A Dragon's Tale Ch. 48

The mental fortresses that Ethan, his wives, and herself had constructed were made of stone, or at least they looked like they were. However, she didn't think that imagining them being made from solid adamantium, neutronium, or any other indestructible Sci-fi or fantasy material would be more secure because it was the intent that mattered.

Hmm.

She grinned as a thought occurred to her. She had loved Marvel's first Iron Man movie, and the suit in it had a head's-up display that highlighted whatever he looked at. She needed something like that. Something that she could use in combat without paying a lot of attention to it.

Hmm, that could work.

She imagined that she had a headphone with a visor on it, and the visor would auto-select whoever's mind she wanted to read.

That didn't work at all.

She frowned; was she overcomplicating this? She looked at Percival and opened another window, this time thinking the window would only allow his thoughts through, like a one-way mirror of sorts.

That was much better.

Not perfect, but much better.

For some reason, the narrowed focus made it harder to hear his thoughts, but at least his wife's thoughts were barely a whisper in the background. His thoughts were fuzzy, though perhaps they had been fuzzy before and she just couldn't tell with the two voices talking at once? Regardless she turned her mind to making sense of what she could hear.

It was strange, rather like listening to someone talk very fast and none-too-clearly as his mind moved from one topic to the next. She had trouble catching all of what he was thinking, but she supposed that made some sense because people could think much faster than speak.

She briefly considered trying to focus harder on his thoughts to get a better read, but then remembered her experience with Lord Borden's telepathic mage and thought better of it. She certainly didn't want to do to him what had been done to her.

Instead, she took a different tact.

She just sort of stepped into his thoughts and let them flow around her, trying to make sense of what she heard. The trouble was, she was getting more than just thoughts. There were images, impressions, emotions, and other things as well. She was seeing them all at the same time so it was hard to get anything specific. However, while she couldn't pick anything specific out of those emotions, she could get a general idea.

His mind was... strange.

It reminded her of Ethan in some ways, though it was very different as well. She didn't remember a lot about their bonding but she did remember her impression of him. He had this enormous well of darkness that was under the surface, like a wild animal on a leash that was only barely trained.

Percival was different. There was the darkness there, but it felt more like he'd barricaded it behind a closed door and piled everything he could find in front of the door to keep it shut and the darkness contained. Ethan was taming his darker impulses, controlling them and giving them a short leash so they didn't take over. This luminar was suppressing them with all his might.

"Are you okay?" Kendra nudged her gently.

Selene's concentration broke and she was snapped back to the moment. Taloni was talking with the luminar and looked much better than when she had arrived. Selene guessed the Fey teen had apologized and he'd accepted it.

"--but I'm not sorry I interrupted." Taloni was saying. "I should've been calmer, but you were blaspheming Illuminar and I had to say something."

The luminar made a thoughtful frown as he slowly nodded his head. "It is good that you have tamed your youthful cravings enough to be so dedicated to Illuminar -- blessed be He. But being young, you might not understand the darker side of man."

Selene almost laughed given how hard Tee's life had been until she'd met Ethan, but refrained. Instead, she let the conversation fade as she tried to get a sense of his surface thoughts again.

It took several moments for her to get the focus right and start hearing and feeling his thoughts again. They weren't clear this time either, but she could get general impressions of what he thought. Sadly no specifics, but she thought she might be able to with time and practice. Lord Borden's mage certainly seemed capable of it, so she didn't see why she couldn't be as well.

She wasn't really listening to his words as he spoke, more his attitude and the emotions running through his mind. More than once she got the sense that he was tightening his control over that door behind which he had locked away his darkness in order to suppress it. That's when she had a realization.

He really believed what he taught.

He really, truly believed that people were terrible to the core with nothing good in them. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she definitely got that impression. His darkness seemed to be the reason, though she had no idea what it was. She got the impression it was something in his past; something that he'd long ago turned away from and it haunted him still.

Hmm.

Honestly, Selene imagined that Kendra might have similar wounds, but Percival had taken to dealing with them differently. Suddenly, his rigid control made a bit more sense; he didn't want to go back to the darkness. She also got the sense that he taught the way he did because he truly wanted to save others from the darkness that he was so sure subsumed them as well.

Huh.

Interesting.

Sadly, this belief also seemed so deeply embedded in him that she doubted anything would ever change his mind. It was almost a part of him; a core part of his identity. Honestly, she felt a bit bad for him. It had to suck thinking that you were the equivalent of pond scum every minute of every day.

She withdrew from his mind, though she really hadn't done much more than dip a toe into it. She found it strangely difficult, like swimming against a current. She managed and it wasn't too hard, but she made a mental note to bevery careful before delving deeply into someone else's mind. She got the distinct impression that the deeper she went, the harder it would be to return.

She would have to watch that.

* * *

Ethan bid Arven and Ketura goodbye after a pleasant hour at their house while Alana did the enchanting and Taloni apologized to the luminar. The couple's daughter Yalia hadn't been there; she was on a walk with Matthew discussing translation and how to best debate the town's luminar. Her parents had been wearing wide smiles as they told him that Matthew had decided to confront the luminar on his own. He was pretty sure they were already planning the wedding.

Taloni, Kendra, and Selene had come to the house when she was done and thanked the couple again. They had hung out there for a short time before Alana and Rachel turned up after finishing the enchanting. They stayed for a short time and then the Argo's crew left.

"Does anyone have something else to do before we leave?" Ethan asked as they headed back towards their airship.

No one answered, and the silence was deafening.

*I don't have anything to do, but I tried something you might be interested in hearing about.* Selene thought to everyone and then explained her first successful and intentional use of telepathy.

*So what was it like?* Beth asked. *I mean, what does it feel like to be in someone else's mind?*

Ethan smiled as Selene explained, glad his second wife was feeling better. Perhaps not 100% better, but much better. He still wanted to ask why she had asked him to stop calling her 'angel' though.

Discussion of Selene's success saw them all the way to the Argo. When they arrived, he saw half a dozen men he didn't recognize in chainmail. They were wearing blue surcoats on which was emblazoned a stylized white horse that was rearing. He was pretty sure that was Timarou's emblem, and the fact that Shara and Lyra appeared perfectly comfortable with them reinforced that impression. The lord's wives had some luggage on the Argo's deck, and Ethan couldn't help noticing that Lyra had far less than Shara, not that the latter had a lot.

"Ethan, I'd like you to meet Octavian." Shara said, indicating one of the men in a Timarou surcoat. "He's one of the best men I know and honorable to the hilt."

"Good to meet you." Ethan stuck out his hand.

Octavian shook it as he looked Ethan up and down. He hadn't been using his disguise gem in Dotmier, so the man could see him in his true dragon form.

Octavian was a wiry man who was just slightly taller than Ethan. He had dark hair which was just starting to show a little gray, but it wasn't quite enough to be called 'salt and pepper' yet. He had piercing eyes and looked over Ethan and the ladies, his gaze appearing to linger on Kendra and Selene for several moments longer than the others.

"You might be a prophet, but if your crew tries to harm the royal family--" He began.

"Octavian!" Lyra interjected.

"It's okay." Ethan said, nodding to the man. "The same is true if you harm my family."

Octavian didn'tactually smile, but it looked like he was on the edge. "Then we understand each other."

Ethan nodded; they would get along just fine. Or at least they would if they were going to be in the same place for any length of time, which they weren't. Speaking of... He looked at his wives, it hitting him all over again that for the first time, he would be parted fromall his wives.

It couldn't be helped; they needed the fabric for protection and he needed to check on Talven and Salma. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that things hadn't gone well for the couple. Seeing as he was partially responsible for what happened, he needed to go north while his wives needed to go southeast.

He hated that.

He looked back at them, sighed, and shook his head. "I'm going to miss you ladies."

"And we you." Alana nodded, a sentiment that the others echoed.

*Drago, could we say goodbye in the captain's cabin?* Kendra thought to everyone.

*Absolutely.* He replied.

*Enjoy.* Selene subtly rolled her eyes and shook her head with an amused smile. From her tone, he guessed that she thought they were going to say goodbye with a romp on the bed.

He looked at her and frowned slightly. "Ladies, why don't head into the captain's cabin; I want to talk to Selene for a moment."

They did, and he nodded his head towards the quarterdeck which was less crowded than the rest of the ship since Anthiel was its only occupant. They headed up the stairs and the high elf apparently guessed that they were there to talk because she spoke up. "I'll go help our guests stow their luggage."

Not for the first time, he found himself quite glad that she was their pilot.

He led the caramel-haired beauty to the rear of the ship and turned to her. "I think you have the wrong impression."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I won't lie: the sex isfantastic. But I love my wives for more than just the sex and right now that's the last thing we feel like doing."

"Oh." She pursed her lips. "I just thought based on what Kendra said..." She trailed off, a thoughtful frown on her face.

He shook his head. "There's no reason for you to know this, but it was Kendra's night to sleep in my arms last night, and she always wants to cuddle up against me the night afterwards. She'll miss that. You know her story and how much physical touch means to her, especially hugs. She wouldn't show it, but I think my being gone might be harder on her than the rest of my wives."

"Ah, I hadn't thought of that." Selene nodded slowly, then cocked her head to one side. "You really know your wives and make sure to take care of them, don't you."

It was more a statement than a question, but he nodded anyway. "I try."

"I suppose I've had ample proof of that before, it's just..." She hesitated. "...I see a guy with five wives and I guess a part of me -- the part that grew up in monogamous America -- subconsciously assumes he must be a complete horn dog who isn't interested in the women for who they are, but for...other things." She gave him a piercing look. "You aren't like that and I guess I needed to be reminded of that, yet again."

It looked like that information had hit just now in a way that it hadn't before. Like she really 'got it' now where she hadn't before. It seemed like it might stick this time.

She looked at him for several seconds, then spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"It's already forgiven and forgotten." He smiled.

"Thank you."

They stood there for several seconds of silence that wasn't awkward. The gorgeous Brazilian had an expression on her face that was halfway between a thoughtful frown and a smile. They looked at each other for several long moments, neither saying anything. Finally, Selene broke it.

"Go take care of your wives." She had a genuine smile on her face. "And I realize I'm not you, but I'll give Kendra a few extra hugs while you're gone."

"She'll love that." He smiled back, being struck all over again by just how incredibly gorgeous she was, especially when she smiled. She had started doing that a lot more often lately and it was good to see his friend smile.

Selene nodded her head towards the stairs and he started walking.

"Ethan." The caramel-haired beauty said.

He stopped and turned. "Yes?"

"Don't ever stop being you."

"I won't." He smiled.

"Good." She nodded, then started turning towards the rear of the Argo, but she stopped. She glanced back at him for a moment with an odd look in her eye that he couldn't quite place. Then she shook her head, seemingly to herself, and turned to look out the back of the Argo. He wondered what she was thinking, but right now his wives needed him.

* * *

Sarah spent much of the day thinking about the new revelation that she didn't need to be afraid anymore. More than once she had laughed out loud for seemingly no reason at all. She found herself humming or quietly singing songs to Illuminar throughout the day. She found herself doing little dance moves that she hadn't done since she was a little girl. She noticed the dresses that the ladies were wearing, especially the more whimsical ones. She found herself rearranging things she saw in her head so they were more artistic and beautiful.

She'd forgotten how much she loved all those things.

She felt so wonderfully light and free, like a bird that had just learned to fly. She felt like she could go anywhere and do anything.

The first thing that keep coming to mind was to help Amy, but she didn't know where the girl was. Fortunately, Fiona had told her that Amy liked painting and would probably find Sarah to ask if she wanted anything painted for a few coppers. All she had to do was wait and she'd get to meet her. She might be a bit nervous about that ordinarily, but not now; not with what Fiona had pointed out earlier.

She started humming a cheerful tune as she thought about that.

"We'll, someone is happy." Fiona said after an early dinner as they sat in their room. The copper-haired woman was feeding Conner with a blanket over her chest and she had a wide smile on her freckled face as she looked at the innkeeper's daughter.

"Thank you so much for what you said last night." Sarah said while doing a little twirl in her dress for no reason other than that she felt like doing it.

"I was happy to be helping." Fiona beamed, then winced and looked down. "Hey, no biting." She shook her head and said absent-mindedly. "Sheesh, he is like his father." Then her pale cheeks reddened a bit.

"Like his father?" Sarah cocked her head to one side.

"Aye." Fiona hesitated, then spoke somewhat delicately. "There are some things that are painful outside the bedroom that are... the opposite inside the bedroom."

"Oh." Sarah felt her cheeks get slightly warm.

"Don't worry, you'll be finding that out when you're married." Her smile was a bit sly.

"I'm actually already betrothed." Sarah replied. "But I don't think that he..." She frowned.

"He's not the loving kind?"

She nodded.

"Well, he might be surprising you."

"Maybe." The innkeeper's daughter had known Rindrin for a long time. She guessed that he would try, but she doubted that he would succeed. He was a simple fellow; not stupid, but simple. She doubted that he would be a good lover; he was too blunt for that.

"I um... Before I learned what Ethan was like, I met him and wanted him to..." She trailed off. She had thought he was so good and that he might be a tender lover... until she'd learned the truth. "I'm just really glad that Lady Ekthros told me the truth while we were imprisoned."

"Wait, while'we' were imprisoned." Fiona cocked her head to one side. "Are you saying you were imprisoned and she was getting you out?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, we were both imprisoned."

Fiona stared at Sarah for a moment, during which time Conner started fussing and she switched him to her other breast under the blanket. Afterwards she gave Sarah a piercing look.

"What?" The innkeeper's daughter asked.

"You're saying that someone was putting Lady Ekthros in prison against her will?"

"Yes." Sarah nodded.

The copper-haired woman frowned. "Sarah, I'm not sure if you're knowing this, but Lady Ekthros is a mage."

"What?"

"Aye." Fiona nodded. "She's a mage, and right powerful one if I'm hearing right."

It was Sarah's turn to stare, which she did wordlessly for several seconds before speaking. "You're sure?"

"Well, I haven't see her use magic myself, but I'm hearing from the other servants that it's the case. There's very little that the servants don't know, and they are talking to each other. I'm not participating, but I can't help hearing sometimes. The servants aren't talking about things with non-servants, so I don't think that most of the nobles are knowing. But Lady Ekthros is a mage, and like I was saying: she's a right powerful mage too."

Sarah stared at Fiona for several seconds, her mouth hanging slightly open as she considered what this meant.

Lady Ekthros was a mage?

And a powerful mage too?

How?

If she was a mage, then how could she have been captured with...

With...

Her mouth opened wider and her eyes followed suit. What if Lady Ekthros hadn't been captured? Or maybe she had allowed herself to be captured? But why would she do that? What possible reason could she have? Did it have something to do with her? She frowned; it must have something to do with her, right? She couldn't think of a single other reason for her to...

"Sarah, are you okay?" Fiona asked after a moment.

The innkeeper's daughter swallowed hard. She remembered exactly how she had felt when Lady Ekthros had told her that Ethan was a false prophet; a necromancer. She had felt almost broken inside, like a hollowed-out shell. She couldalmost feel herself starting to have that reaction with Lady Ekthros, and yet...

And yet...

Hmm.

This time was different.

Maybe it was the possibility that Ethan wasn't a bad man if she had been lying, maybe it was what Fiona had pointed out earlier about not needing to be afraid, maybe it was simply that she had been through more things in the past few weeks than ever before and they had made her tougher. Whatever the reason, she didn't feel that same aching, piercing pain she had felt when Lady Ekthros had told her about Ethan...

...but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

She sat down on her bed, mouth still agape and scarcely believing it was possible. She put a hand over her mouth and looked around the room, as if she would see something that would make this make sense. She knew she wouldn't, but she suddenly felt like a rug had been pulled out from under her.

"Maybe there's an explanation?" Sarah finally said. "Maybe she... I don't know, maybe they put some mage-binding cuffs on her so she couldn't do magic?"