Disposable Hero Ch. 06 - Drow on the Move

Ehecatl asked if the other dragon could meet her in the human village, her mother had made a deal with the humans that she would protect their village and they built a house where she and her kind could live in their more human looking form. Bahamut liked the idea and readily agreed, with that she left and visited the gold dragon giving her the news. When she was ready, she headed down to the village, changed into her more human form and told the caretaker that she was expecting some company and to look for two women one with gold hair and eyes looking a lot like she did and the other has red hair with blond and orange streaks in it. The caretaker left and had a feast prepared for the child of their lady and protector.

Three days later Adalinda the gold dragon arrived in the village and was brought to her by the caretaker. Ehecatl saw a tall woman looking eighteen or nineteen by human years, her golden eyes and golden hair went well with her very curvy figure that showed through her flowing dress, if it wasn't for her wings and tail she could almost pass for a very tall human with her skin having a golden tan to it. They spent the rest of the day getting to know each other and discussing their mothers wish for them and whether they could believe everything they had been told. The very next day Firewine walked into town to get some supplies and information about the cult, when the townsfolk lead her to a large Common House that looked like a mead hall from back home, inside she saw two young women talking.

As Firewine walked towards the back of the hall, she asked, "I was told that the women in here could help me, I'm looking for some information, could you get those people for me please?"

Adalinda and Ehecatl looked at each other when they saw her red hair they both smiled, and Ehecatl said, "What makes you think we can't help you."

Firewine by this time can see the two young women sitting down and did not think that they looked old enough to be able to help her. However, she could not see their wings yet.

She answers, "You look awfully young to have the information I seek. However, I could be wrong, I don't think I am, so can you get your elders the ones who own this house."

Again she heard giggling from the two, she felt like she was dealing with two flighty girls or very drunk ones deep down she hoped for flighty.

Ehecatl replied, "This house is mine now, it was my mothers and when she moved she left it and this village under my protection."

She and Adalinda both stood their wings could be seen as well as their tails and held out there clawed hands.

Firewine stopped when she saw everything and asked, "What are you?"

Firewine was used to being taller than every woman she had ever met, but these two were taller than her by inches, she saw the silver hair. Eyes just like her own and the other was just as tall and had golden eyes and golden hair.

Ehecatl spoke first saying, "I am Ehecatl the silver dragon, and this is..."

She pointed to her right, and Adalinda said, "Adalinda the gold dragon we are happy to finally meet you."

'Oh crap' Firewine thought, 'I have two dragons waiting for me.'

Firewine speaking defensively and out of instinct said, "Whatever it was I didn't do it, I swear."

Adalinda looked to Ehecatl and then to Firewine trying not to laugh at the funny woman and said, "How do they live to their ages being this slow to learn. I am starting to wonder if our mother has made a mistake with this one. We are not here for what you did, our mother told us you would be coming and that we should help you."

Firewine responded, "Normally I'm much sharper mentally, but it isn't every day you meet a dragon let alone two. You said mother that means you are sisters, how can that be?"

Ehecatl broke in saying, "Our mother that includes yours, she is, after all, all of our mothers."

Firewine growled, "My mother died giving birth to me, don't insult her or so help me you might be dragons, but I will put a world of hurt on both of you two."

She wouldn't have been wrong her dragon form was bigger, and she was stronger than both of them, add in the closed in space and she could do a lot of damage to them both.

Adalinda spoke up, "What my sister means is our goddess, the mother of all dragons and you are now a dragon are you not?"

Firewine took out the medallion she had taken from the mage and threw it to Ehecatl.

Firewine asked, "Is that your mother if so I want nothing to do with her."

She reached behind her and grabbed hold of her pistols and was ready to shoot both of them at that moment. Ehecatl looked at the medallion and got very angry.

Roaring she asked, "This is not our mother. Where did you get this?"

Firewine breathed a sigh of relief as she told them about the cult and how they had been hunting people in the area with hair like hers. As Ehecatl handed the medallion to Adalinda, who looked at it and at Firewine.

Adalinda asked, "You said you took this from a mage, you don't look like you would do much against an experienced mage who could do what you said."

She listened as Firewine explained how she first transformed and did away with the mage.

Adalinda did not like this change in events and said, "This is most disturbing, she is trying to come back, but why now why not wait until the conjunction to come back? If she is after her, then we must protect her as well as teach her."

Firewine was listening but not understanding the conversation, why would they need to teach her? Was she really a dragon? Who is the dragon on the medallion that made them so angry?

Ehecatl said, "Agreed, our mother the mother of all good dragons such as we and not her the mother of all evil dragons. Mother wanted us to train you in our ways, I will teach you how to fight and fly, and she will teach you how to use magic. If she is after you we must keep you safe, the only person who can help you is the guardian. We have no choice but to watch over you and get you through the gate. We know that our mother gave you the amulet of dragon kind and used it to turn you into a human/dragon hybrid, which is why you can't control what is happening, you don't know how to control yourself that is one of the first things I shall teach you."

Firewine sat down speechless, it was true she was now part human, part dragon.

Firewine asked in borderline hysterics, "Why would she do that? Why me?"

The girls had to admit that was a good question why did their mother choose her, what made her so special.

Ehecatl answered remembering what she had been told to her saying, "We dragons are dying out, and I am the last dragon of my kind to be born in fifty-one years and Adalinda in fifty-three years for her kind of dragon. She thinks that by mixing human reproduction in that could bring us back. We have to get you to the guardian, he is human and, or so I am told if we can get him to take you as a companion you would be safe from this cult ..."

In walked two more women one was apparently a silver dragon but looked older then Ehecatl the other seemed very familiar to Firewine.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" said a shocked Ehecatl.

"YOU, what did you do to me? And why me?" said Firewine as she walked over to Bahamut her hair turning blue a clear sign that she was fuming.

The other dragons all bowed to Bahamut but not Firewine, who waited for an answer from her.

Bahamut finally spoke first to Ehecatl, "I asked your mother to come here and to watch over this village that she agreed to protect. Once you leave my sisters cult will surely come here."

She turned and looked at Firewine and said, "I have given you a great gift, you will be the future of our kind. As for why I have always been watching over you ever since my priestess cursed you in my name, it was I who gave you back your voice, and now I expect to be repaid for all those times you should have died but didn't because of my protection."

Firewine couldn't count the number of times that she seemed to barely escape certain death if this really was the work of this goddess then her debt was a large one indeed. She was shocked that the reason she hadn't spoken more than a few words for almost 2 years was that one of her priestesses had cursed her.

Firewine weighed things carefully before saying, "I thank you, for giving me back my voice and for my life and it is a debt I can never repay. However, you can't just turn me into one of your kind without my permission, let alone hope that I have children. What will you do if I choose not to have children? Will you do this to another human without their consent? You could have asked me before doing this, you could have asked any human even the ones here in this village who know of your kind and would probably agree to be one of your kind. So, I ask again, why me?"

Bahamut replied, "If you choose not to have children then that will be your choice. I will go another way if you do and I might ask next time. However, it takes a certain soul to live through this, and you have that desire for life that goes beyond just living or surviving. I chose you to go through the gate with the guardian, because of your skills and by adding ours you will give him a power that he will need in his journey. Look at them that is their human form, and everybody knows they are dragons, I needed someone who would blend in with the guardian and his group, they are going to a world with no elves, dwarves, orcs, dragons magic hasn't existed since the last conjunction. It is a human world filled with strange knowledge and ways they will need you then as much as you will need them now. You will adapt faster than either Ehecatl or Adalinda, so for the sake of the mission I did what cannot be undone, once the amulet is on only your death can remove it. I never thought the power-hungry Spitfire would pass on the chance to have such great power."

Firewine knew she was right Spitfire would have gladly said yes. However, she wasn't that woman anymore, she didn't want to go back to being her.

She said, "That woman died the day I bought that pub, and I would rather keep her buried. I was tired of running for my life and living by the sword. Now, I live by the drink and the joke, now I have a man I love, now I can sleep at night without wondering who might try to kill me, now I am truly happy. You just told me that what has been done can't be undone. How am I supposed to feel about this, I mean right now, I can't hold the man I love, because I might kill him with claws the size of daggers and even sharper than most swords or have a drink with my friends not knowing if I will change and frighten them away with the fear that all creatures feel around dragons, let alone grow so big as to break through the floor of my own pub. Now I must seek out a human and go with him for whatever reason, but mostly because you say so."

Bahamut hadn't considered her feeling so strongly about her life. Had she forgotten about how quickly humans change in their short lives? Was she wrong for doing what she did? She figured she would tell her what was going to happen and see what she would do.

She asked, "If I gave you a chance to save those you love would you?"

Firewine nodded as she continued, "This world is dying, and in two years it will be destroyed, we didn't know when the guardian would arrive or even if he would, we could only hope that he would in time. When I was called into a meeting with the great gods, and they told me that he was here I put my plan into action. Like any mother I want my children to survive and grow. If you join the guardian, then I will take your loved ones with us when the conjunction happens. You see the guardian isn't from Alirota, only his chosen may go through the gate in Winterspire, I thought a looking human dragon would be accepted and would help us with our problem. So will you go to him and see if you can join him, maybe even persuade him to bring Ehecatl and Adalinda with as well?"

Firewine didn't like any of her choices, but taking the risk of losing Dima and Inga was unacceptable, and after having thought it over and said, "You have a deal, I will help you as long as you keep your word. How will I know if you have?"

Bahamut knew she would want something tangible and said, "When the gate is opened, and our kind comes through whoever you want to come shall ride upon me, if it is possible. I may have to leave before them or after them, either way, I will get a message to you about them."

Firewine nodded begrudgingly in agreement not that she had a choice in this. With that Bahamut left and went about telling her children to be ready to move and to help the mortals if they need our help at Winterspire.

The next day Firewine set off for Delliletum where she was told she would find the guardian. As they walked off Firewine recommended that Adalinda and Ehecatl change to another animal so they wouldn't frighten any of the mortal races, Ehecatl chose a dire wolf because of its size and Adalinda chose a golden eagle, so named because its underside was yellow like the sun. She asked if they could talk in those forms and they said yes through telepathy. At first, they were going to go with a caravan passing through but chose to walk so that Adalinda and Ehecatl would have time to teach Firewine what she needed to know.

***************

As Lady Silver Flail slept a series of burglaries occurred and eyewitnesses said that they had seen a woman wearing finely craft plate standing near each of the houses, this marked the third night in a row that this had happened with the same woman seen by each of the houses. The next morning Lady Silver Flail was greeted by Cufola who had brought breakfast.

He asked, "How did you sleep, my lady?"

The blatant sarcasm was evident to her.

She just smiled and said, "Just fine, no dreams and the rocking of this boat makes sleep easy."

As they ate they discussed the plan for the day, Aidan recommended going to the inn and getting rooms before they fill. She countered that since they had used the ruse of a diplomatic mission, they had to talk to whoever was in charge here and then they could go to the inn. Loki had been busy the past three days impersonating Lady Silver Flail, now he watched her from the dock and prepared for her next test.

They walked down the, and the captain asked if she wanted some of his marines to accompany her, she refused thinking it wouldn't look right to walk into a new city that they didn't even have relations with, Marines in tow. The captain saluted and bid the two of them with blessings of the gods, and they walked down, and onto the waterfront, the pilot had given them a map to the Burgermeister's office, so they set off in that direction. In the Weight House, a lady dressed in silver dwarven plate walked in and before the eyes of the militia and stole jewels from the Appraising House that was located within and ran down the street.

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the market, hearing the strange language that these people spoke Helen and Aidan continued towards the Burgermeister's office which was next to the weight house, they saw the tower that was part of the old cities gatehouse and served as the weight house in the distance.

The men chasing the woman saw her duck around a corner, as they turned the corner they saw the same woman walking with a man like nothing had happened. The militia shouted for them to stop, they looked at them with utter confusion. Lady Silver Flail looked lost and asked Aidan if he knew what they were saying, he saw their hands on their swords and figured it must be for them to stop, so they did. As the militia reached for Aidan's weapons, it dawned on him what they were doing and swatted their hands away and pulled his pistol out with one hand and his rapier out with the other pointing his gun at the militiaman in front of him he told her that they are trying to arrest them.

They saw the other guards draw their weapons and saw one hundred and twenty more come with halberds and saw forty-five more on horseback with what looked like muskets. They blocked off the street, and the men on horseback brought their rifles to bear on them, after twenty minutes a man dressed in fine clothes came up and asked them in the common tongue to surrender peacefully, or they would be forced to kill them where they stood. Lady Silver Flail asked what they had done to be arrested. She was told they were being arrested on suspicion of burglary. She knew they hadn't done it and agreed to surrender so that they could be cleared of this charge and with that, she was led away to the dungeon. For the first time in her life, she was going to be locked up in a cell and wondered why she was being held.