"I will think about it. But I cannot think of a name noble enough…"
"It does not have to be noble. It represents our connection."
That makes it even more pressured. "I will read up on it when I get home."
He sighs in frustration at almost the same time that I do. "I will choose a name for you. I promise. It just is not the most worrisome thing on my mind right now."
He nods and cancels the spell. I hadn't even offered to teleport back if Viktor needs me. But right now, I have a feeling I can take my time here. He needs to find the warrior within again.
"The council is taking my proposal up with the others tomorrow. Only the magic users that live for magic need apply. The villagers with the same magic that only use it for their work and such will have nothing change. I wonder if that will make a difference in the vote. I do not need a baker with me. However, they have very few guards and no militia right now. They might need someone to train them… I will think about it tomorrow."
Viktor
I wake with a sore head. The giant bump might explain that. I suddenly wish I could heal myself. I have never understood that stupid rule. I am in the middle of nowhere with no supplies, it is almost dark, I don’t have time to make a camp or scout for safety, and no one to watch my back. In addition, I have to experience this with a concussion. I have had enough of them during the early days of training, when none of us could control our swings, to know one when I get one. I am lucky I haven't broken a rib. I guess dragon blood is good for something. No matter the species, though it seems the head is the weak spot.
Instead of dwelling, I focus on what I need. A place to hunker down for the night that is easily defendable and I have to find a branch thick enough to be a makeshift weapon. In the morning, I might be able to find a sharp enough rock to keep with me and to shave the stick into a point, making it better protection. Trying to find said rock, food, and water in the dark will be suicide. It quite literally could be if I walk off a cliff. I am all for living.
I go in search of the branch that I will need, keeping an eye out for an overhang or something similar, which I can hunker down in tonight.
Elainne
"We have talked over your proposal and many thought the idea a good one, but after the spell, we put up we do not believe that we would be accepted among the humans. We need to leave behind our spot of power and go into hiding. Everyone here will need to go through formal magical training on the road, to help the survival of the colony. We cannot hope to survive so outnumbered and weakened."
What they say makes sense. I thought of that, of course. Not them leaving, but yes, I thought of them needing all hands. "What if I could separate the collective from the land, and disperse it throughout the leftover population?"
The whispers are almost as loud as the yelling.
"That’s not possible."
I sigh. "It is, but you might not like what I will have to do…"
"We do not allow sacrifice…"
"No one will die or be hurt. I am just going to rip the collective power from the land where the dead are buried and put it into all of you. It will be equitable division, so even the children will be very, very powerful. However, I need assurances. I want a blood oath from everyone that none shall turn against me and mine."
"If you could make such a feat possible, that would be reasonable. If you also swore the same."
"Allie to the end. Agreed." Wise One won’t like this but that is why I will be finishing the familiar rights first. If need be I won’t give him the option to say no. He is right; I need allies and powerful ones. This will make each and every mage as powerful as my father, perhaps more so. I am not sure how many dead have soaked their power into this land.
"Is that all?"
"I can also give you a safe haven to regroup and to be formally trained by the oldest and best. You just have to take me with you. After doing this spell I will be in a healing sleep, for possibly weeks."
They look at me like that is a lie or a trick, or at least too good to be true. Well, there is a catch…
"And who would this teacher be?"
"The great dragon who is now my familiar. I have bound him to me. I complete the ritual tonight and he cannot harm anyone ever again. Once I am bound by the blood oath, he will be as well. My Kemp too. It also means you will be unable to hurt him in return."
At that, there is crying, screaming; arguing rises to epic proportions. The council tries to shush the crowd but they can’t. They just don’t have the backing here. So, I do it for them. I spell everyone to silence. I will make no friends with this move but I need to make myself clear.
"Dragon is not evil. He attacked because he felt you killing my Kemp and me. I was innocent of everything that I was accused of. All of you know that now. I was not even given a fair trial. The dragon sensed our end and came to save us. In his anger, he attacked and cursed you. You know the power he holds. You may hold a grudge, but you attacked something he held precious first… me. He holds no ill will and regrets letting his anger control him. I am here to make amends partly at his insistence and partly because I believed it the right thing to do.
"You all will have so much more magic if we do this. You need a teacher that can handle those of you that will have no control. He is the most powerful being alive and I will be holding his leash. With our blood bond, he cannot harm anyone, even if I did not, he does not wish to harm. He thinks I have the power to heal the rifts in this world, he sent me looking for allies, and both of us agreed that you were the best I could ask for. Both of us believe in your potential.
"I know you are angry, but please try to look past that. Even if you cannot forgive, think about the best chances of survival for you, your children, and all generations after that will be born with more power. I could very well end up breaking the cap on power that mages have. So, think long and hard and please debate this rationally before making a rash decision. That is all. I will be completely my bond tonight. Tell me your decision tomorrow, please."
I unbind their mouths and leave them to their debates. I have a dragon to summon.
The summoning makes me nervous. Calling him to me leaves Viktor in his domain, with no back up if needed. I have to trust he will survive. He is a warrior who, as far as he knows, has no help waiting on the winds. He will survive.
The dragon arrives and stays just outside of the mage's land. He doesn’t feel that he has the right to cross over without invitation.
"Are you ready, child?"
"As I can be."
"You decided to do this before leaving mage lands. Why?"
"If I have an idea you disagree with, you still have to help me, yes?"
He looks at me; a little shocked I would even think it.
"I have to help funnel your magic to do your will, but I do not have to help you with the needed spell."
Half of what I expected is good enough. "That will be enough. I hope."
"What is this idea I will disapprove of?"
I don’t want to lie, so I don’t. He can stop the ceremony up until I name him and back out. I want him to know what he is getting into. This relationship has to be like Viktor's and mine. Always his choice to follow.
"I want to return the collective to the mages."
"That will make them very powerful. Are you sure you can trust them after?"
"We already worked out the blood oaths of allies and friendship."
"Your aunt will not allow them in her lands with that much power. Each will match her, if not more. And you will be crippled for at least a week."
"I know. They will return me to you and receive training from you so that they can learn to control that much magic. Then I will always have one or two with me. A magical guard to balance Viktor." Viktor is magically inclined, but his true worth is in the physical.
"Alright. Let us complete the binding."
I must have looked like a fish out of water, with the face I know I wear. "You do not object?"
; "If my queen has said she has prepared blood oaths to make this work, I will trust her."
One day, when less busy, I will have to ask why he insists on calling me the queen when I am barely a princess. Now is not the time.
I pull the elements, creating a magic fire. One filled with all the elements and the magic that the world has to offer. "I name you Avren, my dragon, my familiar. From here on out we are bound as one."
The elemental fire snakes around us both, engulfing us in a warm flame. When it recedes, I am healed. Not as I had been before. I am once again the Elvin princess that I had been when the journey started. My scars are gone; my hair longer than before, everything about me looks shiny and new. I have been remade. Except now, I have a slight silver shimmer to my skin. I wonder if it will always be there or if it is just the moonlight reflecting the differences in my aura.
"If you are to perform as a mage's priestess of old, you will need the proper attire."
His magics into existence the high priestess attire I will need. The robes and tools I will need for my spell to help the mages. How had he known?!
"Thank you, Avren. For agreeing to help me."
"Do not pull all of your power. You have complete access to mine and I am connected to the whole world. You could kill everything."
That is why dragons are not familiars… ever. He has explained it to me before. It shows a huge amount of faith that he is breaking the rule for me. I won’t take it for granted. "I know. I remember my lessons."
"Very well, my queen. Return with your allies as soon as you can. Give them this. Not everyone can find my lair. If they keep this with them, they will. If you are not whole and among them when they arrive, they die."
I know very well he means it. I nod and watch him fly away. I change into my robes and gather the herbs that I will need for the spell. There is no guarantee they will do it, but in case, I want it done. We have a new home to get back to, a magical guard to train, and duel training between Viktor and said guard so that they won’t get in each other's way.
As for Avren's warning, I am not sure if I will tell the mages or not. It might make them less inclined to go through with the deal. He is one scary beast, a fact they know very well. Then again, I have to tell them in case I die of natural causes on the way, they won’t continue onward. Maybe I will tell the old one and Viktor's grandpa. They can protect the others. Out of all of them, I trust them the most. Age brings wisdom and Aldamon has a grandson attached to me. It makes them both the worthiest in my eyes. I will tell them. They can decide about the others.
Viktor
I don’t find an outcropping, but I find a very large tree when I walk into it. Remembering a spell that Elainne used in our travels to pull me up a tree, I wonder if I can duplicate it but on myself. Since it is dark and I have no wish to splat against an old oak should I fail, I stick to climbing by feel. Once up there it is easy to find a comfortable spot. I am not Elvin but I am connected enough to Elainne to love the forest. I do however use the spell to tether myself to the branch, so I can’t fall. I am not taking any chances. I will survive this. I drift off to sleep, thinking of survival more than anything else, for the first time in a very long time.
I awake aware of my surroundings. Before fully waking, my ears have picked up the sound of birds in the trees with me, a warthog on the ground, the wind rustling the leaves, and I can smell so much more. All the pollen and tree sap in the wind, all the animals in the tree with me, all the scents surrounding me are met and sorted by my dragon blood. It is overpowering and a little suffocating. I have to learn to mute this. I try the breathing exercises that Elainne taught me. She said they would help with my control. It does help me suppress it a bit, but I have a feeling that the next state dinner will be very interesting for me. Or very nauseating.
I climb down to the lowest branch, before hitting the ground. The warthog sees me and squeals. It is not scared. I open my dragon eyes. It is warm-blooded, normal, no magic in it. It smells delicious. I am starved, and my dragon senses are in overdrive. My scales cover my arms and hands, curling my nails into claws. Before I can wonder, my body moves on its own. I jump down and land on the back of the wild hog, driving my claws into the back of its neck and shredding down its back, and I slide off. It doesn’t even have a chance to buck or fight back. It drops, bleeding out in minutes.
My claws slide back in and my hands move on their own. I stuff my mouth with raw meat. Blood soaks through me, dripping down my arms and chin, staining me red. My ability to rationalize is gone. I am no longer human; I am a beast. Hunger for more claims me. More food, more water, more land, more power. All I knew is more.
I run through the forest until I smell something. Bigger, scarier and more powerful than the small critters that I have been hunting. A dragon in his lair. A dragon whose blood calls to mine. I am of him and not. His power can be mine. His power, his lair, his things. The woman I smell could be mine. She is gone now, the smell is faint, but no one leaves magic like this for long. She will return and I will claim her. All that is his will be mine. I pull back to formulate a plan. He is a bigger dragon, older, more powerful. I will need a plan to take him down… and more. Much, much more life force in me. I sneak back into the woods. I need more prey.
Avren
Viktor pulls back, thinking I haven't sensed him. I made him. I can sense him anywhere, at any time. He is lost to the dragon. He has dug too deep into the warrior and has found the rage of the beast. He needs to find the balance. Man and beast. Warrior and lover. He has to be both and neither at all times. It is the only way he will survive and help the queen to her destiny. The only way I can allow him to live. If he fails, he will die. If he succeeds, he will be the greatest warrior ever known. Minstrels will write songs about the general he will become. Or tragedies showing how power corrupts. Either way, he will be famous and an example. Hopefully, his love for Elainne will be enough to bring him back. If not, nothing will be the same.
Viktor
I run through the forest, killing and consuming. The blood holds life and life holds power. Even animals with no power have a life-force. Everything can be measured by power. I will need to consume so much more to defeat that dragon. That woman's smell, I have to possess it, have to own it. It is mine, and he won’t taint it ever again.
Chapter Ten
"We have decided."
I nod and wait patiently. I am appropriately robed. Even if they decide against the treaty, it is better than what I have been wearing. Torn up travel clothes that look like they belong on a corpse.
"We would like to take you up on your offer. We even have a volunteer to master his craft and stay with you permanently at court."
"He was not made to volunteer, was he? I refuse to accept force as a means for anything. It is not how this will work. No majority ruling. Every last person, including the children, must agree of their own volition."
"We assumed so. Everyone agreed. And the volunteer is indeed doing so of his own free will.”
I nod. "Then let us start with the blood oaths. After that, I will give you the artifact needed to find Avren's lair, as well as directions to get near enough to allow the artifact to guide you. Then, I will perform the magic. Does my volunteer have any previous experience?"
"He was in his first year of training in our militia. In fact, you fought him before. He led the bear that attacked you. A very talented beginner."
The one I injured. That doesn’t bode well for my safety at court if he wants to hold grudges. "May I meet him first? Alone."
They look over at one another and nod. A young man, only a couple years older than me, steps forward and stares as the others walk away. He reminds me of Viktor, with dark hair, dark eyes and inability to process what is considered proper eye contact with the royal family. Lucky for him, it never mattered to me.
The biggest difference, before Viktor's changes, is the scar. It starts under his chin and goes under his clothing. He doesn’t let it humble him though. He look
s at me like I am a bug, or something similar.
"You are the Elvin princess that is ruling us now?"
"Not ruling. You will have a new place of power for home and all the power of previous generations back. As a result, one of you; you, I am told, will serve as a magical guard for me. To show the kingdoms that my alliance with mages stands, and if one of us is in danger the other will rise up to fight for them. Does that bother you?"
"It makes sense. From a logical standpoint. To survive."
"You hate me. I can see it in your eyes. Why did you volunteer to stay with me?"
"I know what you are capable of and I am not scared of you. The others are not all like that."
I laugh. I can’t help it. What he had seen and fought earlier had been merely a shadow at night compared to what I can do now. "I am not the same as before. My magic was limited to Elvin magic. I was also far from home and in your domain. Now I have the elements of the world and dragon magic at my calling. Even after I give you back the collective, if you all banded together, I could crush you without blinking. So no, you have no idea what you are getting into, and if you do not fear me, you are an idiot of the highest order. Do you still wish to serve in court?" That might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but I need him to know how the power between us differs in my favor this time, and by how much. I want his eyes open.
He blinks, looking shocked and shaken. He hides it quickly and bites the inside of his cheek. He nods once.
"I will serve. If only to stop you if you try to do something as horrible as destroy us all."
He can’t stop me and this will not be easy, but I like his honesty and integrity. I hope that eventually, he will learn that I am not quite the monster that he sees me as, but I can’t expect him to trust me all at once. I don’t trust him. It makes sense that it will go both ways.
"You were a very talented magical fighter. I am impressed that you could magically create animals after only one year of fighter training."
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