Omnixius
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🕑 Added 2022-02-04 18:51:32 +0000 UTC“So, what do you make of it?” Herris asked as Jessivel read the reports.
“How is it nobody has ever heard of this woman?” Jessivel asked with a concerned tone. “Expand the questioning to the guilds and nobles. Someone knows who this Celine is.”
“Maybe she is using a false name?” Herris suggested.
“And managed to get into the palace?” Jessivel argued. “She has no doubt been questioned by the women of Ulustrah at least three times, and by all accounts, Empress Thayle was one of them. She must be using her real name, so she is either relatively unknown or people are protecting her.”
“The rumor is she is from the common lands,” Herris added. “She might not have any ties to the empire.”
“Which means we will need a lot more time and effort to ferret out who she is,” Jessivel agreed and took a moment to think. “I wonder if we could arrange a meeting with this Lady Celine.”
“I don't even know where she is staying,” Herris replied. “We checked the inns and boarding houses, and nobody has a guest of her description.”
“Then she is a guest of a noble house,” Jessivel surmised. “All the more reason to begin questioning the nobility. Somebody is trying to keep their association with her a secret. Maybe Alayse will lend us some women of Ulustrah to ensure our questions get truthful answers.”
Herris nodded but didn’t leave, instead squaring his shoulders to ask a vital question.
“Are we sure this is a good idea? We have not been asked to investigate this woman, and by all accounts, the imperial family is fond of her. We might be at risk of angering Gersius and his wives.”
Jessivel was in complete agreement, but he also had come to trust Alayse. She was headstrong and overly bold when it came to speaking her mind, but she had good instincts. She also had experience with the techniques of the east and believed they might be at play in the palace. If his efforts were discovered, he would openly and honestly explain his concern and that they were only acting in the empire's best interests.
“I hope Gersius sees it that way,” Herris replied and turned to leave.
Jessivel watched him go with an agreeing nod. “Let's hope they all understand.”
“So here is where you're hiding,” Alayse scolded as she entered the temple gardens. Thayle stood with bowed head beside the stone basin that acted as Ulustrah's mirror. It was clear she was looking into the waters while focused in prayer to the goddess. Alayse silently approached, giving her a moment to finish her communion.
“When did you get here?” Thayle asked without opening her eyes.
“This morning,” Alayse replied and leaned against the bowl with arms folded. “I have already been to the palace to report my findings. So imagine my surprise to find your husband running about with a strange woman.”
“That is none of your business,” Thayle said with a glance at Alayse.
“Still, from what little I have learned, you just met this woman, and suddenly she has special favor, and Lady Sarah is struck down with uncurable headaches,” Alayse commented. “That is suspicious timing.”
Thayle turned to face her that suggested Alayse was treading on dangerous ground. Alayse could see a conflict in her aura; no, it was more concern. The light of a decision flashed over her head, indicating there was something truly bothering Thayle.
“Everything about that woman is suspicious,” Thayle replied. “But I can’t find any cause for it.”
“Surely you have been close enough to test the woman’s light,” Alayse pressed.
“I have sat with her for hours and listened to her answer dozens of questions. Always she answers with the truth, but there is something strange about it,” Thayle said and looked back to the water. “She has the calmest aura I have ever seen outside of one other individual. That was the strange man who delivered the dragon knight armor to us. His aura never wavered, even for a second. This woman is almost the same, but there is something in it, a strange purple color where it shouldn't be.”
“Is she jealous of your power?” Alayse asked.
“It isn't jealousy,” Thayle said with a wave of her hand to dismiss the statement. “The light surrounds the aura like a shell, but only for an instant then it's gone. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of something over her head like a band of purple light, but it's there for just a heartbeat.”
“And she never lies?” Alayse asked. “Not even a trivial stretch of the truth?”
“She's as sweet as honey and well mannered as Sarah. She feels like somebody you can trust to share your soul with and just so happens to have no strings attached. She claims to be a duchess whose father rules a small estate in a tiny kingdom. She is, of course unmarried, and has no particular need or desire to return home. She talks to Lilly sweetly. To Gersius with respect and treats Sarah like the empress she is. She knows how to reach everyone, even me, but that only makes me more concerned. I came to the temple to seek information about what I saw in her aura. I am hoping the purple color will give me some clue to the woman's true purpose.”
Alayse could hear the worry in Thayle's voice but was relieved to know the woman hadn't lost her touch. She was suspicious of the woman's motives and sought guidance from the great temples. She asked Thayle about the headaches, and Thayle admitted that Sarah hadn't complained about them until after she was gone. When word reached her, she sent Kaylinn to try and help while continuing with her messages to the other temples. Now she was waiting to hear back and hoping someone had the answer.
“The priests of Vellis were there when I arrived,” Alayse informed her. “They could do nothing for her, but she claimed it was fading anyway.”
“It’s suspicious timing,” Thayle said and looked away. “Is Jessivel with you?”
“He is already looking into the woman,” Alayse assured her.
“Good,” Thayle said with a nod. “I know you are here to report on the recent capture, but I want you to do your best to observe this woman. I know from experience that you have a distrusting nature and can be as suspicious as I am. Learn anything you can about her and try to see this aura for yourself. Come to me alone with anything you find out, and if you need anything, tell it to Mingfe. She will ensure the message gets to me.”
“Can you tell me anything more about her?” Alayse asked.
Thayle nodded and reached into a side pouch. “I sent dispatches to nearby temples in the east with her description and notes about her place of origin. They are to write back if anyone noticed her passage or perhaps even had a chance to meet her. Here is a copy. It gives you everything I know.” With that, she pulled out a folded paper and handed it to Alayse.
Alayse took it with a slight bow but paused before turning away. “You should try to keep near this woman when she is alone with your family.”
“I am going to do just that once I get back. I have already arranged messengers to relay any responses and asked Mingfe to cover some of my duties. From here on, if she spends any more time with my family, I will be included.”
Alayse nodded and waved the paper before heading away. Somehow this hadn't made her feel any more comfortable about the situation, but at least she had something more to go on. She met Jessivel that night to learn that the mysterious woman didn't seem to have a place to stay. She appeared out of nowhere, went directly to the palace, and was immediately ingratiated with the emperor. There were already rumors that the woman was a princess offered as a wife in a political marriage. Jessivel was sure that was all rumor and pointed out that it meant the nobility knew nothing about her.
It meant that there was nothing to establish this woman's story except the truth of her light. She said she was a duchess, and her light confirmed it. Alayse handed him the paper given to her by Thayle. He was pleased to have the woman's full name as well as the name of her country. Almost at once, he began writing dispatches and sent a rider to the temple of Ulustrah to use the scryers to covey distant information. He hoped to confirm some of these details in the next few days and prove by other means if she was telling the truth.
“Isn't this a waste of time?” Herris asked as the letters were sent. “If the priestesses can see the truth in her light, what good is double-checking it going to do?”
“It needs to be checked,” Alayse insisted. “I have heard about this purple color in an aura before. It usually means a weave is involved.” She paused and paced the room as Jessivel and Herris watched. “We need somebody who isn’t smitten by her and can move freely around the emperor and his wives. It has to be someone who understands the games women play.”
Herris and Jessivel shared a long look and said the name simultaneously. “Tavis.”
“Who is this Tavis?” Alayse asked with a slight frown.
Jessivel relayed the story of Tavis and some of his history with Gersius. He was an accomplished weaver of several schools, a scout of some excellence, and a master of the game of hearts. Tavis used to joke that he never played the game without an ace up his sleeve and bed reserved in the inn.
Alayse didn't like the sound of the man, but Jessivel assured her he was loyal to a fault. He was also married to two women, one of which was a southern warrior maiden. The other was a headstrong priestess of Ulustrah who was instrumental in breaking some of the containment camps. Of course, he wasn't in the capital. As far as Jessivel knew, he was in the north beyond the mountains. He and Ayawa led efforts to scour the northlands for the missing Doan army. When she enquired how to find him, Jessivel smiled and went to a desk. As part of his efforts to locate the missing traitors, he was given up-to-date correspondences from the scouting parties. He knew exactly where they were.
“Just in case they stumble on one of your missing bounties?” Alayse asked.
“We know the head of the faith of Youthan went north,” Jessivel replied. “Perhaps he is hoping his luck will carry him through.”
Alayse nodded and headed for the door. She wanted to put events into motion as quickly as possible, and to do that, she needed help. As much as it pained her to say it, she needed to speak to Mingfe.
Lilly swept into the council hall as if dancing on her tiptoes. She went directly to Sarah and, despite her protests, sat in her lap before giving a hug. Lilly then asked about the headache and tried to soothe it by rubbing Sarah's temples.
“Child, I am fine,” Sarah insisted and looked about the room. There were a handful of nobles as well as a dozen couriers, messengers, and representatives from various provinces. Sarah could only imagine how this display would be whispered about the land, but she was grateful for Lilly's love.
“And where is our husband? He feels close, but I don't see him,” Sarah asked.
“He’s talking to the guards outside. Apparently, the priest of Astikar has a headache like yours,” Lilly replied.
“The guard has a headache?” Sarah asked with a concerned look.
“Gersius has one too,” Lilly said. “I tried to heal it, but I can’t even detect an injury.”
“And our husband has one now,” Sarah repeated. “This is starting to concern me.” She concentrated and sent her thoughts over the bind, asking him to join them in the council hall. When he did, she questioned him over the bind, asking about the headache as Lilly nestled in closer.
“Child, will you please take your own seat,” Sarah said in a commanding tone.
“Oh, I missed you,” Lilly sighed and got up. “We had a wonderful time with Celine. Riding horses is a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. I wish you had come.”
“My sweet flower,” Sarah began and reached up to stroke Lilly’s cheek. “Someone has to stay and manage the affairs of state. I took my place here so you and our husband would be free to enjoy yourself. There will be time in the future when we will all be free to enjoy these things together.”
“You promise?” Lilly asked with big blue eyes.
“Thayle needs to stop teaching you how to manipulate me,” Sarah said with a smile.
“Aww. She said that would always work,” Lilly pouted and retreated to her throne.
Sarah waited until she sat down to turn on her smiling husband.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked.
“I am rather fond of watching my wives play,” he admitted and then squinted in pain.
“I can feel that over the bind,” Sarah said. “Your headache is worse than mine was.”
“It started as a slight pressure but has slowly become worse all morning,” he said. “Lilly has tried to heal it several times, but it never works.”
Sarah put her hands to his head and began a low chant, calling on Astikar for healing power. When nothing came, she rose and stood before him, falling into a low moaning tone.
“What are you doing?” Gersius asked as Sarah’s fingers began a delicate dance.
“Is she weaving?” Lilly asked, enthralled by the display. Sarah's hands began to trail a golden light that rapidly drew the attention of the room. People pointed with hushed comments as she built a spiraling ring of golden light then held both her hands beside his head. The ring circled his head with glowing runes for a moment as a pattern of golden lines formed about him.
“What did you just do?” he asked when she opened her eyes.
“I placed a protective ward around you. It shields you from magical attacks. Do you feel any better?” she replied.
Gersius shook his head and let her know that he noticed no change in the pain. Sarah paced in concern and informed him that Endril of the order of Vellis had been to see her. He had brought two of his most potent healers, and they had failed to find the cause, let alone stop it. Endril himself suggested that the cause might be magical in nature, so she thought to try the ward.
“I am sorry it didn’t work,” Gersius said.
“This is beginning to worry me,” Sarah commented as she paced before the thrones. “You, I, and now one of the guards all has a mysterious uncurable headache, yet our daughters do not.”
“Your daughters,” he quickly interjected.
“You humans and your funny ways,” Sarah sighed and resumed her path of logic. “There has to be a unified cause. Something that is affecting us that is missing the girls.”
“But how is it affecting us without causing harm? There is nothing to heal,” Gersius said.
“I don't know,” Sarah said as she rubbed at her chin. She looked about the room to see how many people were watching the display. She doubted any of them had heard the comments but, just to be sure, fell into the binding link. “From now on, we keep this between us. We cannot allow our enemies to learn that we are weakened.”
Gersius agreed, and Lilly silently promised to keep it but pointed out they had already told Celine. Sarah returned to her chair and pretended to whisper something to Gersius while using the bind to speak. She asked how Celine behaved and received a glowing review, but Gersius quickly pointed out he had seen the strange purple light in her aura. Lilly added an even stranger comment, discussing how she had told Celine about Sarah and why they called her mother. Lilly didn't realize it as she related the story, but Sarah latched on to the point almost instantly.
“She didn’t think to ask you what the order of scale was?” Sarah asked over the bind.
“No,” Lilly replied.
“That seems a funny thing to just accept without clarification,” Sarah pointed out. “How was the woman to understand the explanation if she has no concept of what the order of scale is?”
“Perhaps she did not want to show her ignorance?” Gersius suggested.
“Maybe,” Sarah replied as she tapped her fingers on the throne. “Was there anything else?”
“I thought it was funny that she was disturbed that I didn’t want to live like a dragon anymore,” Lilly suggested.
“She did seem disturbed by that,” Gersius agreed. “That was when I began to notice the purple.”
“But you saw no red or orange?” Sarah asked only to find out that aside from the purple, Celine's aura never wavered. She took a moment to lament that she hadn't yet developed the aura sight, then wondered where Thayle was. Using the bind, she reached out to hunt for the missing wife, and to everyone's surprise, Thayle replied.
“I am just outside the palace,” Thayle said.
“That’s far away,” Lilly said in surprise.
“The distance we can communicate has greatly increased since Sarah settled into the bind,” Gersius said silently.
“Hmm,” Sarah rumbled over the bind. “I need you to come to the council hall. Our husband now has a headache, and so does the guard outside.”
“Three of you have headaches now?” Thayle repeated with a hint of concern. “I will be right there.”
They waited until she appeared in the doorway and hurried across the room under the scrutinizing gaze of the assembled people. When she was seated, Sarah used the bind to hold a private conversation, summarizing the current situation and asking for insight. She even recounted Endril's recommendation and the subsequent failure to shield Gersius.
“So it isn’t magical then,” Thayle said silently over the bind before pressing on with another thought. “I don’t mean to be the one who soils your hopes, but I am wary about Celine.”
“What are you wary about?” Lilly asked. “She’s so nice.”
“That's what I am mean,” Thayle urged. “We hardly know her, and yet she has gotten closer than any other woman since we started marching. She is too perfect, almost like the bait in a trap.”
There was silence over the bind as the four mulled over Thayle’s words.
“But none of you have seen her lie?” Sarah asked.
“She told the truth all morning,” Gersius admitted. “She was delightful to be around.”
“Could that be an act?” Sarah questioned and locked eyes on Thayle. “Does your aura sight reveal anything in somebody's behavior?”
“Only the mood,” Thayle replied. “And hers never changes. It is always calm as a person deep in meditation. I have only seen an aura like this the one time that strange man visited us and gave us the dragon knight armor.”
“You told us his aura was unreadable,” Gersius remembered. “Could she be related to him? Part of some secret order working to aid us behind the scenes?”
“Anything is possible, but I have never seen anyone be able to hold an aura so steady for so long,” Thayle said. “I can’t imagine the training one would need to achieve such calm.”
“It never changed while we were riding the horses,” Lilly pointed out. “She looked like she was enjoying it, but her light was always the same.”
“That's exactly my point,” Thayle said. “She should have shown something. I assume you didn't just trot down a straight trail.”
“No,” Gersius replied and let out a deep sigh. “We did some very brisk riding across the country.”
“And she showed no change in emotion,” Sarah said with a frown. “Not even a hint of excitement?” Lilly assured them that she had been watching, and Celine never changed.
“So a mystery woman enters our court, is somehow concealing her emotions, and several of us are now afflicted with headaches,” Sarah surmised. “Could it be related?”
“I honestly don't see how,” Thayle admitted. “But with your permission, I would like to explore some ideas.”
“Perhaps that would be wise,” Gersius said. “You understand the aura and its patterns better than any of us. If anyone can make sense of this, you can.”
“I agree,” Sarah said. “You do whatever you need to get answers. You have our full support.”
“Good,” Thayle said and settled in. “Tomorrow I would like to invite our guest to tea. I have some friends I would like her to meet.”
Alayse frowned as she sat on the garden bench wearing a flowing white dress. She hated being out of her armor and wasn't at all comfortable with being in the palace to play the role of a noble lady. Even more unsettling was that Mingfe stood along the wall dressed in desert silks trimmed with gold. She looked more like a woman walking the harem garden, but maybe that fit in well here.
“I did as you asked,” Mingfe said as she wandered close to Alayse while they waited for Thayle. “I hope you are not wasting my time.”
“You know full well what is going on,” Alayse retorted with folded arms.
Mingfe smiled and leaned against the wall nearby, enjoying the sight of Alayse in fine clothes and ribbons.
“You don’t like comforts do you?” Mingfe asked in a voice that almost purred.
“That isn’t entirely true,” Alayse said with a sigh. “I still remember what it’s like to be a woman. I just prefer the trappings of a warrior. I have a reputation to uphold, and few see strength in a woman who prances about in fancy dresses.”
“Even the emperor and his dragon wives put away the armor and sword once in a while,” Mingfe suggested.
“I have put my weapon down,” Alayse said and shot Mingfe a glare. “I do sometimes like to dress nicely when the occasion calls for it.”
“Then why does your aura show your discontent?” Mingfe asked. “You look upset. I am assuming it is because you do not like to be seen in such a manner.”
Alayse looked away and took a long moment before replying.
“I don’t like the idea of letting Thayle see me like this,” she said at last.
“Why would that be a problem?” Mingfe asked.
“It’s personal,” Alayse snapped and came to her feet.
The two glared at one another a moment, then heard a door shut. They turned to face the archway as Thayle appeared with a guest in tow, leading her to the garden. She was dressed in soft blues and wore several rings on her fingers as well as a necklace, bracelets, earrings, armband, and even a web of gold on her head.
“So this is Celine,” Alayse whispered as Mingfe nodded.
Thayle introduced them, and the three women pretended to be good friends for the next hour and a half. They laughed as tea and cakes were served by attendants, all the while asking playful questions of the duchess Celine. All three women carefully watched the light that circled Celine waiting for any change.
Celine claimed to be fascinated by magic and a student of the flute. She was rather fond of paintings of cities or landscapes but didn't care for portraits. Alayse asked where Celine was staying, and the woman replied that she was a guest at the palace. Alayse wanted to corner her and ask where she was staying before being invited to the palace, but Thayle interrupted.
No matter what was asked, Celine was polite, sincere, and impeccably cordial, eating her sweets with tiny nibbles. She recounted the excitement of the horse ride from the day before, but that made no change in her aura. It wasn't until the time was nearly up that Thayle thought to ask about dragons. From talking to Lilly in bed, she learned that Celine had asked Lilly quite a bit about herself. Gersius had even admitted to seeing the purple only when Lilly spoke about not wanting to live like a dragon anymore. So she steered the conversation to Lilly, asking Celine what she thought about the loving little dragon.
Celine was polite as always, insisting Lilly was a sweet and dear thing. Thayle followed that by volunteering how much she loved Lilly and enjoyed sharing her kisses. Then, finally, it flared, the twinge of purple that enclosed the inner light. Mingfe didn't react, but Alayse leaned closer, studying the light.
“Is something the matter, Lady Alayse?” Celine asked when she noted the intense stare.
Alayse leaned back and claimed she was looking more closely at the woman's eyes. In the light, they looked almost amber, and she wondered if that was perhaps she had some westerner in her.
“I suppose I might,” Celine replied with a shrug. “But my parents have never said so.”
“Yes, I am told one of your parents it from the desert sands?” Mingfe asked as she lifted her tea to blow on it.
“My mother,” Celine replied. “She was dark like you are but had the most beautiful eyes.”
Mingfe nodded and took a sip of tea as Thayle asked if she knew how her mother and father met. Celine explained that her parents didn't talk about their past much, but she did learn a few things. Her mother was traveling when they met, and they fell in love quickly. Thanks to local prejudice, they found it difficult to settle in either land, especially when the two were at war so often. They eventually fled to the common lands when her mother became pregnant, and she was born in the region known as Norlander, where her parents started breeding horses they brought with them from the sands. All of it shown brightly with the light of truth, causing the three women to wonder if perhaps they were making a mistake.
“That explains your love of horses,” Thayle said with a nod.
“It explains the color of her skin and perhaps her eyes,” Mingfe said. “Amber is rare in the sands but not unheard of.”
“My father has blue eyes,” Celine said and looked lost in thought. “He has a very intense stare.”
“So, your parents are still alive then?” Alayse asked as she reached for a cake.
“Oh, very much so. I wouldn’t be so free to travel if I had duties at home to attend to,” Celine replied.
“Do you follow any particular faith?” Alayse pressed before taking a bit of the small white cake.
“No,” Celine said with a blush. “I am afraid my parents consider service to a faith too large of a commitment. I am fond of magic and want to learn how to weave. My father knows a bit about weaving but hasn't offered to teach me yet.”
“The cellic people are very fond of weaving magic,” Mingfe agreed. “They are specialists in fire and water. They have turned the tide of many a war by deploying batteries of fire weavers.”
“My mother tells some sad stories about the wars,” Celine lamented. “She said the two people suffer for the sins of the past.”
“Your mother is very wise,” Mingfe agreed as she considered the age-old resentments that spawned most of the wars.
“My mother is a great woman,” Celine said with a hint of conviction, even if her aura betrayed nothing.
“The greatest mother I have ever known has been Sarah,” Thayle said. “Who knew a dragon could be so loving and caring to a human?”
Alayse nearly jumped when Celine's aura bathed in purple, and a band of it curled over her head. She saw it for only the briefest of moments, and then it was gone as Celine appeared to choke on her tea.
“Yes, Sarah is truly amazing,” Celine agreed and set her tea aside. “Well, I really must be going. I want to see the weavers college in the silver district. I am very grateful to have met you, wonderful ladies. I do hope we see each other more.”
“I am grateful to have met you as well,” Mingfe said with a tipped head.
“It was nice to meet you,” Alayse replied and even managed a wave to send the woman off. She waited until the door was closed and even then sipped her tea to assure the woman had plenty of time to be off.
“Am I misjudging her?” Thayle asked. “I know the aura is strange, but she is so pleasant a woman.”
Mingfe nodded and agreed that Celine was delightful company. She wondered out loud if they had become so conditioned to lies and games that they couldn’t accept a woman who was free from it.
“She’s lying,” Alayse said calmly and set her tea down.
Thayle and Mingfe looked at her with doubt, but Alayse dabbed her lips with a cloth before continuing.
“No one can maintain that level of control of their emotions,” Alayse insisted. “You both know what you saw was some kind of deception.”
“Except that, I have seen it once before, and that encounter proved to be honest and true,” Thayle pointed out.
“And how do you explain the headaches?” Alayse insisted.
“I don't know. How do you explain them?” Thayle shot back. “I don't see how the strangeness of her aura could be causing headache, but just in case, I did ask the primes.”
“And I have a letter,” Mingfe said and reached into a bra. She smiled at Alayse, who looked scandalized to see the women extract the letter from within. Thayle smiled as she took it and folded it open to read what was written.
“So the first reply is that they know nothing of what the purple means or of any way to accomplish so calm an aura,” Thayle said.
“What about the headaches?” Alayse pressed.
“They didn't comment on that,” Thayle said and held the letter out to Alayse. She took it carefully and read it through before handing it back with a sigh.
“We can assume all the replies will be the same,” Alayse said.
“Let's hope not,” Thayle said, then closed her eyes.
“Is something wrong?” Mingfe asked when Thayle put a hand to her head.
“I. I have a headache,” Thayle groaned. “I thought I felt a pressure earlier, but it has suddenly grown.”
Alayse and Mingfe looked to one another and rushed to Thayle's side. Alayse tried to heal her first, only for the glow to fail and no source of injury to be found.
“Healing doesn't work,” Thayle said with a wince. “I used the feather touch technique on Sarah and Gersius last night, and it really helped.”
“This must be her doing,” Alayse said as she put her hands to the base of Thayle's neck. “Somehow, this woman is causing this.” She began to rub with practiced strokes, soothing the nerves at the base of the neck and helping to relieve the pain.
“You know the eastern art of massage?” Mingfe asked as she watched Alayse work.
“A lover once taught me some of it,” Alayse replied and looked down at Thayle. “She was very dear to me.”
“That was a long time ago,” Thayle replied.
“Does that matter?” Alayse asked. “You and I were so good for each other.”
“You and I wanted very different things,” Thayle countered. “You wanted battle and glory. I wanted service and love. If you had spent more time pursuing things like this, I would have stayed.”
“I see,” Mingfe said as she looked to Alayse. “This explains so much.”
“Is it hard to believe that I could love somebody?” Alayse asked as her hands worked upward and caressed the base of Thayle’s head.
“I thought so, but I see I was wrong about you,” Mingfe replied.
“This feels good,” Thayle said. “A pity you weren't around in the early days. Lilly might have snatched you up as a wife.”
“I don’t think I would make a good addition to your harem,” Alayse joked. “Sarah is a little dominant for me.”
“Afraid to let go and be led by another woman?” Thayle teased as the pain was expertly soothed away.
“I am my own leader,” Alayse replied and took her hands away. “And she dresses you two a little too pretty for my tastes.”
Thayle laughed and agreed that Sarah liked to see a lot of ruffles and lace on her wives.
“Your mother likes to dress you like princesses,” Mingfe agreed.
“And that's another thing,” Alayse said as she folded her arms. “I couldn't call a woman whose arms I was crawling into, mother.”
“It’s a dragon thing,” Thayle sighed and explained Sarah’s desire to take her place in the lost dragon order. “If you understood how much it means to her, you would curl to her chest and call her mother too.” Thayle then took a moment to comment on how nice Alayse looked when she chose to wear something more feminine.
They spoke about the headache and what to do next. Alayse wanted to meet with Jessivel to see if he had learned anything new. Mingfe would return to the temple and see if more replies had come. Thayle was going to meet with her family and inform them that she now had a headache, then she was flying out on Lilly to visit a temple of Ulustrah in the south. The farmlands in the area were suffering, and Gersius wanted the temple reopened to provide support.
They parted on their missions with a promise to meet the next day and discuss anything they had learned.
