Omnixius
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DKP 6-6 A lie for a viper
🕑 Added 2020-11-28 23:13:44 +0000 UTCSarah walked along, shaking the ground with her passing. Her presence was so terrifying they had to march ahead of the column to avoid panicking the horses. Gersius rode on her back, looking tiny by comparison. Her saddle dwarfed Lillys' and was large enough to carry two dozen humans. Above them, Lilly soared the sky with Thayle on her back, circling above the army in wide turns. Shadros walked behind Sarah, his head held low as he argued with Mingfe. Yarvine had made suggestions that he belonged to the order of Ulustrah, but he had no such delusions. Mingfe was even less amused and gave him permission to fight back if anyone attempted to force him to obey them.
Their passing was quiet as they came out of the relatively uninhabited hills at the mountains' base. He didn't expect any trouble here, and the scouts assured him the land was clear for miles. They made their way southwest into the open plains of the common lands, signaling the beginning of his campaign.
Gersius shined in the sunlight, the dragon knight armor brilliantly reflecting the light like a beacon of hope. His mind was heavy with the path ahead as he worried about enemies both without and within. Jessivel sent word that the Father Abbot had once again stabbed him in the back. The very reserves withheld from his campaign on the Doan were now massing across the river to repel him. He knew he could defeat them, and in doing, inflict such losses that they would cease to be an army for twenty years. However, there was a problem with manpower. It would do him little good to unite the dragon empire if there were no armies left to defend it. He needed to get to Calathen while inflicting as little damage on the provinces as possible. Once there, he could declare himself the dragon emperor and turn those armies west.
He also needed to deal with the internal problems, especially the spies in his midst. Jaylis was murdered by somebody who didn’t want Prime Arlin’s messages delivered. Gersius knew of only one person who stood to benefit by keeping this information from Thayle.
“Does your mind ever stop trying to solve problems?” came Sarah’s voice echoing in his head.
“I have much to worry about and precious little time to solve them,” he replied with a thought.
“I find your constant worries to be tiring,” Sarah insisted. “We both know who is behind Jaylis’s death.”
Gersius said nothing because he knew it was true. The only matter at hand now was how to prove it. If they acted against Yarvine and accused her with no way to support their claims, women would revolt. Even Thayle had been stubbornly reluctant to believe that a prime of Ulustrah could be anything but pure. Thankfully she now saw the truth but a large portion of the women did not. They still believed Yarvine was beyond reproach simply by virtue of being a prime. They were already angry about the treatment of Yarvine. He had threatened to kill her, and Thayle stripped her of all authority. If it weren't for Thayle's bold display of faith in allowing Yarvine to attempt to cast her out, there would already be open revolt.
“That was a bold move,” Sarah said, reminding him she was listening to his thoughts. “I am very proud of her bravery and commitment to her Goddess.”
“Thayle loves her goddess like no other, but she has changed,” he replied. “When she left to find Alayse, she was still a gentle priestess. Now she is a firm-handed commander.”
“Don’t you start feeling as if you have lost her. Circumstances forced her hand. She had no choice,” Sarah replied silently. “If the women of her order are going to stubbornly resist her leadership, then she is going to have to force it on them. She knows what's at risk and that she can no longer afford a soft touch. Now, put your mind at ease, she is still loving of heart, and the same woman you married.”
He sincerely hoped that was true, but war had a way of hardening the heart. Thayle was going to lead her armies in suicidal assaults, and those deaths would be carried deep inside.
“I don’t want her to change either,” Sarah insisted, her voice sounding bitter. “I didn’t understand why you felt this way, but I do now. You don’t want her to become like us, with a coldness of heart and a calculating way of thinking.”
“Thayle was always good at calculating the best options, but she has strong empathy. She always considers the emotional side of things in her methods. I do not want her to lose that empathy.”
“Ulustrah chose her to lead the armies and be your wife for good reason,” Sarah replied. “You have to trust Thayle has the strength of heart to endure the path ahead. You have more important things to worry about at this moment. I heard Numidels report, our enemies are waiting just over the river and are ready for a fight.”
Gersius nodded and looked ahead to the distant plains. Somewhere just over the horizon was the river and beyond it the first bloody battle of his invasion of the old empire. “I have been thinking about that, and I have a plan, but I do not like it.”
“You don’t like your own plan?” Sarah pressed.
Gersius took a deep breath with closed eyes and visualized what he meant to do. He knew Sarah was watching as he went over the startling maneuver.
“I think that’s brilliant,” Sarah said. “Why are you so hesitant to use it?”
“Because the death toll of enemy soldiers will be staggering,” he replied. “I need these armies to survive the war so I can use them against the Doan.”
“Surely, you don't need every man. A powerful example made here might do a great deal to frighten your foes into laying down their arms elsewhere.”
Gersius opened his eyes and let his stress out in one long breath. Maybe Sarah was right, and a crushing victory now would frighten the other provinces into staying out of his way. Still, he hated the thought of slaughtering so many over a lie and worried about the bitterness his rule might bring. How many families would curse his name for the slaughter of their sons, husbands, fathers? They didn’t deserve to die over a lie, especially when it came from the lips of a man they should be able to trust.
“That was something else I didn’t understand,” Sarah interjected. “Your unwillingness to kill those who have fallen seems irrational. It is hard to see it your way, but I am grasping your concept of forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness and mercy are two sides of the same coin,” Gersius replied. “I struggle to understand how you can be a priestess of Astikar and not understand forgiveness.”
Sarah huffed out loud and bent her head around to glare at the man on her back. Her head was larger than a wagon, with a jaw broad enough to swallow two men whole.
“Don’t you question my faith,” she snapped. “I understand forgiveness. What I meant was I am coming to understand how you see it. I can forgive someone who made a mistake, but you do not blame people for crimes committed in ignorance even when they should not have been ignorant.”
“Every man in his ignorance causes some offense to someone at some time,” he replied. “If they were all punished, scarcely a man would live to see his children born.”
Sarah squinted her eyes at him as he looked up, refusing to be intimidated.
“I am not trying to intimidate you,” Sarah said. “I am simply trying to understand. I know my temper can flare at times, but I mean you no offense.”
“It is I who has offended you,” Gersius replied. “Forgive me. I did not mean to question your faith.” He looked away and watched the countryside roll by for a moment before continuing. “I have always believed the order of Astikar stood to preserve life and ensure justice. I agree these men should know better and realize they are being asked to betray their tenants. But I also know how powerful a lie can be, especially when it comes from one held to be infallible. Look at how Thayle struggled to deny that Yarvine could be at fault. How much harder it must it be when the man who is seen as Astikar's voice is the one speaking the lies? These men have homes and families on the line. If they stand against the Father Abbot, they may lose everything they have struggled to build. All they have to do is believe the lie, and they can keep going, ignorant of the rot in the most holy of places.”
Sarah sighed and turned her head so one blazing red eye could look deeply into his. “So we do agree that some of them realize what they are doing is wrong?”
“Of course,” Gersius nodded. “But even these men should be forgiven.”
Sarah huffed and looked about before coming back to his gaze. “You must have been a powerful priest of Astikar.”
Gersius smiled and replied. “Almost as strong as you.” He felt her emotions stir as he complimented her, the bind allowing him to feel every little feeling. Gersius changed his thoughts to ones of love, remembering the passion of having Sarah in his arms. Her expression changed immediately, and her head pulled away as if in shock.
“This is not the time for such thoughts,” she said in his mind causing him to chuckle.
“Thayle would say you are wrong. So would Lilly, for that matter.”
“Those two need a strong hand to guide them. You have let them run wild and behave like girls.”
“They are girls,” Gersius answered, now enjoying this little game.
“You know what I mean,” Sarah hissed. “They need to restrict this behavior to their private quarters. The rest of the camp needs to see them as symbols of strength and emissaries of the divine.”
“The rest of the camp knows they love each other, and many think it is beautiful,” Gersius corrected. Sarah threw her head high, mumbling in dragon to herself for a moment before changing the subject altogether.
“We can talk about this latter. Now that I know your plan for the army in our path, what about Calathen?” she pressed. “I am aware you want to keep this a secret, but you have no reason to hide it from me.”
Gersius nodded and focused his thoughts on his plan, showing Sarah every detail of what he intended to do. She saw how he would break the walls and get inside the city as well as how he intended to announce his plan to the leadership tonight.
“Why do you suddenly wish to share it?” she asked in concern.
“I am hoping our enemies will cower in fear when they learn there is no way to stop us.”
She admitted that his strategy was sound but didn't agree that there was no way to stop him. She reminded him of the serpents in his midst, and that treachery could get done what force of arms could not. A smile crossed his face as he agreed. That was exactly what he was hoping for.
“You feel very warm about your plan causing treachery,” Sarah remarked. “What aren’t you tell me?”
Gersius shared the rest with her as she walked along the road. A moment later, her head dipped low again to look into the face of the man she now called husband.
“I stand corrected; it is you who is the serpent in our midst.”
“One serpent, to destroy another,” Gersius replied, his smile never wavering.
“Hmph,” Sarah replied out loud before lifting her head but watching him with a wary eye. “I should have expected this from the man who let me stand naked before him for nearly a minute before telling me,” she said over the bind.
“I was enjoying the moment,” Gersius laughed as she looked away.
“So our wives know you saw me?”
“Lilly made me replay the moment in my dreams over and over so she could see,” he replied.
“She did what?” Sarah said out loud, dropping the bind in shock. She looked to the sky as Lilly circled above and focused her thoughts. “Young lady, you are in trouble.”
“What did I do?” Lilly replied in her thoughts.
“I have just learned you were peeping at me through our husband's dreams.”
“Oh, I did that a lot,” she admitted.
“I looked too,” Thayle added as Sarah sighed and threw her head down.
“What have I gotten myself into?”
“A family,” Gersius replied. “And you will never regret it.”
As the day wore long, scouts began to report in, meeting the army as it marched. The first reports told of enemy scouts scouring the lands ahead or moving in small packs. There were a few minor skirmishes with casualties on both sides, but early reports showed the road was clear to the river.
He was prepared to march on until Tavis and Ayawa arrived carrying Gedris. After their assurance, she was fine; they delivered a report. They brought startling news of dragon attacks and priestesses of Ulustrah working with the enemy. He called a halt and ordered the camp made ready under heavy guard. He kept nearly half the army on alert at any one time, ready to repel any attack and buy the rest time to prepare. He and Sarah then sat with the three to listen to the story.
Gersius and Sarah spent an hour listening to the details of their encounter. He was particularly impressed by the effectiveness of the southern warriors who killed a number of enemy scouts. They also captured letters and notes that Gersius and Sarah read in detail.
“One of their commanders is a buffoon,” Sarah said as she looked over the note. “He believes you will need a week to reach the river and have only half as many soldiers as you do. He dares to call a river a greater fortification than the walls of Calathen.”
Gersius nodded as he considered another message. It was a reminder to find and kill the scouts of the second company. Any group too large for the scouts to attack should be followed and marked so the dragon could deal with them.
“They have more dragons,” he said as she handed the letter to Sarah. She read through it with narrow eyes and a frown that matched her mood.
“Thayle needs to be told,” she said, tossing the letter to the table. “She needs to know Alayse is missing again and that the enemy is targeting her specifically.”
“Jessivel is looking for her as we speak,” Gersius reminded. “I gave him additional men to bolster his forces. He rides with fifty good fighters.”
“Are they a match for an old dragon?” Sarah asked.
Just as she made her point, a seeker arrived with a report. He was one of the few sent ahead to cross the river in plain clothes and contact their spy network. He reported that priests of Astikar were swelling in numbers ahead of him. Temples were being stripped of every remaining man to put them in his path. They scouted a dozen towns to find temples sealed and empty, their priests waiting over the river. There were large numbers of special priests direct from Calathen, flying the banner of the raven guard. Gersius could only assume these were more of the false priests, serving the Father Abbot directly instead of Astikar. The report contained information about nobles sending every man they could scrape up to bolster the defenses. The man couldn’t confirm much of the report, stating that some of it might only be rumor.
Gersius prayed Jessivel would return soon, and with Alayse. He needed the man to confirm some of the more dire reports, and he wanted Alayse for the river battle. Mobility was critical to the plan he was forming, so much so he planned to take horses from the lands ahead to mount even more of his army.
Even as he dismissed spy, more scouts began to arrive with reports of attacks and small squads of sappers moving around the landscape ahead. The enemy was making ready for a battle they were sure they would win. Gersius would use that to ensure they would not. As the reports kept coming, he and Sarah worked to put the picture together and plan how best to exploit their enemy’s overconfidence.
Lilly spent time with her small army that was rapidly turning into a unique force. The new armor made them stand out, especially since Lilly insisted they wear dark blue tunics over the top. She knew they were about to march into battle and spent her time giving them her dragon blessing. Gersius suggested this would be a good way to mark them as special and bolster their morale before battle.
She appointed a woman named Avaleen to lead them as their captain and organized them into three small ranks. She only had a few hundred women but wanted them to make a difference and show the world that Balisha was back. Once the city was taken, they would help build the temple to the goddess and finish the work the first dragon knight began.
A few of the younger ones would be kept out of the fighting if possible, most notably Culver, who Lilly insisted wasn't prepared for war. Gersius was of the mind that it would mature him and turn him into a man, but Lilly refused. She hated the thought that her fledgling faith might suffer terrible losses and be set back but knew they had to be a part of the struggle. This war was about restoring Balisha to the world now, and she wasn't going to fail.
Thayle had a much greater task with far more to manage. She was also busy organizing a force of sixteen hundred women to fulfill Gersius's new plan. Mingfe was impressed by its deviousness and remarked that he was far more creative than she had given him credit. She also reminded Thayle she wanted her rematch, forcing Thayle to promise to bring it up when she saw Gersius.
Thayle was diligent in displaying the sword, as per Gersius's instructions. She, too, listened to reports, one of which came from a southern warrior named Two Crows. Gersius told her he was watching Yarvine for them, and he reported that Yarvine was sending messenger pigeons daily. She had also burned a collection of letters and papers immediately after Thayle cast her down.
Thayle began to wonder if maybe it was time to open Yarvine’s wagon and seize what was inside. The only reason she hadn't done so already was because Gersius asked her not to. He was concerned that women acted to protect Yarvine and that pushing her again would invoke a stronger response. She knew Yarvine was hiding something and that any incriminating letters were going to vanish anyway. Still, there was the mater of the person inside the wagon, believed to be a scryer. She made a note to confront Yarvine again and demand the scryer be placed in her personal charge. She would see this man under heavy guard to prevent any further deaths.
With a sigh, she thanked Two Crows and asked him to keep her informed of any change in Yarvine's behavior.
Afterward, she called an assembly and addressed the women of her order as holy warriors destined for glory. She reiterated her words of the day before that this battle was over the truth, and the only way out of it was to forsake Ulustrah. Their only path was forward into the maw of the enemy, where blood would be shed. With a silent prayer, she asked Ulustrah to save as many as she could.
Sarah spent the first few hours with Gersius making sense of the reports. The enemy was still on the other side of the river, and only roving bands of scouts were across. These were attacking their scouts and watching for Alayse, desperate to keep her from linking up with Gersius. She offered to fly out and search for Alayse herself and ensure the woman's arrival.
Gersius agreed but suggested she speak to her small following of women of Astikar. He wanted them to be front and center as the army marched into the empire. All the lands would see that women were welcome in the order and that some had already joined. She agreed and spoke with her small group and told them of the struggle ahead. With words of fire, she encouraged them to fight for the honor of Astikar and restore women to their rightful place at his side. No longer would these lies be tolerated; it was time for the house of Astikar to be righted. They would lead the charge and help establish the new order. With her bold words echoing in their hearts, she left them to begin her next task. She took her dragon form and left, flying to the southeast in search of Jessivel and Alayse. With any luck, this rogue dragon would be here someplace, and she could remove one more from their path.
Tavis, Ayawa, and a very tired Gedris sat in for the reports and meetings as Gersius called some of the leadership to discuss what was about to happen. He spoke to Lengwin, who was concerned about how slow the advance might be. Gersius understood his worries and did his best to assure the man it would be as rapid as possible, but not reckless. Lengwin stressed how important it was to recover the seal of Astikar before the Father Abbot could use it for some terrible act. Gersius did his best to appease the man and finally decided to call a full meeting. He asked that every member of the leadership down to squad captains be present and gave them four hours to assemble.
Sarah was back just over three hours later and, after a quick change, went directly to their tent to find people already gathering for the meeting.
“I need to speak with you alone,” she said, interrupting his conversation with some of the commanders. Gersius nodded and excused himself, going with her to their private space where Thayle sat with Lilly. “Good, you two are here as well.”
“Is something wrong?” Thayle asked.
Sarah glared at them with eyes of fire before turning back to Gersius. “They have three dragons.”
“What?” Gersius sputtered in shock. “How can you know that?”
“I saw them,” she replied. “They are scouring the countryside to the south between the river and the north roads. I can only assume they are looking for this, Alayse.”
“Why would you assume that?” Thayle asked with a confused expression.
Sarah turned on Gersius and folded her arms. “You didn’t tell her?”
Gersius ran a hand through his wild hair as he looked at Thayle, who was lost to what was going on.
“I haven’t had time,” he replied.
“You need to tell her, now,” Sarah pressed.
“Tell me what?” Thayle asked.
Gersius relayed what they learned from Tavis and Ayawa and what was in the captured letters.
“That’s why you sent Sarah south,” Thayle sighed. “But if they are still looking for Alayse, that means they haven’t found her.”
Gersius was impressed at her ability to pick up that important detail and see the hope.
“Jessivel is out looking for her,” he reminded. “If she is in hiding, he will find her and be able to sneak her away from the dragons.”
Thayle nodded and looked up with a stern gaze to her eyes. “I spoke to Two Crows, Yarvine sent messenger pigeons and burned some documents. I am beginning to think I have been too soft on her. The visions are clear a woman of Ulustrah is going to betray us. It can only be her.”
Gersius looked to Sarah, who nodded in silent acknowledgment that Thayle was changing and beginning to see the truth.
“We all suspect it is her, but I am being careful not to accuse her of something I can not prove,” he replied.
“I will drag her before the whole of the camp and ask her directly if she was involved in Jaylis's death,” Thayle answered. “If she refuses to answer, I will take that as a sign of guilt.”
“And how many women will come to her aid before you can ask the question?” Gersius asked.
“I have to do something,” Thayle insisted. “If she is betraying us, I have to put a stop to it.”
“You needn’t soil your hands,” Sarah said. “Our husband has a plan to lure the viper into the open.”
Thayle and Lilly looked to him as he nodded in agreement but assured them it needed to be kept secret.
“Even from us?” Lilly asked with a hurt expression.
“I need you to trust me,” Gersius said. “It will all make sense after it is done, and you will understand why.”
Lilly shrugged, but Thayle shook her head. “This is my problem, and I don't like it that you are keeping it a secret from me. I am even more bothered that you chose to share it with Sarah and not me.”
Sarah turned to face her and took a scolding look. “He only told me because I have no role to play in it. Since your role is vital, he has to keep the information carefully hidden.”
“And what of the letters Yarvine sending?” Thayle asked. “She may be warning them of our every move.”
“We may be, but we must deal with a prime carefully,” Gersius insisted.
“You threatened to kill her!” Thayle argued, reminding him that dealing with her carefully was not his best suit.
He sighed and stepped to her, kneeling and taking her hands.
“I know what I said, but I realized what an opportunity we have in Yarvine, and I want to make use of it.”
There was a silence as Sarah smiled and Lilly asked the obvious question.
“What opportunity?”
With a smirk, Gersius stood and turned to Sarah. “What did that letter from the commander say?”
“The fool who thinks it will take you days to reach the river?” Sarah asked.
Gersius nodded and paced, turning to address them all. “While you two were away to find Alayse, I kept Yarvine busy in meetings. I was trying to drown her in minutia, but I realize there was a better use for them. I lamented in one such meeting that our army moved too slowly and would need five days or more to reach the river.”
“And word got back to our enemy,” Sarah said with an approving nod. “She is warning them somehow, and you used it as a weapon against them.
Gersius held up a hand and nodded.
“I will kill her!” Thayle yelled and jumped to her feet.
“No,” Gersius said. “I intend to put this weapon to use for us once again. If my plans are going to leak through her to our enemies, then let her hear what I plan.”
“I stripped her of her position,” Thayle reminded. “She isn’t going to be at the meeting.”
“But a hundred of your officers will. Word of what I say will reach her ears, and she will act.”
“I don’t know if I like this sneaky Gersius,” Thayle said. “I much prefer the honest and open man I fell in love with.”
“I am dealing with a viper and coaxing it to bite its own tail,” Gersius replied.
Thayle sighed with a look of aggravation but agreed to follow his lead. They exited the private chambers to find the tent swelling with people. Gersius was careful to seat them, so he had room to pace at one end of the tent. He then stepped back until the aura's of his wives faded from view.
He explained his goals for the coming battle and addressed the largest concern. How the army would cross the river with the enemy entrenched on the far side. The bridge was destroyed, burned away to deny him access, and force them to wade the river. He outlined a strategy that involved going wide around the enemy in two forks and using the dragons to freeze the water. It was the same strategy as the last river battle, but it would be from two sides this time. Many nodded heads, impressed, but a few looked skeptical, most notably his wives.
He impressed on them the need for secrecy and assured them the attack would begin at first light the next day. There were some grumbles but no open objections, so he moved on to his next point.
A special unit of the women of Ulustrah was being formed for this particular battle. He needed these women to cooperate with the men of Astiakr in a new formation. He wasn't giving them any time to practice the formation but knew they wouldn't need it. The plan caused a great deal of complaining from some of the lesser commanders. They didn’t like the role of the women of Ulustrah being relegated to support. Chiune was particularly vocal that her forces were veterans of several small wars and not accustomed to being in the background. Gersius pointed out that her forces were not going to be used in the formation; instead, they would be the bait. Pushed to the front to make the enemy think he meant to cross the river directly and in force.
Since there was no word of Alayse, he didn't bother to outline her role in the battle. He would fight this with the forces he had and push through to victory. It was two hours into the meeting when he finally paused for dramatic effect, turning to sweep the room with his eyes.
“I know many of you think we are marching to our deaths. You fear that even I can not break the walls of Calathen. This gives rise to doubt, and with doubt comes a weak heart for the struggle ahead. I wish to tell you how I intend to take the city.” Every eye fixed on him as a hush fell over the assembled leaders. Gersius stood tall and kept a strong face as he explained his plan in detail.
“The swords Thayle and I carry are made by the divines. They allow us to work blessings of great power and to achieve things normally beyond mortal limits. I am going to use my sword to channel the divine power of Astikar into Thayle. She will use her sword to grow vines so large they will buckle and break the golden gates. Her vines will throw them down, opening the city in a matter of moments. Our forces will charge the open gates and enter the city in a rapid move.” He could see the shock on their faces as his plan was explained, and the more tactical of them began to voice concern.
“Even if you break the gates, we will suffer terrible losses getting through them,” Chiune remarked. “Unless you take the walls, their archers and weavers will take a terrible toll.”
“And the raven guard will be on hand to oppose us,” Lengwin reminded him. “The streets behind the gates will be full of soldiers.”
Gersius knew this already but insisted it was the only way. The cost would be high, but the price needed to be paid if the Father Abbot was to be thrown down. He ended the meeting before too many questions could be asked, and he ran out of answers. The leadership filed out as his wives moved to join him, their expressions very different.
Sarah was amused, and Thayle felt shocked, but Lilly was full of worry. She excused herself and ran off to seek her followers. Gersius could see she was worried that some of them might die, and in particular, Culver. He told her to go and see to the faithful and prepare them for what was ahead.
As he retired to their private chambers, Sarah and Thayle followed him in, waiting for an explanation.
“You told them how we were going to take the city?” Thayle asked in shock, knowing Yarvine was going to learn of it.
“I need you to trust me on this,” Gersius replied. “You will understand when my plan has reached fruition.”
“I am leading thousands of women, potentially to their deaths, and I am expected just to trust you when you are keeping a secret from me?”
Gersius moved to stand before her and looked deep into her eyes. “Look at my aura as I speak to you. I love you, and I am only keeping you in the dark because it will help you. If I tell you the truth, it will become a stumbling block and potentially ruin what I am doing. I promise to explain everything when the time is right.”
“When the time is right, she won't need an explanation,” Sarah added.
Thayle took a deep breath and let out a long, soothing exhale. His aura showed the truth that whatever he was keeping needed to be kept. “Alright, I trust you. I am just under a great deal of stress.”
“Which I am attempting to help reduce,” Gersius replied, then looked up. Sarah and Thayle also looked up as Lilly felt very emotional. She was too far away to pinpoint the emotion but felt strongly about something.
“What is that all about?” Sarah asked.
“She is worried her followers are going to die,” Thayle said. “She is particularly worried about the young ones like Culver.”
“Culver is old enough to be a man,” Gersius corrected.
Thayle shook her head and put away the sensation of Lilly. “Barely, emotionally, he is a boy, and Lilly has become very protective. You know he was her first pick and has been working with him.”
Gersius shrugged and turned back to Sarah, who felt odd now.
“Is something wrong?” he asked as she turned and shook her head.
“No, I was having a thought, nothing more,” she replied and took a firm gaze. “You have set your gamble in motion. Let us hope it pays off.”
Gersius nodded with a dire look in his eyes. “Let us hope indeed.”
That night Thayle left to speak with Mingfe and found her beside Shadros, who was sitting in his human form, eagerly devouring a steak. She bid her guards wait and approached the two alone.
“What did your fool husband think he was doing?” Mingfe scolded as Thayle approached. “He told them how he intended to break the gates!”
Thayle sighed and explained the mystery and that she wasn't even in on it.
“He keeps it even from you?” Mingfe asked.
“He says my knowing will spoil it,” Thayle replied. “I saw his aura, and it was truthful, but I can't move beyond the doubt.”
“Why would you doubt?” Shadros asked as he looked up. “He has accomplished everything he said he would do so far.”
Thayle nearly laughed to hear Shadros of all people defending Gersius. “And when did you start paying attention to what we do?”
He nodded to Mingfe as he chewed another bite. “She tells me all of your stories. She says I need to learn to appreciate what humans can do.” He paused as his eyes narrowed, a thought working through his mind. “Is it true that Sarah has joined your group?”
“Call it a family, and yes, she has,” Thayle replied.
“I told you that already. Did you not believe me?” Mingfe scolded.
“I can hardly believe a dragon of her age and power would stoop so low!” he growled back. “I assumed you were mistaken.”
“So not only am I mistaken but having a relationship with me is stooping low for you?” Mingfe asked as he looked away.
“Somebody is going to be sleeping in a field alone tonight,” Thayle laughed.
Mingfe frowned at him and turned back to Thayle with a pout. “I have to agree with Shadros. Your husband has done all he said he would. If he feels this is the correct course, then maybe it is.”
“I don’t like that I am a pawn in his plan,” Thayle said.
“He has promised you would understand?”
“Yes,” Thayle said irritably.
Mingfe looked sympathetic but agreed that if Yarvine was feeding the enemy information, then she could be used to their advantage. The key was making sure she didn’t know they were on to her.
“We are followers of a goddess who values the truth,” Thayle pointed out. “I find it hard to accept this devious streak he suddenly has. Honestly, I feel it would be better to kill Yarvine and be done with it.”
Mingfe looked at her with a penetrating gaze and stepped forward as she looked at Thayle’s aura.
“Sarah is affecting you,” she said. “These words are hers, not yours. Was it wise to take her into your binding?”
Thayle looked aghast at the suggestion, but Mingfe pressed the point. Sarah was known for her direct solutions to problems. Kill the offending person and move on was very much her way of thinking. Thayle began to wonder if Sarah was affecting her and the sudden strong desire to be rid of Yarvine was her doing.
“I hadn’t considered that,” Thayle replied.
Mingfe turned to look at Shadros and spoke with a sad tone. “When he took my bind, I began to feel something of him. There was anger and tension that affected my judgment. But my bind is one way while yours is both. I can only imagine how much stronger Sarah's influence over you is. You can read her thoughts and hear her voice in your head.”
Thayle looked away, afraid to admit Mingfe was right. Sarah had to be influencing her thinking, but maybe that was for the better? Look at what that influence had done? She needed to take a firmer hand in things, and she did. If that was because of Sarah's influence, then it was a welcome change.
With a sigh, she put the thought away and to focus on the matter at hand. “Have you selected the women Gersius needs?”
“They are ready as instructed,” Mingfe replied with a smile. “His plan for them is brilliant.”
“I know it is,” Thayle replied. “But I still feel off about it.”
“You are stressed over the looming battle,” Mingfe comforted. “We all are. You should spend some time in the camp and talk to the women in small groups. It would do you well to reconnect to your sisters.”
Thayle felt slightly better and spent some time in the camp talking to nervous women. Many of them pressed her to see the sword, some even daring to touch the strange metal.
“Can this really break the gates of the city?” a woman asked.
Thayle nodded as she held the blade up. “The priests of Astikar and Balisha can channel their power directly into another. Gersius intends to channel Astikars power through his sword directly into me, and I will channel it with Ulustrah's power through the sword. It should cause a growth of vines that will tear the gates from the walls.”
“How close will you have to get?”
Thayle looked up at the blade, unsure how to answer that. “I suppose we will need to be rather close.”
This led to questions about how they would get so close without being slaughtered. Thayle found herself echoing Gersius and encouraging them to trust him. As the night approached, she grew tired of explaining the plan and retreated to their private quarters, eager to be alone. She found Gersius and Sarah sharing a kiss, and suddenly her worries were forgotten. How her heart enjoyed seeing expressions of love and how she enjoyed being part of it. They looked up as they read her thoughts and beckoned her to their arms. For the next hour, she was part of it, fully embraced in the love of a man and a dragon.
Lilly straightened her dress as she entered the tent and made her way toward their private chambers. She felt strong emotions from her lovers a little over an hour ago and hoped they hadn't made love without her. She was startled when Sarah stepped away from a side table where the wine sat and glared with narrow eyes. She walked directly to Lilly, pausing a moment to sniff before taking a sip of wine.
“Did you prepare your followers?” she asked.
Lilly sighed and nodded. “I did all I could to make them ready.”
“You do know that some of them are going to die?”
Lilly closed her eyes and nodded gently as her emotions swirled. She was surprised when Sarah set her wine on the nearby table then wrapped her in an embrace.
“Child of the scale, you have bound your heart so close to those of men. I pray you will not suffer when one of their short lives comes to an end.”
“It isn’t fair their lives are so short,” Lilly replied. “How did Numidel deal with this pain?”
Sarah held her out and looked into her blue eyes with a smile. “He hurts over the loss of his love every day, but he would say it was worth it. He values the time they had as a treasured memory.”
“I don’t want to miss them,” Lilly replied. “I can’t do it.”
Sarah pulled her back, wrapping her head with a hand to cradle her to a shoulder. “Shhh. Child, we don’t know if we will lose them. Numidel didn’t share a bind with his mate. Let us hold on to hope that will make all the difference.”
Lilly sniffed with a nod but melted as Sarah warmly held on. She started to smile as she read Sarah’s thoughts, fighting a giggle as Sarah realized her mind was being read.
“It isn’t strange to be holding another dragon,” Lilly said. “You held me in the dream and told me you wanted it to always be like that.”
“Child, I was caught up in the moment and feeling very emotional. Now that I have had time to think, I am aware that not only are we both female dragons, but you are vastly younger than me.”
“So?” Lilly asked innocently. “Can’t I love you despite all that?”
Sarah smiled and rubbed at the back of her head. “Thayle told me if I ever wanted to understand love to learn it from you. I can see why she said that.”
“I wish I could teach everyone love,” Lilly sighed.
Sarah smiled as she took a deep inhale of Lilly's scent. Lilly was so giving and eager to share for a dragon. She wondered if that was the result of the bind or part of Lilly's nature. Before she could reach any consensus, Thayle entered from their private quarters and came to them with a smile.
“I thought I felt somebody radiating love,” she said with a glance at Sarah. Lilly was freed from her embrace and turned to hug Thayle. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I am fine,” Lilly replied as Sarah tilted her head with a confused look.
“She reacts very strongly when you call her sweetheart.”
Lilly smiled as Thayle explained how it was her special way of addressing Lilly. As they spoke, the tent opened from outside, and Numidel walked in. He looked directly at Sarah and smiled wide before making his way to them.
“Oh, my,” Sarah growled as he approached.
“Lady, Sarah,” Numidel called. “Have you been avoiding me these past few days?”
Thayle tried not to laugh as she took Lilly's hand and nodded to the door. “Come on, let's go see if the kitchens have anything to eat. Sarah and Numidel need some time to talk.”
Sarah snatched up her wine and sat at the table as Thayle and Lilly passed Numidel with a smile.
“I have so looked forward to talking to you,” Numidel said in too happy a tone.
“Not a word,” Sarah said as he sat beside her, a smile on his face.
“You look positively glowing this evening,” he commented as if he hadn’t heard her.
“Aren't you about to fly out and scout the riverbank?” she snarled with a death grip on her goblet.
“I have some time yet before I go,” he replied with a look of amusement. “Besides, I heard a rumor that I had to verify.”
She sighed and stared deeper into the wine hoping something would attack the camp to give her an excuse to leave.
“I suppose you know,” she said, not bothering to look up.
“The whole camp knows,” Numidel said. “Did they not tell you how they discovered it?”
“Lilly told me it was in the book of prophecy,” Sarah snapped.
Numidel laughed as his smile spread.
“Lilly carried the book into a meeting and threw it down before many of the leaders. She then asked me to read the page that named you as his wife. I must say I have never been so pleased to read something in all my life.”
She let out a deep sigh to know he had been directly involved. She would have to speak to Lilly about it later and question why she choose him. Her tension only grew as he continued to stare, and she realized he needed to know.
“I told them,” she replied after a moment.
“Told them what?”
“About us,” Sarah growled.
“What about us?” Numidel asked.
“I told them we mated,” Sarah snapped, finally lifting her head to look at him. “And I told them about our daughter.”
“Why?” he asked. “I told them I killed the dragon. Why didn’t you leave it at that?”
Sarah shook her head and looked around the nearly empty tent. “I don’t know why. Ever since I was bound, I have had the urge to tell them everything. I feel as if keeping a secret is a terrible burden. I felt like it mattered, and they should know what I did.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Numidel insisted. “Your calling came, I was there, that’s all it was.”
“Why must you be so agreeable all the time?” she said with a firm stare. Sometimes his gentle nature made her want to punch him. “Why is nobody upset at what I did?”
“Because you had no choice,” Numidel argued. “Why would anybody hold such an act against you when there was nothing you could do?”
Sarah looked away and took a sip of her wine as Numidel repeated what Gersius said.
“Thayle says I need to forgive myself.”
“You do,” Numidel agreed. “You have tortured yourself long enough over this.”
“The first dragon knight should have taken me so I could have killed the monster that did that to our daughter,” Sarah said as the pain gripped her heart.
“Sarah, tell me, if you had gone with the first dragon knight, would you be as happy as you are now?”
She paused in her thoughts to consider that point of view. How could she possibly know that? Maybe they would have found love, and she would have been his wife. Maybe they would have found other women as well and had the same thing?
“You’re trying to find a way to say yes,” Numidel said after she didn’t reply. “We both know you would not have been.”
“How can you be so sure?” Sarah asked. “We might have become husband and wife.”
“Really,” Numidel asked. “And what was it that opened your eyes to this possibility?”
”I don’t know,” she lied, as her logical nature decried her foolishness.
“I know as well as you do that Lilly is the one who opened the door.”
She had to close her eyes as the truth of his words wounded her. He was right; she would never have pursued this without Lilly to show her the way. Had she gone with the first dragon knight, she might have had the relationship she initially expected. Comrades in arms at best, with her, always looking down on the human as the inferior.
“It might have been harder, but maybe,” Sarah tried to argue.
“And what happens to you when he is killed?” Numidel pressed.
“I would have saved him,” Sarah boldly stated.
“Sarah, he knew he was going to die. I have read the first few pages of the book, and he laments failing Balisha as his death draws near.”
“What? Why wouldn’t he act to prevent it?” Sarah demanded as she tried to think of why any man would give up like that.
“The divines told him the end had come,” Numidel said. “He acted too late, and the outcome was all but certain. They told him what to write in the book, so Gersius and his three wives would be recognized.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed the last of her wine before replying.
“It addresses me by name?”
“It says the Queen of the red star is his wife, and his right hand.”
“His right hand?” Sarah asked. “I am the last to his side. He already has Lilly and Thayle.”
“Lilly is his heart, Thayle is his hope, and you are his strength,” Numidel said with a gentle tone. “Together, you are a force to be reckoned with and a terror to your enemies.”
Sarah leaned back as water began to rim her eyes. “Tell me, how long did you have with your lover?”
Numidel lost his smile and looked away as a pain renewed in his heart.
“You know the curse drove us apart,” he replied.
“But you had many years,” Sarah pressed. “Was she aging?”
Numidel sighed and drummed a hand on the table as he replied. “She was.”
“So they will grow old and die in the blink of an eye,” Sarah stated. “I have found this love only to be doomed to lose it.”
“You will have Lilly for many long years,” Numidel said, trying to soothe her.
Sarah looked up as if hoping the divines would shed some light on this terrible curse.
“Why do dragons fall in love with something they will never be able to keep?”
“Humans fall in love and lose that love all the time,” Numidel replied. “As painful as it is, it is part of what makes them unique.”
“Suffering makes them unique?”
Numidel cleared his throat and stood as Sarah watched him.
“It is the power of their emotions that makes them unique. We dragons live long lives devoid of any reason to feel emotion aside from arrogance. Humans live short lives rich in a broad spectrum of emotion, good and bad, joy and pain. You can't appreciate one until you have experienced the other.”
“Will you ever take another?” Sarah asked as he looked away.
“I have endured all the pain I care to,” he replied. “I am sorry, but I must prepare for my flight.”
Sarah said nothing as he left. She focused on the hope she gave Lilly, that somehow the bind would change the outcome. If it didn't, she would never forgive the divines for making her suffer so.
Comments
WhiteRabbit
latter ->later. Thanks for the chapter, looking forward to this devious plan.
Once again, sorry for the delay. I work every day now. Today, tomorrow, every day after. Then I come home and take care of my disabled wife, who has been alone all day. Sometimes I am simply too tired to write, others to busy with home things. I say this only as an excuse for myself. I want you all to know I love this story above all, and I will keep writing it until it is done, but I may be late here and there. Enjoy!
