The Dragon's Lover (8 page)

“I suppose we should get this thing started then,
shouldn't we?''

“No,” Weynild said, “I get you for three days. After
that, you can set out. But your next hours are mine.”

Weynild maneuvered her wings through the great
opening in the mountain, gliding down into the cavern where she and
Raine had met. Raine had not asked their destination; it was where
she assumed they were going. Weynild had tersely told Idonea she
would return in three days, at which time the band could depart.
Weynild then transformed in a flash of light and Idonea watched in
astonishment and with a significant degree of jealousy as Raine
climbed onto Weynild's back. Weynild launched the two of them into
the air with a massive thrust of her wings and they had disappeared
into the clouds.

Raine slid from the dragon's back, landing lightly on
the ground. The mountain keep held such warm memories for her, she
was almost happy for a moment. But the impending journey and
separation hung over her head, and her face clouded once more.

“Ah, my love, the sadness in your eyes breaks my
heart,” Weynild said, morphing down into her human form.

Raine pushed the clouds away. She had only three days
with her lover; she was not going to waste them ruminating on
things she could not change. She said nothing, but pulled the
silver-haired woman into the pile of furs and fell on top of her.
Weynild paused only a moment to blow a whisper of a breath toward
the make-shift hearth in the rock, which ignited an inferno and
warmed them instantly. Raine laughed at the feat and fell to
kissing her neck.

Still, as the hours passed and their passion
continued non-stop, a sense of melancholy and desperation pervaded
their love-making. Each powerful climax seemed to carry with it the
seeds of their imminent parting. In three centuries, Raine had
found nothing which she wished to hold onto. Now she had found
something she could not let go. Weynild, too, marveled at the depth
of her feeling for the creature she held in her arms. She cursed
the Hyr'rok'kin, vowing they would pay for separating her from that
which she held so dear.

Raine, as usual, had completely lost track of time
but knew that it was getting close to their departure. Judging by
the light, she guessed they had maybe half a day remaining. She lay
on top of Weynild, resting in her arms, enjoying the steady beat of
the dragon's powerful heart. Weynild stared off into the fading
light, toying with Raine's hair.

“I want to bind you to me.”

“What?” Raine said, startled. She sat
half-upright.

Weynild did not release her. “I want to perform the
ceremony of binding,”

Raine stared at her, a thousand thoughts and emotions
running through her head. But one emotion overpowered all others,
resulting in only a single thought.

“No,” Raine said emphatically. “I will not let you do
that.”

“You do not wish to join with me?” Weynild said,
knowing full well the reason for her refusal.

“You and I are already one,” Raine said vehemently,
“But if you are bound to me and I am killed, then you will die as
well.”

Weynild simply gazed at her with glowing gold eyes
and Raine shook her head.

“I am long-lived, but I am not immortal like you. And
I could never live with the thought that I might be the cause of
your death.”

“If I am bound to you,” Weynild said, “then your
life-force will not leave until my power is exhausted.”

Raine shook her head even more violently. “I will not
risk you to save myself.”

“And would you wish to live without me if I were
killed?”

Raine did not think ahead to where this conversation
was going. “No,” she said, even more vehement. “I have no wish to
live without you.”

“Then would you,” Weynild said gently, “wish a fate
for me that you yourself could not bear?”

This silenced Raine. What Weynild was suggesting was
the interlocking of their souls. It would create an unbreakable
bond of power between the two of them. It was an extremely rare
ceremony, one that few could successfully complete. No human or
dwarf had ever succeeded. There were rumors that a few of the high
elves had completed the joining. But the most famed joinings had
been between the dragons and their Scinterian brethren in the Great
War.

“There is no one I would trust more in this matter,”
Weynild said, her tone still gentle. “Scinterians were the only
ones proven to be worthy of the dragon's gift.”

Raine clenched her jaw. She knew she would not be
able to dissuade her lover. And part of her welcomed the bond
because then she would carry Weynild with her no matter how many
miles separated them.

“Very well,” she said, “I am honored to consent. I
will be bound to you for all of time. Your last breath will come
from my lungs and mine from yours. My heart's last beat will be
yours. And my soul will not leave this realm without you.”

The golden eyes glowed. “Then let us begin the
ceremony.”

CHAPTER 5

Idonea awoke to the sound of the metal sharpening on
a grindstone. Evidently her mother and Raine had returned. She
pushed the blanket from her and rose to join them outside.

Weynild stood gazing out over the water. Raine
glanced up at her exit from the cottage, but returned to the task
in which she was deeply engrossed. She eyed the edge of the wicked
looking sword, deemed it not yet satisfactory, and began grinding
once more. Idonea approached her mother, who did not turn as she
neared. Idonea stood until her impatience got the best of her.

“We need to leave today.”

“I am not going.”

The terse pronouncement stung Idonea, “But we
agreed—”

“I agreed to help you,” Weynild said, even more
tersely. “So I am sending Raine with you.”

Idonea's cheeks flushed crimson with anger. “I am
sure that is a very bad idea.”

“You are sure of nothing,” Weynild said sharply, “The
things you think you know but do not, could fill that stream. And
the things you don't even think about could fill the world's
oceans. There are reasons why I cannot accompany you. I can only
help you indirectly which is why I offer you Raine's
assistance.”

Idonea turned her eyes to Raine, her expression
sullen. Raine ignored her, examining the edge of her sword.

“I guess it is better than nothing,” Idonea
muttered.

That was finally too much for Weynild and she grabbed
Idonea's arm and snatched her to her. Her golden eyes burned into
her daughter as she bit off every word.

“I send with you that which is most precious to me in
this world and every other. Do not underestimate or seek to
minimize my sacrifice.” She released the arm, thrusting it from
her. “Do not second-guess me, girl.”

This at last silenced Idonea. Raine did not respond
to the exchange. She stood and began pulling on her armor. Weynild
moved to her and began adjusting the straps on the beautiful
leather gear. It was supple from years of wear, reinforced in
strategic locations but loose enough to allow free movement. It had
a subtle bluish cast, a color similar to the blue of the Scinterian
markings hidden beneath Raine's clothing. It was well-maintained
and fit Raine like a glove.

Raine had not looked up the entire time Weynild stood
in front of her. Weynild pulled the last strap so that it was snug.
The two stood inches apart, Weynild waiting for her lover to look
up.

Raine finally composed herself enough to ensure her
eyes would not change color and raised her gaze. Weynild felt the
tight ache in her throat expand even more, making it difficult to
swallow. Neither could think of anything adequate to say. Finally,
Raine whispered a few words in Scinterian, a language long
forgotten by all but the one who stood in front of her.

“My last breath is yours.”

Weynild let out a cry of anguish and pulled Raine to
her, kissing her violently and desperately. The kiss was intense
and prolonged and Weynild did not want it to end. She finally
pushed Raine away, whirling from her.

“Go,” she said harshly.

Raine turned on her heel, walked toward Idonea, then
past her. She was heading directly towards Idonea's camp a few
hours away, surprising Idonea because the camp had been well hidden
and she had not mentioned its location.

A rush of hot wind nearly toppled Idonea off her feet
and she choked on the dust that rose from the ground. Weynild, now
in dragon form, leaped upward and launched into a tight, savage
turn inches from the ground, accelerating into the sky with
tremendous force. She let loose a tormented roar that split the
sky. The anguished cry rumbled like thunder across the land,
echoing through the mountains and scattering wildlife and birds
miles away. The fiery red dragon continued to accelerate, the
powerful wings attempting to dissipate a pain that would not lessen
any time soon. Within seconds the great beast was gone from sight,
disappearing into the horizon to the east.

Idonea watched her mother fly away, stunned. The roar
had deafened her and the sound was still ringing in her ears.
Raine, on the other hand, had not reacted at all. Once she had
started out, her stride had not hesitated, her path had not
deviated, and she had not turned around. She walked steadily
forward and Idonea ran to catch up with her.

The pain of the parting finally started to lessen and
Raine's somber mood lightened. The forest was cool and lovely and
it was difficult for her to remain so cheerless in the midst of
such natural beauty. Besides, it was her way to experience pain
fully, plumb its very depths, then let it go. She missed her dragon
lover with a fierceness of emotion that only an Arlanian could
experience but approached her mission with Scinterian pragmatism:
the sooner her goal was accomplished, the sooner she would be
reunited with her love.

Idonea sensed the lightening of Raine's mood and
welcomed it. She would not admit it, but for a short while there
the other woman had been almost intimidating. She was not
particularly impressed with Raine and returned to her continued
speculation regarding Raine's abilities to survive her mother's
attentions. Raine seemed to sense her ribald thoughts and slid her
a wry sideways glance.

Idonea slowed her pace slightly so she could continue
her examination of the other woman without Raine noticing. True,
the girl walked with a graceful athleticism, but there really
wasn't much about her to suggest any extraordinary fighting
ability. Although tall, she wasn't particularly large and was a bit
on the slender side. The armor she wore was unique, very old, and
Idonea had not seen any like it before. The weapons she carried
were also strange and Idonea wondered if she had any idea how to
use them. She continued to lower her assessment of her new
companion as Raine walked with a certain devil-may-care attitude,
one completely at odds with the seriousness of the quest they were
about to undertake. Idonea didn't know if the girl was stupid or
simply putting on a show of false bravado.

Still, every once in a while Raine would pull off an
amazing stunt in her casual jaunt. About halfway to their
destination, she picked up a small, flat stone and sent it hurtling
a great distance into the brush with a side-arm motion. She
followed the projectile's path into the bushes and then returned
holding a four foot long serpent. The reptile had been killed
cleanly by a blow to its head.

“Do you like snake?” Raine asked politely.

Idonea looked at the dead reptile with disgust,
shaking her head.

“Yes,” Raine said, “I guess it is an acquired taste.”
She tossed the snake back into bushes, then let out a low whistle
before continuing on. Idonea had no idea who she was whistling to
and wondered if the woman was a little mad.

It took them about three hours to reach Idonea's camp
and Raine had unerringly led the way. As they neared, Idonea's
companions stood to greet her return.

There was a dwarf, two elves, and four humans
counting Idonea. Gunnar and Bristol led the expedition, Gunnar with
brown hair and hazel eyes signifying he was from the southland and
Bristol with red hair and the fair complexion of those from the
north. Both were tall and looked formidable in their armor,
especially Bristol who was very large for a man. The other human,
Dagna, was a well-endowed female who also wore armor, although not
of imperial stock. One elf was female, small and dark-haired with
large doe-like eyes, and one was male with short blond hair that
was almost white. The dwarf was short, stout, and barrel-chested,
his thick forearms covered with dark brown hair. Raine eyed the
small group, wondering if they were planning on obtaining
additional reinforcements. The small group eyed Raine, clearly
unimpressed with the reinforcements that Idonea had provided. There
was a long silence as the group assessed Raine.

“I was expecting something a little bigger,” the
dwarf finally muttered.

“You and I agree on little, Lorifal,” the male elf
said under his breath, “but I am with you on that one.” Feyden
examined the newcomer, unimpressed. Granted, she was stunningly
beautiful, but that really wasn't a quality they needed right
now.

Gunnar and Bristol also sought to hide their
disappointment. Idonea had insisted they travel out of their way,
certain she could provide them with a valuable resource. But this
seemed a little anticlimactic. Perhaps it was a subtle bias, an
assumption that the stranger's physical beauty was inversely
related to her fighting ability, as if she drew from a limited pool
of resources that was all consumed by her looks.

“This wasn't exactly what I had hoped for,” Idonea
said apologetically, “but at least it's another body.” She turned
to Raine, far less apology in her tone. “No offense.”