The Witch and the Dragon Ch. 17

The vision of a mouth latched onto her, suckling, made her gasp.

"Are you okay, pretty lady?" one of the little girls asked.

"Y-yes," Alluna blurted. "I'm fine. And my name is Alluna."

"Hello, Alluna. I'm Spice." A pale arm poked through the side of the curtain with a fluffy towel.

Alluna accepted it gratefully from what she guessed was a little Elfin girl.

"And I'm Cinder," the Grei added.

"Hello, Cinder."

After drying herself, Alluna accepted the bundle of clothes from Cinder.

The dress they'd given her was a pale peach with a dark brown corset that laced up the front ending just below her breasts. It pushed them up to almost spill from the rounded neckline. Alluna frowned at them. Why were they getting so big?

She felt a flutter in her belly and stepped out, suddenly ravenous. Spice held up a toothbrush and Cinder a little pot of paste.

Alluna brushed her teeth and allowed the girls to brush the tangles from her damp hair. They braided her black tresses into two ropes and twisted it around her head like a crown. When done, Alluna had a stream of colorful ribbons streaming down her back. She was impressed with their handy work and thanked them with pecks on their cheeks.

Cinder and Spice skipped ahead of her, back to the house, but Alluna stood immobile for a few seconds, taking in the extraordinary structure before her. The house was shaped like a giant boot. Her mouth hung open.

"My da, bless his old soul, was the town shoe-maker. He had an army of Elves that helped him make and fix shoes."

Alluna lowered her eyes from staring at the ten-story boot to gape at the woman... who lived in a shoe with hundreds of children.

"My name is Lenore Goose."

***

Zak watched Anniel brush Ashriel's long dark hair into a high ponytail, and then draped the long sable tail over his pillow to keep it off his back. She knelt on the bed that was about fifteen feet wide.

Wingspan.

Ashriel no longer had wings. What he had were two bloodied, broken, featherless appendages that extended from his back out to the side of his body. They looked like giant arms, and he now saw how they were able to fold them to fit so neatly behind their backs without looping over their heads like the old pictures of angels back on Earth. The appendages folded into three sections, almost like an upper and lower arm plus a wrist joint. Chunks of flesh were missing on what was left of his wings and his skin looked ashen.

"Is Quinn keeping him under sedation?" Zak asked.

"Yes, but he was unconscious when they brought him in anyway."

"He's in a healing sleep," Natanael said.

Zak looked up and could see the memory of pain in the reaper's eyes.

"I remember how I became fallen," Natanael sighed. "I went for a stroll in the village and accepted the invitation of two off worlders to accompany them in a few drinks." Natanael shrugged. "I'd never had alcohol before and got stupidly inebriated. Before I was aware of what was happening, they took me to their hotel room, stripped me bare and... fucked me raw." He shook his head at the memory. "It took me half a year to recuperate from my depluming."

Anniel broke down in tears. "This is all my fault," she wept bitterly. "I did this to him. I raped Ashriel."

Remi shook his head. "No, Annie. He wanted you."

Anniel glared at Remi with an enraged snarl, making him wince. "Don't you dare speak to me," she spat and then teleported out of the room.

Remi's pain washed over Zak making him clutch at his chest. That, mixed with his own agony over not having Alluna almost made him feel suicidal. God, how was he going to survive this?

"Stop it," Devon snarled, his eyes flashing. "Both of you. I'll deal with Annie later. You need to get your mind focused for the mission." He stepped up to Zak. "And you better brush up on your courting skills if you want your female back. Forget your Dominant tendencies for once—"

"Don't tell me how to get my female back," Zak snarled back at him feeling his hackles rise.

A few dark veins appeared at Devon's temples but he stepped back. "I won't forgive you if you fuck this up, Zak."

Zak swallowed his shock at his commander's words. "Don't worry. I won't forgive myself either. A might possessive aren't you, Dev? She's mine."

Devon raised one brow. "Yes, Zachariel. And you're mine."

Remi cleared his throat next to Zak, shoving his hands into the pockets of his uniform.

"Well at least I know I'm not the only one he obsesses over," the red weredragon murmured.

Zak felt momentarily stunned. "And the reapers?" he prodded.

Devon lips twitched into a small smile. His eyes went over the group of reapers standing in Ashriel's quarters before settling on the unconscious reaper also. "All mine too."

Zak wasn't sure what to make of Devon's words, but right now, there were bigger things to worry about than his commander's unusual possessive streak toward all of them.

The image of their conference room flashed in their collective minds and without a second thought, Zak teleported himself there. They agreed to let Natanael and Abdiel link to their reaper brothers and represent them in the conference room.

Zak was aware of Seth approaching the space station in his Viper, but couldn't really gage his emotions.

Devon sat at the head of the table and thrummed his fingers on the shiny black table, obviously telecommunicating with Seth. "How soon can you be ready to leave?" The question was directed at Zak and Remi.

They looked at each other briefly.

"I'm ready to go right now," Zak said clenching his fist upon the table.

Devon's eyes turned to Remi.

"Row and I are good to go whenever you decide."

Devon nodded. "Good. Seth is in charge. Don't bother to gather clothing because he's already taken care of that as well as weaponry."

"Weapons?" Zak's brows rose.

"Absolutely no power usage is allowed on the surface of that planet by any of us." Seth appeared next to Zak. Both he and Remi gawked at him.

Remi began to snicker.

Seth looked like he'd just stepped back in time to Earth's barbaric era. He wore woven leather pants and hand-sewn boots. A wicked looking scabbard was strapped to his hip and two belts looped over his chest holding a bow and a quiver of arrows against his back. He'd braided his white-blond hair back into a single tail that draped over his right shoulder.

Remi's snickering turned into guffaws, and surprisingly enough, Seth grinned evilly at him.

"I'm glad you find my attire so amusing. You're going to find yours all the more hysterical.

Remi sobered up quickly.

"They're only allowing one weredragon, one weretigri, one werewolf, and they had no objection to two elves. A mated pair."

Remi scowled. "Elf? You suck, Seth."

Seth only grinned wider. "The hygiene unit can make the necessary adjustments on your ears. Just be thankful I didn't suggest a couple of Faeries. You would've looked cute with gossamer wings."

Zak nodded. "What about you, Annie and me?"

"Annie is going in shifted, in her wolf form. She'll try to find and befriend Alluna and ultimately lure her to us, or you to her, whatever we can accomplish. Luna isn't with her father. They have no idea where she can be, but I sensed her on the planet surface."

"How can they not know where she is? I thought they were so eager to return her to the King."

Seth pursed his lips. "I don't trust Dresh, frankly. The inhabitants of that planet are at each other's throats, ready to start war and those Master Guardians seem to be encouraging it. King Lumar, Luna's father, is blaming the southern region of mages for his daughter abduction. The Fae princess, Uuna has no recollection whatsoever of having had a child and denies everything. I guess until she sees Alluna no one will ever be sure."

"What does Lumar say?" Devon asked.

"He says he has only mated with one female. The northern males imprint on one female. It's virtually impossible for them to re-mate afterwards. Sometimes after a mate dies, or if the male is abandoned long enough he might imprint again, but they're usually very reluctant to expose themselves to that kind if hurt again."

"Poor bastards. I'd freakin' die if I had to settle for just one lover for the rest of my two thousand years of life,' Natanael snorted.

"What about us? Aren't any of us going on this mission?" Abdiel asked.

Devon shook his head. "I'm going to remain linked to them, and we're all going to remain alert. I want groups of one hundred reapers to prepare to alternate between shifts of keeping watch with me, training, and sleeping. If anything happens, I want to be ready with one hundred well trained and rested reapers to go in."

"If anything happens?" Zak narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"There's a group of mages, I'd told you about once. They're planning on bring out my father's other. We can't let that happen... even if it means having to permanently close the portal Davariel opened over three hundred years ago."

Zak gaped at Devon now. "That portal still exists?"

"B-but if you close it..." Natanael began.

"Davariel will never be able to get out," Abdiel finished. His eyes were wide, earnest. "I know him. He's got to be trying to escape—if anything, trying to get Luci out. That's what he'd do."

Zak gaped at them before turning to Devon. "That's crazy. It's been over three hundred years."

Devon's eyes reflected pain. "Time runs different in parallel realms. Our universe runs faster than Heaven or Hell. What might seem like minutes to Davariel is decades for us." Devon walked to the glass wall to one side of the room, the reflection over the vast black of outer space showing how his eyes grew brighter. He waved his hand over a section of the glass and an oval of swirling mist appeared.

Zak took a step back as well as Seth and Remi.

The mists turned into a tornado-like swirl, making a loud deafening noise. For a moment, Zak feared they'd all be sucked into the deep purple vortex, but soon realized that it wasn't real, just an image Devon projected.

"I don't doubt that someday he might make it out, but if someone tried to pull out his other from the realm of dark reflections, then either way, my father and mother will be lost forever."

Zak felt a bit confused with all this talk of different realms, but he trusted his commander's judgment. He knew it had to be hard for him to make a decision that would ultimately lock his parents forever in an alternate reality with no hope of ever escaping.

***

Moments later, Zak changed into the clothing Seth had brought. The woven pants that seemed to be the thing to wear in the northern region of Arboria were more comfortable than they looked. They were light and cool. The boots were made of some kind of thick fiber, and sewn with heavy stitches. Their soles were padded with ribbed rubber that gave good traction. He mused he'd be able to climb rocky surfaces without much trouble.

"I swear to God, if Rowie didn't look so cute with these pointy ears, I'd beat Seth into a pulp for making me look like this," Remi grumbled popping in next to Zak with his usual flare.

Zak took one look at him and had to bite his cheeks to keep from laughing.

Remi wore a tan-colored outfit, complete with too-snug pants and brown pointy ankle boots. But, what had Zak finally breaking down into ripples of laughter were the two pointy ears peeping naughtily through Remien's shock of red hair.

Remi scowled at him. "Yeah, keep laughing, Goliath. Seth said I can still use my fire. I may just decide to light your funny ass."

Zak snorted. "Dragons are fireproof, numb-nuts."

Remi gave him a wry grin. "Nice to see you finally admitting you're a dragon."

Zak took a deep breath, his mirth dying, and shrugged. "Let's get moving. I'm anxious to get my girl back."

***

Alluna shared a table with about fifty children. There were too many to be seated all at once and ate in shifts of fifty. The older children prepared meals for the younger ones and the younger ones cleaned up. Everyone had chores for most of the day and then they were allowed to play and relax in the later hours of the day.

As Alluna nibbled on a loaf of bread with Googooberry jam, she watched the little ones chatter and laugh. It was such a big family. How wonderful it would have been to grow here. Her thoughts went back to mama as she watched mama Goose interact with her children.

The woman was always smiling and loving with them... even when they misbehaved.

She stared wide eyed at the two little lizard boys throwing food at each other in an argument over who got to sit next to Eriel.

Mama goose straightened from popping another tray of muffins into the oven and frowned at the boys. "Now-now, boys. Is that any way to act in front of our guests?" The lizard boys looked guiltily from mama Goose to Eriel. "Perhaps Nograt can sit by the angel during breakfast and Fograt during lunch?" The woman smiled expectantly.

As the boys nodded with a sheepish grin on their snouts, a pretty, red-haired girl with big blue eyes sauntered in. She wore her hair in two long braids over a red hooded cape. Her dark blue dress was a bit short in Alluna's opinion, and it instantly grabbed Eriel's attention.

Alluna scowled and gave him a swift kick under the table.

He gasped and turned wide eyes to her. She glared at him hoping he'd get the hint to stop leering at the young girl who obviously didn't realize that such a pretty, young female shouldn't go around dressed so provocatively. She didn't look any older than maybe fifteen sun orbits.

Eriel pouted, but lowered his gaze to his bowl of oats and cream.

The young girl looked displeased that the reaper stopped ogling her and cast Alluna a cold glare.

Tossing her braids back, she grabbed a basket from within one of the cupboards. "I'm going to see my granma today, mama Goose."

"Be sure to take Niggit with you, sweetling."

The girl turned with a huff and stomped her foot. "I am not a child. I want to be able to talk with granma without Niggit sticking his nose in our conversation."

Mama Goose poured a wide-eyed Eriel more tea. "Right now it's too dangerous for you to go out there on your own. Niggit can help cut granma some wood for the upcoming winter while you talk," the woman replied unfazed by the girl's show of temper.

The girl growled in frustration and sat at the head of the table. Her hand flew out and snatched an apple from the red-haired boy that had knocked at Alluna's door that morning. Her cold blue eyes bore haughtily into the Niggit's sad brown ones. With a disdainful sniff and a toss of her braids, she bit into the apple and munched away, rolling her eyes.

Alluna pouted. What an awful child. Eventually, the girl's gaze fell upon Eriel and she smiled, licking her lips in s sensuous display. Eriel turned scarlet and looked nervously at Alluna.

Alluna frowned at him, hoping he wouldn't pay attention to the little tease.

***

"We have a problem," Seth sighed sitting next to Rowie. Rowie sat across from Remi, her eyes closed in bliss as Remi gave her a foot rub. Zak held her other foot, diligently working on her instep.

Poor girl had grown so big overnight it was no wonder she was in a foul mood with all the extra weight she now carried around on her tiny figure.

"Let me guess," Remi drawled. "You've grown tired of boinking women and now want to do Zak and me. The answer is no."

Zak shook his head trying not to snicker.

Seth growled, clenching his fists.

"Oh, Remi, stop teasing him," Rowie scolded, eyes still closed.

"What is it, Seth," Zak prompted with a sigh.

Seth took a deep breath and looked at Zak. "People are going to recognize you three, being rock stars and all." One brow rose.

"But I thought this planet was a tech restricted planet," Zak said scratching his chin.

"There are lot's of other species immigrating on a daily basis. Besides, sections of the planet aren't following the tech restriction codes. The northern region is almost primitive, but they've recently accepted steam driven gadgets from the eastern population," Seth explained. "The Southern regions are mostly populated by mages, but those that don't practice magic are using more modern technology, like droids and transports."

"Aren't there three main continents on this planet?" Remi asked, working on Rowie's toes now and making her moan in bliss.

"Yeah. The main continent, called Zul, is where the native Arborians live. Farther up the planet is where the Fae population has colonized, and off in the eastern ocean is a smaller group of volcanic islands that have become home to dragon kind."

Remi stopped rubbing Rowie's toes. "Are we splitting up when we land on the surface?"

"It's the only way to find Luna. Anniel is already on surface in shifted form. We're hoping the weres might have an idea where Luna is and help us locate her. She'll be able to communicate with us once we're on the surface." Seth's sky-blue eyes narrowed, regarding each before settling on Remi with a sneer. "Under no circumstances are we to use powers. The Arborian Master Guardians are already locked on each of us and the slightest increase in telekinetic power they feel—"

"And what the hell will they do to us?" Remi snapped. "They can't do shit to any of us."

"Look, asshole," Seth grated. "More than half of the galaxy blames us for the war. We may be strong, but I doubt we can take on the entire legion of Master Guardians were they all to unite to wipe our asses out. Think for once in your stupid life. You're going to have children—God help us. Think of the life they would have to live... on the run forever."

Zak winced, thinking of Alluna and his daughters. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair before he remembered he'd braided it. A few golden waves spilled loose into his face.

Remi pulled Rowie into his lap and spread one hand over her bulging belly, his eyes looking fearful.

"He's right, baby," Rowie said placing her hand over his as her other stroked his shaggy mane.

"How many beings would recognize us?" Zak asked, knowing that being recognized would bring down a horde of media on their heads as well as fanatics trying to raid the planet for a piece of them.

"I'm not really sure. I just got back from Arboria's immigration station getting all of our paperwork settled—"

"Paperwork?" Zak's brow rose. They really were a backwards planet if they still used paper.

"Yes. While I was waiting, I saw a family there, and their young son had a t-shirt with Remi and Rowie on it."

Remi grinned. "Was it the one of us kissing on stage, or the one of us fucking in Liara and Marinia's room?"

"Remi!" Rowie elbowed him in the gut with an exasperated expression.

Remi grunted and then laughed, nipping her neck playfully.

"Stop," she whined pushing half-heartedly at his chest. Already a grin was growing on her flushed face when Remi growled lustily.

Zak frowned, looking at the cuddling couple. A twinge of envy stabbed his gut. How he wished he had Alluna sitting on his lap like that. Or kneeling between my feet, her sweet head on my lap. I'd stroke her hair...

"How attached are you to your hair and eye color?" Seth said intruding on his thoughts.

Zak's eyes widened. His hair and eyes?

Remi snorted. "What you're thinking won't work on us, Seth. Rowie maybe, but not on Zak and me."

"Why not?" Seth asked.

"Trying to change a weredragon's color is like trying to change our breed. I'm a Red and Zak is a Gold. Pure and simple. Natanael tried to color one strand of my hair and I got so sick I thought I was going to die."

Rowie gasped. "What? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me anything?"