disaster for the furniture." she said, smiling.

"Then I think if someone did somehow render you unconscious, He could probably do whatever he wanted without any major surprises," said Michelle.

Zinariya's smile faltered. "You've given me a lot to think about," said Zinariya. "Thanks for the warning. Am I missing something, or do you two have a fairly low opinion of males?"

"You should talk to your mother about her early life." said Ardwynn. "it might help you understand why she is trying to be so protective of you."

"Thank you both. I'll do that," said Zinariya.

"You're welcome," said Michelle. "Now if nobody's had their way with you, why are you asking about pregnancy?"

"You have to admit Dragons shifting to elves is new territory. I'm obviously a trendsetter. Someone has to figure this stuff out." said Zinariya.

"Oh, Honey," said Michelle. "You don't have to try and deceive us. I think we both understand that you are in love with Lothinar."

"LOTHINAR?" she asked incredulously. "No way! I'm interested in Cantrell! Ardwella and Siophra both can't be wrong!

"Well, that's a relief," said Ardwynn.

"A relief indeed," said Michelle.

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Cantrell knocked lightly on the door. Then he pushed it open. Mavis was laid out on the bed, still in her clothes. Her head was tilted to the side, and a bit of drool was leaking out of the corner of her mouth. He crossed the floor and touched her on the shoulder. Her eyes blinked open, and she tried to focus on him. Then she smiled.

"Your back!" she said sleepily.

"Yes," Cantrell said. "I just returned from the royal vaults. I made sure Mandel's sword was put safely away. I even got a receipt. That crotchety old guard that works down there started giving me a hard time until he realized that I was dropping something off instead of trying to take something out."

"That's nice, dear," said Mavis, closing her eyes and starting to go back to sleep.

"It's way past mid-morning Mavis. Don't you think it's time to get up and take care of some things?"

"I've been up," she said sleepily. Then she yawned. "Can't you see that I'm dressed?" Her eyes closed again.

Cantrell gave her a strange look. "This just doesn't seem like you. "

"I'm just tired," she mumbled. "I never knew running this place could take so much out of you."

He nodded sympathetically.

"I received some more news about Mandel," he said.

Her eyes cracked open

"Him bonding with that green dragon was obviously unplanned," said Cantrell slowly. "But Esmarilla assures me that of all the varieties of green dragons, her type is actually the safest. She injects the poison through her fangs. I don't think she's likely to be accidentally biting Mandel."

"That's nice," she said, almost nodding off.

"Poison Breath and Acid Skin are two other types that Esmarilla mentioned. said Cantrell. Both are much more dangerous because they are easier to accidentally come into contact with. Skin poison would pretty much prevent Mandel from ever riding her."

She didn't answer.

He went over and put his face near hers and smelled her breath. He tugged on her arms and pulled her into a sitting position. Then he tapped his hand against her face in a gentle slap.

"What?" she said. Then her eyes started to roll back into her head.

He tapped her again. A little harder this time. She finally opened her eyes.

"What is it?" Her voice was obviously slurred.

"Mavis, I need to ask you a question. Have you been drinking Laudanum again?"

"Why does, do you think that? she asked.

"You are barely conscious," said Cantrell.

"It was just a sip," said Mavis.

"Give me the bottle," he said.

She rolled her eyes and reached over to a small shelf near the bed, and handed it to him.

He shook the bottle.

"It feels empty," he said.

She shrugged.

"Come with me," he demanded.

Mavis meekly followed Cantrell as they descended from the tower and made their way to the stables. She stumbled a bit, but Cantrell held on to her. They walked up to Vanador. Mavis was quite wobbly.

"Mavis is addicted to Laudanum," Cantrell said angrily.

Vanador's eyes grew wide.

"I can help her with that," he said. "But even if I cleanse her body from the drug, I can't stop her from using it again if she chooses to."

"Why would she choose to?" Cantrell asked.

"Perhaps she is unhappy," said Vanador. "Like you, she seeks escape from the burden of living in this terrible place."

Cantrell spun around. He looked into his wife's eyes. "Is that true?" he asked.

She blinked, then her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't want this Cantrell." she slurred. Now I'm stuck! Worse yet, I've trapped you here with me!"

"Remove the drug, please, Vanador," Cantrell asked.

A white light started glowing. When it finished, Mavis slumped forward into Cantrell's arms.

"I'm getting you out of here," Cantrell said. "Tonight."

"But what about the country" she asked pathetically. "The tentative peace we have made is fragile. Who will run things?"

"They are going to have to find someone else for that!" he said.

Cantrell looked around the vast room that housed the dragons.

"Where is Mo-Rung, Vanador?" Cantrell asked.

"I am here, Cantrell." said the red dragon. There was the rustling of straw. Mo-Rung slowly poked his head out of a huge dragon-sized stall. "My head has felt strange lately. I've been very sleepy."

"That's because your bond has been under the influence of a dangerous drug," said Cantrell. "I didn't realize the mental fog it causes would transfer to you. Thankfully, Vanador has just purged it from her system. You should feel better soon."

Cantrell was suddenly grateful that when Lothinar had taken Mo-Rung's wings after he had attacked Ardwynn, it had not been a permanent change to his body. With Vanador's help, the withered wings had grown back and strengthened in the weeks that followed. Mo-Rung seemed to have learned his lesson and hadn't tried to return to Ronni's cabin for vengeance.

"Yes," said Mo-Rung. "I'm feeling better already. Thank you, Vanador."

The white dragon nodded.

"Mo-Rung, when you are feeling better, I want you to take Mavis back to our house in Tasumakoji, far from the Capitol and far from these medical practitioners who have been poisoning her with this drug. We will say she is.... uh.. taking a tour of Delora to help assess the damages. That should work. I will have Esmarilla join you both there. You both should like that."

"I like this already! " said Mo-Rung. But will Lothinar accept this? Will he allow me to stay?"

"I will speak to him," said Cantrell. "You had better not try anything like you did before to Ardwynn. There are things you do not know about her situation."

"I will listen to these things... This time," said Mo-Rung. "And will try to not make so many hasty decisions."

"But who's going to run things here?" asked Mavis.

"Until I can find someone else stupid enough AND competent enough to take the job," he said. "I will. When I can do that, I will join you."

Mavis nodded and climbed up onto her dragon. Mo-Rung seemed to have recovered, and they were soon in the air.

Cantrell used his bond telepathy. "Esmarilla?" he called.

"I got all that, Cantrell. Are you sure this is a good idea?" the black dragon asked.

"It's all I've got," he said. "Oh, one more thing. Can you ask Zinariya to come back tomorrow? I think I could use her teleporting ability to help track down those responsible for the nefarious plot to poison my wife. Tell her to meet me in my room next time. That way, the guards won't give her such a hard time."

"I'll pass that along." Said Esmarilla. "So far, Zinariya has always tried to be helpful."

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