Omnixius
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DKP 4-11 A magical secret.
🕑 Added 2019-11-15 21:33:13 +0000 UTC
Lilly landed in her private ring and settled low so the others could climb down. It was already late into the night, so Lengwin excused himself and hurried away. Thayle waited for Lilly to change forms and then helped her into a robe for the short walk to the bedroom. Gersius waited just outside the landing ring. It had only one entrance, and this was aligned with the back entrance of the meeting tent. This way, the guards at the back door could also watch her landing ring. He looked down the wall of the tent to see a guard every fifteen feet. There was no longer any risk taken with their security, and guards were composed of both Astikar and Ulustrah. Thayle arrived with Lilly in tow, and they hurried inside the larger tent. Gersius nodded to the guards as they saluted, and went inside after them.
The night had born such fruit. Not only was the king not a threat to them, but now, he was going to help. He pledged the support of his kingdom to Gersius. With this came two hundred of the pikemen that blocked their path in the streets. These, along with the priests of Astikar and priestesses of Ulustrah, would start marching to his camp in the morning. This meant they needed to wait two days for the new forces to arrive, but it was well worth it. Two hundred heavy infantry would make a huge difference on the battlefield. They would come with their own wagons, field supplies, and commanding officers.
The king was also going to send garrisons to watch every empty temple of Ulustrah inside his borders. They would all be protected while they sat empty. This made Thayle exceedingly happy, and she tried to thank the man. The king would not have her thanks. He insisted that he hadn't begun to pay her back the kindness she had shown. She had revealed a jealous truth, and when she had the upper hand showed mercy. Thanks to Thayle, Rachel was redeemed and allowed the love she wanted.
Gersius didn't realize just how deeply the truth was cutting the women of Ulustrah. Until Rachel, he hadn't appreciated how painful it must be to forsake the love they want to follow the goddess. He thought of his own time with Astikar and how his duty locked him to the same fate. He tried to step down, giving up his command to be free to love and raise a family. However, there was always a new challenge for the order to face, and the order always called his name.
The king deeply loved Rachel, and he sought her hand for many long years. She must have fought the battle of faith daily, continually choosing to honor Ulustrah over her own desires. She assumed Ulustrah would reward her for her faith, but then Thayle came along. She wore a mark of shame on her face and swept Rachel aside, taking command. Rachel saw it as a grave insult and could not believe she would be so humiliated after the sacrifice she made. She was already bitter with regret over the love she wanted. When Thayle arrived, it turned that bitterness to acid.
Thayle had done the impossible. She reached out to Ulustrah and asked her to judge who was true and right. The very stones split under Thayle's feet, so Ulustrah's flowers could bloom around her. Rachel saw the light of Ulustrah's blessing taken away in a painful display. It was awe-inspiring to see just how favored Thayle was. Then to see Thayle take Rachel's shame away and redeem her not only to Ulustrah but to the man she loved. Gersius couldn't imagine a more devoted and focused woman.
Gersius Glanced at Thayle as they walked across the tent. There were two black tears under her eye now. Thayle used holy water so sacred and powerful it was meant for great services or tremendous acts of growth. Instead, she used it to aid one fallen woman, to give back her power and years. To do so was a violation of Ulustrah's commands, but once again, Thayle was forgiven, the mark was proof of that.
Into their private quarters, they went. Thankfully, he hadn't much trouble with the sight all evening. Thayle held his hand for much of it, but even when she let go, he found it easy to dismiss. Now and then, he called it back to see their aura's for a few seconds before he lost focus.
Thayle was quiet now that they were home. She undressed from her armor and let out a groan as the weight came off. Gersius stacked his plates on a table to put away in the morning. He looked up to see Lilly helping Thayle with her shirt, pulling it away to reveal the woman beneath. Briefly, they went into each other's arms and shared a kiss. Lilly then cradled Thayle to her chest and held the back of her head.
He could feel Thayle's emotions over the bind. She was sad and confused. The whole ordeal was a strain as she pretended to be fine and put on a strong face. Inside she wanted to be home in the quiet of their tent.
Gersius undressed and joined them, wrapping them both in a gentle hug. Lilly's head went to his shoulder, and she closed her eyes even as she stood holding Thayle.
“Let us go to bed,” he whispered. “We deserve the peace of sleep.”
Together they climbed into the sheets, sharing gentle kisses as they settled in. They skipped making love to lay quietly in each other's arms tightly wound together as the darkness took them away.
The hours of the night seemed unnaturally long as the dreams of the three intermingled. It wasn’t until the early hours when the sun was just beyond the horizon Thayle awoke.
She sat up, gasping for air, and turned to look at Gersius. Her face was beaded with sweat and her eyes rimmed with tears. Lilly opened her eyes and stroked Thayle's arm.
“What is wrong, my love?” Lilly asked softy.
Thayle shook her head. “He is dreaming about what they did to him at Whiteford. The suffering he endured is unimaginable.”
Lilly frowned and closed her eyes, looking into Gersius's dream. She bolted upright and reached down to shake him.
“Gersius, wake up!” Lilly barked.
He woke with a start and a cry of pain. He turned and saw the pained looks on the faces of his wives, and he knew immediately what was wrong.
“I, I am sorry, I can not control it,” he said, turning to sit on the side of the bed.
“I had no idea how terrible it was,” Thayle said, trying not to cry.
“You saw it then?” he asked in a somber voice, not looking back at her.
“Gersius, no wonder you were so devastated. I can't believe they did that to you,” Thayle cried, losing the battle with her tears.
He turned and wrapped her into his arms and cradled her to his chest. “It is alright, Thayle. It is in the past.”
“You suffered all that to keep Lilly safe!” Thayle cried and turned in his arms to look at Lilly. “He did that all for you?”
Lilly closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Why do you think I started to love him as I did? I know what he did for me. I could not believe he suffered to keep the secret of my name. It took me a few days as we traveled to Eastgate. But slowly, I began to understand just how much he had endured for me.”
“You never talked about it?” Thayle said.
“What was I supposed to say? I didn't understand what love was. All I knew was he had chosen to die rather than betray me. I saw the broken body they dragged out in that courtyard, and I knew he looked like that because he wanted to protect me.” Lilly paused and looked up into Gersius's eyes. “It was in those days afterward that I began to feel something for you. The more I thought about what happened, the more I understood how I felt. If you hadn't of unbound me, I might have gotten there sooner.”
“I caused the loss of your wings. Because of me, you were dragged out and put on display in a city, just like you feared. I failed you and proved I could not protect you. I wanted you to be free to choose your own path.”
Lilly nodded. “Have you considered that maybe this had to happen for my sake?”
He and Thayle both looked at her with low brows and lost eyes.
“What I mean is, as terrible as that was, it was the catalyst that changed how I see you. That terrible moment was what brought you to my heart. I was still very much the dragon, and you were still very much the human. I had feelings, but you were not my love. Seeing your sacrifice for me made you my love. Maybe Astikar knew I needed this push. Maybe your suffering was my fault?”
“Lilly, you can not assume that,” Gersius said, reaching a hand up to touch her face.
“Can you deny that it is possible? That the curse and my stubborn pride could only have been broken by your suffering?” she asked.
He looked down at Thayle, and she could only shake her head slightly with a mouth open to speak but with no words. His eyes went back to Lilly, and he smiled. “So I am a bigger fool than I thought,” he said, releasing Thayle from his arms.
“Why do you say that?” Thayle asked.
“Astikar was right. He told me this path, though painful, was the only way to ensure Lilly and I came together. He told me that any other path ended in death. But look now at all we have learned. Astikar worked to bring Lilly and I together, Ulustrah sent her champion to keep us together, and Balisha now works to keep us all safe. I have three divines all blessing me, and I could not see it.”
Thayle put an arm around him and rested her head on his chest. “None of us saw it until just now. Not the dragon, not the champion, and not the Knight Captain. When the divines set a plan in motion, nobody sees it until well after the plan unfolds.”
Gersius lowered his chin and rested it on Thayle’s head as he took a deep breath.
“I owe Astikar an apology. When the priests meet for prayers this morning, I will join them for a chant of praise.”
“I get to hear you sing a song of Astikar again?” Lilly said, her eyes lighting up.
“I have so wanted to hear it again myself,” Thayle said, her head still nestled to his chest.
“Yes, you will both get to hear me chant to Astikar. It is the least I can do for him.” He began to stroke Thayle’s hair with his hand and closed his eyes. “Was it really that terrible of a dream?”
“It is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life!” Thayle cried. “I never want to see it again. It was so powerful I saw it over my dream and woke up.”
Gersius held her tight and continued to stroke her. “I am sorry you saw that. I have no control over what I dream. Hopefully, with time, the memory will fade.”
“I will wake you up every time you relive that awful experience,” Lilly said, leaning over to rest against Thayle's back. “I will not allow you to suffer like that ever again, in a dream or in life.”
“Nor will I,” Thayle agreed.
Gersius reached out and wrapped Lilly in an arm and pressed them both to his chest. “Thank you, my wives. You make all the suffering worth it.”
“It will take ten lifetimes of loving you to make all that suffering worth it,” Lilly said.
“I hope we get that much time,” Thayle said.
They decided to get up and prepare for the day with quiet morning prayers. They meditated as they often did, sitting in each other's lap as they opened to the divine. When the sun rose, and the rest of the camp began to stir, they set out on the morning chores.
Gersius led the acolytes through practice before turning them over to Lilly for prayers. Afterward, he did as he said and joined the priests of Astikar to sing praise to the god he once called his own. Lilly, Thayle, and several others gathered to hear him sing, and it quickly spread through the camp.
Afterward, they met for a morning meeting, and the issue of a spy in the camp was addressed. Thayle wanted to test every member of the camp to see if she could find them. Gersius pointed out that the real question was how the messages were being delivered. Rachel made sense because she had a scryer, absent a scryer, how could the Father Abbot be getting messages?
Lengwin put forth the notion that their might not be a spy at all. The Father Abbot may have learned through other means.
Very little was accomplished at the meeting. It was decided they would wait for the king's heavy infantry to arrive and use the time for extra training and preparations. Thayle was particularly pleased with the arrangement. Shadros was responding to human food and was rather fond of roast duck and honeyed bread. He also liked wines, which Mingfe was using to try to loosen him up. Gersius was amazed at how hard the woman was working to break through to him. She said she would find a way to love him, but Gersius still has his doubts.
After the meeting, Gersius practiced the aura sight with Thayle for an hour before she had to go and train her women.
He then spent another hour practicing the sight with a priestess of Ulustrah, who was sworn to secrecy. The woman looked terribly nervous as he stared at her trying to focus the sight. She muttered a few times about it being unnatural. He let her remarks go and focused as Thayle had shown him on holding a clean outline. The going was slow, but he could see progress, and that was enough. At least he was more reliably blocking the sight out altogether, or he would never be able to look at Lilly.
He dismissed the woman when his eyes became sore. He decided to fill a cup of wine and rest at the table in the middle of the tent. His mind was working on a question he had wanted to ask but never did. As if the fates wanted him to know the answer, Lilly walked in with a plate of steaming food. She sat across from him and began to pick at cuts of meat and a pile of beans.
Gersius looked at Lilly across the table and tapped a finger on the wood. “Lilly, there is something I have wanted to ask you for a while now.”
Lilly looked up from her food and looked into his eyes. “What is that?”
He took a small breath opened his mouth, stumbling to begin. “How did the red dragon steal your hoard?”
Lilly put her fork down and chewed on her lip. “Why do you want to know this?”
He noticed the apprehension in her voice and the sudden nervous twitch of her hands.
“I am just curious. You told me once you had a decent hoard. I wondered how he carried it off.”
Lilly nodded and put her fork down.
“I suppose that question does make sense considering what I have told you,” she said, now looking around as if searching for a way out.
He could feel her tension across the bind as she became upset.
“Why is this upsetting you?” he asked.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and put her hands down on the table. “I told you many things I probably never should have. I told you about how we fed on the magic in certain metals and made you aware we dragons understood a certain level of magic.”
“Yes you did, why would you regret telling me that?”
“Gersius, you never asked me if I knew magic.”
Gersius leaned back in his chair and stared at her across the table.
“You know how to weave magic?”
She nodded her head, and he could feel her regret across the bind again.
“We dragons don’t frequently use weaves. That is how you humans tap into magic. We dragons absorb the magic from our hoards and can then call on it latter to do certain things. It is another of the reasons why dragons build hoards. But to be clear since I don’t want it to appear I am deceiving you; I do know how to weave many spells as well.”
“Why did you never tell me?” he asked, feeling a little hurt.
“I told you things openly because I was afraid, and talking to you made you seem friendlier. I was hurting over what had happened to me and afraid of where we were going.” She paused and looked away. “But much of what I told you I should not have.”
“Why not? It has not caused any harm.”
“My mother always encouraged me to keep to myself and keep my secrets. She told me to stay away from humans if I could. She said I would meet them when I was ready.”
“I really do want to meet your mother. She sounds more and more mysterious as you tell me about her. What does this have to do with the red taking your hoard?”
Lilly sighed. “Do you remember when we met Numidel, and he summoned those cushions for us to sleep on?”
Gersius nodded. “I do.”
Lilly stood up and closed her eyes. She said some words in her dual voice and threw her hands out over the table. A glowing ring of white light formed between them, and coins began to pour out, falling to the table and clattering to the floor.
“Lilly!” Gersius said in surprise as coins spilled over the side and into his lap.
She opened her eyes and let her hands drop, and the ring of light ceased.
“That is how he took it,” she said.
Gersius looked down at all the coins and looked back up at her with his mouth open, and his brow creased low. “Where did this come from?”
“The chest in our room,” Lilly said, looking down. “I have placed a spell of possession on the coins we carry with us. I can summon them to me or send them to any place I have prepared to receive them.”
“You can bring things to yourself?” he asked in awe.
“I can’t call on just anything. I have to lay a spell on the objects. Then I can call marked objects to me. I can be choosy too. I could mark everything in the tent and choose only to call on the bed.”
“So, the red used magic to carry your hoard away?”
“You never realized this, but you were probably in that cave while the red was in mine. As you were walking in that tunnel with your torch in hand, my hoard was being magically whisked away. Had you arrived minutes earlier, you would have been there to see us fight.”
“I stopped to gather firewood for my camp. I told myself it was pointless, but I felt the need to do it. If I had not done so, I would have been in your valley ten maybe twenty minutes earlier.”
“And you would be dead,” Lilly said flatly. “You would have arrived as the red, and I argued. We would probably both have tried to kill you and then fought each other.”
“Balisha protect, how many times have I narrowly escaped death and not even realized it?” he said with a shake of his head.
“You walked over that hill maybe ten minutes after I saw him fly out of my cave and leave.”
“So close to death, and never knowing it,” he said in a low voice. He looked back, and she looked down, not wanting to make eye contact. Across the bind, he could feel sorrow and grief.
“Why are you sad now?” he asked.
“I have kept all this a secret from you. I, I feel bad about it now.”
“Why does Lilly feel guilty?” Thayle yelled as she entered the tent. “I can feel her turmoil all the way across the camp.” Thayle stood just inside the doorway in her green and silver armor with her hands curled over her hips. Her raven black hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, and her angles eyes glowered at them both with a mysterious gaze.
“Lilly was telling me something she has been keeping secret for a long time. She feels ashamed she kept it from us.” He turned to look at Lilly, who was now staring right at Thayle.
“So, our little dragon has a secret?” Thayle said, walking to the table and stopping short as she noticed the coins piled up.
“Why is the table covered in coins?”
“That is part of Lilly’s secret. She knows a type of dragon magic.”
Thayle tilted her head to the side as she regarded Lilly, who trembled a little as they both looked at her. They could feel her guilt and apprehension across the binding link.
“Lilly, my wife. You know dragon magic?” Thayle asked.
“Yes, I know magic. I have always known it even before I left my mother. I just never wanted to tell anybody. My mother told me to keep these things secret.”
“You did tell me once, though,” Gersius said as he thought back. “You told me that females treasured knowledge, especially that of magic. You eluded to it back then that you knew some.”
Lilly nodded and looked down at her plate.
Gersius glanced at Thayle, who seemed to be studying the trembling Lilly.
Thayle walked to Lilly pulling her armored gloves off as she went. She casually tossed them on the pile of coins and then threw her arms around Lilly.
“Be at peace, sweetheart. Nobody is upset with you,” Thayle whispered in her ear as she carefully cradled Lilly to her armored chest.
“I am sorry I didn’t tell you, I didn’t think it mattered,” Lilly cried.
“Lilly, it doesn't matter. We both know you love us. You would never keep anything from us to harm us. You were doing what your mother said to do. Why did you decide to tell us now?” Thayle asked.
“Gersius wanted to know how the red took my hoard. There was no way to explain it without showing him.”
“This is why the coins are all over the table, Lilly summoned them here,” Gersius said as Thayle looked over at him.
Thayle nodded that she understood and went back to carefully holding Lilly. “Well, I am honored you shared your secret with us. I love it when you share your dragon knowledge.”
Lilly stood up straight and looked down into Thayle's tender eyes. “You do?”
Thayle smiled broadly. “Of course I do, sweetheart. I want to know everything about you. You are so fascinating to learn about, and your point of view can be interesting to know.”
Lilly looked over at Gersius. “You’re not mad at me?”
“Not at all,” he replied.
“Now I feel stupid for being so worried about telling you,” she said as she absentmindedly wiped her nose.
“Oh, sweetheart. Of course, you were worried. You were told to keep it a secret. But think of it like this, we are all bound to each other. You, Gersius, and I are effectively one being. So this is our secret now, and we will all keep it.”
Lilly nodded her understanding. “It was silly of me to be worried. You two never seem to be mad at me.”
“I have been mad at you before,” Gersius said with a chuckle.
Lilly smiled and laughed. “Yes, you have.”
“How do you do it?” Thayle asked.
“This is a calling spell,” Lilly said. “It isn’t a weave like a normal spell. I am drawing on the gold to power the spell.”
“You’re drawing on the gold?” Thayle asked.
Lilly nodded. “This is why dragons don’t like to use magic frequently. You humans use weaves to gather the magic of the world. We dragons use our nature that feeds on the magic and rapidly pull on it. We deplete the metal to power the spell.”
“What else can you do?” Gersius asked.
She twisted nervously and then shook her head.
“This is silly for me to be afraid to tell you these things. You are both my heart, and I want to share it all with you.”
Thayle smiled and took her hand. “And we want to know it all.”
Lilly let out a sigh. “Alright, All dragons lay a guardian circle in the cave they are sleeping in.”
“A what?” Thayle asked.
“It's a spell that wakes us up if the edge of it is broken,” Lilly said. “If we are not in the cave, we will feel a sensation that somebody else is there, even if we are miles away.”
“This is how you can sleep safely for hundreds of years,” Gersius said.
Lilly nodded. “It costs a lot of gold to cast. So a dragon will carefully choose a lair before expending the energy.”
“But, you know how to weave too?” Thayle asked.
Lilly frowned. “I told you female dragons like magic,” she huffed. “And that my mother taught me some.”
Thayle nodded and gave Lilly’s hand a playful swing.
“I wasn't accusing you of anything, Thayle said. “You never do any weaving, so I assumed you didn't know any weaves.”
Lilly sighed. “Even when we weave, we use gold to power it. We start the weave as a human does, but then we draw on the gold to power it.”
“That’s very similar to how we are drawing on you to power our blessings,” Gersius said.
“Nothing is being destroyed in the process, though,” Thayle said.
Gersius nodded and looked at Lilly with calculating eyes.
“Could you use gold to power a blessing?”
Lilly was quiet a moment as she pondered it. “I suppose so, but it would cost a lot of gold. I can’t see any reason to waste gold like that.”
“You can’t think of any reason?” Thayle asked.
“There is never a reason to use gold up like that!” Lilly said. “I would rather die than use up m gold.”
“Sweetheart, You gave that huge sack of gold to Balisha,” Thayle pointed out.
“That was different,” Lilly said. “I did that for...” she stopped and looked at Gersius and went silent.
“You make it sound like gold is more important than anything,” Thayle said.
Lilly nodded her head as Gersius started to laugh.
“What did you find funny about that?” Thayle asked.
“I remember her telling me that male dragons collect spell books so they can barter them for breeding. The females refuse to trade gold for them.”
“What?” Thayle said. “Why would you do that?”
“We females like magic,” Lilly said.
Thayle shook her head. “Why not just buy the books with gold. Surely the males would take that.”
Lilly recoiled and shook her head. “No male is worth the gold!”
“You would rather mate with him than give up some gold?” Thayle asked.
“It's gold, Thayle,” Lilly said as if the question was silly.
“What is the point of trading your body for a spell when you won't cast it?” Thayle asked.
Lilly pulled her hand away and folded her arms. “We cast some spells,” she said. “We just don’t do it frivolously.”
“You told me,” Thayle said with a nod. “I find it hard to see it your way is all.”
“You cast this spell, though?” Gersius questioned as he gestured to the gold on the table.
“This required next to nothing to cast,” Lilly said. “And the distance was so short I doubt it tarnished a single coin.”
“I wish I had been here to see it,” Thayle said.
Lilly smiled and reached over and took her hand.
“Come with me,” Lilly said and led Thayle back into their private space.
Gersius watched them go and listened as they spoke behind the curtain. He jumped back as the coins burst into light and with a flash, vanished as if they were never there.
“By Ulustrah!” he heard Thayle yell from their private chamber.
He shook his head and laughed to himself. Lilly still surprised them both when they least expected it.
“Why?” Thayle said as she stood in the doorway of private space.
“Just go stand in front of Gersius,” Lilly said.
Thayle let the flap close and walked across the room to stand in front of Gersius.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
“I have no idea. She put some kind of magic on me and told me to go stand in front of you.”
Gersius thought about it for a moment and then struggled not to start laughing.
“What is so funny?” Thayle asked, suddenly becoming apprehensive. “What is she about to do?”
Thayle's armor began to glow with white light, and then in a flash, she was completely naked in the middle of the tent as Gersius burst out laughing in a deep, loud roll.
“Lilly!” Thayle yelled as she stormed across the tent back to the private room.
“You said you wouldn’t be mad!” Lilly yelled from the room.
“That was before I knew you were going to strip me in public!” Thayle barked back.
Gersius had to sit down to keep from falling over from the pain he now had in his stomach from the laughing.
Comments
thanks for this help.
WhiteRabbit
Glanced-glanced aura's-auras hadn't of unbound-> hadn't unbound it latter-later eluded-alluded Poor Thayle lol
Sam4005
Lilly you bully
