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"It's just a spear." Kendra countered. "I'll bet that wood elf can enchant another one for you."
"It was a wedding gift." Rachel volunteered. "Alana gave it to him when he married Beth."
"I'd rather not lose it." He said firmly.
The dragon huntress gave him a strange look. "A sentimental dragon?"
He shrugged. "Sue me."
She cocked her head to one side, opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it. She hesitated and then spoke. "Why do you care so much about it?"
"You ever been married?"
"We're not married; we're bonded." She said coldly. "There's a difference."
"Not according to Gabriella." Taloni said meekly. "She said they're the same thing."
Ethan could almost see the biting retort that Kendra was holding back, and somehow knew that she was only holding it back because it was Taloni. She almost certainly wouldn't have held her tongue for anyone else.
"Go find your spear." She finally said to Ethan with an edge in her voice.
He gave her a look, but went about searching anyway. There were four doors off of the laboratory; the first contained the cell but nothing else. The second was the one the other guards had come through. He went to the third door and opened it.
"Holy shit." He breathed when he saw what was in the room.
"What?" Rachel said as she came up behind him.
The redhead inhaled sharply as she looked over his shoulder. He could feel disgust and revulsion flare up in Taloni as she looked too. The Fey turned and clutched her stomach.
"What's the problem?" Kendra asked while she tapped her foot.
"You kind of need to see it." Ethan replied, not believing what he was seeing.
He heard footsteps and then the dragon huntress breathed. "Dear Illuminar in heaven."
There were many disturbing things in in the room, but one stood out the most. In the middle of the room was the perfectly preserved remains of a... he wasn't sure what to call it. It looked vaguely human, but too much of it just... just wasn't.
The head looked all wrong. The area around the nose and mouth looked misshapen and elongated, like a human who was half-transformed into a werewolf, except the elongation was lopsided. The one half was more elongated than the other. His arms too were misshapen. They were strangely elongated and his fingernails looked like they'd half turned into something resembling claws. His legs also looked strange, looking halfway between a dog's leg and human's leg.
But the clincher was the vestigial tail.
It sprouted from the tailbone and wasn't very long -- maybe a foot -- but it was covered with a smattering of small scales and ended in a flat diamond shape....
Just like Ethan's own tail.
That's when it hit him.
It wasn't a wolf's snout or dog's legs; it was a dragon's snout, a dragon's leg, and a dragon's tail. This poor man, whoever he was, looked like he was halfway transformed into a dragon and had died in agony from it. That made something click in his memory; Elder Goman had said that Lord Delmar was experimenting with turning men into dragons. He must be looking at one of the failed experiments.
"Holy shit." He breathed.
CHAPTER 28 EPILOUGE
Falkaan sighed heavily as he leaned on the railing of his airship and looked out across the Arcanum docks. He'd spent the last two weeks considering his conversation with Kendra before she'd left for Gralden. He was glad his protégé was getting out of the life, but he was a bit jealous of her. He wished that he was young enough to find a woman and settle down, but didn't think it possible.
As he was pondering, he realized that something was off. It took him a moment to realize what though.
When he did, he spoke aloud. "I must be getting old; no one would've been able to sneak up on me like that ten years ago."
Someone stepped out from behind a group of crates to his right. He was still too far away to launch an effective attack, but the fellow was much closer to the Midnight Sun than he liked. He sighed; he really was getting old.
"Come on; we'll go below and talk." Falkaan offered.
The man walked forward and up the gangplank and then followed the dark elf below decks, though he declined a drink when one was offered.
"What can I do for you?" Falkaan asked.
"Your protégé, Kendra has been making some... interesting choices lately." The man said evenly.
"Oh?"
The man nodded. "She appears to be following a dragon who's become... 'of interest' to the emperor."
"How did he manage that?" Falkaan asked.
"A dragon who has the popular support of the people? Who appears to have used lightning and raised the dead? And he now courts the wood elven king?"
"Ah, the Aldmiri being as paranoid as ever." Falkaan nodded. They investigated everything they thoughtcould be a threat to the emperor, though few turned out to be real threats.
"We believe that Kendra has been compromised and joined this dragon. If he gains more support among the people -- who believe him to be a prophet of Illuminar -- he could become a grave threat. That would be serious enough for a human, but for a dragon..." The man shook his head. "The Emperor doesn't like how things around him are shaping up. A rebellion led by a false prophet stands a chance of destabilizing the peace."
Falkaan made a thoughtful sound; religious fervor had been at the helm of many a rebellion over the years. "I'm not sure he's the type, though I can't say for certain. I don't see much chance that he would become a threat to the emperor."
"There's always a chance." The man replied. "And as you know, we don't like to take chances."
TO BE CONTINUED...
***I had planned to give everyone a peek at what's coming down the pipeline after I finish ADT (we're still in act 3 of 5). However, something has come up and I might not be able to publish chapters as often. Follow me for updates.***
STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean
- COMMENTS
Anonymous3 months agoI love much about this story. It’s extraordinarily creative, and the detail of the plotting is wonderful.
I don’t like the implicit homophobia of it (and of so many other literotica stories where men have multiple women who end up becoming bisexual but the man never EVER fancies another man). It’s... gutless, really.
I also agree with anonymous of 6 months ago re: the women only ever being described in terms of their attractiveness to the male gaze, their hair colour, and the size of their breasts.
Anonymous10 months agoMale characters are described by their features, and often mentions how imposing they are. The way female characters are described is their attractiveness to the male gaze. All I know of Sarah is she's 'plain', whatever that means? Selene has been described in more detail, but mainly those pertaining to male attraction. Kendra finally got a description beyond black hair, and she's 'girl next door'.
My limited understanding of modern philosophy is that free will doesn't exist. Our chemical brains are predisposed to behave as they will. An all-knowing, all-powerful god would therefore be a cruel torturer for punishing people for acting in a way consistent with the neurology they were supposedly given by that same deity.
Anonymousabout 1 year agoStill waiting for this reveal about the Black Dragon. I figured it out a while back, and the author will get to it at some point. (Assuming I'm right)
I understand that Selene is going to be a character, and probably join Ethan. Which means wife number six or seven. (The story is leaning towards Sarah being the other) The problem is all the jumps to Selene is not doing anything for the story. After staying with the monks, has she learned anything? Okay sure she learned what Sarah's bride price was, but other than that? What is the point of the breaks from the main story line, if nothing happens in them. Multiple breaks just to have the same information?
I already dislike Selene and I doubt that is going to change. She is typical of american thinking, but that is the problem. Just because she doesn't like something doesn't mean it needs to change. Sarah being okay with a bride price and she goes off about how wrong that is. Hell Sarah's comment is very true. How do you know how important you are? by how much your future husband is willing to pay for you. To me its not about the total price, but will he be willing to part with what he has for you? Too many people assume how much they mean to others, and they get hurt from it. (Enough of that tangent) Oh the blacksmith 'bought' Sarah from her husband. It happens in places, and in the past was very common. She is so outraged about it and his speaking his mind, that she wants to beat him? I'm kind of curious if she can. At some point she has to use these skills we keep hearing about and actually succeed. So far in the story she has about as much self defense as Beth.
Now to Rachel. At least she is trying to not change, although she has already called him my lord. well close enough. She said my lor......
Now on to Alana and Beth..... I understand them going to help Selene, but the way it happened was pathetic. Ethan is their master/sir/Dominus/lord They keep saying if you want me to do x I will. How do they go from that to oh you are captured we are going to leave and go save Selene? Ethan needed to be the one to tell them to do it. They could say no we need to find you, and he insists. Then they go. I love the free will they displayed, but it's way out of character for them. I think it should have been worked towards.
Just to me (Since I like her so much) it seemed like Taloni was a background character. She was there, but you kind of forgot except when someone said something to her, Then it was like, oh right she is still there.
Just my opinions and thoughts,
Buddy J.
Sorry you only get a four star on this one. The out of character actions of Alana and Beth. That with the multiple breaks with Selene that didn't lead to anything.
Polly_Dollyabout 1 year agoI have zero problem with any parts of the story arc. It’s from your imagination, I’m just along for the ride in my, um, airship let’s say. Folks make irrational decisions all the time, and plot mechanisms such as Beth and Alana leaving the wood elf kingdom is not one of them IMO. It’s pretty clear they have absolutely no idea where the others are being held, and Alana herself is more vulnerable currently considering her pregnancy. Things like Selena wondering over and over about the raven spying on her and the reluctance of anyone to reveal whatever Sarah’s horrible secret is is a little unnecessary, but I am still intrigued nonetheless. Carry on, and I don’t mean throw a tantrum or something, unless it helps your process haha
