Private Tales Of Sand & Dragonfire

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
“I love you too, koiros.” Chaceledon felt better relax into peaceful sleep. He kept singing, and kept his hand moving, for a little while longer. He wanted to chase away any dreams. She just needed to drift blankly for a while. He eventually settled, braiding her hair so she didn’t wake up with it tangled.

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Tianau relaxed when they stepped into the dark tent. He didn’t have to strain his eyes so much with so little light. His eyes weren’t as powerful as an elf in the low light, but no protection meant excellent night vision. He shed the blanket eagerly, throwing it aside. That voice…the reassuring hand on the back of his neck.

Yes, this was what he needed. He turned towards Ausar and ran his hands over the man’s strong shoulders. He was expecting an honest answer to that question? Ghosts were crawling around from his memories and he wanted to banish them.

“At the moment I want these clothes off you.” he said playfully, beginning to help strip Ausar. “Come to bed with me…” He slid his hand between Ausar’s legs. Tianau wasn’t shy. He’d always been forward, self assured in what he wanted. If Ausar would let him he’d begin giving him love bites on that lovely tanned skin on his neck.
 
Ausar held in a slightly frustrated sigh, but let Tianau's hands wander, and shrugged out of his tunic. The hands wandering over his shoulders were quite nice, though Ausar reached down and gripped Tianau's wrists firmly when his hands wandered lower.

Ausar's hands were large enough that he could hold both of Tianau's wrists firmly with one of them. With his free hand, Ausar reached for Tianau's chin and tipped his face up, gently running a thumb over his soft lips.

"See, I don't think you want me," Ausar stated, still keeping the delightful purr in his voice. "I think you would fall into bed with the first willing participant you found."

Not that Ausar wasn't willing to help the young Volker erase his thoughts. But he wasn't going to let Tianau get away with deceiving himself.

"There's a few things you should know first," Ausar continued, but he let his hand slide down Tianau's neck again, over his shoulder and down his back to squeeze at that delightfully firm and per ass. "Most importantly, Rehema is my wife, and yes, she knows where I am and what I'm doing.

"Next, the woman who controls that Well is my daughter.

"Finally, I am not going to fuck you. I might get you off, though, if you answer the question I asked you honestly.

"What do you want?"
 
Chaceledon was patient with Seteta’s recovery. It had clearly been a massive blow, to both her and Rheinhard. Persian proved to be an ally he treasured dearly; the man monitored her progress, and her magic, in a strangely dutiful way. Chaceledon was grateful to have the engineer there, even if Seikilos bristled every time he walked by.

Persian was enjoying the rare treat of exploring draconian culture. He wrote notes on the language and spent a lot of time in the library devouring Seikilos’ history books. He also enjoyed talking to the house pets. He’d raised several of them, and others were Pedeon enough to know who he was. Despite the dragons’ cold shoulders, he was in decent company.

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Tianau could remember it. The pull had been so strong in that one spot. He waited patiently for Ausar, folding his arms across his chest. It had been when he first woke up. Perhaps they’d all felt it; the aching pull of their mother’s bones in their weapons. Rheinhard’s were clearly in the hilts of his knives; Tianau’s was more subtle. The shaft of Kreneides was inlaid with a complex pattern of bone, and each shield had one along the spine on the back. He ran his fingers through his hair. If they had all felt such a strong tug…then did they all know where their weapons were? Had that burst of magic finally uncovered them?

He was deep in thought when Ausar came up to him. “I can’t sense it normally.” He muttered. “It was when I woke up. I could feel her, so clear and hurting. Needing me.” Like the embrace of a woman long dead.

The albino shuddered away the feeling, and walked over to the spot where he’d frantically started digging. “Here. She’s under here. Bring her up gently as you can, I don’t know how much damage she’s suffered.” He tapped the spot with a foot, and moved away.

The ballista had suffered greatly. While the iron shields depicting the snarling pit dog were intact, with very little rust, the wood had split from the dryness. The mechanisms were clogged with sand, and the actual bowstring had shriveled away into nothing. Unstringing itself had likely saved the rest of the weapon, as the flexible brass ribs and bone protecting the arms of the bow were entirely intact. The Kreneides was truly a beautiful piece despite her age; every inch of the brass work was covered in curling designs, hatch marks, depictions of reindeer and owls, or swirling pine boughs.

Even for a ballista she was a strange design. The actual crossbow was mounted in a way that could be hiked up, necessitating a seat behind the arms to make firing it easier. It could rotate with a latch released near the seat. The arms could collapse to its sides like a bird, and the shields separated and hooked to the front wheels. In the deep snows of Krynid or even the sands of Amol-Khalit, Tianau would have been able to move very quickly given a downslope or strong wind. The modular design had also likely saved the weapon from further damage. Instead of rivets struggling to hold everything in place, they’d been able to move with the flexing of age.

Most importantly, a pair of bolts were mounted into a circular, rotating quarrel next to the seat. Six feet long and topped with a cruelly shaped brass head, they were clearly the main projectile. These two had small shafts in the middle of the head filled with oil soaked rags, long disintegrated due to time. They’d have turned into blazing ribbons of flame in the sky.

Lastly, held on by firm brass clamps, was a slightly curved sword mounted onto the back of the seat. It was mainly brass and steel in construction, and while the red leather scabbard was cracked beyond repair…the blade glinted invitingly from within.
 
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Ausar nodded, and knelt at the spot Tianau indicated. He pressed his palms to the earth, and tentatively reached out to the sands and the magic in them. He wasn't sure if anything about it had changed since... whatever Seteta had done the day before. With the amount of power that had flowed through the desert, with her unique essence attached to it... Ausar was certain his daughter had experienced some sort of blowback.

Fortunately, the earth greeted him like an old friend. The magic was definitely... changed. Different in some way, but Ausar couldn't quite pinpoint how.

"Stand back," he told Tianau as he began to delve deep into the sands. "I'll have to displace quite a bit of earth, and you don't want to get sucked in."

Slowly, Ausar began to move the earth. He used rope-like tendrils of sand to hold the ballista steady, then began shifting the sand covering it to move below the weapon. It took several long minutes and quite a bit of concentration. The surface of the desert seemed to churn and stir for a while before the ballista was even visible.

By the time Ausar had it resting on the surface, he was clammy with sweat.

"Wait to approach it," he said. "I have to make sure the sand is stable first."

He delved into the earth once more, making sure no air pockets were left behind. At last, he sprawled backward on the sand, the magic fading away. "All right," he huffed, staring up at the starry sky. "It's safe now."
 
Tianau watched, tense, as the ballista finally emerged. His eyes raked over her, and the moment Ausar gave him the okay to look her over, he rushed at his weapon. Gods, time had been merciful but not kind to her. He swore under his breath and began brushing sand away from her mechanisms, looking over the wood. He’d need to oil it, and soon. Thankfully if he needed to replace it he could. He blew sand away with his breath, his fingers lovingly rubbing over the snarling pit dog at the front.

“That’s my girl.” he muttered, and disengaged the lock holding the left side of the shield on. He slid his arm into the grips, and hefted the shield off her arm and onto his. Held sideways, it looked like the top half of the dog head was pointed toward the enemy, teeth and all. “String’s gone but that quick burial probably saved the rest of her.” Tianau smirked, and set the shield down. He spotted his sword on the back of the seat and drew it with a triumphant shout. Perfect! The leather had protected the blade!

He grinned back at Ausar. “Thank you!” he called to the exhausted man on the sands.

Tianau set to work. First he had to get the sand off of it. Then he had to dismantle as much as he could to repair it. Those wooden arms weren’t going to hold, so he’d have to replace them before using the Kreneides. As much as it pained him to use anything other than Krynid black pine, he’d have to make do.

The sword, however, was perfectly usable even if the scabbard was falling apart. He sharpened the blade first, and began itemizing the damage to the ballista. New wood, a new seat, a new string, a solid oiling, new bolts, possibly a new flywheel. It was going to take weeks to get her up and running.

Tianau was sharpening his sword, seated on the sand with his back to the ballista, when he looked up. Dragons. A pair of them. He glared and climbed to his feet, easily settling his weight between his legs as the beasts circled closer. Those must have been the ones Seteta was talking about. Well. He wasn’t going anywhere. Not now.

The moment Fosse landed, he had a scant few seconds to recover before a blade whistled in front of his nose. The juvenile scrambled back with a yelp, and a rather ungainly mess of sorting out his serpentine body while under attack. Ataire landed a few feet away, and immediately shifted.

“Hold on! We’re friends-shit!” The young dragon barely had time to yank his sword out of his belt and block the vicious downward slice. Tianau snarled, pressing down hard enough to make the metal squeal.

“Chaceledon sent us!” Fosse shifted as well, scrambling up. Tianau kicked Ataire in the knee, driving the other boy to the ground. Fosse grabbed Tianau around the waist and pulled him back, earning the butt of a blade to the face for his trouble. He had enough sense to get clear, the ancient sword slicing through several layers of clothing.

“I don’t know who the fuck that is!” Tianau hissed, and caught Ataire’s hand with the flat of the blade. The dragon released his weapon with a cry, and Tianau seized it. A kick to the chin sent Ataire sprawling, and the albino turned his attention to Fosse. He lunged after the other boy like a demon, a terrifying cry splitting the relative quiet.
 
"You're welcome," Ausar grunted with a tired wave as he propped himself up on his elbows, watching Tianau look over the ballista. He smiled at the sight, the care and affection the young Volker had for it was evident. By the time Tianau had retrieved a sword, though, Ausar had flopped back on the sand and was quietly dozing as he let Tianau care for the ballista. They had a little time until dinner would be ready, anyway.

The quiet thump of the dragons landing on the sand roused him and Ausar sleepily rubbed his eyes. Then he bolted up as he heard startled cries, swearing under his breath as he caught sight of what was happening.

"Tianau!" Ausar shouted, slamming his hands to the earth again, tendrils of sand shooting out and wrapping around the young man's arms and waist to restrain him and pull him away. "Weapons are forbidden to be used on the temple grounds!"

Ausar stood and trotted over, looking the young dragons over for any injuries.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, switching back to the more modern variant of Abtat. "You said Chaceledon sent you? Do..." he hesitated, fear rising for a moment and his throat tightening. "Do you have news of my daughter?"
 
Tianau raged against the bonds for a few minutes, trying to slip or break them. Fosse scrambled away from him, putting some distance between himself and those vicious pink eyes. Ataire rubbed at his hand. Despite the attack, the strange white creature hadn’t actually hurt either of them. Well, that knee was beginning to swell…but he hadn’t beheaded them.

“I speak Common as well, asshole!” Tianau spat angrily at Ausar.

“Good gods what is that?” Fosse mumbled, helping his brother to his feet. Ataire wrung his hand, taking the weight off his injured knee. “Yes, Seteta and Chaceledon sent us. Seteta’s not in a good way but she’s recovering, we don’t know what happened. They were upstairs making a terrific amount of noise, then the whole house shook.”

“Ballroom floor actually rippled. Rippled! Like water.” Ataire chimed in. “She was burning up, half mad. Like magic sickness but ten times worse. Then Chaceledon brought in that slaver-“

“Persian-“

“And he did some doctor stuff-“

“Medicine…”

“And he took our bathtub for science-“

“I have no idea-“

“Now she’s resting. We think.” Ataire gave a fearful look at Tianau, who was gripping the swords in his hands with paler knuckles than he already did. “Could I have my sword back, you think?”

“You want to be the one to get it from him?” Fosse asked with a nervous chuckle.

Tianau snapped his teeth. Ataire shook his head. “Present from Dahn Hedoni. Use it in good health. Just not on me.”

“I’m not going with you. I’ll use that back sinew of yours for a new bowstring.” Tianau hissed. “Old one was made of dragon too…I ripped it out of her spine.”

Fosse looked at Ausar, then back at the albino. Ataire looked equally lost. “Look, we don’t quite know what’s going on. Our mutit is convinced your daughter is a lost queen and our mit and miv won’t talk about it. They said mutit’s crazy.” he said.

“They didn’t tell us we were bundling up a…dragonkiller.” Fosse cleared his throat.
 
"You might," Ausar said wryly, gesturing toward the... dragon twins? He also wondered if Tianau's Common would be as outdated as his Abtat was, as well. "But I have no idea if they do, and they're already speaking Abtat."

He turned somber, though, as the twins began to rattle on, talking of Seteta. He listened closely, grimacing when they mentioned Persian. It was difficult to understand their different trails of thoughts as they interrupted each other constantly, but Ausar was able to pick out the most important thing: Seteta was, within reason, all right. Alive for sure.

Then he sighed, and with the tendrils of sand still restraining Tianau, Ausar shook the sword free of his grip and handed it back, hilt first, to Ataire.

"At the very least, Seteta is Nailah's heir," Ausar confirmed. "If the Inizae were to have a queen again, it would be her."

Carefully, he pulled Tianau's own sword out of his grasp and returned it to the ballista's seat before letting the sand restraints drop away. He clasped the back of Tianau's neck gently, and whispered in his ear, "You're supposed to be being good."

Then he smiled at the dragon twins. "My name is Ausar," he introduced himself. "This is Tianau Volker. We're about to head into my mut's tent for dinner. I assume you're hungry after your long flight?"

Ausar gestured toward the camp and began to guide them toward Nebit's tent, though he frowned when he noticed one of the boy's favoring a knee. "We'll call the healer for you," he said.
 
Tianau growled a bit when the sword was taken from him. He’d taken that fair and square! He tensed as Ataire sheathed it. Clearly the rich little punk didn’t know how to use a proper blade. He looked between the two. For young dragons they certainly didn’t know how to fight. They’d have been rugs and provisions in less than an evening.

“Nailah’s heir?” Ataire questioned. “Is that why she’s so strong?”

Tianau fought a bit harder when Ausar came to disarm him entirely. He didn’t want to leave his weapons behind! The dragons weren’t about to take him anywhere. Ausar’s whisper in his ear stilled him somewhat, but he still watched the dragons like a cat.

“I’m Fosse, of Dahn Hedoni, and that’s my twin brother Ataire. Same egg and everything. And eh, we really shouldn’t. Mutit can smell fatty food a mile away on us. We’re supposed to be preparing for nehmaji.” Fosse said a bit sheepishly.

“Volker, eh? Where’s your muzzle? I thought the only time a Volker had his face exposed was during war.” Ataire couldn’t resist needling Tianau a little bit. Especially once he saw the albino grit his teeth. “I’m hungry, speak for yourself Fosse. Mutit won’t know anything.”

He limped toward the camp, Fosse helping to hold his brother up. “Should be okay. Won’t stop me from flying.” Ataire smiled at Ausar reassuringly. Tianau scoffed at him.

“I could have broken your knee. You shouldn’t wear that sword if you can’t use it.” Tianau sneered.

“We’re musicians, not soldiers…” Fosse protested.

“Useless.” Tianau growled. What was this new mistress thinking? Sending children? Not sending his muzzle as was proper when he wasn’t at war? Much as he hated to admit it, the little gecko had a point. He’d normally be punished for having his face uncovered this long. “I’m not going back with you.”

“Sure you are. Charming kid like you? It’ll be a pleasant trip.” Ataire said dourly.

Tianau pointed to the ballista. “Not without her.”

“That hunk of junk?”

“Her?”

Tianau cracked his knuckles and bristled again.
 
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"We think so," Ausar answered Ataire's question quietly. "It has been a very long time since the earth bonded so strongly with one of the Inizae as it has with Seteta."

Ausar kept his hand on Tianau as they walked, though his grip became gentler, fingers softly stroking at his skin. He felt a bit like he was trying to tame a sand cat.

"Nehmaji?" he asked the twins curiously, but motioned toward Nebit's tent not too far from them now. "Regardless, though, you need to eat something. You have to have the strength to fly back."

He felt Tianau bristle again, though, and Ausar deepened the pressure of his fingertips, working into the tense muscles of his neck. "We don't know that anyone is going back with them," Ausar stated as he lifted the tent flap and gestured for Fosse and Ataire to enter, but paused outside to murmur a warning in Tianau's ear.

"If you've fought side by side with the Inizae, even millennia ago, then you know that we treat our elders with respect. This is my mother's tent, and you've already sheltered in it. You will be courteous to her and her guests, and I will also ask that you not cause undue stress for my wife. If you deliberately cause problems, then I will bury Kreneides again and you'll have to dig her up by hand."

Then he gently smoothed his hand down Tianau's back, and nudged him inside. Ausar told one of the servants to bring the healer to look at Ataire's knee, then his hand fell away from Tianau as he bowed his head to greet his mother.

There was quite a crowd already, even before the four them arrived. Nebit was seated already at the head of the low table. Rehema was to her right and Mesi to her left. Aetes seated at the foot of the table, and he looked over his shoulder to greet them, but his face hardened as he caught sight of Tianau, eyes going blank of emotion. He still smiled and nodded, though the smile was plainly forced.

"Mut," Ausar began the introductions, "this is Tianau Volker." Ausar's hand settled at Tianau's waist again. "He is Rheinhard's ancestor. And I'm sorry to spring two more guests unannounced, but they just arrived." He gestured toward the dragon twins. "These are Fosse and Ataire, of... Dahn Hedoni, you said? They bring news of Seteta.

"This is my mother, Nebit; my wife's mother, Mesi; my wife, Rehema, High Priestess of Abtatu; and Aetes, Acting High Priest of Abtatu." He gestured to each person as he introduced them.

The table would be a little crowded, but there was space for all of them. Fosse and Ataire were directed to the side by Mesi. Ausar took the seat next to Rehema and placed Tianau at his right. He leaned over and softly kissed his wife, arm sliding around her waist so she could lean on him. She did so with a grateful sigh, then turned her attention to Fosse and Ataire.

"I felt the magic pouring out of her the other night," Rehema spoke. "Do you know what happened? How she is now?"

"How much do you want me to translate for you?" Ausar whispered to Tianau.
 
Fosse fidgeted a bit. “It’s the awakening of fire in a young dragon.” he explained lamely. He didn’t know how to impart how important it was. Young dragons were supposed to be practicing restraint. Following a very strict diet, no sex, devotion to a path like music or art. He took his seat next to Ataire, praying his brother wouldn’t violate the first two. He didn’t want to end up like Cassius did he? No nehmaji, practically hedahn.

Tianau listened closely to what Ausar hissed in his ear. He was right. He had to behave. Much as he didn’t want to and much as he wanted to put a fork into the eyes of several people at the table…he’d behave. The threat of the ballista being buried was enough, but he didn’t want to think about sleeping alone again. The cold and ghosts would come for him in the black. He sighed and took his seat, back straight. He’d outdo the dragons on posture if nothing else.

Tianau glared at Aetes briefly when the man’s eyes went hard. He was mad at him for taking Rheinhard away. Well he couldn’t help that could he? It had only been a day and the Well clearly needed to heal. It wasn’t his fault! What did his descendant see in him anyway? Didn’t he know when he mated to one of them he mated to all of them? He resolved to ignore the other’s pouting.

“I don’t want to miss anything.” he whispered back to Ausar. Gods help him he would not be left out of the conversation at this table!

Ataire and Fosse blinked, clearly not used to being acknowledged at the dinner table. “Well…we didn’t see it. There was a huge flex of magic in the house, and she’s been sick for a few days. Persian’s there tending to her with Chaceledon.” Ataire said politely.

“Persian is tending to my mistress?” Tianau asked once Ausar had translated for him. He was trying to speak the more modern Inizae tongue, but it felt awkward in his mouth.

“It’s the first time we’ve been among the Inizae. Mutit always talked about it, but mit and miv didn’t like the idea.” Fosse said desperately, attempting to change the subject. He didn’t like the mean little light in Tianau’s eyes whenever De Soto was brought up.
 
Ausar nodded, and did his best to keep Tianau up to speed in the conversation. When Persian was mentioned, though, his fist clenched and he stiffened in his seat, spine straightening.

"Believe me, I like it as little as you do," Ausar murmured quietly to Tianau. How much did Tianau know of the fae slaver? So far as Ausar had been able to figure, Tianau's time had been... long before Persian had attempted to enslave the Inizae.

"We have a... tentative truce with Persian De Soto at the moment," Rehema said with a frown. She didn't like him having quite that much access to her daughter, but she hoped Chaceledon would be wise enough to prevent anything that might become a problem in the future. "At the least, he will not harm her. He has to know that if he does, then any hope of a future alliance with the Inizae will be off the table."

Mesi and Nebit were quietly talking between themselves, sometimes commenting on the conversation, but mostly just observing. Aetes was mostly staring at the tabletop, though he would look to Rehema whenever she spoke.

"Are they at Chaceledon's estate?" Ausar asked the twins. "I believe Seteta intended for us to meet them there in a couple of weeks."

The servant Ausar sent to fetch the healer returned, with news that the healer was occupied with a patient but that she'd be by as soon as she could, and that the injured party was to rest their knee until then and apply cool compresses. Nebit instructed the servant to help bring the dinner platters out, and then to provide the compresses.

It was just a few moments later when the necessary place settings were brought out for Fosse and Ataire, and then a procession of fragrant sustenance was brought out. There was rice cooked in broth with turmeric and cinnamon, roasted sand grouse, mint tea, soft flatbread brushed with oil and salt, and a cool salad made of cucumbers, onion, and herbed yogurt.

"Please, eat," Nebit gestured to the table and began to serve herself. Ausar took Rehema's plate and began to dish up food for her.
 
“The De Soto family has always been scum. The father was scum, his wife was scum, the little rodent of a son has grown up and taken over that ramshackle little slaver town…” Tianau groused angrily. Persian being in power was not something he wanted. He’d rather the entire fae family have been wiped out by whatever king or queen they’d managed to anger. Like cockroaches, they’d persisted.

“They’re at Dahn Hedoni, our estate. It’s much closer.” Fosse said brightly. “Seteta came to us to learn how to make music. That’s the challenge Dahnesh Hokkaido has set forth for marrying his son. She achieves that and they can get married and start a Dahn themselves. They fail, and she’s eliminated as an option.”

Ataire nodded politely at the healer’s recommendation but made no move to use it. He was easily distracted by the food coming out, and Fosse grabbed Ataire’s arm when he made to fill his plate. “Brother…don’t…” Fosse whispered.

Ataire rolled his eyes and filled up his plate with rice, grouse and flatbread. Fosse made a few more noises of complaint, and quietly took a small bowl. There was barely a teaspoon of rice in it, and two slices of yogurt covered cucumber. Tianau seemed to be fighting to out-eat Ataire. He ripped into the Sage grouse like an animal. Ataire glared at the other boy and began mimicking him, much to Fosse’s horror. The other twin was taking achingly small bites of his cucumber.

“You’re going to have to purge all that.” Fosse said reproachfully.

“Not on your life, this is delicious.” Ataire said with a cheekful of rice.
 
"Ramshackle little slaver town?" Rehema asked Tianau, smiling gratefully as Ausar set her filled plate down in front of her. "Do you mean Pedeo?"

Ausar smiled and chuckled a little as Fosse spoke of the challenge. "Seteta told us about it," he told the young dragon as he dished up Mesi's plate and then his own, making sure to pass the platters down to Aetes as well. "She asked for several of us to come and help her."

Tianau had filled up his own plate, but the entire table grew slowly silent as Ataire and Tianau became quite... forceful in their consumption.

"Children," Mesi warned, her voice almost a growl as she looked between Ataire and Tianau, pinning them each with a certain gaze. "If you're going to eat like beasts, you can take your dinner out and dump it on the sand to eat it off the ground. Control yourselves when you eat with your elders."

Ausar quietly cleared his throat to catch Tianau's attention, his eyes narrowing as he subtly shook his head.

Rehema quietly bit back a laugh, and shoveled in a mouthful of rice and sand grouse. Aetes, though, just ate quietly, not even paying attention to what was happening at the table unless someone spoke to him directly.
 
Tianau calmed down, slowing his pace. He still ate with his hands, and wasn’t wasting a single grain of rice or fleck of sauce. Krynians were about as hard up as Inizae for rations. He didn’t waste a thing. Even Ataire gave him a disgusted look when he crunched up gristle without a second look.

Fosse stirred his food around uncomfortably, still eating at a very slow pace to match those around him. Mutit was going to lose her mind when she found out Ataire had eaten a month’s worth of food in a sitting.

“Pedeo. Nothing more than a bunch of shacks and slave bazaars that gets buried in a good wind. Good riddance.” Tianau smirked into his rice.

“It’s one of the richest cities in Amol Khalit.” Ataire pointed out. “Mutit has a lot of skilled pets from that city.”

“I saw you had a Pedeon slinking around camp. I figured the place wasn’t dead.” Tianau muttered. Well, given his ballista being repaired…he would be en route to change that as soon as he could. Pedeo didn’t deserve to thrive. It deserved the torch.

“If you’re going to help Seteta you’d best come with us to Dahn Hedoni. I don’t think Mutit wants her moved, and we’ve got a wonderful area for music.” Fosse pointed out. “Mutit sent us to go get you. We can help move things in camp, just to make it easier. If you’ve got any old or injured as well. We’re young but we’re strong.”

“I’m sure we’d spare you the sweat.” Tianau said with a venomously sweet smile.

“Well we’re also preparing for nehmaji, so we’re not men yet and we’re supposed to help the Dahn. I’ve got a lot of suitors. Fosse not so much.” Ataire elbowed his brother playfully. Fosse blushed hotly and stirred around the last of his rice.

“Being stronger is more appealing. I should know.” Tianau pointed out.
 
"Unfortunately, Pedeo is far more than a bunch of shacks now," Rehema confirmed. "Hassani was... recently released from his service to Persian. I suspect he was deliberately released since Seteta was in the city at the time, and she thought so as well. But he is Inizae by blood, so we've taken him in."

"The camp will be fine," Aetes spoke up for once in response to Fosse's offer. "Not everyone here was going. Just Seteta's family."

He was supposed to have gone with Rheinhard, but with Rehema put on light duty already by the healer, and them leaving sooner... he would be staying behind to fill in for her.

"I think I'll see if Keket and Hassani will come as well," Rehema said. "And Supti should be arriving soon, if his caravan route has gone as scheduled. In the next day or so, I think."

It was likely his cousin had picked up pace, Ausar mused, after the magic burst that Seteta sent out last night. Supti would have recognized the magic as Seteta's, and as her mentor he would be concerned.

As they finished eating, the platters of food nearly completely emptied, the servants cleared the table of the serving and eating dishes. There would have usually been some sort of fruit served afterward, but it had all been contaminated by the mysterious explosion of blood.

The healer, conveniently, arrived then as well, and Ausar directed her to Ataire.

"I never dreamed that I'd tend to one dragon, let alone two," she murmured with an incredulous shake of her head as she waited for the young dragon to bring his knee out for her to examine it. "You were only stories of ages of past a couple weeks ago."

Half the people around the table chuckled.

"When you've finished," Rehema told the healer, her hand settling on her stomach again, "we need to talk with you about traveling. Fosse and Ataire have come to take me and Ausar to Seteta. I'm sure their preferred method of travel is flight, so we'll need to make sure there's a way to do so without harming the baby."
 
Tianau glanced at Aetes as he spoke. He frowned a bit. There was something wrong with the man’s spirit. The fire in him seemed to have gone out a bit. “You’re mated to Rheinhard, right? Then you’re coming. The temple’s gone, it doesn’t need a priest.” Tianau reasoned, though his tone was gentler. He really did miss his mate didnt he? Aetes was an ass, and a pervert, but Tianau could understand losing people.

He cracked into the bones of his meal, cleaning as much of the edible material as possible. Then he split the bones with his teeth further.

“What are you doing?” Ataire asked curiously.

“Needles. I need them to repair the Kreinedes. Bird bones are perfect for basic sewing.” Tianau muttered as he gently nipped out basic shapes. “No sense wasting.”

“Speaking of which, how are we going to move the ballista? Or more specifically…which one of us is carrying it?” Fosse asked.

“You carry it. I’ll carry Rehema.” Ataire smiled at her. “I’m the better flyer. Don’t worry, you’ll be alright with me. I’ll fly low and gently.”

“I’m flying with Kreneides.” Tianau said stubbornly.

Ataire winced as the healer examined his knee. “Easy. No cold…um…we’re reptiles. Cold doesn’t do good things to us. Maybe I can follow the rest? Wrap it?”

“Sleep with a pillow under your knee and drink some black root tea for blood flow, you big baby. It’s like you’ve never had a combat wound.” Tianau smirked.
 
"No," Aetes said, though there was a tinge of sorrow to his voice and his eyes showed a flicker of surprise as he briefly glanced at Tianau. "We're not mated. And with as long as Rehema will be away, I'm needed here. Regardless of anything else, I must obey my vows to Abtatu first. We're not bound to the temple, but to our people. One of us has to be available."

"Before talk of the ballista," Rehema interrupted, "we should figure out which of the Inizae are going. We don't know what the limits of these dragons are, or how far we're flying."

The healer quietly finished examining Ataire's knee. "Not a cold one, but a cool compress would help bring that swelling down," she said. "And ginger root will help with the pain, if a tea can be brewed." She glanced at Nebit, and the older woman nodded, gesturing for one of the servants to take care of it.

"As for... flying..." The healer pursed her mouth and looked at Rehema. "I don't think straddling a dragon in the air for several hours is the best idea. The altitude certainly needs to stay low." She had no idea what that kind of rapid pressure change might do to the fetus. "I'd rather that Rehema was carried in a seat or sling of some kind. Do you have healers or midwife's there who are familiar with Inizae physiology?"
 
Tianau sighed. “Suit yourself then.” he muttered. He didn’t know what to do about the surly elf. If they weren’t mated why was he moping around? Maybe what he’d seen had been a new thing? He frowned. “I’ll return to the temple after.” he muttered. He had to talk to the man, clearly.

“It’s about a day and a half flight. We can cut that time in half if we fly over some of the things mother told us not to.” Ataire volunteered. “The old Inizae ruins-“

“Basically safe, no one’s lived there in years…”

“Pedeo-“

“Persian’s not there..”

“The Summer Court-“

“I think they’d just make fun of us.” Fosse said nervously.

“So there we go. We take a shortcut. Problem solved.” Ataire said proudly. “I’ll carry Madam Rehema in my claws. Safest seat in the house. Or my mouth if she’s brave. Either way, she wouldn’t need to straddle a thing.”

Fosse picked at his clothing for a moment, looking at the healer. “The only healer they have there knowledgeable with Inizae anatomy would be Persian…and to be fair his speciality is baby medicine.”

“Oh yes we’ve delivered a Queen to his platter why not mummy and her delicate unborn too?” Tianau growled. “Should just ask him for collars before we land.”

“You’d be under the protection of Dahn Hedoni. He wouldn’t dare.” Fosse snapped.

“I beat two of you with a sword that had the hilt falling off.”

Fosse looked at Ausar pleadingly.
 
Ausar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Rehema laughed softly again, gently squeezing his hand. The dragon twins seemed to be very young and excitable, and Tianau was just... feeding into the chaos.

He couldn't help but agree with the point that Tianau made about the collars though, jaw clenching. Persian would examine his pregnant wife over his dead body. Nor was he about to let his wife ride in a dragon's mouth. But they weren't going to make any progress with planning until the antagonization stopped.

"Go talk to him," Ausar whispered to Tianau, nodding to Aetes who pretended not to hear him. "Take him for a walk around the oasis and talk. He probably has no idea if he can expect to see Rheinhard ever again."

While Ausar was speaking with Tianau, Rehema turned back to the twins.

"Between the two of you, how much are you capable of carrying?" she asked. "And while I appreciate your enthusiasm, you should probably avoid the places your mut told you to avoid. We would rather not draw the attention of the fae, either."

The servant brought out ginger tea and cool, damp cloths to the healer then, and she began to wrap them around Ataire's knee. "It's not too cold is it? Leave it for no more than half an hour. Then we'll wrap your knee for the night."

The healer handed the tea to Ataire. "That will help with any pain, and should help with any inflammation as well. I'll have to check and see which of my salves are still usable after... last night."

None of them really had a way to explain what had happened.

Then she frowned and sat back on her heels, thinking about what options had been given for the travel. "It would definitely be better for Rehema to be carried rather than riding on one of your backs," she agreed. "She needs to be comfortable, though, without having to tense too much to stay secure. I still think a sling, perhaps even something like a hammock that one of you can carry, would be best. That way she can lie down and rest.

"Faster may not be better either. It might cause more stress for her. A slower pace where you can fly for a few hours, then stop and let her walk around for a little while and eat, would be best. She needs to rest as much as possible, but she needs to move around regularly so her body doesn't begin to ache."

If Persian was the only option for medical care, then she'd like to send one of her own assistants as well. Someone they could trust to mix up tinctures and teas for both Rehema and Seteta.
 
Tianau recognized when he was being dismissed, and gave Ausar a look. Well…he did need to speak with Aetes. He got up and eyed the dragons. “You’re fools to fly over the Summer Court. They’d skin you for sport. I’d like to make at least a short pass over Pedeo; see what I have to do to destroy the place. The Capitol…I…I want to see how much time has passed. And if you even suggest leaving Kreneides behind I’ll shoot one of you to repair her.” he snapped at the dragons, and grabbed Aetes’ hand.

“I’m not sure how much we can carry…we’ve not exactly tested it. Dragons usually don’t carry anything.” Ataire pointed out. “But I think Fosse was able to carry that big chunk of quartz back to the house and that was several hundred pounds.”

“One of us with the ballista and the Volker, the other with Ausar and Rehema, might be manageable.” Fosse agreed. “We can make a sling for Rehema and Ausar can fly on Ataire’s back.”

“I don’t know what Tianau is on about, but…Persian’s a wonderful doctor. He’s got so many pregnant women he deals with in Pedeo, I’m sure he’s seen just about everything. And you’ll have Chaceledon and us there to protect you.” Ataire said cheerfully. “And Mutit as well. She doesn’t like him.”

Tianau kept ahold of Aetes’ hand until they reached the oasis, then dropped it to look at him. “Rheinhard is alive, okay? I think…the Well’s fuzzy right now. What happened isnt my fault. I didn’t choose to get woken up, alright?” he sighed in exasperation.
 
Aetes shot a disgusted look Ausar's way as Tianau grabbed his hand and hauled him up from the table and out of the tent. He didn't need Seteta's father meddling! He just needed to occupy himself with his duties as a priest. Then he wouldn't have to think about Rheinhard. Or figure out what to do if Rheinhard never came back. At least... not yet.

He walked next to Tianau in stony silence. He thought about yanking his hand away, but decided that would be childish, and he was acting high priest now.

When they reached the oasis and Tianau finally dropped his hand, Aetes begrudgingly look at the Volker.

Chaceledon said:
“Rheinhard is alive, okay? I think…the Well’s fuzzy right now. What happened isnt my fault. I didn’t choose to get woken up, alright?” he sighed in exasperation.
Click to expand...

"You think," Aetes repeated with a weak laugh. "You think he's alive, and it wasn't your fault, and you didn't choose to get woken up.

"It's not like I chose to watch my lover scream in pain in my arms and turn into someone else entirely either. And while your shock and panic in the moment was more than understandable, you continued to make accusations about me for hours afterward. You kissed me when I did not ask for it, and then stormed through the camp to find the first willing person you could. At no point did you even try to figure out what was going on. What had actually happened.

"I don't know you, but I know the Volker reputation, and if you'd lost your temper and hurt anyone it wouldn't have only endangered you, it would endangered him. If he's even actually still alive."

Aetes clenched his jaw and turned away, gazing over the oasis. He wasn't trying to be cruel. But Tianau was not who he wanted to be dealing with. And if the Well was unstable, then he couldn't ask to go in and see if Rheinhard was there himself.


All of them, even the servants and the healer, fell into uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Ataire spoke up on behalf of Persian. After a few moments, the servants found reasons to excuse themselves, and the healer busied herself with sorting through the few supplies she'd brought just to occupy her hands and thoughts.

Then Rehema sighed, and leaned into Ausar's side again.

"The issue," she said at last, "is that Persian De Soto has been trying to enslave the Inizae since the fall of the empire. While some of the Inizae, especially early on when they didn't want to face the hardships of nomadic life in the desert, willingly went into his service as pets, he became greedy for the power we possessed with the earth. He tried to convince parents to give him their children so they'd have an easier life. When they refused, he began to hunt and trap us.

"While Abtatu did exile us for our sins, and us flaunting our powers brought us to Persian's notice in the first place... the few numbers we have today can be directly attributed to Persian. To protect us, Abtatu gave us a blessing, although Persian sees it as a curse. Those of our tribe are unable to bear children until they take a mate. Persian was limited to breeding the Inizae he'd taken before Abtatu gave us that protection. When he realized that his... new captures were completely sterile, we were able to have many years of peace where he hunted us at a far lesser rate.

"Now, though..." Rehema gently stroked her belly. "Now Persian knows why we've been unable to breed for him, and I'm sure he's going to go to whatever lengths he must to find out how to reverse it. Even if not for all the Inizae... at least for the ones he captures."

Ausar's face was grim, though he turned his head to gently kiss Rehema's forehead, fingers stroking through her hair. He didn't like to think about how much access Persian had to Seteta. How much access he would have to Rehema.

"If they are only able to carry three or four of us," Ausar said. "It might be best if one of the healers goes with you instead of me. I can come by caravan later with Supti and the others," he looked over to Fosse and Ataire then, "if we can be given directions to Dahn Hedoni."
 
Tianau clenched his jaw and did his best to listen to Aetes. The priest was hurting, and his lover had vanished. He raked his fingers through his hair, pacing around the shore of the oasis. “I don’t have an explanation for you. I don’t know what actually happened, and all I wanted to do was hide. Fighting didn’t seem like a good option so…burying myself in someone else was the next best thing. I woke up and overnight your people turned from titans of the sand to a ragged bunch of goatherders. Your people are broken. Your temples are broken. Your language is broken, for fucks sake. I’d ask Oor to come and explain everything but apparently my mistress is now some sick woman. You want to know why I don’t figure out what happened? I don’t know where to fucking start.”

Tianau growled in frustration. “I can’t even go into the Well to ask. I sleep now. Sleep. You want to know what an alien concept sleep is to a Volker? We don’t sleep! We train, we read, we fight. All in here and I can’t access here.” he tapped his skull angrily. “It’s like the spell shoved me out here for a replacement while it heals! Everything’s there just out of reach, but I can’t touch it!”

He sat down in the sand with an angry sigh, rubbing tears out of his eyes. “I know how you feel. I know you don’t think I do but I do. I know what it’s like to have people you care about ripped out of your arms. Just don’t mourn someone who might not be dead…I think…the Well will do something when it’s time. I just think it had to protect itself from…whatever the fuck happened.” He looked back at Aetes. “You never told me what happened during…all that anyway. Where the blood came from. What happened right before.”

______________________________

“I mean, if he’s able to solve it wouldn’t it be better for both of you? He likes breeding his own lines anyway. I think Mutit has a few on hold she’s bought based on bloodline alone. I mean…breaking pets is showy, and he likes showing off the ones he domesticates, but surely he wouldn’t use you and your child to figure that out..?” Fosse reasoned. “We’re asking you to trust us. Dahn Hedoni is allied firmly with the Inizae. You’ve got my word on that. We wouldn’t let you come to any harm.”

“Please come with us, I don’t want to be stuck alone with Tianau. He listens to you.” Ataire muttered, adjusting the binding on his leg and thanking the healer. “Fosse’s right. We can protect you. Besides, Persian’s done nothing but be kind to Seteta. Maybe he deserves a little more credit? If he wanted to capture her he’d have done it while she’s too sick to move.”

“Really, I think you’ll be safe.” Fosse smiled reassuringly at Rehema. “He might even be able to help with how much he’s studied your people.”

“Miv attended some of his courses on elf anatomy. Said it was interesting. He teaches once or twice a year in Volta.” Ataire agreed.
 
"Our langauge isn't broken," Aetes grumped, kicking sand into the oasis, watching as the ripples disturbed the reflection of moonlight and starlight on the water. "It's just been... what, ten, twenty millennia since you last walked the earth? All languages change, drastically, in that much time. If you were to go back to your own land, you probably wouldn't understand them either."

He listened, though he continued to keep his face turned away, kicking at pebbles along the shore. He hoped Tianau was right. That... everything would reset itself eventually.

Then he sighed, and came back to sit next to Tianau, though he kept a good foot of space between them.

"You didn't exactly give me a chance to tell you anything before," Aetes grumbled again, pulling his knees up to his chest. He took a deep breath, and thought back to the other night. "I'm not fully sure what happened, but it's definitely connected to whatever happened to Seteta. Around the same time, I felt her magic begin pouring out of Rheinhard. Likely because of the bond from the Well.

"Something... something made you--all of the Volkers--appear as apparations within the camp. There were no physical forms. Whenever they encountered a tent wall or pole, it passed through them. Then suddenly each of them pointed at the earth, but in different directions, and said... the earth has something of ours.

"Then everyone vanished in... gruesome ways. And while their bodies were formless, their blood was very real."


Ausar grimaced as the twins continued to speak, trying so hard to be helpful and reassuring. He could feel Rehema shaking with laughter, though Mesi and Nebit and the healer looked... almost horrified.

"It is not anything that we need Persian to solve," Rehema told them patiently. "When it is time, Abtatu will reverse it. But you should keep in mind that our people, and even your own, have an extensive history with Persian. While you may have only ever see him be kind and courteous, there are many of us in this world who have experienced the exact opposite from him."

She shivered a little, though, unable to prevent herself from contemplating just how exactly Persian would have become in expert on elf anatomy.

"Now," she said, "it is getting late. You need to rest that knee, and in the morning we will start on constructing a sling for me, I suppose. Mut, I'm sorry to impose on you, but will they be able to stay in your tent tonight? Tianau is already staying here with Nebit. We will finalize the rest of the plans tomorrow."

Mesi nodded and stood. "Come boys," she said with a smile. "My tent is not far." The healer also rose to go with them. She wanted to make sure that Ataire's knee was properly supported for the night.

"Thank you for the meal, mut," Ausar said as he helped Rehema to rise. He would walk her back to the temple.
 
Tianau listened quietly for Aetes to finish. “She opened it up.” he muttered. “The uh…the Well can turn itself inside out and have everyone out here, just like you saw. But it takes a lot of energy to do. Oor’s only done it once and that was to introduce me to the Winter Court…he wanted to show up everyone but got so sick afterward I was on my own. But…everyone pointed? The earth has something of ours…” he chewed his lip. “Their weapons. They were pointing to their weapons. I pointed here, right? Just down at the ground?”

Tianau looked over at Aetes. He wasn’t his choice for a mate, but the most current generation thought something of him.

“I guess everyone had to go back the same way they came in. They were all mortal wounds right? And…I’m sorry about the rape thing. I leapt to conclusions and thought you were defiling my corpse after I died or something. I would make a very pretty dead body.”

_____________________________

“Maybe so, but maybe this is your chance to change things. Make friends again. Things would be easier between you and the fae if you didn’t have to worry about being kidnapped all the time.” Fosse pointed out, but it seemed the conversation was done. He rose, and helped Ataire up by the arm. The other boy still heavily favored his knee.

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Ataire told Mesi politely. The pair were rather tired. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a bath ready?”

“I would kill for some pajamas.” Fosse agreed. “We didn’t bring any night cream either. Or serum. Or face soap.”

“I forgot a hair brush…” Ataire sighed.
 
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