A Dragon's Tale Ch. 12

She flopped onto his chest, panting slightly.

"You know that's not how twins work right?" He panted.

She shrugged and gave him a wink. "Couldn't hurt to try."

*What happened to you?* he asked telepathically. *All of a sudden you're like a sex fiend.*

Alana pecked him on the cheek, then slid off of him and retrieved her dress. *I have no idea, but I hope it never goes away. The topic used to make me uncomfortable, but now..." She glanced at the door and looked slightly sad. *It's a shame we don't have time for round three.*

Ethan sat up and flicked on his disguise gem. Alana picked up her dress -- which thanks to the self-healing enchantment had repaired itself overnight -- and pulled it over her head. It wasn't until that moment that he realized Alana hadn't been wearing a bra or underwear the entire time he'd known her. Maybe the 'sex fiend' had just been a little repressed?

"Come in." Ethan said at the door once they were both presentable.

Rachel's flame red hair was attached to a very amused and slightly uncomfortable expression as she entered. She also had a touch more red in her cheeks than normal. She looked slightly and uncharacteristically awkward as she looked at the two of them.

"Yes, we had sex and it was amazing." Alana said. "Married couples do that and there's no need to be embarrassed."

The ice broken and awkwardness somewhat allayed, Rachel nodded and then her expression turned into one of concern. "I hope you had fun because--" She stopped, seeming to notice something, then closed her eyes and the red returned to her cheeks in full force.

"Um, Alana. Your leg." Rachel said staring determinedly at the ceiling.

Ethan and his wife both looked down to see a thin line of thick, white liquid slowly making its way down her leg. She reached down, scooped it in with two fingers then -- apparently seeing nowhere else to put it -- popped it into her mouth.

*Hmm, salty.*

Ethan's eyes nearly bugged out of his head; where had this new side of her come from?

Rachel glanced at her and put two and two together. "Did you just--" she threw her hands up and closed her eyes.

"Never mind, I don't want to know." She said. After a moment she shook her head and opened her eyes. "We have a serious problem."

* * *

Beth looked at the skylight above her. The sun was clearly starting to rise. The ancient library around her was beginning to lighten as the candles in the chandelier began to fade. Despite the fact that she had been there all night, she was on her ten millionth time trying to turn a single page.

A single page!

She'd quickly learned to make a single fingertip hard, but it seemed that wasn't enough with these old pages. They were thick, stiff, and seemed to be slightly stuck together with something; probably wax or something left over from the binding process. Or maybe even someone spilling something on them. Regardless, they were reluctant to part from each other.

So she had started trying to make her forefingerand thumb solid at the same time. Once she got the hang of that she tried again.

No luck.

She needed more fingers.

So she'd spent most of the night practicing to get four fingers solid at the same time so she would have enough fingers to get the page turned while holding the page beneath it down. She'd tried the same thing a dozen times now, and it always worked until she lost her concentration. Her joy at making a little progress always made her hands intangible again, letting the page slip and destroying all her work.

"Thirtieth time's the charm." She said wryly.

She took a deep breath, said a silent prayer to Illuminar, and then tried again. She made both of her index fingers solid, then used the nails to separate the pages slightly. Then she made her thumbs solid and slipped them in and started to gently pull the pages apart.

They came just like the previous dozen times, but this time she didn't let that distract her. She stayed focused, holding the lower page down with one hand while slowly lifting the other. Inch by inch she moved the enormous pages of the book until the page was finally vertical, and the pages unstuck. She pushed a little more, and gravity took over as the page finally turned.

"I did it!" She shouted and jumped for joy, her blonde tresses flying everywhere as she made no attempt to hide her excitement.

"Well done Beth." Gabriella said clapping her hands. She was the only thing on the Astral Plane that wasn't some shade of purple. Something about her seemed to glow slightly, almost illuminating the area immediately around her.

The teen hadn't noticed her return, but she ran to her and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you so much." She said as she gave the luminous woman a tight squeeze.

"You are very welcome Beth." Gabriella said as she hugged her back. "It was my pleasure."

Beth stepped back. "So what's next?"

Gabriella raised one eyebrow as an amused expression settled on her face.

"What?" Beth asked.

Gabriella began to chuckle as she nodded toward the book on the table.

"Oh." Beth said catching on and chuckling with the other woman. "I suppose I should read it after all the trouble I went through to turn the page."

"That would make sense." Gabriella said with a wink.

Beth ran to the table and sat down, then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, how come I can walk up stairs and sit on chairs, but had to work all night to turn a single page?"

"Because this is the shallowest level of the spiritual planes." Gabriella replied. "Would you prefer my Lord arranged it so you would fall through the ground and into the earth?"

"Well, no."

"There you go." She said as if that explained everything.

"But why?" Beth asked again.

"Because my Lord willed it so."

"But that doesn't explain why."

"Doesn't it?" A mischievous look crossed the luminous woman's face. Something about the twinkle in her eye reminded Beth of when her mother was keeping a secret and enjoying it.

"Never mind." The blonde teen turned to look at the book and read the page. If she remembered correctly, the previous page was about to explain how to astral project, and had ended with "First, you must entirely--":

The next page read:

--clear your mind. For truth, I say nothing of weight is -- or can be -- accomplished with a mind clouded by the concerns of the day. Then verily, once your mind is unfettered by these trivial concerns, you must close your eyes to block out the mortal world. And as you doth accomplish this, fix your mind ever firmly on the Astral Plane. Imagine it compassing all around you, both in sight and in feel. Then imagine your body is bound with some great anchor, while your spirit doth be free and light as a bird on the wing. Then conjure in your imagination the spectacle of your spirit stepping out of your mortal, fleshly frame. Then do the same in spirit, leaving your body behind."

The page then went on at great length about the importance of accurately picturing the Astral Plane. The author seemed to believe that unless one could picture it accurately, it would be night impossible to enter it, "unless mayhaps in a dream you stumble upon a vision of such things."

"Interesting." Beth mused.

If the author was right about the necessity of accurately picturing the Astral Plane in order to enter it, she could see how it was a rare ability. For herself, she didn't think she would ever forget this damnable place as long as she lived.

"Wait a minute." She turned to Gabriella. "Why did you want me to read this page?"

"It was my Lord wanted you to read it, and you're a clever girl. You can put it together."

Beth looked around at the purple hues of the Astral Plane all around her. It couldn't be... Could it? "He wants me to come back, doesn't he?"

"If He does, it might behoove you to keep reading." Gabriella said with a twinkle in her eye.

The curious teen turned back to the book, where the last section on the page described how to return to her body after entering the Astral Plane. It read thus:

Now, to return from whence you came is a matter of simplicity itself. Merely making contact with your body while in spirit form will suffice to accomplish the task. However, you can return from a greater distance by reversing the directions implemented to enter the Astral Plane. However, the greater the distance that doth exist betwixt your spirit and body, the greater the difficulty of such a task. Tis better to return through touch, as the other method can be jarring and introduce a touch of lunar affection for a time.

"Lunar affection?" Beth looked at Gabriella.

"You know there are some who believe the moon effects men's minds and makes them behave irrationally?"

"Oh." Beth grimaced. "Yes I would rather avoid that."

"You would." Gabriella nodded. "Now come, there is one last thing that needs to be done

"Oh, what's that?"

"We need to use your new skill to save Ethan's life."

"New skill? But I'm already in the Astral plane."

Gabriella was already walking toward the door with a sly smile on her face and twinkle in her eyes. "Do try to keep up."

* * *

Alana heard and remembered every single word Rachel said to explain their current predicament. However, she wasn't giving it her full attention. Deep in her belly, she could feel that small, almost insignificant draw of mana that signaled the baby growing inside of her. It was tiny, fragile, and absolutely priceless to her.

She'd always heard her adopted mother talk about how a mother would do anything for her children. She'd never really understood what that meant until now. To feel new life growing in her womb was just...

Was just...

There were no words.

"So basically." Ethan summarized Rachel's briefing. "Hailey will be executed and I'll be held responsible for her actions because I never freed her in a legal sense."

"Yes." Rachel replied. "They won't kill you or anything though. It's likely to be a huge fine or something like that. They may even take the Argo if you can't pay."

Ethan looked at Alana and the wood elf's heart just melted. It wasn't so much him as it was the baby they'd created last night. She loved that a part of him had merged with a part of her to create life; a child. For some inexplicable reason, it really turned her on.

*Not really the time...* He thought to her.

*I know, I wasn't going to start anything it's just..." She put her hand over her womb. *I can't believe we did that together.*

*I know.* He got a huge dopy grin on his face, which was really cute to see.

"By Illuminar's name you didn't..." Rachel looked from Alana's hand on her stomach to the dopey grin on Ethan's face, then back to the wood elf. "You're not... are you?"

Grinning so widely her cheeks almost hurt, the wood elf nodded.

The redhead's mouth fell open; shock written all over her face before she squealed, jumped at Alana and gave her the biggest hug she'd ever received.

"That's amazing you two!" She said while doing her best imitation of a boa constrictor. Alana hugged her back while sending a telepathic plea for help to her husband.

"Um Rachel, she will need to breathe." He said.

"Right." The redhead stepped back to look at the brunette. "You're glowing."

"Am I?" She felt slightly sheepish, but was happy for the attention nevertheless.

"You are." Rachel said, then the expression of joy on her face faltered. "You're glowing so much that I hate to ruin it with the practical matters at hand."

"Hailey." Ethan said.

"Right." Alana pulled herself back to the present. "What are we going to do?"

"I can think of a few ideas, but--" Rachel was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." Ethan said.

The door opened and Luminar Kossel entered followed by a woman with jet-black hair that she didn't recognize. The moment Ethan saw her, placed himself between his wife and the woman, bared his teeth, and growled.

"Peace beast; I won't harm you... today." The dark haired woman said with a wicked smile.

*That's the bitch who shot me.* Ethan explained

Alana suddenly wished she had her bow and arrow. The woman was neither tall nor short, thin nor muscular, pretty nor plain; she just 'was'. She was the kind of person you would see in a crowd and completely forget moments later. Her jet black hair was tied back in a ponytail and her skin was heavily tanned, but not in a bad way.

"Relax my friends." Lumiar Kossel said. "This is Kendra and she won't harm you here."

Kendra shot the Luminar a look that reminded Alana of the dirty looks Raklan gave Serif right after being put in his place.

The resemblance was uncanny.

"And you won't hurt her either." Luminar Kossel added as Ethan took a threatening step forward."

"What doyou want?" The dragon growled.

"I only want to help." Kendra said with such insincerity that a two-year old wouldn't have believed her. "Your slave murdered the son of Magistrate Haglath, who is understandably..." She paused for effect. "...Upset. He's impounded your vessel andeverything on it."

By the way she emphasized 'everything' to Ethan, Alana knew she meant the gold. He stiffened visibly and she could feel his dragon side rising in anger. It was controlled, but gaining in strength.

"You can either pay the fine -- which will doubtless cost every gold piece you own -- or there's another option."

"Which is?" Rachel asked, skepticism written all over her face and tone.

"Magistrate Haglath was feeling generous this morning. He will allow trial by combat in The Arena to free your slave, and will even allow you to fight in her place."

"That's... unusual." Rachel commented. Alana wasn't sure, but it almost felt like the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"He had a good idea." Kendra said with a smug smile.

"But who would Ethan be fighting?" Alana asked. "The champion is dead."

"It could be anyone." Kendra replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "If you refuse, your slave will be executed at dawn and your ship andeverything on it will be sold to pay the cost of your fine. Think about it beast. Oh, and there's a reward for victory this time."

"Oh?" Ethan said.

"Yes." Kendra said with a sly smile. She started backing out of the room with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin, like a salesman when they knew they had the sale and were just waiting for the customer to realize it.

"What's the reward?" he asked.

"It's gold, dragon." She almost whispered for effect as she backed completely out of the room, smiling even wider. "Lots, and lots of gold..." She disappeared around the corner and was gone.

One look at Ethan's emotions told Alana that he was caught hook, line, and sinker. The risk of losing his gold, plus the prospect of making a whole lot more was absolutely perfect bait. Whoever Kendra was, she knew exactly how to manipulate a dragon.

Alana considered him fighting in The Arena and rush of emotions assaulted her.

She feared for his safety of course, but it was so much more than that now. The stakes were so much higher now. She placed her hand over her womb. What if he died? Would their baby be left fatherless?

She had loved her stepfather dearly. However, she had never been able to communicate the sense of loss she felt that she had never met her real father. She didn't want her baby to suffer that pain. If Ethan fought in The Arena and was killed...

*I can take them.* Ethan thought to her, though it felt more like the dragon than her husband.

*I hope so because if you can't.* She rubbed her stomach slightly. *I don't want our baby to grow up without a father.*

"Guys, please have the conversation aloud?" Rachel asked.

"I can take them." Ethan announced confidently.

"Ah, the arrogance of youth." Luminar Kossel sighed. "Kendra has a necklace made from the teeth of dragons she has killed. You aren't the first dragon to underestimate her, nor do I expect you'll be the last."

"A necklace made from--" Rachel began.

"--dragon's teeth?" Alana felt her heart sink to somewhere around her ankles. Ethan was a decent fighter, but nowhere near good enough to fight a true dragon hunter; not if the stories were true.

"Ethan, you can't." she pleaded.

He looked conflicted, and his emotions were no less conflicted.

"My dear dragon." Luminar Kossel said. "I've rarely seen a more gifted or skilled dragon hunter than Kendra in my long life. Going up against her without an ace up your sleeve is suicide."

Alana almost asked what having an 'ace up your sleeve' meant because she'd never heard that expression before, but decided against it.

Ethan seemed to deflate slightly, and the dragon's influence over him seemed to wane. It appeared that the instinct for self-preservation occasionally overrode the lust for power, even in a dragon.

Alana felt herself relax

He wasn't going to fight; he would be okay. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was of course the question of how they would go anywhere without the Argo. However, she would rather worry about that than what to do if her husband died.

"What about Hailey?" Ethan said after several seconds of silence. "Didn't Kendra say she would be executed at dawn if I didn't fight?"

Alana swore.

She knew -- knew in her bones -- that Ethen would never abandon Hailey. Despite the former slave putting them in this position, she just knew there was no way he would abandon her. If she was honest with herself, the wood elf couldn't imagine abandoning her either, despite all the problems she had caused.

She looked at Ethan who was staring into space, looking a bit above his hand and flexing it as if he was holding something.

He made a thoughtful noise, then said almost absent-mindedly: "Whosoever shall hold this hammer..."

He trailed off with a pensive sound, then their bond lit up with excitement. His mood seemed to stand in stark contrast to everyone else in the room and she had no idea where his newfound high spirits came from.

He turned to her grinning widely. "I have an idea."

* * *

Beth followed Gabriella through the streets of Arcanum, growing ever more tired of the endless shades of purple that permeated everything here. Well, everything except Gabriella who shone like a beacon of white light in a sea of purple. A very tiring sea of purple. The teen was tempted to just watch Gabriella for a change of color, but didn't think that quite appropriate.

They walked for some time before a looming oval structure and its distinct arched columns directly in front of them gave her an indication. "Are we going back to The Arena?"

"We are." The other woman replied without breaking stride. "There's a short piece of a spear shaft that needs planting in the sand before the battle tomorrow morning."

"Huh?" Beth shook her head. "What will that do?"

"You'll find out in a week or two." Gabriella replied.

Beth rolled her eyes; why was she always so tight lipped?

"Because if I told you everything that's coming it would rob you of the joys of discovery." Gabriella said, seemingly replying to the teen's thoughts.

"That's not fair! You won't tell me anything and yet you're reading my mind?"

Gabriella stopped and turned to look at Beth with an amused expression. Something about her demeanor and smile made it almost impossible to stay mad at her.

"Beth, I didn't read your mind."

"Then how did you respond to my thoughts?"

"My Lord knows what you're thinking, I merely spoke as He instructed me to speak. I have no more idea of what you're thinking than you have of what I'm thinking."

Beth shook her head again and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "Whatever; lead on."

They walked through the walls to The Arena, through several rooms on the periphery of the structure, and finally onto The Arena's floor itself. The large oval fighting area hadn't changed. It was still a large slab of compacted sand surrounded by magnificent stone walls.