A Dragon's Tale Ch. 56

Chapter 56: What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

* * *

Ethan looked at the two drop-dead gorgeous 20-something-year-old guests on the Argo, then at Alana, then at the letter she was holding which mentioned a third gorgeous woman, and then thought to his wives. *Three? Three drop-dead gorgeous women who were born on the sixth day of the sixth month, are telepathic, and have experience in the legal field?*

*It's Selene's exact skillset in women who couldn't be more different from her in temperament.* Rachel pointed out.

*Not her exact skillset.* Kendra said while clenching her teeth. *None of them know how to fight and none of them can replace Selene; even Thor knows that.* She flicked her eyes toward the kitten, who had been watching the large lunch crowd from the doorway to the lower decks. He seemed a lot less interested in meeting new people without Selene around.

*No they can't; no one ever could.* Ethan agreed. *Let's go into the captain's cabin or someone might figure out that we're talking telepathically.*

*We didn't have to worry about that with Selene.* Kendra grumbled.

"Ladies." Ethan said and all of the assembled women looked at him. He smiled wryly. "Sorry, I meant my wives. We need to talk in the captain's cabin for a few minutes."

Everyone shrugged or nodded and then he and his wives headed into the captain's cabin.

*Telepathy only.* Ethan thought to them once he closed the door. *I don't want anyone to overhear this.*

They nodded.

*So what the hell does this mean?* He asked. * I have a guess, but I want to know what you all are thinking.*

No one said anything initially.

Everyone looked at everyone else except for Kendra, who was breathing rather heavily, had her fists and jaw clenched, and was glaring at the floor like it had done her a great personal wrong.

*Master, I think Illuminar is giving you a choice.* Taloni finally said. *I think any of them could fall in love with you and you can choose who you want as your sixth wife.*

Ethan didn't say this out loud, but his mind went immediately to Selene. Sure Victoria and Myla were nice, and the wood elven king's ward almost certainly was as well, but he missed Selene. That was probably because of his bond with her and the logical part of his brain was telling him that he would feel the same about Victoria or Myla if he bonded to one of them.

But he wasn't bonded to them.

He was bonded with Selene.

He'd known that he would miss her, but he found himself a little surprised at how much he missed her. He felt like a part of him was missing, which again was probably a result of the bond.

*I find it odd that we learned of three other women with Selene's qualifications so soon after she left; it's been just over twenty-four hours.* Rachel mused. *The only thing that's different about them is that Selene doesn't share their birthday.*

*That's not the only difference.* Alana replied, beating Ethan to the punch. *They might have the same skills and abilities, but they are very different people.*

*Agreed.* He nodded. *People aren't just interchangeable like that.*

*But Master, that doesn't mean they won't make good wives.* Taloni pointed out. *You have five wives and we are all different from one another.*

*But all of you are great wives, though in very different ways.* Ethan mused, catching on. *So you're saying that none of them could replace Selene, but they could be good wives in other ways?*

*Yes Master.* Taloni replied, but she didn't look happy about it. If he didn't miss his guess, she preferred Selene.

He did too.

*Kendra, please don't take this the wrong way.* Alana said looking at the raven-haired woman. *But even though I would prefer Selene, there's no reason that Myla, Victoria, or the king's ward couldn't fit just as well as she does.*

Kendra made a sound that very nearly resembled a growl, but she didn't disagree.

*You're talking like there's a choice between Myla, Victoria, the king's ward, and Selene.* Rachel pointed out. *But that's not the case because Selene's birthday isn't Setas sixth.*

Kendra's head snapped up and her eyes went wide as she sucked in her breath. *Yes it is.*

*What?* Ethan asked as everyone else looked at the former Aldmiri.

*It's the only thing that makes sense.* The raven-haired woman frowned. *Myla and Victoria have too much in common with Selene for it to be a coincidence; it fits too well. Selene lied.* Her frown turned into a scowl. *I'll never forget that moment when she said her birthday didn't fit the pattern. I didn't even consider it then, but thinking back now? With my training in lie detection...* She clenched her fist. *Selene lied to us.*

*Oh?* Rachel cocked her head to one side. *Oh.* She cocked her head to the other side. *Thinking about her reaction at the time...*

*...and how weird she was about it afterwards.* Alana added, then grimaced.

Tee looked at him. *That would make sense Master, but do we really think that she would lie to us?*

No one answered.

*She shielded her emotions from me.* Ethan said after a few moments. *She might've been worried that I would notice her feeling guilty. Now that I think of it, I think I felt some guilt from her before she did that.*

Slam!

Kendra had slammed the bottom of her fist into the side of the large wardrobe nearby.

Everyone jumped slightly.

*I should've been paying closer attention* The former Aldmiri scowled. *I could tell something was off with her reaction, but I never even considered that she might've...* She set her jaw. *How could she...?*

*I don't know.* Ethan replied. Honestly, he felt a little gut-punched. It had literally never occurred to him that Selene would lie, but now it seemed awfully likely.

*Are you sure?* Beth asked while looking at Kendra.

She nodded. *Looking back, all the signs were there. I didn't notice at the time, but...*

*What does that mean?* Taloni asked.

*I think it means that Selenecould have married Ethan but she chose not to.* Rachel replied, but she was frowning as well.

*Oh!* Beth exclaimed as her eyes widened. *I just remembered something. When I was trapped by that demonic tendril in Arcanum, Gabriella gave me the choice to help Ethan or not. I asked what would happen if I chose not to help him, and she said that Illuminar would provide help from another source if I didn't. Thinking back on it, I think she meant that Illuminar would've given you a different wife; someone other than me if I had wanted that.*

*I'm glad you didn't.* Ethan replied, not even wanting tothink about not being married to the blonde.

*Me too.* Beth smiled, then looked around at everyone. *I think Rachel is right. I think that Selene had the same choice that I had and she chose not to marry Ethan.*

*Maybe.* Alana countered. *But assuming her birthday is Setas Sixth--*

*June Sixth.* Ethan interjected. *That's the sixth day of the sixth month on Earth's calender.*

Alana nodded and then continued. *--then assuming that Selene's birthday is June sixth, there's no reason that she couldn't change her mind and still marry Ethan.*

*I hope she does Master.* Tee almost managed a smile.

*Do you want her to change her mind Dominus?* Beth asked.

*Honestly, I don't know.* He sighed. *I've had enough of women lying to me for an entire lifetime.*

Everyone looked at him confused.

*Your ex-fiancée?* Alana guessed.

He nodded. *Though, I don't think it was premeditated with Selene so I guess it's not quite the same thing.*

*I hate to put it in such an uncouth manner my lord, but you do have options if Selene lying concerns you* Rachel pointed out.

*Maybe, but I'm only one half of the equation.* He replied. *There's nothing to guarantee that Myla, Victoria, or the king's ward will fall in love with me or want to marry me. Hell, there's nothing to guarantee that I'll fall in love with them.*

*Master, look at their birthdays.* Taloni spoke up. *I think Illuminar picked them because they could fall in love with you and you with them.*

He smiled at her. *You really are a wonderful wife, you know that?*

Tee beamed.

*So both you and they have a choice.* Rachel summarized. *It seems like Selene made hers though.*

*Maybe she did.* Alana corrected gently. *Nothing has been decided until wedding vows are exchanged. Until then, we don't know.*

*Good point.* Ethan nodded slowly, then looked at Kendra. *Time to weigh it.*

Her fist was closed, her jaw clenched, and her breathing heavier than normal as she replied. *I think you should tell Selene about the three women and their birthdays to see how she reacts; that'll confirm that she lied.*

He nodded, noticing the sureness in her tone.

* * *

Selene was on her thirty millionth game of Solitaire and half ready to chuck the deck across the compound because every time a six came up, she remembered how she had lied to Ethan and his wives. Somehow, sixes seemed to come up every other card.

And more than that, she felt... weird.

She missed Ethan.

She missed his wives and especially Kendra, but the way she missed Ethan was... different. It was unexpected. Strange. She just felt like something inside of her was... missing? No that wasn't right. Hollow? Well, that was closer. Empty? That wasn't far off. It was weird and she'd never felt like this before.

It must be the bond.

Stupid magic.

She started yet another game of Solitaire, cursing her luck that the first set of three cards she drew had a six on top. It had been a boring previous 30 hours or so. They'd fed her the same meals everyone else got, let her use the bathroom whenever she needed and generally been nice to her. That didn't change that she was basically a prisoner attached to a nearby support pole by a length of light chain.

*Hey Selene, got a minute?* Ethan thought privately to her.

*Sure, I'm just bored here; what's up?*

*Well, something happened here that I thought you'd want to know about.*

He then explained about Myla, Victoria, the wood elven king's ward, and their very particular set of qualifications and shared birthday. The longer she listened, the more she felt her blood pressure rise.

*So basically,* She replied when he had finished. *You can pick any one of the three you want and Illuminar will make her fall madly in love with you? What the hell! He is such a fucking dick!*

*I don't think it'll work like that.* He replied.

*Oh really? Because from where I'm sitting it sounds like He's giving you the pick of three gorgeous women. You just need to decide which flavor you like and presto! He'll make her fall right in line and into your bed. Seriously, what a mind fuck! How is that different from... I don't know... 'third party rape' for lack of a better term.*

*You know, it might be possible that they could fall for me without being forced; I'm not exactly Lord Farbrottan.* He replied evenly. Oddly, he didn't sound hurt or offended.

She wasn't sure why that bothered her.

She took a deep, calming breath. *Fair, I just think that...* She shook her head. *I'm getting really tired of Illuminar not giving people any choices.*

*Now wait just a minute.* He interjected. *You just said that He gave me a choice -- even if I disagree that it's how things will play out -- and now you're saying He doesn't give people choices?*

*Well of course He givesyou a choice; you're the 'prophet of Illuminar'.* She tried to keep the bitterness out of her tone but wasn't entirely successful. *The rest of us peons aren't so lucky. We don't all have gorgeous women falling at our feet.*

*Why Selene, do you want gorgeous women falling at your feet?* He teased.

She didn't dignify his teasing with a response.

*Alright Selene, what's really bothering you?* He asked. *And don't give me a BS line about how you're pissed at Illuminar; I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that.*

*I don't like bullies.* She replied. *When I feel like I'm being forced to do something, I just dig my heels in and fight back harder.*

*I call bullshit.* Ethan replied. *You might not like it, but I've never seen you 'dig your heels in' when someone tells you what to do. Besides, who's forcing you to do anything?*

She grimaced.

Damn, she really needed to be more careful about what she said. He didn't know that she had lied about her birthday because she had felt like Illuminar was giving her no choice in the matter.

*No one is; I detest it on general principle.* She finally replied, acutely aware that she wasn't as calm as she should be if that was actually the case.

Ethan didn't reply for several seconds, and when he did there was a strange inflection to his mental tone that she couldn't place. *I was afraid you'd say that.*

Selene didn't reply.

She didn't know what to say.

*Anyway, I thought I'd let you know what was going on here.* He added after a moment. *Let me know if anything changes over there.*

*Will do* She tried to sound cheerful but was pretty sure that she had failed miserably. Hell, she'd failed miserably at pretty much everything lately, or at least she felt like she had. She'd lied to Ethan and worse, she'd lied to Kendra. She knew how much the former Aldmiri had trust issues and it just occurred to her now how much those would be triggered if she confessed.

She couldn't do that.

Not to Kendra.

In the back of her mind, she knew she was rationalizing. However, she did a pretty good job of ignoring that part of her mind. If she confessed, Kendra would be hurt. Worse, she might find it harder to trust others. Thus, it would be better if she didn't confess. Yes, it would be better for Kendra. The fact that not confessing allowed her to avoid admitting just how colossally badly she'd screwed up was just a bonus. That's all it was. It certainly wasn't a driving motivation or anything.

She shook her head and went back to her game of Solitaire. Seeing no moves, she flipped over the next three cards from the deck.

The top card was a six.

* * *

Ethan looked at his wives who were still assembled in the captain's cabin. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then whispered. "Yeah, I'm as sure she lied as I can be without a confession."

Kendra's face became a stone mask. "I'm going to train."

She turned and left the room without another word.

No one said anything for several seconds until Alana held up the wood-elven king's letter, which she had been holding the whole time. "We should probably reply to this soon and let him know if we are going to attend his ward's coming-of-age ball."

Ethan nodded, looking at the door through which his newest wife had gone. "I think we probably should go given all that he's done for us. Does anyone disagree?"

No one did.

"I would agree, especially with the wood elves." Rachel replied. "It would be a rather egregious snub to refuse the offer."

"I definitely agree." Alana added. "And honestly Sir, I think we could use something as relaxing as a ball given all that's happened lately. I think it would be good for us."

"I would love that Dominus."

"Me too Master."

"I as well my lord."

He nodded, still thinking about Kendra. "Okay, tell him that we'll need to finish helping the orcs at Dotmier before we can attend, but that we'll be there."

* * *

Sarah yawned and stretched on her horse, slowly starting to recognize some of the nearby scenery.

"How much further?" Amy asked as she adjusted herself in the saddle yet again.

"Not much further if I'm reading the map right miss." Ellis replied.

"It's not much further." Sarah agreed. "I recognize some of this and we should be there before dinnertime."

"Thank Illuminar." Amy adjusted herself in the saddle again and then looked around at the scenery. "I can't wait to paint all of this."

"I lived my whole life in this forest except when father was taking me around to try and fix my problem." Sarah said as she looked around. "I don't think I realized how beautiful it was until now."

"It is." Amy sighed, then adjusted in the saddle again. "I don't like riding anymore."

"You'll change your mind once you aren't so sore miss." Ellis chuckled. "I'll leave some of that salve with the two of you so you can use it in the morning. Just don't use it more than once per day."

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"Your legs will fall off miss." He replied with a perfectly straight face.

Sarah and Amy laughed.

Ellis cracked a smile. "It'll give you a rash miss; best only once per day."

"Okay." She nodded, looking forward to seeing her father again. Less so Rindrin, but she wouldn't even mind seeing him. He was a good man and her betrothed; she could learn to be happy with him and to love him. Well, she thought she could.

She hoped she could.

* * *

"Miss Dawson."

She looked up to see a soldier approaching her. "Yes?"

"The next scheduled portal opening is approaching." The man said. "I've been assigned to escort you into the temple."

She held up her wrist and he unlocked the handcuffs. She rubbed her wrist, still trying to keep her mind off the conversation with Ethan an hour or two ago.

"Thank you." She looked down at the deck of cards that had been her companion for much of the previous day and a half. "Can you make sure these get back to their owner?"

"Yes ma'am." He nodded.

She stood and stretched, missing the movement she usually got while training on the Argo. She tried to keep a scowl off of her face as she thought about that and about how Illuminar was sitting somewhere up in the sky dictating how everyone down here would live their lives. She resisted the urge to growl -- she must've been spending too much time with Ethan -- and remembered that she was here on serious business. She had a mission.

She followed the soldier through the camp and into the ruined temple that the portal was in.

It had changed a lot.

Before it had been covered in animal droppings and moss, and there had been stalactites on the twenty-foot-high vaulted ceiling. No more. The place had been scrubbed and militarized. There was a steel ramp that looked like it could support a tank in front of the portal. There were computers, battery banks, crates of supplies, weapons, and ammo along with dozens of people who looked like they were ready to move a lot of things quickly. She supposed they needed to given that the portal would stay open for less than a minute. There were also about a dozen people who looked like they were heading through; perhaps rotating back to Earth?

They were standing in front of the portal which still looked like it had been abandoned for centuries. However, the wood that formed the portal lacked the splitting and dryness usually associated with old wood. It was about ten feet on the inside and fourteen on the outside. It looked like there was a place for gemstones, but they were gone, probably long gone.

"Over here Miss Dawson." The base commander said.

Selene walked over to join her.

"We'll be sending you with the men rotating out." She said. "Go stand with them."

"Aye, Aye." Selene nodded and then went to stand at the designated place with the designated people, still hating how Illuminar was telling people to go places and do things. She spent the next several minutes resisting the urge to clench her fist and scowl.

"Portal opening in one minute!" Someone called.

She spent that minute trying not to seethe about Illuminar. She wasn't very successful. In fact, she found the feeling growing now that she didn't have that stupid card game to distract her.

"Portal opening in 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

Ahead of her in the very center of the portal, something that looked a lot like water appeared. It almost seemed to bubble for a moment and then it started 'spilling' out. It looked like water swirling down the drain only in reverse. It swirled open for several seconds, moving like viscous water until it met the edges of the portal ring.