Forest Keep 37
#39 of Forest Keep
ok ok I know Im late but this last month has been hectic, shifting workplaces and having various family members dropping in, out of town parties and ..well - you get the idea -seems every time I tried to sit down and write someone or something would interrupt.
I should be back to normal timescales now (crosses fingers) Dont know how well I did in the ursa major awards but I'll wait and see - keep an eye on www.forestkeep.net for new info and pics soon thanks heaps for all your emails and suggestions and yes - things will soon get moving between tommy and shalla and yes there will be more sex soon hehe
XXXVII
"No, no!" sighed Marre as James mispronounced another word from the scroll in front of him. "Its Sef and you say it like 'see-ef' otherwise you will end up miscasting the spell and causing who knows what sort of damage"
James flushed and nodded "Sorry Master" He shifted nervously in front of the dragon's lounger. Cill was there also and the pair were in quiet silent conversation together as Marre tried to hammer much-needed knowledge into his brain.
He had at least made significant advances in his rune writing thanks to the nightly exercises but he had the horrible feeling his tongue wasn't long enough nor his voice deep enough to cast spells effectively as most of them sounded as if they were wrenched from deep within and required more than one throat.
"Good, now try it again and concentrate" Marre murmured and dropped the broom in front of him. "Or else you do it the hard way"
James took a deep breath and focused on the broom while recalling the runes on the scroll "I'muit seto sef kaliel". He felt the now familiar tingle of his power and he watched the broom glow with a tinge of gold then twitch upright, quivering gently in place.
Marre watched with pride but said nothing as James carefully raised a hand and murmured the command phrase "Rin'za". The glow intensified suddenly and the broom slammed backward into his outstretched hand.
Grinning broadly, he turned and smiled at Marre who peered impassively down at him before rumbling "Not bad - you need to moderate the command though". The elderly dragon was in truth impressed but it was not good practice to give apprentices swelled heads so soon in their training.
"Go practice some new runes and think about the lesson. I don't want you trying it out elsewhere until I am satisfied you can do it precisely and without mishap"
James nodded at Marre before unrolling his rune scroll to a new set of runes and began murmuring to himself quietly as the elder turned to Cill and mentally contacted her sire.
"Are you sure it's the right time to teach her this?" he sent the thought to Nokala almost pleadingly "I know she can manage the size change but it takes practice to get any shape stable"
Nokala nodded and sent back the reply on a private band "It has to be done and I know she is eager to learn. She has mastered the control of her size and her powers are growing thanks to the loving attentions of her mate there"
Marre sighed as Cill sat quietly, her gaze flicking between James and Marre. "Very well...Cill, come over here" he murmured quietly "at least in here I have some control" as Cill padded nervously over to sit before him.
"I will be careful Master" she said quietly and watched in rapt attention as Marre reluctantly pulled another scroll from his library wall and unrolled it until he found the portion that he was looking for.
"Very well, harrumph...the art of glamour is just that. An art - careful attention must be paid to the form you choose and you must be consistent as the more you get used to it the easier and faster it will be to shift into"
He showed Cill a picture of a smaller dragon with a thought-balloon of a human beside it. "We try not to make our forms too extreme. Well- At least some of us don't. It make us stick in human's minds and can lead to awkward questions and in some occasions has led to humans becoming suspicious and secondary measures being used to maintain anonymity" He did not elaborate on the 'secondary measures'.
Cill nodded in understanding "So I shouldn't make myself too beautiful by their standards in case a human tries to mate with me?"
Marre winced but then nodded "Crudely put but yes. Humans are indiscriminate creatures and are ruled by their glands"
He coughed quietly hoping that James had not heard the comment. Cill just sat there and smirked quietly. She did not mind one bit that her mate had such tasteful glands.
Marre adjusted the scroll a little so Cill could see the next picture "Now this is the difficult part - We do not visualize the form we want in one go. We have to do it piece by piece" The picture showed the dragon with human legs and a pained expression.
"There is also texture; human skin is not like decent firm hide but soft, pink and vulnerable. This can be a challenge for a dragon to feel such weakness where there should be strength"
Cill nodded, her eyes following the scroll eagerly as she absorbed the information.
"Remember, as you are adding this as another spell atop the size change there will be additional mana drain that can be quite a strain until you adapt"
Cill frowned a little "What will happen if I run out of mana to hold both spells in place?"
"You simply return to your normal shape and size -It looks and feels pretty unpleasant and this can be tricky if amongst humans so I don't recommend it," replied Marre with a frown.
Cill sucked on a talon and thought carefully "So I need to be plain looking?" she asked almost sadly.
"Not at all" Marre said with a grin "you forget that you will soon be mated in the eyes of the humans and that will reduce the risk of advances towards you apart from a few who gain enjoyment from tempting mated females"
That perked Cill up and she quivered with anticipation "So how do choose the form I want?"
Marre grinned toothily "well one way is to copy what you have seen. Have you seen many human females at the keep?"
Cill shook her head "No, there are a few there but I know just one and she is the mate to Joe. I don't want to look like her"
Marre hummed thoughtfully "the other way is to choose a form known to others, perhaps your mate can help here. James!" he called his new apprentice loudly, making him jump and almost rip the scroll he was studying in half.
"Yes Master?" he said, gulping and wondering what he had done wrong this time.
"Think of a human woman or two...nice looking ones" Marre said, not bothering to explain himself.
James blinked and complied, the first image popping into his head was of course Caroline as he remembered her on the night before his trip when she had given him her hanky.
He felt Cill rummaging around in his memories as he brought another woman into his mind, several of his relatives and the odd old girlfriend or two until she seemed satisfied with what she had found and pulled back with a smirk.
"I think I can come up with something now," she said looking over at Marre.
"Not so fast" chided the elderly dragon, waving a talon at her. "This is not a simple size change so don't get over-confident" he eyed James cautiously.
"In fact I think it would be better if your mate missed this part" This said privately to Cill. "He might find it somewhat more disturbing than merely becoming smaller"
The elder dragon looked so serious that Cill nodded slowly at him. She may have been independent but was seldom rebellious. "It is that bad?" she murmured back privately to Marre who nodded somberly to her.
"I have seen strong male dragons recoil from sudden failures of the glamour. It isn't a pretty sight and can be hard to forget - especially for a mate"
Cill cast a cautious glance back towards her mate as he continued trying to master further tongue-twisting runes with his inadequate vocal equipment.
"I shall send him down to annoy Janna and hopefully she will keep him busy for long enough for you to see for yourself" Marre stated at last, "James?"
Carefully putting the scroll down this time James looked up at the elder once more "Yes Master?"
"Could you go down to the kitchen and ask Janna for a long weight for me? She might also have some things she needs doing that you could help her with"
James looked suspiciously at Cill. He wasn't stupid and had had similar requests from the alchemists back home when they had become exasperated with his constant questions and comments about how useless they were. Usually it was for a tin of striped paint or a jar of elbow grease.
He was sure he hadn't been a nuisance this time ergo they both wanted him out of the way for a while. Debating briefly with himself, he decided to acquiesce to the request, as it was obviously important.
"Very well master" he finished with a bow to Marre and a wink to Cill before heading down the ramp leading to the kitchens.
Marre shook his head slowly "He has so much to learn and so little time to do so," he muttered partially to himself.
Cill felt a little alarmed but didn't let it show on her muzzle "I know he is trying hard Master. He wants to please you and tries to overdo it"
Nodding Marre wandered over to the circle and beckoned the eager dragoness into it "I know dear. Nevertheless, I have my own reasons for wanting him strong quickly. He must be able to protect you from both humans and dragons in the future"
Not wishing to elaborate any further, he rapidly cast a set of wards around the dragoness to drain off any stray mana for when the spell failed.
"Now then, Have you got the image firmly in your mind?" he asked cautiously. Cill paused briefly, getting the shape she wanted in the forefront of her imagination and then nodded swiftly.
"Very well, first the size change" Marre ordered, folding his forearms and setting back on his haunches, a calculating expression on his muzzle.
Cill obediently murmured the runes that shifted her size and paying close attention shrank until she was a shade less than six foot tall. She rapidly cast an eye over her body to make sure nothing was missing or out of proportion.
Marre also let a critical gaze flick over her form and he was pleased to see she had easily mastered this phase. "Excellent. Now then, start with the easy part. Try shaping the legs you can imagine into glamour and apply it"
Cill tried to keep the shapely legs she had thought of in her mind at the same time as she attempted to pronounce the shaping spell and ran headlong into a huge power drain.
She felt her legs grow weak as the additional strain on her mana caused by the size shift was augmented by the demands of the new spell laid over it. Staggering a little, she took a deep breath and pushed harder.
Marre nodded to himself, it was important for her to feel the drain like this so she would be able to recognize it in the future when the spell was growing weak
Cill felt spots forming in front of her eyes and she sank to all fours as she tried to control the direction of the power and force it to do her bidding.
There was a subtle golden shimmering about her haunches that had a hint of promise, but it faded rapidly as she grew exhausted and finally lay panting on the cold flagstones trying to regain her breath.
Marre could not help chuckling a little at the sight "Not so confident now are we?" he murmured to her and held out a paw to help her back up.
"Now you see the challenge. The more complex the glamour the harder it is to maintain and looking like a human is very challenging."
Taking the proffered paw with a grunt, Cill levered herself back up gingerly "It became so hard when I tried to shift. Why is that?"
Marre chuckled "It is an ancient law known as the inverse square law. The strength of a field decreases the further it gets from its source. So the closer you have to hold the glamour the more power it requires to maintain the effect. You are already using a field to alter your size so in effect you are trying to lay one field over another."
Cill blinked at this and cocked her head to one side trying to make sense. "So I have to be able to control both fields at the same time?" she looked aghast. "That's impossible!"
Chuckling Marre concentrated briefly and suddenly Cill found herself looking at an elderly, white-bearded human who strode back and forth in front of her "Not at all. It takes practice and concentration until it can become automatic" He waved his arms enthusiastically at her.
"You must learn your shape though, memorize it and make it your own. The more you know about it the easier it becomes"
He frowned briefly in concentration and returned to his normal size and shape. "Soon the power will flow naturally and you will learn to match it with your size. This you must do quickly if you are to successfully fool other humans and allay suspicious females "he gave her a conspiratorial wink "you do want to look better than her don't you?
Cill grinned widely and slowly licked her lips "Oh yes..."
Nokala and Tomako circled over the forest and looked down at the trees hiding the ground. Spying a small clearing Nokala angled down and gliding slowly through the canopy came to rest within it. Tomako was not far behind and slid to a halt abruptly, his talons digging into the loam of the forest floor.
Shaking his wings back into position Nokala turned towards the young male with a grin. "So then, what do you really think of your father's attitude towards humans now?"
Tomako sighed; he had felt a great deal of anger at finally meeting the tiny humans and actually getting to know them. They were clever and smart and he was learning that all he been taught from the egg was a lie. These were not dumb chattering monkeys anymore.
He shuffled his hind feet awkwardly "Why does he hate them so?", he murmured the question back.
Nokala shrugged meaningfully "He will have his reasons. There are many who fear the new and strange. Especially if they feel threatened by them"
Tomako raked a nearby tree "I like it here. However, if I tell him where I am it will endanger Cill and James. I don't know what he would do to Shalla"
Nokala nodded slowly "I did say you would have to make a clean break. That's not so hard for males but I know females need their mother's advice"
Tomako slowly stripped the branches off the tree with his talons "I don't know anything about setting up my own lair or gathering hoard. Let alone sharing a territory. Is it hard to do?"
The older dragon chuckled "You are learning from the human's are you not? They share their land and indeed raise their young close to one another. I know your sister would love to have you close. At least till you find a mate, then things might change"
Tomako felt his ruffs flare and flush with embarrassment "I haven't seen any dragonesses in our clan that I like, or that like me. I get all tongue-tied and end up looking foolish"
'Ahhh' thought Nokala "And you think that making armour will help you not look so foolish?" he asked quietly
Tomako gave him a careful look before answering, "Partly, I need a hoard before I can search for a mate. Making and selling armour will be a good way to start one. Mother seemed to agree with me and you should have seen her eyes light up over the thought of me being able to work hoard"
Nokala nodded slowly as he listened, thinking before continuing, "Have you ever fought another dragon Tomako? I mean seriously fought with one, not just play-fighting with your sibling"
Tomako shook his head slowly "No, but I want to find adventure and learn how to fight. I'm not that brave though"
Nokala slowly stood up and flexed his wings "Why not? You just need the right motivation" he grinned toothily and shifted his body so his head arched back in a defensive posture "Attack me" he growled.
Tomako blinked and backed away slowly "What?"
Nokala growled and poked him in the chest with a wingtip none too gently "You heard me...Attack me - or are you too scared"
Tomako's heart raced as he took in the large adult "but you're twice..."
Nokala's paw slashed out and struck Tomako's jaw with a force that made his ears ring "Coward" he hissed, "Size does not matter if you know how to fight properly"
Tomako's head spun but he swiftly refocused "Why...?"
Nokala's tail swung round and wrapped around one of Tomako's hind legs, jerking it out from beneath his body and sending him crashing him to the ground with a grunt "you move like a hatchling" he growled and swiftly put a sharp-taloned paw on his neck, letting him feel the prick of the sharp claws against his hide.
"Do you think armour would help you now?" he hissed softly "you are soft and spoiled...no wonder females think you unworthy"
He could see the anger building in the young dragon and grinned to himself. All dragons had to learn this lesson eventually - his own training from his father had not been easy also.
"You would not last two minutes in real combat" He rolled his paw back and forth slowly "Or is there a dragon in there after all? Perhaps it wants to be a soft human?"
Tomako's talons dug into the forest floor in anger "!!" he growled, straining against the paw.
"And now you grow angry, feeling helpless and weak" Nokala released his paw and stepped back swiftly. Tomako launched himself up from the ground at him, paws extended and talons out, genuinely intending to cause as much damage as he could.
Meeting him head on, Nokala used his bulk to shove him aside with a grunt. A wildly flailing paw ripped a ragged foot-long tear in his chest in passing but he swung hard, striking the younger dragon hard on the flank with both paws clenched.
Tomako hit the ground with a thud that shook the forest floor but rolled onto his feet once more and hissed defiance at the adult who merely laughed and taunted him once more.
"A puny human could do more damage - think where you need to strike"
Tomako's eyes narrowed as he lowered his body and circled Nokala. It was obvious to the older dragon that the youngster was working on instinct now and needed more time and experience before he could think coherently during a fight. He did not want him injuring himself too soon however.
Nokala's tail waved up and over, drawing Tomako's gaze with it and before he realized that he was being decoyed, hot breath was on his neck and he felt the pinch of powerful jaws as he was pinned once more.
Letting out a wail of rage Tomako writhed under the unrelenting grip, weeping openly at the feeling of helplessness and flushed hot with the shame of failure.
Nokala waited until he had slumped in defeat before releasing his grasp and settling back on his haunches and watching. A look of interest on his muzzle, mixed with a hint of pity.
"You have promise" he murmured to the young dragon "as I said; you just needed the right motivation. I will teach you to fight if you wish. I also need to train James in how to best a dragon in combat"
Tomako sniffed and wrenched himself upright slowly, not meeting Nokala's gaze "That was cruel" he muttered.
Nokala gave a bark of laughter "And you think other dragons will care about that? They would rip your head off and steal your hoard while you were showing them round"
Tomako looked shocked "B-but ...They are dragons..."
Nokala nodded "You think that we are all civilized and honorable now? There are still those who feel we should be eating humans and running this world to our own desires"
Tomako flushed with realization at where this conversation was going "Like my father?"
Nodding slowly Nokala held out his paw and lifted his erstwhile opponent back onto his hindquarters.
"Yes, but you have seen why we must not do that. We have too much to gain and too much to lose if we revert to savagery or pointless anger."
Tomako shook himself vigorously, sending pine needles and leaves flying into the air and surrounding forest then looked at the bleeding tear on Nokala's chest "Sorry" he murmured.
Nokala shook his head "No I'm the sorry one, I'm obviously getting slow" he chuckled and gave him a friendly cuff "It's going to be interesting training you and a human together"
Tomako grinned and looked sidelong at the adult "I guess I've been wasting my time hitting drums when I should've been hitting other dragons?"
Nokala gave him a look that spoke volumes "You gave yourself good muscles with the drumming, but you need to work on your focus. If you lose your temper, you will always lose to a more experienced opponent"
They slowly walked through the forest, absently pushing aside trees that got in the way as they talked.
"Would my father truly try and kill James?" Tomako asked at last, idly playing with a sapling.
"Why don't you ask him that" the quiet reply came. "He should have been training you also, but perhaps he fears for his own position"
Tomako stopped in his tracks "My father fears me? But..."
"He fears many things, Why not his own son?"
Walking slowly once more Tomako let that thought roll around in his head for a while in silence. Nokala let his senses take in the air and surroundings during the silence. He both heard and scented the various rustlings and murmurs in the bushes and burrows nearby as nervous fairies whispered to one another, carrying the news back to the anxious king.
James nervously watched Janna as she bustled round the kitchen. He hadn't had the chance to really talk to her since his arrival and felt as though he was intruding on her personal space. It was odd to see a dragoness cooking though as everything was on a scale far outside his experience. The cauldron was large enough for several cows and all the utensils seemed like weapons rather than spoons and spatulas.
On her part Janna was at a loss at how to treat the human, She knew that he had mated a dragoness and joined the clan but she felt that it went against her instincts and though she knew she shouldn't let it matter, it rankled that a puny human had won over a young dragoness.
Trying to keep the sarcasm from her voice, she looked him over with a withering glare "Well I suppose you could make yourself useful"
James could not help bowing respectfully "Id be glad to Lady Janna," he said pleasantly. She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure if he was being cheeky or sincere.
"Humph, Well there are plenty of potatoes that need peeling" she pointed towards a corner bearing a looming mountain of spuds that dwarfed James.
"Dragons eat potatoes?" he blurted out without thinking then flushing at his rudeness.
"Why not? We can eat anything" Janna grinned, showing the human a set of teeth like a row of broken bottles. "We don't just eat meat - that would be boring"
James gulped and nodded, moving over to the pile of vegetables and selecting one, pulled out his dagger and started whittling away the skin, sighing and wondering what was going on downstairs.
Janna hummed quietly to herself and James tried to make out some of the words as she did so, carefully slicing the skin from the potato and thinking to himself.
Cill groaned with effort as she felt the form slip away from her once more. It was an unpleasant feeling, as if she was melting and losing her skin prematurely. She could feel the sensation of skin though briefly and it was no less disquieting yet somewhat thrilling.
Marre held up his paw and signaled for her to stop, he could see she was rapidly exhausting herself in her efforts and didn't want her to hurt herself or drain her mana to a point where it would require days to recover.
"That's enough for now Cill," he said quietly, holding his paw out and helping her up carefully.
"I told you it would take a lot of work and effort. Nevertheless, you have done well for your first attempt. I saw some skin form on your legs that last time"
Cill nodded weakly and stood somewhat waveringly "I could feel it - but then it sort of - slid off"
Marre nodded "It does feel strange at first but it will be worth it when you are able to change fully with only a little effort"
Cill sat back on her haunches with a grunt "I hope so" she eagerly reached out for a flagon of water proffered by the elder and drank deeply.
"It is good to see you so happy and in good condition" Marre remarked, running his practiced eye over her body, "They are obviously feeding you well in the keep"
Cill swallowed the last of the water and grinned at him "Oh yes, there seems to be no shortage of food there and I even tried some bread though it stuck to my teeth a bit"
She forbore from telling him about the ale - He would just laugh.
"Just be careful not to try anything too exotic or spicy, ask me beforehand as I've pretty much tried everything the humans have come up with," Marre said with a grin as he leaned on his lounger.
"You definitely want to stay away from some of the spices they use. It can lead to embarrassing results" he gave a delicate cough and looked away, his ruffs a little flushed.
Cill narrowed her eyes "What sort of results?" she asked, leaning towards the mischievous elder.
"Oh I doubt you'll run into any here, but in London and more sophisticated human areas will have plenty of new experiences for you"
Cill nodded thoughtfully "I will have to visit human towns wont I? and eat their food in their shape - It will be strange"
"It will be odd, but you must trust your mate and you will learn fast I am sure. In a way this visit from one of James's friends will allow you to test your ability in a more controlled setting"
Cill nodded, thinking her mentor was correct but wishing he had phrased it less like an experiment with her as the sample. She startled herself by suddenly yawning hugely and feeling a wave of tiredness roll over her.
"Ahh, I think it is time you returned home and got some rest - no playing around just yet on your own though. I don't want James running in here screaming at me when he sees your face melt off"
Marre chuckled and yelled down to the kitchens for James who dropped the spud he was peeling back onto the pile and ran back up the ramp swiftly.
"Time to take your mate home James, Give her a rubdown and put her to bed, she's had a tiring day" He grinned, as Cill seemed to sag and almost fall atop the human who propped her up on his shoulders and staggered a little at the weight "Yes Master Marre. Shall we come back tomorrow?" James said puffing a little.
"Take a day off. She will need to recover her strength for another try and you need to practice your runes" Marre replied, "Giver her a good meal in the morning too"
He winked at the human, startling him "It'll keep her in a good mood. Dragons get tetchy on empty stomachs and she'll he hungry from all the mana she's burned today"
James made mental notes on this and nodded "Very good Master" and half dragged his tired mate towards the travel ring where she halfheartedly muttered the words and the pair flashed back home.
Marre groaned and sank into his lounger once more "those two are just going to trouble...I know it" he muttered to himself as he heard Janna coming up the ramp with his supper. She placed it in front of him and he eyed it blearily "Why so many potatoes?"