Chapter 9: One if by Sea (MF FF bd magic)

© 2011 Rhys Lysander

Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 || Ch. 3 || Ch. 4 || Ch. 5 || Ch. 6 || Ch. 7 || Ch. 8 || Ch. 9 || Ch. 10|| Ch. 11|| Ch. 12

[1]
It was very late in the evening by the time I reached the Gypsy. The time of day, combined with the typical in-port watch, meant I had little trouble slipping on board unnoticed. I wanted no one to know of my presence until we were underway, so I hid in the one place where I knew the crew would not look for me. Of course, that does not mean I was not found.

It was perhaps two in the morning when the door to the cabin opened. The man stumbled through the door, closed it, and started to remove his clothes. He suddenly stood up straight and turned around slowly. I could hear him as he took a deep breath through his nose. “Ahhh, the smell of sex. Always gets a man hard.” I said nothing, but he removed the last of his clothes. True to his word, his cock was hard and one of the bigger ones I had seen. He took another deep breath. “There's a recently fucked elf in my stateroom, and she better show herself soon if she doesn't want me to call the guard.”

It was pretty clear that the Captain, Tobin, knew he had me, and that he was going to have me as the price of his cooperation. It wasn't surprising given how much he had ogled me during my time on his ship. Even if he had never made a move on me that did not mean he did not want me. He was male, of course. Still wearing the lovely red dress that so nicely framed my assets, I moved slowly into the dim moonlight that came through the transom window at the rear of the cabin. He must have noticed the movement, for he turned and walked directly toward me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. He tasted of tabac and whiskey, and it did nothing to dampen my ever ready ardor. It did serve to dampen me, but then I never needed any help. As we kissed, his hands slid the dress off my shoulders. Those hands made note of the weapons still attached to, but no longer concealed on, my body, and in a gesture of supreme nonchalance, he left them where they were.

With one hand he cupped my pussy, with the other he hefted my breasts. He broke the kiss as my nipples stiffened, and he nuzzled against my neck. “Arpi, though I have dreamed of this moment for a long time, tell me, why now?” There was nothing for me to say to him. I did not feel like telling my story and his cock told me he was really not interested in hearing it. Then, things seemed to click in his mind. “Ahh. It's not me is it? The guard are looking for you. What have you done, my dear elf?”

“Not now,” I said. “We must leave.”

He turned me around and bent me over a large chest. He pressed his cock between my cheeks, and as I reached back to guide him into my newly re-heated pussy, he grabbed my tits in his hands. He pushed into me slowly, and fully, in one long stroke. He was longer than average, and a bit thicker as well, and I was instantly enjoying his efforts. “I will do as you ask and leave tomorrow,” he began with a grunt, “For our business here is concluded, as is yours I suspect.”

I nodded, and he yanked me back onto him hard by pulling at my hanging breasts. “And the payment for my cooperation?” he asked as he continued to fuck me.

I started to say something but my breath caught as he pounded into me suddenly.

“What was that?” he said.

“Mmmm,” I moaned, “I said yes, Cap'n. Just fuck me already.”

He chuckled, and continued to fuck me. His cock pulled at my lips in a delicious manner. He was a bit taller than me, so I kept my feet together so I could be as tall as possible. This kept my thighs squeezed together and greatly increased the rubbing as he fucked me. As his breathing picked up and mine rose to match, I found myself wondering why I had never let him catch me before.

“Arpi,” he called. “I want to come on your tits.”

“Oooh,” I moaned as I neared my climax, “Just let me know when.”

He was squeezing my tits very hard as he rutted in me. His aggressive squeezing of my tits and rubbing of my nipples excited me greatly, and I promptly had an orgasm. My pussy clamped down his cock, making it feel even bigger than it was. He stroked me through my climax, and no sooner had it started to fade then he pulled out. Ready to please him after his pleasant servicing, I turned and dropped to my knees, lifting up my breasts for his use and smiling as I watched him stroke himself to completion. He looked longingly at my breasts, and squeezed one while he stroked.

“Mmmm, Tobin, cover them,” I said in what I hoped was a sultry voice.

With one hand full of breast and the other full of cock, he began a long groan. Seconds later I watched as his cock pumped out spurt after spurt onto my tits, up onto my neck, and even a bit on my face. I watched until I knew he was about finished, then I grabbed his cock, took him in my mouth and sucked the last bit out of him.

“Oh, Arpi, I have so longed for this moment.”

I pulled off his cock and stood. “And I am disappointed I waited this long.”

I sat on the chest, my nakedness not bothering me and greatly interesting Tobin. “Now what?” I asked.

“Now, you stand watch as a crewman, but you sleep here. Amongst other things.”

Scooping some of his cum off my chest and depositing it in my mouth, I said, “Aye aye, Cap'n.”

He laughed, then gave me a cloth to clean myself off before carrying me to his bed.


[2]
We departed Feidorn the next morning with none of the crew apparently any wiser to my presence. Remaining hidden for the time in the Captain's cabin, I could hear the banter and working of the crew. It surprised me that the Captain's good mood did not inspire more discussion given how unusual it was. Around mid-day the isle passed out of sight as the ship moved steadily to the north northwest, driven by light and pleasant winds.

The Gypsy was a an oddly designed sailing vessel. She was a one hundred feet long, fifteen feet wide and drafting nine, making her need much more water than than a typical trader and somewhat limiting the ports she could put into. At full sail her three masts and long hull could push her well to speeds well over ten knots. The Captain and the Navigator had sets of sighting plates, which they would hold at arms length at sunset and sunrise to align our direction with the stars. With a few of these and a chart, they could tell quite easily where we were and what kind of progress we were making.

Once we were out of sight of land I emerged from my hidey hole. For whatever reason, none of the crew were surprised to see me. I had changed into my preferred sailing uniform, which consisted of a thin white button-up blouse with three quarter length sleeves and a pair of trousers. The ensemble was light weight, kept the sun off most of my body, and teased the hell out of any crew members who were interested. Of course, since everyone now knew that I was sleeping in the Captain's quarters, it wasn't clear if the teasing was worse or better. Probably worse, since they knew someone was enjoying my charms and it wasn't them.

The next port of call for us was Ponsek, a lively trading town on a small island to the south of the Adanac. The ship was to be there only a couple days before sailing up the Ghewan River to Wapusk. The weather in the Sea of Roshk-Nosk was turning toward winter, which meant the winds were generally light and variable with the occasional surprise thunderstorm.

Provided the seas did not get excessive when a squall was encountered, rainfall at sea was a glorious thing. Fresh water is always in short supply, and can only sparingly be wasted on bathing. So, when you find yourself in a rainstorm, most of the crew shows up on deck for a much needed bath. Provided the local fish are friendly enough to allow it, you can swim and wash in the ocean, then rinse off with fresh rain water on deck. For this the sails are lowered to stop the ship, one or two are reefed, and as the resulting pouches fill with water your shipmates will dump it on you, completing your bath.

The chance to bathe once in a while became even more welcome given that Captain Tobin was damn near as insatiable as I. For the first time in my life I wondered whether finding someone with an equal sex drive was a good thing. Given the size of the crew we were in a four section rotation, meaning we had a we were on watch at the same time each day. I had the morning watch, and Tobin wanted some gratification before I took the watch, then when I came off watch, then again in the late in the afternoon and again before he went to sleep. He authorized me a little extra water to bathe in, which was good given his frequent desire to fill me or cover me with his cum. Not, of course, that I was complaining. Far from it. In all of those days I did not bother to worry if he had a thing for big tits, elves, or both. He certainly had quite a liking for me.

There were a couple of things that made the voyage, short as it was, interesting. I have a tendency to get loud when I'm getting fucked energetically, and Tobin didn't want the crew getting any more worked up by having to hear my cries. Thus began my introduction to some more submissive behavior. It turns out a good way to keep a girl from screaming is to gag her. It had a singular effect on me—freed of worrying about how loud I was being, I really, really got into trying to yell my head off. Moaning and yelling into my gag as Tobin fucked me from behind or on his knees between my thighs drove him wild. This was a pleasant spiral, with me gagged and trying to be louder, him getting more excited, making me more excited and trying to be louder, and well, you get the idea.

Aside from the gag, Tobin didn't have any real kinks, which was fine with me. He did, however, have a somewhat above normal fascination with my breasts. Most men do, but his was a bit more. He liked to fall asleep with his mouth on a nipple and his hands full. And he always held them when we fucked, regardless of the position. In a short time, as in by the end of the first day, we settled on the two positions that best let him play with my tits: taking me from behind so my tits were hanging down, and with me on top with my tits hanging down. Most of the time he wanted to come inside me, which was wonderful for me as he always kept fucking me through a climax. The other times he would come on my tits. He enjoyed it the most when I would kneel in front of him and wrap my breasts around his cock as he fucked my cleavage. His cock never failed to get me off, so it did not bother me in the least to let him pleasure himself with my tits after he was done fucking me.

My most memorable experience from that short voyage was one particular evening when the weather was perfect and the skies were mostly clear, with some large billowy clouds that portended rain and a full moon illuminating the water. Toward midnight we were laying in bed looking out the window in the transom. As the weather was nice, we had unlatched and lowered the window, allowing the breeze and sounds of the ocean to better reach us. We had been talking, not fucking, for an hour when the urge finally came over both of us. Pulling me from bed, he walked me to the open window. I bent over slightly and grasped the sill as a light rain began to fall. Tobin pushed me forward such that my head and chest were now outside. The rain was cool but not cold. Looking up, I noticed I could see the helmsman's back. Though no one could call me prudish, I wasn't used to being put on display quite like this. The man, a twenty something human named Bin, had not yet noticed me, and it seemed unlikely he would. That wasn't to last.

Tobin's hands were exploring my pussy, making sure I was wet and ready for him. I was shifting on my feet when his hands encircled the base of my tits, holding them very firmly, and his cock drove into me. Surprised, I gave a short “Oomph” as he bottomed out. At that point I became a show. Bin looked over his shoulder, no doubt curious about the noise, and saw my red maned busty self sticking half out of the ship with my body and tits bouncing as a result of the fucking I was obviously receiving. In the full moonlight he could see my face, I could clearly see him, and he could see what could only be the Captain's hands holding my breasts as he pounded me from behind.

As I started to moan, Tobin realized he had forgotten something, and taking his hands from my chest he grabbed my gag and secured it in place. It was with some degree of humiliation that I opened my jaws and took the gag as Bin watched. Securing the gag with a knot, Tobin's hands returned to my tits and he resumed fucking me. The result of Bin watching me get gagged and fucked was unexpected. I found I was even more turned on than usual, and within a minute I had my first orgasm on Tobin's wonderful cock. I tried to keep my eyes open and looking at Bin, letting him see the pleasure on my face as I tried desperately to make some noise.

Bin must have secured the wheel with a lash of rope, for now he stood over the edge of the transom and watched me with all his attention. Tobin tightened his grip on my tits, and his cock pushed me toward another orgasm. “Mmmmph!” I yelled into my gag.

“What's that?” Tobin said, “You want me to come in your pussy?”

“Mmmmmhmmmm!” I was drooling past the gag, rapidly nearing climax when Bin unbuttoned his trousers and fished out his cock. He was, unsurprisingly, hard. He was maybe five feet above me and a couple of feet off to the side. I tried to open my mouth wider in a sort of invitation as he started to stroke his cock. The whole scene had a direct impact on me, and a climax took me by surprise. I screamed into the gag and clamped down hard on Tobin's cock, much more firmly than with a normal orgasm. He didn't miss that.

“Hmmm, like the outside air and rain while we fuck, eh?”

“Mmmm,” I purred, watching Bin stroke his cock as I was getting plowed.

“Have to do this again,” Tobin said, his breath getting more ragged.

My eyes were pleading with Bin, for I wanted him to come before Tobin finished and pulled me back inside. As I felt Tobin speed up toward his own climax, I hit another peak, crying out into the gag even as I stared at Bin through lidded eyes. At that moment, he moved two steps over, and with my head turned to the side I could just see him above me. Breathing heavily around my gag and through my nose, Tobin groaned and pulled harshly on my tits, seeking to bury himself inside me as deep as possible as he started to come. As Tobin began to fill my pussy for the third time that day, Bin's cock erupted, sending a thick line of cum downward and landing on my cheek. I continued to come as Tobin throbbed and filled me even as Bin covered my cheek with his spend.

As Tobin slowed down, Bin gave his cock a final shake and tucked it back into his trousers. He smiled and winked at me, then returned to his duties. I wiped one hand across my cheek, wondering if Tobin had seen the events that occurred just in front of him. But as he untied the knot on the gag and pulled me back into the cabin, he said only, “I'm going to miss this.”

“Me too,” I said as we returned to the bed, “Me too.”

[3]
“There ain't nothing like regret to remind you you're alive--” Sheryl Crow, The Difficult Kind

My arrangement with Tobin ended when we made port in Ponsek, and after only a couple days there we departed for Wapusk, which involved sailing up a river. Actually, there was only sailing involved at the very beginning, and after that short stretch the ship was towed up river by an oared barge. This was not free, and it was a significant part of the cost of doing business in Adanac. I suspected there was also a powerful guild watching out for the owners and operators of the barges. There were no good natural harbors on most of the coast of Adanac, so trade followed the water upriver.

Wapusk was a pleasant enough town, situated on the enormous Kisski Lake. More of an inland sea, the lake was fed by abundant rains, and was the headwater of the great Chewan river that ran right through the center of the city. Though pretty and filled with thieving opportunities as it was, I had no desire to stay there. The heavy metal book in my pack was weighing me down in more ways than one, and I was ready to be rid of it. I hoped that the great forest north of the city had a Guardian, and that maybe that Guardian could take the book and end my quest for me. Hope wasn't much of a plan, but when it's the only thing you have, it has to do.

Tobin vouched for me with a local a horse trader and that allowed me to put down a healthy deposit without having to actually buy the animal. It had been a long time since I had ridden, but the idea of hiking all the way to the forest did not sit well with me. At least on a horse if I ran into trouble I had the option of trying to run. Packing some supplies for myself and the horse, I left the same afternoon we arrived.

The vast expanse of the forest called the Atukaki was located between the city and a high mountain range. Many of the peaks were visible from Wapusk, and snow already covered those. Down at ground level, the weather was cooler, but not yet cold. With any luck I would not have to hang around for a northern winter.

The ground rose steadily on the way to the forest. While not obvious at the beginning, every once in a while when I looked back it was quite clear. Departing from the road an hour before sunset, I rode slowly until I found enough cover to be out of sight from the main road. Though highwaymen were not common in Adanac, that did not mean they weren't around. A young female elf traveling alone with what looked like a stack of gold leaves might be a tempting target. Nonetheless, after feeding myself and my mount, I heard no sound other than birds for over an hour. Confident I was alone, I drifted to sleep.

The events on Feidorn had not entered my mind since leaving. This night, however, they came back in force. Twice during the night I awoke in a cold sweat having just relived my final encounter with Rian. By the time morning came I had long since been awake, lying on my back and staring at the stars. The moons, Cela and Crina were not up, and the skies were filled with stars. I'd never given them much thought, and only learned the names of a couple of them. The most important one, certainly according to my mother and to Tobin, was Kes, which pointed the way north. Many others had names, including some that moved more like the moons while the others remained in place. There were four of those, though their names had never been important to me and for the life of me I could not remember them. Over the seasons the stars changed, but when the same time of year came around the stars were always the same—eternal.

Done with feeling sorry for myself for the business on Feidorn and my lacking knowledge of the skies, I packed up and resumed my ride to the Atukaki.

I passed a few traders on the road, picking up a couple of fresh apples for my horse and some jerked meat for myself. In the early afternoon the road turned to parallel the forest, still some miles in the distance, so I left it and headed straight for the forest.

If the Heline Suur had been a marvel, the Atukaki was all that much more. The trees were of a different kind this far north, and while they were not as tall as some I had seen, they were the thickest I had ever encountered. Long before I got close enough to touch one it was clear they were something special. Something, of course, that men would probably like to chop down and sell. That the trees still stood, with nothing like a stump in sight, told me a Guardian lived among them.

At the edge of the forest I dismounted and grabbed my pack. I walked slowly, leading the horse inside. The canopy was dense, and just like in the Suur and the Adavanha, after fifty feet or so it was no brighter at midday than it would be an hour after sunset on the plains. The sounds of birds and other animals was constant, but not overwhelming, and there was even the sound of distant running water, though that may have been the wind in the trees.

A warm breeze drifted by me, both unusual and unnatural. The hair on my neck stood up and the horse whinnied nervously. I froze and looked around as much as I could without moving. There was movement out of the corner of my left eye, but convinced that whatever it was answered to the Guardian, I forced myself calm and waited.

In an instant there was a presence behind me. The scent and the feeling were so close to Adavanha that it had to be the Guardian. A warm breath fell on my neck and then whoever was behind me inhaled my own scent. Hands were on my shoulders, pushing at the straps of the pack. I could not let it go and I clutched at them. The hands withdrew.

“Atukaki, I seek your assistance,” I said.

“I do not use that name,” a feminine voice said from behind me. “Now turn and explain why you have rejected me.”

I turned slowly, still clutching the straps of the pack. Two dryads appeared and one of them led the horse away. Moving slowly, I lowered the pack to the forest floor and opened it. “Guardian, I meant no disrespect and I was not rejecting you. It is only that I cannot allow this out of my control until I am at the end of my quest.”

Watching me with a curious expression, the Guardian's features twisted into something altogether unwelcoming as the Tome of Dragons came into view. The remaining dryad hissed and backed away.

“Your sister, Adavanha, told me to obtain this book and to return it to her. But the book grows heavier with each day and I have little hope of reaching Anulok again anytime soon. I came here in hopes you could help me fulfill my quest.”

The Guardian of the Atukaki sat on a mossy log and looked me over. “My sister did mention that she had information that the Tome had resurfaced. It has been many years since it was in the world. What did she tell you to do?”

I recounted my discussion with Adavanha, starting with the ring, location, and the tasking I had for those that had possessed the book. The end of that part of the tale went unspoken. She seemed to be weighing her desire to believe me, or perhaps her desire to help me. “Where is the ring?” she asked me.

Fumbling through my pack I located the ring and held it out for her. She took it from me and held it gingerly, turning it over in her hand two or three times before holding it with clasped palms. “This is my sister's ring. Old, very old magic made this. I am impressed beyond words that she entrusted it to you. It does, however, speak highly of you.” When her hands unclasped the ring was not between them. Though the thought occurred to me that it might have been a simple matter of sleight of hand, I figured the truth was otherwise. “Will you undress for me that we might move on to the important parts of our business today?”

Having already been nude in front of two Guardians, it was not the fact of being so that gave me pause, but curiosity. As I unbuttoned my blouse, I asked, “Your sister asked me to do this as well.”

Two dryads appeared and removed the rest of my clothing as I finished with the blouse. They removed everything from nearby—my clothes, the pack, but they left the strange golden book. The Guardian motioned for me to sit, and I lowered myself to the soft forest floor. I settled cross legged, the soft moss tickling my nether parts and bringing a smile to my face.

“My forest is a place for the natural,” she said, “And when possible, for truth. Things such as clothes place barriers to both. Clothes are a lie, a facade. All women know this. Now, shall we begin?” I nodded. She smiled at me.

“When you recovered the book, what happened to those who were in possession of it?”

“By questioning those that had it I was able to determine that only one man had read the book, at least so far as he knew. According to the ring, his partner had no knowledge of the book. Though I did not exactly plan to do so, I killed the man who had the book and knowledge of its contents.”

The Guardian stood and walked to me, kneeling behind me. She held my head to her chest between her breasts and stroked my hair. “I sense this was the first time you have taken the life of another?” She felt me nod, and my cheeks were damp. She lifted my chin, turned my head and kissed me deeply.

It's hard to explain, but it was possibly the most intimate thing I had ever experienced. She stared into my eyes, and her eyes lost focus for a moment. “Ahhhh, you are the one known as Arpi.”

“How did you--”

“My sister tells me you have done well and should receive the agreed payment.” She laughed. “It seems she planned for you to find me when you had the book, seeing as I know how to pay you.”

“So you can grant my request?”

“Ah, well, that is an interesting question for us to explore. You see, while I can make the payment for my sister, your bargain was with her. And not with me.”

I sighed. “Please take the book and let me be done with it. I will still go back to Anulok and see your sister.”

“Tsk tsk, you can be impatient can't you? I cannot take the book from you without agreeing on a price. That would be unseemly. After all, your agreement was to give it to my sister, who in exchange agreed to pay you with some information.”

My head was starting to hurt, but maybe I was catching on. “What would you and your sister offer to have the book now, instead of in weeks or months when I can get back to Anulok? Weeks and months of dangerous travel that could result in its loss of course.”

The Guardian clapped twice and again sat down on the forest floor opposite me, the book in between us. She was beaming. “In exchange for the book I will pay my sister's debt.”

It seemed I was catching on. “Ah, so there is no additional benefit to me to give up the book just now. Perhaps there is a better offer from someone else in the world.”

“Oh no, that is not possible. We simply must have the book now.”

Whether she was exerting some kind of influence on me just then I don't know, but I had the urge to kiss her again, so I leaned over the book and gave her a solid kiss on the mouth. Our lips spread at the same time, tongues dueling for position, but neither of us in a hurry to win...or lose. Feeling a bit randy, I reached down and cupped her sex. As I expected, she was wet. I started stroking her slit, spreading her growing moisture as we held the kiss. Soon enough, I broke the kiss and sat back down. I imagined I was as flush as she was. “Then I offer that your sister's debt be paid, and since you will have the book you should answer two questions.”

She held out a hand and a dryad placed a huge vegetable in it. It must have been a foot long and three inches wide. Her intended use for it was clear as she started stroking her pussy with it. “Three questions? When the original agreement was for one? Hmm, that seems a bit steep.” She pressed the large green makeshift phallus an inch into her pussy, “Ooooh,” she purred. “I counter with paying my sister's debt, answering one more question, and offering you my hospitality.”

“And how long will this hospitality last?”

“Long? Indeed. For as long as we shall walk this world.”

“I agree.” The effect of the Guardian was past the point of distraction. I laid back on my elbows and spread my legs. The last time I had been with a Guardian she readily saw to my need. I hoped I was in for more of the same just then. “And how might we seal this arrangement?”

“I think you know,” the Guardian said. She pushed the book out of the way and moved toward me. Holding the substitute prick between us, she pushed fully half of it into herself, then had her dryads pull me toward her and impale me on the other half. That it did not hurt could only have been magic. The thing was enormous and filled me beyond full. My lips were stretched obscenely around it, my clit tightly pulled against the green fleshy shaft. We intertwined legs and began to thrust against each other, the dryads watching with amusement and hunger as the fingered themselves to our spectacle. Each stroke of the shaft played on my clit like a master lute player. The look on the Guardian's face was a rictus of pleasure mirroring my own.

A twinge in my clit forced me to yell, “Fuck!”

“Mmm,” she said between pants and thrusts, “When you call my name, our arrangement will be sealed.”

I was about to tell her I did not know her name when the incredibly thick phallus and its wonderful manipulator drove me to climax. Bucking back against her as hard as I could, I tried to push her over the same ledge. My whole body sang in pleasure as she kept up her efforts, driving me on and on and higher and higher. Without any thought, I yelled, “Kya!” as my whole body seized in my strongest contraction yet.

Moments later, I was still disoriented, but present enough to see my Guardian lover still working herself, and me, with the green prick. I took over leading our dance, and soon had her moaning in appreciation. Though I was nearing another peak, I stayed focused on returning her favor. “Come for me Kya.”

Her mouth lolled open, and a long slow cry came out. The dryads joined her in sympathetic release, and all the birds in the forest sang at once. She was beautiful, the forest was beautiful, and when I joined her in my last orgasm of the afternoon, I knew something profound about myself and my place in the world that I had never known before. Perhaps I did get my three questions answered.

[4]
Kya, forest Guardian of the Atukaki, and I, Arpi, elven girl of the Heline Suur, sat comfortably nude in mutual embrace after our lovemaking had sealed our bargain. The nature of the deal led me to believe she did not have many visitors, and that she was not playing hard to get. That I was on her good side did not for a moment lead me to think she wouldn't be dangerous if crossed. “Mistress--”

She slapped me gently on the hand. “Do not pretend to be formal with me now.”

“Kya,” she nodded approval, “What is the answer that pays your sister's debt?”

“To fulfill your desire you must gain access to some very powerful magic. Your best chance of finding that is in the city of Daugon.”

“Daugon? Wait, you mean the Damned Isle?”

“One in the same. There you need to find one named Asura. Though I have not heard of such wild magic being in the world in some time, I do not doubt for a moment he has access to it even now.”

“And why would your sister send me to you to get this answer?”

“Is that your other question for me?”

I shook my head, thinking I was being foolish yet again in my negotiation. Sensing my thoughts, Kya said, “At some point you will encounter someone that does not have your best interests at heart, and then such frivolous questions will cost you.” When I nodded at the admonition, she smiled. “If you encounter the magic needed to answer your desires, you must be very, very careful with what you say.” When I nodded like a school girl yet again, she continued. “Now, what question do you have for me?”

“I was sent to steal something from your sister, though I did not know at the time it was hers. She asked me if I knew what it was I was there to take. What was it?”

Kya's eyes grew large. “Said it was hers did she? Hmmm, it is interesting that you choose to ask me that. So interesting in fact that perhaps I should answer you twice.” Kya pushed me away and looked me in the eye. “The thing you were sent to steal was, is rather, a dragon's egg.”

“A dragon? As in wings, fire breathing, all that stuff of legends and what not?”

“You mock me? How brave. Yes, that kind of dragon. Though they are few in the world, they are not gone just yet. What is fascinating is that someone knew of this but apparently my sister did not. Quite fascinating, yes.”

“And the second part?”

She smirked, “You may yet develop into a wise woman Arpi.” The Guardian's expression became serious. “The second part is that the man you seek is the dragon's master.”

I was about to blurt out something about legends and silliness again when I decided instead to shut my mouth that had oddly fallen open. Kya continued, “I wish you luck my dear, I truly do. But you have no idea what you are getting yourself into.”


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